"Almost Famous" Movie Review

If looking into the world of art with a fresh and honest point of view is tough, try being a 15 year old discovering this world for himself traveling with a band of amateur acting musicians coping with fame and fortune all at once. Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” delivers a fascinating, brutally honest, and loving portrayal of the criticiqueing world in the 1970’s with enough heart to earn its place in cinema as his love letter to both critics and the fans of the magic that is music. Even non-music enthusiasts will be hard pressed to not find a heartfelt and genuine moment among the many that “Almost Famous” has to offer.

“Almost Famous” is a coming-of-age tale of 15 year old amateur writer/music critic William (Patrick Fugit) as he embarks on a long assignment for Rolling Stone Magazine with rock band “Stillwater” as he comes to realize what it truly takes to be both honest with himself as a critic and everyone else in this world he is embarking to learn of. While the 1970’s is an interesting time to set the film in, it absolutely works thematically. It was an interesting time to look back upon since music was progressing and what it meant to be a critic and fan was becoming tainted with the rise of commerce. As the first impression that William is to the band as “The Enemy” when William started as the fan who turned into “The Friend” that the band desperately needed at this venture in their musical careers.


One of the main thrusts of the picture is the believable performance by the actors. The story is well defined in terms of its honest portrayal of the characters. A storyteller will tell you in great stories, the writer must love their characters, and it’s clear that Crowe is absolutely in love with each of them. Crowe’s script paints each of these characters in shades of gray. Russell (Billy Crudup) comes off at times as a selfish egomaniac trying to cover his tracks, be it in scenes where he is putting a good face to William or the scene where he sells band-aid Penny to save his current relationship, but the combination of Crudup’s charisma and Crowe’s writing elevates this character to a point where the audience can hate his moral choices but would gladly share a beer with. Each of these characters is portrayed as fallible human beings. Everyone is putting a face to everyone and themselves, be it William posing as an experienced writer or his mother (François McDormond) using her moral values on her son to shield her inadequacies as a parent. The emotional core of the film is the existential conflict within William.


William is a character who has grown up out of place his whole life being an overachiever, till he finds a “place” with the type of people he’s admired his whole life. Fugit’s performance is great as you can clearly read into him as he is seeing what it takes to be in this job field and the difficult choices to be made if he wants to continue on that road. The film delivers an eloquent message about what it means to grow up, chase your dreams, and the harsh realities that come with those choices be it as a rock critic or a rock star. In watching this film, you not only come to understand each of these characters, but you get to know who Crowe is as a person. This is Crowe’s most personal film as it was written based on his experiences growing up as a Rolling Stones Magazine. By the end of the film you realize exactly how finding a passion can change you and you certainly see how it changed Crowe.


Crowe, with a stellar script and a fantastic cast all around, accomplishes to deliver a film that is both an indictment as well as a loving celebration of criticism and rock music while being a profound film about a young man going through an existential crisis. Overall, a Fantastic and meaningful film!

Calvin Harris: Ready for the Weekend (Fly Eye, Columbia; 2009)

Calvin Harris, who with the help of the myspace internet community has become one of the United Kingdom’s most prolific up and coming artists, burst into the Electro-pop scene with his 2007 amusingly titled debut Album I Created Disco. Since the album’s release, it has enjoyed an expectation surpassing longevity in the top 10 of the UK charts. While the album wasn’t critically praised, it had attained a small following for the Scotland native in the pop/electro scene. Harris’ first album was received by most critics as a handbag electro pop debut that showed promise for Harris with the hit singles “The Girls,” “Acceptable in the 80’s,” and “Merrymaking at my Place.” Then Harris released his follow-up album Ready for the Weekend in 2009.

The last album had a tough time establishing its tone at the start, but Ready for the Weekend does that right from the get-go with the first track “The Rain.” The album has a smooth and inviting tone showing Harris’ sense of humor. With his previous album being called I Created Disco, it only seems fitting that his next electro-pop effort should start with a hybrid of both electro bass keys mixed with a Saxophone solo taken out of the bravado of a blues song, only to be completely cross faded out into a full electro-bit track with the electronic elements drowning out all but Harris’ much improved vocals and the saxophone to not sound off till the very end of the track. This opening invites the listener in with the promise of a good time if you go for the ride and for the most part, Harris delivers. Harris took the safe route with the first album being an all electriconically composed album, but in this album he experiments with actual instruments such as the guitar rifts in “Blue” or “Worst Day”

With this opening song you can tell Harris has taken the criticism from the last album to heart. Harris’ vocals ruined some of the rhythms and beats of his previous album with songs like “Colours.” This time around his vocals, while still there, aren’t as clunky and don’t try to upstage Harris’ DJ work as the melodies are the driving force of the albums songs. With the hit songs such as “Flashback” and “I’m Not Alone,” Harris is going for a different vibe with the album putting more of himself and baring his soul. The last album was a bunch of randomly strung together beats that sounded good, but there wasn’t a clear theme or artist intention apart from wanting to give the listener a fun listen. Harris gives himself with the lyrics “If I could change my state of mind, then I would disappear. The love I get from you is something I can’t chance and I can let you slip away without a second glance.” This album also displays Harris’ talents as more collaborative vocal effort with Dizzie Rascal and Chrome in the fun and dance-floor worthy song “Dance wiv Me.” The album when it works, makes you just want to pump up your fist and cheer as that roller coaster of a tune is going up that hill, until the roller coaster comes down that hill and you're waiting for the next drop down that hill.

With all the improvements, some of Harris’ flaws have followed him in this album. While Ready for the Weekend is an improvement from I Created Disco, most of the album’s songs, apart from the name worthy ones, all feel like filler. The latter half of the album loses its momentum and becomes a slower and mostly non-vocal performance with the songs “Relax,” Limits,” and “Burn Nights.” The album goes into a stump that it never quite recovers from while you wait for the real songs to come on. The last half isn’t enough to stomp the album as it did last time just as the fun and energetic song “Dance wiv me” swoops in to save the album’s momentum and leave you with a good taste in your mouth.

“Ready for the Weekend” is a flawed, still enjoyable, and more artistic effort from Harris, whose music still listens as an artist with a lot of potential still ahead of him. Harris is a difficult artist to compare to. His sound is unique and although he is in the electro-pop genre, not too many have had as much widespread success as he has. Harris’ sound is a smooth transition for those otherwise not a fan of electro-pop. The album is a great next step in the right direction for Harris, who still isn’t quite there yet as an electro-artist, but where he is now is a really fun and highly enjoyable ride for anyone looking for something new, despite its flaws. As Harris puts it "These are the good times in your life, so put on a smile and it will be alright.”

"The Human Centipede: First Sequence" Review

Empty. That’s all to be had with any viewing of the train wreck, cockroach of a film that is Tom Six’s writing and directing attempt called “The Human Centipede: First Sequence.” Upon a single viewing of this film, it is guaranteed to be on your short-list of films that have no purpose to exist.

The basic premise of the film is two very dumb American girls backpacking and clubbing in Germany; their car tire flattens in the middle of nowhere on a dark and stormy night; and they find sanctuary in the creepy home of none other than Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), who so happens to be a renowned surgical doctor who is in the process of the ultimate medical challenge...

Are you ready for this?

To sew three human beings together into one digestive tract. A Human Centipede. That’s right! The goal is to sew three people together ass to mouth.


You get the idea…

Where does one start with this film? The story is absolute garbage. The problems all stem from Six. This film is being billed as a horror/comedy but this genius has no sense of what kind of film he wants to make, how to construct a single scare, how to tell a joke, but most importantly: He can NOT write or direct. The cinematography is actually not bad, but that dusty and green color-scheme needs to go. The story is predictably bad. Every twist and plot-point is a terrible cliché. Nobody does anything that even resembles a shred of human intelligence. By the last act, the film keeps giving us point twists that undercut everything the last scene had established. This frustrating aspect gives the film no resonance and you are just sitting there watching one painfully awkward scene after another. The film just feels like a half-assed frat boy joke that is stretched beyond the point of tastefulness and into a realm of complete blackness.


The main thrust of this film apart from it’s extreme set-piece, where an ugly and cruel gag-inducing moment is on the horizon, is the claim that this film is “100% Medically Accurate,” but by the time you get to the end of the second act you come to realize that the director is as full of it as the middle sequence of this human centipede. When you have a film and the kabuki performance from Laser as Dr. Hieter is, by leaps and bounds the strongest performance, your movie is in massive trouble. All the characters are one-directional, poorly acted, unlikable, and underdeveloped that you can’t emotionally connect to a single moment to the point that the only reaction to be had with this garbage is one’s gag reflex. Even when the actual human centipede appears onscreen, it’s bland and boring. The unforgivable thing is that the film just mean spirited and cruel to everyone in and outside the film. Sure everyone is drawn to see three people sewen together ass to mouth, but sometimes we as the audience think we may want to see something, but we don't know what we are asking ourselves.

"I want to see the Clone Wars!"
No you don't.

"I want to Hannibal Lector's childhood!"
No, you don't

"I want to actually see three people sewn together ass to mouth."
Please take this word of advice: No, you don't

People were fast to call films like “Hostel” and “Saw” torture porn, but at least those films had a morality tale, a humane message, and a resonace at the center of them, like a real horror film should! “The Human Centipede” Accomplishes nothing! There is nothing to offer from this viewing experience. This isn’t supposed to be enjoyed. It’s a gauntlet film. It’s the equivalent of a triple-dog dare on the schoolyard. If you are to put yourself through this agonizing experience, God Bless You and the only feeling you can look forward to boils to one word: EMPTY. If you find yourself on an airplane, be thankful that there is no way your airline, no matter how bad, will play “The Human Centipede: First Seqeunce” as your in-flight movie. Not because of the impending lawsuit from the extreme content or how bad the film is, but because of the high casualty mark from people trying to walk out of this film.

"Let Me In" REVIEW REWRITE!

There's always that nails-on-a-chalkboard reaction when audiences hear another film remake is on the way. Especially for a film embraced by critics and viewers as Tomas Alfredson's chilling Swedish vampire-film "Let The Right One In." Sometimes we get remakes that bastardize the original film and are churned out to exploit a fan-base. To all die-hard fans of the 2008 original film and novel: lay down your wooden stakes. With "Let Me In", Writer/Director Matt Reeves has not only crafted one of the best horror films of recent years, but a film that will go down, along with John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing," as one of the best remakes ever.


The basic premise revolves around a reclusive and viciously bullied boy named Owen (Kodi Smith McPhee) as he befriends a vampire-girl named Abby (Chloe Moretz). As the story between the children unfolds, a string of death and tragedy surround their friendship. Story-wise, this film is less of a remake and more of a well-told adaptation of the original Swedish novel. What Revees brilliantly changed is the Swedish landscape to the American landscape and how much that adds to the narrative while still staying true to what made the original film and the novel work to reinvent the vampire story and tell a fascinating story.


"Let Me In" takes place in Ronald Reagan-era 1983 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. During the time when Reagan famously stated "The evil was around America". This adds a chilling and frightening resonance to this vampire coming-of-age story that focuses on the violent nature of growing up and punctuates that chilling fear from the 1980s. Everything in the translation from the original Swedish landscapes works well for an American context. When watching the film, it's hard to not feel that wave of nostalgia and flashback to that moment in your childhood where you felt different from everyone else or befriended the new next door neighbor and plunked down five dollars at the local arcade together.


The writing is so textured that Revees nails it on the head with the emotional beats to where you have a strong sense of pathos to each of these characters. Moretz delivers a mature and chilling performance as Abby. McPhee's performance as Owen is hard to not have empathy for, given the sad nature of being a child of divorce and brutal bullying, a really great performance by McPhee. Richard Jenkin's brilliant performance as "the father" communicates so much with very few words and his eyes that he becomes the stand out performance from the cast.

The direction by Revees is great as well. The cinematography is gorgeous. It uses a yellow hue of streetlamps against the snow to create this gritty and realistic tone to the film. While the film is in the fantasy realm with vampires, this little touch grounds it in reality. The locations are nostalgically recognizable and they seem like that neighborhood you grew up in years past. The shots and the pacing take a leisurely approach. The long shots and slow pace allows for the audience to pick things that once you see the film again, you notice all the little subtleties that Revees put in and it makes the viewing more rewarding.

The film has so much heart that it transcends the horrific elements and becomes really a sweet coming-of-age film between a boy and a vampire-girl. Though this is a remake, don't let that stop you from seeing this. This remake stands above the rest as a film not made for a profit, but because this story deserves to be retold. Revees proves with this film that with the right storyteller and intention, there can still be some great remakes. The story is one of the more profound and original vampire stories to be told. FULL-PRICE!!

9 of 10

"Let Me In" REVIEW

There is always that nails-on-a-chalkboard reaction when audiences hear another film remake is on the way. Especially for a film embraced by critics and viewers as Tomas Alfredson's chilling Swedish vampire-film "Let The Right One In." Sometimes we get remakes that bastardize the original film and are churned out to exploit a fanbase. To all die-hard fans of the 2008 original film: lay down your wooden stakes. With "Let Me In", Writer/Director Matt Reeves has not only crafted one of the best horror films of recent years, but a film that will go down, along with John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing", as one of the best remakes ever.


The basic premise revolves around a reclusive and viciously bullied boy named Owen (Kodi Smith McPhee), as he befriends a vampire-girl named Abby (Chloe Moretz.) As the story between the children unfolds, a string of death and tragedy surround their friendship. Story-wise, this film is less of a remake and more of a well-told translation of the original Swedish story. What Matt Revees has done so brilliantly with this film is have the change to the American landscape add to the narrative.


"Let Me In" takes place in Ronald Regan era 1983 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. During the time when Regan famously stated that "The evil was around America." This change adds a chilling and frightening resonance to this vampire coming-of-age story that focuses on the violent nature of growing up and punctuates that chilling fear from the 1980's. Everything in the translation from the original Swedish landscapes works well for an American context. When watching the film, it's hard to not feel that wave of nostalgia and flashback to that moment in your childhood where you felt different from everyone else or befriended the new next door neighbor and plunked down five dollars at the local arcade together.


The writing is so textured that Matt Revees nails it on the head with the emotional beats to where you have a strong sense of pathos to each of these characters. Chloe Moretz delivers a mature and chilling performance as Abby. Kodi Smith-McPhee's performance as Owen is hard to not have empathy for given the sad nature of being a child of divorce and brutal bullying. Just a really great performance by Kodi. Richard Jenkin's brilliant performance as "The Father" communicates so much with very few words and his eyes that he becomes the stand out performance from the cast.

This film doesn't try to outdo the original film, but brilliantly reinterprets some of the events and attains it's own identity. The film has so much heart, that it transcends the horrific elements and becomes really a sweet coming-of-age film between a boy and a vampire-girl. Don't let the fact that this is a remake of a great film stop you s from seeing this. This remake stands above the rest as a film not made for a profit, but because this story deserves to be retold. In walking out of this film, the argument between the folks waiting in line shifted from whether or not this movie was any good to whether the original or this film was the superior film. Matt Revees proves with this film that with the right storyteller and intention, there can still be some great remakes. FULL-PRICE!!

9 of 10

What makes a good critic? Debatable…

Andres Gallego

09/25/2010

Reviewing the arts

What makes a good critic? Debatable…

In the long discussion of what a critic is, the one critic that is on the right track, in terms of what it criticism is and what it has become, it would have to be Anne Holub. There are few statements that is whole-heartedly agreeable with most of these critics. There is not a right or wrong interpretation of what it means to be a critic and it’s just an opinion. Having said that, Holub has a number of statements that one could consider being unbiased to a certain extent. The first statement Holub hits her point home is the statement where she explains “…subjects are constantly changing and growing. It’s likely going to be a lifelong pursuit.” This statement is very true in the sense that it is a great way to describe the current state of criticism and writing since the field has gotten very cut-throat and very harsh not just towards the art they are criticizing, but from one critic to another.

It’s an age-old discussion of Modern vs. the older critic. We have a lot of the older critics like Roger Ebert for printed Chicago Sun times press and some younger critics like Harry Knowles on ain’t it cool news online printing, who do essentially the same job, but have very dissimilar tastes and writing styles. People are always going to have different values and experiences. While you fall into one camp or another, it’s not about judging criticism on just passion alone, you also must take into account that this person specializes in a certain style of writing and that their values may differ from the last critic you read. It’s clear that Ebert comes from a more classical background in watching films as he saw the medium grow from an earlier place and Knowles comes from a more recent age of films, where he grew up with films comparable to your 35 Year-old film lover. Print and online print have the same standards and integrity as most other forms of criticism where it’s about expression of one’s experience with the art or media. An older demographic might look for Ebert’s view on something, while the younger generation may like to read Knowle’s opinion of a film or work.

In going with the previous statement, Holub also nails it on the head with the saying that “it starts with identifying a critic’s viewpoints.” In reading criticism, it’s all about matching your sensibilities. It’s about finding a critic that you can connect to. Not necessarily agree with, but someone whose word you can trust, but not take as gospel. In reading reviews, you can not take the critic’s word as the final word on the work. It’s just his or her opinion and nobody is right or wrong. Everyone has a different choice and view on the world, and a criticism is mainly their perception of how the work affected them. It’s about how it made them feel and not about what you should feel going in to experience the work. All you can do is keep reading till you find a critic you like to read his or her perception on the work.

Overall, Anne Holub’s viewpoint on criticism takes a more adaptive viewpoint to criticism. A critic shouldn’t conform to a viewpoint and neither should the reader. The reader will find their critic at same point and criticism will always grow and change with every new generation and way to get one’s opinions out.

Buried REVIEW!

There comes a film that taps into a primal fear and puts you through an intense experience unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. "Buried" is that rare film. What Director Rodrigo Cortés manages to put together, with the writing talent of Chris Sparling and the amazing acting talent of Ryan Reynolds, is a brilliant exercise in claustrophobic tension that grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let you go till it’s pulse pounding finale.

The story of the film is gripping from the very first frame. The premise of the film is contract truck driver; Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up in a coffin buried underground after a convoy ambush in Iraq. It’s a man-trapped-in-a-box story, but it’s told in a fresh way that re-invents the rules on this genre of high-tension thriller. The film takes place entirely in the coffin for the whole 90-minute run-time. The film never slows down or lets up and it’s just an intense experience and definitely not an easy one to sit through at points. What screenwriter Chris Sparling does so brilliantly with this screenplay is that he continually ups the ante and the stakes, especially for it being a film that takes place entirely in a coffin underground. With every plot twist that happens in the film, you feel that knife twist and turn as Sparling manages to turn a situation from bad to worse. It starts off with a real nail-biter premise that reaches on the Hitchcockian levels of tension that continually surprises and leaves you on edge. Then you reach the end of the first act…all bets are off.



It’s impossible to talk about this film without talking about the amazing performance by Ryan Reynolds. He’s pitch perfect for this role as Paul. This is the type of role that could have been played ugly or that could have outstayed its welcome very fast in the hands of another actor. It’d be tough to imagine anyone else bringing as much emotional integrity, believability, and humanity to this role of a man trapped in the worse of situations that is only getting worse by the minute. Reynolds shows a raw range and a depth to his performance that you just can’t take your eyes off of him or want to leave the coffin without him. The performance holds so much charisma and reliability so emotionally textured and draining that you feel for Paul as each second on the clock ticks as he becomes more unstable and unsure of the outcome of this situation. It’s a fantastic performance that is worthy of the praise as Reynolds successfully carries the whole film from six feet under and in total blackness.

Director Rodrigo Cortés does an outstanding job with the direction of the film. For this film taking as many risks as it does on the screenplay level, Cortés rises to the occasion as he takes more risks with the direction of the film. Most of the film is told in silence with little sound effects and Cortés allows the audience to drown in the lack of details on-screen and puts you through this tense, so that any new development that occurs or when any new item is found; it hard the audience as hard as a child getting an early Christmas present. This fear of the unknown and the sense of being trapped in darkness only helps to heighten the tension of the film as we invest more into Paul as a character. Cortés also reinvents this claustrophobic genre of thriller by using some truly amazing camera movements while in the coffined space of the coffin. For the film being entirely underground, there is certainly a lot of action that just doesn’t let up. Cortés doesn’t bend to the confines of the coffin; he reinvents it and delivers something that we truly haven’t seen before.

While I did thoroughly enjoy the experience with the film, I do have a small grip with it. Revealing this gripe without giving any spoilers would be impossible. All I will say is that it occurs in the final act of the picture, but it doesn’t detract or ruin the experience. It’s a small nitpick at best. I’d give this movie a FULL-PRICE!! Definitely go check this out in a theater because it is such a original and amazing experience going with this ride.

9 of 10