The Wrestler (2008) - Movie Review

The Wrestler 
Directed by Darren Aronofsky 

movie review/analysis
written by Gavin Miller

I absolutely adore Darren Aronofsky. If I were to make a top five favorite directors list, Aronofsky would easily be on it, probably even making the top three. I love every movie he's made, Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), his latest, Black Swan (2010), and 2008's The Wrestler. I know I'm getting extremely repetitive, but I love all these films, I find it next to impossible ordering them preference wise; that being said, if I absolutely had to choose my favorite, The Wrestler would most likely come out on top. It's not quite as intense as some of Aronofsky's previous films (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan in particular), instead, it takes the form of a more honest and touching drama. Not that the end result is "touching" - this is by no means an "uplifting" movie, but some scenes are very emotional and just facial expressions and dialog convey so much, and really make this movie. This is of course due to the absolutely amazing, perfect performances from the whole cast. Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei are so good in this film it's almost unbelievable. Rourke's performance as the aging, beaten and disconnected wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson has to be one of my favorite performances by and actor of all time. Not only is it amazing physical acting, but also just so emotional, at certain points in the movie, the little quiet character moments you just really bring a tear to your eye. The way the film is shot is also one of the best things about it. It takes on a documentary-est feel, slowly following the characters around, I think it's one of the things that works best about this film. 
The Wrestler is as brutal as it is emotional. It gives an honest and uncompromising look into the world of wrestling, I will never watch a "simple" wrestling match again without thinking of this movie. This is not a movie for the faint of heart, all kind of wince inducing violence occurs during the matches, it is not always a pleasant film to watch, but this is not "Rocky". This is a Darren Aronofsky drama that takes risks, it is not afraid. This is an extremely well acted movie, it's honest and sometimes disturbing, but it does not lack in heart. If you liked Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, I think that you would like this film too. The Wrestler is one of my favorite movies of all time. I could praise it more, everything is just about perfect, and it's actually very entertaining. One of the best. 

A+

The Usual Suspects (1995) - Movie Review

The Usual Suspects (1995)

directed by Bryan Singer 

movie review/analysis
written by Gavin Miller

Before I begin going into this film, I'd like to say a few words about director Bryan Singer. I think that he is an underrated filmmaker. His films are some what hit and miss, and unfortunately people seem to forget that he's made some pretty good movies over the years. I haven't seen all of his work, but I think that one of his biggest feats was bringing the comic book/superhero film genre back into mainstream film making with 2000's X-Men, which he directed. It wasn't perfect, but it's a decent film; and one that he followed up with the superior sequel X2 (2002). Among his other directorial credits where Superman Returns (which I did not see), Valkyrie (which is a somewhat better film than it gets credit for) among a few others. But, the film that truly established Singer, and the film that he will remembered for is The Usual Suspects. It wasn't exactly his debut film (that was Public Access), but let's be honest, no one remembers, or even knows about that movie. Usual Suspects was a brilliant movie on the other hand. It's one of those movies that I could talk about for hours. I love it. Singer really puts personality in his movie. It's quickly paced, entertaining, tightly edited and has an awesome score that really gets you into the movie. The performances are all around good and the all star cast is obviously having fun. Kevin Spacey in particular is amazing and is the film's crowning jewel. He deserved his Oscar. 
In conclusion, The Usual Suspects is fast paced, inventive, and just awesome. The famous twist ending truly is brilliant. With so much goes going on in the first hour and forty minutes (or so), I think it's great how the movie just kinda laughs at itself and at the viewers by completely pulling the rug from beneath your feet, leaves=ing you with a huge grin on your face. This is a now iconic film that has archived classic status. It's an important movie, but never a pretentious one. I love it. Check it out. 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Movie Review

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long)

movie review/analysis
written by Gavin Miller

It's very difficult for me to order my favorite movies of all time. I've tried and re-tried over and over again. However, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon always either comes out on top, or at least makes the top two or three. And this film truly is a masterpiece. Not only is it lavishly entertaining, fast paced and some what old fashioned, it's also touching, meditative and nothing less than beautiful and visually stunning. The acting is perfect. Chow Yun-Fat gives a stoic performance and you can really tell he's a somewhat trouble man underneath his shell. He does a great job and completely carries the movie. Michelle Yeoh is equally fantastic, she's slightly more unreserved and her character come off as extremely effective and human, especially in the movie's deep yet somewhat nail-biting climax. Ziyi Zhang and Chen Chang shine in their star making roles. 

Another thing I would like to mention is the score. It's possibly my favorite film score of all time. In every scene the music fits perfectly, whether it's the fast drum beat to go along with an amazingly choreographed fight scene, or the slow, mournful cello solo "Farewell" by the master Yo Yo Ma that plays over the end credits, this film's soundtrack is nothing less than amazing, and it won an Oscar to prove it. 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is so much more than a martial arts action movie. It's an epic drama with great characters, an amazing story, and beautiful scenery. It spawned a whole renaissance in the martial arts genre in the early 2000's; which is responsible for many films, Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), and even Kill Bill (ok maybe not so much that one, but I'm sure Tarantino was inspired).

This is a perfect movie to me, in every aspect. The cinematography is gorgeous, Ang Lee's direction is spot on, the emotions run deep and the film is both exciting and affecting. Do not disregard this as a simple action flick, it's a drama, a beautiful romance, an epic, with amazing martial arts thrown in there. Crouching Tiger is quite likely my all time favorite film. There are not many people that love this movie as much as me. I re-watch it quite often and it never gets boring or old. I get more out of it every time. It excites and enthralls me, and also brings a tear to my eye. I could not love this movie more.

The Prestige (2006) - Movie Review

The Prestige (2006)

movie review/analysis
written by Gavin Miller

The Prestige will always be one of my favorite movies. I think that it's a cinematic masterpiece and is definitely one of the most well constructed movies I've ever seen. The way it's put together is absolutely brilliant, if you've seen it you probably know what I'm talking about. While many praise Nolan for the way Memento is put together, I believe The Prestige's architecture is even more clever and it's just an overall superior film (that's not to say I don't like Memento though, it's great too). The movie itself is extremely entertaining, and it's very well acted and complex. It also features a wicked twist ending that will be sure to leave you thinking for many days after viewing. I love all of Christopher Nolan's films, and if I had to say which of his movies I like the best, it would be a for sure toss up between Prestige and The Dark Knight trilogy (with Inception just a tiny bit behind!). I absolutely adore this movie, it's really just perfect in my opinion. I believe that it's film making at it's finest.

My Movie Weekend - October 5-7th

Unfortunately due to school, my movie viewings are cut down to only about 4 times a week.

So, this makes my friday night and weekend all the more precious and awesome.
I always select which films to watch, and enjoy them to their fullest. I thought I would share with you my picks for this weekend; please comment if you have seen any of them, and if so, your opinions!

Friday - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)

The title is an obvious reference to Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (one of my favorite movies), and this Korean western/action movie is one I greatly look forward to watching. It has been described as "non-stop action". Sometimes you need a break from serious dramas, and a fun action flick is just the cure. I can't wait to check this out tomorrow night!

The Rest of the Weekend Picks -  The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Sideways (2004), Borat (2006)

I really look forward to watching all these movies, each of them has been on my to-watch list for quite some time now. I will report on my opinions for each later next week. :)

Tim Burton movie reviews part 2: 1994-2012

written by: Gavin Miller

Ed Wood (1994) 

Ed Wood is commonly regarded as one of Burton's best films. And justly, it it. Johnny Depp delivers one of his best performances as the title character, as does Academy Award winner Martin Landau, as Bella Lugosi. Presented in this movie is a great story with fascinating and hilarious characters. Ed Wood has a little of everything, and it's very entertaining. It's a celebration of film making and one of my favorite bio-pics. 

my score: 95%

Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow is quite a show. It's a dark, gothic, atmospheric horror/thriller that expertly did exactly what it set out to do. Johnny Depp tones it down a bit; and his performance is quite, but effective. Christina Ricci does a decent job along side Depp, and though her performance isn't exactly memorable, and she lacks chemistry with Depp, it dosent really take the film down for me. I like this film a lot, the visuals are so good that they pretty much compromise any other flaw the movie has, and for pure entertainment and escapism, this a great flick.
my score: 8.9/10

Big Fish (2003)
I find Big Fish to be one of Burton's more mature directing pieces. That's not to say he tones down the wacky visuals and quirkiness - by no means; but the story and characters are more fleshed out than previous Burton films. In essence, Big Fish is one man's life story, deep fried in Tim Burton. Also look out out for Danny Elfman's fantastic score.
my score: 95%

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
This is a movie that has a required a somewhat bad reputation over the years. And while I do understand the complaints, I think that it's a slightly underrated and even misunderstood film. Depp's performance doesn't quite fit, but that dosent mean it's a bad one. Charlie isn't bad, but I'd stick with 1971's Willy Wonka if I were you.
my score: 64%

Corpse Bride (2005)
Corpse Bride is a great stop-motion film. Yes, it will always live in the shadow of the superior Nightmare Before Christmas but by no means does that make it bad. The claymation is some of the best I've seen, and the voice acting (Bonham-Carter in particular) is superb. The music is great, and while the songs are less memorable than Nightmare Before Christmas', they still work just fine, and are a lot of fun. The visuals, the story, and Tim's direction all come together; and the result is a slightly imperfect, visually stunning, gothic animated musical with a heart.
my score: 84%

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2006)
If I had to say what's Johnny Depp's greatest performance is, I would go with Sweeney Todd. This is a film that Tim Burton was made for, and a role that Depp was born to play. This movie is so beautifully staged, Burton's direction is pitch-perfect and the tone he takes on works in every aspect. Considering that none of the actors really had any vocal training, the singing is fantastic. Depp, Bonham-Carter, Rickman, and Baren Cohen all do great jobs with the songs, all of which are very well written and staged. The cinematography is also a marvel. The film is perfectly shot and filled with countless memorable shots. Sweeney Todd is a period piece, a horror story, a musical, and a tragedy. It is my favorite musical and one of my favorite Burton movies.
my score: 100%

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Alice in Wonderland is not a horrible movie. In fact, it's not even a bad movie. But unfortunately, Burton didn't use his full directorial potential, and instead of a grand vision, as he presented with Sweeney or Batman, the result is a somewhat middling, tired effort that doesn't leave you with much. Yes, the visual effects look good; but I would have preferred it not to have been shot all on a green-screen. Johnny Depp gives his usual wacky performance, and Bonham-Carter does a good job - but there's just something missing here. The first part of the film is actually pretty good, and until the final act I don't mind it at all. But the film ends with a somewhat pointless and anti-climactic battle scene that serves the story or characters no purpose what-so-ever. In the end, Alice in Wonderland could have been wonderful, but it turns out restrained, and surprisingly dull considering the source material.
my score: 66%

Dark Shadows (2012) 
While I understood the criticism for Alice and Charlie, I thought that Dark Shadows was a very underrated piece. It's no where near perfect, and some elements just don't work, but overall, it's funny, entertaining, and visually it's just awesome. I like the premise of this movie a lot, and for the most part, Burton used it too it's full potential. The cast is star-studded, and as imagined includes most all of the Burton regulars. After 2010's Let Me In (my favorite film of 2010) I was thrilled and pleasantly surprised to see Chloe Grace Moretz play another super-natural beastie.My only real issue was the film's lackluster "climax". It was conventional and didn't feel right along side the originality of the first hour and thirty minutes of the movie. But ignoring that, Dark Shadows was fun, unique, and imperfect entertainment, I enjoyed myself and found the film to be legions better than Alice in Wonderland.
my score: 7.7

Conclusion: Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors. I love his style, his commitment to being unconventional, and his dark visions. Although his films aren't always masterpieces, I always take away the good from them, and as a whole, his films are a wondrous sensation and experience. I look forward to Frankenweenie, and I hope he does more original projects in the future. For the most part, it seems more of his mediocre movies are re-imaginings (with an exception to Sweeney Todd).
Finally I have decided to rank his films, based on my humble opinion.

13. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

12. Alice in Wonderland (2010)

11. Dark Shadows

10. Corpse Bride (2005)

9. Batman Returns (1992)

8. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

7. Beetlejuice (1988)

6. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

5. Big Fish (2003)

4. Ed Wood (1994)

3. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2006)

2. Batman (1989)

1. Edward Scissorhands (1991)

Tim Burton movie reviews Part 1 (1985-1992)

With Frankenweenie's release just around the corner, I though it would be appropriate to give a short review to each of the (feature) films of one of my all time favorite filmmakers, Tim Burton.
I have not seen Mars Attacks! or Planet of the Apes.

written by: Gavin Miller

Part One: 1985-1992

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Tim Burton's first feature film surprisingly still holds up, as one of his best. While some more cynical viewers may not appreciate it, if you can accept the film's sense of humor and silly, lightweight and weird attitude towards, well, everything - I think that this flick is extremely enjoyable, hilarious and as a cult classic it simply has to be appreciated for it's unconventional style and oddness. If you haven't seen Pee-wee's Big Adventure, do your self a favor and check it out.
my score: 85%

Beetlejuice (1988) 
I adore Beetlejuice. Its originality is enough to make to make it great; but add in a a great cast, a classic Danny Elfman score, and gleefully twisted, occasionally gruesome visuals to make a film go from good to great. Sure, there's not a whole lot of substance here, but who cares? This movie is a great time, a whole lot of fun, and often very funny. One of Tim Burton's most classic and iconic films, and we still want that sequel!
my score: 89%

Batman (1989)
Batman is a movie that I watched growing up, and simply because of nostalgia, my opinion is biased. But as biased as it is, my opinion is that Batman is a masterpiece. I think it holds up extremely well, and, I regard it almost as highly as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. To me this is one of the most re-watchable movies ever made, and if you don't try to compare it to Nolan's films, its great entertainment that never gets old. I love this film it's one of my favorites.
my score: 100%

Edward Scissorhands (1991)
If I had to pick a favorite Tim Burton film, it would be Edward Scissorhands. Not only is this one of my all time favorite movies, but I respect it on so many other levels, I truly believe it to be a piece of art. It is a great director's personal piece and a masterfully made film, featuring one of Johnny Depp's greatest performances (same with Winona Ryder). Edward Scissorhands is extremely emotional, as well as funny and sad. I love this movie, and I find that it's gets better with each viewing.
my score: 100%

Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Returns is a movie I find very underrated. It's much darker and grotesque that Burton's original Batman, and depending on the viewer this can be viewed as either a good or bad thing. This is a movie that is somewhat depressing, also it's weird, disturbing and disgusting. This is mainly due to the main villains  The Penguin and Catwomen, played by the amazing Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer. Anyway, this is definitely Burton's vision of Batman, no one else's. His. And I appreciate the film for that, and it is very entertaining. There are many great moments in the film, and though I don't love it like I love Batman '89, it's still a good movie if you're not afraid to plunge into a twisted, weird, dark and violent film that could easily turn you off.
my score: 80%



Check back tomorrow for part 2 of my Burton reviews!
I'll be discussing Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows!