100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 143: White Bird in a Blizzard

Director: Greg Araki

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Runtime: 90 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Angela Bassett, Thomas Jane, Gabourey Sidibe

Description: In 1988, a teenage girl's (Shailene Woodley) life is thrown into chaos when her mother (Eva Green) disappears.

Review: “White Bird in a Blizzard” is a genre mix of thriller and drama, with an okay result. It’s the fall of 1988 when Eve, mother of the rebelling teenager Kat, disappears. Nothing leads to a crime and soon father and daughter have to adapt to the new situation. Although Kat doesn’t really get any support from her sexy yet dull boyfriend Phil, she starts to see the much older macho cop Scieziesciez (I always hate it when a character has a name I can’t pronounce). The investigation gets a new impulse when Kat returns from college in 1991.

The story is brought to us in flashbacks. Here we see how Kat’s mother changed in the last months before her disappearance. Did she have an affair? Was she planning on running away? The search for the truth and the performances by Eva Green and Shailene Woodley are the best part of the film.

Less successful is the character development. There is a lack of depth in characters. In “White Bird in a Blizzard” we don’t see a lot of character development, we are stuck on the surface. There are hints and you feel that there is longing and frustration, but it never becomes really clear. This makes it hard to relate to the characters.

Even without this element, it’s an easy to watch thriller/ drama. The story and climax are interesting enough and even though the characters are a bit superficial, they are believable. An okay film.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 118: Seven Psychopaths

Director: Martin McDonagh

Genre: Crime/ Comedy

Runtime: 110 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, Gabourey Sidibe, Michael Pitt, Harry Dean Stanton

Description: Struggling screenwriter Marty (Colin Farrell) inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends (Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken) kidnap a gangster's (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu.

Review: Marty is an Irish scriptwriter who works in Hollywood. For his next script he only has a title: “Seven Psychopaths”. Trying to fight his writer’s block, he’s constantly drinking alcohol. His friends Billy and Hans have another occupation: they kidnap dogs and then return them to their owners in order to collect the reward. Everything goes wrong when Billy kidnaps the Shi’Tzu of criminal Charlie and Marty gets involved.

“Seven Psychopaths” is best described as a dark crime comedy. Filled with good actors who get away with all the horrible violence because of their funny dialogues and the bizarre scenario. Director Martin McDonagh broke through with “In Bruges”, which is a favorite of mine. Colin Farrell also had the lead role in that movie. Here, as Marty, he is more neutral and the people around him steal the show. Sam Rockwell does what he does best. He’s totally crazy, but wins over your sympathy somehow. Christopher Walken has the most emotional role, but his humor is great.

McDonagh filled “Seven Psychopaths” with fun moments. It’s sometimes on the edge of overdoing it, but thanks to the humor of the actors it’s a highly enjoyable movie. Definitely worth your time.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 20: Precious

Director: Lee Daniels
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd

Description: In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, the overweight, abused, illiterate teen Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.

Review: Not a lot of people would want to trade lives with Claireece ‘Precious’ Jones. She is sixteen, weighs 330 pounds and lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods of New York. She can barely read and write and is constantly bullied at school. Despite all that she’s rather in school then at home with her mother. She yells at Precious, treats her like a slave and abuses her. Four years ago she had a child with Down Syndrom, who was conceived by her own father. He rapes her and Precious is now expecting her second child. Mother Mary does nothing. She blames Precious for stealing her husband.
Lee Daniels previously produced movies like “Monster’s Ball” and “The Woodsman”, which also dealt with heavy themes. In the first 45 minutes of “Precious” you don’t see one inch of hope for the young girl. When she meets Ms. Rain at the alternative school ‘Each One, Teach One’, Precious grows, she blooms. Paula Patton easily could have made Ms. Rain into a soft teacher, but instead she portrays her as a strong woman on a mission.
“Precious” stands out because of the convincing acting performances. Newbie Gabourey Sidibe is overwhelming in her title role. She is believable. Mariah Carey surprised everyone as social worker Ms. Weiss, who only has a few scenes but was very solid. The best performance is by Mo’Nique, who is known as a comedienne. She plays Precious’ mother and is scary good as the mom from hell.
“Precious” is a grabbing film, that leaves a mark. I don’t understand why Lee Daniels wanted to make this movie a bit lighter by adding several dream sequences. And there are also some irrelevant close-ups and misplaced symbolic. But you do have the constant feeling that you’re dealing with real people and real misery. That this film gets under your skin is because of the wonderful acting.

Rating: 3/ 5