Tron: Legacy

With enough 3D movies coming out this year to sink the Titanic, and a less-than-stellar reception for the original TRON, TRON: Legacy had most people doubting its pre-release hype. But this movie has had my attention ever since it was announced that Daft Punk would be doing the entire soundtrack for the film.

This is the first time in recent memory for me, maybe ever, than a headlining musical group has done the entire soundtrack for a movie, and I have to say, this was one of the most incredible things to experience in a movie. The type of sound that Daft Punk brings to the table is so unique and electronic that I don’t believe anyone else could have done such a great job for this movie. Having had the soundtrack several days before I saw this movie, I knew what to expect coming in, and it still blew my mind. As far as the actual movie goes, I was pleasantly surprised.

Everyone knows that the main attraction for the movie is the visuals. I’ve heard some disappointed reviews of this, but I can’t imagine why. The 3D is subtle and very well done, and the entire virtual world of the Grid looks absolutely gorgeous. The lighted suits and cities are just so incredibly sleek that I instantly fell in love with them. I would buy one of those suits right now if I could, I don’t care how much it costs. I would imagine that the same technology was used to create the young Flynn from Jeff Bridges that was used to make the avatars in Avatar. You could tell it wasn’t actually him, but it was pretty close to completely realistic. I was seriously impressed. The sound effects were also pretty awesome to match the music and sights. The acting was pretty good, in particular Jeff Bridges, as you could probably have guessed, and Garrett Hedlund as Bridges’ son. Along with a pretty good acting job, you also get to look at Olivia Wilde for a good amount of time, and let me tell you right now. In that suit, you won’t really care what she says. Or thinks. Or does.

One thing that wasn’t so great for me was the storyline. I won’t spoil it at all, but overall it was an alright plot, other than the ending. It wasn’t necessarily predictable, but I think that it should have been different.

Other than that, this movie was awesome. Looking and listening to any scene was never boring, and there were a few laughs thrown in there, but for the most part, it was pretty intense action. This movie would be great for people of any age and culture. If we step back and look at this movie, it really is amazing how far we have come if you go and look back to its predecessor from 1982.

My Rating [See it, Rent it, Skip it]

See it, and see it in the biggest theater you can. Also, see it in 3D. I was unable to attend the IMAX showing, but even in 3D at my regular local theater, it was quite a ride. One of my favorite movies of the year.

Somewhere

Finally, the time has come for another movie written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola. The first second that I finished watching Lost in Translation, I bookmarked her name and promised to see the next movie, if not all of the rest of the future movies, that she created. Lost in Translation is still to this day in my top 5, if not my favorite movie of all time.

Somewhere tells the story of. . . “Hollywood actor Johnny Marco, nested in his luxury hotel of choice, is a stimulated man. Drinking, parties and women keep a creeping boredom under wraps in between jobs. He is the occasional father of a bright girl, Cleo, who may be spoiled but doesn’t act it. When Cleo’s mother drops her off and leaves town, Johnny brings her along for the ride, but can he fit an 11-year-old girl into his privileged lifestyle?” [Written by Peter Brandt Nielsen]

The first thing that I want to talk about with this movie is the editing. I think this movie takes the cake for the “fewest cuts in a movie” award for 2010. It would probably also win the “least camera movement” award. Sofia Coppola really took simplicity to a whole new level in this movie.

The use of the soundtrack is also something completely new, at least for me. There are only 2 songs played alongside this movie throughout. For the rest of the movie, all you hear is what is happening. The prevalence of long, quiet scenes of the main character just sitting or driving around really does a lot for character development. Overall one of the quietest movies I have ever heard, but that is something I have never really seen, and I was loving it.

I don’t know if anyone has ever given a more humanistic feel of reality to a movie. I would believe that this is a true story, almost a documentary, with how few of cuts and the audio selection. It was a really great experience watching and listening to this movie.

The acting in this movie, which was pretty much a one man show, was very, very solid. Stephen Dorff, although not having to say much due to the nature of his character, was great. I hope he gets much respect for this role. This was the first time that I saw Elle Fanning, and she was good too. I don’t know if she will reach her sister’s success, but I like what I see in her from this film. There aren’t too many other main characters, but these two hold it down pretty damn well.

Just like Lost in Translation, this movie gives an in depth perspective at a less than common relationship. Two people that find a strong bond from what they wouldn’t have expected to be any type of bond. The ending of this movie really showed a lot about the power of such a relationship, and I loved every single part of the ending.

It was a little hard to try and put things together, like what the characters were thinking, due to the silence and some repetition of scenes, and it feels almost like we needed something more.

I actually managed to get through all of this writing so far without using the word “beautiful”, which while watching the movie I thought would be said with every other sentence. I think a lot of people, especially ones my age, will write this movie off as boring, as the plot is kind of not there, and the editing is slow, but I really felt like I could connect to the story and its characters, despite my not having anything in common with them, really.

My Rating [See it, Rent it, Skip it]

See it. I am not sure when this movie comes out on DVD, as I don’t believe it will be playing in theaters anywhere again, but I would hope people get this the day it comes out. A different take on the world and lives of Hollywood and the paparazzi. Sofia Coppola has done it for me again, and I think this movie deserves a spot in my top movies.

Cyrus

Although somewhat falsely advertised as another silly John C. Reilly comedy, Cyrus is actually more than you’d think

With John’s social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcée finally meets the woman of his dreams, only to discover she has another man in her life – her son. Still single seven years after the breakup of his marriage, John has all but given up on romance. But at the urging of his ex-wife and best friend Jamie, John grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé Tim at a party. To his and everyone else’s surprise, he actually manages to meet someone: the gorgeous and spirited Molly. Their chemistry is immediate. The relationship takes off quickly but Molly is oddly reluctant to take the relationship beyond John’s house. Perplexed, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly’s life: her son, Cyrus. A 21-year-old new age musician, Cyrus is his mom’s best friend and shares an unconventional relationship with her. Cyrus will go to any lengths to protect Molly and is definitely not ready to share her with anyone, especially John. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love-and it appears only one man can be left standing when it’s over. [Written by Fox Searchlight]

I fell for the false television advertising and assumed I would be watching some inappropriate potty-mouth humor, and the very beginning of the movie went along with that theme very well. Soon thereafter, I realized that this movie was serious, and the elements in it were seriously well done.

John C. Reilly has never been [from what I know of] anything more than a Will Ferrell-esque funny guy, but in this movie he gets a change to show his dramatic abilities as he gets a character who actually develops throughout the movie, unlike anything else I’ve seen him in. The other actors do a good job as well, including another first time serious performance from Jonah Hill, and a somewhat softer than usual role for Marisa Tomei. It is kind of hard at first to give this movie a real chance, because the two leading actors are both comedians, and their appearance adds to their comedy in their other roles, but this movie really did surprise me with how well these performers actually performed.

The editing was also something that helped the feel of the movie. With its unsteady camera and mid-scene depth changes, a sort of real and human mood is given, allowing the audience to feel more for these characters and their situation. There are no sort of effects throughout the entire movie, which is good to see these days, and yet you don’t miss any of those fancy techniques. A lot of directors and cinematographers over-do this type of style, but Cyrus really pulled it off.

The story was semi-predictable, but it was also semi-new. You can pretty much predict how any and all movies progress and end these days, but this one was alright. It was also a shorter movie, only 90 minutes, and I think that is also something that many movies these days do, is drag on and not really accomplish anything. This movie gets its point across, and gives the viewers only what they want and need to see.

My Rating [See it, Rent it, Skip it]

I’m a little late on this movie, it came out a few months ago, but it was a limited release, so maybe it will end up coming back for a full release. Regardless, I give this a See It. It was not what I expected coming in, but I was very pleasantly surprised.