Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris , a film directed by Woody Allen, was the first movie in a while that I wanted to rewatch the minute it ended. The story revolves around Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), a successful Hollywood screenwriter who struggles on his first novel. In the beginning we find Gil and his fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams) in Paris, tagging along Inez's upscale parents who are there in a business trip. Gil, being there, finds his dreams of moving to Paris and focusing on literature more alive than ever, something that Inez does not relate to – she "could never live outside the United States". They bump into a friendly couple, Paul and Carol, with whom they start spending time. One night, Gil takes a walk in the city alone, when a car stops by and takes him to a "parallel" Paris in the '20s, Gil's favorite combination of time and place, where he meets some of his literature idols, such as Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston) and Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), as well as other artistic prominent people, such as Picasso (Marcial di Fonzo Bo) and Dali (Adrien Brody) – apparently Paris was bursting with artistic personalities during that decade. He also meets Adriana (Marion Cotillard), a muse and lover of some of those artists. Returning to the present later at night, Gil has found new inspiration to focus on his novel and he makes sure he finds the car the next midnight to be taken to the '20s again.

After seeing Owen Wilson in this role, I don't want to try to think of anyone else in it. He combined innocence, a slight awkwardness as well as distinctive amusing mannerisms and a way of talking that actually reminded me of Woody Allen a little bit. Rachel McAdams is always lovely, except that as Inez she was annoying being so impressed by her show-off friend, Paul. ("Gil, just pay attention. You might learn something." - ugh!). She, Michael Sheen as Paul and Nina Arlanda as his wife Carol made a great fictionary team of obnoxious - at times- adults who seem to be more comfortable with  "consuming" culture than actually living it.

The depictions of the '20s artists were quite inspired. Like the "celebrity couple" of the Fitzgeralds, played by Tom Hiddleston as Scott with his kind presence and clear american accent, calling Gil "old sport" like Gatsby did in his novel, and Alison Pill, so amusing as Zelda with her babbling south-american talk (by the way, Zelda was diagnosed with bipolar disorder later in the '30s). Even more notable was Corey Stoll as Hemingway, talking in a no-nonsense way, connecting his sentences with many "ands" when sober, and looking for fights when drunk. Adrien Brody was hilarious as Dali. As for Marion Cotillard as Adriana, she was perfectly lovely as always, but in an expected and safe way – hey, just my opinion.


I've got to admit, I was charmed by this view of Paris in the '20s, a vivid place full of parties and artistic personalities, all mingling together· it certainly contrasted Gil's early version of the present, where people will get a 20,000$ antique chair to feel sophisticated. Woody Allen presented the intellectual scene of that era in such an alluring and cosy way. All in all, it is a funny but not air-headed film with an original story, many entertaining references and not even one case of bad acting or miscasting (I would say). As if the gorgeous shots of Paris were not enough.

 

The film is full of smart funny lines, but:

Favorite line: "That was Djuna Barnes? No wonder she wanted to lead."

Are you looking for that song?

The invention of lying

I have a thing for not-too-quirky independent movies! And The invention of lying is one of them. It's a comedy about an imaginary world where people cannot conceive the concept of lying. This means that people are basically seperated into two categories, the ones that are considered good looking and successful and those who are considered unattractive and losers. It also means that the art of drama does not exist, and people call 'movies' the narration of historical events. Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a not very successful editor of such movies with a crush on Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner), a beautiful, successful, high-maintenance woman. His professional and love life do not go very well.. until he discovers the possibility of lying and seizes the day.

The whole cast is good, but Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner shine the most. There are a lot of well-timed comedic moments, and Ricky Gervais's british origins show in the aesthetic and the dialogues of the film. In the end, though, the movie reminded me a lot of the classic american romantic comedy: will the outsider get the girl? or will the main characters find true love and happiness? Not that this is necessarily bad.

The film makes fun of elements of western society, such as the typical criteria of success and the influence one's appearance makes to people's judgement. Clearly religion is teased, although in my opinion not in a serious way. What seems to be critisized is the simplistic, superficial way people sometimes tend to see religion, not the overall concept of spirituality.

I 'm not sure if this film is going to stick with me, but it is witty, funny and more original than many other movies.

50/50

50/50 is one of the most recent cancer-themed movies, directed by Jonathan Levine, and inspired by the story of its writer, Will Reiser. In the past I have watched another two similarly themed movies, "Stepmom" and "The bucketlist". "Stepmom" is a strong movie. Dealing with relationships such as mother-teenage daughter, husband and ex-wife, ex-wife and current mistress, it is intense and melodramatic. "The bucket list" is a slightly lighter movie that makes you contemplate about friendship and the meaningful things in life. Both of them are golden movies with golden actors.

"50/50" is less dramatic than the above, yet powerful. It is about Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a regular, rule-abiding young man who one day learns that he suffers from a rare form of spinal cancer. The movie shows his journey during treatment and how he and the people in his life deal with it, like his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), and his mom (Anjelica Huston).

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as Adam, acts quietly and without profound emotion, leaving room for the audience to feel for themselves. He wins the viewer's empathy from the beginning to the end, barely making a frown or shedding a tear, a very modern approach if you ask me. Seth Rogen as Kyle, even though he is not exactly elegant, is touching as he stands by his friend without treating him like he's going to break. Anna Kendrick, as Adam's psychologist during his treatment, despite the initial awkwardness between them, becomes actually supportive to him in a way that complements Kyle's role.

There are funny as well as sweet, subtle moments, which are more due to the script and the chemistry between the actors, rather than the music of the movie. In fact, the soundtrack is there just to mildly complement the story, not to generate strong emotions to the audience (*cough* Nolan *cough*). In a nutshell, this movie is effortlessly outstanding.

Favorite line: "I would describe it as fine."

The switch

 

I watched The switch recently and I have to say that it was a quite enjoyable movie.

The plot, the directing and the soundtrack were good, even though they did not have surprises. Admittedly, the storyline and the emotional journey of the characters seem predictable. Still, this movie, directed by Will Speck, is interesting.

Jennifer Aniston portrayed Kassie in a cool, non forceful way. It was nice to see a female character that is not obsessed with something - career, marriage, family or general perfection - and that does not break down emotionally throughout the story. The movie is presented more from Wally's point of view, played by Jason Bateman, who is very good, as he succeeded in being both pessimistic and funny in his own way. The kid (Thomas Robinson) was adorable, not only as a kid but also as an actor, being responsible for a lot of the film's success. The two quirkier friends of the two protagonists, played amusingly by Juliette Lewis and Jeff Goldblum, added flavor to the movie rather than just fill the gap of the best friends in the cast. 

In short, this film might be simple as most romantic comedies, but it is well-produced and fun to watch, with many funny and cute bits. I would separate it from the pile of romantic comedies that come out every year, mostly because of the interesting mix the actors make. Also, in my opinion it's the most enjoyable movie among those that involve artificial insemination.

Favorite line: "Oooh, that's .. ill-advised." :)