Midnight in Paris - so THAT'S what everyone's been raving about!

He had me at Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. 

From the start of Woody Allen’s latest effort, “Midnight in Paris”, I was hooked.  Sometimes film magic happens, and this is one of those instances.  He could have put Kate Hudson in it and I wouldn’t have minded.

I’ve always been a big fan of a director not pandering down to his audiences, and Woody certainly doesn’t do that here.  His Parisian landscape is full of references to artists and playwrights, literary juggernauts presented almost exactly as I’d imagined them from their stories – even though the actors themselves are all familiar.

The writing made me laugh out loud several times, which is something that I never do in a film.  Usually only British films can make me laugh, or perhaps an old slapstick.  Perhaps that’s where I found the charm – I’ve always thought of the 20s and the 30s as “my era”, a time of raunchy partying with stunning dresses where you basically dance (and drink) your life away.  Never mind that pesky little stock market thing in ’29.

This is a film of details – the costumes are perfect, the casting is perfect, the script is perfect.  Usually I’m not a big fan of the two leads – Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.  I’d read that Woody didn’t even know who they were until he was flipping channels and found “Wedding Crashers”, and decided they’d be perfect.  And they are.

Owen Wilson plays the funny guy that we always knew he could be, the sympathetic, bumbling hero clearly about to marry the wrong girl, who just wants to appease everyone.  McAdams plays the bitchy fiancée, led about by her parents and their money and mesmerized by Paul (played wonderfully by Michael Sheen), who has got to be the most intentionally pretentious character I’ve ever seen portrayed in film.  Paul’s an expert in EVERYTHING.  I found him hysterical because there are people I know just like him.

But at the heart of the movie is Paris itself.  The film is an ode to Paris, similar to the way he honored London and the way that he’s always honored New York.  If there’s ever been a director who knows how to make a city a character all its own, it’s Woody Allen.  Personally, I’ve never wanted to go there.  I’ve now changed my mind – if for no other reason than to see the Monet in some museum that takes up a whole room.  (I really hope that does exist; if not, my heart will be broken.) 

The first several minutes of the film are nothing but location shots set to an upbeat score.  Everything is beautiful and harmonious.  The Eiffel Tower is shown both in daytime and night in order to show its brilliance when it’s alighted.

Woody hasn’t been this good in years, and this film deserves every bit of praise that it’s gotten and more.  I hope the Academy remembers this one come January.

Origin Stories - One Lump or More?

Is it harder to tell one origin story or multiple origin stories within one film? That’s the question that Marvel Studios had to answer this summer. With “The Avengers” now shooting, it’s necessary to fill in movies for all the lead characters to fill in the gaps. But at the same time, they also decided to reboot the “X-Men” franchise. So this summer gives us not only “X-Men: First Class”, they also gave us “Thor” and “Captain America” (to be reviewed later).

What’s the better choice? Multiple storylines – by a long shot.

Before I go much further, let me explain that I HAVE read some of the comics, and I have always found Thor to be the most boring character. He has no real intellect, and his superpower is a hammer. He speaks using outdated language. His alter-ego is a doctor. Yawn.

The cinematic version of “Thor” is just as boring. The villain is Thor’s brother Loki, who eventually becomes Sub-Mariner, but we don’t go there. Here he just whines a lot and looks like Magneto when he’s having a bad hair day (but looks better than Anthony Hopkins, tragically miscast). As far as effects go, the world of Asgard is brightly colored with more gold than an Oscar celebration. But once we get to Earth, everything falls flat. Natalie Portman puts in an appearance as geeky researcher Jane (the love interest), but unfortunately she has no chemistry with the lead. Kenneth Branagh would have done better to make another period piece than this dreck.

Conversely, “X-Men: First Class” is quite entertaining. It’s respectful to its predecessors but still stands as its own entity. I wanted to know the origin of the different mutants, some of which I was familiar with; others not.

The only downside is the involvement of the CIA Agent, played by Rose Byrne. Although I love her to death as an actress, her part wasn’t necessary. We know that the Government will get involved in all matters mutant-related, but to take it to that level was unneeded. James McAvoy NAILS being Professor Xavier, but Michael Fassbender steals the movie as Magneto, giving him a human side I hadn’t before seen. January Jones tries to show that she’s more than just Betty Draper, and she pulls off Femme Fatale Emma Frost as well as can be expected.

I know the previous “X-Men” franchise films were full of cameos, and the two here are right on the money. This film doesn’t suffer under the weight of any one lead character; it is a true ensemble film. That makes it even better. We don’t have to suffer through seeing everything from one point of view; it’s possible to see the story as a whole, which makes it more entertaining.

I concede that the Marvel Universe needs to be expanded. I just prefer the ensemble way to the solo variety. And I doubt VERY seriously that “Captain America” will be changing my mind on that.

Taking a New "Stab" at an Old Blog

I’m officially better now, so I figured it was time to take a new “stab” at writing. I figured I would start with something easy - “Scream 4”. It’s been awhile since I’ve been asked my cinematic opinion, and even longer since I wrote one, so here we go.

There are rules for these kinds of things, as listed below.

1. I cannot be totally objective about anything. I have my biases and will not change them. Take me as I am, people.
2. I only watch the films that interest me, unless it’s Oscar- nominated, of course.
3. The number of films I watch may increase or decrease depending on how redbox happy we become. I have watched two films in the last twenty four hours, with three more on deck.
4. I may or may not write up every film I see. It depends on how much time and energy I have to write.
5. If you want to know the plot of a film, you can go elsewhere. You don’t need me to tell you that. I will tell you my thoughts on the film, or my experience relating to the film, and THAT’S what you can’t get elsewhere.

Now, back to the review. I loved the original series. I thought it revitalized horror as a genre and gave it a wit and depth it had previously been missing. By the third film, it was a little tired, but that was still ok.

I’ve always loved Kevin Williamson’s writing, going all the way back to the sometimes cringe-inducing “Dawson’s Creek”. Unfortunately, Kevin’s now matured with the rest of us. Some of the dialogue is just bad, and when delivered by actors of basically two generations it can get rather tedious. There are a few one-liners that still work, but there’s an over-the-top factor here I don’t remember from the other films.

The first scene from the film was basically unnecessary, although it’s always nice to see one of my “Pretty Little Liars” girls (Lucy Hale). The second celebrity bit was HYSTERICAL and could have been my favorite part. By the time we actually get to the new story itself, I was a bit confused. Then again – I get confused often these days.

The old players continue to play their parts well – except for David Arquette, who drove me up a wall as normal. Can this guy do NOTHING normally? I understand that his character is exaggerated, but does it have to go THAT far?

Finally, did I guess the killer? Nope. That I attribute to Wes Craven and to Kevin Williamson. Not many films these days can keep me up until midnight or hold my complete attention, but this one did. For that, I thank them. How can they repay me? Don’t start a new franchise. As Ms. Prescott said, “Don’t f*** with the original”. You’ve done your remake – now let it be. But I’m pretty sure that won’t be the case.

Random Side Note: I'd like to thank my boyfriend Lou for helping me get back into film. and for telling me for months that I would and should write again. I love you.