Noah

Expectations:
As we begin, I would like to state my view on the whole "biblical movie" issue that has enveloped Noah, over the past few months. Prepare to possibly have your fears and expectations blown out of the water. 1) Movies are 100% man-made stories. They are written by men. They are directed by men. They are acted out by men. Men, men, men! 2) The Bible is the inspired Word of the God of everything under the sun! Now, let me ask you a question... Which of the two descriptions above do you expect would be a little more "biblical"? Honestly, come on, people! I am a God-fearing, dedicated Christ-follower, who reads his Bible, goes to church, prays, and tries to live his life according to God's will. Do you really think that I am going to take the time out of my day to argue the biblical inaccuracies of a MOVIE about Noah?!? NO!!! Because it's a MOVIE!!! A movie that features Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Emma Watson (The Bling Ring), and Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs). I don't know about you, but I don't see any of them becoming the next Billy Graham (not a judgment of their personal character). In fact, if Billy Graham ever made a movie about Noah, there would likely be some inaccuracies! Because, you see, no matter the amount of money or CGI, it's hard to recreate a story that was originally written by Almighty God...

Also, I expected the movie be pretty freakin awesome...

Plot:
I must say that Noah baffled me a bit. While I wasn't offended or shocked by the way the story was approached, I do believe I would have enjoyed the film a lot more had it relied more on the traditional story and steered clear of the fantasy elements. In my opinion, a flood that wipes out almost all of humanity is dramatic enough that there is really no need for magic fire-rocks and angel-rock-monster-people. To me, there was just a bit too much excess. I may sound like I'm on repeat, but the story of Noah is so over-the-top, in the first place. Additionally, the biblical portrayal of Noah is so cool. Why would you want to unnecessarily complicate that great story? Again, I'm not arguing that I wished it was biblical for the sake of being biblical. I just think it would have made for a better story. It just didn't have that "coolness" that I expected from the trailer. Instead, I felt like I was watching Clash of Waters. On top of that, Noah was changed from a man of endearing faith to a man who couldn't overcome his human nature, which isn't the moral of the story (at least not from my perspective). I just don't know...

Characters:
This cast was quite star-studded. To go along with the aforementioned Crowe, Watson, and Hopkins, Noah also featured Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, and Logan Lerman. As expected with such a great cast, the acting was spot-on, which was quite refreshing. However, I didn't enjoy all of the characters, particularly Noah, who ate up the most screen time.

Negatives:
Darren Aronofsky's portrayal of the character of Noah was really what sent the film down the wrong path, in my opinion. Crowe's performance was great, but I just couldn't stand the character. I can't go into too many details here, without giving the plot away, so I will stop. Nevertheless, I was not impressed with this version of the Noah character.

Positives:
Jennifer Connelly was undoubtedly the hottest B.C. character to ever pass in front of these 22 year old eyes. She out-hotted Emma Watson in this one, which is quite a feat! On top of that, her performance was great! Without her awesome performance, the film would have been about 10 times more unbearable. Also, I enjoyed the humor that Anthony Hopkins' Methuselah brought to the table. Of course, I didn't enjoy his magic powers or whatever, but at least I got to laugh about his coveted berries.

Conclusion:
Thankfully, Noah was much more bearable than Evan Almighty, and Jennifer Connelly was spot-on (and smoking hot). Unfortunately, that's where the positives stopped for me. I know I've talked about a number of issues above, but let me give you the key to my disappointment... You ready?... You Sure?... Alright... The key to my disappointment is... THE TRAILER! If Noah hadn't been sold as this portrayal of a nice man of faith who was willing to take abuse from his axe-carrying neighbors, then maybe that's not what I would have been expecting! If I had just seen one rock-monster in the trailer, I might have gone into the film with completely different expectations. Did I expect total biblical accuracy?... No. However, I didn't expect rock-monsters... at all! At the same time, I do not think this film deserves a universal opinion, because I can see why some people might like it. I just wish that I would have liked it. Maybe my warning will help mold different expectations for any readers who have yet to see the film. I give Noah 2.36 out of 5 stars.

Les Miserables

 

Expectations:
As I've said before, musicals are not my favorite. However, the trailers for Les Miserables absolutely blew me away, especially Anne Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" short trailer. Hearing her sing that song had me hooked instantly. Still, I was worried, because, no matter how great that one song was, the entire film was still going to be a musical. I just didn't think I would be able to get over that. Also, before I go any further, I just want to let you all know that this is my first time to ever experience the story of Les Miserables. My small amount of culture does not contain this classic story, as I have never read the book or seen any version of the musical. So, not knowing what to expect (aside from a ton of singing), I traipsed off to the theater to see Les Miserables. Also, from here to the end of the review, I want you to sing every word that I have written. It will put you in the musical mood!

Plot:
Because I was a Les Mis virgin, the story was quite intriguing to me. However, I was not too hopeful for a happy story, considering the title of the film and its nature, and my hopes were just right. In fact, I was quite surprised at the ending, as I expected complete and total sadness. I have had a few people tell me that the entire film was too depressing for them, but I don't agree with that. As an avid moviegoer, I really enjoy both sad and happy, life and death, good and bad, when it comes to movies. I may be alone on this soapbox, but, if you get happy every time, there is no need to watch a movie, because you know exactly what will happen. Nothing is more exciting than a film that keeps you on your emotional toes, and I believe this version of Les Miserables would do that for you, regardless of how many times you have read or seen the story.

Characters:
With the Oscar buzz surrounding Les Miserables, I focused more on each individual character than I usually would, so my critique of each character may be a bit more detailed than usual. Overall, I was extremely pleased with the casting and the performances.

Negatives:
Everyone has been so rough on Russell Crowe, and I guess I'm sort of chiming in. I feel really bad for the guy though. His performance as Javert was probably the worst in the film, and most have been dogging him for his singing abilities, which I believe is harsh. To me, his singing was fine. It wasn't great, but that made the film a little more realistic in my opinion. Just think about it this way--if you randomly pulled twenty people off of the street and told them to sing the rest of their lives to one another, what are the chances that all twenty would be able to sing amazingly well? My problem with Crowe was the amount of emotion that he put into his character. He just didn't act mean enough to me. No other performance was really bad, but I did not like the character of Eponine. Samantha Barks gave a great performance, yet I thought her character was completely unnecessary to the story and could have made the film at least fifteen minutes shorter. But, who am I to mess with such historical characters?

Positives:
Anne Hathaway is almost a lock to win best supporting actress for her role as Fantine, and she is certainly deserving of the praise that she is receiving. Her performance was absolutely amazing, mostly because of "I Dreamed a Dream." You will be hearing plenty of praise coming her way over the next two months, so just get used to it. Additionally, Hugh Jackman will likely merit a nomination as the lead character, Jean Valjean, and, just like Hathaway, Jackman is deserving. I'm not sure if he will make it on to my list of bests from 2012, so you will just have to wait and see. Nevertheless, he gave a great performance and has an amazing singing voice. In addition to the two obvious performances, which I have already named, I also thought Sacha Baron Cohen's performance as Thenardier was brilliantly funny. In a very serious film, he brought some amazing comedic relief. The kind that only Sacha Baron Cohen can bring. Finally, Daniel Huttlestone's Gavroche was great as well, as I am the sucker for child actors.

Conclusion:
As I have said before, a great film is not easily forgotten. A week later you are still thinking about it, and, in this case, singing its songs. I absolutely fell in love with this film and these characters, which is something that has never happened for me and a musical before. Honestly, I think what made the difference was the constant singing in Les Miserables. In most musicals that I have seen, there is a lot of speaking and then they just randomly break into song, and that frustrates the crap out of me. I just never understood why someone would randomly break into song or how that could be entertaining. Les Miserables, on the other hand was sung from beginning to end, and it made a little more sense. It didn't seem like they were trying to make the music work, and it just flowed a lot better. With all that being said, kudos to director Tom Hooper for making a musical that I absolutely loved. I give Les Miserables 4.05 out of 5 stars.

Movie News for the Week of September 16, 2011

1. Earlier this week, Mel Gibson announced that he would be developing a film about Judah Maccabee, a Jewish warrior. As you can only assume, many Jewish organizations are throwing a fit about Gibson being involved in anything Jewish, but he has yet to remove his name from the film.

2. It has been announced that both Top Gun and Ghostbusters will be returning to theaters in the coming months. In other, Ghostbuster-related news, John Hodgman has really stirred the pot with some of his comments this week. The "PC guy" implied that he was offered a large role in a third Ghostbusters movie. He also added in his comments that Bill Murray would not be a part of the film, which would certainly be huge. No one knows if this is true or not, but we will certainly wait and see.

3. For the theatre lovers out there, some big news about the film version of Les Miserable surfaced this week. Both Helena Bonham Carter and Russell Crowe have signed on to star in the film. Also, there have been rumors floating around that the movie may be shot in 3D, which, if you ask me, is absolutely pointless. IT IS A MUSICAL. If there was like 3D music, now that would be cool.

4. The creators of HBO's recently completed Entourage say that they will be making an Entourage movie. The only question right now is when the movie will be made.

5. The popular Broadway show The Book of Mormon will be turned into a movie. The creators said that they would let it run its time out on Broadway and go touring before making the movie, but they seem very convinced that a movie will eventually happen.

6. Jake Gyllenhal's Source Code will likely be turned into an hour-long drama on CBS. There are few details on the project as of now. There is no one in talks to take over Gyllenhal's lead role, but you can expect to hear more in the coming months.

7. For all you Star Trek fans waiting for the sequel, wait no longer! J.J. Abrams signed on to direct the film this week and he says that he wants to get the project moving quickly. The script is expected to be finished by the end of the month and Abrams wants to begin filming this winter.

With the controversial Star Wars Blu Ray coming out this week, I decided to show you a few cool Star Wars things I have found recently. Enjoy!
1) Han Solo Ice Trays
2) Bill Murray as Han Solo
3) A building design based on the sandcrawlers from A New Hope

Movie News for the Week

I have decided that I will be keeping you up to date on the buzz in Hollywood on a weekly basis. My goal is to give you the biggest news in movies each and every Tuesday. So make sure you keep up if you want to know more than your friends.

1. Christian Bale is being courted by director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Wrestler) in an effort to convince Bale to play Noah in a movie version of the Bible story. Aronofsky says that his interpretation of the Flood will be a "fantasy epic."

2. Steven Spielberg has been in talks with screenwriters about making a fourth Jurassic Park movie. The Spielberg produced Terra Nova premieres on FOX in the fall, and a lot of work has gone into the dinosaurs on the new show, making people think that this new technology might further Spielberg's interest.

3. William Shatner will NOT be a part of the second Star Trek movie. J.J. Abrams has been quiet about the film, but Shatner himself has said that he will not make an appearance. Shatner was unhappy when he was not offered a spot in the first film.

4. Russell Crowe has been rumored as the actor who will play Superman's dad in the upcoming reboot of Superman.

5. The Academy is once again changing the Best Picture rules for this year's Oscars. Instead of having ten nominees, there will be 5-10 nominees. The amount will not be announced until the nominations are announced and are based on the percentage of votes that each film receives. The number of nominees was increased from five to ten a few years back in an effort to increase viewership and include more films that people actually watch.

6. The lawsuit over the tattoo in The Hangover Part 2 has been settled. This means that the tattoo will not be edited out of the DVD release like many had thought.

7. Spoiler Alert! It has been rumored (not reported) that Liam Neeson has been seen on the set of the new Batman film. Neeson played Bruce Wayne's mentor turned enemy in Batman Begins, before supposedly dying. This will be awesome if it is true.

A laugh for the X-Men fans out there: