The Steven Spielberg Retrospective Part 3: The 1990's - Jurassic Park (1993)

Jurassic Park

Release Date: June 11, 1993

Runtime: 127 Mins

Winner of all three Academy Awards for which it was nominated including Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects

Read our thoughts after the jump...

The Steven Spielberg Retrospective Part 2: The 1980's - Empire of the Sun

Empire of the Sun

Release Date: December 9, 1987

Runtime: 152 mins

Nominated for Six Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound.

Winner of ZERO Academy Awards

Sean here.  J. Link viewed Empire of the Sun on her own and her thoughts on the film can be found below. I just wanted to throw in my quick two cents.  To me, this is Spielberg's most underrated film and one of his greatest accomplishments.  It is ultimately about the death of childhood and this was definitely the film that gave Spielberg the strength to go on and tackle Schindler's List. Empire of the Sun was Christian Bale's first screen performance and it is still his finest.  It's a shame that he has an Oscar for The Fighter instead of his superb work here.  The climactic images in the film are haunting as we see Spielberg putting the final nails in the coffin of leaving childhood behind.  He would try to return to the childhood realm with Hook, but would fail miserably.  If you want to see the turning point in Spielberg's career, for better or for worse, look no further than Empire of the Sun.

J. Link's thoughts after the jump...

Review: My Week With Marilyn

By J. Link

My Week with Marilyn is based on a novel written by Colin Clarke about the week he spent with Marilyn Monroe while she was filming The Prince and the Showgirl with Sir Laurence Olivier. The movie stars Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clarke, and Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier. The movie also features Dame Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike.

I’ve been interested in this movie since it was announced that Michelle Williams would be playing Marilyn Monroe. I am a big fan of Michelle Williams, but I must admit I was a little skeptical. I wasn’t sure if she would be able to bring such a seductive character to life. I was pleasantly surprised with her performance. I thought she played Marilyn Monroe better than the real Marilyn. She captured both sides of Marilyn Monroe—the sexy seductive side and the darker side of Marilyn Monroe. I must tip my hat to Ms. Williams for the job she did. She really did a good job of capturing the voice, mannerisms, and movements that made Marilyn Monroe such an iconic figure. I think she has a good chance of snagging a nomination for this role. Do I think this is the role that will FINALLY win her a much deserved Oscar? I’m not sure. Another thing that surprised me about this movie is the performance Eddie Redmayne delivered. I wasn’t familiar with Eddie Redmayne before this movie but I find myself intrigued by him. I went to his IMDB in an effort to learn more about him. His performance was rather endearing as I could feel that he truly loved Marilyn Monroe as a person and not a movie star. He was the most genuine person that came into her inner circle and I feel he had her best interests at heart. I believed him when he told her that he loved her.  

As much I enjoyed Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne I have to be honest and say that Kenneth Branagh stole this movie. I was not expecting Sir Laurence Olivier to play such a significant role. The title of the film had me assuming that the movie was going to focus solely on the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and Colin Clarke and not really showcase the other actors. I’m glad I was wrong. He brought a comedic spark to the film that I was not expecting, but really enjoyed. He delivered the strongest performance and is the most memorable part of the film. I’m hoping he gets some recognition come awards season as I feel he is very deserving of a nomination.

I did have a couple issues with the movie--The first being that I felt there was no need to include a second love story subplot between Colin and Clark and Lucy (Emma Watson). I felt this relationship was unnecessary because it did nothing to drive the story forward. Emma Watson wasn’t bad by ANY means. It was great to see her play something other than Hermione Granger. I think she has potential to have a long film career, but she just wasn’t needed in this film. The second issue that both Sean and I had with the film is that so many movie “autobiographic” stories are told through the lens of somebody else. I understand that this movie is based on a book written by Colin Clark but it gets frustrating having to go through somebody else in order to learn about the person the movie is based on. I’d be interested to see what the movie would have been like if we experienced it from Marilyn’s perspective.

Overall, this movie was not what I was expecting and I am thankful for that. I was worried it was going to be an over-dramatization on the dark side of Marilyn Monroe. I’m happy that I was proven wrong. I think Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh should receive recognition for delivering really good performances.

                  My rating? A-

My Week With Marilyn

Directed By Simon Curtis

Release Date: November 23, 2011

Runtime: 99 mins

Review: The Muppets (J. Link's take)

Review by J. Link

As is the case with all Muppets movies the story line is pretty simple. Gary (Jason Segel), Mary (Amy Adams), and Gary’s younger brother Walter (A Muppet) visit the Muppet studios where Gary overhears an evil oilman’s (Chris Cooper) plot to demolish Muppet Studios so he can drill for oil. Gary, Mary and Walter find Kermit and set out to get the gang back together. In an effort to raise enough money to save their studio they put on a show! As much as I would to rave about the movie I must admit that I did have some problems with it….

I didn’t see a need for Amy Adams. I agree with Sean’s point that if you’re going to make a movie about the Muppets you don’t need to throw in a love story between the human characters. I think that movie would have been better if instead of focusing so much time on the relationship between Gary and Mary they used that time to focus on the relationship between Gary and Walter and how helping the Muppets affects their relationship. Walter is a Muppet and wants so badly to be a part of the group. I didn’t feel sorry for Gary at the end when he has to let Walter go because it wasn’t explored enough. Poor Walter, who is a Muppet, is missing from the film for long periods of time when he is responsible for getting the Muppets back together in the first place. Instead of focusing on Walter and the Muppets we’re left to watch Gary fight to get Mary back. I don’t care about that! Like Sean said it was a nuisance.

 

One of the main aspects of a Muppet movie that I love are the songs! This movie was chalked full of fun songs and some that just didn’t work well. The highlights were Life’s A Happy Song, the acapella version of Smells Like Teen Spirit, the chickens performing Forget You (those who know the real lyrics to the song will find it extra hilarious), and the Rainbow Connection. The songs I could have lived without were definitely A Man or a Muppet, and Pictures in My Head. I don’t feel they helped drive the story forward. I must say that Chris Cooper rapping will go down as one of my favorite moments in film history.

I remember when I was kid I wanted to be on The Muppet Show so badly. As a 25 year-old adult I still want to be on The Muppet Show. There is something special about these characters that have captured the hearts of so many for many generations. I tried to watch the movie with a “critical” eye but couldn’t. I can’t nit pick apart because I feel that if I do the magic of The Muppets will disappear. Was it a perfect movie? Not at all. It was a slight mess but at the end of the day I choose to see past that. It reminded me of why I fell in love with the Muppets in the first place so I’ll forgive the unnecessary love story, and the bad songs, and silly cameos and continue to sing Life’s a Happy Song to myself.

My Rating? B