Ruby Sparks [2012]

Ruby Sparks is a 2012 comedy written by Zoey Kazan about a writer to creates a perfect woman character who loves him, and somehow transforms her into reality. Directed by the talented duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, it stars Paul Dano as Calvin, the young prodigy who creates Ruby Sparks (Zoey Kazan) on paper, the seemingly perfect woman for him. It's a sweet, unconventional, very funny and interesting love story that it's worth seeing. 

One of the key strong points of the movie was definitely the script, one that perfectly blends humor with love and deeper themes like loneliness, selfishness, desire and control. Zoe Kazan, a first time writer, I think (I may be wrong), does a good job in creating a story with heart and delivering realistic lines of dialogue and characters (such as the girl who gives Calvin her number and then meets up with him at the coffee shop, or his brother), but mixing it with a little bit of fantasy and quirkiness (the parents, the idea of making Ruby come true and others).  There are many things that I loved about the film and I don't know a better way than just write them down, one by one. And so, I loved: 

- the first scene and the lighting

- the more practical older brother (Chris Messina)- "women are mysterious creatures"

- the therapist- "I love it when you say stupid things"

- the scene describing Ruby

- the mother and her Spanish partner (Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas) and their quirky house 

- the acting all around, especially Paul Dano
- " you're real"
- "I want to be what's making her happy, without me being the one who's making her happy"

The last part of the film was a bit surprising for me and I think that made me reconsider my whole opinion on it. Although it is a fun movie, it wasn't afraid to go dark and explore the bad side of Calvin, with his need of control and love. At some point it gets too far and that scene where he makes her do so many crazy things definitely proves that. This set me off and the ending felt the same because, well...because it was sweet and...too good to be true? Maybe it was just me, but considering the innovative and interesting way it was written, I had expected more, but then again, it is a Hollywood movie...

In the end, I think it is one of 2012's best and you should see it- a nice, funny indie that dares to go deeper and darker, in a creative and sweet way. Please do see Ruby Sparks!

Something is missing...maybe the end was unsatisfactory

Taking Woodstock [2009]

Seeing "Taking Woodstock" was a spontaneous decisions- I've had it for a while, but didn't get around to seeing it, so today, when I was trying to get away from university assignments, I said, "Why not? Summer is almost here". What can I say after seeing it? I want to go to a festival; sit on the grass, talk to people, listen to good music, take photos- I just want to enjoy life together with the people around me. Damn it, the hippie vibe got to me, I think I would have been pretty happy in the 60s right?

Taking Woodstock is an Ang Lee movie about Elliot, a young man who returns to his hometown to take care of his parents and their endangered business (a motel). After he learns that Woodstock might not be happening that year because of land problems, he decides to call Michael Lang, one of organizers, and propose to him to move the festival to his town. The rest of the movie basically shows you the backstage of what happened in the festival, the ups and downs, the people and the atmosphere of Woodstock, something that is still being talked about. I do believe it is a golden era, in some aspects, and I would go back in time to experience it, even just for one day.

The film featured a big cast, from people like Eugene Levy (the owner of the land), to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jonathan Groff (Michael Lang), Emile Hirsch, Paul Dano and Mamie Gummer. My favorite characters were played by Liev Schreiber (the out-of-nowhere drag "bodyguard") and Imelda Staunton (Elliot's mother), in a hilarious, yet very good role. Demetri Martin, the lead actor, offered a pretty approachable and sweet performance, and blended it perfectly with the rest of the cast.

Script-wise, it wasn't the best, but overall, I think it made its point. Yes, there are some shallow characters, some undeveloped ideas and some cut in, cut out scenes, but I still think that, for what it was aiming to do (re-create Woodstock in some way or another), it did a good job. The cinematography and direction were also on point, although I must say I was amazed by the number of extras they had- how did they control them or give directions? Visually, one of my favorite scenes has to be the acid trip Elliot has while being in a hippie VW Beetle wagon- I loved the waves to the stage and the colors used, I could see and understand how something like that must feel.

"Taking Woodstock" might not be perfect, but I personally enjoyed it- it set up a great mood and atmosphere, it was visually beautiful, with great music and  it came from a script which had fun moments and wacky, yet relatable characters. You should really give it a try next time you're in the mood for something light!

There will be blood [2007]

After I saw Little Miss Sunshine last week and was pleasantly surprised by Paul Dano's performance, I decided to watch him in another movie, so this one seemed the perfect answer, as I had it on my list for a long time.

"Ladies and gentlemen", There Will Be Blood is a 2007 written&directed film by Paul Thomas Anderson, about an oilman and his trials and tribulations. Daniel Day Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, a simple, yet very smart guy who works his way into every little town with potential for oil drilling. When he reaches Little Boston, an area suggested by a young, peculiar man named Paul Sunday on a late night, both luck and trouble come his way and influence his actions, as he strives to get more oil from the ground, but also tries to keep his dignity and his son close to him.

I was impressed and excited by several aspects of this amazing movie. First of all, the performances. By now, you should know I am a sucker for character development, interesting or just plain good performances and There Will Be Blood had it, and then some. Two stand out for me and these are Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano. The lead man was perfect from the first shot to the very last, showing, one by one, the multiple layers of this fascinating man: his smart side, the caring side (whenever he was around children), the fighter in him or the careless, old, drunken ghost of his successful career; he won an Oscar for this part and it is deserved, indeed. As for Paul Dano, I might be biased, but I think he was absolutely amazing, being quite a revelation as the young pastor with a creepy, but very powerful presence- not only did he stand up and match Lewis' performance, but he dared to act his part in ways not most people do. There are some scenes that prove that: the first church scene, when he performs an "exorcism", the fight between the two on the field, the baptize part (DDL saying "I am a sinner" plus the first words after, supposedly, the devil left him: "There's a pipeline"), the table discussion between Eli and his father, and the most important one, the final scene in the bowling alley room- that just entered my all time favorite scenes list and I will definitely do a separate post just for it.

That leads us to the script; based on a novel by Upton Sinclair, it provides just enough dialogue, drama, action, character and story development, to keep things going and make it more interesting as things progress- solid job by Mister Anderson here, as well.

Another beautiful aspect is, of course, the cinematography. That, combined with probably one of the best musical scores I have ever heard, takes the movie to the next level. The haunting score makes up for a certain lack of dialogue, especially at the beginning or in key scenes and visually, everything is just perfect. (one scene that I remember is the gas explosion) I love Paul Thomas Anderson's style- Boogie Nights is still stuck in my head and I cannot wait to see Magnolia (yes, kill me now, I haven't seen that, either, but I will, promise).

All in all, There Will Be Blood is a fantastic movie that cannot be missed- I highly recommend it. If I will ever make a top 50 or top 100, it would be surely be there.

Little Miss Sunshine [2006]

"A real loser is somebody that is so afraid of not winning, they don't even try"

*SPOILERS ahead, beware*

I am so happy I eventually got to see Little Miss Sunshine yesterday; it was one of the sweetest movies I have ever seen, full of hope and life and power, all whilst being entertaining, but also providing a strong emotional connection and relatable characters. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and written by Michael Arndt, it follows the Hoover family into their journey to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant contest in California, where Olive, the youngest, desperately wants to compete.

I loved the fact that they started it by presenting every character with one short scene that perfectly captures the essence of each one; the song, "The winner is" by Devotchka, is amazing and quietly stalks my memories every time I think about the film.

Moving on to the actual story, it is a very interesting one, as it mixes drama, regrets, sarcasm and hate, with love, support, power and sensibility. You have delicate themes like suicide, drugs, divorce, but they are balanced with different sweet moments, like the innocence and determination of Olive, the pep talk Edwin gave to his son, Richard, after he lost his job, or the moment where Dwayne tells Olive to hug his mom. There are some laughing out loud scenes (pushing the car, getting the body out of the window, the final dance), but also some dramatic ones that were perfectly acted; two come in mind here: the table discussion about Frank's attempt to suicide and Dwayne freaking out after he found out he is colorblind (the way he couldn't contain himself inside the car, that build up to the moment in which you knew he was going to scream, and the actual moment, was just brilliant).

My favorite scene has to be the dance at the end, where all the family joins the little girl on stage, in an attempt to protect and encourage her- it has to be one of the most embarrassing, yet hilarious and fun scenes I have watched in a long time. In the end, although there is tension between them, they still love and support each other, no matter what. The script was just fantastic and I am so happy it got the Oscar, it is deserved.

The true magic of this story lies in the characters; they are defined, relatable, interesting; they are people with whom you can create an emotional connection, and most important, they seem real, although they have their little quirky features- you still get attached to them, and that is the best thing a script, actually a film, can hope for. What an array of individuals: the always-complaining grandfather (wonderfully played by Alan Arkin, but Oscar-worthy?hmm...maybe, maybe not), the Nietzche-silenced teenage boy (Paul Dano, with probably the best performance of the film for me, at least, just for that freaking out scene), the success-driven father who hates losers (Greg Kinnear), a mother trying to keep her family together (Toni Collette) and her suicidal brother (Steve Carrel, in his best role yet), and of course, Little Miss Sunshine herself, Olive (Abigail Breslin), who steals the spotlight with her innocence, sweetness and perverence. They are all wonderful and I love their interaction with eachother- the casting was perfect.

As you can see, I can't stop gushing over it, and I might have run out of compliments to give- this movie is that good, and I really hope you saw it or you will see it soon! Amongst a sea of thriller, horror and action movies or tragic dramas, this refreshing comedy/drama stands out and commands attention. I wish more films similar to this one would be made each year!