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Cinema Voyage - Michael Pearson

This blog is PRIMARILY about movies. Some dvd and some that are still in the theater. Also, links are provided on some movies if you decide you want to purchase it. Also, I write and read quite a bit. So, you may, from time to time see a book review here from an up-and-coming author or an interview with one. If you have a book that you have written, please don't hesitate to contact me if you want an unbiased opinion. I would be happy to read and review what you've written. We should value our creative people more.

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Cinema Voyage - November 2009

Review - 500 Days Of Summer

November 30th 2009 16:01

"This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one... The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief...This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."

What a fun way to start this charming movie and the above narration sets the tone and the actions of the characters which follow. Tom Hansen is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and he suits the role of yearnful Tom wholeheartedly. Zooey Deschanel is Summer, a child of divorced parents who does not believe in love and marriage. She is also well cast in the role as the newcomer to town who ends up working at the greeting card company in which Tom works.

From the moment Tom sees Summer at work, he is smitten. We learn early on that Tom has a habit of falling hard for girls and his friends are not convinced that he is going the right away about his relationship with Summer declaring that it is "Amanda Heller all over again". Poor Tom. He believes in fate and love and Summer believes in living for the moment and taking each day as it comes. But certainly this does not stop them hooking up as their friendship develops into something more and they experience ups and downs present in most normal relationships.

One of the fun things about 500 Days Of Summer is the way in which the movie jumps from early on in the relationship to the end and back again. It opens with day 290 and then jumps back to Day 1 and then Day 3. It is a movie filled with memories both good and bad which Tom revisits again and again trying to understand where he went wrong with Summer and why he can't get her to understand how much she means to him.

The quirkiness of the relationship and the theatrical setup of many of the scenes sets this movie apart from most typical romantic comedies. The karaoke scenes are fun as is the musical number the movie creates to highlight Tom's happiness after his first night with Summer. The movie blooms under the direction of music director Marc Webb and while it lapses slightly towards the end, overall I was captivated by the relationship between the two leads.

Regardless of whether their relationship stands the test of time, it is clear that Summer affects Tom and gets him to reevaluate his life and career. Tom unfortunately does not have the same effect on Summer, but she by the end, also discovers that she didn't know everything about love or relationships either. More honest than most romantic comedies out there doing the rounds and one which may even appeal to the men as well as the women.

Voyage Review: 3.5/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy

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Review - Drag Me To Hell

November 22nd 2009 14:53

I was very keen to see Drag Me To Hell as I am a huge fan of the horror genre and had heard some pretty good feedback overall about the film. Starring Justin Long, Alison Lohman and David Paymer, Drag Me To Hell is surprisingly rated a PG-13 in the States, although seemed to warrant a MA 15 in Australia. Still for me, the movie worked and I had a fun time sitting back and watching Sam Raimi do his stuff.

Opening in 1969 and then moving to the current day, Christine Brown seems to be luckier than most. Having been raised in the country, she has managed to reinvent herself as a big city girl, owns a gorgeous house, has a successful Psychology Professor boyfriend and a steady job as a Loans Officer. She has her eye on a promotion to Assistant Manager although Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee) is also keen on the position and will do anything to enable himself to get the job.

Mrs Ganush, an old gypsy woman who is having trouble keeping up with her loan repayments, requests Christine to help her out in order that she does not lose her home. She is torn. Her good self would like her to help out Mrs Ganush, however in order to prove to her boss that she can make tough decisions, she has to go against her better judgement and deny any further extensions on the loan. Mrs Ganush begs for Christine to help however slightly overwhelmed by the odd behaviour, Christine calls for security which shames Mrs Ganush even further.

Leaving work alone and entering a dimly lit carpark, Christine notices Mrs Ganush's car directly across from her own. As all good horrors go, there is a struggle of life and death proportions between the two characters and Mrs Ganush snatches a button, curses it and returns it to Christine. If she thought she had been experiencing a bad day up until now, then she hasn't seen anything yet.

The premise of the curse put on her by Mrs Ganush is that in three days a demon known as the Lamia will come to collect her and drag her to hell but Christine is insistent that she will not go down without a fight. Turning to a mystic named Rham Jas (played by Dileep Rao), to help save her soul, they soon find that they are way out of their league. Requiring extra assistance to face the Lamia, Rham contacts spiritual medium Shaun San Dena who has previously faced the Lamia in another battle. Unfortunately for all of them, she lost that battle and the soul she was fighting for was dragged to the firey depths of hell.

The movie will provide enough bumps and scares to keep your horror interest nurtured and the story line provides enough impetus to keep the movie and the characters developing at a nice pace. There is some fun humour to be found within the movie as the morality tale plays out. The balance between the well developed characters and the ridiculousness of the situations put on them really worked for me and I for one was thinking to myself - Sam - what took you so long?

Voyage Review: 3.5/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Horror

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Review - My Sister's Keeper

November 15th 2009 14:47

There is no doubt that this is a sentimental piece directed by Nick Cassavetes, director of the similarly sentimental movie The Notebook. But somehow you cannot fail to be charmed by the actors particularly the performances of leukemia-stricken Kate, played by Sofia Vassilieva and Anna, the engineered daughter to provide parts for Kate, played by Abigail Breslin.

Based on the bestselling novel by Jodi Picoult, many readers of the book may be disappointed by the change in the ending, although I will refrain from giving away any spoilers. The movie is based around the Fitzgerald family. Cameron Diaz is Sara, who has given up a successful career as a lawyer to care for her sick daughter. Her husband, Brian (Jason Patric), a LA based firefighter has been unintentionally relegated to second place and seems to somehow play a lesser role in the family.

Evan Ellingson plays Jesse, the older brother to both Kate and Anna. As soon as Kate fell sick, it seems that less attention was focussed on him and he seems to be forgotten for the most part by his parents.

Kate was the only daughter in the family until their doctor suggested a radical treatment to help cure her cancer, in the form of creating a genetically modified child to help cure Kate. Sara without hesitation insists that this is of course their only course of action as they must do everything in their power to try to save their daughter and thus Anna is born.

Anna, from a very young age, has been responsible for donating parts of her body in order to help her sister live. Now at 11, it seems she has finally had enough of the pain and hospitalisations required and seeks advice from Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin), a lawyer, to undergo a medical emancipation so that she has full control over her body.

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Her decision to do this, couldn't come at a worse time as Kate's health is rapidly failing and an immediate operation and kidney donation is required in order to save her life. Anna's parents, particularly that of her vocal mother, cannot believe that Anna would let her sister die and opts to go against Anna and her tv celebrity lawyer, in court.

Where do these thoughts and feelings from Anna come from? Initially as moviegoers we are not entirely sure, as she is always shown to be a loving and caring daughter and sister throughout the entire film. Sara realises that there must be more to the case than meets the eye although from a rational standpoint you can certainly see where her feelings stem from. Is it fair to harm the health and wellbeing of one child continuously in order to save another? Murky ground indeed.

The judge ruling over the case is Judge De Salvo, played by Joan Cusack, and she has her own inner dialogue working as the Fitzgerald case plays out in front of her. After suffering through the recent death of her daughter, her role becomes quite interesting as we wonder whether she will rule with the mother in an attempt to save another life or side with the daughter in her request for emancipation.

There are flashes of brightness within such a heavy emotional piece, including the budding relationship between that of fellow cancer sufferer Taylor and Kate and from the lawyer Campbell as he continuously promotes his 91% success rate.

I felt this movie was well presented overall but I think this was due to the fine acting rather than reliant on the direction of the movie itself. This is a very emotional movie so be warned - if you have a tendency to tear up in movies - don't forget the tissues!

Voyage Review: 3.5/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review - And When Did You Last See Your Father?

November 9th 2009 03:24

And When Did You Last See Your Father? is a well constructed emotional film highlighting the relationship between a father and son. Based on poet and author Blake Morrison's real life relationship with his dad, it represents the complexities, I am sure, of many relationships between that of father and son worldwide.

Forever striving for your father's affection and somehow failing to consistently reach it. Trying to prove yourself to a young girl only to have your father embarrass you out of the room. Matthew Beard as teenage Blake experiences this and more. However the relationship with his father Arthur (Jim Broadbent) becomes even more complicated when Blake suspects his father is having an affair with Aunt Beaty (Sarah Lancashire). He desperately wants to understand more about his father but his questions remain unanswered driving Blake and Arthur further apart as they grow older

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review - Mary and Max

November 7th 2009 16:12

This little gem of a clay-mation movie missed me when it did it's original rounds and I am glad that I finally got to view the film. Written, directed and created by Australian born Adam Elliot, he has painstakingly created a wonderful story about a young girl growing up in Australia who befriends a 44 year old New Yorker via the postal system.

Max and Mary captures a unique friendship between two unlikely characters - namely Mary Daisy Dinkle and Max Jerry Horovitz. Mary is voiced by Bethany Whitmore and Toni Collette during her childhood and grown up stages respectively and Max Jerry Horovitz is wonderfully captured by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Firstly I loved the fact that a film captured the excitement of writing and waiting for a letter. I think it is such a shame that children will do most of their communication by email as it manages to take away all the charm and essence of our personalities. I recall fondly writing to penpals abroad and waiting to see what goodies and sweets they would send me from their home countries. And as both Max and Mary have a sweet tooth they take the same enjoyment in writing and sending chocolates to one another.

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review - Where The Wild Things Are

November 4th 2009 15:31

I recall vividly the book written by Maurice Sendak from my childhood and therefore was very keen to see how the movie played out. I actually attended this movie as part of a school excursion in order to supervise my kindergarten aged daughter and I feel that overall I was more impressed than she was.

Max (Max Records), as in the book version, likes to play out his fantasies and dress up as a monster. He is particularly frustrated at home and requires an outlet to let his imagination fly. His mother, a single mum (Catherine Keener), is unable to shower as much attention as she would like due to her job. And when she is taking time off work, she is trying to balance her family and work life in order to spend time with her boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review - Whatever Works

November 1st 2009 03:16

Admittedly this movie won't appeal to all but as an avid Woody Allen fan, I enjoyed the return of the bitter Manhattan based Jew waging a personal war against the world.

Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) considers himself a genius (he tells us at every opportunity he gets) and lets everyone around him know that he was considered for a Nobel prize in Physics. He suffers from anxieties (a la Woody Allen's numerous characters) and after a failed suicide attempt, prefers to live a simpler life free from all the trappings that only further unhappiness and suffering in people's lives

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy

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January 2011

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