Being John Malkovich (1999) Review

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999)
Director: Spike Jonze

Writer: Charlie Kaufman

Producers: Charlie Kaufman, Michael Kuhn, Steve Golin, Vincent Landay, Sandy Stern, and Michael Stipe

Editor: Eric Zumbrunnen

Cinematography: Lance Acord

Music: Carter Burwell

Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, and Orson Bean

Best Credit: Mariah O'Brien as "Girl Creeped Out by Malkovich"

Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

Rating: R (Language and Sexuality)

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy

Release Date: November 19, 1999

Before Watching the Movie: It might be a good idea to go into the movie blind or somewhat blind.

Intro: This is a movie I've been wanting to see for a little while. I remember hearing good things about it on IMDb and a friend recommended it to me. I heard it's very different and unique, so one night when I felt like seeing something that fit that description, I decided to give this one a shot. Being John Malkovich is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Yes it's extremely weird and completely mind-bending, but it has an original, interesting and well-told story along with good directing and acting.

Plot: A struggling but brilliant puppeteer named Craig Schwartz (Cusack) is encouraged by his wife, Lottie (Diaz), to get a real job. At his job, he meets a woman named Maxine (Keener), who he falls in love with. Later, he stumbles across a small door in his building that he crawls in and realizes it's a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. Enchanted with the experience, Craig shows his wife, who becomes obsessed with being Malkovich and starts tearing apart her and Craig and Craig and Maxine.

Things People May Find Objectionable: There's some swearing, including some f-bombs, but there isn't much of it. Otherwise, there's sexual content including one brief sex scene, but nothing is explicitly shown.

What was Good:

     -Story: Extremely unique. Because the story is unique, you really don't know and original. The fact that the story is so original and you really don't know where it's going really makes the movie work. It's also really interesting and well-told.
     -Script: Well-written script. I was impressed with the writing in the movie. All of it seemed very good and it worked. I can see why the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar.

     -Originality: As I mentioned earlier, the movie is extremely unique. I don't know of any movie that's remotely similar. To me, this makes the movie extra good. I like an original movie because I have no idea where it's going, and to me, unpredictability creates the ultimate suspense.

     -Acting: Good acting. While everyone gives a decent performance, Catherine Keener gives the best one. I've never seen her on anything else, but she does a really good job. She deserved the Oscar nomination she got for the role. I was also surprised to see Cameron Diaz was in this. She looks really different in the movie compared to now.

     -Directing/Cinematography: Good directing, but subtle. Not much stood out as, "Wow, what an amazing shot!" but the movie definitely had a look to it and the shots were set up well. Good directing. I'll have to check out more of Spike Jonze's work.

     -Characters/Emotional Involvement: The characters seem very subtly developed. I didn't really realize this until after watching the movie. I really didn't realize I cared about a characters until a bombshell of sorts is dropped, leaving the character in a difficult situation.

Just take another moment to admire the poster

Worth Noting:

     -Music/Score: The music was really interesting, as I think they use only classical music for the score. I thought it was a good choice, as it fits the theme of puppetry well and it helps draw you into the film's world a little better.

     -Humor: Though it's billed as a comedy, the movie is more of a drama or fantasy in my opinion There are some funny moments, usually created around the movie's weirdness, but I think the focus is on other aspects. In other words, I wouldn't go into the movie expecting to laugh all the way through l. It's less light-hearted than you'd expect.

     -Intelligence: This isn't a brainless movie by any standard. The concepts, though they're relatively easy to comprehend, are mind-bending and will twist your brain in many directions. You won't finish this movie with out having to think at least somewhat.
     -Weirdness: Just a fair warning that this movie is seriously weird and extremely quirky. I tend to like this sort of thing, but it may be off-putting to some. I'd give it a shot though, as it's worth it if you can stand its quirkiness. 

The Verdict: One word comes to mind when thinking about Being John Malkovich: unique. It's not like anything else I've ever seen, and for me that's a very good thing. If you buy into the film's crazy world (and the hell of beans there [brownie points if you get the reference there]), the movie will give you a one-of-a-kind experience. If you can stand a lot of weirdness, I would definitely give this movie a shot.

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Thor: The Dark World (2013)

THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013)

Director: Alan Taylor

Writers: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Don Payne, and Robert Rodat

Producers: Victoria Alonso, Louis D'Esposito, Alan Fine, Nigel Gostelow, Craig Kyle, and Stan Lee

Editors: Dan Lebental and Wyatt Smith

Cinematography: Kramer Morgenthau

Music: Brian Tyler

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, and Christopher Eccleston

Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (intense sci-fi action & violence, some suggestive content)

Genre: Superhero, Action, Fantasy

Release Date: November 8, 2013

Before Watching the Movie: It's really not necessary to see Thor or even The Avengers before watching the movie. Everything is fairly easy to pick up.

Intro: Sorry for not posting more often. I'm in my first quarter of college and it's been a little crazy adjusting to things. Anyway, it's easy to convince me to watch Marvel movies. Though they are not the pinnacle of filmmaking excellence, I always find them entertaining and fun. This one was no different. Thor: The Dark World does exactly what it is intended to do: thrill and entertain as a superhero movie. While it isn't perfect, it is saved by Loki, its humor, action, and visuals.

Plot: Years ago, the Dark Elves sought to bring darkness to the universe, but Asgard and other worlds stopped them before they could dominate. 5,000 years later, after they are all presumed dead, the Elves begin to resurrect under their leader Malekith. When Earth, Asgard, and 7 other worlds in the universe are threatened by the elves, it is up to Thor (Hemsworth), his earth girlfriend Jane (Portman) and his evil brother Loki (Hiddleston) to save everyone.

Things People May Find Objectionable: There's a lot of violence and a couple of mild swear words, but that's pretty much it. It has the same level of content as any other superhero movie.

What was Good:

     -Directing/Cinematography: The movie looks good. There's no denying that. It's a really good piece of eye candy. I was pretty impressed with the directing too. You can actually tell what is going on with the action sequences, which is always a plus with action movies.

     -Action/Suspense: Plenty of action to go around. This is another thing Marvel never disappoints with. It's definitely an exciting movie.

     -Humor: The movie had some seriously funny moments in it! The wittiness was one of the things that made it so enjoyable. It seems like Marvel movies are getting progressively funnier. This is a good thing, in my opinion. The funnier a movie is, the more enjoyable it is.

The poster looks good, but it's almost exactly the same as the Iron Man 3
poster. Lack of creativity, eh Marvel?

     -Loki: Tom Hiddleston as Loki pretty much steals the show. He is in all the memorable scenes of the movie and provides great comic relief, but is also very good in the dramatic scenes. Pretty much any scene with him is better than all of the scenes without him. Not that those other scenes are bad, it's just Loki makes them better. I would love to see a Loki-centric movie. I think it would work really well.

     -Special Effects: Really great. Marvel never disappoints with the visuals. It's hard to distinguish between actual sets and the CGI, aside from the whole alien world thing. It was really convincing. It's a testament to how good CGI has become these days.

What Could Have Been Better:

     -Script: Not a great script, but it was ok. The comedic parts were really well-written, but sometimes the dramatic lines seemed a little weak and cliché. It doesn't ruin the movie by any measure, but it feels like the script could've been stronger. You'd think they could do that between 5 screenwriters.

      -Characters: Except for Loki and somewhat Thor, the characters were al relatively flat. The side characters were just that: on the side. Not much attention was paid to their characters.

      -Pacing: The movie moves very quickly. Hardly ever is there a dull moment, but sometimes it seems if as the movie moves a little too fast. It felt like they kind of glazed over some storylines in favor of moving the plot along. My question to the filmmakers is, why include some storylines at all if you're just going to skim over them? I felt like the movie might have functioned better if there wasn't so much involvement with Earth. I think it would've functioned just fine as solely a space opera.

Worth Noting:

     -Story: Look, it's formula, same as pretty much all superhero movies and definitely all Marvel movies. You're not going to get anything groundbreaking story-wise. As far as the way it's told, there's not too many obvious plot holes, though some things are not as well-explained as they should have been. Sometimes you'll get a "wait, what?" moment, but it doesn't make the story hard to understand. It's just some small details that go unexplained.

The Verdict: Thor: The Dark World is a perfectly good and entertaining superhero movie, but not a lot more. It has great visuals, a lot of action, and a surprisingly good performance by Tom Hiddleston, but has cliché writing and weird pacing. I'd almost be willing to say it was as good if not better than Iron Man 3. Anyway, I would recommend this one for a fun and entertaining movie. If you like Marvel's other stuff, you should like this one.

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