50 Shades of Grey

50 Shades of Grey: Inner Goddesses Rejoice

              As if my addiction to Sex and the City weren’t enough, in my freshman year I sat down to read the 50 Shades trilogy, cementing the fact that I am, at heart, a housewife approaching menopause. And so I devoured the 1,500+ page series, rolling my eyes incessantly. Ana as a character was complete garbage. Her ongoing inner monologue with her dancing inner goddess and her snarky subconscious constantly fighting was painful and frankly may imply schizophrenia. What you hear is true; the books are so poorly written, it’s like an insult to writers everywhere. However, I knew what I was signing up for, poorly written mom porn, and I got it. I knew movies were the next step for the franchise… it would be a poor marketing decision to not. However, I had no idea what it would be like.

              When the first trailer was released, I have to say, I was rather surprised. It seemed really well done. I thought that if they could get rid of the horrible dialogue, monologue, and overall writing, the movie could be passable. If it was visually well done and tastefully handled, we may have a good movie. And due to the fact Beyoncé was singing, we already knew the soundtrack was going be excellent. Here’s the trailer:

 It certainly looked visually stunning, one shot is particular stuck out:

              I was admittedly excited and visually, the movie delivered. It looked rich and decadent, Christian’s office and apartment looking sleek and powerful with a lot of black, gray, and white. The director also utilized scenery in a pretty effective way, the picture above being an example. The Seattle skyline provided a beautiful and elegant backdrop for a large portion of the movie and even the rare scenes in nature were accompanied by beautiful scenery.

 One thing that definitely stood out throughout the movie was the lighting. This movie’s lighting is absolutely incredible. My eyes were seduced by a warm orange glow lighting the character’s skin during a sultry discussion over the contract of their relationship. The light in the “Red Room of Pain” made the dark red leather shine, making the experience of seeing the room for the first time intense and exciting.

To the director’s credit, the sex scenes were handled rather tastefully… well, as tastefully as they could. This is due in part to the absence of Ana’s inner monologue, sparing us the grimy details. Also, they canned some of the more cringe worthy encounters and I must say, I have never before been so glad that a movie was NOT loyal to the book. If I was forced to endure seeing some of the horrible things I read, this movie would’ve been straight up porn. Make no mistake, this movie is racy. However, it is in no way to be considered pornography. I really wasn’t shocked by anything in this film. That’s not to say you should watch it on family movie night. This movie is absolutely not for children or the faint of heart… but it isn’t as offensive as it could have been. They’ve toned it down for the mainstream audience but kept enough to satisfy fans of the book.

There is no question that the direction is beyond competent.

I was very worried about the writing in this film. Not including a voice over of Ana’s inner monologue was probably the film’s best decision. However, the dialogue was still at risk of being every bit as terrible as it was in the book… however, the movie handled it well. Contrary to what the trailer makes you believe, the movie never really takes itself too seriously. Unlike the book, the film acknowledges the ridiculous nature of their relationship, allowing the dialogue to be more tongue in cheek and the experience to be a whole lot more enjoyable. In fact, the scene where the two negotiate their relationship in the form of a contract, talking about what is considered a hard and soft limit, is absolutely hilarious. I’d say it competes with the first use of the Red Room, which was also pretty awesome (a sensual version of Crazy in Love by Beyoncé playing in the background, what’s not to love?!... oh yea… the whips and abuse), for the best scene. That’s not to say I didn’t wince at some of the stupid things these people say to each other. When the film takes itself serious, it is disastrous. But a little train wreck was to be expected due to its source material.

As far as acting, I was pleasantly surprised. Dakota Johnson, who plays Ana, did not make a good first impression on me in the trailer. I felt that the horrible and idiotic character from the book would be simply put on screen. Boy was I wrong. Dakota Johnson seems to do the impossible, make Anastasia Steele a tolerable character. In fact, I enjoyed her. She was actually quite funny and secretly amazingly beautiful. She may not ever outgrow this role, but she plays it pretty well and I’d love to see her in other films. Jamie Doran is not as good. His character is cold but he doesn’t convey any sort of warmth or really contribute much to the chemistry other than a body.

Now comes a rather odd suggestion on my part. I think this movie needs to be enjoyed in a group setting. If I were to have watched it alone, the dialogue may have felt more serious and the eye-rolling factor would have been greatly increased. I went with a group of friends who I am very comfortable with and we had a great time laughing together. Not to mention the guy behind us who, at the film’s climax, said, “This is some bulls**t!” We laughed for minutes. You need someone to reflect back the ridiculous nature of this film and I think, contrary to what many may feel, it is better enjoyed in a group.

Is it an excellent film? Not really. In fact, it is being called boring by many. But one cannot deny that it is infinitely better than the book. Is it for everyone? Absolutely not. But if you need to feed your inner goddess so she can do back flips and dance in circles, this is the film for you. Just leave your snarky subconscious at home.

50 Shades of Grey is rated R for strong sexual content including dialouge, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and for language

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Tags: romance, r, 50 shades, fifty shades, 50 shades of grey, fifty shades of grey

The Fault in Our Stars is well-made but struck a nerve with me.

5.5 out of 10 

 

In his review of the film, Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic said, "If you don't cry or snort or at least tear up a little at some point during Josh Boone's film version of the popular young-adult novel by John Green, you're a pretty cold fish."

 

Well Mr. Goodykoontz, I suppose I am the coldest of fish.

 

Check out the trailer here:

And as I re-watch the trailer, I want to love this movie... but I simply do not. Believe me, there is nothing I love more than being emotionally destroyed by a movie but this one came nowhere close.

 

As far as movies go, this one is well made. The director clearly knew what he was doing and the way text messages and emails are incorporated into the movie is very cute. Acting wise, I have no major complaints. Both leads were great and did a solid job bringing the characters to life.

 

I did read the book. In fact, I binge read it in a 24 hour, insomnia ridden period. I walked into school the following day and voiced my discontent with the book. I had found myself getting very annoyed with the characters, but attributed that to my lack of sleep. But, by the end of the book, I felt nothing and I frankly felt like a jerk. I still had every intention of seeing the movie and hoped that actually seeing the story unfold would help bring the emotion to life. It did, in a very miniscule way. However, as soon as I walked out of the theater, I made eye contact with one of my friends, smiled, and said, "I hated it." She did too. I find something about this movie very off-putting, so much so that I considered getting up and walking out thrice.

 

Rotten Tomatoes, my movie review bible, gives this movie an 82% and calls it, "Wise, funny, and heartbreaking."

 

Let's start there!

 

Is it funny? Not really. It tries to lighten the mood but I didn't really laugh once. I was further frustrated when the theater was filled with giggles when characters stared at each other. I kid you not, every time the characters stared at each other for more than 2 seconds, the audience would giggle! Because I find the characters so unfunny, every joke they make seemed distasteful, which made me think the characters were mean, even though they clearly weren't trying to be. To the movie's credit, making jokes about dying of cancer as a teen is a difficult job. However, "cancer perks", certain perks kids with cancer receive, are not funny.

 

If its goal was to make teenage girls cry, it succeeded. The last half hour of the movie could barely be heard over the sea of sniffles and sobs that surrounded me. However, I wasn't heartbroken. I mean, I saw the tragedy coming a mile away.  We all did! When it finally comes, it's "whatever". One of my friends expertly stated something along the lines of, "The tragedy isn't in their love but rather the fact they are dying at such a young age." In that case, I suppose I understand a little more.

 

As for wisdom, it has more than most of the movies marketed at teenagers. The part I found most intriguing about this movie was the idea of family life continuing after losing a child to cancer. The idea of death is a heavy one to handle and this movie does a pretty good job with it. It doesn't really discuss anything particularly insightful but was thought-provoking, in that I caught myself starting off into space and thinking more than once. So while the movie doesn't really provide any great wisdom, it may make you think a little more than most movies.

 

One of my biggest problems was with the "ultra-dreamy" Augustus Waters, the leading man. One of my friends described him as "too perfect." Indeed. He walks around annoyingly and impossibly happy. He says ridiculous things like, "It would be a pleasure to have my heart broken by you, Hazel Grace." And don't even get me started on his cigarette metaphor. The one thing I like about him is his obsession with leaving his mark on the world. A concept that was glossed over, much to my despair.

 

Is it terrible? Absolutely not. Is it overhyped? Absolutely. If you think you'll enjoy it, I recommend you see it. You'll probably enjoy it! I just had some issues with the material itself. Don't judge me for that! Okay?

 

Okay.

 

The Fault in Our Stars is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some sexuality and brief strong language. 

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Tags: drama, comedy, PG-13, pg13, the fault in our stars, fault, stars, romance



Her is a tender look into what it means to be a human.

9 out of 10

 

 

Last night, I sat down to watch Spike Jonze's new film, Her, an unconventional love story set in the not so distant future. See the trailer here:

I had very high expectations going into this movie and they were all met and surpassed. This movie gave me the "feels". Samantha (the Siri like machine/lover) wants to experience all life has to offer as she learns about emotions and feelings. Her desires are simple but as a character, she is very complex and interesting. The movie is 2 hours and I enjoyed every single minute of it. It was perfect, the movie felt long and rich but never bloated.

 

Performance wise, this movie was astonishing. Joaquin Phoenix expertly portrays a sweet, possibly creepy man. I felt his sadness and could really relate to him as a character. Scarlett Johansson gives an absolutely fantastic performance as Samantha, the Operating System. Her voice is warm and inviting, you can't help but love her. Together, as the go around experiencing life and you cannot help but feel with them. Amy Adams, Olivia Wilde, and Rooney Mara are great supporting actors.

 

I know what your thinking, this movie seems so odd. How could someone fall in love with Siri? I will not deny you that the movie is odd, but Scarlett Johansson does such a fantastic job bringing Samantha to life that it doesn't feel that awkward. Their chemistry is palpable. I may have even fallen in love with Samantha a little bit!

 

Something about this movie really spoke to me. It truly is a sweet movie and an emotional rollercoaster. It is fresh and exciting. And be honest, is the premise really THAT unrealistic? Think about it. As a society, how far are we from falling in love with out gadgets? Food for thought.

 

Overall, Her is a wonderful and refreshing love story that may be odd but is definitely worth watching.

 

Her is rated R for language, sexual content and brief graphic nudity.

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Tags: her, comedy, romance, drama, R, recommended,