Innovative Directing

As I was scrolling through Buzzfeed today I stumbled upon a post about the "18 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Elf". Even though it's only the start of November, I indulged myself in some Christmas spirit by reading this article. The article was very interesting because there really were 18 things that I didn't know about the movie. One of my favorites was that the scene where Will Ferrell is testing jack-in-the-boxes.

The reaction that he has at this moment is completely genuine. The director of this movie, Jon Favreau, used a remote control to manually make the jack-in-the-boxes pop up. This excellent directing caused Will Ferrell to have the perfect reaction. There is total anticipation and then surprise during this scene. It is one of the more memorable scenes in this movie for me because, no matter how many times I've seen Elf, I am still startled just like Buddy the Elf.

After I watched this I looked up other creative ways to direct actors so that the acting they do does not come off as phony. In the movie Saving Private Ryan, Stephen Spielberg made every single actor (including Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Vin Diesel) go through bootcamp for 10 days. He literally put them through hell so that the actors would get a glimpse as to what war was actually like. He even went as far to feed them all old canned rations and he hired a marine give everyone orders like they were any other soldier.

This just goes to show that direction of the actors is key in making a spot-on performance by the actors and a truly authentic movie.

Elysium < District 9

This past week I finally got around to seeing Elysium, a new film directed by Neill Blomkamp who was the director of District 9. I had been very excited to see what Blomkamp had done with this film because District 9 is on my list of favorite movies. I really enjoyed District 9 because I felt that it brought something new and different to the table and it was something that I hadn’t really seen before. I was expecting something like District 9, but after seeing Elysium I was a left feeling a little let down. Now don’t get me wrong, Elysium was a fine movie—packed with action and Matt Damon being tough and rugged. It had a great feeling of continued suspense and uncertainty, I never was able to guess the entire ending (which was a major plus for me), and Elysium (the space station) was breathtakingly beautiful. I thought that the acting, especially by Sharlto Copley who played Agent C.M. Kruger, was fantastic. Who wouldn’t be afraid of him?

And for those of you who know District 9, you might remember Copley as Wikus Van De Merwe, a total 360 character change from Agent Kruger.

Besides that, I just felt like it was just another movie. It addressed the topics of immigration, but I just felt like that had been done before. I didn’t feel the characters of the movie change or grow throughout the movie. There was almost too much action for that change to happen. It was always going, going, going without much introspection. District 9 really got my hopes up for this movie, but Elysium just didn’t pack that raw and unexpected punch that District 9 accomplished.

Boston's "Big Three"

When watching the Red Sox game the other day I couldn't help but notice that the Boston "big three" when it comes to movie making were in attendance. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Mark Wahlberg were all in the stands during opening day at Fenway Park. Those three hold a special place in Boston's heart. They have always made movies about Massachusetts (Good Will Hunting, The Town, The Fighter), and they never forget that they were all originally from different suburbs of Boston.

I have to admit that my personal favorite out of the three would have to be Affleck. That really has nothing to do with him as a person, because I like all three, but more because I think that it's amazing that Affleck writes, produces, and acts in his movies. Movies such as "Argo" and "The Town", Affleck  did all three of those and those movies are known as some of the best to come out in recent years. I watched "Argo" for the first time last weekend and wasn't disappointed. The story itself is remarkable, but the movie is also well made and Affleck is great as usual.

Wahlberg and Damon are no slouches either. "Ted" is a comedy phenomenon, and the fact that Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane (from Connecticut which is basically Massachusetts), decided to shoot the film in downtown Boston just adds to the humor for people from the city. Damon hasn't done as many films in Boston as Affleck and Wahlberg, but he still will always have "Good Will Hunting" to fall back on.

Maybe people in Boston care too much about the fact that Mark and Donny Wahlberg can be found court side at a Celtics game once a month, but people enjoy seeing these huge stars back home. I hope that Damon, Affleck, and Wahlberg continue to make movies in the Boston area. I think they realize that people from Boston do appreciate the fact that they return home to make these blockbusters. Hopefully 2013 leads to big things for Boston's "big three".

Good Will Hunting

 The other night I took the liberty of watching the classic "Good Will Hunting". As most of you probably know, the film follows Will Hunting, a 20 year old janitor who lives in Boston and acts like a thug, but consequently happens to be a genius. The film was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, launching them into stardom. The film won the Academy Award that year for Best Original Screenplay, which was quite an achievement for young Ben (25) and Matt (27) and a testament to their natural talent, being that this was the first real piece they had ever written.

 The story itself is absolutely impeccable. It's one of those movies that I can watch over and over again without ever getting sick of. Damon and Affleck did such an incredible job creating a story with characters that were so multidimensional, they really help bring you in and keeps you invested in what's happening. It's astounding to me that these guys were able to write such an incredible piece at such an early age, given the stories complexity and overall genius. Good Will Hunting is a movie that will remain a classic for generations to come.

The Departed

Martin Scorsese has made dozens of incredible films, many of them being classics. But the one that earned him is one and only Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture was his 2006 film, The Departed. Set in South Boston, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to be an undercover cop in the Irish mob run by ganglord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is a criminal working for the Irish mob and Costello, who has become a Massachusetts State Police Detective. Both Billy and Collin attempt to gain information about the organizations they have infiltrated. However, both the police and Irish mob become aware of the moles inside their organizations and Billy's and Collin's lives are suddenly put into danger. Each man must work quickly to find the other man and take him out before they get taken out by the organizations.

With an amazing cast featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winston, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin, The Departed is an outstanding film that everyone should go see, if you can get past the abundance of violence and cursing that is in the film. This film simply has it all. A great cast, great cinematography, great editing and a great script. It is one of my personal favorites and every time I watch it, I am sitting at the edge of my seat.

I think my favorite part of the film is the scene on the top of the rooftop, (SPOILERS AHEAD). Both Billy and Collin have found out that the other is the rat in the organizations. Billy told Collin to meet him on the top of the roof and when he arrives, Billy arrests Collin. Detective Brown, played by Anthony Anderson, also comes to the rooftop because he knows who both Billy and Collin are. Billy takes Collin down the elevator at gunpoint and as soon as the elevator doors open, Barrigan, who is another detective working for the Irish mob, puts a bullet through Billy's head and Detective Browns. Collin then puts a bullet through Barrigan's head, making sure that there are no loose ends. This scene is very intense and you do not see the murders coming at all. I jumped in my seat when I heard the loud bangs.

Also just as a side note, my brother actually works in the building where this scene was shot.

The Departed is a terrific film and I think it is Scorsese's best.

Good Will Hunting

I am going to move away from Russell Crowe and to a movie I really Love.  Good Will Hunting.  This is a heart warming story starring some A-list actors including, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Robin Williams.  I love Robin Williams and I really love his stand up, so it was great seeing him in such a serious emotional role.  He won Best Supporting actor for his part.  The screenplay was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and won them each an academy award.  It also got nods for Best Picture, director, and supporting actress.  It is about a janitor at M.I.T named Will Hunting who is actually a genius.  When a professor at M.I.T figures this out he does his best to try to get Will Hunting into a very high level, and well paying job.

Good will Hunting is directed by Gus Van Sant who also directed Milk, another movie I think is fantastic.  Gus Van Sant did a fantastic job with the actors.   He got a oscar worthy performance out of Robin Williams and really was able to get them to play their characters well and fit well into the story.  I think the story is great because it takes what seems to be an obvious decision for Will Hunting to only reveal that he has various emotional issues.  Robin Williams plays a psychology professor who is asked to help Will by the M.I.T professor.  It is a great story and a great movie and is a must see.

Dose of reality in movies

I finally made it to the Regal movie theaters up at Triphammer mall last weekend and got to see Contagion. The movie, directed by Steven Sotoberg who also directed Traffic and Ocean's 11, is a drama centered around people dealing with a massive worldwide virus outbreak. The main focus is on characters played by Matt Damon, whose wife and stepson are the first two victims of the virus, Laurence Fishburne who plays a doctor at the CDC and is tasked with controlling the disease in the United States. Jude Law, who plays a rouge journalist in San Francisco that is against pharmaceutical companies. Kate Winslet, another doctor at the CDC is tasked with finding the origins of the disease, and Marion Colltiard, who plays a World Health Organization official tasked with finding out who the first people infected were. The story is an interesting take on what could happen if another outbreak like the 1919 flu epidemic that claimed the lives of one percent of the world's population took place today. It also provides a harrowing look at the vulnerability of today's medical system and really how unprepared the world is if another virus outbreak were to occur. There are some very disturbing images in the film and the movie might not be for those who have a weak stomach. I give the movie a three out of five stars because the cinematography is absolutely stunning and the story does keep you captivated throughout.