Love and Other Drugs

(112 min, 2010)
Director: Edward Zwick
Writers: Charles Randolph (screenplay), Edward Zwick (screenplay),
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Judy Greer

Sex over substance

Maggie (Anne Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

Ah, how I loved the 90s. The time when MTV actually played good music, when Johnny Depp wasn't the object of incisive salivation of 13 year-old girls, when actual good singers were considered to be good singers, not plastic platinum blondes and when “Friends” were on TV. So the beginning of “Love and other drugs”, set in 1996 when we hear “"Two Princes" in the background started off promising. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from that moment.

There are two things that annoy the living hell out of me when I watch comedies – when it's not funny and you can clearly see when director wanted you too laugh, it was just too lame of attempt to succeed and when you are bored so much you split your focus and start doing something else. During this particular movie I actually started feeding my virtual cat slash dog on Facebook. That's how bored I was.

The biggest problem is that you just don't care. The characters, main characters that is, are likeable but their story is not interesting enough. Maggie has Parkinson's disease and she immerses herself into empty sex and helping older people get medication. Jamie is a guy who also loves empty sex and works for pharmaceutical company. So the two, as you can imagine, meet in doctors office. Maggie hits Jaime with her bag because he saw her breasts, he calls her few days later, they meet, they have sex and so it goes. Maggie doesn't want anything serious, Jaime is good with that, but over time, surprise, surprise! He falls for her.

The first part of the movie is borderline watchable with some funny moments and lovely nudity, which I gathered actually required preparations - in designing the sex scenes, director Edward Zwick had the principals watch romantic comedies and sexually charged films (everything from "Pillow Talk" to "9 Songs" to "Last Tango In Paris") and talk about what turned them on. Then some of those shots and ideas were incorporated into the making of. It seems more effort was put into sex scenes than in actual script. But kudos to the cast and crew for this – actual nudity is hard to come across in movies nowadays, where producers frantically try to cover actors with clothes to get PG-13 ratings and earn more money. I'm talking to you people, who had the audacity to serve us this ridiculous “love scene” in “Public Enemies” where Depp and Cotilliard roll over bed in their clothes. If you don't have the guts to show love or sex don't prolong already mind numbingly boring movie with something like this. You actually made me add one point to “Love and other drugs” for not being ridiculous in at least that department.

It is only in a world where we have to see scenes like before mentioned “Public enemies” where the nudity in “Love and other drugs” can cause scandal. And it did. Hold your horses, people – it's over hyped. For a Hollywood movie it's a lot, but it's actually tasteful. If there is anything good about this film it's the approach towards showing love scenes and the main performances.

Gyllenhaal is very good as charming young man who is on a road to success and Hathaway is excellent as a girl struggling with serious illness. He is attractive, she is pretty. They are adorable and it's only because of casting we have sympathy for Jaime and Maggie – after all he is playboy who uses girls for his own benefit and she is selfish and acts heartless. When they have their casual encounters there is a lot of chemistry, but when movie tries to turn into something serious, it's not believable. We don't believe that they love each other. It's only the script's fault. Whoever wrote this should be publicly whipped, actually. Why go the conventional way? Why try to make us believe people who don't care for love fell pray to it? Why can't a woman just have sex with whoever she wants and why can't a guy just score girls without meeting the one to spend his life with? The script of this movie borders on science fiction. Some people just aren't made for chasing after their “love”.

In addition to being a mess the movie also has wasted potential – there are some great scenes and lines, but overall the experience of watching “Love and other drugs” is extremely tiring. I think the only people who would enjoy this movie are fans of Gyllenhaal and Hathaway. But honestly, if you wanna see them both naked just watch “Brokeback Mountain” again. Don't waste time with the movie, which own makers didn't know what they want to accomplish with.

46/100

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Crazy, Stupid, Love.

(118 min, 2011)
Plot: Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) have the perfect life together living the American dream... until Emily asks for a divorce. Now Cal, Mr Husband, has to navigate the single scene with a little help from his professional bachelor friend Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling).
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writer: Dan Fogelman
Stars: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore

The only one?

I'm gonna sell this movie to you right here right now. Ready? It's the best romantic comedy since “Love Actually”. It's not as good, it's not as funny, but in the sea of mediocre comedies with the obligatory presence of 1) never ending swearing 2) marijuana 3) forced pro-family messages in the end so that nobody would accuse the film of being cheap and stupid, “Crazy stupid love” which doesn't have any of those things is a breath of fresh air.

You may not like Steve Carell, the departure of whom from “The Office” I still mourn, but he is the heart of this movie. He is very funny, easy to relate to and nothing he says, even if it's dangerously close to being sentimental sounds cheap. The movie has very odd pairing – it has Carell, who appeared in silly comedies for years now and Ryan Gosling, who does serious dramas, mostly indie ones. I have seen most of Gosling's movies and I would never suspect him of being capable of being that hilarious. He is. He is the true star of the movie – from the funny one liners to the continuous looks of disgust he gives Carell as he looks at his wardrobe and behavior, Gosling steals every scene from professional comedian Carrel. He also has this way about him – you see him picking up all those ladies and you don't question it. He is the kind of guy you would love to go home with.

The movie would be fine just with those two major actors but no, it doesn't end there. Cal's unfaithful wife is played with a lot of charm and wit by Julianne Moore, her lover – remember that name – David Lindhagen – is played by Kevin Bacon and whenever Bacon is not playing villains, trust me, you have to check this out. The film also features sensation of recent year Emma Stone. Stone is one of those actress who may become new Meg Ryan – she is sexy, she is cute and even if she isn't drop dead gorgeous you know it's so easy to fall in love with her. Her character Hanna is a love interest for Jacob. It's so lovely to see actual chemistry between actors on screen and its so rare to see convincing chemistry between two characters, so different from each other. It happens here. Hanna isn't interested in Jacob and then she picks him up just to hook up with him because she is upset. She is unlike anyone Jacob met – she keeps talking, she doesn't hide the fact she is nervous and she openly makes fun of him. And the magic happens – those two, instead of having a one night stand, keep talking, laughing, connecting. As different as they are, it works, because of how well we got to know their characters and how odd and unfamiliar the scene plays out. Hanna does all the things she is not supposed to do. And that's what so special about her. I also have to give praise to amazing kissing scene between Stone and Gosling, genuinely passionate, lovely and breathtaking.

As “Love Actually' the movie has many love stories between characters somehow connected to each other. Cal's son is in love with his babysitter, Jessica. And Jessica is in love with Cal. Cal loves Emily, Jacob loves Hanna...all those stories will find it's hilarious finale in the film's most amusing sequence taking place in front of Cal's and Emily's home. The movie is a mix of funny, hilarious, romantic and poignant scenes. There is a wonderful scene near the end where Cal and Jacob talk to each other. Each one of them is motivated by different, but very powerful kind of love and each has to say and do things to another that will hurt. Carell and Gosling really put their hearts in this scene.

While the film has its obligatory cliché moments – the heartwarming speech near the end, happy ending, conflict and its resolution just before the movie is over, there are two genuinely surprising twists – one of witch includes Marisa Tomei who in just few scenes she is in shows her almost forgotten comedy talent. And the ending – while happy is very realistic. Is there hope for Cal and Emily? They laugh, they talk, they connect. And as long as they do that, there is no way love can just vanish.

90/100

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Midnight in Paris

(94 min, 2011) 
Plot: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates

From Paris with magic

“The unreal is more powerful than the real. Because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on. If you can change the way people think. The way they see themselves. The way they see the world. You can change the way people live their lives. That's the only lasting thing you can create.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Choke

I went to see “Midnight in Paris” because ever since I was fifteen I haven't missed any of Woody Allen's movies. I knew nothing about the film and I really didn't expect for it to have a fantasy element. I thought it's going to be typical Allen's movie with neurotics and amusing situations, witty dialogues and classy cinematography. Well, “Midnight in Paris” has all of that but in the fashion of “The purple rose of Cairo” it also has fantasy in it. It's not the best movie Allen made since “Hannah and her sisters” as many overeager reviewers seem to think, but it's certainly one of his best films.

Gil is about to marry Inez, but before they get married he goes on a trip with her and her parents to Paris. Gil is an aspiring writer and he instantly falls in love with the city. All he wants to do is walk in the rain and soak up the atmosphere. One evening he is walking around the town alone and when the clock hits midnight, much like for fairy tale's Cinderella, a carriage appears and magically takes him back to the 20's – Gil's favorite era. There he meets Scott Fitzgerald and his erratic wife Zelda, Ernest Hemingway and others. He also meets Picasso's muse Adriana and falls in love with her.

Gil and Inez are completely not right for each other – in fact Inez is the most annoying female in Allen's universe since Cristina Ricci's Amanda in “Anything else”. McAdams is doing really good job here – I was hoping somebody would slap her across the face. When she is asked why she wants to marry Gil she responds “he is smart and successful”. If a character responds like that, you know by the movie is over those two will not be together.

Owen Wilson plays Gil with a lot of humor and charm and may be the only one of two actors – along with Jason Biggs – who actually succeeded in channeling Woody Allen's typical main hero vibe without coming out as fake and annoying (as for example Kenneth Brannagh did in “Celebrity”). Not only is Wilson making Gil likable he is actually very funny. But acting standouts include Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway, and Adrien Brody, quite possibly the most memorable part of this movie, as rhinoceros obsessed Salavdor Dali. Marion Cotiliard delivers charming work as Adriana, muse of the painters, but I liked Alison Pill's Zelda Fitzgerald portrayal much more. I was a bit disappointed to see how few scenes Michael Sheen had, he was fantastic playing pseudo intellectual who annoys Gil and impresses Inez every step of the way. There are also three scenes featuring France's first lady herself Carla Bruni and we get to see Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein.

The film opens differently than other movies by Allen – usually we immediately see black cards with credits on them, but this time they are preceded by 210 seconds of shots of Paris. That prologue manages to accomplish something that was done in, for example, “Before Sunset” - it makes you feel as if you were there. Also like the best of Allen's movies the film reveals a little bit of truth about each and every one of us – we will always idealize the past, the era we don't live in.But if we were there it would become our present and we would want to change it yet again. Why? Because life is one big chase and we are always looking for something better than we already have.

The movie is light as a cloud on Paris sky – it is filled with likable and sweet characters, funny situations and excellent dialogues. It also has a lovely ending - the kind that we saw in Allen's movies many times – all is well and thanks to one line spoken by lovely Lea Seydoux we see that there is such thing as magic. Even in our world, even in our time.

90/100

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Trick 'r Treat

(82 min, 2007)
Plot: Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband.
Director: Michael Dougherty
Writer: Michael Dougherty
Stars: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox and Dylan Baker

 Tricks are for kids

Halloween, Samhain, Hallow's Eve.
The most magical day of the year when the line between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. Halloween has magnificent traditions that have been cultivated for centuries - dressing up, scaring people and of course - trick or treating. "Trick 'r Treat" not only captures the atmosphere of Halloween but also does the rare trick of being both good horror movie and good comedy.

We get to see all of the most famous traditions - carving of pumpkins, getting dressed in either scary or slutty costumes and giving kids their candy. Since it's a horror movie we also see obligatory guts and blood - it's definitely not a film for the squeamish as it has a maneuver that I previously saw in "Hostel" and to this day it remains one of the worst things I've seen - cutting of one character's Achilles' tendon. There are also scenes that will remaind you of other films - the crawling severed hand brings "Addams family" to mind and the creepy prologue with scarecrows inevitably brought me back to that horrible afternoon I was freaking out while watching "Jeepers Creepers".

One of the best things about the film is the main monster - the spirit of  Halloween incarnated in the form of a child with pumpkin for a head. That spirit ensures that everybody honors Halloween's traditions and if they don't...well, there is a bloody trick coming. There are four separate stories in the movie, each containing fair amount of scares and laughs and just the right level of gore and creepiness. Something that distinguishes "Trick 'R Treat" from other productions is that writer/director Michael Dougherty doesn't abscond from something not many would do - killing children on screen. But as Halloween is the most fun for the kids it's probably the best  and the most effective scare in the movie - I myself would never let my child go trick or treating alone in the evening on the scariest day of the year.



Other stories also have monsters - some of them are well known in culture, some of them are common - humans simply killing people. The fun thing about the film is that much like with "11:14" there is a great diversity of characters and although they are idiotic and sometimes annoying you really don't want something bad happening to them. Group of four friends dressed as Disney princess or group of kids being mean, because well, that's what the kids do - you don't want to see them hurt. And when their stories come to an end, rest assured, something unexpected will happen.

The cast includes Anna Paquin in surprisingly sexy role in which not only she's a lot of fun but she does something she never accomplished before - she is not irritating, Brian Cox in a homage for John Carpenter and Leslie Bibb who in "Scream" fashion as a pretty blonde dies as the first character in the movie. The film has terrific twist and the amount of Jack O'lanterns alone makes it very atmospheric and a perfect movie to watch on October 31st. The cinematography is lovely and the whole film is covered in darkness and shades of orange, there is a great school bus sequence that proves that even in full day light some things stay just as creepy as during the night. And there is Marilyn Manson's cover for "Sweet Dreams" playing in the film's most amazing sequence. Some say it's overused but I think when the song is that sexy and creepy, you can't use enough of it.

If you are having a huge horror marathon on this year Halloween "Trick 'r treat" will be perfect to see in between hardcore horror movies, the one with either ridiculous amount of horrific gore or somber, depressing atmosphere. It will be a perfect piece between, let's say "Carrie" and "Eden Lake" or "Martyrs" and "The Descent". It's not as spooky as "Drag me to Hell", not as campy as "Scream" and not as funny as "Shaun of the Dead" but it certainly captures the spirit of Halloween the best. Because let's not forget - that day is not only abut getting scared and telling horrifying stories - It's also about having fun and smiling, just like those adorable carved pumpkins do.

76/100

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