Into the Wild (2007)

"The core of man's spirit comes from new experiences." - Christopher Johnson McCandless

Rating - 8.5/10

Sean Penn's adaptation of Jon Krakauer's book is visually stunning, bold and pays a great deal of respect to the true story of Christopher McCandless. The movie is a slow burn and not for those with minimal attention span, with wordless scenes rolling over and overlapping which kept me hopelessly engaged. Emile Hirsch dedicates his mind and body to playing real life McCandless, going full retard Bale-level weight loss towards the end and plays the part with real heart.

While the movie is perfect in that it tells a strong story with interesting characters and leaves you with a billion thoughts and questions flying around in your head, however I feel it suffered some pacing issues and was a bit self admiring at times.

Plot

Christopher, a 23 year old graduate from Emory University, had a bright future at Harvard Law all laid out with the support of his wealthy parents however chooses to give his $24,000 savings to Oxfam and hitch hike his way to the Alaskan wilderness. Young and ambitious, he finds companionship not in friends but in the authors of books he has his head continuously buried in, such as Jack London and Leo Tolstoy.

He dreams to live his life in the wilderness to be unburdened by wealth, society and expectations - all of which he views as things which hinder his ability to solve his existential crisis.

Along the way Christopher meets a bunch of interesting and heart warming characters and makes his own mark on their lives, most notably elderly Ron (Hal Halbrook) however nothing phases him from his ultimate goal. The movie then tracks the final weeks of his life, pieced together by Christopher's journals and diaries which were found by his body in Alaska (it's a true story so technically I ain't spoiling shit).

Cinematography

As a movie, it's great. Well filmed, some seriously breathtaking shots of nature which span over a variety of locations. I really got a broadened reminder of what life has to offer if I ever got the chance to do a bit of exploring.

However, as beautiful as they are, the shots of landscapes and the sky etc are continuous and for the first hour at least I was thinking the movie was a lot slower than I had expected. But if you're prepared for this it shouldn't bother you. Some shots such as slow mo of Christopher shaking water from his hair as he takes a shower out of a bucket went on for a bit too long and left me checking what new hotties were on my instagram feed (shameless).

Questioning the Human Spirit

110% give this a movie a shot, but I think it'll be a lot more rewarding if you keep these ideas in your head. The real impact of the movie comes after you finish, after you've had time to think about what you have watched and gone online to see some divided opinions about Christopher's journey. 

On one hand you have people glorifying Chris and his courage to drop everything and pursue his dream. As a uni student I've definitely had a few moments where I question what I'm doing. I'm spending all this money to get a degree, so that I can work in a confined office for years in hopes of earning enough money to start a family and support my children through school and then retire and watch the process repeat. Sure there will be great times, but to have your life mapped out like that in a few clear cut stages can't help but feel restrictive.

It's a bleak and mundane outlook on life, sure, but one most introspective people had contemplated at some point. Maybe a law degree where 100 pages of readings give me too much time to think wasn't a great choice. But inevitably I wake up and slip back into accepting that grinding the hours of study is the right thing to do and that I'm being young and naive. 

Do we lack of courage to do something like Chris did and go see what the world has to offer? We say no, and rationalise this by saying there'll be time for that later. But when?

On the other hand there are people who see Chris' journey and death as a cautionary tale. Yes his intentions were good, and he showed superhuman ambition and drive to experience the beauty of going back to humanity's roots  - to live a life where it's just you and the dirt beneath your feet, the sky above and endless possibilities at your fingertips. But constant reminders in the movie about how distressed his parents were about his disappearance and how he refuses to stay with any of the companions he meets along the way show the damage that such an uncompromising life can have. He set out to go live in the wilderness alone, and no ones going to stop him from that dream. In fact he goes as far to say "you don't need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us."

So the question comes down to - is it more fulfilling to live your life the "conventional" way or to lead a life where you make your choices based on your own desires. Are humans supposed to live a certain way, or have we lost sight of the freedom which we had back in the caveman days. The "conventional" way seems to be to make the most of the education and career opportunities that your parents worked so hard to forge for you, to enjoy your free time with your friends and having a a safe but enjoyable routine. Or is living your life where you are able to pursue anything you want in the world without caring about personal attachment, or what people think, and to enjoy the beauties that nature has to offer a more fulfilling approach that will allow you to make the most of life and what it means to be human? 

Personally I think the movie serves as a cautionary tale to remind us that being human we are blessed with the complex mind to make conscious choices that forge where we want to go in life which separates us from other animals. We have the ability to experience true freedom in that we can do anything we really want to set our minds to. However to take it to the extreme that Chris did would be too selfish. Companionship and personal connection are too crucial and to throw away our relationships and friendships for the sake of wanting to feel truly free in chasing what we want is too much. 

Just as Chris wrote in his journal during his final weeks - "happiness only real when shared".  

Californication

"It sure isn't about pussy, it's about a man trying to keep it together whilst falling apart"


Rating: 8

Trailer:

NOTE: This trailer does NO justice to the show. It makes it looks like one massive, STD defying orgy but the show is much much deeper than that.

Details:

Created by Tom Kapinos who had his producing debut back in 2000 on the golden oldie "Dawson's Creek" (holy shit that brings back memories)

Cast:

David Duchovny - Hank Moody   (David was in the X-files, and proves himself to be far from old and washed up)

Natascha McElhone - Karen  (Hank's love interest)
Madeleine Martin - Rebecca (Hank's daughter)
Evan Handler - Charlie Runkle (Hank's agent and best friend)

Pamela Adlon - Marcy Runkle (Charlie's wife and Karen's best friend)

Plot:

Talented writer Hank Moody used to have it all, his true love and a daughter living it up in New York. But then somewhere along the way, he lost track of it all and found himself in Los Angeles, rotting away alone in the City of Angels drinking, self-loathing and with permanent writer's block. He spends each day punishing himself with alcohol, and seeking comfort in sleeping with countless women to fill the ever-growing void he feels now that his lady and daughter are with another man.

Sarcastic, yet not a guy to be messed with, the show tracks his spiralling life.

Review:

Californication never really caught my attention, I remembered seeing the trailer on Channel 10 all the time and be like that looks like a sex romp and cockless romantic comedy. But then one boring afternoon I decided to give it a shot, and the show turned out to be much...MUCH more and the show's depth opened itself to me.

Cinematography/Soundtrack

Cinematography is stellar and stylised. The show won an Emmy in 2009 for "outstanding cinematography for a half-hour series". The introduction and montages filled with burned, grained shots of Hank's life and the scenery respectively give a hipster, devil may care vibe.

My favourite shots are the subtle shots of Hank's face whenever something bad hits him. Whereas many people will collapse and cry and shout in frustration, Hank lights a cigarette. This emphasises his cavalier,
"teenager trapped in a man's body" attitude to life, and makes the rare moments when he "breaks down" (if you can call it that) pretty hard hitting. Hank never loses it completely, but there are points when you can just tell he's really hurting and you feel for him.

The show generally portrays 3 ways Hank deals with his shit:
- he jokes around and keeps moving forward best he can
- broods by drinking and smoking and talking to himself
- rare, extremely rare times when he finally amazingly can't handle it on his own anymore, and seeks comfort from a close friend (only really happens twice).

The first is the most entertaining LOL. Smile you douche! C:

The best, most enjoyable and profound twists of filming on the show? The dreams that haunt Hank's troubled, unhappy life. These dreams are filmed extremely well, with symbolic touches which i'll discuss later.

Filming is nothing groundbreaking, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with it either. Pretty stock stock standard, but it's the little touches and the dreams which win me over. 8/10

Script:

The script is BOSS. Witty, sharp and slightly immature yet with moments of romanticism and extreme profoundness, it is what drives the show over 4 seasons. Hank's mojo with the ladies sure is smooth, rugged and charming, and his life philosophy of "who gives a fuck" is definitely reflected in his carefree sarcastic attitude to some people.

Then there are glorious moments of scriptwriting between Hank and Karen, Hank and his daughter, or Hank's monologues to himself. These give the show huge depth, where the teenage trapped in a man's body is replaced by the talented writer who doesn't care about anything in his life except for his ex, his daughter and his friends (he only really has 2 of them). Without them, he is nothing, he's permanently unhappy with no place to go and no purpose. The sarcasm is dropped and we see Hank's true, deeper personality. Sometimes you can't judge or label a person by their actions, Hank isn't just some manwhore, he's a man who just wants to be happy.
9/10

Hank, The Character 

Hank has enormous writing talent, reflected in the stylised way he talks and the stuff he writes (and recites at some points). He used to have everything a man could want, the woman he loved and his daughter living in New York, "the best of times, if only someone would have told me..."

Somewhere he lost it all, there is an episode which shows the slow downfall.
Now he looks in the mirror and hates what he sees. His life, both professionally and personally is down the shitter as he can't write anything new, and without Karen and his daughter he has no happiness. He reflects on the mistakes he made, the things he took for granted, and punishes himself with heavy drinking and his "fuck-all" attitude to life. He's lost his way, charming women seems to be his way of denying how lonely he really is.

The bad dreams he has reflects his worst fears. The show shows us how fucked up life can get, there were actually some moments when i was like "wow...he has SERIOUSLY got it bad right now".

Hank is the epitomee of moving forward no matter what hits you. Whether he deals with things the right way? It's debatable, he drinks, he smokes and he buries his problems except for the ones regarding his daughter.

There's a notable dream sequence in the season 3 finale which is done so well artistically and you really feel his fear. 

Seasons 

Season 1 and 2 are great, they nail the dark profound brooding atmosphere of Hank. I warn that even though I stress the show isn't all about sex, there is pretty much a quickie every episode LOL. All i'm saying is that it's MORE than just that, but for a show called CaliFORNICATION, it's gotta stay true to the name. 

Season 4 really reaches the climax of how messed up shit can get for 1 person.

Season 3 is my only problem with the show, halfway through season 3 it becomes this typical, rom com "too many women" embarassing scenario, and the show begins to lack depth. But have no fear, that all gets shattered towards the end of season 3.

Becca, the underrated character.
Becca starts as the innocent angel, the typical "caught in the middle" girl in distress. She trusts her Dad no matter what and deals with everything going on between Hank and Karen pretty well, maybe because she's too young to understand. But after watching all 4 seasons, you really see how the writers managed to show her maturity over time. She becomes less accepting, and more contributive as her frustration starts to come out. By season 4 she's become a parent's nightmare, getting up to no good and so forth. But then you realise, with all the drama that happens to her, it's hard not to get messed up at least a little bit.
Although the actress doesn't really have to show too wide a range of emotions, there are some monologues which are pretty intense.

Mood to be in 

Want to watch something new and fresh? This show is a bit heavy at times, but it's clever and witty. If you don't mind lots of boobies, and want to see some drama and emotionally vent, or want to watch something with dry/dark humour, then this is the show for you.

Great show, great character, something new original and stylishly done.
Underrated and it's such a shame that the trailers give the show the wrong image, hopefully this review clears it up a bit :)

I warn you, episode 1 is actually pretty shallow LOL, so don't go judging me upon your first viewing.

This show isn't all serious, it's also meant to be witty and dry humour, so enjoy yourself :)

Next review: "up in the air"

SPOILERS BELOW

Significant/Memorable Scenes:
"I'm a motherfucking asshole"

Hank starts to reach his breaking point. His need for Karen is really getting unbearable, and Hank pushes too far. Karen still has feelings for Hank, but she wants to leave that part of her life behind and start fresh, a clean slate. Hank knows the best thing to do is to let her be happy, and to let go of chasing her. But he can't give up with a fight, he can't let himself give up.

Although not much emotion shows on his face, you can see that Hank really regrets pushing Karen too far, and that he cares for her too much to hurt her, and decides to let go.
His brand new car gets stolen, capping off an extremely shitty horrific day, and what does he do?
He lights a cigarette.

And man, PERFECT song. 

"She won't always love me no matter what..."

First really poetic moment of season 1, and the first scene to make me really fall in love with this show. After a damn good day (rare for Hank), he gets a glimpse of what his previous life used to feel like - how it used to feel to be happy. He can't live carefree forever, because he's got a daughter to care for. His life isn't just about himself anymore, he's got responsibilities and priorities to take care of, and he need to grow the fuck up. Hank realises all this, and drops the sarcastic "i'm all good" act for once.

The Letter to Karen.

The fan-favourite scene of the show. A true glimpse into Hank's deep feelings for Karen, and boy are they real. The letter is self explanatory, there's not much I can say about this scene, as it pretty much speaks for itself.

Hank's Letter to Becca

Personally one of my favourite scenes of the show. Season 4, Hank's life really turns to shit and he can't handle the pressure anymore. This is the moment where we get a season 1 vibe, where the show used to be more concentrated on Hank's writing talent and his poetic way with words. The piano soundtrack in the background sets the mood perfectly, but I can't find the name of it.
We get the general message Hank is trying to say, how his daughter is the most important thing in the world, and that he was sorry he couldn't be a better parent. The filming of this scene is beautiful, the blue coloour sets the melancholic vibe and the Becca's distance from Hank always being just out of reach and slipping away symbolising their emotional bond being under stress.

So many more scenes, but I'm sure you can appreciate them your own way :) 

Plus i'm getting pretty tired writing this lmao.

Hope you liked this review!

Reservoir Dogs

"Guys...WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKIN' PROFESSIONALS!"

Rating: 9 (Fantastic Classic)
Trailer:

Details: Quentin Tarantino's debut film as a director, hailed as one of the best independent films made of all time. Remember this movie is LOW budget, to the point where most of the actors had to wear their own clothes, and one guy even had to use his own car.
I finally watched it to see what all the hype was about. Filmed in 1992, the cast included:
Harvey Keitel - Mr White
Tim Roth - Mr Orange
Michael Madsen - Mr Blonde
Chris Penn - Nice Guy Eddie
Steve Buscemi - Mr Pink
Lawrence Tierney - Joe Cabot
Eddie Bunker - Mr Blue
Quentin Tarantino - Mr Brown
Plot: 5 complete strangers are employed and team up to rob a diamond retailer, but things go pear-shaped when one is suspected of being a police informant.


Review
I had always heard alot of things about this movie, people swearing at me when they find out I haven't seen it. So I went into this movie with alot of hype and expectations, which I hate because it usually means the movie disappoints me (like shitty Avatar did).
BUT I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!
This movie is a true classic, what it lacks in story and plot it makes up for in acting and Tarantino's unique filming!

Cinematography/Writing
This is classic Tarantino. His fragmented story telling and loong takes will hold your attention. Whilst other movies will constantly change locations and angles, Tarantino likes to keep the camera tracking without cutting for longer periods of time, and I really liked that.
In true Tarantino style there is blood, and like always ALOT OF BLOOD. I'm not talking horror movie ridiculous blood, but you've been warned! If you get squeamish or whatever you probably won't like some of the scenes. That being said, I don't care if I'm stereotyping, if you're a guy and you get grossed out by this grow some balls! (with the exception of 1 scene, which I'm sure you'll understand after you watch).
What I love MOST, is how every one of his movies have witty dialogue. He'll make his characters talk about shit that completely pointless and unrelated to the story, but the script will be written in a way that is sharp, interesting and somehow keeps you caring about what they're saying (especially in the opening).
Also I think Tarantino has the best ipod on Earth. The music he uses for this movie is completely OPPOSITE to what you would expect, but oh my god it works so well. Using 70's upbeat bubblegum pop and blues for a gangster film? Genius!

Acting
Man the cast for this movie was spot on. I can't imagine any other actors playing these particular characters. Harvey Keitel (Mr White) definitely shined for me, he is absolutely underrated. His violent outbursts and cool demeanour fully convinced me of his character, a cold blooded professional with a sense of morality. 
Steve Buscemi (who I've only seen play weirdos in Adam Sandler movies) won my respect as Mr Pink "The Professional", who knew someone who played a character called  "crazy eyes" would pull off a professional gangster like an absolute boss.






<---WHAT?! ---->



Who surprised me was Tarantino! Sure he only played a tiny character, but man he did well!
Finally Tim Roth, this must've been one of his first major films and he did extremely well. I've only seen this guy in the TV show "Lie to Me", but he impressed me with the variety of emotions he displayed in this movie.
Mood to be in
The most important thing before appreciating a movie is to be in the right mood. Don't expect fireworks or high fast paced action. This movie does have some action scenes, but when watching this just be appreciative of dialogue (lots of it), backstories and a build up to a climax. Get ready to appreciate a CLASSIC, not a modern hollywood bulletstorm. Professional criminals yeah!
What I didn't like
I think the only gripe I have is why Tarantino didn't let Tim Roth speak in his normal English accent. His accent kept drifting in and out it was kinda weird at some points!
 
SPOILERS. ONLY READ AHEAD AFTER YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE!








Memorable Scenes

Easily the most memorable scene is the Ear scene. The film got alot of controversy for this scene, and whilst the idea of it is pretty sickening, I found it strangely mesmerizing. Once that song "Stuck in the Middle with you" started whilst showing the cop's eyes full of fear, it full struck me to the core. Using an upbeat song for a torture scene? Just highlights how goddamn psycho Mr Blonde actually is.
I also love the continuous shot which follows Mr Blonde outside to his car, and back into the warehouse. Going outside to the peaceful neighbourhood, little kids playing in the playground have no clue that just down the street, all this shit is hitting the fan in this warehouse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mCfzQOyANk&feature=related

Also there's the legendary opening. There's no BIG BANG explosive opening, it's a slow engaging masterpiece of scriptwriting. My moving along quickly and talking about different things successively Tarantino grabs the attention of the viewer. Also check out Mr Orange being the first person to rat on Mr Pink for not tipping, this is actually supposed to foreshadow his identity as the informant!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyR4RK0LA_E



Another scene is the first action scene, Mr Pink blasting his way out. Whilst this was ridiculously short, it's so fast paced and slick, and really shows how much of a "professional" Mr Pink is. Also the scene is pretty much Grand Theft Auto for real, lol 2/3 stars?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO23-EthGQ4

And then there's the final scene. I missed this small detail the first time. I thought Mr Pink got away with the diamonds, because he was the only one who acted like a professional. But turn up the volume and listen to the background sounds after he leaves, can you tell what REALLY happened??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c0FN8ajIlY

The scene where Mr White and Orange are talking in the car, the whole movie Orange is laughing along and comfortable in his surroundings. It is at this point onwards that he realises he's dealing with some real, cold blooded bastards. Watch the smile on Orange's face disappear slowly as White gets more brutal and brutal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al3CsTL2XDQ



This tension builds with the scene where White and Orange are getting away from the cops. Poor Mr Brown dies here. But as Mr White kills the cops, the look on Mr Orange's face just shows how he can't take seeing all these innocent people die and not being able to do anything about it. Also when Mr Orange kills the woman, the close up on his face looking like he's about to cry really got me, he's killed someone he as a cop has sworn to protect.

Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this review, comments and feedback would be great. This is my first one so I'm still getting the hang of all this, they should get better as we go along :)
This is one hell of a movie!