Enough Said (2013)

Year: 2013

Running Time: 93 minutes

Director: Nicole Holofcener

Writer: Nicole Holofcener

Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone

 

Enough Said will be released in Australia on the 14th November 2013 and will be distributed by 20th Century Fox. Now showing in the USA and the UK.

 

Enough Said is one of the most refreshingly real romantic comedies of recent times.

 

While not all of us will go through the same situation these characters go through, the film deals with some very real feelings dealt with when approaching a new relationship, while still hurting from the last one. Enough Said is a grown up comedy, which is still incredibly moving and can also be quite saddening at times. Not to mention it is an emotional experience in itself seeing the last of James Gandolfini on screen and especially in such a beautiful performance which reminds us what we have lost.

 

Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a masseuse and single mother who's daughter, much to her dismay, is about to leave her to go to college. She has not had another serious relationship since her ex-husband, until she meets Albert (James Gandolfini) at a party and the two start dating. At the same point in time, she forms a friendship with a new client of hers, Marianne (Catherine Keener), who she very much looks up to. Eva soon finds out that Albert is Marianne's ex-husband, the man who Marianne has been telling Eva all these horrible things about, making life extremely awkward for her. Eva struggles to distinguish the difference between what she thinks about her new boyfriend and what Marianne thinks about her ex husband as a result.

 

Enough Said is a really beautiful film about human behaviour and relationships. Director and writer, Nicole Holofcener has done a wonderful job of constructing a screenplay with so much feeling and which brings out so much character in all the players. The only criticism that can be made about the screenplay is that it has a period in the middle of the film where it feels as though the film has started to chase it's on tail. The same conversation seems to keep taking place while Eva is trying to figure out what to do in her predicament and it takes awhile for the film to keep flowing, but when it does, it is well worth it.

 

Enough Said can be incredibly realistic at times and many people will see themselves in characters such as Eva and Albert. The films representation of divorced or separated parents can be quite haunting in it's realism. One of the most striking moments of the film occurs when Eva is trying to explain to Albert why she didn't tell him how she knew his ex-wife. She explains that she was trying to protect herself against getting hurt in the same way she did in her marriage, to which Albert replies "But you forgot to protect us".

 

This line and indeed much of the film will hit very close to home for those people who have been married (or have just been in a long term committed relationship) before and are trying to move on with a new relationship. As Eva does in the film, as much as you try not to compare your new relationship to the last one, you are continuously on the look out for signs why it could not work instead of  reasons why it should. It is frustrating to the viewer to see how Eva starts focusing on the negatives in her relationship with Albert, rather than seeing the positives, which are incredibly evident to someone looking from the outside in. Yet, people like Eva will be able to understand how it is incredibly hard to just take the good with the bad and move ahead. Once you have found yourself able to allow the good to wash over the bad, you can move on, but if you continue to see a new relationship as an extension of the failed one, it will inevitably reach the same demise as the first.

Another factor of the film which many people will find familiar is that of the children moving away from home for the first time. Both Eva and Albert are very close to their daughters and Eva especially has a very hard time saying goodbye to her daughter as she feels like she has no one else. As the film progresses, it is almost a grieving process for her and she tries to find ways to cope with the feeling of neglect that she is experiencing. Again, from the outside we know that Eva's daughter, Ellen is not neglecting her, but only undertaking a rite of passage of leaving home to go to college so common to American young adults. Yet, in Eva's situation, the separation is made even harder and she feels the need to again protect herself from the inevitable pain of losing her daughter to college. In today's society it is not an unfamiliar story where single parents try to find new love and are faced with feeling incredibly alone when their children leave home, and these themes in Enough Said will be quite saddening to some people, but will also cause relief in others who will finally realise that the way they feel is not all that uncommon.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful as the leading lady in Enough Said. She completely embodies her character and is incredibly likable despite her bad decisions. Her Eva is a character who many people will be able to relate to. Louis-Dreyfus' comedic background helps her very much in the film and it is the little things with her dash of humour which make her performance so gorgeous.

James Gandolfini's whole performance is just so heart-breaking. Even without the knowledge that this was his last role before his untimely death, it is still terrible to see such a beautiful character as his being treated so badly on screen. Although Catherine Keener does give a good performance as his ex-wife, Marianne is an incredibly selfish and snobbish character. Albert on the other hand has flaws, but is so gentle and lovable. It crushes you as you watch events crush him throughout the film. Even though Louis-Dreyfus' is the star of the film, Gandolfini is the hero. His simple and subtle, yet emotional and charismatic performance is one which will be remembered.

Enough Said is a film that looks simple enough on the surface, but has a great deal of depth. This is achieved by a wonderful screenplay brought to life by perfect performances.

8/10

RIP James Gandolfini

We are very sorry and saddened this morning to hear the passing of the wonderful actor, James Gandolfini.

The 51 year old, who is most well known for his lead role in the HBO television series, The Sopranos, died as a result of a heart attack while on holiday in Italy.

The news has struck the hearts of many people in the industry who had met and worked with Gandolfini and fans around the world. He had the reputation of being a very gentle, genuine and loving man and he will be missed by many.

Gandolfini was born in New Jersey in 1961. He made his break on Broadway before landing his breakthrough role as Virgil in True Romance. However, it was for the role of mob boss and family man, Tony Soprano that he will most be remembered in The Sopranos that he will be most remembered for. He won three Emmy awards and one Golden Globe award for the role.

Since the end of The Sopranos in 2007, he has appeared various films including In The Loop, Where The Wild Things Are, Welcome To The Rileys, Killing Them Softly, Zero Dark Thirty and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

Before his death, he was scheduled to take part in the new HBO series, Criminal Justice.

James Gandolfini will be missed by movie and television show fans alike. He leaves behind his wife, Debroah Lin and two children, Michael (13) and Liliana (8 months)

Zero Dark Thirty

Year: 2012

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle, James Gandolfini

Before I begin my review….

Well, well, well. A week before the 85^th Academy Awards and we make it to one of the more controversial nominees, Zero Dark Thirty.

The film which claims to give an accurate representation of Osama Bin Laden’s manhunt and death, has come under fire from the CIA and other sources depicted in the film.  It has been claimed by these sources that the film is not as accurate as what it proposes, but director, Kathryn Bigelow and writer, Mark Boal have come out defending their film. Boal quoted “It is a movie. I’ve been saying from the beginning that it is a movie. That shouldn’t be too confusing”.

I see why the CIA and other people feel the need to express what was and wasn’t completely accurate in the film, but what Zero Dark Thirty does is not unlike every other film which is based on real life events. There are certain things which are always added and exaggerated for dramatic effect so the film remains entertaining.

Many have believed that the controversy the film has created has hurt its chance at receiving any of the awards at this year’s Oscars. Personally, I think it may play a tiny part, but, as Boal said, it is a film and it is being judged at the awards as a film and not on its publicity.

Although I think Zero Dark Thirty is a very good film and it is one of the five films that really has a good chance of winning Best Picture, I am not convinced it will. I would love to see Kathryn Bigelow win her second Best Picture Oscar and I can’t help but feel that she is another director whom the academy have made a mistake leaving out of the nominations. So my final word on the matter is that it is another film I would love to see win, but I don’t think the odds are in its favour.

Then there is the amazingly versatile and brilliant Jessica Chastain who is up for Best Performance by an Actress. She is very deserving of her nomination and is also deserving of her first Oscar. However, it is a tough race to the finish with her and Jennifer Lawrence neck and neck. Chastain’s performance is a lot more subtle than Lawrence’s .Personally, I would love to give Chastain an award just for the person she comes across as every time you see her on TV. She seems incredibly down to earth and so appreciative of everything that happens to her. She has sparkle in her and she just makes you want to sit down with her and have a conversation that leaves you both in hysterics.

Review

Don’t be fooled, Zero Dark Thirty is not Kathryn Bigelow’s last film, The Hurt Locker.

Although the two may look similar on the outside due to their locations and war themes, Zero Dark Thirty storyline flows through the film and gains momentum as it progresses. It is a thrilling ride and proves that even if the world knows the end of the story, that isn’t an excuse for lack of suspense.

After September 11 2001, the CIA starts the greatest man hunt in history for the man behind it all, Osama Bin Laden. CIA agent, Maya (Jessica Chastain) is sent to Pakistan to interrogate detainees in the quest to track down Bin Laden’s whereabouts. She obsessively searches for the man and his closest confiders for eight years before there is finally a breakthrough that she believes leads directly to the place where Bin Laden has been hiding all these years.

Films based on true events are often expected not to be suspenseful or thrilling as such because you know how they are going to finish. However, Zero Dark Thirty does not fit into this category. The film is incredibly tense at times and the final 20 minutes is nail-biting. Bigelow has the uncanny ability to not rely on a musical score to be the provider of suspense and create tension by letting the audience know early on that high pressure moments can come from nothing. She therefore keeps the audience on the edge of their seats because they are not sure what is going to happen next.

The script is very in depth and you feel as if you can’t miss a word of what the characters are saying because you might miss something. This is another amazing thing for a film which is over 2 and ½ hours long. You would think with that length that there would be lots of moments of nothing, but writer, Marl Boal has packed nearly eight years into this film and there is plenty to go through. Every scene means something for the film, whether it be in the progression of the story or in character development and growth.

The editing is brilliantly done and at some points, the cinematography can be really quite beautiful. The vision of the helicopters in the night sky over Pakistan is breath taking.

Jessica Chastain is a wonderful leading lady. She exhibits perfect growth in her character by going from an almost meek girl on her first days of interrogation, to being emotionally and mentally exhausted and then completely gaining momentum to take control of the whole project. She is relatable and the audience builds a relationship with her. You want her to succeed and care about her.

Mark Strong and Kyle Chandler also give very good performances and create great support for Chastain.

Kathryn Bigelow has done it again with Zero Dark Thirty by providing us with another fantastic movie that has the ability to give you the unfortunate outcome of a sore back or neck from unbelievable tension.

9/10



References
New York Daily News
The Telegraph

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are

Year: 2009
Director: Spike Jonze
Cast: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker

In My Own Words
This is one of the movies that I was really looking forward to, but I came out of it feeling confused. I’m completely confused whether I should be liking it or not. However, one reason for liking it outweighs all the reasons I have for not liking it. I loved the feeling of seeing things through the eyes of a child again. It made me recall how I had been as a child. I was continuously making the most of my imagination by writing stories and, even though I looked extremely freaking doing so, acting them out in my lounge room by myself. I also would like to play in the garden outside and make little cardboard cut outs of people and pretend they lived in the garden. Very few adults still have an imagination like that. I doubt any grown ups really use their imagination like this anymore, and if they did, they would be considered crazy. That’s what makes the child’s imagination and their way of using it so special. You can only take advantage of it in that way for a certain amount of time. From that time on, the only way to use your imagination the way a child does is in story-telling and writing.

I never really thought about this that much until I saw this movie. I saw “Where The Wild Things Are” as being a metaphor for this. The tagline “There’s one in all of us” I believe is a representation of how the imagination of a child still exists in all of us, but we can’t express it the way a child can anymore. “Where The Wild Things Are” reminded me so much of my childhood imagination, and for that I am thankful. It brought back some memories of a time when I was oblivious to the real world and lived in my own world where everything was made by me, and therefore perfect. In this movie, all is not perfect for very long, which I interpreted as being the point where he grows up and accepts that things may not always be perfect in the real world, but there are always people who will love you no matter how imperfect you or your world may be. This was my interpretation anyway. Maybe I am reading too much into it.

There are my own words and here is my review.

Review
Who would have ever thought that the 338 page book, “Where The Wild Things Are” could be made into a 101 minute film? Spike Jonze is the man to do it. Obviously, quite a bit is added into the film that is not in the book in order to make it appropriate for a feature length film. The long awaited film will be appreciated by adults as long as they go into the film ready to see the world through the imagination of a child. In saying this, children will see this film and enjoy it as it is imaginative and a story with big friendly (and other times not so friendly) and fluffy monsters.

Max (Max Records) is a young boy who is full of imagination. He spends his days creating new worlds for himself to escape the troubles he experiences with his older sister and her friends, and his single mother (Catherine Keener). One day after getting himself into trouble, he runs away from home and sails to a new land, which is inhabited by large and unusual creatures. Max tells the creatures that he is a king, and he immediately becomes the flavour of the month, especially with Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini). Max tries to make life happier for all the creatures, but ends up finding out that it is impossible to make everyone happy all the time.

“Where The Wild Things Are” is the story of a child’s imagination. The visuals of the land where the wild things live are perfect for this theme, as they are both imaginative, as they are abstract, unreal, large and full of detail. The visuals are unlike any other seen in a recent film and the recreation of Carol and his friends is fantastic. The cast that lends their voices to these wild things does a great job in bringing to life these characters from the book. The soundtrack is also commendable, as it reflects the childlike behaviour and emotions presented in the film.

However, the film can be dull at times. There are some scenes that seem slow and quite tedious, as it seems as though the film is not going anywhere. The conflict in the film is not strong, which is where the film loses its strength. The moral of the film and visuals are there, however at times they just do not seem to work. It is first and foremost a children’s book and ultimately is seen as a children’s movie, but this is no excuse for lack of strength in a movie. Records gives a good performance as Max, but he can come across as forced. His best performance is as happy Max, but sad Max is not convincing. Yet, he is a very young actor so he can be forgiven. Still, the film almost feels too basic, even for a children’s film.

The moral of the film is fantastic, that there is a world like the one in the movie inside all of us. Most people are not aware of this world or have forgotten it, as it is evident mainly in children but not in adults. Therefore, children will love this movie as it will tap into their imagination. For adults, it will only do this if they are aware of the morals and themes of the film and are willing to go into viewing it with the mind of a child. A child’s imagination is far greater than the average adult as it knows no limits, yet there does come a time in everyone’s life when reality becomes greater than the imagination and this is what “Where The Wild Things Are” presents.
7/10