Winter Passing (AKA Happy Endings [UK Release])

Directed By: Adam Rapp
Written By: Adam Rapp
Starring:
Zooey Deschanel
Ed Harris
Will Ferrell
Amelia Warner

“The Woman treated me as a mild curiosity all my life” – Reese

Winter Passing is the first feature film from playwright Adam Rapp.

It follows the story of Reese Holden (Deschanel) a struggling actress living in New York who is approached by a literary agent who offers her a small fortune which she will get if she can obtain letters of correspondence from her famous famous novelist parents Don (Harris) and Mary Holden (Mary has recently passed away) from early in their relationship. Reese agrees to the deal and travel back home to Michigan to be with hear father and try to find the letters. While there Reese meets the people that her father has taken in since her mother’s passing, handy(ish) man Corbit (Ferrell) and former student Shelly (Warner).

This is a really nice film and is well made by Rapp.

Zooey Deschanel is superb, she plays her character of a young woman reduced to rubble by her parents extremely well. For the first twenty minutes or so she carries the movie on her shoulders. Ed Harris gives a stirring portrayal as the reclusive writer Don Holden. Will Ferrell and Amelia Warner are really good as the supporting characters.

There is going to be people who will consider the movie a bit slow, but it is a joy to watch. All the characters are well rounded and interesting to watch interact with each other.

The music that was chosen for the movie fits in nicely where they are placed. The music adds to the tone the movie is setting.

Deschanel’s performance really fully evokes on screen how Reese is feeling, cold and lonely.

I love the first twenty minutes of the film, before we find out much about her parents, we can see the psychological damage that they have inflicted upon her, She now does cocaine and has resorted to slamming her hand in a drawer just to feel something.

His is a wonderful and emotional film with great characters, a solid story and would be worth watching for Zooey Deschanel and Ed Harris’ performances alone.

7/10 – Cody
N/A – Michael

70%

Blue Jasmine

Directed By: Woody Allen

 

Written By: Woody Allen

 

Starring:

Cate Blanchett

Sally Hawkins

Alec Baldwin

Andrew Dice Clay

Bobby Cannavale

Louis C.K

Peter Sarsgaard

Anxiety, nightmares and a nervous breakdown, there’s only so many traumas a person can withstand until they take to the streets and start screaming – Jasmine

Blue Jasmine follows New York socialite Jasmine who after losing everything and suffering a mental breakdown, arrives in San Francisco to live with her estranged sister temporarily. As Jasmine struggles with memories of her privileged past, which are haunting her, she tries to recover in the present.

Blue Jasmine is a film of many strengths among them are that its wonderfully written and directed by Woody Allen

The acting is great in this film especially from Cate Blanchett who gives a brilliant and haunting portrayal of a woman struggling to cope

I think the flashback sequences are handled well and excellently done, the give us a glimpse of Jasmine’s past and the events which have led up to the present. They give a fantastic showcase and insight into Jasmine’s character.

This is a great movie, which has many funny moments, but is also touchingly poignant.

I firmly believe that Cate Blanchett deserves the Oscar for her performance, as she really blows her competition out of the water. This movie should be seen by any fan of Woody Allen or character studies.

8/10 – Cody

N/A – Michael

80%

 

Silver Linings Playbook

Directed By: David O. Russell

 

Screenplay By: David O. Russell (Based On The Book By: Matthew Quick)

 

Starring:

Bradley Cooper

Jennifer Lawrence

Robert De Niro

Jacki Weaver

Chris Tucker

This is what I learned at the hospital. You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, you have a shot at a silver lining – Pat Solitano

Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be – Abraham Lincoln

This film was released on DVD awhile ago and I have watched it again so I have decided to review it

This is writer/director David O. Russell’s follow up his 2010 film The Fighter

Pat Solitano (Cooper) after spending time in a mental institution is now out and living with his parents and is looking to get his life back on track and get back together with his wife. Pat meets Tiffany (Lawrence) a girl with her own problems, who offers to help Pat reconcile with his wife but first he has to do something important for her.

This film is amazingly Written and Directed, it’s stunningly acted, its perfectly paced and has a brilliant soundtrack

I love the way the film plays out and everything in this movie works extremely well

In this film you really have to sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s technically a romantic comedy but unlike some others I was not bored for a second from beginning to end

After this film ends I felt happy and its a great quality in a film if it makes you happy when you watch it

Silver Linings Playbook is definitely my absolute favourite movie of 2012. Well done David O. Russell for making such a great film

10/10 – Cody

10/10 – Michael

 100%

The Ides Of March

Directed By: George Clooney

 

Screenplay By:

George Clooney

Grant Heslov

Beau Willimon

(Based on the Play Farragut North By: Beau Willimon)

 

Starring:

Ryan Gosling

George Clooney

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Paul Giamatti

Evan Rachel Wood

Marisa Tomei

Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future – John F. Kennedy

Well after buying the DVD at the weekend after hearing great things, I finally got around to watching The Ides Of March yesterday

The Ides of March takes place during the last days before an Ohio presidential primary, where an ambitious campaign press secretary (Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to ruin his candidate Governer Mike Morris’ (Clooney) shot at the presidency

During the film you are with the main character Stephen Meyers (Gosling) all the time which make you see the events of the film from his perspective which i think was a very good technique to use for this particular film

A big part of why i really like this movie is the acting. The acting is top notch all around, I can’t pick a favorite performance out of this movie but Philip Seymour Hoffman being one of my favorite actors I might lean more towards his direction

Also I think that George Clooney did a really good job of directing this movie and that the movie was paced very well. I would have to say that this is George Clooney’s best directed film to date

I really liked this movie from start to finish and anyone who likes political dramas should definitely watch this.

8/10 – Cody

8/10 – Michael

80%