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ScarletAnna
Reviews
50/50 (2011)
Unconventional cancer movie hit and miss, with potential
Extremely likable actors and an unconventional take on the tropes of cancer movies do not save this film from being uneven. This is described as a comedy, but there is very little space for laughs. It convincingly conveys how shocking, scary and personal being diagnosed with cancer is, and does not coat it with sugary or over-dramatic writing. Yet, the chore of the film is the friendship between Adam and Kyle (Seth Rogen's character), as much as how Adam faces his condition. While the scenes between the two main actors feel fresh and original, though slightly too crude at times, the rest of the action is rushed. The other characters are mostly just sketches, if not stereotypes. The depiction of the doctors, including Anna Kendrick's inexcusably unprofessional therapist, is almost offensive. Anjelica Huston's role is minimal. One would expect, at least, a couple more mother-son exchanges, especially during Adam's treatment. Poor Bryce Dallas Howard has the worst of possible parts, and makes the best of it, but once again she gets very little screen time. It is significant that the main scenes in which the supporting cast has a chance to shine, are those in which Rogen is not present: at the dinner in which Adam announces he has cancer to his mother and father, or during the chemotherapy. Rogen and Gordon-Levitt work well together, particularly when left to concentrate on the bond between their characters, as in the improvised shaving scene or in the destruction of Adam's ex-girlfriend's painting, which achieves the combined effect of offering comic relief and being tinged with misogyny. The photography by Terry Stacey is aptly soberly consistently realistic, as one would expect in a movie with this budget. The only concession to colour is the scene in which Adam walks back from chemotherapy stoned, after eating the marijuana filled biscuits, offered by his fellow patients. The music is also sparingly used, I particularly appreciated hearing Radiohead's "High and Dry" right after Adam receives his diagnosis and Pearl Jam's "Yellow Leadbetter" at the end. This is a good little film, It has the potential to become a classic. It bravely takes on a difficult subject, avoiding being saccharine-filled. It also steers clear of lecturing. The vulgarity in it, the moments in which the characters appear limited or faulty, is arguably its best quality. It rings very close to reality, in a sober, quiet way, non-judgemental way.
Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)
Fan's gift to PJ fans
As a Pearl Jam fan, I was delighted by this movie. I am not sure I would recommend it to other viewers. Still, for its documentary merits, and as a nostalgia piece, this is a fairly good work. It shows some faults, principally in the sound of the interviews. Though, since this is basically an ode to the lost innocence of the festival/live concert scene of the Twentieth century, it is only appropriate that not much was done to the archive footage used. The interviews and video taken from live performances offered a quite superficial, bird's view of the past twenty years of the band's work, occasionally interrupted by more recent interviews. The screening I went to, in a fairly generic multiplex, was very crowded. The emotional response of the audience really showed that this is a PJ fan film for PJ fans.
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
When bright colours and period details are really the only thing
I saw this movie at the Berlin Film Festival Premiere. I was not prepared, I admit it. It did not help that I am not a Casey Affleck's fan. Initially, I did enjoy the camera work, music and was not bothered by the violence, but with the passing of the screening, I was increasingly annoyed by the pace of the story, by the minimum wage level of the cast, by the laziness of the whole movie. It really seemed as if the period reconstruction were only an exercise in style. None of the professional involved seemed in any way interested in making a good movie. The story was not particularly interesting or told in a revolutionary way. I was bored beyond imagination. The only reason why I did not leave the cinema was that I was hoping for a final surprise, something that would redeem the whole movie. Sadly nothing happened, I should have left like a good number of the other spectators did.