Tag: joseph

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Muni Reviews: Hesher (2011)

Hesher Synopsis: Hesher is a loner. He hates the world and everyone in it. He has long greasy hair and homemade tattoos. He is malnourished and smokes a lot of cigarettes. He likes fire and blowing things up. He lives in his van, until he meets TJ. So I was looking forward to watching this film, it had a few of my favorite actors in it, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Natalie Portman & Rainn Wilson.  The story follows a young boy T.J played by Devin Brochu, who is dealing with the death of his mother. He tries to purchase the car back from the impound, but is turned down because of his age.  T.J goes to vent his anger by destroying a model home where he meets Hesher, played by Gordon-Levitt, as the synopsis says, he’s a loner; a bit of a misfit. The story is a poignant tale of how a boy & his family deals with the death of someone close. I couldn’t help but feel bored at times though, and I hate that. Something this emotional and moving is usually my cup of tea; I like an unconventional story that captures you by surprise. Whilst watching this I felt like waiting for something to happen. I was left slightly disappointed but I guess you’ll have to watch it to make a formal decision. The acting was very good I can’t fault that but as I mentioned above the story did let it down. I guess whilst I was watching it some of the characters felt very two-dimensional. I didn’t feel emotionally connected with anyone in particular. I felt like there was a barrier put up by something, I guess you have to watch it and see for yourself. It was co-written and directed by Spencer Susser, who marks his first feature film after making a few shorts. For the directors first attempt this is a good film. The film has some wonderful shots that draw the audience in, and you could see the attention to detail put in the characters. I think the director will be someone to look out for in the future, it is a shame that I couldn’t connect with the film. The music or lack off could be a factor; I guess I enjoy music in film as it does bring an emotional side out in the film and in the person watching it. Movieville recently did a blog on music in film, which is worth having a look at. Overall I’d say I was left with an unfilled hole in my head and heart. I really wanted to love this film that I probably built it up too much in my head. I think it is worth watching, as it is an interesting film, with some lovely moments that do make you laugh, but I would recommend this to everyone, as you would be left disappointed. 6/10

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Hilarious trailer for 50/50 (2012) with Seth Rogen & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

          Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are two performers who are definitely in my top 10(20?) list. This trailer is great.

Inspired by personal experiences, 50/50 is an original story about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen star as best friends whose lives are changed by a cancer diagnosis. Rogen also serves as producer, along with Evan Goldberg and Ben Karlin. Jonathan Levine directs from a script by Will Reiser. “We worked with Will on Da Ali G show, and it was shortly after that we learned he was sick.” Rogen recalls. “As shocking, sad, confusing and generally screwed up as it was; we couldn’t ignore that because we were so ill-equipped to deal with the situation, funny things kept happening. Will got better, and when he did, we thought the best way to pull something good out of the situation was to get him to write a screenplay. Ideally we wanted to make a film that would be as funny, sad, and hopefully as honest as the experience we went through. As soon as the script was completed, it quickly became a passion project for all of us. It helped us come to terms with Will’s struggle as well as our own experiences.” 50/50 is the story of a guy’s transformative and, yes, sometimes funny journey to health. 50/50 draws its emotional core from Will Reiser’s own experience with cancer and reminds us that friendship and love, no matter what bizarre turns they take, are the greatest healers

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(500) Days of Summer review

Synopsis: I had heard alot of positive things relating to this film, so naturally, I thought I'd buy the DVD and see what the fuss was all about. The Author's note at the beginning of the film is strangely a disclaimer, something I haven't seen that often, at the start, anyway. The note states: "The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch." Upon reading this the first time, I thought nothing of it. I thought it was simply some sort of inside joke, which technically, it was. Only, it wasn't a joke, apparently, (500) Days of Summer was based on the experiences of the writer of this film, Scott Neustadter(Read more on this here). The film was anything but conventional; the chronology of this film going back and forth, the traditional 'rom-com' formulas thrown away for something that was far more enthralling, and kept my attention the whole way through. The way in which the story was depicted was what attracted me to this film the most, sure, it was certainly confusing on occasions, but for the most part it worked well in delivering the plot. The film was a love story, but the most unconventional love story I've ever seen. The story was definitely one of the most unique I have heard. As the film progressed, the story evolved a lot more, as did the characters, and was something which shined greatly in this film, as well as the performance from Joseph Gordon Levitt. Zooey Deschanel seemed quite plastic to me, although I feel her charm brought in a lighthearted warmth to the film, it felt as though she wasn't projecting herself as well as Levitt was. However, that's not to say her performance wasn't enjoyable, it just didn't seem to fit in at times, for example, the scene in the copy room, right before she makes her move, her face was just...blank. There were other minor annoyances in an otherwise great film. A good film with an unconventional twist, lovely story, lighthearted rom-com with a difference. 8/10 Kazed