Great Expectations: The One That Changed Everything

In September of 2011 (about three months into my blogging career), I decided to create a segment called "Great Expectations," which would give me an outlet to advertise films that I was excited about, each and every month. That month, said outlet was filled with trailers for Contagion, Moneyball, and 50/50, each of which ended up being quite good, if I might say so myself. Anywho, for those of you who follow my blog regularly, you've probably read a few of those monthly posts, and you might have even enjoyed them. Even more so, I hope that you didn't enjoy them too much, because I've decided to re-vamp Great Expectations into something a bit different.

At the time of its inception, Great Expectations was really just an easy way for me to increase the number of posts that I was able to get out each month. Eventually, though, I grew to enjoy having the chance to break the typical "review-mold," which can sometimes grow tiresome on the movie blogger soul. However, at this point, I've come to realize that there are ample ways to go about writing, without focusing solely on reviews. Also, the likelihood of me being able to keep my post-count high, over the next year, is quite low, considering how much time and effort is required in graduate school.

But, fear not! Great Expectations is still going to be around!

Instead of focusing on a monthly trailer list, the segment will give me an outlet to discuss pretty much anything that I am excited about, in the near or distant future of the entertainment-world. For instance, I might do an "Oscar Edition" or a "Summer Movie Edition" or a "Star Wars Episode XXXII Edition." The possibilities are just endless!

In my reviews, I always begin with my expectations for a film, because I truly believe that nothing influences a film's success more than its ability to meet expectations. Sure, there are other elements (which is why I don't stop my reviews at expectations), but nothing is more powerful than a film that exceeds expectations. Similarly, nothing is more aggravating than film that can't deliver on your high, high hopes. I say all that to show you how important expectations can be in film, but this lesson can also be applied to life... That was my Dr. Phil line for the day!

Before I move on, I would like to thank each and every reader for taking the time to check in and see what's going on in Tanner's world. If there is ever anything that I can do for any of you, be sure to let me know!

Now, let's create some expectations!

Contagion

Expectations:
While most virus movies turn people into monsters or zombies, Contagion dared to be different. This difference was the main reason that the film interested me. Another reason was that the trailer told very little about the plot. I love it when trailers leave you hanging... a lot. Even with these two positives, I sort of expected Contagion to be subpar. Virus movies tend to be really good or REALLY bad. The trailer did very little but flash big Hollywood faces one after another, which kind of made me think that this movie may just try to hook audiences with its actors and ignore the importance of plot all together. Let's face it, movies with many big names usually suck. That's just how it is.

Plot:
Overall, the plot differed greatly from previous virus movies that I have seen. The coolest thing early on was how you sort of followed the virus, watching how people touched something, then sneezed on this person, who shook someone's hand. It really made me feel like this could seriously happen tomorrow. The story was very very real and lacked the usual predictable plot lines. Everyone in the movie reacted to the situation just like I probably would have. There was no random action scene here or awkward love scene there. There were a lot of different plot lines, but they never made it a point for everyone to meet up coincidentally or anything like that. In my personal opinion, if movies like this freak you out, don't go watch it!

Characters:
As I said, I was a bit worried about the fact that so many stars were in the film, but this really never bothered me while I was watching. There were even more familiar faces that completed the cast, but I didn't find them out of place either. Laurence Fishburne and Matt Damon had the largest roles, in my opinion, but the focus was really distributed well among the stars to make each of their roles important. Jude Law kind of gets on my nerves. Just thought I would throw that out there.

Best Character: Dr. Ellis Cheever, played by Laurence Fishburne, was probably my favorite character, but it was very hard to choose. Fishburne played a bit sensitive, compared to his usual tough-man self. I thought he did a great job and was very relatable if you put yourself in his shoes.

Worst Character: Dr. Leonora Orantes, played by Marion Cotillard, was completely irrelevant to the entire film. Her goal was to figure out where the virus originated, which you would think might be useful. But there is a twist in her plot that was really the only weakness in the entire film, which is a bit disappointing considering how awesome her voice is.

Conclusion:
Contagion certainly wasn't my favorite film of 2011, but it was one of the biggest surprises of the year, for me at least. The cast gelled well because they didn't interact very much, and the plot was very unique, which is a rarity these days. If you take Marion Cotillard out of the movie, it nears perfection as far as plot lines go. Because it really falls under no category, I have waited until now to tell you that the ending kind of sucks. My reaction was not really "that makes no sense" or "why did I just waste my time on this movie." Instead, it was "surely they could have figured out a better way to tell me this." I hope that explanation makes sense. With that being said, I assure you that the movie is worth your watch, regardless of the ending. I give Contagion 3.1 out of 5 stars and remind you to go wash your hands.... NOW!!!

Great Expectations: September 2011

Starting this month, I am going to share with you the three films I am most excited about each and every month. Hopefully I will have a chance to review each of the three films and more each month, but it is hard to promise because I do have a real life that might get in the way. My hope is that, by seeing a trailer for the three films, you will have an interest in the same movies as me. The movies are listed by release date. Hope you enjoy!

1. Contagion (September 9th)

2. Moneyball (September 23rd)

3. 50/50 (September 30th)