Another Earth (2011)

Directed by Mike Cahill
Written by Mike Cahill and Brit Marling
Starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, Kumar Pallana and Matthew-Lee Erlbach

On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. When it is discovered that the newly discovered planet is an exact copy of their world, the student strives to win a trip to see if her duplicates life is as ruined as hers.

In his narrative directorial debut, Mike Cahill combines the style of a low budget independent film with the ambition of a thought provoking science fiction film. While the low budget is very apparent in the way it was filmed, it adds a certain charm to the story rather than distract from it. The grain and shake and natural lighting gives it a realism that many larger budget films are missing.

The story is a simple one, but none the less enticing. It presents questions that are more or less inevitable for all people of Earth to ask themselves at some point in their lives. Is the constant crippling pain of grief something you can't escape? What would my life be like if I had made different choices? The characters in this movie have the chance to explore and find answers.

This movie is undeniably a thought out, in depth look at what it is to be a human who has made life changing mistakes. And the very concept is one  that is unique, at least in the way it is executed as not completely a science fiction film. But I couldn't help but feel that something was missing.

The relationship between the student and the composer didn't feel as logical as I would have hoped. And with the short running time, it felt as though they pushed it along too quickly. Perhaps had it been slightly longer and developed the characters more, it would have been great instead of decent.

Regardless, this should definitely be nominated for the most unapologetically pretentious line of dialogue in a movie.

"I don't want to eat the apple of cynicism."

Ugh.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Written and Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Richard Dreyfus, Melinda Dillon, François Truffaut and Bob Balaban

After an encounter with U.F.O.s, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area of the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

I know what you're thinking. "How have you not seen this, Mike?!" Don't be that guy. No one likes that guy. There are over a million movies in this world, and I have seen a great deal that you haven't. So cut me some slack, Jack!

Even 38 years later, this movie is still impressive, if not more so. The main thing I love about movies before CGI is the ingenuity people had to go through to get the shot they wanted. That was and is the brilliance of great film makers. These days it's easy to say "we'll use CGI" instead of creating a practical effect and that, to me is boring.

I think the main thing I loved about this film was just how different it is from all other alien contact movies. In an industry that shoves the fear of alien abductions down your throat at every chance they get, this was a movie that approached the idea of Extra-terrestrials not with fear, but with scientific curiosity. When every one could have turned and ran the other way, they all stood dumbfounded and intrigued.

…Dumbfounded…

I have never seen an alien encounter movie like this. They didn't even have the government try to capture them using excessive force. Just a little force. Nothing serious. It is truly unique and leaves you wanting to learn more about the visitors. Which is what I'm sure Spielberg was going for.

My Rating: 7/10

Oscar Best Picture Nominee: The Theory of Everything

With the Oscars coming up in a little over a week, I decided I would take these next few days to discuss my opinions of the Best Picture Nominees.

Directed by James Marsh
Written by Anthony McCarten based on the book by Jane Hawking
Starring Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones and David Thewlis

The relationship of Stephen and Jane Hawking as his ALS begins to deteriorate his body and their struggle to remain happy.

This film had a lot of things going for it. It had top notch performances from all of the actors. The cinematography was stunning and enticing. The direction was surprisingly phenomenal seeing as how James Marsh usually sticks to documentaries. The only thing lacking for me was the story.

Here, you have one of the most intelligent men, not just in modern times, but perhaps the history of the world. You have his struggle with motor neuron disease while he struggles to complete his doctorate at Cambridge. Not to mention the countless scientific break-throughs that Mr. Hawking is responsible for. But they chose to follow in my opinion, one of the least exciting parts of his life. His first marriage.

Not shown: Anything alluring.

I understand that this is based off the memoirs by Jane Hawking, so I only have myself to blame for my expectations of the film versus what it actually was. What I can't grasp is how enough members of the academy thought this was the best picture of the year in order to have it nominated for an Oscar. A nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role? Of course. You'd be crazy not to. But Best Picture?

That seems to be the running theme this year. Every year, you might get one undeserving film in the group. But this year, three of the nominees have no right being there in my mind. It seems this year, the academy has become obsessed with films that could have been so much better than they were. "American Sniper", "Selma" and "The Theory of Everything" are all good movies. But they could have been great.

My Rating: 6/10

Eddie Redmayne's performance: 10/10