Editor’s note: GoSeeTalk is trying something new with this review of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi. Since there’s so much to enjoy Marc and Bill split up the review to focus on its two greatest strengths. Bill addresses the narrative structure/success of Life of Pi while Marc tackles praising its technical/visual achievements. In Ang Lee’s latest film Life of Pi, an impressive adaptation of Yann Martel’s popular novel of the same name, a young man, Pi (Suraj Sharma), who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor…a fearsome Bengal tiger. Though the premise of Life of Pi might…
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G-S-T Review…Rise of the Guardians
Thinking about Rise of the Guardians, Dreamworks’ latest offering, I can’t say for sure whether Pete Ramsey mixed a heart-warming, energetic childrens’ film with a story of secular subversion or vice versa. Most likely, it’s the former; there’s little doubting that Rise of the Guardians exists first and foremost to entertain and dazzle theaters full of tykes and adults alike with impressive panache. In that respect, the film succeeds in overwhelming fashion, boasting a bright, colorful visual palette and a much-improved style of animation while giving its world life through excellent voice casting. (If, of course, your concept of Santa Claus involves Jack Donaghy’s Russian half-brother.) Put simply, there’s no denying that the…
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G-S-T Review…Silver Linings Playbook
The most startling thing about Silver Linings Playbook is its complete embrace of being unhinged. A film that revolves around mental health issues should feel unpredictable, even if people stubbornly want to shoehorn the film into the romantic comedy genre. Let me be clear here, then, that I never felt Silver Linings fell into that genre. In fact, it doesn’t play fair. This isn’t a neat film. When Jennifer Lawrence’s Tiffany is introduced to Bradley Cooper’s Pat, we see his gaze drift to her breasts ever so casually. When he looks up, we see recognition in her eyes. She doesn’t admonish him there, but later we understand this attention isn’t uncommon for her nor unwanted. Which is…
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G-S-T Review…Red Dawn
Here we are again with a cult classic which has been subjected to a remake almost three decades later. If you were a child of the 80’s or at least a fan of 80’s movies, then you have probably seen Red Dawn (1984). That film was rife with actors on their way to stardom. Fast forward to 2012 and here we are with a more modern version of the movie modified to fit the times. Rather than Russia invading the U.S. we have North Korea. There are a myriad of other changes in an effort to modernize the film and cater to the shorter attention span crowd of our society…
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G-S-T Review…Anna Karenina
Director Joe Wright is a strong visual storyteller with a talent for period pieces. Having won lots of fans with his adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, he again takes on another famed literary work; Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Wright blankets the heartbreaking tale with lavish visuals attempting to soften the blow of the tortured romance. In doing so he also infuses this complicated story line with an amusing sense of theatrics you just don’t get to see outside of an old-fashioned stage performance. The result is an impressive film that, despite the off-putting and self-destructive lifestyle of the ill-fated Anna Karenina, still manages remain vibrant and beautiful amid all the tears and heart-break. It’s…
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“The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 11/21/12
The week of Thanksgiving is a special time every year and not just because of the Black Friday deals or spending time with family. Some of the best movies of the year are released and they are released two days early; on Wednesday. So this week we are releasing a special Cinemagic 8-ball post a day early to let you know what incredible films are hitting theaters today. Happy Thanksgiving everyone… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- RED DAWN A city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the…