Maps to the Stars

First Hit:  I’m sure I’ll be in the minority on this – and I liked this film. It was quirky, yet insightful in the David Cronenberg style.

Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore) is a fading from view movie star who is trying to get the part of her famous deceased movie star mother in an upcoming film. She really wants the part.

The film shows her desperation of want and her pretending to not be attached to getting the role. Agatha Weiss (Mia Wasikowska) is an intelligent, scarred and somewhat twisted girl. We see her abnormal behavior unfold as the film evolves. She becomes Havana's assistant and has an edge that keeps the audience on wondering. Dr. Stafford Weiss (John Cusack) is a Hollywood based spiritual and physical energy therapist to the stars.

His wife Christina (Olivia Williams) and he are driving their son Benjie (Evan Bird) to be an ego filled young actor. There is a controlling power in their house and when Agatha shows up again, all hell breaks loose. Keeping Agatha’s attention was limo driver Jerome Fontana (Robert Pattinson), until her real wish is known.

The fun part of this film is the moving from one type of ego expression to another and in Hollywood it all stands out strong.

Moore is great as the fading star who wants to stay in the limelight. Wasikowska is fantastic as the strangely possessed young woman. Cusack is perfect as the ego driven guru believing his own self-awareness. Williams is great as the mother/wife walking a tightrope. Bird as the ego possessed young man who is getting more than he deserves is very good – believable. Pattinson is really good as the limo driver who pretends non-interest and then interest in Agatha. Bruce Wagner wrote and interesting, complex screenplay that, for me, worked. Cronenberg definitely had his vision and although it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, for me it worked well.

Overall:  I found this film interesting and fun to watch these characters go through their ego struggles.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

First Hit:  I couldn’t wait for this to end and I'm pleased that I'll never have to watch this story again. This film got old within the first 15 minutes. The convoluted story about some Italian Vampires being the ruling class (Like the Pope over Catholics) was insipid. The acting and drama being attempted by Bella (played by Kristen Stewart) and Edward (played by Robert Pattinson) to create a caring viable story is even worse. The best thing about the film is some of the outside scenery shots of the State of Washington. Some of the other characters were amusing but in the overall scheme of things this series of books needed to be filmed in 1 or 2 films (not 5). Although the films might be financially successful, from a film point of view they will be lost in a few years and not show up as having much redeeming value.

Stewart continues the role in the same way she began the series but at least now there is more to her. Pattinson still cannot act and what he does has been worn very thin. Taylor Lautner is OK as the Werewolf who likes to hang out with Vampires. Melissa Rosenberg wrote this insipid script while Bill Condon phoned in direction which came out as “I don’t really care about making a good film”.

Overall: Don’t waste time or energy sitting through this movie.

Bel Ami

First Hit:  The idea of the film is good but with Pattinson as the lead it goes nowhere.

This story is supposed to be about a man’s rise to power through his guile and the women he beds. Or is it?

The film begins with watching Georges Duroy (played by Robert Pattinson) taking his last few bits of money off a table going to a bar to spend it on beer while he watches his favorite whore goes off with someone with money.

He runs into his old north African army buddy Charles Forestier (played by Philip Glenister) who buys him some champagne and invites him over for a party while loaning him money for clothes. At the party he meets Charles’ wife Madeleine (played by Uma Thurman) to whom he is immediately attracted. He also meets Clotilde (played by Christina Ricci) a young beautiful woman with a child.

The setup is that he thinks he is a ladies man or player (as they would say today). The problem is that there isn’t anything about his character that is attractive or interesting. Charles gets him a job at Rousset Walters’ (played by Colm Meaney) newspaper.

Here he does nothing, adds no value, and uses stories developed and written by Madeleine. He is a caricature of someone who brings value to the table. He meets Rousseau’s wife Virginie (played by Kristen Scott Thomas) and the script has her attracted to him.

I don’t see how Clotilde, Madeleine or Virginie found Georges attractive except that is what the script said for them to be. He brings nothing to his character except some facial good looks (somewhat pained) but his body is mediocre and his eyes are absolutely vacant.

Pattinson is not much of an actor and his vacant eyes might be great for the role of a vampire but if he’s going to do anything else, he’s got to learn to bring something from his soul out through his eyes and to the audience. Glenister is good as the former army mate and someone who wanted to give Georges a chance. Thurman elevates herself from the rest and takes charge of her role. Ricci was great as the woman who cares regardless of how she is treated. Meaney is good as the tough newspaper editor who is also looking out only for himself. Scott Thomas is interesting as a woman who is rather cold and distant to needy and wanting. Rachel Bennette wrote an interesting screenplay. Directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod had a good script and some great actors except for Pattinson in the lead role.

Overall:  The film had possibilities but with Pattinson in the lead it was dead on arrival.

Water for Elephants

First Hit: One great performance in a mediocre film.

Jacob (played by Robert Pattinson) is a depression child (although his character didn’t experience it) following in his father’s footsteps as a Doctor of Veterinary Science.

We see him just about ready to take his final exam and the voice over tells us he’s going to have sex with someone in the class. Not sure why this is important except to say he’s ready to start his new life after the exam.

However, before he can put pencil to paper, he is called out of class and learns that his parents have just died in an auto accident. Settling their affairs, he finds out that the house is no longer his because his parents mortgaged it to pay for his schooling. He is, in fact, broke and homeless like the tens of thousands of others of this time period.

While walking down a railroad track a train comes so he hops it only to quickly find out that it is a traveling circus train. The circus is run by August (played by Christoph Waltz) who is married to the main attraction Marlena (played by Reese Witherspoon).

Her main act is to ride and demonstrate elegance and control over her horses in the center ring. She is far younger than her husband whom she met when he found her on the streets of a small town. She didn't know her parents and had lived in foster homes all her life. He offered her a different kind of life and home with a family of other societal misfits.

When Jacob meets Marlena she is working with her lead horse who has a leg problem. Jacob quickly diagnoses the ailing horse and takes the risk of putting it out of its misery. August both punishes and rewards Jacob for the efforts because the horse was the star attraction and he had enough conviction to do what was right.

To create a new crowd pleasing and money making act, August buys an elephant named Rosie. August tells Jacob that he is in-charge of Rosie and must train it to be the money making attraction the circus needs to stay in business. August tells him he needs this act to be great because, his circus will otherwise go bankrupt (like others of his time) and they will all perish. 

Jacob is kind in his training of Rosie but little progress is being made with the training, so August takes this task into his own hands by telling Jacob he must make Rosie know who is boss. August goes into Rosie’s rail car and beats the elephant bloody. This makes Marlena and Jacob sick, unites them in their cause to treat the elephant kindly, and also emotionally brings together as a couple.

I won’t share more of the story but to say that it has a Hollywood story type ending.

Pattinson is ill suited for this part. His moody (James Dean spin off) presence and good looks (to young girls that want to make his moodiness go away) may work for “The Twilight” series of films but here it is a distraction. Witherspoon, doesn’t fare much better. There isn’t much to make me believe her background and why she married August. The chemistry between Pattinson and Witherspoon was minimal and it showed in their scenes. Waltz was the star and the great performance of this film. From his opening scene, till the end he was a man of great contradictions of passion and manic anger. His whole face and especially his eyes kept me totally on edge in every scene thinking “how would this scene end?” When he is on the screen, he’s the one you watch. Hal Holbrook plays the senior Jacob and it is always great to see and hear his intelligent acting. Richard LaGravenese wrote the screenplay which was pretty good. Francis Lawrence directed this and leaving the theater it felt like a lot of great possibilities were left on the table.

Overall: This film was a great disappointment but might be OK to view on video with nothing else to do on a Sunday afternoon.

Remembr Me

First Hit: A good film about two young people who have obvious wounds and are looking to grow through them.

I’m waiting for Robert Pattinson to be offered and/or accept a role which has his character be something other than dark, moody, mumbling his words, and wounded in some way. 

In this film he is a wounded character again and I must say he has it down pretty good. It has a wonderful effect on young girls in the theater (the whole row behind me) want to save him.

Anyway Pattinson plays Tyler Hawkins estranged son of a rich powerful New York executive named Charles Hawkins (played by Pierce Brosnan). As the story unfolds he’s estranged because his older brother Michael killed himself and Tyler blames some of it on their dad. He also has a younger sister named Caroline (played by Ruby Jerins) who depends on Tyler for love and guidance.

One evening Tyler tries to assist two innocent men from getting beat up by a couple of bullies and ends up mouthing off to a police Sergeant (played by Chris Cooper) who, in-turn, beats him and then throws him in jail. His roommate, Adin (played by Tate Ellington), gets him to date the sergeant’s daughter Ally Craig (played by Emilie de Ravin) to somehow get back at the Sergeant.

Ally’s own life is tragic because she witnessed her mother's murdered on a subway platform when she was 11 years old. These two wounded people like each other and go through their individual trials and tribulations as the relationship evolves.

The story line has a unhappy ending which I found intriguing, however I did see this ending prior to the major clue being given in the film.

Pattinson, as I mentioned before, has sullen and troubled down pat and here he does it well again. Ravin was compelling as Ally and I liked her involvement during the film. Jerins was great as the young sister and felt she glued a lot of the story together. Brosnan was effectively distant, cold, and affected as the hurting father. Although Cooper is usually dead on perfect with his character, here I didn’t buy his character. There was something missing. The story by Will Fetters was good and I liked how he linked Gandhi and other philosophical points view into the script. Ellington was the worst part of the film. I couldn’t see him being the actual roommate as his character was overly insensitive and mostly clueless. Allen Coulter directed and although it isn’t a groundbreaking film, the lighting and shots effectively captured being in New York. He also kept the pacing even and it seemed the actors were well in hand.

Overall: This isn’t a great film. And, it probably will do well with the teenage and early twenties crowd as it has appeal. It also has strong lines sprinkled throughout if one really listens to the dialogue.