Director's Order - Darren Aronofsky

Darren Aronofsky is an incredible director who gained wide fame by directing a series of psychological thrillers and dramas. He is frequently cited as one of the greatest directors of the century. He was nominated for Best Director at the Oscars the previous year for his work in Black Swan; which is also his biggest box office success. Here's how I rank his films.

5. The Fountain - ★★☆ (2.5/4 - NEUTRAL)
The Fountain isn't a great movie. It's a decent movie with an incredible amount of potential to be a great movie. It's an unrealized vision; and it can be blamed on the halving of the film's budget. In terms of ambition however, this is as ambitious as a movie can get. It's admirable how Darren Aronofsky infused every single amount of passion that he had into this story; a story that somehow lost some meaning when presented on the screen. It's strength lies thematically; even with the problematic plot, we still understand the emotions that appear on the screen.

4. Pi - ★★★ (3/4)
Pi is a film that is paranoid; to ridiculous lengths. It thrills, surely, but it thrills using mathematics. It's a rare type of movie; one that attempts to get inside the viewer's head with themes that the average viewer wouldn't care for. It takes us deeply into the main character's struggle to cope with his ideas; ideas that lead to his own physical (and psychological) demise. It's a movie that deals with self-destruction, a theme that would be explored in Aronofsky's later films. For a debut, this film is pretty good and worth watching. It's the least watched of this list.

3. Black Swan - ★★★☆ (3.5/4)
Black Swan was the one expected to be on top, and for good reason. Black Swan was a huge contender last awards season. The movie is a psychosexual thriller that deals with a ballet dancer; played skillfully by Natalie Portman. It involves a discovery to a dark side the main character Nina had previously not touched. It conceptualizes how the drive to do what you are passionate about can lead to strong changes in how we act. The movie is filmed gorgeously; the scenes are all breathtaking. It's a psychological experience worth watching twice. And for those who care, its sexual aspects are very... tasteful.

2. The Wrestler - ★★★★ (4/4)
It is, in all aspects, the resurrection of Mickey Rourke. The film features some great directing work from Aronofsky, and the script is written excellently, but it is Rourke's film through and through. He completely dominates it with his towering performance. Without disrespect to Sean Penn, this WAS the performance of 2008. The movie is affecting. It doesn't over-complicate the plot about a wrestler, who is past his prime, trying to find a way to hang on to his past. It's a movie that will induce some kind of emotional reaction, no matter who you are.

1. Requiem for a Dream - ★★★★ (4/4)
When browsing through directors early last year, I came across his particular film that I haven't watched yet. So I did. It is an amazing film; however, it is probably the most inappropriate film for a 14 year old (I was 14 at the time that I viewed it) imaginable. It is an extremely good film though. It is about drugs and the effects that it has on four individuals, all of whom have their own individual struggles. Past the drugs though, it's more of a movie about addiction and how we are caught into delusion by it. The characters eventually have to face their real struggles; those of which they themselves have produced by preferring to delve deeper into an illusion. It's a visceral experience that, in a twisted way, everyone can relate to.

Actor's Spotlight - Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg is a now famous young actor who has appeared in multiple movies such as The Squid and the Whale, Zombieland, and The Social Network for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Here are the films for which he has been in lead or has been in a significant role; at least those I've watched.

8. 30 Minutes or Less - ★★ (2/4)
It's quite curious at how suddenly bad a director's movies can get after his debut. Fleisher also directed the excellent Zombieland, which is farther up in this list. This film, however, is little more than the typical R-Rated comedy driven by crude, filled with one-note jokes worth a few laughs and a strange, nonsensical plot. What's weird is that this nonsensical plot is apparently based on a true story. Go figure. The movie isn't that bad, however it isn't anything special. There are plenty of crude comedies much more worth watching than this one.

7. Holy Rollers - ★★ (2/4)
Holy Rollers is a very average film. It has amazing potential as it is based upon a good and real story; and contains an incredible performance from Eisenberg. It's unfortunate that the movie never managed to rise beyond the genre cliches of the typical nightlife coming-of-age story. It ended up as little more than a typical drama with a non-typical performance from Eisenberg who somehow managed to transcend the limitations of the script. It'd only be worth a watch if you really like Eisenberg.

6. Rio - ★★☆ (2.5/4 - POSITIVE)
Rio is a gorgeous looking film that was slightly overlooked amidst the chaos of the previous movie year. It's entertaining, bright and colorful, for children of all ages. The film features Eisenberg as the bird Blu; a bird that goes to Rio de Janeiro in order to breed with the last remaining female of his kind. As would be expected, comedic situations occur. It's neither innovative nor significant, it's merely good, fun entertainment. Good for toddlers and tykes; and maybe some older kids. I liked it for what it was worth.

5. Adventureland - ★★★ (3/4)
Adventureland is a sweet little retro romantic comedy who takes full advantage of its setting. As you can tell, Adventureland takes place in a theme park. Jesse Eisenberg stars as James; a graduate who starts working in the theme park in order to fund his graduate studies. At the park, he meets Em, played by Kristen Stewart, who shows much more range than she does in most cases. The movie is sweet and nice; nothing heavily special yet a great film nonetheless. Jesse Eisenberg acts this character quite effectively here.

4. Roger Dodger - ★★★ (3/4)
Roger Dodger is an intelligent film that stars Campbell Scott as Roger who's nephew Nick, played by Eisenberg, comes suddenly into his already complicated life. The film conceptualizes Nick's longing to lose his virginity as comparable to a war. The film for what it's worth is surprisingly poignant. The biggest plus to the film is the performances from the two leads, Campbell Scott and Eisenberg. This was Jesse's break-out performance, establishing his ability as a dramatic actor.

3. Zombieland - ★★★☆ (3.5/4)
Before Shaun of the Dead comparisons come here, I'll say that Shaun is the superior film. However, this is a pretty damn good film in itself. It's a classic road-trip comedy at heart; with zombies. The film is all-out funny. The editing is sharp and intelligent; one of the few films where it is possible to appreciate random text popping up. The four main cast members-namely Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin-all inject their own level of wit and fun to the film. It's plainly delightful. Harrelson's theme park scene and Bill Murray's random cameo are worth the watch alone.

2. The Squid and the Whale - ★★★☆ (3.5/4)
The Squid and the Whale is an intelligent family drama, extremely sharp and piercing. It's brutally honest; it doesn't gloss over any aspect of a divorce. It's funny in a way that you never want to laugh. The performances from the four main cast members are all astounding. The film centers around a family of four; and the aftermath of a divorce between the two parents. The effects are deeper than what we perceive they are. It's ingenious and filled with an acidic sort of wit. Eisenberg's performance here seems like a stepping stone to his next incredible role...

1. The Social Network - ★★★★ (4/4)
It was inevitable that this would be on the top. The movie is fantastic, not only because of it’s impeccable script, but also because of it’s amazing insight of the most popular social tool in the world. The story is impeccable. Behind the smokescreen of the whole Facebook deal, it's actually a deep insight onto the modern distraught genius. Eisenberg is riveting as the fast-talking Zuckerberg; whipping off every line. Yet the hints of breaking in his voice cap the performance with the idea that there is still vulnerability. It's a movie about ingenuity and innovation; a depiction of the irony of how the one that linked the entire world cannot, quote, "rub two friends together." It's an incredible achievement.

Unwatched: The Education of Charlie Banks, The Living Wake

Director's Order - Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan has been one of the most consistent directors working in Hollywood. Ever since his 1998 debut Following, he has directed a consistent string of both box-office and critical hits, the biggest of which is the popular The Dark Knight. He is known for his intelligent direction and sharp writing, commonly making films that go outside their respective genres. It's virtually a crime that he hasn't won a Directorial award as of now.

Ranked from least great to greatest, here are Christopher Nolan's films.

7. The Prestige (2006) - ★★★ (3/4)
It is by no means a bad film, it is merely his weakest film. The Prestige centers around the theme of illusion; by which magicians tend to use tricks basing from what cannot be seen. The film injects this concept into the structure of the plot, making use of twists and turns from this theme. It stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as two magicians that are rivals. The film is, as always, excellently made and looks beautiful, leading to an Oscar nomination for best art direction. The plot is consistent and very well thought out, however suffers from a very random and deal breaking climax. Perhaps some restructuring and editing of the ending could've made this a Nolan classic. Still definitely worth a watch though.

6. Following (1998) - ★★★ (3/4)
The Following is the most under-watched Nolan feature. It centers upon a young man who becomes involved in a criminal group whilst going around the streets. As a debut, it's quite outstanding. It's suspenseful, gripping, and makes creative use of lack of appropriate light. It's ridiculously short at a mere 70 minutes, but packs an immense amount of gusto into those short moments. Nolan directed, wrote, edited and was the cinematographer in order to cut costs. This small movie made for a mere $6,000 dollars launched the career of then a then twenty-something Nolan and he would later go on to direct movies made for nearly $200 million. It's a directorial success story.

5. Insomnia (2002) - ★★★☆ (3.5/4)
Now for the heavy hitters. Insomnia is a remake of a Norwegian film of the same name. I've never watched the original, however, I can comment that this is an excellent film. It's a gripping psychological thriller; most significantly because of the trio of performances from Robin Williams, Hilary Swank and most importantly Al Pacino, who gives his absolute all here. There's plenty of creativity here; it's perhaps one of the best remakes I've seen so far. It's not often that a Hollywood remake of a foreign film, most especially a horror or thriller, becomes successful in becoming its own film. Nolan certainly made it in his own way of making movies. It's definitely worth a watch, seeing as how the top 4 remaining has been watched by everyone.

4. Batman Begins - ★★★☆ (3.5/4)
Besides the fact that this is an excellent film, Batman Begins also deserves recognition for the creation of the gritty reboot; films that were reboot into their own series but told in a much darker fashion. Hollywood soon followed that trend, as seen in the multitude of dark adaptations such as the upcoming Spider-Man. This Batman Begins strips the batman we know from the first series as a rich, gadget-using crime-fighter down to his core. The movie is a rich character study; and focuses far more on Batman himself than its sequel. It's less of a superhero movie, more of a thrilling, character-driven action-drama where the main character merely wears a bat suit. It's deep.

3. Inception - ★★★☆ (3.5/4)
To all those loyal Inception fans out there, no, I am not completely insane for not giving Inception a perfect score. It's a film I want to give a perfect score to, however, can't for reasons I'm still not sure of myself. In terms of its placement here on the list, I do believe it'll be correct, regardless of the score. Inception is widely regarded as a modern science-fiction masterpiece, a deep and challenging movie about the architecture of the mind. It's highly involving; filled with rich and realistic characters and intelligent use of its core themes. It's also nearly perfect in Technical terms. The score from Hans Zimmer is astounding. The visual effects were incredible without being too heavy handed. Possible one of the most gorgeous science-fiction films I've seen.

2. Memento - ★★★★ (4/4)
Memento is an astounding film. It's an innovative film; thanks to the film's narrative structure which stands as the most unique way to tell a story that I've seen. This movie was what established Nolan as a director who can make films that are like nothing that anyone has made. I'm not going to try and explain the way its presented since Wikipedia has a five paragraph section just for that. However, apart from its innovative structure, it's also a thematic success. The way the story is told only enriches the story itself. It's an exploration into memory; and how it affects our way of looking into things. It's impossible to not try to watch it twice, since it's extremely difficult to comprehend everything on the first viewing.

1. The Dark Knight - ★★★★ (4/4)
It's the obvious choice for the top spot, but it's still the clearest. The Dark Knight remains to be one of the greatest movies of the decade; a look in what a superhero film should and could be. Bolstered by the incredible performance from Heath Ledger and a strong performance from Christian Bale, this film that deals with themes of crime and the human psych instead of typical superhero pathos becomes a modern classic masterpiece. It's technically pitch perfect and thematically pitch perfect. It's one film that can be appreciated by nearly everybody; from critics to audiences to those who rarely watch film, and even aficionados of the comic series. It's a movie that rises completely above what we expect; at least until The Dark Knight Rises comes out. Let's wait and see.

A Single Man

A Single Man
Genre: Drama
Director: Tom Ford
Stars: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult
Rating: ★★☆ (2.5/4)

A Single Man is the directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford; and it shows. A Single Man is a very visual experience, to the point that it somewhat overshadows the good story. It's crafted with an incredible amount of passion but it's rare that this amount of passion can be channeled into something ridiculously frustrating. It feels somewhat like Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain.

The movie centers on a middle-aged English gay university professor named George Falconer, played by Colin Firth, who's partner Jim was just recently deceased. His best friend Charley, played by Julianne Moore, is his best friend. The two have a peculiar relationship; Charley has romantic affection for George as is custom for every LGBT themed film.

Colin Firth, as usual, loans his all. Like his performance the next year, he plays someone frustrated by his situation. Though in this one, his depression is extremely deep. His search for something uncertain leads him to do peculiar things throughout this day like talking with a male prostitute and developing an emotional connection with him. He gets into a fight with Charley due to her romantic attraction. He goes into a bar and develops a relationship with his closeted student. All of these things feel real, yet he knows that they are fleeting. The movie is inter-cut with flashbacks from his relationship with Jim making his depression stand out even further.

George is extremely empty. His life lost some of its meaning once Jim died, so he plans to commit suicide. He retains a blank look on his face. He lives this day routinely at the beginning. Charley decides to call him and wishes to spend the evening, to which he agrees to. He sits on the toilet, staring at things. He goes to class and teaches, albeit with a little bit of personal emotion inside of his speech. Kenny, played by Nicholas Hoult, develops a bond with him. The connection between the two is immediate; Kenny buys his teacher a pencil sharpener.

Because of his plan, he sees all things vividly and with extreme focus as he thinks that these will be the last glimpses of his life. He stares at everything from the shirtless bodies of the tennis players to the cigarette of a random girl in class. While this is pretty in the beginning, this gets increasingly frustrating. It starts to get mind numbing at the point where the cut slow-motions at the little girl playing on the street. While I understand the point behind it, I find that it should have been done with a little less exaggeration and a little more subtlety.

The plot very compelling and emotional but it is overshadowed by Tom Ford's grandeur vision. It's gorgeous, but somehow, a little too gorgeous. Too much style, not enough substance. The film had a lot of potential to be better, however much of the screen-time is invested in showing close-ups instead of what's actually significant. That does not mean this is a bad movie though, Tom Ford's costume design is incredible and so is Colin Firth's performance. I'm certainly looking forward to his next project.

Note: A rating of 2.5/4 can be either positive or negatively leaned. This one is positive.

Moneyball

Moneyball
Genre: Sports Drama
Director: Bennett Miller
Stars: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Rating: ★★★☆ (3.5/4)

Moneyball was directed by Bennett Miller who directed the 2005 drama Capote, which still remains as one of my favorite biographical dramas due to the powerful emotion and the performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman. This is, again, a biographical drama, and it, again, has Philip Seymour Hoffman, but that's about it for the similarities between the two movies.

Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, is a former baseball player the general manager for the Oakland Athletics, a baseball team with an extremely limited payroll. He struggles with both trying to make a working team with what he is afforded, and his personal problems such as his recent divorce. On a trip to Cleveland, he meets Yale graduate Peter Brand, who interests Beane with his unique mindset when it comes to players. He comes up with an ideology that is more focused on scoring rather than assembling a good team in the conventional sense. This leads to a radical change in the team, much to the dismay of the owner, the scouts and the team manager, Art Howe, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The film is about baseball in terms of plot, but not really in terms of spirit. The film does not attempt to show passion for the sport or love of the game, even the central character does not watch the games. In spirit, this is really a film about business; a film that is based more on the unseen aspect of baseball. The characters on this film have the same mindset as those in writer Atticus Ross' other film The Social Network, to innovate. Whether or not they succeed it dependent on their success in the sport which is about as far as fire for the game is going to go.

Moneyball showcases some great performances from the film's central characters. Brad Pitt has already achieved some success this awards season thanks to his great performance as Billy, who he portrays with humor and bluntness. Jonah Hill's performance is understated yet very good, the whole dork persona that he portrays so often is channeled and made dramatic; and successfully if I might add. The rest of the supporting cast adds well to the film also.

The rest of his companions don't take the new strategies warmly. Beane starts to get players solely on On-Base-Percentage; those of which were calculated by Brand. They go against the current flow of the sport's mindset by disregarding normally important factors such as age, health, experience and even batting ability and instead those who can simply get on base. In one particular scene, Brand expresses his admiration for the baseball player who has the second most walks in the league. That further shows the significance of pure numbers in the movie's context.

The movie is ruthless; in a scene Beane says that he does not go to games in order to fire people without hesitation. He prefers to keep an emotional distance to those involved so he can break them off quickly. Brand, a man of statistics, finds this particularly difficult to do. For a ruthless and cold movie however, it still manages to be touching. We actually start to care about Billy Beane and the Oakland A's. Even those who know absolutely nothing about baseball will start to care about its coldest aspect. Quite admirable indeed.

I'll add this: the movie is funny. Much of this humor can be attributed to Brad Pitt. The movie is not a comedy though, it isn't comedic in the slightest sense. It's just funny. "The problem is there are rich teams, and there are poor teams. And then there's fifty feet of crap, and then there's us."

Tangled

Tangled
Genre: Animated Musical
Directors: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Stars: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi
Rating: ★★★ (3/4)

Tangled was lost amidst the huge success of it's fellow animated films Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon. I believe that it did not gain the attention it really deserved which is why I have chosen to review it. Also, it keeps showing on cable so I was reminded that it was actually quite a good little film.

Disney's Tangled is a romantic-comedy musical part of the line of Disney's animated classics. It is Disney's 50th animated film; and I believe that it befits at that position. It showcases the best of the old era of Disney films while still giving way to the changes in animation and the new tastes of this generation.

Much like the stories of the Disney Renaissance, this film was based on a fairy tale. Rapunzel, played by Mandy Moore, grew up secluded from the rest of the world in a tower together with her adoptive mother. As we already know from the classic tale, the person trapping her is evil, however she doesn't know that. She is oblivious to her mother's ulterior motives. Rapunzel is actually the daughter of the king and queen of the kingdom whose hair obtained magical healing abilities through a flower. Her mother keeps her in order to retain her youth. Each year, Rapunzel sees that, around the time of her birthday, stars light up the sky. She asks her mother to allow her to go out, and her mother refuses.

All this changes when Flynn Rider, a thief unknowingly climbs up the tower. The scene is wonderfully comedic. She hits him with what will be one of the film's trademarks, a pan. She blackmails him into accompanying her to see the lights, which turn out to be lanterns. They are aided by Maximus, the general's horse. The characters have genuine connection to each other and have nice comedic chemistry. The scenes with Maximus and Flynn are perhaps some of my favorites from the film.

The film's animation is quite incredible. As far as I am aware, they used a technique in which computer generated imagery is merged with traditional hand-drawn pictures. Th pictures look gorgeous. I cannot comment on how the 3D was as I never watched it in 3D, however the colors are bright and vivid so I would assume that the 3D did more harm than good. The scenes are beautiful and have lots of impact, most especially the scene with lanterns. It was romantic; comparable to the great sequences of the Renaissance, such as the ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast and the sequence of "Can You Feel the Love" from The Lion King.

The musical score, composed with Alan Menken, is upbeat and suits the film perfectly. They give the film energy. My favorite musical moments from the movie where the sequences of "I Can See The Light," which is perfectly suited to the scene where lanterns light the sky, and the scene where they discover the kingdom to a medival yet modern-feeling instrumental. In terms of it's loss at the Oscars last year, I believe that they did deserve Best Original Song.

All the film's aspects celebrate the older elements of Disney; the jolly music, the romantic fairy-tale love story, and the fun characters. It's in spirit, a classic Disney movie. However, the expensive animation (the film is the second most expensive film ever produced) showcases that it is a new generation for this media form.

Some complain that the movie isn't groundbreaking or doesn't do anything relevant in terms of story. I agree with this, however that isn't a bad thing. As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Genre: Action Thriller
Director: Brad Bird
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg
Rating: ★★★☆ (3.5/4)

I walked into the theater slightly dismissive about the Mission: Impossible series as a whole. I never liked Tom Cruise; he always seemed like an actor that was very limited and lacked impact, so I assumed that it would be impossible not to be biased about my opinion. I was wrong. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is far and beyond the greatest action film of the year, and one of the greatest ones in recent memory. It was a dazzling spectacle, brimming with sharpness and spectacle. It went beyond what I expected the Mission: Impossible could go to.

The film starts of fresh. I barely recall the previous MI movies as I never cared much for them, but the film gave me the sudden urge to re-watch the previous ones. After being freed from a Russian Prison in an excellent start-off, Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, is assigned a mission to retrieve important documents from the Moscow Kremlin. Here is where we really see the incredible invention behind the movie. In the Kremlin, there is this great stealth sequence where a gadget is placed that gave the illusion of space that they hid behind. It's extremely creative and a delight to watch. Here is the point where we realize that this is unlike any other Mission Impossible that we have seen.

Much of this inventiveness can be accredited to the excellent team behind it. First would be the new writers, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, who wrote a more polished and sharp script than any other movie in the series. Then there is the score from Michael Giacchino of "Up" fame, who mixed the already riveting original theme and made it more attuned to this film. Next is the editor Paul Hirsch, and then there is Robert Elswit, the cinematographer, who's work was crucial to some of the scenes, most especially the Burj Khalifa scene which I will talk about in a bit.

The most essential part of the new team is Brad Bird, who you may know from his work directing The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and most significantly The Incredibles; that of which I believe he draws the same kind of energy  in directing this. The energy of the movie is kinetic which can be attributed from his work in animated films. I believe that Brad Bird has a huge future in directing live action films; that does not mean that I wouldn't want to see an Incredibles Two at some point in the future.

The most riveting scene in the whole movie was the sequence in Dubai. Since Ethan must go up several floors without using the elevator, it is decided that he must climb up the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, using only a pair of electrical sticking gloves that tend to malfunction. The scene is the epitome of the modern action thriller, it is compelling and it demands that our eyes be glued to the screen. I can remember wanting to go to the bathroom yet not doing so. It was fascinating. For a second, I actually believed that Tom Cruise was on the Burj Khalifa until I realized the impossibility of that.

The performances were also great. Tom Cruise delivers a rare great performance. And this comes from someone who never really liked Tom Cruise. Jeremy Renner delivers as always playing the mysterious Brandt. The other two members of Ethan's team are Jane, played by Paula Patton, who captures the whole "badass fox" classic persona quite well, and computer geek Benji, played by Simon Pegg, who functions as the primary comic relief for this movie. I could relive the scene in which Brandt says "So I'll jump," and Benji then says, "And I'll catch you." The chemistry between the two is delightful.