Film Review #12: Rabbit Hole

     At this writing this little blog of ours is sitting at 235 views, so I figured I'd do an entry to push us past 250. So if you're reading this, thank you for caring about us and what we write, if you aren't reading this, you must be a wizard, on to the review...

     Rabbit Hole tells the story of a young couple whose lives start unravelling after they lose their 4 year old son Danny. In the film Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart play the aforementioned couple in this gripping drama about life, death and how to deal with both, based upon the Pulitzer winning play of the same name.

      The film begins with the couple mourning the death of their 4 year old son who was killed after being struck by a car driven by a teenager after running out into traffic chasing after his dog. Each parent takes a very different stance when it comes to mourning however which leads to troubles in their relationship, not only with others, but with each other.

     Eckhart's character chooses to hold on to the memory of their son by keeping old clothes and belongings of him, as well as his room the exact same way it was, all the while trying to get his wife to agree to trying for another child.

     Kidman's character on the ther hand is not so submissive with the suggestions of her husband, especially the notion of having sex. She also wants to get rid of all her son's clothes, and gets presented with the perfect opportunity to do so that when she discovers her younger sister Izzy is expecting her first child. Her family tells Kidman that it's innapropriate and Izzy even let's her sister know that if she has a boy she doesn't want to see him running around in Danny's old clothes because it'll bring back too many painful memories.

     The couple also start going to a group for parents that have lost their children, Kidman resents everything about it whereas Eckhart finds it helpful. After a while Kidman decides to stop going leaving Eckhart flying solo where instead of going to the group he starts hanging out with a friend from group (played by Sandra Oh) acting childish together whether it's going to the arcade or smoking pot in the car. Kidman however isn't acting much better however as she starts meeting secretly with the driver of the car that struck her son and flipping out on her mother for comparing her loss to that of her mother when she lost her then 30 year old son.

     This movie was all I could have hoped for and more. I expected a story that wouldn't be all that spectacular with great acting considering all the press Kidman got and given Eckhart's terrific track record. The acting did not dissapoint as the dialogue between the characters was always fiery and passionate which made it a pleasure to see. The story was the surprise as I expected a more downer story given the plot but some of the scenes were rather pleasent especially the ones revolving around Nicole Kidman and the comic book "Rabbit Hole"

     I would highly recommend this movie to be watched. It can be seen at anytime, movie night with your family (providing the family is all 13+), date night or relaxing alone on a sunday night at home. The acting was as advertised with the story keeping you entertained enough to bridge the gaps between the scenes of beauty mined from self-depressive behaviour from the two leads just trying to move on from tragedy without forgetting their pain of the life they can't leave behind.

Film Review #10: 50/50

     Next up on this movie review docket is 50/50 starring Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick in a coming of age tale about a young man struggling to deal with life after he finds out he developed cancer.

     In 50/50 Joseph-Gordon Levitt plays a 27 year old, hardworking radio producer living in rural Seattle named Adam. Adam's life is turned upside down after he goes to the doctor complaining of back pain and leaves finding out he has cancer in his spine. As if Adam doesn't have enough enough on his plate he has to deal with an over-emotional mother (played by Anjelica Huston), a girlfriend who's cheating on him (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), a best friend who wants to use his cancer to get him laid (played by Seth Rogen), and a psychiatrist, who isn't even a real doctor and is younger than he is (played by Anna Kendrick).

SPOILER ALERT: Bring tissues to this movie.

     The movie starts out with us seeing Adam's everyday life; he wakes up, hangs out with his girlfriend before meeting up with his best friend Kyle to go to work at a local Seattle radio station, where they both act as producers. After Adam gets diagnosed with cancer, his life begins to spiral out of control as we see him struggle with everyday things. And poor Adam, everytime he seems to begin to cope with one aspect of his cancer (or it's treatment), something happens that makes him rethink everything and you as the viewer can't help but feel for this 27 year old going to 4 hour chemo treatments and to leave the hospital just to find he has no ride, since his girlfriend stood him up and doesn't arrive until hours later.

     Now although this movie seems like a tragedy, or a drama it's really quite lighthearted and funny a lot of the time. The title 50/50 comes from Adam's cancer survival rate (50%) but it might as well be the percentages for how serious this movie is (50% of the time). Now making a movie about cancer is not easy.... Making a funny movie about cancer is damn near impossible! However director Jonathan Levine pulls it off in a way only a great director with a great script can, by surrounding themselves with great actors who don't only care about the movie but believe in the director's vision. This is exactly what 50/50 does, this is a bunch of indie kids banning together to make a mainstream indie film, might I suggest Jonathan Levine's "The Wackness" JGL's "Brick" and "The Lookout" and lest we forget Anna Kendrick's small but awesome role in "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World".

     The one thing that surprised me the most about this film was the absence of Seth Rogen's character throughtout the film. In my opinion this movie was marketed as a buddy film about cancer so I was definitely surprised to see that Rogen wasn't on screen anymore than Anna Kendrick or even Bryce Dallas Howard. However it worked well in that regard because Rogen played his usual pot-headed, sex loving self that seems to pop up in most films starring him.


     Kendrick's character is probably the most memorable, aided by her strong performance in the role, even when her character of psychiatrist in training Katie McKay you keep thinking back to her and think to yourself what would she say if she seen this? What would she do if Adam does this? And so on.

     So overall this movie is a feel good story that pulls at your heartstrings just enough to not make it sappy. Just funny enough to not make you question if you should be laughing this much at cancer, so in short it's funny and sentimental but doesn't beat you over the head with either emotions. You admire the whole cast from JGL going from breakdown to breakdown as depression sets in, to Rogen proving he has a softer side as he struggles with his best friends possible impending death and Kendrick's inexperience in therapy which makes her and her techniques more forgivable in the end and because of that she makes us happy she graced us with her presence in every scene she's in, including an impromptu car cleaning at the side of the road.

     In closing, you should see this movie, probably in theatres because you shouldn't wait, but if you're the emotional type stay home, close the windows and lock the doors, grab a box of kleenex and just watch until the credits begin to roll. At this point I'd like you to count how many tissues you used when you cried and how many you used when you laughed so hard you cried and see what side of the 50/50 ratio you came out on.

Film Review #1 : Sucker Punch

     This movie is confusing on so many levels, which might be why I love it so much. First off, this is a review so there might be a spoilers thrown in here and there, so be warned.

     Sucker Punch, the name does this movie no justice. From the first scene you know this movie is a tragic, I mean its raining outside and someone has already died. The main characters mother, who isn't important enough to have a noticeable name is stone cold dead, and the "father" upon finding out he gets nothing from her death goes on a rape rampage. First he tries to get into the main character, then upon finding out kitty has claws, he goes for the younger sister. Now the main character, who after forty minutes is called Babydoll, and another hour after that, Laura, is obviously pissed. She slides down a drain pipe grabs and gun and points it at the would be rapist, bang, she missed and her sister is dead. Opportunity arises and she gets institutionalized, which is where the fun starts. Now just like Inception, this movie is one reality inside the other, inside another which means every character has three parts to play and you have to follow the story through one dream and into a vision then back to the real world all the while doing your best to learn names and locations. Obviously there was a bit of a budget cut with character design such but you'll get used to it.

    Now reality one, is the actual world, its dark and brooding and really sucks. Our protagonist is locked up in an asylum in Vermont, with her are a motley crew of perverts and mentally unstable hotties. Its from here she derives all of her stimulus for the other realities and reality two begins with a bang.

    Reality two is a seedy strip club, I know right its just keeps getting better. This is where she actually starts meeting some of her fellow inpatients and sets in motion her plan for freedom. Now the section of the movie here starts in essentially the same way as the first, she gets dropped off by the father character, who is this time a twisted priest and the same as before, she isn't allowed to leave. The nurse that thinks he runs the asylum is here as the owner of the club, the Tenenbaum-esque doctor is now a dance instructor and still provides the music. Yes music, this is a strip club, and Babydoll is forced to dance. When she dances though she enters reality three.

     Our last reality is every little boys dream, and well mine too. Babydoll has free reign here to change the location every dance as it takes place in her dreams, and she does. This reality is where she finds her weapons and where she learns how to achieve the final goal, freedom. Our merry band of crazies kicks ass all the way from world war one to a medieval castle. Now in this reality there are obviously a bunch of crazy good looking girls, but here they have guns and swords and they have to fight robotic samurais with chain guns, steampunk nazis, dragons, orcs, and those guys from I-Robot that didn't have sentience.

     As the movie progresses the realities start to affect one another in obvious ways, which means that if you die in one, you die in another, if you steal the map in one you have it in the other, and amazingly enough it all falls into place. Well, you think it does, without ruining everything lets just say all along we had the wrong idea about who's story it was and how it ends. throughout the movie I was stunned by the visuals, I mean epic doesn't even cut it for the battle scenes, beautiful doesn't come close to the stature of the ladies, and I bet you didn't even pay attention to the monologue that started everything, and ends it as well.

    "Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us... and at the same time sings that we'll never die? Who teaches us whats real and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and we'll die to defend? Who chains us and who holds the key that can set us free? It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now Fight!"

     This movie turns out to be a thing of majesty, and it was completely covered up with violence, depression and lobotomies, and for that I implore you, look deeper than the grime and darkness, find the meaning of the story, that's where the beauty lies.

     Overall this movie is at least a rent, at most a buy, but watch this movie! If you loved the soundtrack as much as I do find it for download here. And don't pay any attention to the Rotten Tomatoes rating.