The Movie Psychoanalyst

Silver Linings Playbook Film Review: "A Beautiful Look at Dysfunction, Disorder and the Healing Power of Love"

2015-03-24T01:27:00.000-07:00

“The World will break your heart 10 ways to Sunday - that is guaranteed, and I can’t begin to explain that or the craziness inside myself or anyone else, but guess what, now Sunday is my favorite day again. You have to work your hardest and if you do, if you stay positive you have a shot at a silver lining.”

This film review has been a long time in the making. I first saw SLP at the Memphis Indie Film Fest in November 2012. It had not been released in mainstream theaters yet. I had only heard about this movie the week before and had a feeling that it would be a perfect psychological dramedy. I was blown away by the emotionally raw performances in this little film. Judging by my own emotional reaction and the reaction and energy in the theater where I had initially viewed the film, I knew that this film would be an instant hit. This small little independent film is quite a gem.

Silver Linings Playbook has the right combination of heart, humor, emotion, a unique plot and an amazing cast. This film covers a topic very near and dear to my heart – mental illness. As a psychologist, I see the impact of mental illness on numerous lives every day. It is painful and intense for the person suffering from the mental illness and for their family and friends as well. It is not a topic that is openly discussed, but it seems that America is slowly starting to explore this issue with a little trepidation. SLP blew that door open, and my hope is that the film industry continues to fuel a movement that will help to de-stigmatize mental illness and the therapeutic interventions necessary to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

The key to de-stigmatizing mental illness will be to start discussing this issue and handling it directly. Trying to hide mental illness or living in denial only breeds shame, fear and anxiety. I’m hoping with the momentum that SLP has built that audiences will begin to talk about mental health more and not feel scared to open up about their own life struggles.

This was a very brave film, and the risks they took paid off tremendously because Pat and Tiffany’s characters bared their souls to us and we took them into our hearts. The rawness of these characters pull me in every time. I appreciate how brave Jennifer and Bradley were with their portrayals of Pat and Tiffany. They let themselves reach places that they had never been before in previous roles, and it led to a raw and vulnerable delivery that felt very real and tragic.

Cooper and Lawrence captured the emotional turmoil, the unpredictability, and the gut wrenching grief that comes with a life of chronic mental illness. I see this every day in my office with clients and the pain is so raw that it will cut right to the center of your heart because you bled so deeply for their pain. This could not have been an easy task to achieve but these actors went with their instincts and followed their gut to find the right balance of pain and hope, which often don’t go hand in hand in the psychological world. This film is so inspiring and hopeful, which is not what I would have predicted for a movie about Bipolar Disorder; however, it is exactly what we need to see because fostering hope is part of the road to recovery.

Pat’s mother, Jeanie, and Tiffany have different approaches to Pat’s recovery. Tiffany believes that direct confrontation is best. Jeanie wants to protect Pat from anything that might upset him, including his brother’s marriage to Caitlin. Obviously, as a psychologist I don’t condone the approach of sweeping the problem under the rug and hoping it will resolve itself on its own because that is never an effective strategy.

Tiffany may seem reckless and misguided; however, her direct approach to dealing with psychological issues is dead on. She knows that hiding details about Pat’s past or avoiding certain topics with him is not the way to foster healing. His family means well, but they are misguided and are stuck in the past when it comes to how to interact with Pat and how to set up a conducive environment for recovery. Tiffany has no filter and is very direct which is refreshing.

I think she is very therapeutic for Pat and aids in the healing process. She challenges him, calms him and pushes him to grow by pushing him outside his comfort zone and nudging him in the direction of self-discovery. You can track his personal growth throughout the progression of the film. This fosters hope that anyone can find a silver lining no matter what tragic circumstances they may face in their lives. The dance scenes offer a much lighter mood as we see Tiffany try to spark a connection with Pat and help him move on from his grief over his divorce. She may come off as pushy and demanding but somehow along the way a romantic relationship develops.

SLP takes us through a wide range of emotions. It is heart-warming, fun, tragic, hopeful, sad, uplifting, beautiful and magical all at the same time. We feel those deep depressive lows and the high, elated moments throughout the film. What I find beautiful is the way the writer and the director created a world that showed darkness alongside a silver lining. The movie could be uncomfortable and unsettling to watch at times; however, the humor and levity of some of the scenes would balance out the heaviness of the content just enough that we, as an audience, felt comfortable enough to explore the depths of this story. That balance is important as most people don’t deal with these difficult matters, and it can be quite uncomfortable for them to admit to themselves that these circumstances actually exist in the real world.

The writer of the original book is quoted as saying that he wrote this story to convince himself that there were silver linings in the world as he had struggled himself with depression and feeling lost in the world when trying to transition in life from being a teacher to writer. He wanted people who read it to feel less alone, if they had similar problems in their lives. The producer revealed that he has been waiting for a film to come along to show mental disorders in their true light because of his own experience in his life with his son who has struggled with a severe mood disorder. The writer and director both knew what it felt like to deal with mental illness. This reality comes across powerfully in the film. Their mission was to show others with mental illness that they are not the only ones in the world suffering in this way. They wanted to impart hope and to reach out to people feeling alone in the depths of their despair. They wanted to put a spotlight on the pain that comes with mental illness. They were able to do this so brilliantly because they actually lived it. They know the pain and heartache first hand and to me that always comes across well on the screen.

This film’s message and mission is so important in our society. It gives us a vehicle to talk about these severe psychological issues, and in this format, it makes mental health accessible. My hope is that we continue to have discussions on these disorders and work together to promote acceptance of mental illness. The more we discuss mental health, the more likely the individual will seek treatment, if they are no longer scared to reach out for help or to reveal personal struggles to their loved ones. By directly facing what scares us, we begin to take back control and take charge of our own recovery. The human connection that jumps off the screen opens us up to what is possible in this world when we show our hearts to at least one other person in the world.

I decided to read the book since I was so moved by the film. It was quite surprising to see how different the book and the film were. The book shows a more severe case of Bipolar with more severe depressive episodes and very elated manic episodes. The film chose to tame that down quite a bit, and I think the balance they struck worked. Tiffany’s character is much more prominent in the film, which really works. She brings such humor to the screen, which is necessary in a film like this to give us frequent breaks from the dark content of the rest of the film.

Jennifer Lawrence brought her own flare for dramatics to Tiffany’s character as her crazy rants seemed showcased more in the film than in the book. Jennifer is a fearless actress who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of a character or a scene. It is this courageousness that won her the Oscar for this role. The camera loves Jennifer! She can charm anyone with just a glance, yet she is as real and genuine as an actress can be. She is essentially the girl next door who just happens to possess an immense talent for acting.

The score for the film conveyed heart breaking emotion, yet lifted us to the sky during the scenes when Tiffany and Pat finally come together at the end and work as a unified team. The dance scenes offer us humor, vulnerability and highlight the budding connection between the two main characters. Jennifer really shines in these scenes and her charisma is undeniable. You can't help but root for these two to fall madly in love with each other despite their epic flaws. One aspect that attracts me most to this film is the sense of dysfunction. I find the flawed characters who are dealing with distress and turmoil to be the most interesting to watch.

The cast was perfection! Bradley Cooper was electric, charming, touching, emotional, and truly amazing to watch in this film. Jennifer Lawrence tackled an extremely complicated character and completely nailed the performance. After reading the book, I can truly appreciate her take on the character as she made this role her own. It was clear to me that Tiffany suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder, which is truly complex. She was explosive, needy, and clingy. She has extreme emotional mood swings, is very manipulative, and an all around drama queen. She uses sex to get attention and approval and acts out behaviorally to cover up the guilt she feels for her husband’s death. Tiffany embraces her emotional baggage with a great quote, “I will always be crazy but I like that part about me can you say the same.”

Separately, Tiffany and Pat are dysfunctional and defeated. As a couple they are a beautiful disaster that completely works. The development of the relationship with Pat and his father was especially satisfying. His father keeps quite a distance from Pat during the first part of the film. It appears that he can't wrap his mind around the struggles that Pat has with his mental disorder. Robert Deniro delivers a funny yet emotional performance, which is rare for this seasoned actor.

Deniro offers many of the humorous scenes in the film as he obsessively arranges the remote controls prior to all the football games as a ritual every Sunday. Some of my favorite scenes include Pat bursting in to his parents bedroom at 3 am to discuss his rantings over a book he just read and disagreed with and throwing the book out the window to express his disdain. The supporting cast of Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher (Dr. Patel), Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, and Jacki Weaver came together to deliver a powerful portrayal of dysfunctional relationships that some how work together flawlessly. This role was quite a departure for Bradley Cooper. This character was one of the first roles that he has chosen which requires a real sense of vulnerability. Bradley shows us that he has a very promising career ahead of him. The roles that he has taken on since SLP such as American Sniper and American Hustle show his range as an actor. I can't wait to see what he tackles next.

The entire family has psychological issues. Jeanie, Pat's mom, is a classic enabler and codependent mother. Pat's father suffers from OCD and lives in denial about that fact. Pat and Tiffany both have personality disorders in addition to their severe mood disorders. But somehow it all works together as a heartwarming homage to the American dysfunctional family that we all know. It was very satisfying to see all of the main actors and actresses get Oscar nominations. This small independent film was nominated for a total of 8 Oscars which is a huge feat itself not to mention that it was the first film to be nominated for all 4 acting roles since Reds in 1981.

I think this film has real staying power and should be an instant classic!

5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully Dysfunctional, Heartwarming, Inspirational, an Emotional Ride!

The Imitation Game: A Social Injustice and Tragic End for an Unsung War Hero

2015-03-03T02:27:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to score a seat in the sold out viewing of The Imitation Game at the Memphis Indie Film Fest in November 2014. The film was a huge hit at the festival winning the Audience Choice Award for Narrative Feature, which it aptly deserved. This film has a powerful emotional impact and will stay with you for some time. It’s quite disturbing to think of the appalling manner that Turing was treated just for being himself. This story is one of gross injustice, and the film version comes at a ripe time in the fight for gay rights in the USA and all across the world. Benedict Cumberbatch has opened up about what drew him to this role saying that he wanted to bring Alan Turing’s life story to the attention of those that had no prior knowledge of his contribution to ending WWII early and saving millions of lives. He wanted the world to know this man and to know about the huge sacrifice Turning had to pay based on discrimination for being homosexual. Cumberbatch strongly supports gay rights, and the fact that he is a prominent and well respected actor in the industry today will bring a great deal of attention to this cause.

Many viewers of the film have stated that they had not heard of Turing prior to the trailer and promotion of the film. Turing’s machine was the first computer ever conceptualized and built. Simply put, technology today would not be the same had it not been for Turing, and our lives could possibly be very different from what we know today. It is infuriating to learn of the treatment Turing endured due to his sexual orientation. No individual should ever be demeaned and/or punished due to any differences they have from so called “normal” society. I’ve never bought into normalcy versus so called "deviant" behavior as a whole. There is too much focus on what people deem as "normal" or "abnormal." I don’t see the importance of such labels as they are often used to box people in to a category that will be oppressive and will exclude them from their rightful place in society. Luckily films addressing this very issue are starting to garner more and more attention at the box office and in independent film circles. This has been a very powerful year for films focusing on social equality and same sex marriage such as The Normal Heart, The Case Against 8 and Bridegroom. These films are showing the world just how similar the LGBTQ community is to every other member of the human race when it comes to relationships, love, families, hopes, and dreams. Films such as these are helping to increase compassion towards those that have been historically so mistreated and marginalized.

The Imitation Game shines a light on how a very accomplished mathematician, genius, and certainly one of the greatest war heroes of WWII could be shunned from society, stripped of his dignity and denied the ability to continue his important work based solely on his sexual orientation, which society at the time deemed was abnormal and illegal. It’s uncomfortable and painful to witness on film but impossible to ignore going forward. My hope is that socially impactful films, such as this one, continue to be made year in and year out until the fight for equal rights is won for the entire LGBTQ community throughout the world.

Benedict Cumberbatch was the ideal fit for the British cyptanalyst, Alan Turing, as he so perfectly portrays the social awkwardness of this complex and tortured man. Cumberbatch appears to be drawn to social outcasts and misfits. Cumberbatch’s main claim to fame is the socially inept but deliciously brilliant and cunning Sherlock Holmes in the BBC version of Sherlock. Benedict expertly portrays Turing as a very emotionally void, intellectually intense and often obsessive genius.

What he does so beautifully is walk the line of genius and obsession throughout the film, and he delivers a very intense and moving emotional performance towards the end of the film when we flash forward a few years after the chemical castration and observe Turing’s considerable emotional and physical deterioration. It’s heartbreaking to see the toll this “treatment” has taken on him and to see the devastating loss he has suffered from being forbidden to continue his work. Benedict’s emotional vulnerability was refreshing to see as he hasn’t displayed much emotion in his previous film/tv roles.

As the film shows, Turing works tirelessly and obsessively to build a machine to decrypt coded messages from the Nazi’s Enigma machine. Turing nicknames his machine Christopher, after a boy he befriends and has romantic feelings for in grade school who dies from tuberculosis at a very early age. It is very apparent that his relationship with Christopher and the loss of him had a profound and lasting impact on Turing throughout his life.

Turing goes on to solve the Enigma code during WW II with the help of fellow code breakers. After hearing a secretary talking about details of messages she receives daily, Turing realizes he can program his machine to decode words that he knows already exist in certain messages. After he readjusts the machine, the code is broken; however, he soon realizes they can’t act on every decoded message or the Germans will know Enigma has been broken. Even though they can't act immediately to save lives, their work does end the war an estimated 2 years earlier than it would have had they not broken the code.

Turing was prosecuted later in life for homosexuality as it was illegal in Britain at the time. Turing was forced to choose between jail time or hormone “treatments.” He choose hormone “therapy” in lieu of a prison sentence.

After 1 year of taking the estrogen doses that they forced on him, they inserted an implant at the time that his sentence was up. Turing later removed the implant himself; however, the effects of the year of hormone treatments could not be reversed. Turing ended up taking his own life by eating a cyanide laced apple 2 weeks before his 42nd birthday. He was finally pardoned 59 years after his death.

The heartbreaking final scenes with Alan (Cumberbatch) and Joan (Knightley) are gut wrenching as we see the mental deterioration of Turing after having to undergo hormone treatment AKA chemical castration. It is emotionally crushing to imagine how many individuals over time faced the same injustice. There is an estimation of 49,000 men who faced the same punishment as Turing and that was just in Britain. Had Turing not been convicted of homosexual acts and had his sexuality not been known, he could have very easily been honored and revered as a hero during his lifetime. He could have continued to work, which was his life's passion. He showed potential for many other brilliant inventions that could have greatly impacted the world. Unfortunately, things ended very tragically for Turing as a result of his known homosexuality.

The film had very nice historical touches even choosing to film certain scenes at the real Bletchley Park, which was the home of the real codebreakers. The cast including Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Charles Dance, and Allen Leech all delivered solid and genuine performances.

Knightley finally brought warmth and compassion to one of her film roles. She has often been cold, distant and/or stoic in many of her past roles. However, in this portrayal of Joan Clark she offered compassion and understanding to Turing when no one else did. She encourages him to be himself no matter the cost. Knightley also delivers the best line of the film to Alan at the very end to offer emotional support, "Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."

You leave the film feeling as Gordon Brown publically stated in 2013, that Turing “deserved so much better.” It is appalling how Turing was treated for being the way that he naturally is. Turing seems tortured on many levels. He doesn’t connect to others easily, can’t read social cues and struggles with how much he can reveal about his sexuality even to those in his close inner circle of colleagues and Joan, whom he eventually asks to marry him just to keep her from having to leave the team at her parents bidding.

Throughout the course of the film, he seems both haunted and comforted by the memory of Christopher and even comes to have a strong connection/relationship and possible dependence on the machine he calls Christopher. He can’t bear to think of being parted from Christopher especially at the end of the film when it seems that Christopher is the only “friend” he has left in the world. It appears that he might not have the will to live if Christopher was taken away.

Turing was truly a pioneer in artificial intelligence. He undoubtedly changed the course of the war and the course of our lifestyle today. As we look around our daily environment we can still see his impact at every level of technology and convenient living. Kudos to the film for focusing on his accomplishments and celebrating his years of hard work cracking a once thought "uncrackable" Nazi code resulting in saving millions of lives.

The Imitation Game has been a very successful film and was the highest grossing independent film of 2014. As of the writing of this review (March 2015), the film has grossed over $180 million worldwide with just a $14 million production budget. It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), and Best Supporting Actress (Keira Knightley). The only Oscar taken home that night was for Graham Moore for Best Adapted Screenplay. The LGBT civil rights advocacy and political lobbying organization, the Human Rights Campaign, honored The Imitation Game for bringing Turing’s legacy to a wider audience.

The hope I have for this film is that it helps to contribute to the fight for equal rights for all. This film is already having a positive impact on that front. Cumberbatch along with Harvey Weinstein and others launched a campaign to pardon the 49,000 gay men convicted under the same law that led to Turing's chemical castration. Turing was pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. The others were not. Sign the petition here if you support this cause. Sign Petition

Turing is considered the "Father of Theoretical Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence." Turing’s living family has endorsed Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Turing and stated that “the amount of knowledge he has about Alan is amazing.”

A Powerful, Moving and Emotionally Stirring Film, Socially Impactful

5 out of 5 stars

Whiplash: The Devastating Price of Fame

2015-02-24T02:29:00.002-08:00

Whiplash has been the film that I most anticipated this past year, and I was fortunate enough to view this in a packed theater at the Memphis Indie Film Fest in October 2014. Memphis, TN, of course, is the home of the blues; so music is ingrained in every aspect of the culture here. The audience was filled with musicians and music lovers alike. To say the audience was alive and energetic during the entire viewing, is a huge understatement. Everyone was dancing in their seats, swaying to the music and grooving with each beat of the drums. Several jazz musicians were in attendance, and I overheard high praise from these musicians who confirmed how authentic the music was. It was genuinely a musical feast for the ears!

Miles Teller was the reason I was most excited about this film. I’ve had my eye on Miles for a few years. He is one of the most promising young talents in the industry today. He is usually cast in comedies and has recently garnered more attention through his work in the block buster Divergent. However, he usually sticks to lower budget films. His talent jumps off the screen, and he is often a scene stealer. He was easily the most memorable character in Craig Brewer’s Footloose remake, and in 21 & Over and The Awkward Moment. Whiplash is a dramatic jump for Miles, but boy did he make a winning choice with this departure from comedy.

Teller is mind blowing in his portrayal of first year jazz student, Andrew Neiman. He, like many other young ambitious students, wanted to impress the big man on campus (Fletcher) and attempt to become someone great in the jazz world like his idol Buddy Rich. It isn’t long before Conductor Terence Fletcher, played by J.K. Simmons, catches a glimpse of Neiman’s budding talent and offers him a place in his studio band. It soon becomes apparent that Fletcher’s teaching style is quite abusive and overly demanding. Andrew gives his all, which often isn’t good enough for Fletcher.

They butt heads more than they converge on screen, and the fighting becomes physical when Fletcher repeatedly slaps Neiman in the infamous “rushing/dragging” scene where Fletcher threatens to "gut Neiman like a pig" if he sabotages the band. Throughout the film, the audience is faced with the question, “How far is too far to push yourself for greatness?” The problem is that when someone is wrapped up in the moment, they can’t see how far they have slipped down the rabbit hole. Once they do, it is often too far to pull themselves back out. Andrew finds himself in this predicament. He never gives up even when Fletcher consistently demeans and berates each member of the band. He fixates on Andrew, possibly due to his immense potential. We endure numerous tense scenes where Fletcher pushes Andrew to dig deep to unlock a level of commitment that he had not previously reached. During one scene, Fletcher commands everyone to empty the rehearsal room until he whips Andrew into shape and gets him on the exact tempo he is looking for. This takes hours and displays the depth of torture that the band members are subjected to day in and day out without relief. It is here that we realize that Fletcher has leapt so far over the teacher student boundary that he is no longer worthy of the job. We question why he was ever allowed to be alone in a room with these young and impressionable minds.

Throughout the film we see Andrew fall deeper into isolation, obsession and social deprivation. He appears more sullen, depressed and cutoff from the world including his father, friends and his girlfriend whom he had just started dating. He abruptly ends his romantic relationship so that he can fully devote himself to the music, and he moves a mattress down to the basement to sleep a few hours at the foot of his drumset as he can't afford to waste a single second on non-music related activities. He spends all his time practicing drum solos to the point of bruises, blisters and open bloody wounds that he suffers through for his art.

Unfortunately, his best is not good enough for Fletcher, and he starts to face the frustration of disappointing his mentor on a daily basis. The more Fletcher is disappointed, the harder Andrew pushes himself. We see other band members dismissed due to Fletcher’s intense mood swings and angry outbursts. We endure homophobic slurs screamed out at individuals who fall short of Fletcher’s unrealistic expectations. And we grow ever more uncomfortable as we witness extreme melt downs where Fletcher appears to unravel under the stress of a looming concert for which he is struggling to prepare the band.

We start to realize just how disastrous Fletcher’s abusive teaching style can be when he receives news of the death of a former student. Fletcher tells the band that he died in an accident; however, it is easy to infer that his student took his own life due to the pressure he had on his shoulders as the result of studying under Fletcher. This fatality does appear to shake up Fletcher and questions are soon asked regarding his part in this tragedy. This is a very vital part of the film. It is here that you really question if any of this is worth trading a life for in the end. The toxic environment the students live in day in and day out will most definitely have lifelong effects and in some cases lead to possible addiction, self-destructive life patterns and possibly death for those who succumb to the pressure and the shame of their perceived failure.

Mentors, teachers and coaches often abuse power and over step boundaries in their work. How far is too far? This is the question that we need to keep asking. Some will argue that the risk is worth the reward, if greatness can be reached. However, we are talking about sacrificing vital social relationships, self-confidence, self-esteem and in some instances life. The psychological damage that can occur in these abusive mentoring relationships can have a lifelong impact. Fracturing a young adult’s psyche can cause irreparable damage. Often the student or young adult does not have a firm understanding of the weight of this possible damage. They are not always in a position to make an informed decision regarding their own wellbeing.

We, as a society, have to start to look at finding healthier ways to teach, to motivate and to encourage young minds. Teachers and coaches will often defend their actions by saying that pushing someone past their breaking point is the only way to unlock an undiscovered or untapped level of their talent or skill. This seems to be a cop out. If coaches can’t find healthier ways to motivate others, then they may not be cut out for that profession. There are healthier ways to challenge and motivate the future stars of the next generations. It may take more time and effort on the coach’s part to figure out ways to encourage players or students to find the fire within, but it would be worth the extra effort, if it meant producing more well-adjusted adults in the future. It can be extremely difficult trying to heal from a deep trauma, especially one that was inflicted upon you by someone you trusted and idolized. Insults cut the deepest when they come from someone you respect. Those wounds are often never fully healed and can cause lifelong emotional pain that dwells under the surface for many decades.

It is hard to believe that the gentle and kind J. K. Simmons could turn in such an intense, intimidating performance. Simmons tapped in to a new level of his talent for his portrayal of the tyrannical Fletcher. His anger seemed to bound off the screen and shake the room. The audience fell deathly silent during his rage filled rants. The tension between Simmons and Teller is delicious. It leaves you wanting more but also fearing for Neiman’s safety and sanity. Simmons has gained much attention for this role, and it is all well deserved.

Teller has garnered attention for his portrayal; however, I can’t help but feel that he got short changed on the award circuit. He missed out on nominations for his electric portrayal of Neimen for the Oscars, Golden Globes and SAG awards where Simmons swept all 3.

It is apparent that Teller poured his heart and soul into this role along with his own blood, sweat and tears (literally!). He performed all his own drumming scenes in the film. The blisters and bruises we see on screen were every bit real for Teller. He practiced to the point of exhaustion for many months in preparation for this film, much like Neiman did in the film to win Fletcher’s approval. Teller’s emotional scenes were exhilarating and were pure perfection. This performance will surely lead to more dramatic roles for Teller. He has earned much deserved respect from fellow academy members, which should carry him a long way over the next several years. This role seems to be a real game changer for Teller.

Whiplash ends on a high note with Andrew finally winning his idol’s approval after an arduous and well fought struggle. Part of me routed for Andrew to come out on top, as he is such a likeable character and endured so much pain throughout the film. However, part of me also recognized that in life most often this situation would have ended in failure and utter disappointment. Every day millions of people strive to meet goals in their life that may never be achieved despite hard work and determination. So often mentors push someone too far past the breaking point that there really is no point of return. It would have been more realistic to see Andrew struggle with defeat and depression and other very realistic ramifications of the torture he endured while under Fletcher's unrelenting reign. It felt good to see him prevail and to have the movie end on a happy note. However, in life things don’t get wrapped up so neatly after enduring such a traumatic experience.

As a psychologist, my job is to pick up the shattered pieces that are left after devastating encounters such as this and attempt to heal those gaping wounds. The damage is often so deep and so wide spread that it can take a life time of work to repair. In those instances, I can’t help but think that it is not worth pushing someone that far. There have been other reviews that stated that the abuse was justified since Neiman became a success in the end. However, we should not justify the behavior/abuse on the outcome alone. We have to take into consideration the impact of the abuse on each individual that suffers through it. The bottom line is that it should never be acceptable to damage a person’s soul or psyche to the point of fracture. We are all human beings and each deserve basic respect and human decency. Mentors and teachers should never demean, berate or degrade students or step over that boundary for the sake of pushing someone to greatness because the risk of destroying their very being and their essence is NEVER worth that steep price. I also want to point out something here that I think people are over looking. We don't know what happens to Neiman after the film ends. He was impressive at the studio band performance at the end and won approval from Fletcher. However, we don't know if he indeed went on to be greatly successful in the world of jazz. Fletcher's previous star student killed himself after he had moved on from Fletcher's grip and even by Fletcher's standards had achieved something great by performing in a very respectable and established orchestra/symphony. Despite his success, he couldn't deal with the aftermath of what he had endured during his time under Fletcher's thumb. This is more evidence to support the fact that the abuse doesn't lead to desired results even in the best case scenario.

This small independent film is making a giant splash and is winning over audiences worldwide. Whiplash won both the Sundance Top Audience award and the Grand Jury award. Films don’t often win both of those in the same year. This film is truly unique and is irresistible for both audiences and critics. The film won three awards at the 87th Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor for Simmons, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

This is a must see. You don’t even have to be a jazz lover to appreciate the music in this film. It is an incredibly visceral experience that triggers all the senses! It will leave you dancing in the aisles and cheering in your seat. You will be stomping your feet and bobbing your head along with the beat. It is fun but also extremely intense. The drum solos alone are worth every penny of your admission price. What a wild ride this experience is!

5 stars out of 5 Devastatingly Intense, Emotionally Provocative, Explosive, Visceral, Mind Blowing, and Gut Wrenching!

Blackfish Review: The Psychological Toll of Captivity

2014-03-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

By: Heather Hardison, PhD.

This is more than a film review. This is A Call to Action

As a human being, I was outraged and heartbroken over this emotionally driven film. As a psychologist, I was horrified, but not entirely surprised, to see the psychological toll this animal entertainment industry has taken on these beautiful creatures. In my psychological private practice, I see firsthand the devastation that can be caused by depriving a being from their true nature. Humans and animals are not all that different in that regard. We all experience depression, a lack of enjoyment and a loss of joy when we are kept from our natural surroundings, our comfortable routines and the socialization of family and friends. Isolation turns in to severe depression, which leads to the loss of the will to live. This film, along with many other documentaries on animal captivity, show these Orcas and other captive animals are depressed, frustrated and lonely. It is not surprising that they give up and often end their own lives. In fact dolphins become so stressed out from the capture and prolonged captivity that they often develop ulcers and either die from the stress or commit suicide. In other animal documentaries trainers discuss frequent turnovers with dolphins in shows because they struggle to keep them alive.

Seeing the majestic male Orcas with collapsed dorsal fins is gut wrenching. In the wild they have beautifully straight fins but 100% of the males in captivity have the collapsed dorsal fin. This is indicative of the loss of joy and contentment in life that usually comes from living free in their natural environment. They are lost and depressed due to being stuck in chlorine filled pools and small holding pools where they can barely move. Even when performing in shows for audiences the larger pools are nothing compared to their natural environment. At best they only have enough room to swim short laps for the amusement of others. Orcas give up their vocal calls in captivity which are such a large part of their social life in the wild, and there is no joy in their jumps as they are only animals for hire now. Seeing an Orca swim in the open ocean holds no comparison to their demeanor in their "jail cells" at aquariums.

It is clear that we are killing these beings by depriving them of everything that makes them Orcas. We deprive them of all of the wonderful stimulation of the ocean that keep them interested and engaged. Instead we blast them with loud music, surround them with crowds of screaming kids and demand that they perform on cue for several shows a day, every day of their life until they succumb to the stress or depression. Orcas only live at most to 25-30 years in captivity while their free brethren live 50-70 years. Most captive Orcas die around 10 years in captivity according to stats gathered on this site http://www.orcahome.de/lifeexpectancy.htm

The more we learn about dolphins and orcas the more we see how intelligent and empathetic they are. We can no longer sit back and tell ourselves that they don’t understand what is happening to them and that they don’t know what they are missing in the wild. These animals are extremely intelligent, and they grieve for their families even years after they are captured and separated. The orcas do not forget their traumatic captures, and they will never fully adapt to their new confining surroundings. In fact there is a high rate of animal suicide with captive dolphins and orcas. They have to take conscious breaths every minute, and once they lose the will to live, they can decide not to take that last breath. Cathy, the dolphin who played Flipper in the popular 1960’s television series died in her trainer’s arms when she held her last breath and then sank to the bottom of the sea aquarium she had been held in. She had deteriorated so much from captivity that she could no longer endure this treatment. This experience impacted her trainer so deeply that he was transformed into one of the biggest advocates for dolphins, as he felt guilty for starting this love affair with dolphins which spawned the emergence of the marine parks in the first place. The stress and trauma that these corporations are putting these animals through for greed is never worth the massive price these magnificent beings are paying. These highly intelligent animals easily grow bored of these mundane routines and grow frustrated and exhausted by this constant abusive environment. And yet we as the adoring public allow this to continue for the sake of our amusement.

Psychologically, when humans and animals are not allowed to fulfill their destiny or feel that their true purpose is not possible to achieve, they begin to shut down internally. Parts of ourselves die off and eventually we give up completely. This is true for humans and animals. This film effectively shows all of the consequences that occur when humans mess with the natural order of this planet. Not only are the animals paying a steep cost, but human lives are cut short due to this unnatural set up. Blackfish chronicles the loss of 3 human lives including a trainer in Sealand by Tilikum in 1991, a young male who snuck in to Tilikum’s holding pool at night, and Dawn Brancheau in 2010(shown above). Dawn was an experienced and charismatic SeaWorld trainer who gave over 15 years of her life training orcas and was pulled into the pool by Tilikum and drowned, scalped and had her arm ripped off and swallowed by the massive 13,000 lb captured orca. Most of the film follows Tilikum’s story from the time he was tragically captured in 1983 to the present time where he is still performing shows at SeaWorld even after these confirmed fatalities. He has also been bred countless times over the past 20 years and it is estimated that he has fathered 54% of the current SeaWorld captive orcas. Some experts expressed concern that his sperm continues to be used given his aggressive nature. Many believe that Tilikum is kept at SeaWorld despite his aggressiveness simply because his sperm is worth a great deal of money.

One of the most powerful aspects of Blackfish is the fast that several former SeaWorld trainers emotionally deliver their personal stories and journeys with the whales they cared for. They also stand up for their fellow trainer, Dawn, whom they believe was not at fault for her death, despite SeaWorld’s insistence that she made a mistake, which they labelled trainer error. These trainers love the whales they care for and many stated that they stayed at SeaWorld despite the horrific conditions they witnessed simply because they feared what would happen to the whales if they were not there to look after them. One trainer stated that they learned to compartmentalize their feelings because “if I leave, who will take care of Tilly.” “I stayed because I felt sorry for Tilikum.”

These trainers truly love their whales. Their hands are tied by a larger more powerful corporation that controls and dictates the conditions the whales are kept in. The trainers who spoke on camera in Blackfish were brave to speak out on what they experienced over the years, and their emotional attachments to these orcas was apparent. One trainer stated “I’ve been with this whale 17 years, I’ve seen her have all four babies. We grew up together.”

Several trainers witnessed acts of aggression by other whales, which could also lead to further frustration and learned helplessness. This bullying from other whales most likely contributed to future acts of aggression towards their human trainers. The whales can only take so much bullying and mistreatment before they break psychologically and start to act in ways that are far removed from their natural temperament in the wild. Trainers witnessed Tilikum being attacked viciously when he arrived at SeaWorld. He was ganged up on and attacked by the established dominant females at the park. The trainers explained that the whales are all “squeezed in close proximity.” They stated that Tilikum had no where to escape to when he was being attacked. SeaWorld responded by keeping him in constant isolation “for his own protection.” He is kept in the back pool and brought out for the end of show for “the big splash.” Then he has to return to his “jail cell” as stated by his former trainer. Tilikum had to be isolated much of the time as the females would not tolerate him in the pool with them.

Female orcas are the dominant whales in the ocean. In the wild this isn’t a problem as they have plenty of room to spread out even when traveling together in their large pods. However, in captivity they are all confined to such small spaces and this creates a very hostile environment, especially for male whales. This aggression often leads to the deaths of whales by other whales. The whales also have a practice called “raking” where the whales scrape their massive and sharp 48 teeth along the backs of other whales, which is a painful and traumatizing experience for the orca. Photo below shows raking up close.

It is not hard to understand how these human deaths could have occurred after you explore how traumatized these whales are. The film reveals how the baby orcas are targeted and chased down by hunters to be snatched away from their mothers and their pods forever. The disturbing images of bombs being dropped by aircraft to frighten and disorient the whales and the speed boats pursing these babies was immensely upsetting. The orca mothers did everything they could to save their babies, and they even devised an intelligent plan to break from the rest of the pod to keep the babies safe, hoping that the boats would follow the rest of the pod. Unfortunately, the aircrafts spotted the detour from the air and they notified the speedboats to swoop into the cove and corner the mothers and offspring. It was a lost cause for the orcas at this point. Nets were cast, babies were ripped from their mother’s sides and airlifted to aquariums across the globe. One particularly heart wrenching scene filmed the mothers hovering close to the boats calling out to their babies even after they were airlifted out of the water. It is truly heartbreaking!

One of the hunters spoke on camera describing this as “the worst thing I have ever done.” He stated that it felt like kidnapping a child from their loving family. He revealed that this has haunted him since. He was choking back tears as he explained that he was instructed to cut open the babies that died due to the stress of the capture and he was ordered to fill them with rocks to sink them as hunting orcas was illegal and the evidence must be destroyed. Animal behaviorists and marine biologists interviewed for this film pointed to this type of traumatic capture as the first psychological trauma suffered by the whales and went on to explain the further trauma that they suffer once they are housed in the aquariums. Former trainers at Sealand reported that the orcas, including Tilikum, were stored in a module only 20 feet across 30 feet deep. They were locked in this dark, metal pool for two-thirds of their life. Trainers tearfully admitted that they were ordered to lock them up from 5pm til 7am. “It didn’t feel good. It was just wrong.” Food deprivation was also used for training purposes as holding back food would create starvation and that was strong motivation to get them to enter the training pool and to cooperate in training sessions. When the new whales would resist or not cooperate, the trainers were told to use the whales against each other and would punish both whales until the cooperative whale realized they would not receive a reward until the new whale started cooperating. This caused the whales to become aggressive with the uncooperative whale until they broke down and submitted to the trainer’s will. This breaks an animal’s spirit and creates what we call learned helplessness. This is when the animals begin to give up and realize that there is no escape and that they are stuck in this situation no matter what their efforts are. This is psychologically scarring and leads to depression and hopelessness. Some experts in the film spoke about a psychosis that the orcas may be experiencing due to this mistreatment. They believe it may lead to their aggressiveness with humans. Photo below shows an orca pulling this trainer down to the bottom of the pool and keeping him there for a minute at a time. This continued for several minutes until the trainer got away and swam over a net to pull himself out of the pool.

The mistreatment of the orcas is precisely why it is not surprising that whales would turn aggressive out of frustration. This is when human casualties will occur. There are no known instances of orcas harming a human in the wild. SeaWorld likes to publically state that Tilikum is not dangerous; however, former employees have spoken in news stories about the “Tilly talk” that they are given during their first week at work. They are told not to enter the water with Tilikum because “if you get in the water with him you will come out a corpse.” SeaWorld also tries to down play his involvement in the murder of the trainer at Sealand before they acquired him. They officially state that he was not involved; however, eye witnesses positively identified him as the whale that pursued her and held her down. SeaWorld purchased Tilikum from Sealand after this very public death, and they did not warn their trainers and employees at that time. This put hundreds of people in danger daily and ultimately ended in 2 further deaths by Tilikum that could have been avoided.

SeaWorld has responded to the release Blackfish and tried to save face by stating that they have not captured their orcas in 35 years and that they treat their animals with the best care. However, they are missing the point that any whale in captivity is being mistreated and abused by the very fact that they are lonely, isolated, deprived of food, separated from their family and controlled in every way. Orcas are extremely social and they only bond with members of their own pods. Mixing members from different pods, as SeaWorld does, is unnatural to them and they never adapt. The experts explain that all pods speak their own language with very unique dialects, and it is like they are from 2 different nations with different languages that they do not understand when they are thrown together. SeaWorld calls them their collection. Orcas are so social that their sense of self is considered to be wrapped up entirely in social roles. Thus, removing them from their social world basically destroys them.

What this film does beautifully is to show us how majestic these animals are, especially in the wild. The film educates us on what it means to be an orca. They are designed to roam free and travel great distances. They are highly verbal and social. They interact with their pods more than humans do on a daily basis. They only thrive when they are surrounded by their family. They grow depressed and lonely when isolated as they are in captivity. The isolation quickly breaks them down psychologically. One animal behaviorist in the film stated that 100% of the captured whales are traumatized and psychologically damaged from this mistreatment.

SeaWorld states that they are playing a vital role in marine biology by educating young children about wildlife. Their position is that allowing children to see these animals up close fosters an interest and admiration in these younger generations that will lead to a desire to help protect marine life in the future. While that may be so, the price of captivity is too high. We should love and admire these animals from afar in the wild as nature intended. If you want to view orcas up close then spend the $100 you would have spent on a SeaWorld ticket and take a chartered boat excursion off of Vancouver Island to see them in their natural habitat as they were truly meant to live. Seeing animals in captivity whether at SeaWorld, aquariums or local zoos should make us feel uncomfortable. No matter how well the trainers take care of them, nothing can compare to their natural environment. Anything less is robbing them of what it truly means to be an animal in the animal kingdom.

If a 2 year old child was kidnapped from their family, held captive for the rest of their lives and forced to perform for their abductor’s entertainment, then society would be outraged. When the abductor was found, they would be shunned from society, locked up in prison for life and the abused child would be reunited with their family. Until now most people did not give the slightest thought to how the orcas are captured and how that separation from their family negatively impacts them and their pod. Thanks to this thought provoking film we see just how devastating this is for all involved. For decades, society was oblivious to the animal’s suffering and their true emotional and physical condition in captivity and now we cannot sit in denial anymore. It is time to make a change and that will have to come about through the work of the general public. It looks as if SeaWorld will not make these changes on their own since there is a multibillion dollar industry at stake. If you have ever enjoyed a day at the parks and enjoyed the orca and dolphin shows, then now is the time to pay them back that appreciation by helping to free them from this life of torture and isolation.

Times have already started to change as the government will not allow trainers in water with the orcas anymore. It has been deemed too dangerous and too unpredictable for the humans. On May 30, 2012 a judge ruled that during shows, SeaWorld trainers must now remain behind barriers, separated from the orcas. The film not only covered deaths at the parks but documented numerous encounters with whales pulling trainers under water and holding them underwater for minutes at a time, nearly drowning them. The orcas are seen grabbing, pushing and slamming into trainers aggressively, often injuring them. The film states that there are 70 plus killer whale/trainer accidents/encounters officially on record. By the looks of these documented encounters, many of these trainers are very lucky to be alive.

In a recent interview, the filmmaker, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, stated that it was not her goal to shut SeaWorld down. She wants SeaWorld front and center of the evolution of the animal entertainment industry. She stated that she would like to see SeaWorld step up and build sea aquariums for the whales still in captivity. It is often too dangerous to release them back in to the wild as they have become too conditioned to receive food from their trainers for tricks and they might not be able to hunt and feed themselves. Also, they might not be able to reunite with their pod of origin, and orcas rely on the pod for food and survival. They work as a team for hunting, traveling and protection from other dangers. It seems the most humane thing to do for them now is to retire them from work and from the chorine pools into larger restricted areas within the sea. This way they are still protected and allowed to swim in their natural environment for the last years of their life. The idea is to let these captive orcas and dolphins rest and not have to perform for their food anymore. The goal that activists have in mind is to phase out the captive animals from the entertainment industry. This will take years and would involve not continuing to breed orcas in captivity and not to capture them from the wild anymore. As concerned members of society, we need to make sure this is the last generation of captive whales.

Change will start with us. We have to unite and make our voices heard. Let SeaWorld know that this is not acceptable and that we will not continue to visit their parks and fork over our money to continue this treatment any longer. We owe it to the whales as they have no voice in this. We need to release them from this obligation of having to perform to entertain us. They do not deserve this treatment and they never did. If we refuse to buy tickets then SeaWorld can’t invest our money in the continuation of animal capture and captivity. Too long we have stood by quietly and let these animals suffer on our behalf. Too long have we turned a blind eye and thought the animals are surely cared for and are happy. They are not happy. Orcas are used to swimming 90-100 miles a day and dolphins swim up to 50-100 miles. They are fed dead frozen fish in captivity and are only fed when they perform and work hard. In the wild they are carefree, happy and eat fresh fish that they hunt. They live in very social pods and their family units are fully intact with the whales never leaving their mothers side even as adults. These pods are intact until humans come along and snatch the babies from their mother’s side.

SeaWorld will have to make a decision. They can either get on board for this evolution of the industry or they can refuse to help and continue to state that there is nothing wrong with holding these whales captive. If they chose not to be part of this inevitable change, then they will eventually be forced to close their doors. They have been a huge part of this problem and the only way they can try to salvage some of their reputation would be to get involved and advocate for the animals they publicly claim to love so much - the very animals that put those massive profits in their pocket and the animals that they are continuing to torture. They need to retire these whales, and they need to throw their power and money behind stopping the dolphin massacre in Taiji, Japan where 23,000 dolphins are brutally slaughtered every year. One of the main reasons that keeps this hunting practice in place is the fact that Japanese fisherman get $150,000 per dolphin that the trainers chose to take back to their aquariums to train for shows. The rest of the dolphins are brutally murdered and sold for meat to unsuspecting locals even though the meat contains toxic levels of mercury. Check out the documentary The Cove for more on this issue. The fisherman claim that they will continue this practice as long as money is coming in from trainers at these aquariums including SeaWorld. There is a lot at stake here and we have to rise up and demand that this brutality stop right now.

Even though this powerful film wasn’t eventually nominated for an Academy Award, it is expected to have a lasting impact on viewers. Hopefully it will ignite a movement that will forever change the animal entertainment industry. This film gave a clear message, and that message is that this is a problem that we can solve. It is a call to action. We have the ability to bring about change here, and it is our duty to these fellow mammals to follow through as they cannot help themselves out of this mess. The human race has tortured these animals long enough, and it is time that we take a stand for them. One thing is very clear from this film – this must stop!

Note to the filmmaker: In order to spread this message to as many people as possible to fuel this movement, I believe children will be the key to real and lasting change. However, as a psychologist, I am hesitant to condone showing young children and even young adolescents the entire Blackfish film, as it could be very upsetting and traumatic for young minds. It seems like it would be healthier for them to see a shortened version of the film. My suggestion is to edit a special version of the film and cut down the current film to maybe 30 minutes that only shows the conditions they live in and how it impacts the whales physically and psychologically. If the scenes where the animals killed the trainers and the scenes that chronicle the brutality of the capture of the whales were cut out, then the shortened film can be shown to children and hopefully in schools, churches, and homes across the country. I believe the children will be the key to making a difference here. It is easy to convince adults to boycott or speak out, but the children are the reason that families attend SeaWorld in the first place. Let's not forget that children were the reason for freeing Keiko in real life. Keiko was the captured whale who played Willy in Free Willy. Children banded together and raised money across the country in classrooms and took in $100,000. They didn't want him to live in this misery and they wanted him reunited with his family in Iceland. Children made this possible and got the attention of wealthy businessmen who donated the rest of the money needed to return Keiko to the wild. Children are a powerful force and could give this movement the momentum it needs to put an end to this whole operation.

*Special Note - Due to the fact that SeaWorld was stating that Blackfish presented some false statements about their treatment of their captured whales, I explored this issue of animal capture and captivity in several related documentaries before writing this review. Everything was consistent in each documentary. Thus, I feel the information in this blog is accurate and well researched. Here is a list of related documentaries. I encourage others to keep researching this issue for themselves.

The Whale Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9Gm0wINeaU

The Cove Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo

Saving Flipper Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTrAY_hHi4s

Frontline: A Whale of A Documentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3fZ2dMdtu8

Lolita Slave to Entertainment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IzkreT6BYg

Keiko The Untold Story Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9xItzQ8gY8

Blackfish Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLOeH-Oq_1Y

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars: It was powerful, emotionally stirring, intense and gripping. Your inner activist will be unleashed!

2013-01-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

Les Miserables is Spellbinding

By Heather Hardison, PhD.

Victor Hugo’s bleak, grim story has new life thanks to director Tom Hooper, who has already stunned film goers with The King’s Speech and has proved that he has staying power in Hollywood. Les Miserables comes across as a stunning, epic masterpiece – visually and musically. Les Mis has become one of the most beloved Broadway musicals in the past several decades, and a non-musical film adaptation starring Claire Danes, Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush was released 1998; however, this new film adaptation of the musical is chilling and breathtaking as the explosive musical numbers from the Broadway version burst onto the film screen. Not only is it emotionally intense, but it is literally gut wrenching at times.

The best description for this adaptation is that it takes you on a wonderfully intense emotional journey that captures the very essence of being human and covers all of the emotions felt in the span of a lifetime ranging from despair, grief, heartbreak, sorrow, and pain to joy, contentment, love, and hope. One of the underlying threads in this film that is the most uplifting is the compassion of the human spirit. Jean Valjean displays compassion so artfully throughout all of his interactions with the main characters – Javert, Cosette, Marius, and of course Fantine.

Although this film focuses so much on the dreariness of life and the pain of poverty and destruction of oppression, it also teaches us all that compassion lies at the core of our essence. No matter how violent and cruel the world can be and no matter how much the world may try to stomp out our spirits, compassion can arise and hope can thrive.

This is first expressed when the priest shows compassion and forgiveness to Valjean even after he has stolen vast amounts of silver from the priest in the dead of the night after he has taken Valjean in when everyone else turned him away. The priest tells the police that he gave Valjean the silver and commands them to release him. He then tells Valjean that he is saving his soul and requests that he make something of his life now that it is spared.

This permanently changes Valjean and causes him to reexamine his life and purpose. From that point forward, Valjean models how self-sacrifice and compassion can cleanse the soul of past sins. Love can renew hope within even the most downtrodden and can transform even a criminal into a saint.

Valjean’s compassion touches so many lives throughout the film and leaves us with renewed hope for the human race. Valjean’s mercy and numerous sacrifices even cause Javert to question his own desire to continue to hunt Valjean for breaking parole. Javert struggles internally with how to exist in a world where Valjean runs free. His self-identity is based on his duty as a law enforcer and he can’t imagine living in a world where he abandons that responsibility or fails in his attempts to bring him to justice. After Valjean makes the choice not to kill him, Javert wrestles with the choice to continue to hunt him or let him go. He starts to question the integrity of Valjean and wonders if he judged him unfairly all those years ago.

Javert ultimately decides that only one can exist, and as Valjean has shown him mercy by releasing him, Javert feels that he has no choice but to take himself out of the world. The foundation on which he based his life has now crumbled and he doesn’t know how to go own when his foundation has been shaken to the core. In a way Javert is sacrificing himself so that Valjean can go on living in peace without being pursued, but Javert is also releasing himself of that duty and the torment of living a life knowing that he has not fulfilled the duty that he swore to uphold. As Javert plummets to his death the long-lived connection between Javert and Valjean is severed and both men are allowed to rest in peace as Valjean passes on not long after Javert.

Valjean’s emotional transformation is uplifting. His renewed hope comes when he chooses to take on the responsibility of young Cosette, the orphaned daughter of Fantine who died as the result of a life on the street as a prostitute to make enough money to pay Cosette’s way at the Inn. Valjean was so moved by the tragic demise of Fantine that he committed on the spot to rescue Cosette and raise her as his own as she would have no real future ahead of her unless he intervened.

Valjean is immediately entranced by the innocence and beauty of Cosette who possesses the purest voice that will pierce your soul. As she sweetly serenades us with “Castle on a Cloud” it is easy to see how she captures Valjean’s heart instantaneously.

Les Mis is a love story on many levels and the deepest love portrayed is that of Valjean for Cosette and her love for him in return. He was lost in life until he met her and she gave him a renewed purpose, which saved his life. She gave him a way to also redeem his soul through self-sacrifice as a way to atone for his past sins. He sacrifices much of his life for Cosette’s protection and future. He describes her as “a gift of love” and a “love that warms my heart.” Due to Cosette he can “suddenly see what I couldn’t see before.”

As the story unfolds over many years there is another love story that develops and we see hope blossom with the young, idealistic love of Cosette and Marius. She has a new protector that Valjean deems good enough to care for and love her when Valjean passes. This story ultimately is about the power of love and how it can transform us even in our darkest hours when all hope has been lost.

The scope of this film is epic and grandeur. The cinematography is stunning and unforgettable. It was a feast for the eyes and the ears simultaneously. It boldly kisses all of the senses awake leaving you bursting with joy, sadness and complete fulfillment as it all culminates in majestic form. I felt completely overwhelmed with emotion and was stunned from the majestic journey I had taken from the grand opening scene with Valjean hoisting the ship with fellow prisoners to his last breath surrounded by the love of his life.

This musical film adaptation sets itself apart from other film musicals as director Tom Hopper had a vision to capture the rawness of the performances by shooting scenes live and in one single uncut shot. This may compromise vocals at times but adds an emotional genuineness that would otherwise be lost if actors were attempting to match up their movements and lyrics with a previously recorded track. Some critics may harp on the scenes and vocals that are not perfect; however, the emotional scenes captured in this film are chilling. This directorial choice seems to be fitting given the content of the film. As the story chronicles the lives of those who live on the street in poverty or live on the run, the authenticity of the emotions felt as they express their sorrow and pain through song is utterly vital to the storyline. There is a gritty, raw visceral experience that is evoked with the imperfections in some of the vocals, which would most definitely have been lost had they inserted a polished track from the studio in its place. Anne Hathaway's version of "I Dreamed a Dream" is a perfect example of how this choice paid off for Hooper. It is reported that she delivered that unbelievable performance in only 1 uncut take. It stands out as the most memorable moment of the entire film!

At times Jackman’s voice in particular came across as strained and nasally; however, the emotion that he unleashes in his performance is phenomenal. Jackman turned in his most emotionally gripping film performance which is most likely due to the freedom that he stated he felt as they filmed in the moment. Hooper wanted each of the actors to feel in control of their own acting choices as they sang live and those choices would have been restricted if those scenes were pre-recorded.

The entire cast is impressive. You can imagine how demanding each of these roles would be as actors were asked to sing constantly throughout the film, and many scenes were shot uncut which adds much more pressure. In this way it resembles a Broadway production rather than a film. Actors were expected to sing up to 12 hours a day and maintaining top vocal quality was next to impossible. You could detect strained voices and fatigued actors throughout certain scenes which mirrored the characters they portrayed who would have been distraught, exhausted and exasperated. Hooper stated that he was also hoping to appeal to non-musical lovers by capturing the action in the moment and not through lip synced scenes. "The thing about this form is when you get it right, it offers an emotional power few other forms can," says Hooper. "The full power of melody and music with acting and lyrics — the combination creates a heightened reality.”

There were so many incredible performances in this film. Hugh Jackman carried the entire film emotionally, and much like Valjean himself seemed to be a father figure to many.

It would be shocking if the Oscar was not presented to Anne Hathaway with a bow on top for her jaw dropping, stunning performance! Hathaway delivers such a moving and stirring performance as Fantine that her short 15-20 minute presence haunts you throughout the entire film until her reappearance at Valjean’s death, which was the most emotionally stirring moment. Try holding in the tears at the height of that final moment. Her voice is chilling. I had goosebumps and still do every time I hear her rendition.

One aspect of this production that should be praised above all else was the buildup of intensity throughout the film. It continued to build musically and emotionally scene after scene, and the last hour of the film lifts you higher than you can imagine. It culminates in an emotional tear-jerking scene with the reappearance of Fantine at Valjean’s death. Fantine’s angelic call to Valjean to join her where "the chains will never bind you” is so emotionally stirring that even the toughest “gent” would struggle not to feel choked up. Valjean finally finds peace as Fantine assures him that his grief is at last behind him. She has come to lead him to salvation. This scene leaves us with a main message of this film which is that "To love another person is to see the face of God."

Then the chanting from the lost souls of “Can you hear the people sing,” leaves you on an uplifting note, which completes the emotional journey from sorrow, grief and pain to joy and love. This film spans every emotion you can conjure and may leave you feeling like an emotional wreak by the end, but what a wonderful feeling it is to experience the complete range of human emotion in under 3 hours time. It is what keeps most theater goers coming back to musical theater over and over again, and now has successfully crossed over into the film experience. The live singing had a powerful impact and did seem to increase the drama which stays with you even after leaving the theater.

There were just a few drawbacks to this film. At times the actor’s voices were strained and even flat, which could be overlooked given the fact that it was live. Singing each line of dialogue becomes silly and unnatural which can grate on the nerves of even a musical theater fan. The talk/singing format does compromise the quality of the vocal performances as it is hard for the actors to reach a lift in their voices when they are constantly starting and stopping due to short lines intertwined with other actors.

My biggest complaint would be that I was left wanting to see more of some of my favorite characters such as Fantine, Cosette and Eponine. Their performances were so dynamic that they deserved more screen time and fans will be very eager to see the uncut 4 hour version if Hooper ever decides to release it.

Many critics have beat up Crowe as Javert for being vocally outmatched, but I felt his performance was impressive especially when performing “Stars” and “Javert’s Suicide.” He is allowed to show his vocal range and emotional complexity in these individual performances. His vocals seemed to suffer when singing the dialogue parts and when interacting with other actors, but he exceeded my expectations based on what I had heard from early viewers of the film. “Stars” turned out to be one of my favorite songs from the whole film.

Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen turned in stellar comedic portrayals of the Innkeeper and the Innkeeper’s wife. These two make perfect cunning con artists. The humor they provide is a nice break from the heavy sorrow that hovers throughout the rest of the story. Their performances are very reminiscent of Sweeny Todd.

The biggest surprise for me was Samantha Banks as Eponine. Her performance came out of nowhere for me as I had never heard of her and she left a lasting impression on me. She will be one to watch in the future as her potential is off the charts.

It turns out she had played Eponine in earlier theater versions of Les Miserables and beat out major stars for the role including Taylor Swift and the incomparable Lea Michelle who has already sung “On My Own” on the first episode of GLEE. Although I am a HUGE Lea Michelle fan, Banks turned out to be a great choice as she commanded the scene when she poured out her heart in her rendition of “On My Own.” Her vocals were as smooth as velvet and full of passion and longing for Marius. Her pain and heartache was so soulful that it was almost tangible.

Jackman hits the spot emotionally and carries this cast by performing in most scenes. His vocal performance wasn’t as strong as I had expected given his Broadway success in Oklahoma and The Boy from Oz. I am a fan of his previous Broadway performances and I expected him to own this film. It seems that his vocal performance may have suffered from straining his voice in his numerous scenes where he pours his heart out as Valjean. “Bring Him Home” was rough in my opinion and was the only song that I hoped would end prematurely. However, he was the perfect choice for Jean Valjean and delivered on so many levels.

Amanda Seyfried has the purest voice especially in her upper register. At times she hits notes that are simply breathtaking and seem ultrasonic. She is classically trained and has turned in previous stellar performances in Mamma Mia, but she takes it to a new level in Les Mis. She had wonderful chemistry with Marius as the young, hopeful lovers. It would have been nice to see Seyfried in more scenes as her voice is hypnotizing.

Newcomer, Daniel Huttlestone dazzled us as Gavroche. At just 12 years of age, Huttlestone makes a lasting impression as the lively, youngster who joins fellow brothers in the revolution only to meet his early demise. It was disappointing to many that his solo did not make it on the soundtrack. It was definitely one of the most light-hearted moments in the film.

Eddie’s version of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” evoked such gut wrenching grief and sorrow and was eerily haunting. It was another standout moment for me. The heartache that he portrays as the only survivor from the revolution massacre is as he says “a grief that can’t be spoken and the pain goes on and on.”

Jackman and Hathaway not only turned in unforgettable performances but fully committed to their roles by drastically transforming their bodies and overall appearances. Hathaway, who has always appeared very lean on film, shed 25 pounds to play the tragic and woeful prostitute Fantine.

Jackman lost 30 pounds and went 36 hours straight without water to appear even more emaciated and starved at the request of Hopper to appear totally unrecognizable. Jackman remarked that it was the craziest thing he had done in his entire life.

Hathaway also had her actual hair chopped off in the gripping scene where tragic Fantine sells her beautiful locks to provide for Cosette. Fortunately she was able to capture the emotion needed in one take as that was the only option.

Overall, this film is spellbinding. The lyrics and melodies are captivating and the emotions are totally consuming. It will be a film that will be beloved for many decades to come and rightfully so.

5 out of 5 stars – Enchanting, haunting, enthralling and a transforming experience

“Beer Wars” Review

2012-07-09T03:13:00.001-07:00

Where do you stand in this David and Goliath battle of the beer world?

“Beer Wars” is an independent film released in 2009 by first time filmmaker, Anat Baron, who ironically is allergic to alcohol. However, that allergy did not stop her from successfully running Mike’s Hard Lemonade, a beer company founded in 1999 by Anthony von Mandl. Baron boasts that her motivation to work in the beer industry was not about drinking the beer itself. It was about taking on the big corporations that want to demolish the little brewers. As she says, “It is about much more than beer. At stake is the American Dream.” The big picture focus of this film is to raise awareness of the power that big corporations have in this country. From mass marketing, lobbying power in congress, payoffs/incentives to distributors/retailers to selfishly crushing the small start up companies that pose as miniscule threats to their massive company profits. It’s all part of the corporate game in America and other countries for that matter. This film exposes the ins and outs of the beer industry in America and pinpoints specific marketing strategies used by the top beer companies such as Anheuser Busch, Coors and Miller to forcefully push their products into every store and home in America and to push out craft brewers. This film evokes a lot of emotion, especially anger and resentment, for the consumer as you start to realize just how much power these major beer players have over your daily choices. After watching this film, you will most likely pause and think before you place your next order in your local bar or before you buy your next 6 pack at your local grocery store.

The film reveals that the top 3 beer companies in this country as of 2009 were Anheuser Busch, Coors and Miller. Those 3 companies made up a staggering 78% of the US beer market. Baron points out how alike these beers look, smell and taste. She stages a blind tasting for beer drinkers to see if they can easily pick out their favorites. Not one person shown in the film accurately picked the beer that they stated that they drank most frequently. Each participant in the blind tasting seemed surprised how similarly the beers tasted. The film also stated that 85% of beer in this country is classified as a light lager. Those lagers are mild and by many standards would be considered weak and plain, lacking any distinctive flavor. One beer connoisseur went so far as to say that most Americans had never really tasted true beer yet, as those light lagers were not a true representation of real beer. The top three beer companies spent a staggering $1.5 billion marketing to sell those light beers to Americans. That is a massive amount of money considering that their products are so similar to each other that no one could tell them apart in blind tastings. It makes you wonder what really drives the consumer’s choice. Why would you choose one light beer over the other if taste is so similar? One beer drinker stated that it was out of habit. Humans tend to stick to what they know and what is familiar.

Every psychologist knows how much social psychology is involved in marketing and advertising. Most of us have taken a course in social psyc and studied the old bait and switch tactics, good cop versus bad cop, and the old car dealership trick where they leave the room “talk” to their boss into lowering the price when they are actually going out to get a cup of coffee then come back and pretend the boss said it was a no go. We have all fallen prey to many of these tactics in our life. But they are easy to see through once you study the many methods of persuasion they rely on. Just watch an episode of Mad Men and you can see just how manipulative the ad game can be. Most of these companies don’t have the consumer’s best interest in mind. It’s all about the money. Often times advertising is not about focusing on the actual merits of the product or service, but instead is focused on what they believe would win the consumer over or win their trust. Unfortunately, these corporations don’t let the product speak for itself. Instead, they may gloss over the actual details of their newest product and focus on selling an idea of what they think the American dream is as they link their product with pictures of sports cars, mansions, and most often scantily clad men or women. How many times have you watched a commercial and been confused as to what the commercial was about and then realized that they never showed a specific product? They may flash the company name once or twice as models bounce around your tv set, but did you really learn anything about what they are selling or what you should expect from their product?

I think that many viewers will be shocked when the film uncovers the specifics of beer wars including how the big corporations monopolize the market and shelf space in stores; the 37,000 beer laws that exist on the books in most US states; and brand recognition which is of course bought with the millions and millions of dollars that these big beer companies have at their disposal and not from respect gained by the effectiveness or quality of the product. Have you ever noticed which beers are displayed at eye level in your neighborhood stores? Beer companies fight over the prime space in the major grocery stores, liquor stores and convenient stores.

Essentially the big guys control the shelf space; therefore, they are silently manipulating your choices from the get go. Budweiser may take up 3 or 4 full shelves in the middle of the display at eye level while Dogfish Head or New Belgium has only enough space for a few 6 packs on the bottom right of the cooler display, which could very likely go unnoticed especially if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to peruse the entire cooler. Think about how many beer commercials you see a day – how many of those are from the big 3 beer companies (Budweiser, Coors or Miller)? As Sam Calagione, the owner of Dogfish Head, bluntly puts it, “Don’t listen to the stupid ads on the television. The ads don’t know what you like, you know what you like.” This is so true. They may think they understand you and know what you like, but that is not necessarily true. Do you even really know what you like? Have you truthfully given yourself the chance to try a large sampling of all the beers that exist on the market? You won’t know what you really like until you try something different and can compare each of those beers to each other. Only then can you start to explore the complex flavors that some of these craft beers offer.

There is so much diversity in beer these days. It can be quite exciting to sample new beers because you never know when you are going to come across a completely new style of beer that rocks your world. The mass produced beer companies are banking on the fact that people are very habitual creatures who stick to daily routines without much variation or experimentation. It’s as if they are encouraging their customers to not evolve and to not step out of their comfort zone. While most humans do find comfort in familiarity and are resistant to change, humans are not robots! Humans need variety to keep things interesting and to spice up their life. That is the main reason that craft brewers are challenging themselves to come up with new and exciting flavors and styles on a daily basis. Believe me it’s not for the money! Dogfish Head (shown below) only makes up 0.0002% of the market share for beer. The owner revealed that he is 9 million dollars in debt and is constantly taking risks with his family’s savings and had to put up their family home as collateral on a bank loan just so he can follow his dream. And his small brewery is one of the success stories. They do it because they love making good beer and it’s their life’s passion. Essentially, they believe in what they do.

These days companies have gone beyond commercial ads, and they are sponsoring sporting events such as the Olympics, the super bowl and even political debates. They also get around the fact that most Americans fast forward through commercials on their DVRs by product placement. Products are now featured within tv shows and films as if your favorite characters are endorsing those specific products. Who wouldn’t want to eat the exact same cereal as Michael Phelps or drive the same car as Tom Cruise in a movie like Mission Impossible?

Beer Wars makes you think. It causes you to analyze what is really driving your impulses in the checkout line. Baron stated, “I made this film because I wanted to get it out to as many people as possible. I want people to think about the everyday choices that they make. And to let them know that they do have power — it’s called the almighty dollar. I never expected to lure Bud, Miller or Coors drinkers away from their favorite cold one but I did hope that craft beer drinkers would help spread the bigger message of the film. And I still believe that will happen if we focus on the big picture.”

Luckily, craft brewers and home brewing are growing, despite the efforts of Big Beer to demolish the little guys. It may be a slow gradual increase, but it all depends on what the consumers find valuable and how the consumers choose to show their support. If consumers choose to drink locally and support those small businesses then there is a chance to make a lasting impact in this industry.

Baron’s film follows her as she visits smaller breweries such as Yuengling and Dogfish Head who have found a way to be successful and that have challenged the big 3 for part of the market share. As she follows each of these small brewers you get a sense of their soul and their life’s passion. It’s stories like these that are heart warming and inspirational and that create loyal fans that are willing to throw their support behind a product that they really believe in. Baron even follows Rhonda Kallman who first had the idea for a caffeinated beer before Anheuser Busch stole her idea and marketed their own version of a caffeinated beer. This film chronicles her struggles to break into the beer market and land accounts for Moonshot, the first caffeinated beer.

I encourage every individual to watch this independent film as it is a very enlightening and eye opening feature. You will never look at beer the same way again. I used to be an avid Bud Light drinker for many, many years starting in college as a poor struggling student; so I, myself, have given who knows how much of my own money to Anheuser Busch without ever questioning why I chose that beer. It was cheap and accessible, which are the main draws when you are on a very low budget. However, a year ago my husband and I started frequently tasting and sampling beers at local establishments and through a bar called the Flying Saucer. This has opened up a whole new world for us. We have sampled at least 100 new beers in that time if not more. Once you begin to explore new flavors through beer you just can’t go back to the light, plain lagers. I just can’t stomach Bud Light now that my palate has started to evolve. It’s as if I had never really tasted true beer before I decided to branch out and explore new and diverse flavors.

Of course, the next step for a serious beer lover is to start brewing your own beer, and that is an endeavor that my husband and I have embarked upon just recently. It’s the ultimate way to gain control over the beer you drink. With home brewing, there are no ads to dictate what you should drink; no distribution laws to limit access; certainly no restrictions on what flavors and spices you choose to include in your own unique brew; and no restrictions regarding the percent of alcohol that you brew since it’s for home use only. Home brewing seems to be the new revolution in beer. Home brewers are even forming their own home brewer associations to share their recipes, their unique brews and their personal brewing experiences with other brewers.

It’s obvious that individuals are in search of more flavor in many aspects of their life and beer is no exception. Beer Wars highlights that sales in the beer industry are revealing that domestic, mass produced beer is on the decline and craft beer is on the rise. This is a very gradual change, but there is a definite shift occurring in the industry. Microbreweries are opening up every month and that is something that could really change the beer industry one brew and one customer at a time.

Baron’s film chronicles how big corporations like Anheuser Busch stoop to stealing ideas from small brewers in order to take over every niche in the beer world. For them it seems to not be about making good beer, it seems to be about how to squash all threats to their profit margins. They use money to cutoff avenues for small brewers to grow as a business, to distribute their product and to market and advertise. Luckily, social media is an avenue that can’t be controlled by power or money. Baron highlights the fact that everyone has a voice on the internet. This is enabling small brewers the opportunity to reach new customers without the interference from the big beer conglomerates. The smaller breweries are masters at establishing close relationships with their customers and creating very loyal fan bases. This is something that does not occur with the mass produced beers. For small brewers, their drive is based on a labor of love more than money. Sam Calagione points out that the big companies “can talk at the consumer but not with the consumer.” In one scene of the film, Calagione is being interviewed on site at Dogfish Head Brewery, and he spontaneously takes a call in the middle of the interview from a consumer who just decided to call the toll free number on the 6 pack to say how much she loved the beer. He took the time to talk to this consumer and even gave out his email for her to communicate further with him. He remarks that every day they come in to the office to find 7 or 8 messages from customers just calling to commend them on their unique brews. It’s the little gestures like these that really distinguish the small breweries from the giants.

It’s disturbing to see how many smaller beer companies that Anheuser Busch has taken over in the past few years increasing from 26 brands to 80 brands by the date of the film in 2009. It’s becoming harder and harder to spot the obvious Anheuser Busch products as they have taken over brands like Bass, Hoegaarden, Rolling Rock, etc. A sampling of their products are shown above. And as Baron shows in the film Anheuser Busch creates company names like Green Valley Brewing to promote organic brews to appeal to the environmentalists and to appear to be a grass roots small business when in fact the product is made at the Anheuser Busch plant in California. It’s actions like these that should raise red flags with consumers as to what are the real intentions of this company. The film also shows outrageous moves by AB to sue fellow competitors like Dogfish Head for the use of the words “punkin” and “chickory” in their brew names. Sam Calagione, owner of Dogfish Head, remarks that the lawsuits are geared towards the terms being too generic on Dogfish Head’s part as he points out the absurdity of this coming from a company that sells a beer called Natural Light. Could it get more generic than that? Calagione finds the suits ridiculous and power driven. He knows these lawsuits are for the sole purpose of causing the smaller companies to pay out majorly through lawyer fees. It’s a real low blow and is not what healthy competition is supposed to be about. If you have spent any time around any craft brewers you know how much they all support the growth of other craft breweries, as this promotes more diversity for all consumers and pushes each brewer to continue to challenge themselves to create more creative concoctions. There is a real comradery among craft brewers and that seems to fuel the creative process as well. In that scenario everyone wins.

Beer Wars also describes distribution laws such as the three tiered system which is making it much harder for the small players to break into the beer market. These laws restrict brewers from distributing their own beer to retailers in most states. It requires a third party distributor to be involved which is easily controlled by the money of the heavy hitters (Anheuser Busch, Coors and Miller) in the beer world. It is very easy for these companies to shut out the smaller brewers by controlling the distributors. This also is a challenge for the beer consumers as their access to their preferred beer is restricted; so the consumers and small brewers are missing out due to this archaic and unfair system. This calls for a necessary change in this distribution system to make it a more even and fair playing field. It seems to make more sense to just let the beer speak for itself instead of money and power influencing the consumer’s decisions and opinions about what they drink or choose to drink. If the beer is good enough it will sell itself. One consumer in the film stated, “They (Anheuser Busch) have to shell out major bucks to sell beer that tastes that bad.”

If this topic is one that interests you or motivates you, please help spread the word about this small independent film. Educating others about the internal workings of the beer industry could in fact produce more change in the industry itself as each consumer becomes more informed about how their choices are being influenced on a daily basis on a subconscious level that they may not ever think about. More informed choices can lead to a better quality of life as each individual takes personal control of each decision they make. Put the power back in the hands of the consumer!

Ways you could help – if you have a local brewery in your area, try out their unique brews. If you have a local bar that offers a wide variety of craft beers, try a sampler or flight of beers you have never tried before. If you like what you taste, spread the word about that positive experience with friends or on social networking sites. The key is to throw your support behind what you value! For instance, as I am writing this film review about beer, I am drinking Copperhead Red Ale from my local brewery in Memphis TN called Ghost River. So far today I have tweeted and included this beer selection in my facebook status to show my support of this fantastic brewery. Yesterday, I toured Ghost River after being on a waiting list of 4 months, and we sampled 3 of their most famous beers, learned about their history and brewing process and bought growlers to go. Afterwards, we chose to eat and drink at the owner’s brewpub in Memphis called Boscos where we got samplers of all 8 unique beers brewed all on site and continued to drink our favorites there all night. It made for a wonderful outing, and we felt good about supporting a local business. It’s that easy and simple.

Now, if you are true fans of any of the top beer companies, that is fine too. Just make sure to take a minute and ask yourself why you like that brand, why you chose that brand in the first place and maybe even challenge yourself to do some sampling to compare your favorite beers to some of the lesser known, more experimental brands to see how they stack up. You might be surprised at what you find. Worst case scenario is that maybe you try some beers that you decide you don’t really like and you are out a few bucks for the night. Best case scenario could be that you find a new favorite that blows your mind. Bottom line is to start to question what really drives your choices when choosing a brew and to put yourself in the driver’s seat when making a purchase instead of falling prey to some of the world’s best marketing schemes.

“Life’s too short to drink light beer” ~ Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head

If you want to view this film here are several ways to order or view Beer Wars:

In the U.S., Beer Wars is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Bresnan, Verizon FiOS, AT & T U-Verse, Dish Network and DirecTV. It is also available for download on iTunes, Amazon Video On Demand, Xbox 360 and PS3.

In Canada, the film is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Rogers Cable, Cogeco, Videotron, Sasktel and Shaw.

The film will also be available through Netflix either through streaming or DVD. And you’ll be able to buy the DVD from Amazon.

If you live outside the US, you can buy the DVD on this link below
http://beerwarsmovie.com/shop/

All of this information on ways to order Beer Wars was taken from the website
http://beerwarsmovie.com/tag/dvd/

Anat Baron shown below, filmaker

4 stars - Eyeopening, enlightening and infuriating at the same time. You will never look at beer the same way again.

The King's Speech

2012-06-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

The King’s Speech Review

“A Voice Within”

Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

The King’s Speech is a winner in all aspects. It is easy to see why this film won audiences over and took home the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Actor in a year that was filled with many exceptional films. First off, I appreciated the slow pace so that the story could fully unfold. So many movies seem to rush the pace out of fear of losing the audience's attention, which I call the ADHD effect since we are certainly living in an age of immediate gratification. Before I saw the film I imagined that at times it would drag on given the nature of the film but was pleasantly surprised that it moved along quite nicely and it held my attention which I feel is due to the compelling performances by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. They truly carry this film and it is impossible to take your eyes off them.

Colin plays Albert “Bertie” (George the VI) the Duke of York who finds himself in the position of inheriting the throne which comes with an added role of many public speaking engagements that he finds terrifying. Geoffrey Rush portrays the speech therapist, Lionel Logue, whom the Duke’s wife solicits help from in order to treat Albert’s speech impediment.

From the first scene it was clear that Colin Firth was the right man for this demanding role. Watching him stumble over his words during his first speech as the Duke of York was uncomfortable and hard to watch, and it became clear that Firth totally embodied this character. Colin’s physical movements that he incorporated into this character portrayal were astounding. Firth turned in a remarkable and unforgettable performance. He is emerging as a dramatic leading man and will most likely be nominated again for another academy award considering his consistent performances and choices of challenging roles. This was his second nomination after his haunting portrayal of a grieving homosexual who lost his lover in A Single Man last year. He is certainly one to watch for greatness in the years to come.

I was quite surprised by the humor of The King’s Speech. I had envisioned this as a serious film, but Firth and Rush both have impeccable comic timing and the two played off each other perfectly. The chemistry between the two was crucial for this film to work since the bond that was created between these two real life characters over the years of working together was the focal point of this story.

For me, one of the most fascinating aspects was the relationship between therapist and patient. The way Logue doesn’t back down from The Duke of York was bold on his part but necessary for the treatment process. His insistence on equality – “My castle my rules!” sets the tone early for a struggle over the power considering that Albert is the Duke and future King at the time that they meet and he is accustomed to special treatment and deference. New boundaries and social roles have to be established at the beginning of their relationship in order for them to move forward and make progress in Albert’s speech therapy.

What the film does quite nicely is highlight the vulnerabilities and flaws of even those who hold the greatest power in the world. It reminds us that plight does not target just the poor or middle class. In fact, if those flaws in the royal family are discovered it could be devastating to their public persona and could have disastrous effects on the way the country is run. Thus, we can feel the pressure mounting as his responsibilities increase. Logue observes this as well and tries to convince Bertie that he shouldn’t be overcome by his fears and that it is only his fear and not his actual disability that is holding him back. Stuttering can be exacerbated by stress as depicted well in this picture. You can see the weight of the burden that Bertie carries on his shoulders – the weight of a country. His fear is that he will disappoint his entire country and the memory of his father King George the 5^th. At times he feels as if his impediment is so severe that it will impair his ability to serve as King and his suffering builds tension to the plot as well as garner sympathy from the audience.

Bertie is known for his temper and the intensity shown during his frequent outbursts were enjoyable to watch as that seemed to be the only times when he really let go and allowed the true Bertie to show through. In those times his stammer was less noticeable and you can see the changes in his posture and body language as he feels free from some of that pressure that normally bogs him down. What Colin does so well is convey the sense of sadness that Bertie feels under the surface when facing his failure head on without a way out of the spotlight. Also the lack of self confidence is always apparent through his eyes especially in those interactions with his older brother who bullies him even through adulthood. When feeling low, he almost appears to shrink in stature as if withdrawing inward. Logue seems to be the only one to connect with him and draw him out of that inward retreat. Most of those scenes where he seems to disappear I noticed that the camera held him in either the right or just the left corner of the film and not centered. This technique seemed to help reduce his size to emphasize his vulnerability and meekness, which really added to our understanding of his self perception. In those instances his presence resembled that of a child. Not a small feat for Colin who has a rather large stature himself.

Bertie makes it clear at the beginning of treatment that he doesn’t want to explore the cause of his stammer and instructs Logue not to ask personal questions about his life or his upbringing. As I psychologist I understand the importance of self discovery and connecting the pieces to identify the origin of the presenting complaint. However, it is not uncommon for therapy clients to have a fear of facing the actual cause of their malady. Part of it is a defense mechanism that has protected them from this knowledge for years and it unfortunately plays a part in continuing the cycle of the problematic behavior. Another part is fear of facing the insight. Remaining in denial is a more comfortable and safe way to exist. Despite Bertie’s resistance, Logue instinctively searches for the root cause and presses further and further into Bertie’s family history to gain insight into what fuels his speech impediment. At first Bertie agrees to attend sessions if they only address the mechanics of his disorder, but over time Logue breaks through Bertie’s guard and progress is made. One of the most memorable lines from Logue that sticks with me is “You don’t need to be afraid of the things you were afraid of when you were five.” He is conveying to Bertie that it is no longer necessary to hold on to that fear and let it control him. It is safe for him to embrace his true self. This was a turning point in Albert’s success. It allowed him to let go of the fear from childhood and the ridicule from the teasing and step into a new phase of his life where he reclaimed his birthright and his place in the world. It was his ability to accept himself (flaws and all) that released him from his internal torture and allowed him to come into his own.

For me, some of the most interesting scenes were those that depicted the rather strange techniques used as interventions for stammering, some of which were quite humorous. The scenes with Bertie and Logue in his speech therapy sessions gave the film it’s heart. The friendship and bond that was developed through years of working together was the thread that holds this story’s appeal.

Bertie dubs himself as the “Voiceless King,” but Logue believes in him and helps him find his voice along the way. At times Logue acts as a coach giving a pep talk to build Albert’s confidence stating, “You are your own man; have faith in your voice.” When Albert finally finds his voice, he is fully able to step into the role as leader for his country. This personal growth is due to the bond with Logue and was heart warming to watch.

Everything about this film is spot on. The drab colors and rainy atmosphere convey the feel of an old English setting. The music builds tension and interest as the plot develops. Each of the characters is cast perfectly and come together as a cohesive unit. What I do find ironic is that Helena Bonham Carter was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal as the King’s wife which is a rather subtle and normal role for her. I wish she would receive more recognition for her truly challenging roles where she taps in to a level of insanity that I feel no other actress has the acting chops to pull off. Roles such as Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Red Queen in Alice and Wonderland are more complex and teetering on the edge of complete madness, yet she isn’t given acclaim for those characters. There is something a little off to me in that equation. I feel she is always stellar and she added a bit of humor and pretentiousness needed for her portrayal of the Queen here. The King’s Speech ensemble was exceptional and it was nice to learn that they were all “chummy” on the set as well as off the set.

The use of the actual speeches from the 1930’s adds to the historic credibility and conjures up images of families huddled around their radios hanging on every word of these accounts of war and “dark times.”

No doubt you will feel knots in your stomach as he is taking the long walk to his final speech knowing the obstacle that he faces. It takes a courageous man to stand up to his fear and you feel the pangs of anxiety surrounding this momentous event. Eleanor Roosevelt hit on this same point when she said "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face... The danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it... You must make yourself succeed every time. You must do the thing you think you cannot do." And this is exactly what Albert does in the last scene of the film. The comparison from his first speech to his last in the film is remarkable and inspiring.

Hopefully this film opens up tolerance of disabilities of all kinds. Often the result of impairment is shame, but it doesn’t have to be. It is the perseverance over these obstacles that builds character and strength. If we learn to embrace those struggles and not feel defeated then more of us will model the acceptance of these flaws to the world and reduce the shame that is associated with such disadvantages.

This is a must see film and it is one that they should show in acting classes around the country based on Firth’s first class performance.

Best film of the year, Extraordinary peformances by Firth and Rush, Compelling, and Triumphant!

5 out of 5 stars

Rock of Ages is a Rockin Good time

2012-06-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Heather Hardison, PhD.

Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx

Rock of Ages is definitely my summer guilty pleasure!! Most of my childhood and adolescent memories are tied to rock songs from the classic hair bands Warrant, Skid Row, Poison, Bon Jovi, Guns and Roses and my favorite Def Leppard! I have been dying to see the Broadway version of Rock of Ages starring Constantine Maroulis ever since he opened the show on Broadway. I was very disappointed when it was announced that he wouldn’t star in the film version of Rock of Ages as the young hopeful rocker, Drew, but Shankman felt he was too old at 36 to play someone in their early 20’s. Maroulis was nominated for a Tony in 2009 for Best Performance for a Leading Actor in a Musical for originating the role of Drew and has garnered much praise for his killer rock voice. He even found love with his on stage love interest, Angel Reed, who played Sherri in the Broadway version of ROA. For Constantine lovers, you will be happy to spot the original rocker in a 10 second cameo as a record executive. It’s short so you have to pay close attention.

Diego Boneta as Drew in the Film Version of ROA

Julianne Hough as Sherri

I had never heard of Diego Boneta before this film, but he delivered a solid performance and rocked the stage when covering Twisted Sister’s “I wanna rock” after channeling his inner angst due to a broken heart; so his cool points shot way up after that killer performance. Julianne Hough gives another strong musical performance and comes across as the naïve but sassy small town girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma wanting to make it big in Hollywood. As Sherri, she is fun, energetic and tough, and Boneta and Hough have great chemistry together.

Tom Cruise seemed to be an odd choice to me from the beginning. I wasn’t sure if he could sing, but he sounded pretty good even if it was auto-tuned much of the time. He was able to transform himself into the role of a narcissistic, strung out rock god. It was uncomfortable to watch his scenes at times because this role is not typical for Cruise as he usually chooses characters that aren’t as overtly sexual.

He was over the top in this film right down to the tattooed revolvers pointing at his crotch and assless chaps in his first on screen appearance, which was a lot to take in so early into the film. Cruise fully committed to this role and stayed in character the whole time. It was interesting to watch Stacee’s transformation from being in denial about the extent of his flailing career and disconnection with his true self into a clearer, more focused and fulfilled musician, which became possible through the love he found with reporter Constance Sack.

Stacee Jaxx reminded me a lot of Frank T. J. Mackey, Cruise’s role in Magnolia in 1999 (shown here). Cruise won the much deserved Golden Globe that year and was also nominated for the Academy Award for his intense and riveting performance of the male chauvinist motivational speaker. Both were narcissists being interviewed by a bold reporter trying to ruffle a few feathers to expose the true person underneath the arrogant façade put on as a front to the rest of the world. Cruise was more believable in Magnolia than in ROA. He seems to be overacting in his later roles compared to his earlier work. His performances were so effortless in Top Gun, A Few Good Men and the first Mission Impossible, but as he ages his performances are more forced, which makes it more uncomfortable to watch. Some reviewers are stating that this role was his best, but there have been so many other films where his charm and magnetism was more electric.

We learn very quickly that Jaxx is a narcissistic, sexually addicted, alcoholic on the search for the perfect woman to love and the perfect song that will make his whole world fall in line. He is challenged in an interview by Constance Sack who wants to dig deeper to get Stacee’s attention to wake him up from the alcoholic haze that his manager keeps him in so that he can continue to control his every move.

Underneath narcissism there is a deep rooted insecurity that is hidden so that others can’t see that vulnerability. They often feel too vulnerable and exposed once others know it’s all an act. They are invested in keeping up appearances at all costs; so it’s a life long act, and they often lose themselves along the way. Once pushed too many times by Sack in the interview, Jaxx reveals to Constance that he has become a slave to rock n roll in order to give the people what they want and to sell records. He covers up that pain and disappointment with booze,and it isn’t until Constance comes along that he dares to reveal any of his true feelings about his rock star status and what his true desires are. Stacee’s narcissistic characteristics are present most of the film until he miraculously transforms at the end of the film once he finds true love. Narcissism isn’t cured so easily in real life, as it is a personality disorder that is usually present for life. However, this is a fictitious story about a rock star; so we shouldn’t expect them to understand the pattern of such pervasive psychological disorders.

It seemed throughout the film that Cruise was often poking fun at his own level of fame. Women throw themselves at Stacee’s feet and faint in his presence. No doubt that Cruise has experienced some similar encounters given his own star power and he probably finds it pretty absurd.

For the most part, the critics seem to be beating up on Rock of Ages. This film was never meant to be a masterpiece or an Academy award winning film. It’s meant to be “nothing but a good time.” It’s supposed to be cheesy folks! Just sit back and enjoy the music and sing along to those rock anthems that you know you had in your tape deck back when MTV debuted in the early 80’s. I say give in to your inner rocker and rock out to this fun, entertaining flick.

Talk about a great supportive cast! Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin have wildly funny chemistry as two “has beens” still stuck in the bar scene after many years of partying a little too hard.

Russell Brand stole every one of the scenes he was in. He proves once again that he has perfect comedic timing. I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have cast Russell Brand as Stacee Jaxx. He seems much more capable to truly tap into that rocker mentality as he did as the vulgar rocker in Get Him to the Greek. He is no stranger to alcoholic benders and the rocky (pun intended) road to addiction. His experience in that regard could certainly come in handy for a role such as Jaxx. It would be interesting to learn who else Shankman considered for Stacee’s role as well as Drew’s character.

Paul Giamatti is great as the douche bag, money hungry manager for Jaxx. His massive brick cell phone always got big laughs from the audience. I’ve never seen a movie where Paul didn’t deliver. I am usually a huge fan of Catherine Zeta-Jones, especially her undeniably impressive performance in Chicago as Velma Kelly. However, in this flick she didn’t have that same charisma playing the mayor’s wife, Patricia Whitmore, hellbent on shutting down the Bourbon Room and stamping out Jaxx’s hedonistic ways.

I don’t want to give away the funniest spoiler of the movie. Let’s just say that the “Can’t fight this feeling” number was the best scene hands down. The audience was in an uproar over this. I can’t get it out of my head. Genius!

The storyline for this film was weak throughout, but there are some features that kept it funny enough to be entertaining in addition to the 80’s tunes that drew us to this film in the first place. Most of the entertaining moments include Cruise’s entire wardrobe or lack there of. I don’t know how they convinced him to wear assless chaps but somehow it happened. Cruise is covered in tattoos, black nail polish, eye liner and various metal crotch adornments, all of which are very disturbing compared to his usual clean cut all American look. Stacee’s sidekick monkey, Hey Man, provided many laughs throughout and added to Stacee’s eccentricity as an oddball rocker similar to Steven Tyler or Michael Jackson. Stacee’s meaningless rants are as hysterical as they are bizarre. Things got really weird during an exchange between Cruise and Baldwin when Jaxx was explaining that they would need to burn down the Bourbon Room after his performance; so they could set the fire bird free. Bizarre!! And Alec Baldwin crowd surfing was a nice touch along with his thick 80’s wig proving once again that Baldwin knows how to pull off comedy as he does so effortlessly every week on 30 Rock.

Much of the set and props are there to make us nostalgic for those 80’s fads and stylish trends that hopefully won’t ever make their way back to mainstream fashion. Let’s face it we don’t need any more legwarmers, sky high bangs, or massive wire/sequin hairbows. The scene from Tower Records took us on a walk down memory lane as we all spent most of our adolescence searching for new albums in a record store that resembled Tower Records. Seeing all the old album covers from the popular bands of the 80’s was a very nice touch as well as the references to the boy bands that popped up in the late 80’s. Was Drew’s pop group a jab at New Kids on the Block? I think so! With members named Joey and Donnie that seemed to be a direct comparison but those outfits were hideous! The 80’s hair seemed to be a character itself – the bigger and stiffer the hair the better right? There is no telling how much hair spray was used on this movie set.

If you are a fan of 80’s music you will be tapping your feet and pounding your fist in the air. It’s hard not to sing along to Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock,” and Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” This soundtrack will be killer! Speaking of rockers, there are tons of cameos in this film. During the street scene for “We Built This City” you can spot Debbie Gibson, Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach and Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon.

Even though the title Rock of Ages comes from a Def leppard song, the band never gave the Broadway show permission to use their song in the play. However, for the movie they signed over the rights, and “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is given plenty of attention as Jaxx belts out the song at the Bourbon. I’m sure the movie is quite different from the Broadway version. I need to see the musical to be able to make a direct comparison, but from the reviews I’ve heard of the show it certainly sounds like the Broadway version delivers on a whole other level.

So if Hollywood can make a film version of Rock of Ages, how long do we have to wait for Wicked – The Movie?

3.5 stars – A whole lotta fun, Energetic, and a Rockin goodtime!

Men In Black 3 Viewing at the VIP Theatre at the Mall of America

2012-06-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently took a trip to the Mall of America in Bloomington Minnesota at the end of May. There is so much to see and do in this 520 store mall. Being the movie buffs that we are we couldn’t pass up the chance to try out the MOA’s VIP theatre. They have 14 screens but one is designated as VIP - 160 seat theater devoted to adults ages 21 and up, which is made to suit us perfectly. For $2 extra you gain admittance into this theater and have a waitress who brings you wine, beer, popcorn/snacks as you request it throughout the movie. You can’t beat that plus we went during happy hour!! Needless to say we kept our drinks full through the entire showing. The seats are plush and large with ample leg room, which is a vast improvement over any theater I’ve been to with cramped seating and people tripping over each other to get to their seats. There are small tables in front of your seats to hold your snacks and drinks.

We enjoyed watching Men In Black 3 as we were treated to this VIP treatment and practically had the theater to ourselves with just a few other couples. I could get used to this type of theater treatment, and I will certainly be contacting my local theater to suggest a similar setup for ages 21 and up. It certainly would entice us to have a few more movie date nights out, if we were assured that there wouldn’t be kids and teens talking through the entire movie.

We built our own home theater (shown above); so it takes a lot to lure us out of our quiet, cozy, theater, especially when ticket prices are close to $10 and rising. There just isn’t any advantage to going out rather than staying in. The only drawback is that we have to wait several months for movies to release on DVD, and a few times a year that is enough to draw us out for special features like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Avengers, etc. Most of the time it really pays off to wait and screen the films in our own home. It’s quiet with no kids or teens giggling or talking through the film. We can pause the film if we need a restroom break or want to grab a snack downstairs. We have a fridge in the theater with cold water and beer; so we always have drinks on hand. There is no wait, unlike at the movies where you waste time driving to the theater, buying the tickets, finding seats and waiting through those god awful trivia questions and theater ads. The movies never even start on time anymore, and there are usually 5 previews to watch until the feature starts. You could easily waste an hour to an hour and a half with all these delays and inconveniences. Plus, you have to shell out major bucks for tickets and any refreshments if you are suckered in to paying for the outrageously overpriced drinks and candy items at the concession stand, which we refuse to do. Plus, did I mention how much more comfortable our reclining theater seats are compared to the crummy, creaking public theater seats that probably have headlice crawling all over them. No thanks! I’d rather watch from the comfort of my own theater and get a front row seat to my 100 inch screen and surround sound any day!

I digress - Back to the MOA VIP theater. If you have to go out to see a movie, this is the way to do it. They have a Star Bar (shown above) with happy hour specials before and after movies, and the VIP section has it’s own bar and concession stand with no lines, and if you want to order during the movie you just raise your hand and you are promptly waited on without leaving your seat. They are extremely accommodating and are invested in creating an experience that you want to repeat over and over again. It worked like clockwork when we attended, but that was with a pretty empty theater. I believe there may have only been 6-8 people there including myself and my husband; so I wonder how this service would work with a full house. It might be more difficult for the servers to wait on 160 people at once. And I imagine it would get pretty distracting with the wait staff walking back and forth with drinks and collecting payment for each item.

We tried out the new D-Box seats right outside the theater lobby. D-Box is the new theater experience with specialized seating programmed for each movie in order to create a full body theater experience. The seats move with the action, shake during explosions and have surround sound speakers attached to the individual seats. They were previewing the new Snow White and the Huntsman in the D Box seats, and you could hear the arrows whizzing by your head as they flew through the air. The seats tilt up and around to mimic the action in the movie scenes, which was reminiscent of the 4D theaters at Disney and Universal. At the Mall of America this experience costs an extra $8 on top of the normal ticket price so that is quite steep, especially if you are also adding in a 3D charge. Within one of the MOA 200 seat 3-D theatres there is a section of 30 reserved D-Box seats (shown above) with the full range motion available that brings the movie to life for audience members. It was cool to test them out; however, we weren't feeling in the mood to spend that much on a single movie. We were lucky enough to score free VIP movie tickets; so we didn’t even pay the $24 normal ticket prices which made this VIP experience even more enjoyable! We were even treated to a free drink at Crave (upscale MOA restaurant) with our VIP wrist bands; so we were happy with the overall experience. Plus our feet needed the 2 hour rest during the movie from all the walking we did during our 2 day mall experience. If you are interested in seeing what D-Box is all about, I included a short video at the end of this blog to show what you can expect from the D-Box experience.

As far as the review of Men In Black 3, I will say that I wasn’t impressed. I loved the first 2 installments of MIB as Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones have great chemistry. I remember watching the first Men in Black in 1997 and thinking how funny and fresh this concept was. I didn’t think there was a need for a third one, but Hollywood will beat any franchise to death, if they think they can squeeze another nickel out of it without having to spend time creating a new idea. IMDB has already announced Hancock 2, Bad Boys 3 and I-Robot 2. Apparently Will Smith won't do a movie these days unless it's an undeserved sequel. I can't imagine any of those films improving on the original.

The smartest idea they had was to change things up to where they introduced a new character by way of Tommy Lee Jones’ younger self, which Will Smith visits in the past. Josh Brolin was the best aspect of this installment. His impression of Jones was spot on and hysterical. He got the most laughs by far. Will Smith seemed lazy and just worn out in this film. You can tell how much he has aged between MIB 2 and MIB 3. He usually has tons of energy and quick whips to throw back at his co-stars, but it felt like Brolin carried the weight of this entire film. Jones was in such a small part of the film and his absence was really noticeable.

The addition of Emma Thompson as Agent O wasn’t enough to make up for Zed’s absence either. It seems as if this franchise has lost it’s sizzle. There were some very funny scenes in this film, but they seemed few and far between. I don't imagine I would watch this one again. The supporting cast of Alice Eve as a young Agent O and Jemaine Clement as Boris the Animal brought new energy to the film, but even that fell flat after awhile.

2.5 stars - Brolin was a hit but everything else was forgettable; Doesn’t match the first 2 installments

More information about the VIP Theatres in the Mall of America

Link to the MOA VIP Theatre

http://www.theatresmoa.com/vip/

Happy Hour Menu at Mall of America Theaters

Daily Happy Hour 4-6 and 9-11 $3 Domestic Beer (Tap and Bottle) and $4 House Wines

I can recommend the Manyana Garnacha – very flavorful and sweet

http://www.theatresmoa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2012HappyHour.pdf

Video of D-Box Debut at MOA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6q1rOSgYKM

Melanchoila Film Review

2012-06-21T00:44:00.001-07:00

Melancholia is a Beautiful Disaster

Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

I attended the Memphis Indie Film Festival in November 2011, and one of the most talked about and anticipated films was Melancholia starring Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgard, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Gainsbourg. I was not able to see it at that time since it debuted the day after I attended the festival, but I have been wanting to see it ever since. I found the trailer and poster intriguing, and the idea of witnessing the characters’ reactions to facing the end of the world was compelling to me on a psychological level. Given the film’s storyline, I assumed that I would find it more captivating than I did. I am drawn to films that chronicle the human condition; therefore, this concept seemed very promising initially. I believe the excruciatingly slow pace of the movie killed any excitement I had leading into this viewing. This dramatic sci fi thriller written and directed by Lars von Trier clocks in at a whopping 2 hours and 16 minutes, but it felt like it drug on for 4 hours. This film needed some major attention from the film editor to make the film more tolerable, and I was begging for the movie to come to a close about an hour into it.

The story unfolds too slowly without even a hint or explanation about what is actually occurring in the world or within the character’s minds; so I found myself feeling quite lost throughout the first hour of the film. I did something that I never do, and I cheated by looking up the plot on imdb while watching the film to help give me some idea of what I was watching. I usually like to go into a movie without too much knowledge about what happens and without seeing too many detailed trailers because it ruins the buildup for me, but with this film I just felt like I was missing some important piece to the puzzle right off the bat. There were numerous times throughout Part 1 that I was tempted to abandon the film due to frustration. I was very glad that I was screening this movie in my own theater because I was pretty vocal with my frustration over Part 1. If I had been in a movie theater I would have most likely walked out. From reading other reviews, it appears that many struggled over whether to abandon the film or try to stick it out through those torturous long scenes that didn’t amount to anything; so at least I wasn’t alone in that regard.

The film is presented in two parts. During the first segment we attend the wedding of Justine and Michael (Dunst and Skarsgarrd), and we notice right away that Justine is suffering from some sort of clinical disorder. She leaves the reception multiple times to wander off onto the golf course, to take a nap upstairs, and soak in a bath, all while her wedding guests are waiting on her to return to cut the cake. We are even introduced to her neurotic mother, which gives us an idea of the mental instability that runs in this family. Justine’s mental state starts to decompensate more as the film progresses.

She ends up sleeping with a stranger on the golf course on her wedding night, and her new husband leaves her at the end of the reception stating that “things could have been very different.” In a very cryptic way Justine replies, “Yes, Michael they could have been, What did you expect?” We are not sure what any of this means in relation to the developing story. In fact, there are several unanswered questions that I’m still wondering about. Why did Justine desperately need to talk to her father after the wedding reception and what was the reason for Justine to open all those art books to display them on the shelves in the study? I was sure at the time that this would come up again at the end of the movie and have some symbolic meaning based on the specific images that she chose to display from the books, but I never saw any clues to that hidden meaning.

And why was John repeatedly asking people how many holes they had on their golf course? I think there was a shot at the end where Claire is running on the 19^th hole, which seemed pretty random. I’m still not sure if the beginning sequence really happened or was a premonition that Justine had about what was to come. There were scenes in the beginning where they all wore different clothes from the last scene; so it seems that all of these scenes did not actually take place in reality. Surely all of these small details fit in to the mysterious plot somehow, but I must have missed the significance along the way.

We aren’t let in on the secret of what is really happening until Part 2 of the film, and by then most of the audience has probably either walked out or become so frustrated with the film that there is no way to salvage any interest whatsoever. Mr. von Trier must not buy in to the notion of grabbing the audience’s interest right away to keep them engaged. Normally, I’m ok with a slow beginning, if I know it is going to lead somewhere meaningful, but with this film I had no assurance that would happen; so it felt like it was a huge waste of time.

There were a few features of the film that delivered. Kirsten Dunst’s performance was stellar as the young bride that is battling a severe case of clinical depression that left her lifeless during some intense scenes. The heaviness of these moments was spot on with the depiction of how draining severe clinical depression can be. From the dialogue between Justine and Claire we get the notion that Justine has chronic depression and “makes scenes” during her most severe episodes. Claire reminds Justine on her wedding day that she promised not to make a scene at the wedding reception that Claire worked so hard to arrange, but it appears that their neurotic mother’s dramatic outburst at the dinner table about how she doesn’t even believe in marriage has triggered Justine’s mood to decline rapidly. She regresses the rest of the night into an almost catatonic depressive state by being almost unresponsive during a nap on her nephew’s bed and appearing lifeless in the bath. We are not sure at this time if there is anything specifically depressing or worrying Justine on this day. It may just be that this is a chronic condition, which could be worsened by the added stress of the wedding. We are not aware if she knows about the impending doom that is heading for Earth. The level of depression depicted in this film is so debilitating that Justine’s character would be a good candidate for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). It’s a mystery how she even manages to make it through the day.

In part 2 Justine’s depression worsens, and she comes to stay with her sister, Claire, and her husband, John in a stunning mansion in the countryside. Here, they are isolated from civilization, and they have a front row seat for the looming disaster that will bring about the end of the world. We finally learn that a planet called Melancholia has been hiding behind the Sun, unseen for years, and is suddenly heading for a collision with Earth. The characters in this film only have a few days notice of this doomsday event, and the second part of this film features their reactions to the approaching planet that will bring about the end of their existence and the world around them. Fear takes over, and as the seconds tick down to the collision, Claire loses her composure, and Justine reveals that she “knows things about the world” and has known that this would not end well for quite some time. After this revelation, Justine suddenly appears calmer and more rational than either Claire or John. Claire’s husband, John who assured Claire that it would be a near miss instead of a collision ends up taking the easy way out once he realizes that Melancholia will in fact wipe the Earth out. He disappears and Claire later finds him in the horse stables dead, as he took her sleeping pills to overdose so that he wouldn’t have to endure the catastrophe with the rest of his family.

When Claire finds her deceased husband, she starts to really panic. It appears that part of her is realizing that there may be no hope left, and another part of her desperately tries to run from her fate in a very intense scene where she tries to escape with her son amidst a violent hail storm on the golf course. She finally comes to the realization that nothing can be done and breaks down emotionally. As Claire becomes unable to cope with the magnitude of the situation, Justine puts on a strong face for her nephew, Leo, and attempts to calm his fears by offering to build a magical cave that will "protect" them from harm.

I certainly appreciated the idea of this story, especially given that 2012 is full of many conspiracy theories chocked full of feared cataclysmic events that many fear will bring about destruction of the world. Thus, the concept of the film works for me, but the flaw occurs with the pacing of the film and the extent of the mysterious events that span too much of the film and are never fully explained. If we had been given more information earlier in the film, I think this film could have given us a chance to be captivated by the developing story. Instead, I felt frustrated and bored very early on. Combine that with the frustration of getting nowhere by the halfway mark and that equals a missed opportunity in my eyes. I usually like to watch movies at least twice when reviewing them, but I don’t think I could sit through this movie again unless I skipped those dull, silent moments that are peppered throughout the entirety of the film.

I did appreciate the parallelism of the planet name, Melancholia, and Justine’s depression, which I found very apropos. Although she certainly suffers from a much more intense disorder than benign melancholy, but it was a nice tie in. An interesting development in the story occurred as the planet hurtles towards Earth because the family becomes more detached and distant from each other. In many cases families draw closer together in a time of crisis, but this family descends into a state of heavy despair and is almost ripped apart until the last few minutes of the film when Claire, Justine and Claire’s son, Leo, huddle under their “magic cave” to meet their fate together as a family unit. This movie is very dark and solemn; so there is no happy ending, and there is no last minute miracle to save the world. This film depicts a very hopeless situation where the inhabitants of Earth are under a dire threat with no option to even attempt to save themselves or their world.

This film’s storyline is very similar to a popular doomsday theory of “Planet X” also known as “Nibiru.” Nancy Lieder, claimed in 1995 that she was contacted by extraterrestrial beings about a collision or near miss between Earth and a very large planet. She stated that she was chosen to warn mankind about this disaster that would cause a pole shift on Earth and destroy most of humanity. She first claimed that this would occur in 2003, but changed the details of her story once that date passed. Reputable scientists have debunked this theory and state that there is no such planet in the Milky Way Galaxy that is a threat to Earth. Despite the lack of scientific evidence to support this Planet X theory, many online groups still believe this is a realistic threat. Announcing his company's purchase of the film, the head of Magnolia Pictures said in a press release, "As the 2012 apocalypse is upon us, it is time to prepare for a cinematic last supper." It is clear that companies and the film industry are cashing in on these panic driven theories as we are in the middle of 2012, one of the most controversial years in our human existence due to the many theories related to the end of the Mayan calendar and fear of debilitating solar flares. I predict this won’t be the only disaster film released over the next year.

Along with the strong acting performances, I also give high praise for the imagery in this film. There are several breathtaking scenes that are unique only to a film like this. It’s those moments that stick in your mind days after the film. Specific scenes that still stick out in memory include: the image of our moon and Melancholia lighting up the same sky at night, the collision of the planets at the beginning and end of the film, the opening scenes foreshadowing the chaos to come, and the nighttime scenes where Melancholia is very visible in the night time sky as it approaches closer to Earth.

Among my favorites as well are the scenes where Claire is constantly checking to see if the planet is moving closer or further away using the wire tool that her son made just for this occasion. There is something so very compelling about those scenes. They are wrought with such anticipation as you wait to see whether what she finds brings relief or more panic. As she begins to gasp for air due to the atmospheric changes I, too, felt sympathy pains and felt out of breath along with her. Kudos to von Trier for capturing her panic in a way that transcends the screen and enters into the very room where the audience is watching. This film has a very visceral impact.

Mr. von Trier has stated, “No more happy endings;” so that tells you right away that he isn’t playing around. Also, the opening montage displays the chaos and destruction that you can expect from this film; so you know right away that this story won’t end well. I’m not sure why he chose to show these scenes first as opposed to ending with a bang, but I can tell you that even with those opening scenes showing the collision, you still feel lost when we jump right in to the wedding reception.

You are never sure of the timeline in relation to the wedding date, Melancholia’s approach, and Justine’s stay with her sister. It could be a matter of a few days in between the two stories, or it could be weeks or months. Nothing is discussed in relation to each other. It’s all very vague and mysterious. We aren’t even sure how long they have known about Melancholia’s approach. At one point in Part 2, Claire and John talk about having 5 days until the near miss or collision, but they don’t discuss how long they have known about this event. It’s also not clear if this information was known at Justine’s wedding or not. She seemed to have a lot on her mind at the reception and was feeling the heaviness of something, but the other guests don’t appear to know. Justine does reveal later that she “knows things;” so it is possible that she knew about this outcome before the others, which calls in to question why she would go through with a wedding with the end of the world nearing.

I wouldn’t necessarily classify this film as a disaster film because much of the film is not focused on the actual catastrophe that is brewing. This story seems to be more of a character study of both Claire and Justine. We see how their characters evolve over the course of this event and how their reactions differ from each other. Prior to working on this film, the writer and director reported that he suffered from clinical depression. which is probably why the portrayal of the despair and distress are so accurately captured. As a psychologist, I was very pleased to see that this aspect of the film was covered flawlessly. Kirsten Dunst delivered on her downward spiral into the depths of despair, and Claire’s rapid decompensation at the end as she is losing her grip is to be praised as well.

Part 1 and 2 feel like two separate films. The wedding reception feels more like a wedding video shot by one of the guests; so it feels as though we are in attendance. There is an intimate feel when we are alone in the room with Justine as she takes a nap with her nephew and a bath upstairs while her guests are downstairs enjoying her reception. We feel as if we are spying on very private moments with her when she finally lets down her guard and disrobes from her façade and phony grin which she forced upon herself for the sake of keeping up appearances on what should be the happiest day of her life. Her deep depression starts to become harder to fight and is dragging her down to the point where she can’t be aroused from her nephew’s bed when she is summoned by her brother in law and sister to rejoin the reception as the guests are waiting for her to cut the cake. She has become so weak from the heaviness of the depression that we see her lying lifeless on the bed and later in the tub. Mr. von Trier captured the strain of depression perfectly here, which led me to think that there was hope for the rest of the movie. There were glimpses of brilliance from von Trier, but he wasn’t consistent with these touches throughout, which is a shame.

I did not enjoy the film as a whole due to the pacing issue, but I did enjoy those sparkling moments where everything was aligned. If these moments had been strung together in a different way, then this film most definitely would have been more of a success. This was my first viewing of a Lars von Trier film, which may be the reason that I was caught off guard because I had no idea what to expect. From reading other reviews from both critics and audience members, I now understand that this type of film is his trademark, and his fans probably know what kind of ride they are in for when sitting down to watch a Lars von Trier film. Next time I will be more prepared.

This film is really only targeted for the independent/art film lover. If you don’t enjoy independent films, then I would encourage you to pass on this film. If you are somewhat adventurous when it comes to trying out new genres, then you might want to give it a go, but be prepared for what you are about to see. This is a very slow moving film that will leave you very frustrated at least during the first hour of the film, and it will leave you with a lot of unanswered questions, which can be quite unsatisfying. I would encourage you to go in to it with the goal of admiring the imagery of the film and the performances by Dunst and Gainsbourg. Those are the film’s strongest attributes. Many will be bored to tears, but maybe a few will walk away being moved emotionally and visually impressed. It is a very thought provoking piece of work. You will find yourself wondering how you would face such a catastrophic event and how you would spend you last few days on earth. The music chosen for this film was Wagner from Tristan and Isolde, which is very moving and matched perfectly with the intensity of this film. Some reviewers are stating that this is von Trier’s best work, and if that is so then I’m not looking forward to his other works. I have a feeling that it is all in how you perceive this movie and that everyone will get something different from this film. It is definitely different from other disaster films in that there is no news coverage and no mass hysteria. We only see this one family through Part 2; therefore, it is a very intimate and isolated reaction to the end of the world compared to past high energy, mass chaotic conclusions to disaster flicks.

The only way I could see this film as a success would be to turn it in to a short film lasting 30 minutes and covering the major plot points while cutting out the painfully long silent scenes where nothing significant is taking place. If he included the opening montage with the last few minutes of the film, it would be very powerful and satisfying. There were way too many scenes where one character is lost in thought for several minutes, and no dialogue or notable events take place. Obviously, we all have these mundane moments throughout our day, and it is very realistic to portray scenes that are not action oriented in order to capture the realistic side to our everyday human lives. However, to keep any sort of interest level going, there needs to be some point to this type of scene; otherwise, it needs to be cutout of the film to move things along at a faster pace. There were simply too many of these scenes in one film. It’s a shame that more of the focus was not given to the aspects of the film that shined, such as the actor’s performances and the cinematography, as that could have easily saved this film. With some proper editing this film could be shaped into a much more riveting piece of work.

From a psychological standpoint, I enjoyed the focus on the dysfunctional, broken family and how they interact in the face of this looming tragedy. Much of the family is very unempathetic with Justine’s condition, and it is hard to watch as they are overtly uncaring and dismissive of the depth of her struggles.

2.5 stars – Bizarre but at the same time mesmerizing, Too artsy and slow paced for the mainstream audience

Melancholia Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzD0U841LRM

Opening Sequence to Melancholias

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM6dYVNNg2k

The Avengers Movie Review

2012-05-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

The Avengers Movie Review

Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

6 Super heroes = One Badass SUPER Movie!!

The Avengers flew in and slayed the boxoffice this weekend. It’s not hard to see why this Marvel creation now has the record for the biggest movie opening EVER! With rising ticket prices and the inconvenience of going to a loud, crowded theater, there are very few films that will draw me out of my fabulous home theater into a less comfortable local theater. BUT this movie is definitely the exception as I’ve been waiting to see this film for at least 4 years since Iron Man first flew into my life. With a star studded cast of all of our favorite super heroes and the witty one liners penned by the brilliant Joss Whedon (Writer/Director), it was the perfect combination for everyone, not just geeks and comic book lovers!!

Robert Downey, Jr. got the most laughs and has perfect delivery of quick comebacks and sarcastic jabs at the other heroes. Iron Man just soars above the rest in my opinion. Every time he came on screen the audience seemed to perk up and was more engaged.

Some of the most impressive scenes included those where Tony enters or leaves the Stark tower and his suit magically assembles or detaches from his body as he is moving forward in one seamless motion. The intricate detail that they put into each piece of the moving suit is astounding and mesmerizing. The suit appears as if it is alive. My husband and I just kept shaking our heads at these mind blowing scenes. The formula of RDJ as Iron Man and Joss Whedon behind the camera can't make being a super hero look any cooler than this. Downey just has a magnetism about him that equals box office gold these days. I'm eagerly awaiting Iron Man 3 which is due out in 2013. Here's to hoping that RDJ never takes off the suit! No one else could ever step into those metal boots of his.

The best casting choice was the decision to include Black Widow in this epic flick. A little estrogen was the perfect touch with this testosterone heavy power team. Joss Whedon is a master when it comes to writing for a group of strong characters and especially for strong female leads like Buffy the Vampire Slayer; so he is no stranger to girl power. He has a way of balancing all of the character’s strengths, and he highlighted each in a way that felt unique and powerful. He gave each hero his or her due and explored enough of their back story to make them all interesting and familiar even with Hawkeye and Black Widow who have not had their own Marvel installment. Although after this movie they should seriously think about honoring Black Widow with her very own film.

Scarlett Johansen wove a “web” that could easily spinoff in to her own franchise. She was incredible and held her own with the other heavy hitters on screen. She was the most impressive as a standout star for this adaptation. Her fight scenes were flawless! It was very reminiscent of Buffy scenes except that Whedon has come along way from the old Buffy episodes where he wasn’t hiding the fact that stunt doubles were used in the battle scenes, which is a pet peeve of mine. Here, the fight scenes were stellar, and you had to keep your eyes glued to the screen in hopes of not missing a single second as a lot was going on all at the same time.

One of the opening scenes with Black Widow being summoned by S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) while in the middle of an “interrogation” was priceless. That scene let me know early on that we were in for a wild ride with this film and it didn’t disappoint. Scene after scene and fight after fight led up to one mighty battle in the end. Let's just say that you want Black Widow on your side as she is a serious force to be reckoned with. I'll never see Scarlett again without thinking of her in this role, and I hope that the rumors are true that she will be suiting up once again in Iron Man 3. The banter between her and Stark is always amusing.

I was skeptical about Mark Ruffalo taking over the role of the Hulk, but he was SMASHING! His quiet demeanor as Bruce Banner played to his own strengths as an actor as he adopted a very zen-like approach to this role. But his most exciting scenes came when his overcontrolled anger was finally unleashed with fervor which comes in handy when you are fighting an army of alien villians. As Stark says, “Well, we have a Hulk!” Once Banner transformed into the Hulk, the character just came alive and had the theater in stitches as he tossed aliens aside and even knocked Thor over like a bowling pin. That was a nice touch by Joss! Whedon's sense of humor definitely came across in numerous aspects of this film. His touch is always noticeable. My hope is that he will sign on to continue to work with the Avengers franchise as there will surely be sequels to come.

In this film the Hulk does what he does best which is to smash anything and everything in sight until there is nothing left. Thor tries to ease the Hulk’s rage at one point by asking him to stop and try to think and reason before smashing them all to smithereens. As if that's possible for him to think rationally when in a rage. That’s what makes his character so fun to watch. He’s like an overgrown two year old who has the strength of all the giants in the world. His best line was at the very end when he revealed, “That’s my secret, I’m angry all the time,” and then he morphed into the Hulk in order to take down the biggest alien I’ve ever seen. Ruffalo won me over in the end, and I find him to be the best of the 3 hulks. I was even amazed how much they made the Hulk resemble Ruffalo’s facial features. CGI has really come a long way. Back in the day you didn’t need CGI. All we needed was Lou Ferrigno in a pair of cutoff shorts spray painted from head to toe in green paint. Of course, we didn’t know any better. We thought that was the greatest at the time.

I wasn’t impressed with the individual Captain America film that was released in 2011, but Chris Evans delivered in this installment. He was the voice of reason against Stark’s impulsive and narcissistic nature. “Captain” as they refer to him was the one who held the group together, led with a calm head, and stayed true to the mission even when the villain, Loki, tried to pit the heroes against each other as a distraction. Captain also represents the most appealing aspect of a superhero which is a sense of self sacrifice for humanity. He even chastises Stark for his self involvement and lack of empathy, which plays out in an interesting twist in the end that had me on the edge of my seat.

The chemistry between the heroes took this film to a new level. Stark and Captain butt heads at first as polar opposites but come together when it counts. Stark aligns himself with Bruce early on as he takes it upon himself to try to unleash the impulsive beast who is similar and appealing to him in many ways. Black Widow and Hawkeye share a history related to previous missions with S.H.I.E.L.D. and that connection adds more interest to their particular storylines.

Loki, the supervillian, unknowingly pulls the heroes together by eliminating someone connected to all of the heroes, and this action motivates them to unite to take on the self proclaimed demi-God. Thor’s compassion for his adopted brother, Loki, throws him off course a few times as he tries to give his “brother” every chance to redeem himself and come home to his family. However, the draw to the dark side is too powerful for Loki to resist. His resentment towards Thor is ever present as he grew up in the shadow of his infamous brother.

I felt Thor’s presence in this film was not as powerful as his own installment that was released in 2011, but his fight scene with Captain America and Iron Man in the forest was a stand out moment for him as well as the scene with the Hulk in the airplane after the Hulk had attacked Black Widow. By the way, if you are looking for a drinking game to go along with The Avengers, just take a drink/shot every time someone says “Loki.” You would be plastered a fourth of the way in. I chuckled to myself every time his name was mentioned because it seemed to be in every scene.

Cobie Smulders from How I Met Your Mother was a very surprising choice for Agent Maria Hill as she usually doesn’t play serious or dramatic roles, but she fit right in with the cast. It appears as if they are setting her up to be a major player in later film depictions of the comics where she was a more prominent character. Samuel L. Jackson assembled and led this team of misfits against the dark forces that threatened earth’s safety, and he even got to throw some punches in this one thanks to Whedon.

This is a must see film for anyone who is a movie lover. Another really positive draw for this film is that it was immensely entertaining without any gore and very minimal cursing. I only recall Tony Stark using a curse word once throughout the entire movie which is very rare these days. They didn’t have to stoop to using sex scenes or relying on potty humor. Joss Whedon wrote a masterful screenplay that stands out for its humor and the quality of the writing. If only more films these days would follow the same formula! The Avengers is a very family friendly film for all ages. There will no doubt be a sequel, and hopefully several will follow. With the massive opening they just had, it would be astonishing if there wasn’t a follow up already planned. This super team could rival the XMEN franchise and could really branch out into a new long lived franchise. The Avengers soared to the heavens with a record 207.4 million opening weekend domestically. It superceded even the high expectations that experts had predicted. There seems to be no limit to the success of this film. As word of mouth continues to spread, that number will continue to skyrocket. This Marvel masterpiece smashed the previous record of $169.2 million set by last year's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It lived up to every expectation I had and even exceeded quite a few of my expectations!! I can’t wait to see it again and again.

This film was perfect in everyway. It’s very rare that I don’t have any criticisms but this is one exception! It's definitely the biggest blockbuster of the summer and most likely the biggest of the year. No doubt it will stay atop the record books for many years to come as no movie has ever broken 200 million in one weekend. It grossed over 40 million more than the previous record; so it wasn't even close. If you haven't seen it yet, fly to a theater stat! You won't be disappointed in this film I promise.

5 stars out of 5! Smashing! Amazing! One Super Wild Ride!!!!

Hunger Games Review

2012-04-03T01:00:00.001-07:00

The Hunger Games Left Me Hungry For More

Review by: Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

The Movie Psychoanalyst

I’ve been awaiting this movie release for a year ever since they started filming last spring. I’ve read the first book 3 times this year alone. So I was expecting to be wowed and bowled over by this film. Overall, it was an outstanding and intense movie. It definitely deserves the success it achieved on opening weekend, but I have to admit that I was underwhelmed by a few aspects of this film being that I am such a fan of the books.

The major flaw with this film is the pacing. At first glance, the running time of 2 hours and 22 minutes seems lengthy, but the entire film feels rushed. The first 30 minutes were dizzying from the break neck pace that they showed the scenes from District 12, the reaping, the goodbyes plus the backstory of Katniss, Prim, and Gale. Towards the last half of the film there were several scenes that were glossed over or left out altogether that were vital to the storyline, and the absence of those scenes was felt greatly, namely the cave scenes and intimate discussions between Katniss and Peeta. I feel the filmmakers may regret leaving certain parts out when it is time to film the second and third installment as those scenes were pivotal to Katniss’ character development and to the connection between Katniss and Peeta.

There seems to be pressure to condense a movie to 2-2.5 hours and that restriction is limiting some of our top blockbusters like Harry Potter and Twilight, etc. Fans of the books need to have the story unfold in a similar pace of the books and not feel as if some of the most pivotal scenes are afterthoughts. More time needed to be devoted to the progression of the relationship between Katniss and Peeta as that is a major theme in upcoming installments. The scenes in the cave could have easily been lengthened to show Katniss’ feelings for Peeta beginning to develop.

Internally, in the book we see her conflicted over those feelings and we also see her intentionally playing up their romance to the camera in order to gain sponsor gifts and win over the audience. Peeta is unaware that Katniss is using their romantic interactions to garner favor from Haymitch. When this is revealed to Peeta in the last few pages of the book it is something that causes him to pull back from Katniss and drives a wedge between them. That distance and tension between them is important to the plot of the 2nd book, Catching Fire. Much of this was glossed over in this film. More time devoted to the cave scenes would have also allowed for the chemistry between the two to heighten onscreen as their chemistry in the film wasn’t as electric as it was portrayed in the book, which I think is due to the removal of their most intimate interactions.

Another flaw was the inability of the film to convey much of the internal turmoil that Katniss struggles with in the books. Throughout the story Katniss struggles with her feelings for both Peeta and Gale and is never sure if her feelings are romantic for either. She struggles with the fact that she owes so much to Peeta after he saved her during a very dark time in her past when she and her family would have starved if it were not for the generosity of the “boy with the bread.” He continues to come to her rescue time and time again, and she is unsure how to repay him and at times struggles with whether she can trust him as he is also very charming and knowledgeable about how to subtly manipulate those around him. And with Gale she knows that he has feelings for her, but she isn’t sure how she feels for him as she never really envisions herself in a romantic relationship with anyone given their life circumstances. She notes “Good hunting partners are hard to find,” which shows us that she sees him more as a friend and hunting partner than anything else and probably doesn’t want to jeopardize that close relationship if romantic feelings were to get involved.

One major criticism that has come up in most reviews of this film is the fact that audience members who have not read the book are baffled at the lack of outrage from the main characters and the district members towards the premise of the Hunger Games. This is captured well in the books through conversations between Katniss and Gale and Katniss and Peeta along with their mentor, Haymitch. Their outrage against the brutal nature of this type of “entertainment” is present subtly in the film but is not as apparent as it was in the book, mainly because many of those conversations and most of Katniss’ internal dialogue was cut from the film, which leaves many audience members questioning how a society could stand for such atrocity.

Given that the movie could not explicitly address several key aspects of the characters' motivations and garner insight into the games itself, I have turned back to the book to flesh out the meaning of certain decisions and behaviors that Katniss displays in the film and also to pinpoint specific details about the games themselves. In the book Collins makes it is very clear that the games have been around for 74 years, and the Hunger Games have become a routine part of life. Most citizens of Panem do not condone the games and do not find this violence entertaining in the least. However, the Capitol requires that every household tune in to every minute of the games and they are required to treat it as a celebration no less. There are very dire consequences for those that protest or abstain. The citizens have been programmed to follow a set of rules that they do not respect or believe in; however, they know that in order to stay alive and to protect their families that they must fall in line with the Capitol’s demands out of fear of retaliation.

Katniss is the heroine that comes along in a very unexpected way and provides the citizens of Panem hope that they will finally be able to break free from the Capitol’s hold on them, and she proves that there is a way that the system can be beaten. Katniss does not fear what the Capitol will do to her. However, she does fear for her younger sister, Prim. In fact, she volunteers as the District 12 tribute in place of her sister whom she states is the only person in the world that she is certain she loves. She is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for her sister. When thinking about the violence and absurdity of the games Katniss states, “We have to joke about it because the alternative is to be scared out of your wits.” She also describes the reaction of the citizens as they respond to the results of the reaping in her district, “After the reaping, everyone is supposed to celebrate. And a lot of people do, out of relief that their children have been spared for another year. But at least two families will pull their shutters, lock their doors and try to figure out how they will survive the painful weeks to come.” This is the way of life for the citizens of Panem, but there are a few ways that they quietly oppose the games. During the reaping when Katniss volunteers in Prim’s place, the fellow citizens of District 12 do not clap when tributes are chosen. Instead they hold up 3 fingers in silence to show respect and love and to say thank you and goodbye. Rue’s district does the same when Katniss honors Rue during Rue’s death scene. It is the beginning of the uprising in that district.

When Katniss explains the games in the first few chapters she emphasizes how unfair the reaping system is “with the poor getting the worst of it. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn 12. That year your name is entered once. At 13, twice and so on until you reach 18 when your name goes in the pool 7 times. For the poor and starving you can add your name more times in exchange for tesserae which is year’s supply of grain and oil. By age 16 Katniss has her name entered 20 times and Gale who is 18 entered 42 times.” This type of inequality and injustice breeds hatred between the poor and starving workers of the Seam and those who never go hungry. This action by the Capitol ensures they will never trust each other and minimizes the chances of an uprising. The creation of the Hunger Games is punishment for the previous uprising against the capitol and as a result now each of the 12 districts must provide 1 girl and 1 boy to participate in this grueling process that is displayed on televisions around the nation. The 24 tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor area and over a period of several weeks the competitors must fight to the death leaving 1 tribute as the victor who gets to live the rest of their life in riches. Forcing them to kill one another while the rest watch is the Capitol’s way of reminding them how the Capitol has total control. “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District 13.”

Katniss is a very complex character and much of her emotion is kept under the surface so that no one can see her vulnerability. Without reading the book her character is hard to grasp. Much of her narration in the series gives us insight into her actions and her choices. She comes off as guarded, stoic and unloving on the outside, but I would argue that she has much more depth once you peel back the layers. She loves her sister so much so that she would sacrifice herself to take her sister’s place in the games. She is willing to die at the conclusion of the games and let Peeta win because she can’t fathom taking his life or allowing him to take his own when the gamemakers announce that there can only be one winner. She forms a bond with a fellow tribute, Rue, who reminds her of her younger sister and then she takes her under her wing in the games and looks after her until her unfortunate death. In the 2^nd and 3^rd books of the series Katniss is willing to go to great lengths to save others, to free the members of all 12 districts and she is willing to be the symbol of hope and freedom for all of Panem when she becomes the Mockingjay.

Some readers stated that they found Katniss too cold and uncaring to relate to as a person; however, as a psychologist I feel that she is guarded and distant for a very specific reason that is very natural. Katniss has grown up in a world that offers no solace and no peace. After her father’s death, Katniss’ mother became so grief stricken that she was unable to work or function, which left Katniss as the primary caregiver for Prim. Katniss had to shoulder the responsibility of feeding their entire family plus Gale’s family all by the age of 11. Her emotions are closed off because it is a defense mechanism to protect herself from falling apart. She has to hold everything together due to her mother’s emotional absence, and she knows that Prim needs her sister to be strong and stable. There are a few lines in the opening chapters of the book that highlight the purpose of the wall that guards all of her deepest emotions, “I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts.” Katniss also has been hardened by anger towards her mother over the past several years for emotionally abandoning her and Prim. She acknowledges that she is unable to forgive her for sitting by “blank and unreachable while her children turned to skin and bones. I try to forgive her for my father’s sake. But to be honest, I’m not the forgiving type.”

We catch glimpses of the “real” Katniss in the scenes when she is with Gale in the woods. She reveals that he is the only person that she can be herself with and we witness the natural peace that hunting brings her. It is what she lives for and is what sustains her and her family. These are solitary tasks and she is more comfortable and at peace when she is either alone in the woods or hunting with Gale. The games force her to be more social than she likes. This forces her out of her comfort zone and makes her question herself throughout the games and throughout her new found friendships with Peeta and Rue.

We see in her internal dialogue in the book how she struggles with emotion. When Katniss volunteers for her sister and Prim is clutching her and begging her not to take her place, Katniss is fighting back her emotions. “When they televise the replay of the reapings tonight everyone will make note of my tears and I’ll be marked as an easy target. A weakling. I will give no one that satisfaction.” Another time she thinks to herself “crying is not an option.” “I’ve had a lot of practice wiping my face clean of emotions and I do this now.” These examples reveal that Katniss, in fact, has a multitude of emotions but knows it is to her disadvantage to show these emotions to others. The invisible wall protecting her innermost thoughts and feelings is as strong as the armour that she wears to shield her from physical injury in the games. She is truly a warrior and a survivor and when going out to battle the first thing you do is to cover up any vulnerabilities so that your opponent does not have the opportunity to play on that weakness. Katniss knows this very well and her cold and distant façade protects her. This is why she is so unnerved by Peeta’s name being called in the reaping. She can’t shake the connection with Peeta because as the baker’s son he provided her with the bread that gave her hope, and she also associates him with the dandelion that reminded her of her father and that signified to her that she was not doomed. The series of those events increased her motivation to fight to stay alive and allowed her to persevere against all odds. She essentially owes everything to Peeta, which complicates her strategy in the games because she is no longer a solitary player but is now torn over this obligation to form an alliance with Peeta and give him a fighting chance as he did for her.

There were several changes in the plot from the book to the film adaptation that seemed to annoy me on some level which included the change in how Katniss received the Mockingjay pin, the added conversations between Snow and Seneca Crane, the fact that the muttations did not resemble the fallen tributes, and the wording of Thresh’s conversation about Rue with Katniss that was reduced to a few words.

There were a few positive changes as far as I am concerned. The behind the scenes clips of the games were intriguing as they revealed the gamemakers manipulating the arena, and the running commentary with Claudius and Caesar added some much needed comic relief to the intensity of the rest of the film. It seemed to be a good choice to build on the role of Effie Trickett in order to give her more of a presence in this first film although they cut down Haymitch’s screen time instead which seemed odd as he is a major character in the series and has a lot to contribute to the plot.

Casting

The most pleasant surprise of this film to me was Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark. He seemed to be a real break out star in this film as he was the heart of the movie and carried much of the emotionally laden scenes. One of the stand out scenes from the film is the rooftop exchange between Peeta and Katniss where he reveals that he doesn’t want the games to change him and how he wants to go out on his own terms and doesn’t want to die as someone else. This scene highlights his acting chops and sets him apart from other actors. I admit that I wasn’t convinced that Josh would be able to pull off this role but I was absolutely wrong. He seemed to be the one member of the cast other than Jennifer Lawrence that could not have been played by anyone else. He showed that he clearly understood this character and he brought life into the role of Peeta. All of his emotion is written all over his face throughout this film and he was brilliant in every way.

Jennifer Lawrence was the perfect choice for the protagonist in the Hunger Games, and she eloquently mastered the physical embodiment of Katniss. Her technique with the bow and arrows, climbing trees and running through the forests captured the true essence of Katniss. Jennifer excelled in the action scenes and the scenes where she was the only actor on camera. However, she seemed to struggle more in the scenes involving interaction with other characters or when she had to display emotion. It may have been Jennifer’s way of trying to possess that lack of socialization that Katniss deals with but it came off as awkward at times. Some of her delivery of the lines seemed rushed and she lost some of her spark in the most emotionally relevant scenes. Overall, she was a perfect choice for Katniss and she delivered on most accounts. However, I just felt she could have given more to the character in those emotional scenes but I expect she will grow with the series. It is common to see the acting develop as the series unfolds just as in Twilight and Harry Potter. Actors tend to grow into the characters over time and they begin to become one with the character they play allowing their emotions and physical movements to become more like their characters. I thought she was a strong presence on film and she carried the film well along with Josh. It's remarkable to think that the majority of this film consisted of very young actors and actresses and they come across as extremely professional and mature beyond their years. Jennifer is definitely an actress to keep an eye on. She already earned an oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone which was intense and raw, and she nailed that role. She is a powerful lead actress and surely will lead the Hunger Games franchise to new heights.

And how precious was Rue? She was spot on. In almost every tweet from fans on opening weekend, Rue's death scene was mentioned as being the most emotional, tear jerking scene of the entire film. Grown men were admitting to at least tearing up as Katniss sang Rue to sleep. The filmmakers did that scene justice!

All I can saw about Cinna is Wow!! Most of the emotional scenes displayed in the film took place in the scenes between Cinna and Katniss. At first I wasn’t sure why Lenny Kravitz was chosen for this role because I didn't even know that he was interested in acting, but all I have to say is that it really worked. Who knew he could act so naturally? Love the gold eye liner - brilliant!

The majority of the casting seemed flawless except for Snow and Haymitch. Donald Sutherland really doesn’t pull off the cold, calculating, creepiness that President Snow is supposed to exude. I would have chosen a more sinister actor to portray the evil President.

Woody Harrelson does the best he can with his portrayal of Haymitch, but it didn’t seem like a good fit. When reading the book, I envisioned Brendan Gleeson who brilliantly played Mad Eye Moody in the Harry Potter series. Die hard fans of the Hunger Games lobbied persistently for either Robert Downey Jr. or Hugh Laurie whose grouchy, cynical nature has won over millions of fans on his hit show House. Either one of those leading men would have showcased Haymitch in the way he was intended. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to observe more of the other young tributes from all the districts as many were killed instantly. Certain actors only got a few seconds of screen time, but several of those young actors made those seconds count.

The overall look of the movie was breathtaking. In this case I feel that the scenery and cinematography outshined the acting. I give the Capitol costumes, scenery and set 5 out of 5 stars! Kudos to the location scouts who found actual secluded woods in North Carolina to film a large portion of the arena and District 12. They filmed the training center scenes in an old abandoned Phillip Morris warehouse which was an amazing find.

It really made a difference to see Katniss and Gale hunting in a natural habitat, and the arena ended up looking just as I had pictured it in the book except for the cornucopia which ended up looking cold and flat since they decided to go with a modern metal version, which appeared to be a disappointment to most audience members based on the reviews and tweets on opening weekend. Fans of the book focus on every detail, and it’s difficult to not be disappointed when filmmakers change up part of the scenery or plot. Readers have these scenes burned in to their imagination from multiple readings and major deviations from that creates an opportunity to throw the focus off. However, the filmmakers did several things right. The special effects, authentic locations and the upclose, documentary shooting style paid off to create an experience that left us feeling as if we were there in the midst of the Hunger Games ourselves.

One thing I've noticed from all the twitter buzz about this movie is that fans are very territorial, and fans from other franchises like Twilight and Harry Potter are unwilling to give another series a chance as they feel that they would be betraying their favorite franchise if they even entertained the thought of enjoying this film. I'm a fan of Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games and my advice is to not compare them to each other and to just sit back, relax and enjoy all 3!

4 out of 5 stars. Intense, Engrossing, Suspenseful, Eye opening Social Commentary for a New Generation!

Without - Screened at the Memphis Indie Film Festival on 11-5-011

2011-11-07T00:52:00.000-08:00

“Without” Film Review
By: Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

“Without” is a mind blowing psychological thriller that will leave you scratching your head trying to figure out what you just witnessed. I had the privilege of watching this film this weekend at the Memphis Indie Film Festival, and I had not heard anything about the film prior to the screening except for a short description and trailer related to the film festival’s advertising program and wedsite. The overview is that a young woman, approximately 19 years old, takes a job as a caretaker of an elderly man in a vegetative state. He lives on a remote island in Puget Sound, Washington, that is surrounded by woods and a very small town. Joslyn soon finds herself in a situation where she is alone with a man she doesn’t know, who can’t communicate, and no way of communicating with the outside world as she has no cell signal and no internet. She isn’t even allowed to watch television as the man’s family left her specific instructions to only leave it on the fishing channel on level 34 due to his loss of hearing. As the routine of this solitary life takes its toll on her, we start to see her stability waver. Weird things start happening to her that are unexplained and are unsettling to the audience. She only has her iphone to keep her company on this quiet island. Without a connection to the world, all she can do is listen to her music and watch videos from her life, which helps give us a back story for her and what happened before we were introduced to her in the ferry scene in the beginning of the movie.

The slow pace of this movie may put off some people, but that is what drew me to the movie in the first place. It was apparent from the trailer that this film was going to unfold slowly, and I almost skipped this film out of fear that my husband was going to kill me for making him sit through a slow moving “artsy film,” but I’m glad that we stuck with it. The first scene brought about a lot of snickering from the audience as Joslyn is sitting quietly on the ferry with the camera poised on a close up of just her face for what seemed like several minutes. This is rarely done in modern films but was a welcome change from the high energy films that overwhelm all our senses. I prefer a movie to unfold slowly rather than rush straight into action to try to grasp the audience’s attention out of fear that they will lose them right away if something thrilling doesn't occur. As a psychologist, I like to see the mundane tasks of everyday life represented in film as that is what so many people truly live day in and day out. The average joe’s life is not glitz and glamour. Most days are similar to others in the week and don’t stand out due to anything spectacular. Days are made up of long silences and moments where nothing out of the ordinary occurs. Life consists mainly of inconsequential moments that don’t hold any excitement or interest, and the director didn't shy away from that monotony. In fact, this movie camps out in the monotonous nature of this lifestyle. We see Joslyn performing some of the same physical therapy exercises with Frank day in and day out. We watch her engage in yoga daily and running out to town for a latte at the local coffee place just to get out of the isolation of Frank's house. This movie feels very REAL in that aspect. It actually feels more like a documentary than a feature film. And it felt like real life instead of a script that was dreamed up in a studio one day. This is the kind of film that I can respect because it is more representative of true life than most other films.

It’s refreshing to watch a movie without feeling overstimulated by added noise and visual effects. This film is shot simply and focuses on the quiet solitude of the remote setting, Puget Sound. There is not a lot of music overpowering scenes. It’s very subtle when added. In fact, the film is so quiet that it makes the audience not want to move even a millimeter for fear that the noise would be amplified in the quiet theater. Many of the scenes are shot continuously with few cutaways or splicing together of multiple takes. And the camera is usually shooting from just a few inches or feet away from the actors, which creates a feeling like you are right there in the house with them the entire time.

Joslyn Jensen gave a fantastic performance and rose to the occasion. A lot of the burden of this film was laid on her shoulders as she was in every scene and often was the only one with a speaking role as Frank was catatonic. She was very believable and conveyed fear and sadness perfectly as the layers of her character were peeled back for us. This was her first feature film, and due to this breakout performance, I’m sure we will be seeing much more of her. The first time director, Mark Jackson, has worked with Joslyn before on short films/docs and wrote this part specifically for her to play. Ron Carrier, who plays Frank, has the tremendous task of portraying his character non-verbally for the duration of the entire film. He was able to convey loneliness, grief over the loss of his functionality and independence and the frustration over his situation of being trapped in his own body without ever uttering one word. His presence added volumes to the scenes he shared with Joslyn, and we ache with sadness and compassion for him as we watch him sit lifeless day after day.

Mark Jackson’s exploration of the loss of social connection was genius! If you strip away our connection to others, our mental stability often begins to crack. Being cut off in that way messes with our minds more than we would probably like to admit. Society has become so dependent on technology, especially smart phones, internet, and facebook that life seems unbearable without them. It’s interesting to watch Joslyn’s mood and mental state change the longer that she is without an internet connection. It makes you think about what you could do in that situation to keep from dying of boredom. She is desperate at times to entertain herself and becomes desperate to reconnect with the world. This desperation causes her to dig out an old computer to try to connect to the internet through dial up which brought about laughter from the audience at the absurdity of having to resort to such ancient methods of communication. This is the ultimate case of cabin fever!

Overall, Without is a dark, gritty and haunting film. After much frustration over the ending, I changed my view of this film. I think this is a movie that requires you to watch multiple times before all the pieces come together as a cohesive unit. This film should not be judged on just the ending. It won’t feel satisfying at first, but after contemplating all the scenes again you start to appreciate the fact that the director made choices in this film that sit with you for days. I watched 3 films that day at the film festival, and this is the film that I couldn’t get off my mind. I’ve continued to think about it for days. In fact, I couldn't really think of anything else. That is when it dawned on me that what Mark Jackson achieved was truly remarkable and unique. It is rare to watch a film that continues to challenge you days after the viewing. It’s one of those movies that you want to talk about with others just so you can hear their theories on the plot since so much is left open to interpretation.

Spolier alert!! I’m going to analyze this movie to offer insight into the ending. If you have not seen this movie yet, do not read the following unless you aren't going to watch the film at all. It will explain the plot with specific scene descriptions. I recommend seeing this movie, and if you do, you will not want to know certain details which could ruin the suspense. Come back and read the explanation once you watch it for yourself. Believe me, you will have questions about it afterwards.

Analysis:

So the movie ends without much explanation as to what really happens to Joslyn. The audience I was with was pretty frustrated and since it was shown at a film festival, we had the chance to talk to each other afterwards about our theories. I thought about this movie all night trying to rack my brain about clues that were given to us throughout the movie that would lend some insight. Was she being messed with by someone in the house, was Frank really more functional than he let on and he was the one messing with her, or was there a supernatural component to this equation? These were all possible options which were presented throughout the film but it was never confirmed. What is most likely looking back on it, is that Joslyn was losing contact with reality due to her isolation and due to her grief over her girlfriend’s recent suicide that she obviously had not dealt with yet. As she was watching old videos on her phone we were shown that she had a girlfriend about her same age. Joslyn appeared sad and lonely when viewing the videos. Later we are shown old text messages from her girlfriend that indicate that she was unhappy and suicidal. Joslyn ends up visiting her girlfriend’s mother on the island, and it is confirmed that she is in fact deceased. Joslyn starts to show more emotion during these scenes and her grief is starting to surface. Her downward spiral increases rapidly at this point. We start to see that this traumatic incident is the real reason that she is escaping her life and running off to a remote island. She came into this situation very vulnerable and this allows the isolation to play tricks on her mind as she is already fragile.

As Joslyn becomes more cut off from the world, her behavior starts to change. There were clues throughout the movie that point to her losing her sanity. One of the most disturbing moments that got the most verbal reaction from the audience was when Joslyn returned from her date with a local boy. She is brushing Frank’s teeth and she takes the toothbrush out of his mouth and puts it into her mouth to brush her teeth. This is when we are certain that things are not right with her. The audience was very vocal at this point uttering, “She’s crazy; She crossed the line; That’s just not right; What’s wrong with her.” It was utterly disturbing.

Here are some of the clues that we get along the way that she is losing her grip on reality – she is shown drinking Bob’s bourbon several times as if she doesn’t care about the house rules or Bob finding out, she seems more out of it with each scene as if she is drugged or sedated, and her personality becomes more erratic and irrational. She starts to treat Frank in an aggressive and disrespectful manner which is the polar opposite of how she started off treating him. She appeared to turn on him after she saw a picture of his mistress as if she didn’t trust him anymore as an honest or decent human being. She calls it "creepy." She also began to suspect that Frank was the one messing with her. She thought he was locking her out of the house and moving her cell phone at night. She even had a dream that Frank was sitting at the kitchen table eating by himself out of his wheelchair signifying that he had been faking his illness the entire time. Upon waking from that dream she started to seem more suspicious of him and started to treat him differently.

When she sings a song to her iphone she becomes emotional and you can sense the sadness that she has been covering up. She visits the pharmacist twice to pick up Frank’s prescriptions and each time he points out the type of meds that Frank is prescribed and warns her of the side effects. He tells her that it can cause dizziness upon waking or standing. The second time she picks up the meds, the pharmacist also warns her about taking the medication herself but then tells her in a very creepy way that if she does take the pills to give him a call (this most likely did not really happen and could have been her imagination). There is also a prolonged scene where she is shown arranging his meds and crushing them up to put them in his food. This emphasis on the meds seems to suggest that she could easily be taking some of his medications, which would explain why her phone could be moved throughout the night without her remembering where she left it. It also would explain why she seemed out of it or sedated at times. Maybe the rash/bruise that appears on her back could be a side effect from the meds that often warn about causing swelling, burns, rashes, etc. Otherwise, the large mark on her back is never explained. It may be the result of lifting Frank in and out of his chair since this is extremely physical for her, but she is troubled when she sees this mark and she isn't aware of what could be causing it. It is one of the most frustrating parts of the film because it leaves us wondering what is really going on with her.

Some of the events that took place that still don’t really add up is why she woke up with her shirt removed one morning and a later scene showing her walking into the woods in a trance like state. These could be further signs of her descent into madness/grief, but we don’t really know why she would wander into the woods alone at night. Several scenes like that one created an extremely creepy and spooky feeling. I had chills when the footsteps ran up to her towards the end when she is lying on the bed. I was sure she was going to be attacked or captured. But nothing happened. She just sat there with a smile on her face as if she knew it was coming (another sign that she had gone off the deep end already). That is another truly maddening aspect about this film - the tension seems to build and build and you expect something to explosive to occur and nothing happens; so you are left feeling worked up over nothing.

Out of character, Joslyn agrees to make a date with the local guy who has been chatting her up even though she is obviously not attracted to men. She spent the first half of the movie blowing him off and trying to convey to him that she wasn’t interested in his advances. However, after she makes the date she becomes preoccupied by what to wear to impress him, and she puts on an uncomfortable and awkward fashion show for Frank. Her date seems very smitten with her and he becomes persistent on spending more time with her. He shows up unexpectedly to the house and demands to come in and see Frank. He seems to have become more aggressive and forward, but it is not clear if this is just her interpretation of what occurred. He seemed very polite and respectful at the beginning of the film so a sudden change in character is suspicious. We already know that she is starting to see Frank in a different way and this may be along those same lines.

This movie takes a similar approach as Black Swan, which also left audience members wondering what was real or imagined. Both movies are shown from the sole perspective of the leading female character’s point of view. Each seem to slip further and further from reality and as they do, strange things start occurring to them. Since we only see from their perspective, there are pieces of information that we are missing that would give us more insight into what we are experiencing in these scenes. There were several parallels between the two movies. At the end of each movie once we start trying to piece together what occurred, we realize that we are only privy to THEIR thoughts and interpretation, which is deemed unreliable. This is when we realize that some of what appeared to happen only took place in the mind of that character and not in reality.

If we look back at some of the crucial scenes in this film we can see the clues that were provided to us. I believe that Joslyn was moving the phone. She was the one that discovered that there was only 1 bar on her phone in the house and that was in Frank’s room. When she finds the phone beside his bed the next morning, we assume someone else moved it. It is possible that she had been in his room during the night even after she went to sleep. She could sleep walk or if taking his meds, she could not remember getting up in the middle of the night. There appear to be gaps here. We just don’t see those scenes and she doesn’t remember being in there but that doesn't mean she wasn't. From the way those scenes are shot, I take it that we are to assume that there is something eerie going on but this is to throw us off, although her descent into madness is quite scary itself even once we figure out that nothing supernatural is afoot. She also starts to act out sexually by undressing in front of Frank and trying to take a video of herself while she takes her clothes off. She starts to cross boundaries, and it is clear that she is not stable enough to be taking care of someone else let alone herself. Her breakdown once Frank’s family returns in the end is sad and terrifying as we see how far she has decompensated while left alone with Frank. We aren't even sure how long it's been. We just know that it was long enough to push her over the edge.

This film is worth seeing again. I'll have to watch it again once it is released. It won the Nice Shoes award at the Memphis Indie Film Festival and has garnered quite a bit of attention already at other festivals. Mark Jackson is being singled out as a director to watch. This is his first film and he wrote and directed it. It is an impressive first feature.

3.5 stars out of 5 stars

"Without" Trailer

Harry Potter 7 Part 2

2011-08-04T00:20:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The End of an Era: Review of the Final Film and a look back

at the film franchise and beloved characters.

Review by: Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

Well, it is very apropos that I am starting to write this review on Harry James Potter's birthday - July 31st. My obsession all started exactly 10 years years ago in May 2001. I had worked at Borders Bookstore the previous year and gotten a lot of crazy looks from customers who were reserving their copies of the Goblet of Fire and then heard that I had never read Harry Potter. I had to admit that I wasn't the least bit interested in a children's story but I had wondered why all these middle aged adults were so enthusiastic about this book's upcoming release. My curiosity started to peak a year later when I saw the previews for the movie release of The Sorcerer's Stone and when that DVD came out I decided to rent it and see what all the buzz was about.

My husband refused to watch the movie at first, but fortunately I convinced him to at least start the movie with me and if necessary we could abandon it altogether if it wasn't interesting. Well, as they say "the rest was history." We knew absolutely nothing about the series except that it was about magic. It only took a few minutes to capture us. And by the end of the movie we both looked at each other in amazement and both said "Whoa we have to watch this again." Even though it was 10:30 on a weeknight we started the movie over again and thus started our love for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

We both devoured the first 4 books after this screening. We couldn't get enough. And waiting for the release of the next books was like torture. Looking back on it, it is those midnight book releases that I cherish the most. My husband and I would both buy copies of the books at midnight and read like crazy through the weekend until we finished so that we could discuss the new plot twists and new characters. And we were there at every movie release from then on.

It's hard to believe it's all come to an end. There was a grieving process for the 7th book, and now I find myself faced with that same grief again with the release of the last movie. It was fitting that my husband and I, along with 2 friends who we had recently convinced to read all 7 books, attended the midnight release of the final installment. We had come full circle. The energy was amazing. To be surrounded by die hard Harry Potter fans of all ages felt right. There were Harry Potter rap battles unfolding in the theater an hour before the movie started. Audience members were dressed up as Draco, Harry and Dobby (who got the most cheers from the crowd). I actually felt out of place as I had not dressed up or brought a wand. But it was truly magical to behold.

I knew that this would close a chapter in my life that had spanned 10 years and that had consisted of so much joy and excitement. We have read the books many times and watched the movies COUNTLESS times. It seems that a day doesn't go by that we aren't discussing Harry Potter in our house and there is HP memoriabilia in our home theater. You see, these aren't just characters in a book or movie. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are real people to us and Hogwarts Castle is a place we want to visit. I feel certain that if I had children that I would send them acceptance letters to Hogwarts on their 11th birthday. I know sounds crazy, but I'm that entraced by the magic.

As I looked around me at the theater, I realized that with so many teenagers present that this franchise lasted their entire generation. How could anyone just look at this as a movie. Harry Potter represents so much for those of us that have grown with the characters.

As the movie started, the crowd cheered and applauded. I knew it was going to be one of those premieres where the audience was invested in every moment. When Ron and Hermione kissed and embraced, the crowd oohed and aahed; when Tonks, Remus and Fred died, we wept; and when Mrs. Weasley delivered the best line of the movie (you know which one I mean), the theater erupted. It was one of those nights that I will never forget.

The only thing missing from this historical night was the butterbeer. HELLO!! Major marketing error here. Do you know how much butterbeer would have been sold had they released it only for this one special night in theaters around the country. Why does Universal Studios only get this special treat? And yes, I have been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios and it is amazing to see how realistic everything looks and sounds. I didn't want to leave the castle.

This final film delivered on many accounts including drama, laughs, emotion, grief, and closure. The only criticism that I have of the movie is that it didn't stay completely true to the books. Those of us who know every line had some confused looks on our faces during certain scenes. We get very protective of the original plot and dialogue so it is difficult to see a different adaptation onscreen. Overall though I felt satisfied with this ending.

My favorite moment I have to say is also my favorite from the final book and that is when it is finally revealed that Severus Snape was looking after Harry all along due to his undying love for Harry's mother, Lily. This, to me, was the most brilliant plot line of the entire series.

For all these years, we have loved to hate Snape but also there have been moments where Snape comes off as very endearing, and the way that JK Rowling turns Snape into an unsung hero at the end is so fitting to the overall message of the series. There are those that have called for protests and boycotts against Harry Potter for being "evil" due to the magical nature of the series and this is very unsettling to me because my first thought when I hear this is that those individuals have never read the books nor seen the movies. If they would take the time to do either, they most likely would have a different perspective. The whole concept of Harry Potter is based upon love and hope. Harry Potter is a brave, courageous and self sacrificing young man who holds the weight of the world on his shoulders and in the end walks into the dark forest to face his terrifying rival ready to die for those that he loves. That moment when he uses the resurrection stone to bring back those that have already past on was one of the most touching for me. Harry is fueled by those that he loves - parents that he never met, a god father that died right after he connected with him and Remus, a mentor and devoted family friend. The fact that he was drawing upon their courage to help him face his own death is so powerful to me. And it is such as tear jerking moment when he says to his mother, "Stay close to me."

I ask myself if those protesters to the story also protest Disney fairy tales. Most of us grew up learning valuable lessons from these same type of fantastical and magical tales. Disney is my favorite place on earth for one reason - magic. Why would we deny anyone from enjoying the whimsy of magical stories. And Harry Potter is the best one of all. He stands for so much of what the world lacks today - compassion, love, honor, loyalty, courage, and sacrifice.

The only thing that I felt that Rowling missed the boat on was the pairings of the characters. I have always felt that Harry and Hermione had amazing chemistry and I was devastated that they never ended up together. But if she couldn't be with Harry then Ron was the next best person for her.

One of the best things about this final movie was that all of our favorite characters made appearances even if it was for a few seconds. This was very nostalgic for die hard HP fans like me. We also learned that you don't mess with certain characters like McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley or anyone from the Order of Phoenix. And just like in the books Neville proves to be very courageous and vital at the peak of the fight!!

No matter how powerful Voldemort believes himself to be, he is ultimately defeated in the end, and everyone in the theater cheered and some wept as the long fight that spanned all these years was over in a flash of Harry's wand.

I can’t review this last movie without paying homage to all the actors and characters from these 8 installments. Watching the actors grow up over the years has been a joy. Most have developed their craft and discovered new levels to their acting.

Casting for these films could not have been more perfect. There have been those that have questioned Daniel Radcliffe as the choice for Harry but he is that character - period! This is obviously the most important role to get right and now it seems hard to even see him as anything other than Harry Potter, which could give him some trouble when it comes to type casting although he is doing his best to choose roles that stray from the squeaky clean persona that has followed him for a decade. Dan has done a superb job at channeling the angst, torment and internal struggle that Harry experiences across the span of the 8 films especially once the story takes him into darker issues around film 5.

Amongst all these dark and heavy issues dealt with in the latter films were moments of humor to lighten the tension. Ron, Fred and George provide much needed comic relief. It’s one of the reasons that Fred’s death in this final film is so tragic.

As much as I LOVE Harry, my favorite character has always been Hermione. Being the academic, know it all myself, I, of course, related to her the most. She is simply the coolest chick in the magical world. Not only does she master every spell and have "Hogwarts: A History" memorized, she can jump in time with her Time Turner.

She is the brainy and logical one that keeps balance between Harry, who is often times impulsive and too much of a risk taker when faced with the pursuit of Voldemort and Horcruxes, and Ron who is absent minded and not as knowledgeable about spells and the magical world. She keeps her cool no matter what the circumstances and she holds their world together when no one else could. Emma Watson is spot-on in her delivery of Hermione’s smart-aleck responses and overzealous academic pursuits.

Snape, played by the wonderful Alan Rickman, adds a mysterious intrigue to the story line. We have always known that there is more going on than meets the eye with his character, but we don’t find out what it is until the very end of the last film. It is such a satisfying plot twist that it may very well be the most brilliant in the whole series.

Dumbledore offers us all a sense of security and safety when he is present. No matter how evil Lord Voldemort is, if Dumbledore is around, it seems like everything will be ok. I do have to admit that I’m partial to the original Dumbledore played by Richard Harris but Michael Gambon did a nice job of taking over and added his own take on the role.

And then there are those dreaded evil Death Eaters that never seem to give up. Draco and Lucius Malfoy come across as the most despicable characters, but don’t we just love how well they can pull off being villains. And Bellatrix Lestrange gives me all the dramatic flare that I crave from a malicious villainess. Helena Bonham Carter plays evil and insane like no other can. She deserves an Oscar for her portrayal of this vicious killer who is always on the edge of insanity – or maybe I should say over the edge of it. I love her crazy laugh and psychotic facial expressions!

Finally, Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort is the most terrifying and grotesque character that I could have imagined. His role had to have been the hardest to conceive and to cast but they nailed this one. His nonverbal body language takes his performance to the next level. He never comes across as human, and all of his body twitches and tics make our skin crawl. I love when I’m watching a movie and I can no longer see the actor themselves because they have completely become someone else, and Fiennes does this so successfully.

The changing of directors for each movie or so actually seemed to give this franchise legs. I saw growth with each transition, and a new pair of eyes helps to make adjustments to the films that are necessary for the growth of the films and to allow each installment to delve further into this dark world at the height of the Death Eaters reign. Each movie is so very different from the rest. The only one I don’t really enjoy is Chamber of Secrets because the pace seems too slow and the actor's performance comes off as too unnatural. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were more natural in the first film but I have suspicions that acting coaches were brought in for the 2nd film, and it became too obvious that they were trying too hard. This is another reason I am glad they started switching directors after the 2nd film because the acting got back on track by the 3rd one.

I usually feel that books are always better than movie adaptations, but with this series I can't seem to make myself chose between either the movies or books because I can't imagine one without other. Rather, I feel that they are extensions of each other. This could be because I'm a visual person or because I was introduced to the series by the first movie and not the books. The actors bring JK Rowlings characters and words to life in such a vibrant way that I see the movie scenes and the movie actors in my head as I re-read the books. IF only she would write more books for us to devour. Maybe a prequel to the Sorcerer’s Stone or a new class of Hogwarts students with Hermione and Neville as professors. Anything to keep this magic going!!!

Out of all of the movies I feel that the first one is the most sentimental for me. Who could resist these baby faces? It's what I first fell in love with. The Half Blood Prince seems the most polished and Deathly Hallows (part 1 and 2) both seem to be the most dramatic and epic. Overall, I think films 5 and 6 seem to have the best visual effects. But the best book, in my opinion, is 7, although 6 is a close runner up. Rowling is the genius of our time and thank goodness that she had the image of Harry come to her on that train ride all those years ago.

I’m giving the final film 4 stars out of 5. I’m docking it for cutting scenes and changing plot and dialogue in such a significant way. There were too many times in Deathly Hallows Part 2 when they changed the dialogue or the whole scene to where it left out vital information from the book that could have enhanced the film scenes. Specifically, when Harry visits with Dumbledore in his mind in Kings Cross after he thinks he has died, they left out so much of the explanation given by Dumbledore about what had unfolded in the past years and why Harry had escaped death so many times when he faced Voldemort.

Also I found myself very disappointed in the final fight between Harry and Voldemort because they took out a lot of the exchanges between the two when Harry explains to him why he knows he will defeat Voldemort. This was so suspenseful and satisfying in the book and that is one area where I think they should have stuck with what was written exactly in the book. The book wraps everything up nicely and it would have only added a few more minutes to the final version. I think they could have gotten away with an extended scene there.

I've heard that some viewers thought that they should have cast different actors for the prologue that shows the characters 19 years later, but I strongly disagree. We have been with these actors for 10 years of filming and I felt that we needed to see them onscreen in those final moments. The actors pulled it off brilliantly and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks to all the actors that have portrayed our favorite JK Rowling characters for the past 10 years! It's been a pleasure!

And fitting for this occasion, after the last scene of the film, those audience members at the premiere who brought wands pointed at the screen and in unison proclaimed "Mischief Managed!"

Black Swan

2011-07-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Black Swan Movie Review

Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

Dark, Thrilling, Intense, Twisted! Brilliant and unforgettable performance by Natalie Portman.

Spoiler Alert: There will be spoilers revealed in this review in order to truly dissect the film; so do not read if you haven't seen the movie. This movie is too good to be spoiled ahead of time.

Natalie Portman is captivating in this role. Her transformation into the black swan is nothing short of brilliant. It is so powerful that I feel there are no words to really describe it and I find myself wanting to make up new words to give her justice. She is perfect in her performance of Nina Sayers in both the innocent side of Nina and the dark tumultuous side of the black swan. Natalie draws you in during the opening of the film where she is demure, fragile, and reserved which is not a stretch for Natalie as she always exudes such elegance. To give a little background on the plot, Natalie plays Nina Sayers, a very committed ballerina who dances in a New York City Ballet Company in Lincoln Center. She is competing with several other talented dancers for the leading role in a new production of Swan Lake that is being directed by Thomas Leroy played by Vincent Cassell. The leading role of the Swan Queen is a very challenging and demanding role as it requires the dancer to embody conflicting personalities. There is the innocent and pure White Swan and the dark, sensual Black Swan.

Nina is undoubtedly the most technical dancer in the company, yet she lacks the reckless abandon needed to tap into the darker role. The director is torn over whether to give her a chance at this role as he is not convinced that she can let herself go enough to give in to the uninhibited side of herself that she has kept so well guarded. He sees just a little flash of this side during a kiss in his office and this is enough for him to take the gamble and make a sudden change in the casting. Nina knows this is her shot to prove herself which leads to constant practice and unhealthy routines and schedules. This gives us a glimpse at how grueling the life of a competitive dancer can be.

The sweet and innocent side to Nina is why she is the perfect dancer for the White Swan, but she struggles with mastering the Black Swan sequences as she lacks the ability to abandon perfectionism and technical ability for emotional and sensual fluidity. This is something she doesn't connect with until her opening premiere.

Her metamorphosis into the darker side is jaw dropping. It’s acting at it’s best. Duality is the word that stuck in my mind after this film. Her ability to embody both roles flawlessly AND to convey the terror she feels when she begins her descent into psychosis is what stands out as an unforgettable performance. This film is a real thriller and will have you on the edge of your seat during some really creepy scenes.

There has been controversy over just how much dancing Natalie Portman did in the movie. Her body/dancing double has made claims that Natalie’s dance scenes have been overexaggerated. Does it really matter? Let’s face it – she didn’t win the Oscar because of the dance scenes; although she was magnificent from what I saw. She earned that Oscar for her portrayal of a woman riding the edge of insanity and who was terrified of the changes she is undergoing. Her ability to teeter back and forth in this duality is remarkable. Also, you have to remember that Natalie had to perfect her dancing technique as well as deliver an emotional and challenging performance. Part of being an actress is convincing us on all levels that you are undoubtedly that character and Natalie left no doubt in my mind. There was never a point when I felt she was acting. Rather, I believed that Natalie was so committed to this role and so passionate about making this film that she allowed herself to go where she probably hasn’t before. She appeared to push herself to the brink and lose herself in this role which parallels Nina's journey as well. By the end of the movie I couldn't see Natalie anymore. The Black Swan seemed like a completely separate entity at that point. Natalie completely embodied this character and it will most likely be the role that she is most remembered for.

The physicality of this role was another layer to capture for her performance. She trained for 10 months as a ballerina and did dance many of the scenes in the movie herself. The director Darren Aronofsky stated that Natalie performed 80% of the dance scenes and the film editor, Andy Weisblum told 20/20 that out of 35 body shots that Natalie did 12 but overall Natalie did a lot more of the other scenes in the film. He also stated, "It was sometimes hard for me to tell the difference...It was so close." Picking up techniques that usually takes several years to become proficient at is a daring feat in and of itself. And not only did she succeed in that aspect, but she turned in one of the best female acting performances of all time. I think her stand-in owes Natalie an apology. I doubt that anyone that saw this movie feels that Natalie misrepresented herself. It's clear that she owned that role in all aspects, and it is a shame to have anyone question her performance in any way after she poured herself into this role.

One of the best qualities of this film is that we get a unique internal perspective from someone on the verge of losing their mind at the time that it is happening. Normally we only have a chance to see this occur from the outside as we observe the character's odd behaviors and changes in their personality. Here, we see her descent into this demented world from her eyes which leaves us feeling unnerved and disturbed. I wager that most people left this film feeling creeped out and looking over their shoulders. I know I did. As a therapist this was particularly eye opening to me. Having this glimpse into her perception left me wondering just how terrifying it would be to someone who is experiencing these psychotic episodes. I'm usually looking through the diagnostic lens trying to capture and identify specific symptoms in order to make the correct diagnosis. But this film helps humanize this experience and highlights how confusing and disturbing these breaks from reality would appear to the person who is trapped inside this downward spiral. It can also be a very isolating experience since most individuals do not feel comfortable revealing to others that they are hearing voices or seeing demented images. Nina kept all of her concerns to herself and didn't even let her mother in on her predicament out of fear of losing her role in Swan Lake. The role of the Swan Queen meant more to Nina than her own mental wellbeing (a sign of her obsessiveness). This film will change how I interact with psychotic patients in the future. Instead of focusing on just the diagnostic criteria, I will be more concerned with addressing their fears and their emotional concerns regarding the strange experiences that they are enduring, now that I see how utterly frightening it would feel to be on the verge of losing their mind.

I was looking forward to this movie given my love for psychological thrillers. It delivered in the thrilling and mysterious aspects. In fact there were multiple scenes that had me baffled as to what was really going on. For awhile there I wasn’t sure if Mila Kunis’ character, Lily, was real or just a complete figment of Nina’s imagination. Also we aren’t sure if Lily is actually out to get Nina or if Nina is consumed with paranoia until the end. I feel this uncertainty adds to the intrigue of the film and keeps you guessing throughout. Also confusing are the scenes that are hallucinations conjured up in Nina's head. Only at the end of the film does all of this start to make sense which again gives it a mystifying aspect. Most of the comments online after the film was released contained confusion over several scenes, rightly so. The scene where Nina visits Beth in the hospital to return her stuff was particularly confusing to viewers. Knowing now that she was delusional during most of the film we can assume that she did visit Beth but that Beth did not stab herself. Nina's delusions had already taken over at that point and she was in the height of her psychosis. Nina was no longer in contact with reality which is why there are scenes where reality and fantasy are tangled together. We see the same thing happen when Nina imagines that the sex scene between her and Lily took place. We later learn from Lily that it never happened. Lily said she went home with a guy from the club and it was all a fantasy. Nina can't distinguish what is real or imagined. That could happen with individuals who are delusional, paranoid, and/or schizophrenic.

However, what is a stretch is that she would imagine stabbing Lily but stab herself instead. It is rare that someone would descend into insanity that fast without raising the suspicions of others around her. If this were to occur in real life, her mother who lived with her and interacted and observed her daily would have likely brought in psychological help. Or her mother would have taken her to the hospital for a psychological evaluation where they would have held her on a court order for mandated treatment considering how far she had decompensated. She would have been prescribed psychiatric medication immediately which could have saved her life. Instead she suffered a severe injury when she stabbed herself thinking she was stabbing Lily and as a result she died onstage at the end of her opening night as the Swan Queen.

We learn at the end of the film that Lily was not out to get Nina. It turns out that it was a part of herself (her alter ego) that was sabotaging her. Thus, Nina was caught up in a delusion, which lead to her demise. This type of delusion is what we call a persecutory delusion where an individual believes that someone is following them, is out to get them or is out to harm them. It is likely that Nina would have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia if she had lived past her performance. To receive this diagnosis the psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, bizarre thought processes, etc) have to have been present for a period of 6 months and can't be explained by any other disorder or medical condition. There is a strong genetic link for schizophrenia, and it appears that her mother has some psychopathology present as well. Early to mid adulthood is the prime time for onset of this disorder which is about the age that Nina is in the movie. Stress of any kind (physical, psychological or social) can trigger a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia to emerge if the predisposition for the disorder is there.

Some reviewers question whether Nina's mother was actually in the room asleep in the corner when she was completing her director's assignment to touch herself. I actually hadn't thought that she could have imagined that. I am still not convinced that was part of her hallucination. Her mother's behavior was intrusive and odd, and it is quite likely that her mother could have been hovering over her. On the day Nina awoke after her complete breakdown, her mother was sitting by her bedside and had locked her in her room to try to keep her from showing up to her opening night; so I'm thinking her mother slept in her room on several occasions. That is part of their twisted and enmeshed relationship. Barbara Hersey turned in a rather creepy portrayal of Nina’s mother by undressing Nina at night, asking intrusive personal questions and controlling all aspects of her environment and daily life including when she could go out, what to eat, what to wear, etc. Barbara's performance is reminiscent of Joan Crawford’s Mommy Dearest role with a more disturbing feel to it.

My only complaint is that the black swan scenes were too short. I would have loved to have seen extended or additional scenes to showcase her embodiment of that role. This is what drew us to the film in the first place and it felt quite like a teaser that didn't deliver fully. I was left wanting more.

To add to the spooky feel, the addition of fluttering wings accompany creaking doors, sewing machines and subway rumblings in scenes throughout the film which was a brilliant move on Darren Arronofsky's part. Again this gives us an idea of what the world looks and sounds like through Nina's eyes. Voices, heavy breathing and psychotic laughter seem to unnerve Nina (and us) as she enters rooms and walks down dark hallways. This helps create the sinister tone of much of the film along with the frantic, shaky way the movie was shot. All of these aspects worked together seamlessly to create a masterpiece. Nothing about this movie is polished. It has a very raw, uncut feel throughout. I think is parallels Nina's frenetic perception of the world around her as well, which I appreciated. I don't think the film would have worked as well if it had been presented in any other way.

Black Swan also depicts the Ballerina world that is centered around perfection and total commitment. It is all consuming and requires utter dedication that often spirals out of control leading to disastrous results. It is the perfect avenue to stage a mental breakdown as the stress level is so high and so much rides on their ability to perform flawlessly on a consistent basis.

Nina's drive and commitment to dance not only lead to psychosis but other psychopathology is present as well. Nina appears anorexic and obsessive about her routines and technique. She most likely suffers from obsessive compulsive personality disorder and it is clear that she is a perfectionist as evidenced by her insistence on practicing routines well past a healthy limit and even through serious injuries. Even in her final moments she is consumed with perfection. Her last words to her director were "I was perfect." Also there is an unnatural attachment to childhood objects. Her room is comprised of dolls, stuffed animals and a music box with a dancing ballerina. When she speaks it is with a soft and childlike voice especially when interacting with her mother. To say she is sheltered and naive is a huge understatement. Her development is so stunted that it is scarier at times than her psychotic breakdown. Nina is most likely in her early to mid-twenties and still lives with her overbearing and over-involved mother. She appears to have no life outside of dancing and no friends at all. In fact, most of the dancers in the company ostracize Nina due to her peculiar behavior. Lack of social support could also contribute to her breakdown. Lily is the only person we see that attempts to interact with her and she becomes a person that Nina suspects is after her.

Lily was a pivotal character in this film which leads me to wonder why wasn’t Mila Kunis given more recognition for her contribution. She was seductive, sensual and free from any social constraints. She was the perfect antithesis to Nina Sayers. I don't even recall Natalie Portman listing Mila in her acceptance speech which I was disappointed in. That brings me to another point. Leading up to the film a lot of the buzz about Black Swan was centered on the sex scene between Lily and Nina. Natalie Portman is even quoted in several interviews about the fact that this scene was added to draw in male viewers. If that is the case then that is a shame. There are so many aspects about this film that make it an extraordinary film. Those merits would have been enough to bring in and sustain any viewer (male or female). I don't think a 2 minute sex scene is necessary to make this film more desirable. In fact hearing that it could have been added for that reason alone almost cheapens it and certainly seems to bring into question the director's confidence in Natalie's performance. There should have never been any doubt that she could pull this off without the need of sexual exploitations.

Obviously the most striking and also the most disturbing scenes are those toward the end where she starts to transform physically and mentally into the Black Swan - growing wings, legs becoming deformed into bird like appendages and toes becoming webbed. Truly magnificent and horrifying simultaneously but very dramatic!!

I'm giving this movie 4.5 stars out of 5. I really loved this movie and I'm so tempted to give it 5 stars because I'm in awe of Natalie's performance. However, I am docking it 1/2 a star because I feel that we didn't get enough of the black swan scenes. I feel that is the only drawback to the film. The whole movie builds up to the moment when she loses herself and is transformed into the black swan and those moments are some of the most brilliant I have ever seen on the screen, but I was left wanting much more. Natalie was so dazzling in those moments that I could watch her all night long. I think her performance is one of the greatest performances ever on film. I am ranking it up there with Charlize Theron in Monster, which I consider to have been the best to date and now they are equal in my opinion. Natalie is one of the best actresses we have now and I think she is going to be a consistently stellar actress for many decades to come. She showed so much promise at such a young age in The Professional and Beautiful Girls and I knew she would grow into a very successful actress. I just didn't realize she would reset the bar for Hollywood. I hope others are inspired by her work and challenge themselves to turn in more dramatic and mind blowing performances in the future.

4.5 Stars out of 5

Natalie Portman is a Genius!! If this performance did not impress you then no performance ever will.

Water for Elephants Review

2011-04-24T01:52:00.000-07:00

Water for Elephants
Review by Heather Hardison

This movie is a cinematic masterpiece from beginning to end. Each scene was more beautiful than the next. Hal Holbrook set the emotional tone for the movie with the first scene, and though his presence was small in the entirety of the film, it was definitely not insignificant. Robert Pattinson took over the narration where Hal Holbrook left off and gave the movie a youthful and gentle undertone as he takes us back to 1931 and takes us along for the enchanting journey into the circus world. The film comes alive when Rob’s character, Jacob Jankowski, sees the circus unfolding right before his eyes and we feel the same wonder and amazement that Jacob experiences when entering this new world for the first time. There is electricity in the scenes with the lions and tigers being unloaded from the train and prepped for the next big top event. You can feel the pulse quicken when Jacob passes by the cages of the ferocious cats. The scenes portraying the raising of the big top were as dramatic as they were stunning. Seeing the red circus cages lined up outside the big tent was nostalgic and brought back waves of memories from childhood circuses that traveled from town to town many decades ago.

The most unique and memorable scenes were those atop the train. There is something so beautiful and peaceful about a train gliding along the tracks in the moonlight and this was superbly captured in Water for Elephants. Jacob and August jumping from train car to train car was exhilarating and quite scary if you aren’t too fond of heights, and the smoke billowing from the front train car was soothing and hypnotic. Movement is very prominent in this film as they are traveling by train throughout the entire story and it feels as though the audience is being transported from one location to the next along with the passengers on the train which is a nice change of pace from other more stationary films and adds to the unique quality of this motion picture.

The scenery captured from the passing train of small towns on their route is striking. Overall, this film will be remembered for the stunningly gorgeous cinematography. It is one of the most beautiful movies made in a long, long time. The plot and the content of the film are also unique. There is something fascinating about the circus life. For many, it holds a lure and a mystery that few can shed light on; so getting a glimpse into this culture feels like a privilege. The characters are endearing and the circus animals steal your heart from the moment they appear on the screen, especially Rosie. Who knew that a 51 year old elephant could be so beautiful and powerful at the same time? The scenes where the Benzini Brothers’ circus ring master is abusing Rosie are the hardest to watch and will ignite an anger within that is hard to contain. Your instinct will be to jump right into the screen and snatch that bull hook out of August’s hands and turn it right back around on him to give him a taste of his own medicine. The bipolar moods of August are some of the most fascinating to watch. It is hard to take your eyes off of Christoph Waltz. He is so powerful and mighty in this role. He commands your attention when he is on screen, as any ring master should. This just goes to show that the casting director for this film was spot on in choosing the 3 lead actors. It is easy to hate August for his cruelty, but it is just as easy to admire Christoph for his genius in playing roles that require him to turn on that intensity and madness in the blink of an eye.

Reese Witherspoon delivers a graceful performance as the petite yet majestic Marlena and the scenes with her atop Rosie are breathtaking and fantastical. It is truly magical to behold. Rob gives the most emotional performance of his to date. You could feel his love for Marlena and for Rosie in every scene as well as his internal conflict of whether or not to stand up to August and protect those around him, mainly Rosie. He is really showing his acting chops full force in this movie revealing that he should not be type cast as just the romantic vampire, Edward Cullen. His portrayal of Jacob is quiet and reserved but emotionally moving at the same time. He doesn’t even have to say much; most of his emotion lies in his facial expressions throughout the film which accentuate Jacob’s gentle nature. This is most apparent in the scenes with Rosie. There is a chemistry there that is so genuine that it transcends the screen and warms your heart.

The pace of the film is perfect. The storytelling technique starting off with Hal Holbrook’s older version of Jacob sets the scene as a journey through time and then transitions seamlessly into Rob Pattinson’s younger version of Jacob in the 1930’s. It pulls on the heart strings within the first few moments of the film. You feel as though you are cozying up by the fire as your grandfather relives a tale of a youthful adventure involving love and magic and brings you along for the enthralling journey.

Stunning, Breathtaking and Magnificent – a feast for the eyes!!

My rating for this film: 5 out of 5 stars