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Short movie reviews by Adriana Popovici

Paul

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2011
Director: Greg Mottola
Writers: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice), Kristen Wiig, etc.

For more information on “Paul”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
This is a soft comedy, and by soft I mean it doesn’t have sharp edges. Everything blends well together. It’s geekery about geeks, for geeks. And that’s cool. It inspires chuckles not loud laughter, which is not necessarily bad, but there was potential for more. Even so, wide-eyed Paul has its own place in the gallery of friendly peaceful aliens, just like K. Wiig has hers among the best (female) comedians… probably ever 😀

Highlights:
It won’t give you nightmares 🙂

Downside:
It doesn’t have enough “cement” to secure a lasting memory.

Would I see it again? – Yes, someday

My Rating (1 to 10): 7.5

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
Don’t go around saying “Hi, I’m Paul” – people might faint. Especially if you’re an alien 😀

 

Drive

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2011
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writer: Hossein Amini (screenplay), James Sallis (novel)
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, etc.

For more information on “Drive”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
“Drive” is a solid cinematographic product, with a consistent sense of aesthetics, a polished style, and a remarkable balance of proportions. It seems as if this movie was made through a series of best choices and there was no element left to chance. I have no idea if this is by any means true, but that is the feeling I got when I watched it. As a spectator, you either like it or not. The story is somewhat… dry for my taste, but Gosling and Mulligan manage to express the essence of their characters, and keep them interesting. Gosling even models a scorpion jacket to iconic status. Everything considered, all those involved in making this movie, did a terrific job – the result of their work indicates so.

Highlights:
It has two major (but rare) related qualities: personality and memorability.

Downside:
Its quality of execution punches you in the face, and you cannot quite get over it, helping to disguise the fact that this is not necessarily an enjoyable movie, but a rather cold and somber one.

Would I see it again? – Yes

My Rating (1 to 10): 9

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
Check out the cool soundtrack. You can also find on 8tracks.com mixes related to this soundtrack: http://8tracks.com/mixes/drive+soundtrack

 

One Day

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2011
Director: Lone Scherfig
Writer: David Nicholls (book & screenplay)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, etc.

For more information on “One Day”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
I wavered over rating this movie “-” or “+/-“. I went for “+/-” because it has its share of… niceness. I think it doesn’t make the most of the book. The truly romantic element of this movie is the “snapshot” way the story is told. Two people, the same date, different years. Unfortunately, the characters are not very likable; especially the guy. Why she falls for him is almost beyond reason (and I don’t mean it in a good romantic way). He must have been great all year long, but took his yearly “one day” off from being all that great on July 15. The characters are not even interesting enough to make one curious about their life and feelings. The only thing that keeps the story going is its structure. Both Hathaway and Sturgess have better flicks in their filmography.

Highlights:
The idea and the structure of the story.

Downside:
The fact that not even Anne Hathaway (an actress I like) could make me feel entertained and less bored by this movie.

Would I see it again? – No

My Rating (1 to 10): 6

Recommended: Not really

Suggestion:
If you’d like to watch a similar(-ly romantic) movie starring Anne Hathaway, choose “Love and other Drugs“, which is (just) slightly better (in my opinion).

 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2011
Director: Stephen Daldry
Writers: Eric Roth (screenplay); Jonathan Safran Foer (novel)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, etc.

For more information on “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
The kid, Thomas Horn, is great. The movie starts with an awesome father-son relationship, and continues with a story about the “modest” reality behind the 9/11 “saga” – many lives were abruptly lost on that day, and many more lives were just as abruptly changed by this unjust and absurd event. Those who died had families, relatives and friends, people who loved and miss them. At least one of those who died in the 9/11 attacks had a son, a boy like Oskar (Thomas Horn’s character) maybe, a kid that had to cling on to a hope for meaning in order to get his life back to normal, facing and overcoming his fears all alone, meeting all kinds of people and making friends along the way, even changing lives. I’m glad this is not a movie about terrorism, but about life going on. I’m a bit intrigued that it is considered by some false and sentimentally “engineered” – I guess, some people, in an ocean of interpretation, theory, and (per-)mutations of facts, have forgotten that there is still love, loss, pain, and recovery. And that kid, Thomas Horn… he’s great.

Highlights:
It made me cry 🙂

Downside:
There is something about this film that can make it seem deceivingly sentimental. It lacks the bridge some might need in order to perceive the facts and the feelings as a whole.

Would I see it again? – Yes, someday

My Rating (1 to 10): 9

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
It’s a good choice for a late fall/winter evening when you have a hot drink, some cookies and lots of handkerchiefs close.

 

Carnage

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Image source: Wikimedia

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Year of release: 2011
Director: Roman Polanski
Writers: Yasmina Reza (play and screenplay), Roman Polanski (screenplay)
Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly, etc.

For more information on “Carnage”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
I haven’t seen Yasmina Reza’s “God of Carnage” on stage, therefore I am glad for this adaptation of the play. Essentially, it’s about adults complicating simple problems. A debate in an apartment vs. the reality out in the park. The four main characters, the parents, may do all the talking, but the key to understanding what this story is about lies in the first scene and the last one. The rest is an illustration of what daily frustrations turn us into, and how ridiculous we can become. The greatest merit of the film is offering a good play with a good cast to a wider audience than can fit into a theater. After watching it, I sincerely don’t feel a special need to see the play performed on stage – not even for the sake of comparing. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

Highlights:
It keeps the simplicity of a stage play. Solid acting.

Downside:
Nothing to interfere with the goal of this movie, I guess.

Would I see it again? – Yes

My Rating (1 to 10): 8.5

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
If you have any contempt for Polanski, don’t let that influence your opinion on this film.

 

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