A Beautiful Mind

Tali: A Beautiful Mind is the incredible real-life story of John Nash, a physicist and Nobel Laureate who struggles with Schizophrenia throughout most of his adult life. I have to admit - reading the Wikipedia entry before writing this entry has made me question some things about this film (in particular the discrepancies surrounding Nash's use of medications as a means of therapy), but I highly recommend that you do NOT read the entry and instead watch the film with an open mind (a beautiful one, even). The film is done very well, allowing the audience to both want the best for Nash, yet finding yourself increasingly concerned by his erratic behavior throughout the film. Slow to start but if you don't cry at the end you have no heart. Period.

Leo: I have to admit that I did not suspect the schizophrenia until it was a little more explicit --SPOILER-- though I actually did notice the girl staying the same age before it was mentioned --END SPOILER--. This made the movie an equal amount of a mind fuck as it was an excellent story. It was funny, sad, and it actually made you feel good at the end. I have been really interesting in Game Theory since I learned about it about 2 years before seeing this film, so to learn about John Nash's story was a real treat. Even though some things may have been exaggerated or misinformed, this movie was incredible and got the point across and no one can argue with that. I put this movie off for a while since I disliked Russel Crowe so much after Master and Commander, but that was clearly a mistake. This movie is incredible.

Moonrise Kingdom

Tali: Moonrise Kingdom is the latest by acclaimed filmmaker Wes Anderson. The movie follows two young teens as they run away together on a small island, and all of the mischief and chaos that surrounds him. I have fallen completely head-over-heels in love with this film; There is so much I can say about this film I don't even know where to begin. Wes Anderson's movies always have a very beautiful feel to them - every frame is like a photograph, all of the music is carefully and perfectly selected, and the depth of the characters adds to the aesthetic beauty of the film. That aside, the story is brilliantly executed, a perfect balance of hilarity and sadness, and an amazing message. Simply divine.

Leo: Moonrise Kingdom is one of those movies that feels like a children's film but simply is not. It takes all of the usual restrictions out of a children's film and replaces them with even more exciting perspectives. The way the movie was filmed basically summarizes all of the movies Wes Anderson has done. The zooming in and out to take the awkward scenes to a new level is typical of Wes Anderson. The story is feel-good and at the same time interesting and really fun to watch. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Please see it.

Dark City

Tali: Dark City is the sci-fi story of John Murdoch, as he tries to piece together the mysterious and fantastical events that lead to his memories being erased, and and the potential murdered he may have committed. There isn't a whole lot to say about this movie. I felt the entire time while watching that I was missing something. There are some attempts to make this a film-noir, but mostly this movie falls flat of baring any significance. It's weird as shit and definitely not worth the two hours.

Leo: In Dark City, John Murdoch struggles with memories of his past, with large key elements he cannot remember, in a dark world with no sun and run by creatures with telekinetic powers who seek to know what makes humans....human. The premise would be a little over done almost if it wasn't one of the first to use things like psychokinetic powers and altering a society’s mind. The storyline, in my opinion, was pretty solid because even though it has a very intense sci-fi feel it still remains grounded with the humanity expressed by the relationship between John Murdoch and his wife. The way the movie was done in terms of the information being revealed was impressive, especially considering the amount of unbelievable things that are revealed. Another interesting structural aspect to this movie was John's progression. Other than that, I tend to almost agree with Tali that it is kind of "flat" at some points, but towards the end it all comes together and there is no questioning that this movie is an incredible spectacle. 

Requiem for a Dream

Tali: Requiem for a Dream is a movie with drug use in it, but it is not just a movie about drugs. RfaD follows the intersecting of lives of several junkies (some self-admitted while others are in denial about their addiction) and their downward spiral in a claustrophobic hell. Although at times terrifying and even hard to watch, you CANNOT stop thinking about these characters and what will happen to them next. This film freaked the shit out of me but even over 24 hours after watching it I still cannot stop thinking about it. Darren Aronofsky is a phenomenal film maker and this movie is an excellent demonstration of his achievements in cinematography as well. Basically, you know a movie is fucked up when you have to watch an episode of Criminal Minds after to clear your head.

Leo: ^^ says it all. I recently re-watched this movie and thought....well....can I actually "recommend" this movie to anyone? It's one of the best, if not the best Darren Aronofsky movie because it delivers its message so well. It scares the fuck out of you. It makes you semi-depressed but semi-relieved that you are in a better situation then every single character in the movie. No matter what has happened to you, if you are reading this, you are NOT this fucked up. See it but have something like Rush Hour 2 or Pirates of the Caribbean to cheer you up after....or something. It's fucked.

Dog Day Afternoon

Tali: Dog Day Afternoon follows the (real-life) story of a bank heist in Brooklyn and the series of unfortunate events that follow. Specifically, if you think a bank robbery should take no time at all, imagine the hilarity and awkwardness and tension that amounts when the robbery is turned into a hostage situation/full blown circus and stretches out over the course of several hours. The twists and turns the storyline takes (as well as the character revelation and development) drive the story and make you watch to invest your time (as much time as possible) into the safe return of the hostages and the liberation of Sonny and Sal. Al Pacino is brilliant (as always) and special kudos goes to Chris Sarandon (who plays a doped up and terribly frightened pre-op Leon). Watch it and tell me if you found the same kind of humour in it that I did.

Leo: This was one of the most well-done "heist" movies I've seen mostly because it's actually realistic. Everything that can go wrong does go wrong and it throws some curve balls at you that you honestly would never think of. You would laugh if you weren't thinking "what the fuck ? ?                ? ? ? ?" every twist. Not that they were not believable, because it's a true story. Al Pacino is great, well, most of the acting was just great in this movie. All that needs to be said after seeing this movie is "wow". See it.