Archive for the 'Based on a novel' Category

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: ★★★★☆

Shane

Published
by
Chalupa
on September 6, 2008
in Based on a novel, Civil War, Drama and Western
. 2 Comments

Released in 1953, Shane is one of the “classic” Westerns that a lot of people know about.  The first time I was aware was in 1998 when The Negotiator came out.  If you haven’t seen it, Spacey and Jackson reference this in the film.  I’ve always wondered what the film was about and I finally saw it.

This isn’t the kind of Western you’d see when thinking about a classic Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson film.  It’s also not one of the Western musicals that I can’t stand.  It’s just one of those wholesome stories that’s common of that era.

Checking out IMDB, I saw that Shane is played by Alan Ladd who also starred in the show Branded.  That’ll mean something to all of you Lebowski fans.  Van Heflin was in the original 3:10 to Yuma and Jack Palance, the fitness guru, is also in this film.

I have to admit I wasn’t super impressed , but I didn’t dislike it either.  A guy named Shane comes to town and starts helping out the Starrett family.  Shane then stands up for them when some “bullies” start pushing them around.  Eventually everything comes to fruition and there’s a gun battle at the end.  Pretty much your standard Western flick.

I’d say definitely watch this if you want to know what people are talking about if the film is ever mentioned.  If you’re not really into Westerns, older films, or just don’t care, you might not get into this one.

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

Paranoid Park

Published
by
Chalupa
on March 27, 2008
in Adolescence, Based on a novel, High School and Trains
. 2 Comments

Gus Van Sant is known for making unique and interesting films. I can’t say I’ve seen many of them. Good Will Hunting might have been one of his biggest money making films, but the most recent I’ve seen, and own, would be Elephant, a fictional story based heavily on the Columbine school shootings. Van Sant likes to go for realism. Elephant is the first movie I’ve seen about high school students that were actually played by people of that age and were believable. I feel like some the same methods were used in Paranoid Park.

This film, involving teenagers, is all about a skateboarder named Alex, played by Gabe Nevins. Alex and a friend of his just started going to a park known as Paranoid Park. This is where all the “real” skate boarders come to hang out and skate around. One night, a security guard is found dead on some train tracks next to the park so Detective Richard Lu, played by Daniel Liu, starts canvassing the local schools in an effort to glean any information about the case.

Alex is trying to deal with the knowledge he has about the security guard, his parents getting divorced, and girl friend problems on top of everything else a teenager has to deal with these days. To cope, he pulls out his pencil and paper and tries to release his burdens through writing.

I mentioned Elephant earlier and I found a lot of similarities between the two. There are times when a particular scene is shot multiple times from different angles and following different characters. Classical-sounding music, including Beethoven, is in the soundtrack for both films. Very real-life actors were used to portray characters. Both films also take place in high schools and include teenagers. I’m sure there are some other similarities you’ll notice if you’ve seen both films.

Even though this is another one of those films one might describe as depressing and dark, there is still a lot of beauty to be found in it. I know some people laugh and make fun of the scene in American Beauty when Ricky Fitts shows Jane the most beauty thing he’s ever filmed, but it’s true, you can find beauty and truth in just about any place you look. Sometimes these places are even those weird, independent movies the masses aren’t clamoring to see.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Paranoid Park

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: ★★★★☆

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 20, 2008
in Based on a novel, Crime, Drama, Narrated, Perfume, Prostitution and Thriller
. 0 Comments

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a super power? You know, like a superhero. Ever wanted super-human strength? The ability to fly? Laser beams shooting out of your eyes? Well how about a super sense of smell? In Perfume, Jean-Baptiste is born with an amazing sense of smell. I don’t even know how to describe it other than he’s like a human hound dog. He can smell you coming and going.

Jean-Baptiste lived a hard life during the French Revolution. He was born in a fish market and soon ends up in an orphanage. If you didn’t know, those places weren’t all fun and games. I’d probably have to describe them as hell holes. Anyways, he eventually starts working in a tannery and one day gets to go into town for a delivery. There are all kinds of wonderful smells he’s never encountered before. He eventually smells the most wonderful scent he’s ever encountered, but tragically loses it.

Jean-Baptiste’s next line of work then becomes the perfume industry. He starts learning how to make perfumes in the effort to preserve smells. He wants to recreate that smell he found in town that one day. As you can probably tell from the title, Jean-Baptiste also happens to be a murderer. I don’t want to give the story away though, so I won’t get into that.

This film is a good watch. There is a slight, crazy twist at the end that kind of involves a mass orgy. Don’t really see that one coming. For this reason I won’t be recommending this to a lot of people. It’s not crazy or too revealing…especially after seeing John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus. If you’ve seen Perfume, we’d love to know what you thought of it. If you liked it, you might want to check out some of Tom Tykwer’s other movies such as Run, Lola, Run or The Princess and the Warrior .

Rating: ★★★½☆

The Kite Runner

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 18, 2008
in Based on a novel and Drama
. 2 Comments

The Kite Runner is based of a book by Khaled Hosseini. It’s about some boys from Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in the 80s. It was interesting watching this movie so soon after Charlie Wilson’s War because they’re both about the same time period and location; it’s just from two totally opposite perspectives. This movie also centers on a few people and spans then to present time. After we learn the back story we see how the main character, Amir, is able to make up for some of his past sins.

One movie this really reminded me of was House of Sand and Fog. The plots are in no way similar, but both movies have characters from the same region of the world that were very successful and have immigrated to America. After coming to the country they have had to work some very low jobs (gas station, flee market, construction, etc) just to make ends meets. It’s very humbling to think that somebody went from a position of such power and respect to nothing in another country.

I think there were a lot of morals to be had in this film dealing with respect, friendship, loyalty and honor. There were several key scenes that portrayed these virtues. One would be when Amir’s father stands up to some soldiers wanting to rape a woman. Another would be Hassan standing up for Amir. Another obvious one would be what Amir does in the end to help make up for his past.

It’s so easy to just live life easy; go with the flow and not create too many waves. It’s also easy to talk about what’s right, what you would do in a situation, what you would say to somebody, or how somebody should act. The hard part is actually doing it. After Baba, Amir’s father, stands up to the soldier, the woman’s husband thanks Baba profusely. Baba responds saying no thanks is required. He was just doing what was decent and right. They were in the back of a big truck full of men, yet Baba was the only person willing to stand up and say, “no.” I wouldn’t necessarily say the rest of the men were bad or lacking of character. They just failed to stand up in that particular place and time. I think every country, society and culture could use a few more men and women who are just willing to stand up for what is right when their time comes.

Rating: ★★★★½

No Country for Old Men

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 5, 2008
in Based on a novel, Crime, Drama, Drugs, Graphic Violence, Neo Noir and Thriller
. 2 Comments

First off, I must apologize for not having a review of the latest Coen Brother film. We talked about this so much on the Lebowski Podcast, I just plain forgot to put anything over here. Secondly, if you haven’t seen it already I highly suggest you do. I thought it was going to be my favorite movie for 2007, but then I saw There Will Be Blood, which is probably bumping No Country to #2.

If you’re not already familiar with the Coens, they are a force of nature in the world of writing and directing. Ethan and Joel are brothers who have been working together since the 80s. They write their own scripts, storyboard every scene beforehand, make heavy use of wide-angle lenses and shots, favor melding Film Noir with other genres, reuse many actors in their films, often edit their own films under the fake name Roderick Jaynes, and happen to be my favorite directors.

The Coens usually only make movies from their own scripts. This is true in this film, but it is heavily based of the novel of same name by Cormac McCarthy. This film has both Noir and Western elements and is set in the state of Texas. It starts off with Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finding the gruesome remains of a drug deal gone wrong and takes off with a briefcase full of money. Naturally, somebody notices $2 million is missing and Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a psychopathic killer with a strange sense of morals and a strong commitment to standing by his word, is sent after Moss to retrieve the cash.

Trying to understand and discern all this is the local sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), along with his motor-mouthed and somewhat dimwitted Deputy, Wendell (Garret Dillahunt). Llewelyn’s wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), and other innocent and not-so-innocent people are also caught in the middle of all this as the story unfolds.

The character of Anton Chigurh is particularly interesting. He’s pretty much the ultimate badass. In fact, at one point two other characters are talking about him and one asks, “just how bad is this guy?” The other responds with, “Compared to what? The bubonic plague?” Anton pretty much kills everybody that bothers him or does something he considers worthy of death. We even find out he plans to kill Llewelyn no matter what. Even if the money is returned, Llewelyn wasted Anton’s time and that’s an offense that warrants death in Chigurh’s mind.

A buddy of mine sent me this link to a blog of sorts in which a couple of friends are discussing the movie. These two guys happen to be big Coen fans and they compare the movie to both The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona. One of them compares Anton to The Dude saying they are the exact opposites of each other. Something really interesting to think about.

I know I’ve been desensitized big time with all the movies I’ve seen. Yes, there is violence in the film, and no I didn’t find it in any way excessive. This may not be the case for some of you though. Something to keep in mind. I would say the swearing is minimal compared to some of the Coens’ other works and even though the story is quite dark, I still enjoyed it….excessively. This is a must-see for any Coen fan.

Rating: ★★★★★