Silent House

March 19, 2012 / nicholasdaletaylor / Leave a comment

Silent House

This category has been silent for a while so what better way to break that than with a review of the new horror flick, Silent House. I will keep this brief to avoid spoilers but in a nutshell, this is worth seeing. Now, albeit there will be some of you who disagree with me after seeing the ending and the inevitable “turn” that most thrillers follow these days. Nonetheless, many things to commend here including the performance by the upcoming star Elizabeth Olson. Some of you may know her as the younger sister of those loved/hated twins Mary Kate and Ashley but I say do not discredit this gal’s skill simply because you may be bias against her family name. And get used to seeing her. Throughout this not so silent, scary shoot the camera is locked to her face a good 65 percent of the time and she holds it well. Not only that but she is locked in for many projects including Kill Your Darlings, Very Good Girls and Therese Raquin. Back to the movie at hand, after getting back to some typical establishing moments this film had me shifting in my seat watching the young girl bite down on her hand in terror. The fright centers on the true threat of unwelcome squatters in a home the family has decided to sell. Real people. Real threats. Real crazy minds. No ghosts or aliens or such. Anyone who enjoyed the film High Tension will get a good, welcome jolt from these scares. Even if you’re one of the people in the audience who views the ending and goes “that was stupid,” I trust you will still get the entertainment value for your dollar. Catch Silent House if you’re tired of sitting around the familiar house with lofty silence. The slight rush of adrenaline may do you good.

And if you need one more scare check out Daniel Radcliffe in The Woman in Black.

The Ides of March

October 17, 2011 / nicholasdaletaylor / Leave a comment

Few movies have made me leave a “sold out” screening at one theater to hunt down another time but The Ides of March did just that.

Here we follow testing days before numbers reveal the outcome to a pivotal presidential primary for hopeful runner Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney [also director here, fantastic job!). Our story unfolds in Ohio with damage control campaign man, Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) standing on a stage, testing the space, mocking a later speech made by his boss. Loyalty will be the point on which the plot spins as the faces of these two men become interchangeably guilty of the professionally unforgivable. A bedroom at 2:30 in the morning reveals more than post-coital bliss.

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The many stars (including the haunting Evan Rachel Wood) of this film could fill earlier versions of our great flag. Campaign head Paul Zara (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) encourages Mike to coax a man desiring a cabinet position. Without the endorsement of this official the race will be lost. Anxiety thickens when trust falters between comrades after a meeting with the opposing team under Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). These always exquisite performers give plane faces as to the jaded, bitter malaise basting political careers and, in short, stick a fork in one of these characters; they are done.

Post meeting, a great scene follows with Hoffman and Gosling silhouetted against familiar red and white stripes. These stripes provide no camouflage for the scandal ready to fly across pages. Yet, blood-splattered headlines would reach no great end.

This film’s genius falls in the lines of dialogue that show men’s continuing ability to swallow dark secrets for the hopeful, greater good. To paraphrase a shocking line and leave you hanging in the process, They’ll forgive you for lots of things, they’ll let you start a war, cheat, steal, but you can’t… they’ll getcha for that. Sad reality when this mistake trumps all other atrocities.

Anthony Weiner comes to mind.

Acknowledging the faults of man should always be easy but never will be when so many faces are fueled by their own interests, bias and underlying agendas. Upon seeing this film voters may become disillusioned regarding the veil of perfection surrounding their chosen man or woman in a race. We can elevate anyone to certain plains of grandeur but peaks allow for fatal falls. To be cryptic, the great accomplishment of this present day drama lets light fall on the person for whom we vote and the person behind the vote itself.

I heard the buzz, saw the poster and simply wanted to see something outside of the blow ’em up, shake ’em up, wow ’em with spectacle action flick (which mind you, I love). I wanted to watch an American movie that embraced ugly truths, acknowledged hypocrisy, and featured daunting performances and just like any worthy Presidential candidate I got more than the bargain. Surpassing my expectations in all shades and colors while renewing some shaken feelings for the red, white and blue, it is The Ides of March directed by George Clooney.

Friends With Benefits

August 1, 2011August 15, 2011 / nicholasdaletaylor / 2 Comments

On my way to a matinée at the Davis Theater I hit a line of people who undoubtedly were in line to see Cowboys and Aliens, so, I opted (on a whim) to watch a film by Will Gluck, Friends With Benefits.

Friends With Benefits, click image, purchase tickets

Starring Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis and Patricia Clarkson this movie could not have been a better source of afternoon delight. In short, my attraction to the romantic comedy has been renewed. In fact, my next planned movie outing is no doubt, Crazy, Stupid, Love. However, back to the flick at hand (and speaking of hand), Dylan and Jamie (Timberlake and Mila) after a cute work-related introduction vow to give one another a helping hand of sexual flavor, hold the emotions. To add some sex vibe variety we get co-worker Tommy (Woody Harrelson) who in a subtle yet highly applaudable performance breaks away from the overplayed gay stereotype. His performance gives a fresh meaning to the phrase “a man’s man.” Adding Jamie’s mother, Lorna (Clarkson) leaves us with even more of a good time and an endearing moment between mother and daughter revisiting the idea of prince charming. This moment is only trumped by the sweet father-son-scene where Dylan removes his pants to sit with his debilitated dad Mr. Harper played by Richard Jenkins.

Other critics may claim re-hash or play the “been done” card to slam this comedy. Nonetheless, by now we all are familiar with the formula. If you see some good performances laying on top of a shameless sexuality message and take away a smile then I call that a good time. Everyone needs a good time now and again. And what we see here is that two friends let it get physical then go back to being friends only to see the truth of how these heightened ecstasy states only fuel established love. I commend this fun movie for all its frivolity layered with tasteful feelings and touch worthy pictures.

Putting a sexual spin on a rating scale let’s rate this film by penis size, the smallest of which I’ve seen was 3 inches (poor guy) and the biggest of which I’ve seen was 11 inches (no witty parenthetical statement here). So, on a 3 to 11 scale I give this a 7.5 (guys, that’s more than above average, be proud)!

The long and short of it, you can have your blow ’em up, shoot ’em up scenarios if you want– there is no shortage– but as for myself, I guess I’m just seeking a little more romance in my life, even if that means Friends With Benefits.