I saw About Time in November, and it turned me into emotional mush, making any kind of commentary impossible. This is what I've come up with, in anticipation of the DVD release on February 4th.
The Midas of romantic comedies, Richard Curtis's work includes Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones' Diary, and the winter favorite, Love Actually. With his latest film, About Time, the writer/director weaves a beautiful story about love and family, life and death.
Y'all can have The Notebook, I'll take About Time any day. While this article from NPR.org has been nagging at the back of my brain, I choose instead to see the ways in which the movie makes its own rules, and more importantly, breaks some new ground.
Long story short, Tim can travel in time. Don't ask why or how, just see the movie. His goal is to use his gift to find love, but as the old saying goes, love finds him - when he's literally not looking for it. Tim goes on a blind double-date to a resturaunt whose gimmick is to dine in the dark. No lights. Unlike the scene in When in Rome, which uses night vision goggles to show us what's happening, Tim's date is comprised of dialogue relayed over a black screen. Tim hits it off with his date, Mary. Waiting for her outside the resturaunt, he can only hope that the girl who has captured his heart is someone he will also find attractive. Of course, being Rachel McAdams, she is.
But, guys. He likes her before he sees her. No love-at-first-sight nonsense, no fake getting-to-know-the-hot-girl crap. I'm utterly charmed.
It gets better.
About Time is about so much more than Tim and Mary - it's about Tim's relationship to his family, his friendship with his father, learning to trust your instincts. Accepting the inevitable and welcoming the unexpected. With the love and support of family, and the realization that life is precious, every moment, lived for the first or the last time, is a gift.
I know it sounds like a lot of sap, but I don't care. It's the most heartwarming film I've seen in ages, and one that I can't wait to see again.
Notes:
- My mom saw a preview of this film, and said she could see me marrying someone like Tim. I'm more than okay with that.
- Tim is played by Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, who, besides being adorable, is most famous for playing Fred Weasley in the last Harry Potter film. Also, his father is renown actor Brendan Gleeson.
- Tim's mother's name is Mary - so is Domhnall's. - First Richard Curtis hit romantic comedy without Hugh Grant. Probably factors into why I like it so much.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
I'm back! Not that I'd actually gone anywhere; nor did I stop seeing movies in the last two months. No, in fact I have numerous drafts of unfinished thoughts that I have yet to post, but my most recent cinematic adventure was Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Shadow Recruit is an origin story for a new and contemporary Jack Ryan, CIA operative. Ryan's been around for a long time, first appearing in print. Four of Tom Clancy's novels featuring the operative were optioned for films, and successfully adapted, too. Look at the leading men: Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and now, Chris Pine.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit rings true, on some level. The threat of economic warfare is very real, and we all want to believe that someone like Ryan exists, to read between the lines and prevent disaster. Especially if there's a badass road chase before the end. Ear pieces, thumb drives, spreadsheets, floorplans, diversions, secret meetings on park benches - all the cliches, updated for our time. Branagh as director uses his dramatic hand to tether the action to a story, and to a central character. More importantly, that protagonist is not invincible. He has feelings, and he gets hurt.
One of the things I like about Chris Pine's portrayal of Jack Ryan is his vulnerability. This is not an experienced agent, it's a military man who signed up to do financial data analysis from behind a desk. When he fights, it's truly self defense, with fear in his eyes. It's such a nice change from the showcase of strength that is Mark Wahlberg or Channing Tatum.
Pine's supporting cast is equally excellent, with Sir Kenneth Branagh as Russian businessman Viktor Cherevin, Kevin Costner as Ryan's CIA mentor, and Keira Knightley as Ryan's girlfriend Cathy.
Costner looks good in his suit, and it looks like he's got another action film coming out soon (3 Days to Kill), so he's raring for the fight. Knightley, I think, is growing on me. I used to find her grating, especially as Elizabeth Bennett, but I rather liked her in the ensemble picture Last Night with Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, and Guillaume Canet. Here, in Shadow Recruit, I was actually quite impressed with Knightley's American accent.
Speaking of accents, I was surprised to believe (albeit loosely) Branagh's Russian accent. Admirer that I am, I thoroughly expected to laugh in his digitally projected face... in fact, I found his Viktor Cherevin rather attractive. Oops. Seriously, Hollywood, stop making the villains so attractive. Loki, Khan... well, I'm probably in a minority to include Cherevin on that list.
In any case, it's refreshing to see so consise an action film with an authentic kind of hero. Shadow Recruit also marks Tom Clancy's last film credit as a writer. While I don't know how involved he was in the script, I like to hope that he'd be happy with the reboot. I know this audience member is.
Shadow Recruit is an origin story for a new and contemporary Jack Ryan, CIA operative. Ryan's been around for a long time, first appearing in print. Four of Tom Clancy's novels featuring the operative were optioned for films, and successfully adapted, too. Look at the leading men: Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and now, Chris Pine.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit rings true, on some level. The threat of economic warfare is very real, and we all want to believe that someone like Ryan exists, to read between the lines and prevent disaster. Especially if there's a badass road chase before the end. Ear pieces, thumb drives, spreadsheets, floorplans, diversions, secret meetings on park benches - all the cliches, updated for our time. Branagh as director uses his dramatic hand to tether the action to a story, and to a central character. More importantly, that protagonist is not invincible. He has feelings, and he gets hurt.
One of the things I like about Chris Pine's portrayal of Jack Ryan is his vulnerability. This is not an experienced agent, it's a military man who signed up to do financial data analysis from behind a desk. When he fights, it's truly self defense, with fear in his eyes. It's such a nice change from the showcase of strength that is Mark Wahlberg or Channing Tatum.
Pine's supporting cast is equally excellent, with Sir Kenneth Branagh as Russian businessman Viktor Cherevin, Kevin Costner as Ryan's CIA mentor, and Keira Knightley as Ryan's girlfriend Cathy.
Costner looks good in his suit, and it looks like he's got another action film coming out soon (3 Days to Kill), so he's raring for the fight. Knightley, I think, is growing on me. I used to find her grating, especially as Elizabeth Bennett, but I rather liked her in the ensemble picture Last Night with Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, and Guillaume Canet. Here, in Shadow Recruit, I was actually quite impressed with Knightley's American accent.
Speaking of accents, I was surprised to believe (albeit loosely) Branagh's Russian accent. Admirer that I am, I thoroughly expected to laugh in his digitally projected face... in fact, I found his Viktor Cherevin rather attractive. Oops. Seriously, Hollywood, stop making the villains so attractive. Loki, Khan... well, I'm probably in a minority to include Cherevin on that list.
In any case, it's refreshing to see so consise an action film with an authentic kind of hero. Shadow Recruit also marks Tom Clancy's last film credit as a writer. While I don't know how involved he was in the script, I like to hope that he'd be happy with the reboot. I know this audience member is.
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