Room (2015)

I just got back home after watching this incredibly moving film about such a sensitive subject. Room stars Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen and William H. Macy, which follows the story of a young woman and her son Jack, who are held prisoners in a solitary 10x10ft room. Abducted as a teenager, Joy "Ma" Newsome has endured a traumatic seven years as the sexual captive of a deranged man and through creativity, kindness and pure love, she has shielded her son, born in captivity, from the horrors of their situation.

The performances by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are hard to separate. They are part of a symbiotic acting partnership. Without Jack, there is no Ma and without Ma, there certainly is no Jack. Brie Larson poured herself into this role and shows the strength of her character through circumstances that are both abnormal and traumatic. Her son is not aware of life outside of Room and confuses what he sees on their small TV as something fictional. All he knows is this room and the life they have created under the tightly controlled watch of their captor, Old Nick.

I cannot end this post without commenting on the tremendous performance of nine-year-old Canadian actor Jacob Tremblay (who just last night won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Performer). There is a depth to his performance that shows not only the lighthearted tendencies of a young 5 year old, but also the emotional connection he shares with Brie Larson. There are several touching scenes and they are truly carried by Jacob's talent and his dedication to his role. The fear, curiosity, boldness and kindness of Jack are wrapped into such a powerful performance, that Jacob certainly deserves all the nominations that have been pouring in for his role as well as Brie's.

I highly recommend going to see this film. The director has handled this subject matter with sensitivity, tenderness and depth that solidifies this film as a strong contender for Best Picture this year. I give this film a 9.0/10 skylights.

Hiatus ends with Bridesmaids!

Hello to all!

Sorry for the extremely long hiatus. As you all know, I was in Madrid for the fall, then I focused all my energy on getting back into the swing of things at Rice. I have seen a number of films over the past year, so I'll get to them eventually but the movie I really want to review is...Bridesmaids!

If you haven't seen this movie by now, close out your browser, grab your car keys and head to your local movie theater to go and see it (after you read this review, of course)! This movie is definitely one of my favorites of the year. When I heard that Judd Apatow was giving full reign to Kristen Wiig (who I absolutely love from SNL and other comedies) to co-write this movie, I was so excited. Kristen's writing really shines in the movie about two best friends, one who is getting married and the other who is trying to deal with that fact, as well as getting her life together. There were countless moments in the movie that had me laughing so hard, I could barely breathe. **Slight Spoiler** I think the funniest scene of the movie was definitely the dress fitting mixed with food poisoning. I didn't think they were going to take it as far as they did, but they sure went there. The whole airplane fiasco was just classic and once again, it was another moment where laughter abounded in the theater.

There were some really great moments in the film, that stem from the great mind of Kristen Wiig and her co-writer. There's the fear we have as women about getting older and thinking we'll never find Mr. Right, the tendency to choose a string of bad guys, or feeling like a friend who has been replaced by a newcomer to the group. This movie really makes the main character hit rock bottom, to show us that once you're at the bottom, that is the only way you can start picking yourself up and climbing out of the hole you've made. This film really speaks volumes about true friendship, dedication, love and taking responsibility for one's life. I am so glad that we can watch a female comedy that has both depth and laughs that will make you double over.

I give this movie a 8/10 bouquets!

So, this weekend, grab your girlfriends Go see Bridesmaids!

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Yesterday, I went with some friends to see the new movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This movie was based on the video game but this review is from the point of view of someone who has never played the game firsthand. I thought that there elements of the movie that were great but other elements fell short of the target. I loved the scenery shots of Alamut and of the Persian kingdom, but at certain points when CGI was involved (more in action shots), it looked really computerized. I really enjoyed the many action sequences and I thought that Jake Gyllenhaal played the part well. He really bulked up to play Dastan and his fight scenes for the most part were believable. What bothered me was the accent. Most of the other characters had a decent if not stellar accent, but Jake struggled a bit with making it more realistic. It was more American trying to sound British, but in the end, I did like him as Prince Dastan. My friend thought that he could have been replaced by some unknown accented actor, but Gyllenhaal has the star power to boost the box office sales.

I liked the banter between Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton who played Princess Tamina, and I thought they had good chemistry. My favorite part involving the CGI was of course Prince Dastan's journey back into time, turning his body into sand and the ability to manipulate events to change the future. I thought that was very well done. The movie for the most part had exciting battle scences, especially the Hassasin fight scenes. The only problem that I noticed with the plot was how Dastan, after releasing the sand through the dagger, got transported back to just after he captured Alamut. He simply accuses his uncle right in the open and basically for his brothers to believe him was a huge leap of faith in reality. We knew the truth, but I thought that it was tied together in a sloppy way. They could of added a little more time to the movie to make a better way for Dastan to show the treachery of his uncle Nizam. Also, I liked that Dastan and Tamina got a second chance to be together which ended the movie on a good note for me.

Overall, I'll give this movie 6.5/10 Sand Daggers (trying a new ranking system, but it will change for each movie)