50/50 Directed by Jonathon Levine

50/50
Rated R

My Summary: 50/50 is a comedy-drama based loosely off the life experiences of screenwriter and cancer survivor, Will Reiser and his real life friendship with Seth Rogen, who also stars in the film. Penning the early script, Reiser was able to allow his writing to fluently spill the emotions and dark humor he harbored, allowing the process to help him spiritually heal. From there, came a beautiful and heartbreaking story of one man’s struggle played meticulously by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who delivers nothing short of an Oscar worthy performance.

Adam Lerner (Gordon-Levitt) is a 27 year old public radio producer living in eco-friendly, Seattle, Washington. He’s in a committed relationship with a local artist (Bryce Dallas Howard) and is completely content with his life. That is, until he starts experiencing severe pain in his lower back. And with a few short visits to the doctor’s office, Adam’s life is changed forever after he finds out that he has a rare tumor located in his spine. His chances of survival are 50/50.

My Review: This film caught my attention when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. I really like Joseph Gordon-Levitt (ok, more like LOVE) and the premise of him doing a black comedy with Seth Rogen that was more heartfelt and real-life-drama, completely caught my interest. And thankfully, this was a film I was able to screen a few weeks ago. So, even though the subject matter was dark, I was anxiously waiting in my seat for the film to start. I know, sounds weird.

But, the movie prevailed. It was absolutely everything that I could have wanted for the film and more. It was raw, sincere, very funny at times, and believable. You will laugh and you will cry.

In addition, I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamics between Gordon-Levitt's character and Seth Rogen's character. Rogen, if you really think about it, was basically playing himself. In a previous interview, he said he was able to finally convey emotions and thoughts that at the time (with friend, Will Reiser), he was not able to express. This comes through in some very hilariously real moments, and some heartbreaking moments.

Also, Anjelica Huston as the mother was absolutely perfect (when is she not perfect), plus Bryce Dallas Howard is unfortunately as usual, the perfect-bitch-girlfriend. I don't know what it is about her, but she does it well. And last but not least, is the cutie patootie, Anna Kendrick, who plays a premed student who councils cancer patients. Though her character reminded me a lot of her character in Up In The Air, it's hard not to like Kendrick. There's something blunt about her delivery, and I can't help but smile. I'll just summarize by saying, the ENTIRE cast was brilliant. Need I say more?

I won't ruin the film by giving away every plot point, but know this: You must see this film. Don't think that you are going to see a film about doom and gloom and will be miserable for two hours. It is not like that at all. It's hard to explain, but it's just a really good film that felt real... and sad... and celebrated life... and made you laugh while doing it. Since the film is still stuck in my head, I'm sorry! I'm going to go out on a limb and call it one of the top three (if not THE) films of the year. I loved Midnight in Paris, but 50/50 is right there with it.

50/50 hits theatres Friday, September 30. Go see it!

Cast and Credit:
Directed by Johnathon Levine
Joseph Gordon-Levitt-Adam
Seth Rogen-Kyle
Bryce Dallas Howard-Rachel
Anna Kendrick-Katherine
Anjelica Huston-Diane

Lord of the Rings: Battle of the Hobbits?

First off, who watches Wilfred on FX? I am officially in love with Elijah Wood. Who knew hobbits were that hilarious?

Speaking of hobbits! Fantastic Fest’s annual Fantastic Debates puts filmmakers, critics, and celebrities against each other in a two-part battle that begins with a podium debate and then ends with a fight in the boxing ring. Check out these hilarious videos from Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan Lord of the Rings and their challenge video.



OH SNAP!! But let’s see what the other hobbit has to say!



Their debate will be on the World of Warcraft. OMG, somebody tape this!!

Antara by Marilena Mexi

Antara
Author: Marilena Mexi
Genre: Young Adult

Goodreads Summary: Peace and tranquility on the island of Aster, home to both humans and 'merfolk', has long been broken by a devastating phenomenon, recurring every five years. A storm including gusting winds and huge waves mysteriously appeared and eradicated much of the population. The misunderstandings, suspicion and hate born of this disaster have torn the two races apart, and the peace loving merfolk are now in a never-ending struggle to prove their innocence and restore peace to the island. On the human side, things are even worse; under the tyranny of cruel king Orestis, the people suffer and all their king cares for is vengeance against the "fish", as he spitefully calls them, executing merfolk after merfolk for just being near his lands. Secrets, intense emotions and strange phenomena will upset their lives forever.

My Review: This is the debut novel, Antara, written and illustrated by Marilena Mexi. I was lucky enough to receive an ebook, courtesy of Ms. Mexi and I’m certainly happy to convey my thoughts on her wonderful story.

I must say the story is good, but the illustrations are simply amazing. Pair the two together, and you have a unique experience where at the end of every chapter, there are beautiful images awaiting. It made reading, exciting.

Though I’m not a huge fan of stories that involve merfolk, I could certainly appreciate the essence of the tale. At the heart, the merfolk are simply trying to co-exist along side with their human counterparts. But King Orestis hates merfolk, and blames them for the mysterious catastrophe that happened years ago that claimed the life of his mother. Understanding that the event is supposed to happen once again, the merfolk send a representative to try and reason with the humans. From here, the story then develops into a budding romance, as the impeding doom of an eminent future catastrophe looms over the young mermaid sent to reason with the King.

The story really has it all;' action, history, fantasy and romance. It was really an enjoyable read.

However, there were a few issues that I had with the novel itself. First, I think the story still needs to be edited. There were quite a few grammatical errors, but nothing that can't be fixed. In addition, I found some of the dialogue, out of place--maybe a little too modern at times, almost too slang for the setting that the story was set in. Again, these are things that are easily correctable if the author should chose to correct them. This author has an amazing future and is a talented writer and an exceptional artist. We wish her much success!

Marilena Mexi's Website

Anatara : Amazon

Marilena Mexi's Good Reads profile

Drive directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Drive 
Rated R

Drive is a high-velocity, grotesquely graphic film noir based off the novella titled the same by James Sallis. Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn took home the coveted “Best Director” at Cannes for this overly stylized film that seems to pay homage to 80’s action dramas. Its pink neon opening credits are shadowed by beautiful midnight scenes of an ominous back drop of Los Angeles; millions of flickering lights unknowingly teased by the sudden shots of dark barren streets as an emotionless driver makes his way through its corrupt veins. Something is about to go down…

By day, Ryan Gosling’s character is a wheelman, stunt driving for Hollywood production companies and working as a mechanic for a small garage on Reseda Blvd., for his long time boss, Shannon ("Breaking Bad's" Bryan Cranston). But as the sun sets, the driver becomes something entirely different, using his born talent behind the wheel to help criminals in local heists. He is quintessentially the ultimate “driver” who is never given a name throughout the entire film. His character is enigmatic, ruthless and gives his clients one rule; they have five minutes to make out or he leaves.

From the opening scene of a very intense robbery, we quickly understand that our driver is sharp and highly-skillful under pressure, capable of outwitting LAPD in the bleakest of situations. In the aftermath of a close call, our driver then moves into an apartment building (we assume to keep his locations unknown and untraceable). In the elevator, we see that the driver has the ability to smile as he is easily amused by the antics of a small boy who turns out to be his new neighbor. Early over the course of the film, we watch the driver attempt to develop a relationship with the young boy, Benecio (Kaden Leos) and his mother, Irene (Carey Mulligan). There is an undeniable attraction that exists between the driver and Irene, but it’s quickly extinguished when Irene finds out that her husband Standard, who was incarcerated, is returning home.

Saddened, but sympathetic, the driver backs off from the friendship and allows the family to reacquaint themselves until local thugs threaten Standard and his family for monies owed from prison. His payback requires him to pull off a robbery. Caring for the safety of the young boy and his mother, the driver agrees to help Standard which ultimately unleashes a world of havoc and mayhem.

From here, the honeymoon is over and the film takes deadly turns into a cutthroat world of bloodshed and organized crime. Let us warn you, the film is overtly violent in particular scenes and our driver goes from just a skillful wheelman, to a grisly assassin. We found ourselves turning our heads as the gruesome acts of murder were exaggerated; a point we assume is due to the fact that our driver, whose hands were only a little dirty prior, had no issues dousing them in blood from this point forward.

Though we (me and my husband) squawked horribly at some of the song selections; a valid irritation considering most of the soundtrack had a bit of an 80’s feel to it (we assume was meant to enhance the feeling of nostalgia but only created a bit of cheesiness to certain scenes); we still felt like we had seen a kick ass crime drama. Drive takes you on a road that has not been travelled and does so at high speeds, thrusting you toward a cliff as you reach its finality. I'm putting this in my top five "Best Films" of the year. EXCELLENT MOVIE!

Cast and Credit:
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Ryan Gosling-Driver
Carrie Mulligan-Irene
Bryan Cranston-Shannon
Albert Brooks-Shannon
Ron Perlman-Nino

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

Brokeback Mountain
Genre: Adult Fiction

Summary: Two young men who meet in Wyoming in 1963 forge a sudden emotional and sexual attachment, but soon part ways. As their separate lives play out with marriages, children and jobs, they reunite for brief liaisons on camping trips in remote settings over the course of the next 20 years.

My Review: Brokeback Moutain is a short story written by Annie Proulx, a tale that would be brought to the silver screen by director Ang Lee, who would ultimately win an Oscar for his adaptation.

In this 27 page novella, the story is causally brief but powerful enough. What I had to do was remove the intimate knowledge I knew from the film, to allow the book version to retell its story of two cowboys and their long and tragic love affair. Yet amazingly, I found the movie to follow the book almost to a T. What Proulx does well, is present only what is needed.

If you are not familiar with the story, let me recap it. Two young men are employed to herd sheep one season on Brokeback Moutain. Spending a tremendous amount of time with each other, the two engage in a heated sexual affair during this time period. Yet, when it is time for them to return to reality and the daunting task of continuing on their lives, the two go separate ways and start families. Yet, four years later the two reunite only to begin their affair once more. However, times have change significantly in their four years apart, and under the circumstances, Ennis is unwilling to leave his life behind to live openly gay with Jack. They continue to meet each other several times a year during camping trips over the course of twenty years, yet the story is tragic and solemn as we learn the endings of our two characters.

What is heartbreaking about this story is Ennis's fear of being homosexual. Jack on the other hand, clearly understands he is gay and even has other affairs to quell his insatiable desire to be with men. But Ennis has been faithful, in that sense, to Jack. Ironically though it's Ennis that does not see any possible way for these two men to live out their lives together and that decision leads to a tragic ending.

At 27 pages, I still felt the pain. They had shared a relationship over the course of twenty years, putting their time spent on Brokeback Moutain on a pedestal like some fairy tale, only to never be able to find their happily ever after. Beautifully dark.

Shaolin directed by Benny Chan

Shaolin

NR

Summary: As feuding warlords fight to expand their power, the noble monks of the Shaolin Temple clean up the mess left behind, tending to the injured while trying their best to protect the poor and weak. General Hou (Andy Lau, WARLORDS, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) has caused much of this mess with his violent and ruthless tactics that rarely discriminate between soldiers and civilians. When Hao is betrayed by fellow general Cao Man (Nicholas Tse, THE PROMISE, SHAOLIN SOCCER), he is forced into hiding, and takes refuge with the monks (including Jackie Chan) at their hidden mountain temple. As the days pass, he finds himself more and more at ease as he learns the ways of peace, and begins to release his hatred through Martial Zen. But Cao is not far behind, and war soon reaches the temple, where the monks are ready to fight back- with their unstoppable Shaolin Kung Fu.

My Review: I have to admit, I have seen my fair share of "Kung Fu” films. But the ones that always stand out for me, are the ones that offer more depth to the characters and overall plot. Shaolin definitely provides this. 

Set during what appears to be early 20's Feudal China, Shaolin is about a ruthless warlord named General Hao, deceived by a younger General, named Cao Man. After nearly missing several murderous attempts against him and his family, Hao manages to escape with his daughter, only to crash tragically over a cliff. Carrying his daughter to a nearby temple, Hao begs the monks to help his dying child. The monks remembering who Hao is, assist the child regardless of her family ties, but to no avail. 

Wanted, and alone, Hao decides to stay in the temple, much to the concern of the monks who wonder if he is even worthy of being in the temple at all for his past sins. Yet, the elder monk reminds the younger ones, that the ways of Buddha and enlightenment is about discovery and redemption--you can learn from your wicked ways, if you have never committed them to begin with. 

Hao begins to release his hatred for his past and those who have betrayed him by praticing Martial Zen. Living among the villagers and the other monks, Hao is able to see firsthand the devistation and pain, that he himself at one time caused as an evil warlord. Ironically, he learns a lot from a quirky cook that works and lives in the temple, played by Jackie Chan (and true to Jackie's style, there is some comedic fighting in the film.) In the end, these type of films are always about redemption.

Shaolin was a great martial arts film and I give it four stars. Definitely catch this film if it premieres in your local theatre.

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark directed by Troy Nixey

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark
Rated R

Summary: A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.

My Review: "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" is a remake of the 1973 made-for-television movie that starred Kim Darby. What drew me to this film was simply one name - Guillermo Del Toro. With the hopes that Del Toro would create another film on the level of his other movie, 2006 "Pan's Labyrinth," I was giddy in anticipation. For those who are not familiar with Del Toro, suffice to say that he enjoys interpreting folklore and fairy tales in a dark manner. Not only did he write the screenplay, but Del Toro also produced the film. In a previous interview, he explained that he did not want to direct the film as well, for fear of it simply becoming a repeat of "Pan's Labyrinth." Yet, after seeing the movie I really wish he had directed the film and would have rejoiced at a revision of Del Toro's famous Labyrinth film. Though I appreciated the unique twist on this horror film about homunculus, I did not appreciate seeing them.

The film opens with a brief background story of the original owner of the mansion, Emerson Blackwood and the grotesque means that he goes to in an attempt to get his missing son back. In dealing with creatures unknown, his arrangement is denied with an unfavorable ending.

Once the house has fallen to decay and disarray, we then flash forward to present day and meet a young girl (Bailee Madison), who is sent to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and soon-to-be stepmother (Katie Holmes). The couple is in the process of renovating an old historic mansion in the hopes of it being featured on the cover of an architectural design magazine. With the arrival of the young child comes an awakening of hunger that has laid dormant underneath the home; it is the child they want and will stop at nothing until they get her.

The story behind the film is one of mythological creatures, revealed in a scary and whisper-like atmospheric manner but soon loses its effect as we come to see the creatures in action. I have to admit that they were much creepier and terrifying when you could not see them, for fear of the unknown, as opposed to the little monsters they really were and could probably punt like a football. In the end, the movie was just average for me and I think that it would definitely be best watched in the comfort of your home. I say skip this one and wait for it on DVD.

Cast and Credit: 

Directed by Troy Nixey

Katie Holmes-Kim

Guy Pearce-Alex

Bailee Madison-Sally

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Genre: Adult Fiction (1962)
Author: Ken Kesey

Summary: The story, narrated by the gigantic but docile half-Native American inmate "Chief" Bromden focuses on the antics of the rebellious Randle Patrick McMurphy, who faked insanity to serve out his prison sentence, for engaging in underage sex, in the hospital. The head administrative nurse, Mildred Ratched, rules the ward with a mailed fist and with little medical oversight. She is assisted by her three day-shift orderlies, and her assistant doctors. - Wiki

My Review: Since I had to read this for school, I could not pass up the opportunity to review the novel.

I think it's safe to say that many of you have seen the film and associate the title, with Jack Nicholson's outstanding, Oscar winning performance. What some of you probably don't realize, is the film is based off the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey (unless you studied Kesey's writing in school).

I would say the novel definitely gives you a more in-depth look into the insane asylum and the actual emotions behind the characters in the book.

The story is narrated from Chief Bromden's point of view. There are no chapters, only parts (1-4). The first half of the book, 145 pages, covers part I. There is an ominous tone and many, many descriptive metaphors used in the novel. At times, it's confusing because you aren't quite sure if Bromden is actually seeing the things that he describes so vividly. And many times he speaks of a "fog", symbolic for his mental state of mind, whether it is due to years of abuse or medication, it's about Bromden allowing himself to retreat within and slip from the realty that surrounds him. To be honest, Kesey's writing is difficult to get through in the first half because it is so dry and void of emotion, but from an analytical standpoint, there are many hidden gems embedded in that first half of the story. It's clear that Bromden lives in extreme fear, evident by the way he perceives the institute and how they treat their patients.

But in the second half of the novel, parts 2-4, the tone changes and the narration begins to liven as Bromden becomes deeply affected by a new resident patient, named McMurphy. McMurphy represents everything that these men in the ward are not; freedom, laughter, manlihood, etc...

As we see from the minute McMurphy arrives, it's about his will to change the system. To stop Nurse Ratched and her demeaning ways. The patients are belittled, stripped of their core, yet they do nothing to retaliate from this cruel behavior and endure the suffering, simply out of fear of punishment. But overtime, McMurphy prevails and in a pivotal moment, takes the men fishing, a scene in the novel that marks change for both the patients, and the ward itself. Something has been started, and will not stop. But in the end, McMurphy pays the ultimate cost for his refusal to submit as we reach the climatic and horrific ending. For Bromden, McMurphy simply represents the human spirit.

I know unless forced, many young people would not even bother to read this book and simply watch the movie, but the book does offer more insight to the horrors that were committed on these men. Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the author. I love the story, but dislike the writing at times. Still, I truly believe that every student should be asked to read this book. It's a powerful story about the human spirit and how it can easily be broken, and abused when placed in the wrong environment. It draws attention and begs us to sympathies with those who have mental disabilities, forcing us to take a look at our society and how we perceive people who are ill.