Sideways

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Alexander Payne
Year Released: 2004
Run Time: 126 mins

Story: Two friends travel, play golf, taste wine for a week of fun to celebrate one of the friends last few days of freedom before he gets married.

Response: I always thought this film looked boring, I mean half of it is about wine which I know nothing about. I really enjoyed this film. It is simple and the dialogue and characters are strong. I find it easy to slip into and simply enjoy. Miles is quite a deep character and Jack seems easy to understand and fun but he too is quite deep. It is interesting to hear them talk about wine as Miles seems to know a lot about it. Sideways is a clever film and the comedy is rich in a few places I just couldn't stop laughing.

Rating: Great

Adaptation

Genre: Drama
Director: Spike Jonze
Year Released: 2002
Run Time: 114 mins

Story: A man is struggles to write a screenplay that is base on a certain book about flowers. It is based on the writers strugles to writer the film.

Response: I usually hate Nicholas Cage this time however I think he did quite a wonderful performance. I liked the first few acts of the film however the final seemed a little bit of a disappointment. It thinks it can get away with doing what it said it wouldn't for instance throwing in car chases and gun fights because it promised it wouldn't. However the thrown in car chases and gun fights seem less ironic and more out of place. Nevertheless it is a great film and has originality, you can see the minds that worked on Being John Malkovich behind this film, still I like BJM more. I love his twin brother he is a great character who emphasizes the the main characters personality by showing a personality that is exactly the oposite. Donald is what Charlie does not want to become, a half ass screenplay writer who has unoriginal and lame ideas that ironically are popular. Until the end very very good.

Rating: Good

City of God / Cidade de Deus

Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Year Released: 2002
Country: Brazil
Run Time: 130 mins

Story: City of God follows a boy called Rocket through a portion of both his childhood and teenage years. He grows up in the slums, in the City of God where drug lords and hoodlums rule.

Response: City of God is quite powerful has some very creative shots and in a few great scenes really puts you inside the film. Moments in City of God feel very real and I am always reminded of one shockingly disturbing scene where Li'l Zé (the ruling gangster of the City of God) asks two young Runts (group of very young gangsters) whether he would rather be shot in the hand or the foot as punsihment for causing trouble. The moment is scary and the actors completly pull it off, there such a contrast between the young crying children and the laughing gangsters. City of God also pulls in one amazing side character Benny, he has such carisma and his character is well established.

Every time I watch the film I like it more and I have now seen it about 5 times, it does have it's small problems and the film can feel a little dragy through the middle or when the war starts, all in all the flow is never really effected too much and the good points way out number the bad.

Rating: Very Good

Modern Times

Genre: Comedy/Romance

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Year Released: 1936

Run Time: 87 mins

Story: The amazing Tramp struggles to live in the a world full of machines he suffers from a nervous break down, is put in prison, trials many different jobs and finds love in a poor gamin.

Response: I find it strange that the first time I did not like this film half as much as I should of, Modern Times is easily one of Chaplin's best films followed by City Lights in my opinion (at the moment) all Charlie Chaplin films are full of heart and power modern times is no exception. Charlie Chaplin truly is a genius the pure thought that he could write the script, act the main part, compose the music and direct this brilliant film proves he is like no other. Modern Times is able to mix genres very well the same way Casablanca does or any of the other Chaplin films. It's tone can be either light or deep through out the film and the two are blended together beautifully. The film is wonderfully written and the film flows well, the tramp is one of the best characters in the history of film and he had me laughing my head off at some parts.

Rating: Top Films