pounds, shillings, and ounces

Best Friend Devy and I decided to go on a-movie hoppin' this past week. Which means you get 5 Movie Reviews! Hooray!

Movie #1.
Synecdoche, New York
Plot Synopsis: As his life begins to fall apart around him, aging theater director Caden (Philip Seymour Hoffman) builds a scale-model version of New York inside of a giant warehouse, populates it with actors, and begins to create his greatest work: a play about "Life. Death. Everything." In the process, he ends up watching actors performing his own life around him, as he attempts to see exactly who he is - and exactly where everything went wrong.
Review (Teaser): It feels like what's happening is genius...if only I could figure out what the heck is happening.
Review (Full): It would be impossible to properly describe Synecdoche, New York to anyone who has not already seen the movie - and even people who have seen the movie have a difficult time describing it. The film becomes gradually more surreal and convoluted as it follows Caden through his journey of self-discovery, featuring actors who are playing real people who are playing real people who are playing other actors. On the one hand, it feels like a sort of mad genius is occurring on screen. On the other hand, it feels like terribly poor storytelling, as if director Kaufman decided to make an incomprehensible movie simply for the sake of its being incomprehensible. I can't seem to decide if this film is a brilliant, epic piece encompassing all of life's most difficult moments and painful questions... or a convoluted piece of junk.

Either way, the film is interesting, if only for Hoffman's stellar performance. Bizarre, but interesting. Some of the scenes are genuinely spellbinding, and at least one of those scenes will strike a personal chord with the viewer, I think. It is also one of the few movies that has made me sit down with my movie-going companions afterward and have an in-depth, hour-long discussion about the film's themes, its triumphs and failures, and finally about its purpose. So if that's what Kaufman intended, then I suppose he succeeded.

On a personal level, however, I simply could not enjoy this film. It is essentially two hours of unhappiness, with an ending that is neutral at best and downright depressing at worst. And, despite my interest in the story (if one can call this surreal series of events a "story"), I was also exhausted by the end of it. It is a two-hour film that feels more like five. It wears one right down to the bone, and gives little comfort at the end.

So, overall, here's what I think: See this movie if you want to go to a coffeeshop afterwards and discuss Life, the Universe, and Everything. If you're not interested in that, then go see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button instead. It features basically the same themes, but with a much more comforting conclusion.
Grade: Anywhere from B+ to D, depending on the time of day ^^;

Movie #2.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Review: An epic of a movie that takes you through life both forwards and backwards. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett put on solid if not eye-popping performances, and the script is written with a delicate blend of poignancy and humor. It intrigues but never quite "wow"s.
Grade: B

Movie #3.
The Tale of Despereaux
Review: The animation is beautiful, with both Mouseworld and Ratworld designed with a stunning attention to detail. The voice acting also shines (but with leads like Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, and Dustin Hoffman, it's easy to see why). Unfortunately, the story drags from a series of unnecessary subplots, the humor never quite draws a genuine smile, and the characters just couldn't seem to evoke any real sympathy from me. It's a decent but forgettable children's movie, lacking in Pixar's charm or Dreamworks' wit.
Grade: C

Movie #4.
Valkyrie.
Plot Synopsis: Set during the final years of World War II, it follows the disenchanted Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), who returns to Berlin after he is several wounded on the southern front. His disgust towards Hitler is no secret, and he is soon drawn into a group of political and military leaders who share his sentiments. Before long Stauffenberg finds himself part of - and soon leader of - an intricate plot to kill Adolf Hitler.
Review (Teaser): An excellent thriller that grabs tight and doesn't let go.
Review (Full): Drew me in from the beginning and never let go. It focuses on the story, so there is little attention devoted to the individual personalities and character interactions. Even so, what is shown is shown with skill from both script and actors, so that by the end of the film I genuinely cared about what happened to at least Stauffenberg (Cruise), if not to some of the supporting cast.

But this was a movie made to tell a story, not to give in-depth character analyses, and in that aspect it performs admirably. The plot clips along at a pace that can seem almost breakneck at times, and it kept me excited and intrigued. Perhaps most impressive: the movie had me actually believing that Stauffenberg would succeed in his plot, even though I knew perfectly well that it was doomed to fail. So that's got to count for some good storytelling, I'd say.
Grade: B

Movie #5.
Doubt.
Plot Synopsis: Set at St. Nicholas, a Catholic School in the 1960s, where the severe Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) begins a crusade against the energetic and charismatic Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), whom she suspects of having a less-than-innocent relationship with the school's first black student, Donald Miller.
Review (Teaser): Hoffman and Streep dazzle in a movie that crackles with tension and uncertainty.

Review (Full): Doubt is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play by John Patrick Shanley (who also wrote and directed this film adaptation), and, like a stage play, the movie version relies almost solely on its script and its actors rather than on the sweeping sets and breakneck action that often saturate modern-day films. Thankfully, Doubt has ample talent in both departments. Shanley's script sizzles with tension and drama, keeping me on the edge of my seat despite the lack of explosions and chase scenes. Shanley raises a number of serious questions about the consequences of blind faith and the inevitable push-and-pull that occurs with changing times, but it does all this subtly, and never attempts to beat its viewer over the head with a message. On a personal level, this is my favorite brand of storytelling - questioning without preaching - so to me Doubt is a masterfully-crafted tale.

As for the acting, both Amy Adams and Viola Davis give exquisite supporting performances as the innocent Sister James and Mrs. Miller, respectively. And the leads? Well, to avoid gushing endlessly, let me simply say that Hoffman and Streep prove once again that they are some of the best - if not the best - actors in Hollywood. When these two were on screen together, I forgot that I was watching a movie.

If this film has any weaknesses, it is that writer/director Shanley is quite obviously a man of the theater, and the movie never quite gets over that "I'm watching a filmed version of a stage play" feeling. I, however, have never had any problem with this particular brand of directing, so I can't say that I see it as a "weakness." Overall, Doubt was an excellent story carried by an absolutely magnificent cast. Definitely the highlight of the week.
Grade: A

New Year's Resolution #1: In my attempt to become a movie reviewer for the university newspaper, see more movies.
Doin' good so far, I'd say. ^_^

Cheers,
Dee ~_^