The Blind Side

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: John Lee Hancock, Michael Lewis (author)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron
Release Date: November 20, 2009
Length: 2 hours 8 minutes

The Blind Side is an incredible true story about how a boy brought up by a drug addict mother, became a football player for the Baltimore Ravens. When Michael Oher needed a home to sleep in, Leigh Anne Tuoy gave him a whole new life. Written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and based on the book by Michael Lewis, The Blind Side is by far, one of the best films of the year. At the age of 18, Michael (Quinton Aaron) has found himself being educated at a private Christian school through the help of a friend and the coach. Leigh Anne Tuoy (Sandra Bullock) is a tough, gorgeous, motherly housewife that sees Michael playing with her adorable son, S. J. (Jae Head) one day when picking him up from school. One night when the family is driving home from dinner, Leigh Anne sees Michael walking with no coat on, in the freezing night. Realizing he has no place to go, Leigh Anne invites him to sleep at their house for the night. Soon enough, she ends up inviting Michael into their family. From the trailer of this film, I (and most people) thought that it would be a nice, cute film that would end up being inspiring. Wow, was I completely wrong. This film isn’t a tearjerker, but a film where you are able to cry and laugh and just enjoy every minute of it. I was incredibly compelled by the script and most importantly the acting. Sandra, Sandra, Sandra. Right now, the world hasn’t been getting enough of her. Last spring, she made many of us laugh and love her in The Proposal. This November, she reminds us that she is an incredible dramatic actress as well. Her previous dramatic roles have been in 28 Days and one of my all-time favourite films, Crash. Sandra Bullock is one of the few actors that can command both comedy and drama. The characters she played in The Blind Side and The Proposal are completely different, but I noticed that both characters have extreme confidence. This is something that Sandra Bullock masters. All eyes shoot to her when she is on screen and not just because of her looks, but also because she has presence. Tim McGraw does a convincing performance as Leigh Anne’s husband, Sean. Jae Head performs wonderfully as their son S.J. This kid provides many laughs for the film, and he will go far after this movie. Movies based on true stories always seem to have more of an effect on people when they see them. The people I went to see the film with did not know it was a true story until the end of the film, when they showed a clip of the real Michael Oher being chosen as a Baltimore Ravens football player in 2005. After the audience realized that this movie was based on a true story, there was somehow an immediate effect of inspiration and pride for the audience. This movie is a great film for everyone to watch, including kids and Sandra Bullock just keeps getting better. It’s an incredible surprise, The Blind Side triumphs as one of this year’s films.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Director: Chris Weitz
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephanie Meyer (author)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Release Date: November 20, 2009
Length: 2 hours, 10 minutes

If you liked Twilight, you’ll love New Moon. If you hated Twilight, you might hate New Moon. Director Chris Weitz has taken on the second installment of the Twilight franchise. Based on the extremely successful teen novel, New Moon is the continuation of 17-year-old Bella and her gorgeous vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen. At Bella’s birthday party, while she is opening a gift, she gets a paper cut and blood is exposed. Bum Bum Bah. Edward’s brother, Jasper almost kills Bella by wanting to drink her blood.  Edward realizes Bella is not safe around his kind or around him. The Cullens skip town, leaving Bella devastated and hurt. Her friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) – who’s also gorgeous - comforts her and the two become close. When Bella realizes that Jacob may have different feelings toward her (and that he might also be a werewolf), she contemplates whether she is ready to move on from Edward or not. I have contemplated for a while about how I can review this film, and if it is unfair to say that is a good movie or not. I remembered though, that the whole point of this blog is to give movies a review from a teenage perspective. As I am a teenager, what you see (or read in this case) is what you get. As a hardcore Twilight fan, I would have loved this movie whether it was good or bad. That may sound ridiculous, but my love for the books would make me love New Moon even if it had puppets for actors. From a film buff’s point of view, the first film was complete crap, but from a teenage Twilight lover’s perspective, it was amazing. In New Moon, I was tormented from Bella and Jacob’s undecided relationship. I was as you say undecided about whether I was on Team Edward or Team Jacob. While reading New Moon, I never stopped being on Team Edward. But the film version really pulls at everyone to go to Team Jacob. Not only does Taylor Lautner have his shirt off for most of the film, but the actual written dialogue makes you want to choose him as well. For all the teenage girls who want nothing more than Robert Pattinson sucking their blood, you probably won’t care about this. But to all the adults who are being forced to take their young daughters to see this movie, you might want to listen up. New Moon is a vast improvement from Twilight. It was said that everyone who worked on the film changed except the cast, writer, and producers. That meant new special effects, new cinematography, and of course new direction from the talented Chris Weitz. From the little thing of every vampire wearing golden contacts to the amazing use of camera work in some of the chase/fight scenes, you could clearly tell that everything in New Moon was much better than Twilight. The screenwriter that wrote Twilight, Melissa Rosenberg wrote the screenplay for New Moon as well. The dialogue is pretty good, nothing amazing, but not horrible. But like the special effects, it’s an improvement from Twilight. Along with the screenwriter, the cast is back as well. Kristen Stewart is still as monotone and lifeless as ever, although she has improved from Twilight. Robert Pattinson has clearly improved his American accent, and is always nice to look at. He once again does a great job in portraying Edward, and not just because he’s good-looking.  Taylor Lautner isn’t a half-bad actor, but who really cares when he is always shirtless. He might not be the best actor, although he’s young and has time to improve, but he does show dedication. The guy put on 30 pounds of muscle just to be able to play Jacob again…. and it shows. For obsessed teenage girls, like myself, you will love New Moon even more than you loved Twilight and for the adults being forced to see this movie, it’s not that bad and you might actually enjoy it.

Old Dogs

Director: Walt Becker
Writers: David Diamond, David Weissman
Starring: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston
Release Date: November 27, 2009
Length: 1 hour 28 minutes

Have you ever wanted to poke your eyes out with a stick multiple times within a two-hour period? Have you ever wanted to run around screaming, “I hate the world!”? Have you ever wanted to kick yourself for wasting your money on something stupid? If you have, then you know what it’s like to watch Old Dogs. John Travolta and Robin Williams (who just can’t seem to get any good work these days) are best friends Dan and Charlie own a sports market company in New York together. Charlie is the typical old bachelor guy who gets young girls (lord knows why any young woman would be attracted to that dyed old black shiny hair) and Dan is the other friend.  One day, very out of the blue, a woman named Vicki (Kelly Preston) Dan married one night in Vegas calls him up and asks him to go for dinner. At dinner, Dan finds out he is the father of twins that are 8 years old. He now is obligated to take care of them for two weeks while Vicki is in prison…don’t ask. No one knows why it has taken this long for Vicki to tell Dan he has children and no one knows why these kids call Dan “dad” right off the bat. Sometimes while watching a film, you have to put up with not questioning it and move on, because there might be something in store later in the film.  Not for Old Dogs though.  When I saw the trailer for this film, people around me said it looked kind of funny and they might see it. I agreed that there were some humorous parts in the trailer but in the back of my mind I knew, that somewhere toward the end of this movie there would be a moral to the story in which we are supposed to sympathize for these characters in what is supposed to be a comedy. I have unfortunately witnessed this in many horrible comedies, and each time I think I am going to rip out my intestines because I would prefer that to watching that unbearable part in an unbearable movie. Surprisingly, 3 people wrote this film. You would think that between those three brains, one of them would notice that this film was not only not funny at all, but also agonizingly horrible. There was a time when Robin Williams used to make so many people laugh because he truly was and still is a great comedian, but unfortunately for him, he just hasn’t been getting any luck recently with good writers. Watching the comedy in this film is like watching comedy from the 1930’s. I don’t think the writers of Old Dogs realized that slapstick comedy was meant to stay in Charlie Chaplin films. I hate to break it to you, but people getting hit in the crotch just doesn’t generate laughs anymore. I cannot think of any other time where I have wanted to scream so badly when I saw this film. There’s nothing else like it. Old Dogs might just be the worst movie of the year.

Prom Night In Mississippi

Director: Paul Saltzman
Producers: Paul Saltzman, Patracia Aquino
Release Date: November 13, 2009
Length: 1 hour, 30 minutes

It is almost impossible to imagine that in the year of 2008, in the United States there would still be segregated proms. Believe it. It is widely known that racism is still occurring in the states. Some places like the town of Charleston, Mississippi just haven’t accepted that things are changing. This town has a population of roughly 2000 people. 70% of these people are black and 30% are white. The history of this town has unfortunately led to generations of blacks hating whites and whites hating blacks. Most of the teenagers attending Charleston High School are in fact not racist, and lots of them are friends with each other. The parents and older people of this town, however, have not accepted modern times and are worried what would happen if they let an integrated prom take place. This is where the legendary celebrity comes in to save the day. Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman was born and raised in the town of Charleston, Mississippi and thinks “it’s complete idiocy that this is still happening”. In 1997, he made an offer to Charleston High School to fully pay for an integrated prom. He was refused. More than 10 years later in 2008, Freeman offered again. This time he was accepted. It is extremely entertaining to see how when Morgan Freeman walks into a room, everyone goes silent and listens to everything he has to say. In a particular scene, when Freeman is conversing with the school board, the audience can pick up on the fact that the head of the school board is freaked out of his mind and is too intimidated to say anything. It certainly makes you wonder if this town could have ever established an integrated prom without the help of someone as famous as Morgan Freeman. Canadian director, Paul Saltzman captures the entire process of planning and preparing for this segregated prom. He does an incredible job of getting different perspectives on what’s going on, especially from the kids who have been taught by their parents to be racist, but know it’s not right. This eye-opening documentary shows us that something as simple as a prom can end up revolutionizing the beliefs and views of a town. If there are other towns like Charleston that still have racial problems, hopefully they can heal these problems without the help of a celebrity. Prom Night in Mississippi is an incredible, moving film that quite clearly shows that racism is no longer a good enough reason to prevent future generations of different races from getting along.

Up In The Air

Director: Jason Reitman
Writers: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Walter Kim(author)
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Release Date: November 13, 2009
Length: 1 hour 40 minutes

What goes up must come down. Those were my expectations for Up In The Air. It is a horrible thing to be fired. And in this economy, everywhere you turn your head, there is someone unemployed. But you know who is actually making the money? The guys actually firing these poor people. Welcome to the art of the sacking business. George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, someone who has done fairly well for himself in this business. Ryan is almost always flying from place to place, firing people. He practically lives in the air. Upon one of his many trips, he meets a very attractive, smart woman named Alex, played by the talented Vera Farmiga (The Departed). Ryan is very intrigued by this woman and learns she is a frequent flyer as well. After one night together, the two decide to meet up again when they can.  So, movie starts. George Clooney comes on screen. Everyone is laughing. This is to me one of the funniest movies of the year. 20 minutes later, people are still laughing. I can tell I’m really going to like this movie. Half an hour later, people are still laughing. The writing for this film can’t get any better. 20 minutes later…. the laughter stops, and these clever inventive characters are no longer making jokes. I don’t know why filmmakers, especially hilarious ones like Jason Reitman feel a need to give their comedies a sense of seriousness to make it seem more real. Is it too much to ask to let the comedy be funny throughout? I have no problem with a mix of comedy and drama, but at least work in the drama a bit in the beginning, so the film isn’t one hour funny, one hour sad. It is annoying that the main characters in Up in The Air like Ryan and Alex are hilarious and then all of a sudden serious. The plot doesn’t just change, but the characters change as well. There is no real point or motive to this movie. Things happen, things don’t happen. Things are funny. Things aren’t funny. This is something that happens in films more frequently these days. Clooney and Vera Farmiga are great, but the real scene-stealer for me was Anna Kendrick as Ryan’s new young co-worker Natalie, who he has to take with him to his many destinations. Ms. Kendrick had a supporting role in Twilight, and she was the best part of that film for me. Her role might be a little clichéd, in the young, overachieving, annoying, type-a girl, but she makes it so worth it with her hilarious performance. But like the other characters, her character went to the dark side also. The quick turn from humor, to actual importance made me feel like this movie was going to end a lot sooner than it did. I shouldn’t have been thinking, “When is this movie going to end” only an hour in. Toward the end, the plot started to drag a bit, and it sucks to be bored just after you couldn’t stop laughing. I am not saying this film was a disaster, because it was highly entertaining and the second half, although serious, was still pretty interesting. It was just disappointing to not be laughing the whole time. I recommend this movie. Just be sure you know however, even though the film is hilarious, you will eventually stop laughing at some point, and you won’t laugh once after that.

The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee

Director: Rebecca Miller
Writer: Rebecca Miller
Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Blake Lively
Release Date: November 27, 2009
Length: 1 hour 38 minutes

What kind of story can you get about a 40-year-old, possibly insane housewife? Pippa Lee’s life is the answer. A young, naïve, beautiful girl (Blake Lively), that ran away from home when she was a teenager changed her life dramatically when she got involved with a man (Alan Arkin) too old for her, and married him. Now,the older Pippa (Robin Wright) takes care of everyone in her life. She now has two fully grown children in there twenties. She treats her 80 year old husband as, well…an 80-year old, who might die soon. It seems as if Pippa’s life is almost perfect. The only interference is…she is slowly losing her mind. Written and directed by Rebecca Miller (Arthur Miller’s daughter), The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee was unlike anything I had ever seen before, which is not necessarily a good thing. This film was completely unpredictable. When I thought the movie was original, there would be a cliché. But when I thought this movie had too many clichés, I would be pleasantly surprised by something inventive. You never knew what to expect. This movie was a mix of many different things. When it was done, I felt the film had everything good and bad. It had clichés, however the concept of the film had never been done before. It had its quirks, but it wasn’t an off the wall film. It had its romantic parts, but there was never really much of a love story. And most of all, the film had a stellar cast, but you never felt that it was pretentious or a Hollywood movie. Blake Lively was surprisingly okay as the younger Pippa Lee. Her performance was better than expected. It’s a nice change for her to do a dramatic role, but I think she fits a bit better on Gossip Girl, unfortunately. When I had first heard about this film, I had thought Blake Lively and Robin Wright Penn shared an equal amount of screen time. It was discovered though, that Wright was truly the star of this film. At the beginning it frustrated me how Lively and Penn’s takes on Pippa were so different, and I couldn’t relate at all how they could be playing the same character. Toward the middle I realized perhaps the point was to show how much Pippa changed as her relationship grew with Herb.  It showed two completely different sides of Pippa. Two completely different lives. Even though this film featured some of the most well known names in Hollywood, I was most drawn to Maria Bello as Pippa’s mother. She was a complete scene-stealer, and I felt that for the first half of the film, my attention was focused completely on her. Another pleasant surprise was Winona Ryder in a fairly crazy role, as older Pippa’s friend. I found her performance actually quite hilarious. So many times throughout the film, I thought to myself, how could all this much happen in one person’s life. Sometimes I thought it was ridiculous and unbelievable. But then the screen would switch back to Robin Wright Penn as older, quiet, reserved Pippa, who had all this happen to her and yet she goes about her day like a character from Pleasantville. Although the script was more entertaining with Lively’s scenes, I was much more intrigued with the older Pippa. Robin Wright’s performance was so fascinating. She amazingly portrayed a woman having a “quiet” nervous breakdown. After all the things that go on in the film, I was happy for a nice, simple ending. I think I would have been able to say that I liked this film, if it wasn’t for the over the top scenes of Pippa’s teenage years, but…If it wasn’t for Robin Wright’s performance, I might just have actually left the theatre.