Requiem for a Dream is a hard truth

Requiem for a Dream consumes your mind, body and soul like a drug and holds onto to you after the final credits are over. Your skin feels like something is crawling on you, but nothing is there. It is one of the most powerful films ever. Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of Hubert Selby’s novel follows the lives of four different people, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), her son Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) and his friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). The film explores the direct and indirect effects drugs have on each of them and reveals their blossoming hopes turn into a state of moral and physical helplessness.

Editor Jay Rabinowitz perfects Aronofsky’s hip-hop editing technique. The drug scenes are ground-breaking and the downward spirals of each character is a gut wrenching experience that stays with you forever. Everyone in the cast gives powerful performances, especially Burstyn and Leto whose addictions are scary reminders of the hard truth.

WORD COUNT: 160

Adam’s Grade: A-

Chuck’s Grade: A+

The Dark Knight is a diabolical masterpiece

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight raises the bar and turns the sequel to Batman Begins into one of the most memorable action films of all time. It exceeded most audience’s expectations because of its complexity, rich story, exhilarating action, and Heath Ledger’s legendary performance as The Joker. No one should ever put on the white make-up again after Ledger’s diabolical performance. Gotham will never be the same and Batman (Christian Bale) had to use everything at his disposal to combat his arch-nemesis.

Even at a running time of over two and a half hours the story and characters have no problem holding audiences’ attention. The visual effects combined with adept sound design/editing elevate the film and become an integral part of the unforgettable masterpiece. The Dark Knight is not only the best superhero film, but one of the most entertaining and satisfying films of all time.

WORD COUNT: 146

Adam’s Grade: A

Chuck’s Grade: A+

On the Waterfront contends for best all time

Marlon Brando is a heavyweight actor that delivers a championship caliber performance that paved the way for actors to see the perfect execution of “the method.” Elia Kazan directs this masterpiece about dockworker and muscle for the local mob Tony Malloy (Brando), who witnesses the murder of a fellow dockworker. Malloy struggles with his conscience after he engages in a relationship with Edie (Eva Marie Saint), the victim’s sister while his brother Charlie (Rod Steiger) pleads with him to look the other way and forget about it, or else become the next “accident.”

On the Waterfront is one of the most important pieces of art in the 20th century.  The film is as relevant now as it was sixty years ago. The actor, the character, and the story continues to inspire artists and audiences to fight the good fight and to do the right thing in spite of the consequences.  It is a contender for the best film all time.

WORD COUNT: 160

Adam’s Grade: A+

Chuck’s Grade: A+

.

Inception questions our understanding of reality

With Inception, Christopher Nolan has established himself as one of the best writer/directors in Hollywood. His multi-layered plot filled with jaw-dropping visuals, adept acting from an ensemble cast, and well-paced action is like no other blockbuster to date. Nolan challenges his audience to think, as opposed to simply enduring one explosion after another. This has led to a love it or leave it response to this film.

Leonardo DiCaprio takes on one of his most complex roles as Cobb, a professional thief hired to commit corporate espionage by infiltrating the minds of his targets and leaving an idea that would benefit Cobb’s employer. Inception is an original film that successfully makes the “familiar strange and the strange familiar” by blurring the borders of the conscious mind with the subconscious dream world to the point audiences are questioning their own reality as they leave the cinema. We love it and hope to see Cobb again in our theater of dreams.

WORD COUNT: 159

Adam’s Grade: A

Chuck’s Grade: A+

Silver Linings Playbook scores

After a brief stint in a mental institution, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) to reconcile with his wife. Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who has her own issues, but agrees to deliver a message to his estranged wife if he agrees to her conditions. As their friendship grows, it seems that a silver lining starts to grow in each other’s lives.

Writer/Director David O. Russell captures all of the right emotions, and although the story seems overwhelming at the beginning, it shifts once we are introduced to Lawrence’s character. The acting is sensational. Lawrence deservedly won the Oscar while Cooper would have won if it wasn’t for Daniel Day-Lewis. Also, De Niro gives his best performance in over a decade. Silver Linings Playbook sounds like a film that shouldn’t work, and yet it does to perfection because of its brilliant writing, acting and portrayal of mental illness.

WORD COUNT: 158

Adam’s Grade: A

Chuck’s Grade: A+

R’ha (short film) remember the name

R’ha is a six minute independent film that is taking the internet and Hollywood by storm this year for its amazing cost effective visuals. Writer, director, and animator Kaleb Lechowski has created a science fiction story about an alien race being attacked by its own defense technology. The machines are intent to exterminate its creator from existence. The premise is similar to The Matrix and The Terminator series, but the execution is much different. The film opens with a snake-like pharaoh looking alien being interrogated and tortured by one of the “head” machines. The alien and its overall concept is amazing for having no money and only an assortment of computer programs, such as Maya, Blender, zBrush, Nuke and After Effects to complete the seven month long project. Internet audiences are demanding a full length version and Hollywood will probably pick up this 22 year old’s option to create an extended version. Remember the name, Kaleb Lechowski.

WORD COUNT: 156

Chuck’s Grade: A+

Adam’s Grade: A

Black Swan is perfect

Director Darren Aronofsky exploration into the world of ballet has more going on than rival dancers vying for the lead role in Swan Lake. This psychological thriller introduces us to Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina given the opportunity to play the dual role of the Swan Queen. She is ideal for the White Swan, but struggles with the sensuality and emotion needed to become the Black Swan. She is confronted with the possibility of losing the role to Lily (Mila Kunis), an uninhibited ballerina that fits nicely in the darker role. Nina’s is willing to do anything to become the principal dancer, but her pursuit for perfection begins to take its toll.

Aronofsky’s ability to tell stories about single-minded characters’ is unmatched. Their desires and obsessions lead to moments of ecstasy, but their passions lead to their demise. Nina is no different and Portman’s portrayal in the Black Swan is perfect. She was deserving of her Best Actress Academy Award.

WORD COUNT: 160

Adam’s Grade: A-

Chuck’s Grade: A+

Oldboy is not your ordinary revenge story

Oldboy is the second installment, and most well-known in director Park Chan-Wook’s Vengeance Trilogy. It is considered one of the best films ever made, and has spawned an American remake to come out later this year.

Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-Sik) is imprisoned for 15 years in a room without knowing his captor’s motives, and then is abruptly released. He tries to find why he was imprisoned and exact vengeance on those responsible.

Chan-Wook’s direction is flawless. The pacing creates the right amount of suspense and intrigue. The silences are filled with subtext and the action sequences are some of the most memorable scenes in Asian cinema. There are moments that audiences must avert their eyes, but not for long because Choi Min-Sik’s unnerving will and the story’s plot twists make this film one of the most talked about movies in history. Every detail is perfect, even down to the infamous room’s wallpaper. Oldboy is not your ordinary revenge story.

WORD COUNT: 158

Adam’s Grade: A-

Chuck’s Grade: A+

A Streetcar Named Desire is the king around here

Rarely do I use the word masterpiece to describe anything, but Elia Kazan’s film production of Tennessee Williams’ play, A Streetcar Named Desire is closest thing to that word. The main cast provides some of the most talked about and studied performances in film history. The unforgettable name, “Stella!” continues to be part of American popular culture. Marlon Brando (Stanley Kowalski) and Vivien Leigh (Blance Dubois) electrify the screen with their commanding performances while Karl Malden (Mitch) and Kim Hunter (Stella) hold their own in the face of an intimidating and domineering Stanley. The film touches upon several subjects, patriarchy, marriage, mental illness, domestic violence, homophobia, and alcoholism in a way that has left an imprint on audiences both young and old.

The film set the standard for several generations to come in several filmmaking categories. A Streetcar Named Desire has proved it is “the king around here and don’t you forget it.”

WORD COUNT: 153

Adam’s Grade: A+

Chuck’s Grade: A+

Chinatown

Chinatown was director Roman Polanski’s last film made in the U.S. before returning/fleeing to Europe. This film is a neo-noir classic written by Robert Towne and is one of the best movies ever made.  Towne’s clever writing captures the voice of a Los Angeles detective story filled with betrayal, greed, and murder. Polanski direction guides Jack Nicholson (Jake Gittes) and Faye Dunaway (Mrs. Mulwray) through a masterful drama filled with suspense and surprise. The two leading actors have an intoxicating chemistry together that creates a sense of danger every time they share the screen, but one of the most memorable scenes (besides the ending) is when Polanski makes an appearance as the unforgettable Man with a Knife. The combination of stylish direction, adept performances, powerful writing, and a mesmerizing soundtrack places Chinatown at the top of my list of great all-time films.

WORD COUNT: 140

Adam’s Grade: A

Chuck’s Grade: A+