The Savages

9/10

I have had the luck of choosing some truly unique films to watch this weekend. I started out with a sci-fi classic and then a Prairie Home Companion. I followed up Prairie Home Companion on Saturday night with The Savages, which is once again a truly unique film.

The most unique about this film is how natural everything felt. Everything from the set design to the lighting of Buffalo. The dialog felt natural and even with the happy ending it did not make it feel forced.

I have always had a crush on Laura Linney for some reason and she is wonderful in this movie. She can make you smile and she make you feel like crying in the same scene. My favorite scene of hers is where she takes the pillow from the old women at the nursing home. She feels so bad about, but is at the same time resolute that she is doing the right thing while never convincing herself that it is the right thing to do.

Hoffman is great, but never seemed to stray too far from his safety zone. I loved the dynamic between him and Linney. Some of the funniest moments came from them just playing off each other.

I must say a special word about Philip Bosco as their father. Never have I seen an actor play an old man in such a natural way. The moment in the car when he turns down his hearing aid is the most powerful scene in the movie because you understand that he is still human and gets scared. He really did a lot of fantastic physical acting and some of the expressions he gives are heart breaking.

I have been using the word natural a lot in this review, but no word describes this film better. I loved all of the characters because they came with all of their baggage without thrusting it in your face and trying to make you feel a certain way. Tamara Jenkins has put together a film about family that everyone can relate to in one way or another.

Prairie Home Companion

9/10

I was totally blown away by this film. I did not know what to expect when I went into this film, but I knew that Robert Altman was a filmmaker to check out. I actually bought this film for a few dollars at a local video store and have had it for years. I am glad I did.

It starts out with a mystery noir feel to it and it really just added to the charm to film. This introduces this world that is not of any time period, but really a meeting point of old and new. There was something so classic about the film that it had me smiling through most of the film. The movie follows the cast of a radio show called A Prairie Home Companion as they perform their final show. Everyone from the performers to the producers and more feel the lose of the show and by the end you will too.

There is an indescribable charm that can be mostly attributed to Garrison Keillor. He plays the host of Prairie Home Companion a live radio show that is performed in front of a live audience. I guess this was pretty common back in the day. The single most amazing thing about this movie is that I feel as if this is what the show is actually like.

Garrison Keillor, or GK, really has a certain charm that is just missing. He plays his character as if he slightly senile, but in the end all of his stories of how he got into radio really says a lot about his character. He tells all of these different stories of how he got into radio and in end it says that everything that has happened in his life is what has led him to where he is now. It really is a wonderful character that the more you think about him the more intricate he becomes. He refuses to say goodbye to his listeners even though it is his last show. At first it just comes off as a stubborn old man, but it means a lot to him and to not to change anything ends up making sense.

I could talk about the character of GK all night, but I must say that I loved the rest of the cast, with the exception of the most seasoned actress. Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin. They did a good job acting, but unfortunately their singing talent is not up to par to the rest of the cast. They are just not that good. But in their defense in one of their songs about their "mamma" I did start to feel the emotion of the song. Even if they did not sound that good they were still able to get the emotion across. Harrelson and Reily on the other hand sounded great. I was really blown away by how good they were and how well their voices came together.

The rest of the cast were all extremely well cast and played their parts perfectly. Madsen gets a lot of credit and I really bought her as an angel. I feel as if I must say a few words about Lohan and the fact that she can act if she chooses to. She was not the best actress out there, but her character brought a lot to the film. She had the largest arc out of any of the characters. She went from an attitude filled teenager to a young adult who understood what made this experience so special.

I must say it is really hard to describe this movie and it is something that needs to be experienced for oneself. There is so much to like about this movie and all of it comes together in a neat little package that just warms the heart. I loved the experience of visiting a Prairie Home Companion and Altman has really captured something unique on film and has shared it with the world to enjoy.

Dark City

8/10

I remember watching this movie when I was in my late teens sometime after watching the Matrix for the first time and thinking that the Matrix just ripped this movie off in a lot of different ways, even the final showdown between the hero and villain. They just combine the "brain in the vat" idea that one learns in a freshman philosophy course and this movie to get the Matrix.

I think Proyas crafted a nearly perfect science fiction film. It delves into the idea of self and what makes us human. The same questions that the Strangers ask are the same questions that we ask ourselves, but we are not closer to the truth than then are. By expanding the boundaries of reality Proyas provided us a mirror in which we may examine human existence, which has haunted us since we were able to ask ponder the concept.

At first the miniature work was off putting, but eventually it grew on me until it added to surrealism of the movie. The atmosphere was pitch perfect throughout and the lighting throughout the film was perfect. Considering the movie occurs mostly with little light I never found that the movie was too dark, but always just the right level of lighting. I loved the combination of the different periods and the noir feel that was brought to the film. I really think this movie could be considered a noir film.

I really like William Hurt in most things that he is in and here he brings all the brevity needed for a good noir detective. Jennifer Connelly was beautiful as always, but did not bring too much to the table. I ended up loving Sutherland's character even though I was annoyed with him at first. His speech pattern really elevated the sense that nothing in this universe makes sense. He is the only one that knows what is going on, but he is the only character, except for the Strangers, who does not feel like they belong. I must say that I was not thrilled with Sewell and I feel as if there may be another actor that could have pulled this role better. He was not bad by any means, but I never connected with him in the way I think Proyas intended.

This movie is really on the verge of being a masterpiece and the main criticism for the movie is the ending. I loved the idea of the ending the movie the way that it did, but at the end of the movie I was thinking that I wish the music was better. I got really pulled out of the scene because I felt like the music was not in tune with the scene. Also Sewell took to the idea that he would be the ultimate creator of the universe in stride. Maybe it was built into the memories that Sutherland gave him, but he just kind of went with it and did not really look back about it.

I really do enjoy this movie and its originality puts above most films out there. This is the type of movie that I would love to share with people and show them that film making is not just about explosions, but that atmosphere and an original story can be truly entertaining. It is just too bad that the ending fell flat for me or this would have gone done in my mind as one of the best films of the 90's.

First post

I am doing this blog to share with people some of my random thoughts, but mostly movie reviews. I always right little reviews for all of the movies that I watch and I want to begin to share these with friends and anyone that is interested.