Archive for the 'Based on a book' Category

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

Published
by
Chalupa
on March 9, 2009
in Based on a book, Based on a true story, Comedy, Journalism and Romance
. 0 Comments

Based off Toby Young’s book, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is the story of a magazine editor from the UK coming to New York to work for a more successful company.  Sidney Young, played by Simon Pegg, definitely isn’t your classic “charming” Brit like a Colin Firth or a Hugh Grant.  He’s loud, crass and offensive.  He seems to have a knack for saying the wrong things at the wrong time and taking the party to a “whole notha level” and embarrassing himself to no end.

Clayton Harding, played by Jeff “The Dude” Bridges, started the magazine Sidney came from and we get the hint he might see a little of himself in Sidney.  He does a wonderful job playing the hard nosed boss who gives interesting advice and rarely passes up a chance to put his employees in their places.  Rounding out the cast are a lot of recognizable faces including: Gillian Anderson, Thandie Newton, Danny Huston, Miriam Margolyes, and Kirsten Dunst.

This is another one of those movies that received raves reviews from some and awful reviews from others.  While I wouldn’t say this movie is going to win any awards, it’s kind of like how Sydney describes Con Air as being the best film ever.  There are a lot of good elements, hilarious scenes, and it’s just plain fun to watch.  Pegg’s character is a bit grating and not very likable.  I think the film makers were banking on Pegg just being so likable that he would counter-act the character he was playing.  I think that might work if you’re already a fan of the guy and know some of his previous work.  Overall, Sidney doesn’t really have any epiphanies or have any major change.  He just is who he is.  Part of this is probably sticking to the original source material.

One aspect I really loved were the Lebowski references in the film.  Watching the “making of” featurette Jeff Bridges mentions being good friends with the director, Robert Weide.  At one point Sydney mistaking calls his landlord “Mrs. Lebowski” while mispronouncing her name.  In another scene Sydney calls his boss, played by Jeff Bridges, “dude” to which Harding replies, “I am not the dude.” It was also great seeing two actors, Chris Dowd and Katherine Parkinson, from a British show I just started watching, The IT Crowd.

This is definitely something to check out if you’re a fan of the actors in this.  I wouldn’t say  you absolutely have to rush out and rent it for tonight though.  I enjoyed this much more than Pegg’s last film I saw, Run Fatboy Run, and Bridges gets much more screen time than in Iron Man.  Be aware of the R-rating though.  After seeing Watchmen yesterday and watching a fanboy father bring in his three, under the age of 13, children in, I’ve once again become aware of the importance of not sitting children down in front of inappropriate material.

Rating: ★★★½☆

The Tracey Fragments

Published
by
Chalupa
on January 8, 2009
in Based on a book, Based on a novel, Drama, Dysfunctional, Family, High School, Narrated and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

I must admit I added this to the queue because I saw that Ellen Page was in it.  And by in it, I mean she was once again the leading lady.  The first time I experienced a Page film was with Hard Candy so I was more than eager to see Juno.  She’s quite the amazing actress for her age.  The Tracey Fragments reminded me a lot of Pieces of April.  Both films are about a young girl/woman trying to make it on their own.  They have not so desirable families and are trying to work things out in their lives.  This film was even visually fragmented on screen.  There were often multiple camera shots and angles, of the same scene, being shown all at once.  Some were from different perspectives, some from a different vantage point, others just sped up or down.  It was kind of interesting and kind of hard to take it all in at the same time.  Almost like being visually overstimulated.

The timeline was a bit hard to follow.  I think the multiple camera shots helped with my confusion.  I had never seen something like this persist throughout a whole movie.  This kind of seemed like a gutsy, young director thing to do.  I checked out who did the directing and saw that Bruce McDonald did have 35 other projects to his name before this one.  So he’s definitely not a rookie.  A pretty interesting style.  The saving grace was the ending though.  Eventually everything came together and made a lot more sense.  In the end you realize what was real, what was imagined, and how all the fragments fit together.

This is definitely a sad story.  Tracey’s 9 year old brother has disappeared and she’s trying to find him.  She also happens to be a very unpopular 15 year old in high school.  I’m sure many of us can relate to that…trying to find our way in the world.

I could see a lot of people not being into this movie.  If you start watching it, please stick through to the end.  You won’t be sorry.  It totally redeems itself.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Published
by
Chalupa
on December 10, 2008
in Based on a book, Based on a novel, Based on a true story, Biography, Drama and Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

If you’re into movies I hope you’ve at least heard of this one.  There was a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding it.  Unfortunately the film didn’t win any of the four Oscars it was nominated for, but it did pick up some awards at other festivals and from other film groups.  Le Scaphandre et le papillon (French title) is based on the book and true story authored by Jean-Dominique Bauby.  Elle editor Jean-Do suffered a stroke in 1995 that left him almost completely paralyzed.  The one part of his body that he could move was his left eye.  Doctors and therapists at the hospital worked out a way to communicate with Mr. Bauby by blinking to spell words.  Later on, he was able to write a memoir with the help of a translator before his death in 1997.

This film reminded me of El Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) starring Javier Bardem.  Both are stories about men who have an accident that leaves them physically disabled and they’re left trying to cope with the aftermath.  I can’t even imagine how frustrating it must be to feel trapped inside of my own body.  It gives you a new perspective on what people with physical disabilities go through.

Jean-Do Bauby is played by Mathieu Amalric.  You might recognize him from Munich or Marie Antoinette.  I know Jim Carrey was praised for his facial control in The Grinch, but I think Amalric most likely had a harder job contorting his face for this role.

Being a French film, you’ll definately need to pay attention to the subtitles unless you’re fluent at French.  I know some of you hate subtitles, but seriously, you need to get over that.  You might also find this a bit slow or depressing, but it’s a gem from 2007 that I think many missed.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Counterfeiters

Published
by
Chalupa
on November 12, 2008
in Based on a book, Based on a true story, Drama, Foreign, Germany, Jewish, WWII and War
. 0 Comments

Fälscher, Die, or The Counterfeiters is based on the true story of Operation Bernhard, the largest counterfeiting operation in history.  During WWII, the Nazis had a great idea in 1936 to destroy the economies of their foes by counterfeiting large amounts of currency and flooding the markets.  By 1945 the Germans had successfully created 8,965,080 British banknotes valued at £134,610,810.  Their efforts were then turned towards the US dollar, but due to some sabotage on the part of the Jewish prisoners and Allied Forces winning the war, large amounts of US currency were never printed.

This film follows the story of Salomon Sorowitsch, the best counterfeiter at the time, and Adolf Burger, an expert printer, as they simultaneously try to stay alive and foil the Germans plans.  Housed at Sachsenhausen, these special prisoners were kept apart from the rest of the camp.  They were given nice clothes, plenty of food, real beds to sleep in, showers, and even had music playing all day long.  I am by no means an expert on the Nazi camps, but I had never heard of this kind of treatment before.

Towards the end of the war the countfeiters at Sachsenhausen were moved to Ebensee, but the operation was never started back up again before the camp was liberated.  Many of the banknotes were thrown into a nearby lake and were recovered by divers years later.

This is another great film for any history buff.  Very interesting and enjoyable.  Some of the special features even include interviews with Adolf Burger.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Published
by
Chalupa
on May 22, 2008
in Action, Adventure, Based on a book, Based on a novel, England, Family, Fantasy, Remake, Sequel and WWII
. 1 Comment

If you were disappointed by the first film in this more recent series, I think you might enjoy the second installment. I thought The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was too kid-like and G-rated for my tastes. Don’t get me wrong - I enjoyed it, it’s just that I thought a lot more could have been done with the fight scenes. I do realize this series was C.S. Lewis’ response to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and it wasn’t necessarily made for adults, but it could still be way cooler. If you didn’t know, they were pals back in the day and hung out at the same pub. They both decided to make something for the kids and these two great literary works are what came of it. I should know this because the university I attended and currently work at has a big part of their library dedicated to Mr. Lewis and an exact replica of said bar…

Anyways, back to the movie - I really enjoyed what was done with Prince Caspian. I think Andrew Adamson did a fine job at stepping up to the plate and directing something worth seeing. If you didn’t know, he did direct the first film along with a couple of the Shrek films. He’s also slated as a producer on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader set to come out in 2010.

If you’ve seen the BBC versions, you might be aware that Warwick Davis played several roles throughout those films. I’m not sure what he’s most famous for because he played an Ewok in Star Wars. He was also in Willow, the Leprechaun movies, Labyrinth, and many others more recently. He’s really made a career for himself as being the guy that gets into suits. He happens to play Nikabrik in this film and Liz and I thought it was really cool to see him in a movie with Peter Dinklage, another amazing actor who has also made a great name for himself.

Seeing the progression of these two movies, if there’s one to be seen, reminds me of the Harry Potter series in the way that it grows in age appropriateness with each installment. I really hope these films continue in this manner. I’d also like to see them tackle the last three books that the BBC never got to, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle. It’s always been my opinion that these three are the coolest of the seven, and also the hardest to make due to needed special effects.

Rating: ★★★★½

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Published
by
Chalupa
on May 5, 2008
in American Civil War, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Based on a true story, Crime, Great Depression, Narrated, Trains and Western
. 2 Comments

This movie is one that I’ve been wanting to watch for a while. I’m a big fan of Westerns and their derivatives.  Other drawing factors were the Oscar buzz surrounding this film and the performances by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.  I’m glad to see Casey getting some recognition.  I think he’s a very qualified actor and it’s good that he’s making a name for himself other than Ben’s brother.

In my opinion, there seem to be two main types of Western films.  I’ve always labeled them in my head as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood when in reality they’re both on the same side.  I think the real line should be drawn at the musicals.  Many old films in this style include lots of singing, and maybe even some dancing.  These are the ones I’m really not a fan of.  I more into the shooting, the bank robberies, the jail breaks, and the action.  The Assassination of Jesse James incorporates a lot of these elements.

If you don’t know about Jesse James, he was an American outlaw during the mid to late 1800s.  As I’m sure you can guess by the title, he was eventually assassinated and then became one of the legends of the “Wild West.”  I think it would be fair to argue most people don’t know much about his life other than he was an outlaw.  I really enjoyed this film because it gave a small peak into his life that most would never know.

As I mentioned before, there were some amazing performances by Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, but it’s fair to mention they weren’t the only stars involved in this film.  Rounding out the cast are Mary-Louise Parker, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, Sam Shepard, Garret Dillahunt, and Paul Schneider.  Roger Deakins was even nominated for Cinematography, along with No Country for Old Men, and Affleck was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

The only drawback I can think of for this film is the length.  I still don’t understand why some can’t sit through a longer movie if it’s worth watching, but it’s fair to mention just so you know.  I would highly recommend this to any fans of the Western genre.  I would put it on par with 3:10 to Yuma.

Rating: ★★★★½

Nightwatch

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 25, 2008
in Abortion, Action, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Comedy, Epic, Fantasy, Horror, Narrated, Russia, Sci-fi, Thriller, Trilogy, Vampires and War
. 2 Comments

Nightwatch is a vampire movie I heard about a few years ago from a buddy of mine. I’ve been meaning to watch it for quite some time and wouldn’t you know, it’s available on-demand from Netflix. Set in Russia, there’s an ongoing, epic battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. In this context they are the Forces of Light and Forces of Darkness and they are called Others. At one point during this epic, immortal battle, a truce was formed. Humans now had to choose their own side. They could no longer be forced into serving the Light or the Dark.

There was an ancient prophecy about a virgin that would pretty much bring about the apocalypse. There was also an Other that would join the battle and have to choose which side they would fight for. This choice would turn the tide for whichever side he/she chose.

This brings us to modern-day Russia where the Others walk amongst the humans pretending to be mortal. The Light are called Nightwatchers and the Dark are called Daywatchers. Both sides monitor each other to ensure the truce is held. That truce is eventually broken and all hell, literally, is about to break loose. The apocalypse is upon them and both sides are trying to find “the one” in order to bring them to their side.

Based on a book, this story is being put into a trilogy. In fact, the second film, Daywatch is mentioned in the end credits. Unlike some vampire-esque movies this one isn’t filled with gore or pointless sex and nudity to cover up the slow and weaker parts of the plot and script. I’m really interested in seeing the second installment now. They’ve got me hooked. I’d definitely recommend this to any fan of the vampire genre.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Pollock

Published
by
Chalupa
on January 13, 2008
in Art, Audio Review, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Biography, Drama and Independent
. 0 Comments

Pollock is a wonderful biopic directed and starred in by Ed Harris all about the tragic life of Jackson Pollock, the American artist. Liz and I did another audio review for this one.

Pollock audio review

Charlie Wilson’s War

Published
by
Chalupa
on January 6, 2008
in Based on a book, Based on a true story, Biography, Drama, History, Politics and War
. 3 Comments

Liz and I did a double-header yesterday, the first being Charlie Wilson’s War. I’m usually not really into political movies with a message, Lions for Lambs for example, but I enjoyed this one. This movie is based on the true story of a little known senator, Charlie Wilson, who got the funding for the original “War on Terror” in Afghanistan back in the 80’s. What I really enjoyed about this movie was the end where it showed funding for schools and rebuilding the society, at a mere fraction of what had been spent on weapons and munitions, being turned down because “nobody cares about Pakistan.” Pakistan wasn’t even the country Wilson was trying to get the funding for; it was Afghanistan. It points out that time and time again, the US has funded and armed one group only to find them the enemy later on down the road. Everybody is concerned about Osama Bin Laden right now - well he was one of the people fighting the Russians back in the 80’s with our money and our weapons.

I think the acting was top notch here. Tom Hanks gave a wonderful performance as usual. I know you’ve probably heard me rant about Cast Away, but that was just a fluke in my book. Julia Roberts also did a decent job. I kinda feel like she might have stepped out of the box a little with this role, at least in reference to her more recent movies that I’ve seen. It was also cool to see Amy Adams again. She was amazing in Junebug and after seeing that, I remember her from Catch Me If You Can, another Hanks film. You might have also seen her in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny if you’re into the phenom of Jack Black and Kyle Gast. And who can not mention Philip Seymour Hoffman’s role? I was reminded a lot of his character in Punch-Drunk Love as the sofa king. He did a lot of yelling in that role, only there weren’t any redeeming characteristics.

This film is definitely a historical piece. It’s not about the 100 Year War or the pilgrims, but it’s still about a piece of history. In a way, it kind of reminded me of Blow. I think it also helps to watch films about political things at least a decade after the fact. People have had time to hear and learn about what happened apart from the media and everything else. I’d highly recommend seeing this. It has historical value as well as being very much in the present. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is even mention being assassinated in a military coup. He was the president and prime minister of Pakistan in the 70’s and 80’s. Just recently his daughter Benazir Bhutto, who also served as prime minister, was assassinated after just coming out of self-imposed exile.

The Martian Child

Published
by
Chalupa
on November 13, 2007
in Adoption, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Based on a true story, Drama, Family and Sci-fi
. 0 Comments

I’m always a sucker for a good John Cusack film. I think the first film I saw him in was The Journey of Natty Gann and I’ve been a fan ever since. Another interesting tidbit is how often his actual sister, Joan Cusack, plays his sister or another character in his films. She happens to be his sister again here. They just have such a great brother-sister dynamic.

If you didn’t know, this is based off a book. Liz read it to review for an online magazine she’s the books editor for, Infuze, and really enjoyed it. She did say that there were some noticeable differences between the two, but they were both good.

John plays David, a sci-fi writer, who adopts Dennis, played by Bobby Coleman. Dennis has trouble relating to people and believes he’s from the planet Mars. David was seen as maybe a good fit for Dennis because of his childhood similarities and some of the books he has written. Amanda Peet also plays Harlee, a friend of David’s and his deceased wife.

In a way, this movie was a little manipulative like I am Sam. It’s definitely not easy trying to care for Dennis or help him merge into a social life, but David goes out and achieves anyways. It was also cool to see Peet in a role where she wasn’t the sleazy, crazy or slutty type. I’m not saying she’s type-cast, it was just nice to see her in a different kind of role.

It has also been cool to see Cusack play the roles of a concerned father/parent figure in the past few films he’s done. In 1408 he’s the father of a dead child. In Grace is Gone he’s a recent widower and father, and in Identity they’re all trying to protect the young boy. Even though John Cusack has a long list of very unique films and characters, I always think of him as doing the romantic comedies and it’s cool to see him play different roles.

This might be a good movie to see after reading the book or vice versa. It’s worth your time and could maybe even be considered one of those “feel good” movies like Amelie.