Birdman (2014) simply soars

Photo Credit: Birdman / Fox Searchlight Pictures

Is it the act of creation that gives us fulfillment, of living in the moment, or how big of an audience we reach? Questions like this not only taunt artists but everyone to a certain extent. In such a media-based world, it's easy to wonder, obsess, or curiously peek into what is said of "the thing". So often we cross a line over living in the constant comparison of high notes to our accomplishments, the success of others, and past pinnacles of success held up by generational prestige. We all get lost in expectation and admiration. The whole world is striving to be relevant yet can't shake the state of mind that constantly questions how and which ways we truly matter.

Best known for having starred in a fictitious Birdman franchise, Riggan Thompson's career (Michael Keaton) and his personal life has fallen into shambles. Trying to matter again, he is directing, starring, and producing in his own Broadway show that he has adapted. The production of his play grows more dangerous and weak as he tries to shed a two-decade old alter-ego that claws at his self worth.

Every character in Birdman battles the big question mark of when they have finally "made it". Thompson's daughter and assistant Sam (Emma Stone) is a recovering addict whose disinterested attitude shadows a lack of validation she never received from her father. World renown actor Mike (Edward Norton) only finds the truth of a moment when he is on stage, and elsewhere, his life is uncontrollable.

Through Thompson and his supporting players, Birdman touches on so many themes, mostly related to creativity, ego, and the medium of film. Actors are sucked into the Hollywood machine of the superhero genre and are considered wasting their talent. Actors who try their hand at theatre are overlooked for their fame because they don't understand "the craft". Critics label and bastardize those who do what they cannot. It also satirizes that inner voice that beats us down and also drives us our ambition. We never really know when we have finally made it, and instead of that weighing us down, Birdman helps us surrender.

It's really no secret why Alejandro González Iñárritu's film took the reigns of the Academy Award season for 2015. The camera seamlessly moves in one long take similarly emulating how life is constantly moving, transitioning from moment to moment; always active, alert, and rarely missing a beat. Yet in little spaces of the production, like how we pocket our thoughts and experiences on our electronic devices or packed away in dusty, forgotten memories, the camera may pause for a second for the characters or scenes to take a breather. It's not overwhelming, begging for attention or used as mere decoration.

What the film does so flabbergastingly well is how seamlessly everything is part of the whole. For such probing themes, the film balances between drama and comedy but never vilely takes jabs at anyone, especially Thompson. The cast itself is truly exemplary from from the main award show frontrunners like Keaton, Norton, and Stone to Naomi Watts, Zach Galifinakis, and Andrea Riseborough. Each one gives a performance that are complex portrayals of people who are so strongly trying to be validated but remain so inherently frail. So much of the atmosphere, performances, and script is vivid, animated, and it challenges you to keep up.

Essentially, nothing about what I can say about the film, or any film, can ever really summarize the film itself. It's hard knocks to praise only one individual aspect of it. I'll admit that heavy philosophy and symbolism can feel redundant since many films in the recent past have hit on fame or living up to dual identities as brought on by the struggle of being talented or not feeling enough. Birdman's attachment towards ego, identity, critics, and audience, breaks down that repetitive conversation by not letting the subject matter becoming a downer, or trying too hard to be intellectually stimulating and massively appealing/entertaining. It hits all the right production, intellectual, and emotional notes. Birdman simply soars.

Rating: ★★★
Have you seen Birdman? What did you think?

Park City (2015)

Indie film "Hearts and Cash" is about to debut at Sundance film festival. Diva and lead actress Jill, slacker production assistant Dave, amateur director Jim, and ambitious producer Hannah Rosner document their raucous road trip from Santa Monica, California to Park City, Utah. Things start off on the wrong foot from the get-go; their car runs out of gas. If anything can happen, it does.

Once on the road again and finally landing at Sundance, their obstacles only rev up. Ready for hard-earned success to finally pay off, their adventure takes a turn for the worst when their only 35mm film print is lost a few hours before their world premiere.

Park City is a smart comedic exploration on a young filmmaker's attempt of trying to open their work up to more audiences and take friendly jabs at the chaotic world known as show business. It was in fact this approach that I was led to watch this through a private screening.

The approaching premiere at Sundance and the film getting lost is much less about Rosner's team racing against the clock. More strongly, it lays the foundation of Who Dun What. Dividing the film between footage captured during their wild weekend and commentary by the cast, the premise not only makes good for comedic affect but successfully puts over the vibe of the film's mockumentary style.

The premise and film not only appeals to aspiring film makers and lovers who are familiar with the disorderly yet exciting world of film making, but anyone who loves a good laugh over the obstacles that surprise us when we least need them to. Inspired by her own personal experiences at Sundance and blending together the brazen comedy of The Hangover, Rosner's first feature film spotlights a sharp script, and a talented yet novice group of actors who deliver exceptional comedic and empathetic performances.

After winning the audience award at the United Film Festival in Chicago, Rosner and her eclectic group of co-stars have nowhere to go except up. Check out the trailer for Park City here and its official website. Also now available on iTunes.

2015 Red Carpet Looks + Moments

John Shearer/Invision/AP

The red carpet season has come and gone, my friends. There were plenty of great moments these past two months (and well into 2014 too). Instead of just going for the usual award show season fan fare, I've sprinkled moments from movie premieres, Met Gala, and the film award show season. Hope you enjoy my favorite red carpet looks, photographs, instagrams, and all that jazz.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) Lacks That Something Special

Photo Credit: Fifty Shades of Grey / Universal Pictures

One of the most negatively panned and yet most talked-about series ever should have nowhere to go up but up when it's adapted to the big screen. Of course, pun implied, we're talking about Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy by E.L. James, the literary, erotic, and controversial phenomenon. And yet for all the anticipation both by legions of devoted  haters and fans, the highly anticipated adaptation manages to coast between the lines to lack that something special the books achieved.

BDSM billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) recruits a young virginal graduate Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) into "his red room of pain", aka a sexual contract where she becomes his submissive. He has rules. If she follows them, he'll reward her. If she fails them, he'll punish her. A chance encounter sparks a torrid relationship between the two, one that leaves Ana questioning if she wants a relationship where pain is a part of the package and forces Christian to confront his emotional limitations.

Despite its reputation as an erotica and a relationship that's supposed to jump off of the page, the movie doesn't offer much in terms of an actual story. Ana meets Christian and is propositioned to be his submissive, but for reasons that are continuously glossed over (probably to save for the sequel), we just don't understand why they're attracted to each other. If the movie is trying to explore a young woman discovering her sexuality, Ana's struggle to decide whether or not to sign the contract comes in last to pushing and failing to break Christian out of his shell. And to be honest, as Grey, there's not much there in terms of actual brooding you'd want to know more about. In-between the awkwardly male-gaze sex romps, you just can't help but realize that in place of what could be an interesting romantic drama, the characters just go at it all the time because they can.

While there is no grand love story in the first film, it's admirable that this is not a straight-up porno. Though it has its fair share of inserting a sex scene just because there's a lot of them in the books, the erotica is still surprisingly tame. (Johnson physically bares so much more than Dornan, it makes one think: wasn't this supposed to be for female audiences?). Even if it's all there in terms of going at it like rabbits, the film is nowhere near the taboo adult world people can find and already enjoy online or the real world. So critics might imply that the sex was too safe, but a lack of gratuity set a refreshing pace for the never-ending honeymoon-mode lifestyle.

What ultimately saves the movie is how it translates the books, especially for the haters who ripped it apart for grammar and narrative issues. The movie aptly removes the ridiculous first person perspective of Steele invalidating herself with inner goddesses and forty sub-consciousnesses to elevate her as much as possible. And because the film relies on the headlining stars to make the story shine, credit for making Ana someone worthy to watch goes to Johnson who brings a smoky humor, sass, and confidence to a role that you didn't know had that capability to shine. And for Christian, though Dornan wasn't everyone's first pick, he manages to make Grey charismatic enough to wonder if there's more to him than meets the eye. Together, especially since Dornan was cast at the last minute, make a decent pair for what they have to work with.

No matter the creepy logistics that Grey continually shows up wherever Steele is, and every important conversation of getting to know each other is unevenly shelved for awkward sex scenes, director Sam Taylor-Johnson does her best with what she wanted to achieve. She manages to bring  tangible aspects of the books to life through the cinematography, costume, production design, soundtrack, actors, etc. while a smarter tongue-in-cheek script can be found underneath a story that jumps all over the place.  If you are a fan of the books, Taylor-Johnson makes it possible to want to watch the movie over and over, and I dare say, she gave the film more consideration than many probably would've. And her foundation is surely something the sequels will miss out on if she isn't there to helm Darker and Freed.

More than anything else Fifty Shades of Grey aims to please fans and author. Surely, hardcore fans will be satisfied with the results and the studios who scored on curious moviegoers. Everyone wins except for those who fall outside of those two circles. But to rise above its hostile criticism already, the film doesn't or can't strive to raise a bigger discussion about Ana and Christian's relationship. It skimps along the surface of its inspiration because if it delved too deeply into James's world, it could be one huge joke (an even bigger one to those who hate the series). What remains is a well-intended production trying as best as possible to get out of the grasp of the inner circle of the author and the mind-boggling success of her story.

For book fans: ★★☆

For me: ★¾☆

For everyone else: ☆☆☆

Have you seen Fifty Shades of Grey? What do you think?

Let's Go (Back) To There: Twister Soundstage

I love Twister - the 1996 action movie directed by Jan DeBont about competing storm chasers across Oklahoma. One of the perks of living in Florida is the occasional visit to Universal Studios Florida. An attraction that somehow has managed to avoid renovation is the Twister: Ride It Out Soundstage. 

The "ride" is a walk-through set celebrating the movie that broke summer box office records and beat out other action films like Mission: Impossible. Guests enjoy watching pre-production footage introduced by Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, and then "survive" a replication of a tornado sweeping through a drive-in. 

Every time I go to Universal Studios, I'm not gonna lie: I have to do this attraction. My love for the attraction started out with simply enjoying the relief of air conditioning from the heat. But over time, I've been on it so many times, the film has become my one of my all-time favorites. 

As early as summer 2014, rumors have begun that the attraction will be replaced with something. I figured now's a perfect time to share some photos and videos. Hope you enjoy!

5 Underrated Movie Couples Worthy of More Love

Sandy and Danny from Grease. Rhett and Scarlett from Gone with the Wind. Jack and Rose from Titanic. The list of all-time swoon-worthy movie couples can go on and on. Yet it could be said that the pairings mentioned here are also a little overrated? The cinderella virgin changes her image for the high school jock. Gazillionaire Rhett Butler tries buying his way into spoiled Scarlett's heart only to say to hell with it all. Jack saves Rose in more ways than one and they end up at the bottom of the ocean together (sobs). For every favorite romantic duo, there are plenty more that deserved to make more hearts ache. Which is why for this day of love, I compiled a small list of underrated couples that deserve more ja'dore.

Kat and Patrick - 10 Things I Hate About You

Head over heels Cameron Jones (Joseph Gordon Levitt) vies for the attention of the selfish popular Bianca, who can't date unless her "heinous bitch" sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does. Matching up her anti-social feminist behavior to a mysterious troublemaker Patrick (Heath Ledger), their personalities clash at first before inevitably "falling in hate" with each other.

Before tumblr and snarky teenage films, there was this retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. I'm pretty sure in smaller circles this movie is appreciated more, but there comes a time when one has to recognize that there was once a sarcastic couple before the hipster-cool Juno or John Green novels. Because they didn't play by the rules but instead made their own, Pat and Kat are mostly deemed as nobody's going nowhere and shouldn't be messed with. Their mistaken public personas help them find their other half who is just as misunderstood and a bit on the aggressive side. They have a rebellious honesty that wasn't so uncool it made them cool - they just are.

Paula and Elliot - The Goodbye Girl 

Set in New York City, dancer Paula (Marsha Mason) and her ten year old daughter Lucy welcome an Off-Broadway actor Elliot (Richard Dreyfuss) into their apartment as a renter. He, a bohemian meditative artist, battles personality-wise against she, protective single mother who have had men come into their lives, their hearts, and BAM! - hit the road. Over time as they get on each others' nerves and eventually that annoyance turns into adoration, it's wonderful to see how a couple learn to trust each other - even when one of them has to venture out on his own.

Evelyn and Rick O Connell - The Mummy

Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) is a smartypants librarian, who with her swindler brother Jonathan journey out into the middle of nowhere with an American gunslinger Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser). She has backbone, beauty and brains. Rick has plenty of swagger, an inevitability of facing death everywhere he goes, and works a gun like Han Solo knew his way around the Millenium Falcon. Waking an immortal enemy from the dead doesn't leave time for many things yet they fall for each other and slowly venture off into the sunset.

Rick and Evy are truly one of the best adventure couples, not only for the first film The Mummy but its sequel The Mummy Returns. Ever imagine how Indiana Jones and Marion would continue their trysts across the desert had the series been released as it was meant to be (Raiders of the Lost Ark after Temple of Doom). Rick and Evy return to her native England married and with a young son in tow. Yet she is still as fiesty as ever, he is still an adventurer, and they manage to kick another Ancient Egyptian's villains ass. Am I swooning in jealousy? Yes. Yes, I am.

Rachel and Luce - Imagine Me and You

Everyone remembers Brokeback Mountain. And, with the stunning performances between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, it's not hard to be mesmerized by such a heartbreaking film. Yet released the same year and with little to almost no recognition there was another beautiful romance film starring two female characters falling in love: Imagine Me and You.

Rachel (Piper Perabo) is getting is married to Hector (Matthew Goode), and on their wedding day when surprised by a visit of the charming florist Luce (Lena Headey), the new bride's heart and attention is captivated by the beautiful redhead. Over a course of accidental outings and a bonding friendship, Rachel discovers her nonstop thoughts about Luce is more than just than but a true infatuation. It's love. Sentimental, funny, and definitely overlooked, Rachel and Luceare a refreshing down-to-earth couple in sea of misguided rom-coms that unite not in the most usual way possible but one of the sweetest.

Megara and Hercules - Hercules

As a young boy, Hercules is captured on Mt. Olympus and falls to Earth becoming a mere mortal. Once he discovers his place is actually among the Greek Gods, Hercules has to earn back his immortality. But there's two little problems: Hades (God of the Underworld) aimed for Zeus and a fiesty hellcat Megara - the latter of which is quite bewitching.

This isn't your usual Disney flick of boy-saves-girl jazz. Megara isn't the usual Damsel in Distress succumbing to a poisoned apple, bewitched spinning wheel, or barbaric beast. She is fed up with love. Even when she finds herself musing about Hercules, she won't admit it. Hercules isn't a no-personality prince. Strength and voracity isn't how he tugs on her heartstrings. By facing death and falling in love, Megara and Hercules don't try to change each other or become consumed in an all-perfect romance. They still ride off into the sunset like all royal Disney couples....but their happy-ever-after finale isn't earned in the stereotypical way.

Fifty Shades of Confused

Excluding a few excerpts I heard online and around friends, I had no idea what the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon was in 2011. The sweeping story of Anastasia Steele being swept off her feet by a control freak and "BDSM" millionaire Christian Grey didn't sound special, let alone memorable. Yet the series pulled in sales by the hundreds of millions and attracted just as many genuine readers. Parodies and celebrity readings went viral while targeted quotes haunted aspiring writers. Criticism of author E.L. James was less than favorable, and for the adult world of literature, the buzz for her series was as big as the magical obsession many bookworms had towards J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter.

If you follow me online, and put up with my incessant reblogs, you are well-aware of my current obsession with Fifty Shades of Grey. But, as obvious as my interest in the film might be, you can also call me Fifty Shades of Confused. I still don't know how I became obsessed with this series, even if most of it is directed towards movie.

What would a series where the author and editors copied and replaced the names Bella and Edward from Twilight into a literary sensation have anything to do with me? Three years later when the first movie teaser was released mid-2014, a little inkling of curiosity sprung out of nowhere. My excuse, was: HUH. I like the trailer. *fifty views later* Okay, I really like the trailer. Maybe in February I'd want to see the movie. Well, if I see the movie, I have to read the books. OMG, FIND ME THE BOOKS. THE MOVIE IS COMING OUT. I NEED IT NOW.