REVIEW: Brokeback Mountain

Director: Ang Lee

Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway

Plot: Two young men, Ennis (Ledger) and Jack (Gyllenhaal), apply for a job to go herd some sheep up at Brokeback Mountain. Then they fall in love. Then after they get back from the mountain they get married to other women, but they keep seeing eachother every few months or so for the next 20 years or whatever. Yep, that about covers it.

Alright, I'm just going to say it. BORING. This movie was extremely boring. AND it was eight hours long (well ok, 2 and a quarter). I honestly have to tell you, I ponder as to why exactly this movie was chosen for an Oscar nomination. (Especially over Walk the Line, with an actually UNIQUE story to tell.) Yea yea, it involves homosexuals, and that's pretty dang daring. But COME ON! I've seen this exact same story countless times that had to do with a man and a woman. Does the fact that it's two men REALLY make it some special tale? Well, I don't think so. I thought that the editing was choppy and the dialogue was ordinary. Very disappointing I must say.

Ok, done with the critiques for now. There is of course the topic of actors. Now, Heath Ledger was never one of my favorites. Very cute in 10 Things I Hate About You but bugged the crap out of me in A Knight's Tale. But once I saw the movie The Brothers Grimm, I suddenly had to change my mind. For the first time he showed some actual acting TALENT. His character was the sweetest thing and he had every mannerism of a feeble yet spirited little brother down. Heath only gets better in Brokeback. He completely blew me away with his portrayal of Ennis, a cowboy from Wyoming. Blew me away. It really seemed like he researched the heck out of his character and studied every one of Ennis' qualities, making Jake Gyllenhaal look like a rookie. Heath involved everything into his acting, the accent, walk, posture, pauses, dialect all that stuff. Very much deserves to be recognized with the Oscar Nomination, however, he's up against Joaqoiun Pheonix (or however you spell that guys name. He should've just stuck with Leaf, it's much easier to spell), it's hard to say who will be the actual winner.

As for the other actors. Jake Gyllenhaal was Jake Gyllenhaal. Go watch the Good Girl, or Donnie Darko, or the Day After Tomorrow if you want to know how his acting was, because it's all the same. I'm not saying he's necessarily BAD at acting, but as far as versitiliy and talent, not much there. He plays the cute, big-eyed, confused about life next-door neighbor guy very well, and Brokeback did well picking him to play Jack Twist. But Jake, I'm starting to get pretty flippin' tired of you, so how about we work on becoming more of a MAN, instead of you're usual boy role. Michelle Williams... is this girl up for an Oscar? I can't remember but she should be. She played Ennis' wife and what a fantastic performance. So real.

So that's pretty much all I can think of to say at this point. Not a spectacular movie and in my opinioin, doesn't deserve the rank of Best Picture nomination, however I do admire it's boldness. You know where I think this film went wrong? Or should I say where the director went wrong. I didn't connect. These men were supposedly in love, longing for eachother when they were apart, wishing they were together without the worries of the society (1960's), but I couldn't feel it. It needed... more. There was something missing. Something but I don't know what. What a bummer. All around disappointing movie, but saved by the acting talent.

Rating: 3/5

Hey people!

SO excited this week because Ashley's baby is due in THREE DAYS!!! I very much wish that I could be there when her baby comes. So sweet. Babies are my weakness. (There's also chocolate, sparkley jewelry and Daniel Day-Lewis wearing nothing but an Indian flap... but babies are on the top of the list for sure.)
John and I have been seeing eachother a lot in the last couple of weeks and it's been a blast. We have the best conversations and he always makes me laugh and giggle like a big dork, but whatever it's super fun. We have a little date this Friday (woohoo!), and unfortunately there aren't any movies out, but Brokeback Mountain is still playing and he says he's up for it. I really didn't have that much intention on seeing this movie, but it kind of feels like I have to for the sake of Oscar Night. Yes, I will need to watch the nominated films if I'm gonna give an accurate guess for our bets! That means I'll need to rent Crash... Everyone has said that it's a really good movie yet the trailor didn't entice me one bit. Now I'm just curious...! But is it going to make me cry? I don't want to cry right now. I'm in the mood for action for some reason, you know? Sometimes I just so want to see explosions and kung fu fights... no drama, just pure pointless action. Very fun. Are there explosions in Crash?
I'm at school right now with a little break inbetween my classes. I just finished speech, which I thought was never going to end. BORING! My teacher has a monotone voice that would put anybody to sleep. I do a lot of dreaming in that class. Mostly about the best ways one can escape a classroom... I'm looking forward to my Western Civ class. I just studied a map for our quiz today, but I still don't really know if I can tell you exactly where Hellespont is. I'm HORRIBLE at maps. I don't even think I would be able to tell you where all the states are in America, how sad is that!? Yea but does anybody really need to know where New Hampshire is anyway? I mean what do they DO over there? Oh what do I know...
Ok, I should think about heading to math. I love you all, hope you're having a wonderful week!

Love,
Steph

REVIEW: Freedomland

Director: who cares

Starring: Julianna Moore and Samuel Jackson

Plot: watch the trailor, it already tells you everything.



Critique: Look, I don't want to waste my time with this movie. I fell asleep about half an hour into the film, and when I woke up much later, nothing had happened in the plot. FELL ASLEEP! I haven't done that in a movie theater since Apollo 13 came out and I was eight years old...
There was nothing about this movie I liked. I think the director wanted it to be some spooky and mysterious movie, but what we actually have here is a cheesy, poorly edited, over-acted, pointless and unintelligent film. Very disappointing... very lame and stupid. I don't ever want to talk about this movie again. It doesn't exist to me.



Rating: 0/5

Phew! Ok, last week is over and it's time for a new one!

My speech went very well. Of course it didn't go exactley the way I wanted to, but I'm proud of the fact that I was able to accomplish it. The teacher has us bring in a VHS tape to record our speeches so we can self-evaluate ourselves. I'm still trying to finish that up! It's not hard, just tedious.
Also, I had my Philosophy test and Math test last Tuesday and although my Phil. teacher hasn't graded them yet, I'm confident that I got an A. (yeehaw!) As for math, I got an 84, a straight B. I'm glad and everything, however... man I was expecting 100! Math is the HARDEST for me to get an A in because on tests you're graded on the WORK that you do, not just whether you got the right answer or not. So throughout my test I've minus 1 here and minus 1 there for not bringing down a negative sign or forgetting to put in paranthesis or however you spell that dang word. sigh...bummer. I'll try again on the next one. :-)
So John, my study partner and I have gotten to know eachother pretty well. He's quite the guy, very sweet and mature. Plays the drums (very groovy), graduated with a 4.2 (...whoa), was in the boy scouts (CUTE!), and his family is English! hahah very fun. I'm looking forward to spending more time with him, and I'll make sure to keep you guys posted!
For those of you kind of wondering, my kitties are doing MUCH better. They're much more alert and they're starting to play with eachother again! However they're still healing and mom and I have been keeping a close eye on them, petting them and giving them lots of lovin'. That reminds me, I'm almost out of kitty treats! That just can't happen... these kitties are way too cute to go without treats!
Work is still work. I think that I'll definitley be looking for another job in the summer though. Most likely waitressing. I'm just really tired of where I'm at. Not necessarily the job itself, I mean who doesn't love scanning chicken and milk day after day? (hahaha) It's mostly the way the associates are treated. The management never gives any recognition or anything like that. Why should I go above and beyond for a manager that doesn't even remember my name!? Tell me, do I look like a Jennifer? Well, one of my bosses certainly does. Anyway, It's ridiculous. I'm not motivated to work for them anymore. All I want to do is just get through the day, but when you put it together, that's my whole weekend I'm wishing away! That's just not right. Gotta do something about that.
I'm loving school. I got the tutoring position over at the high school and now I'm just waiting for them to call me once they've set up a schedule with the other students. This I'm very excited about. I'm hoping it will really give me the chance to get some of that teaching experience I need. I'm not sure if it'll be easy, but all I know is I'm looking forward to it, and seeing what kinds of things I could learn from it. :-)
Ok, well I hope everyone else's week is going well! I'm so sorry Unka Shaina, I'm just no good at trivia games! All of your movie lines are so FAMILIAR but I can never seem to just put a name to it. But I'll keep trying! Love you all very much!

Love,
Steph

REVIEW: Match Point

Director: Woody Allen

Starring: Jonathon Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johanson and a bunch of English actors you'd see in all those British films.

Plot: We're set in England, following the story of Chris Wilton, (Meyers). This man has got it made. He's good looking, filthy rich and has found a wife that just adores him. Who also just so happens to be the daughter of a very wealthy man who "is quite so pleased to help". (I'm using my english accent there... get it?) Anyway, you'd think this were the perfect life or something, but the daring and flirtation Chris is bored. Until he meets his wife's brother's girlfriend, Nola Rice (Johanson) and is swept away by her seductive beauty. Things get a bit carried away between them (um, yea they have an affair), and now Chris has dug himself into a pretty fricken big hole. He's found excitement in the arms of Nola, but how could he ever leave his wife? Should he stay with the security of his wife, the chance to start a family and the never ending supply of money? Or should he leave it all behind to be with the new and thrilling American blond? Woody Allen takes us into a story that allows us to see the powerful differences between love and lust.


There really isn't THAT much to say about this movie. When I first watched the preview, and started hearing all these great reviews about Woody Allen's new movie, I just couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Here you've got a guy who gets married but then eventually gets bored and has an affair with some blond. Someone tell me if they HAVEN'T seen a movie with a similar plot? It's everywhere. There's nothing special about it, right?
Well, I have to say that although it may SEEM like the same old thing you'd always get with a story like this, it really was... different. No, unique. It's not like when you watch Sense and Sensibilty and Emma where it's pretty much the same movie except different actors. Match Point had a whole other atmosphere to it. Although it was done from a man's viewpoint, I definitley felt like I could relate. Not that I've had been involved in infidelity, I mean I've never cheated on anyone! But Woody made it seem so REAL. If I were to tell you THE word to describe this movie, it'd be realistic. There was no cheesy music playing to "set the mood", nor any corny lines said. These characters were portrayed as normal people, having totally normal conversations.
Here's something else that needs to be mentioned, the ending. See, Match Point is a good movie throughout. Woody keeps our attention with the way he kept adding to the plot. A lot of time went by, things happened NOT just to the main character, and he included some witty comments and jokes. However, the ending was what MADE the movie. I had never seen an ending to a story like this before. Totally did NOT see it coming either. It just comes out at you. I couldn't believe it at first! ("Hmm.... now what is doing with THAT? No way... nah probably not that...")
Ok, acting. I've seen Jonathan Rhys Meyers in a few things. Vanity Fair, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead... and he always plays the same bratty "I'm so bloody hot" guy. (English accent again!) Well, in Match Point, he's gown up and matured a bit. He seemed like your average guy, including all the obvious flirting when they first meet a girl, then once they've got her, neglet her and move on to something else. (I'm only mostly kidding guys...) VERY nice job in the movie Mr. Meyers. You really made it seem like you WERE this guy, stuck between his boredom with marriage and the lucious excitement of a hotter woman. And this scares me a little because you're so cute! Miss. Scarlett, usually I like her. She's incredibly hot and although I think Woody or whoever the casting director was did well choosing her to represent an American woman moving to England not sure what to do with her life. However, Scarlett didn't go above and beyond like I saw her do in Girl with a Pearl Earring. She's very comfortable with the cameras, and I think that that's what makes her appealing to watch in a film. Yet in this movie she struck me as ordinary. Not that fun and interesting. Ok...boring. There I said it. I'd much rather see her in movies like Pearl Earring with her bonnet and an accent I couldn't figure out where it was supposed to originate from.
Alright, so really, not that much to say about this movie. It was good all around, nice and solid with an extremely clever and enticing end. Woody, very nice job turning this ordinary plotline into a charmingly realistic and deliciously dark film. Definitley watch this movie. Whether it be rented or in theaters, watch it because you will remember it.

Rating: 4/5

Hiya,

Wow, LOTS to do this weekend. I have TWO tests and a speech due all on Tuesday. One of them is a Philosophy test, and I was feeling really worried about it earlier, but thankfully I had John to help me out. He's now my study partner for that class, except he seems to know MUCH more on the subject than I do. Half the time the only things that were coming out of my mouth were, "Oh... hmm... yea, I don't get this..." or "and uh... what did YOU write down for this?" hahahah yea, I'm glad we were able to get together on it, I think I've made a good friend today, and I'm feeling much more confident for the test. Thanks John!

Ooo, another thing about school that I'm pretty excited about, I've signed up to be a tutor at a high school nearby. I've decided I'm not going to go for the Bacchus program, not this semester anyway. I don't think they are very organized to be honest. I've tried to get information on the club like three times, and their leader wouldn't be there or the meeting would be cancelled or something. I e-mailed them and gave them my name and e-mail address so they could contact me in the Fall if need be. But anyway, about the tutoring. I did a little bit in high school, and there were no problems there, except I can't help but feel a little intimidated, you know? They're having me do an interview for it, and they want me to write out a resume and everything. I understand all that and have no problem doing those things, but hello! I'm not THAT smart! I did ok freshmen year but those kids just seem to be getting smarter and smarter! Just a few months ago I was talking to a girl in EIGHTH grade and how she and her class were doing a project on the Amistad. Ummm I didn't learn about that until I was a SOPHOMORE. Jeez... so we'll see how it goes. Wish me luck I suppose. :-)

Mom and Dad are still in Palm Springs, having a splendid time I'm sure. I'm glad that they're able to get out into the sun and everything. Completely jealous, but that's ok because Tim and I always have a blast together. Since I watched all of his James Bond films (all 21 of them!) he said that he would be willing to watch 21 of MY favorite movies! Well, I thought that, most of my favorite movies are ones that he's already seen, so I've decided expose him to classic chick flicks instead! Cool huh? Well I think it's a great idea. So far, we've watched Pretty in Pink, and tonight we just finished with Pride and Prejudice. (The 1995 version with Colin Firth). Ok, did anyone else know that it was crapping 5 HOURS long?? I am NOT exaggerating. There were two discs, and both of them were two and a half hours in lenght. THAT was a shock... but guess what, he watched them with me anyway!! Name ONE guy who would be willing to do that for his sister... awwww

Alright so, if anyone else has some ideas as to what other chick flicks my brother should become aware of, I'd love to hear it! However, I will not accept any Julia Roberts movies, unless you want to see me puke... hahah ok so far, I've written down:


Love Me If You Dare
Man in the Moon
Moulin Rouge
The Notebook
Phantom of the Opera (new version)
Romeo and Juliet (the 1969 version)
Steel Magnolias
Strictly Ballroom
Terms of Endearment
Wedding Date
Working Girl
Dirty Dancing
Say Anything
The Last of the Mohicans



What do you guys think? Alrighty then, it's late and there's work tomorrow.... hmmm funny, I've got a sudden headache.... anyway, talk to you soon! Love you all!

Love,
Steph