Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, and Les Miserables Reviews
Silver Linings Playbook is an incredibly lovable film, one that tramples on the term “Romantic Comedy.” It has a pulse, meaning that the audience is left truly rooting for love between the main characters. Bradley Cooper and recent Golden Globe winner Jennifer Lawrence have a true energy between them, something that has been somewhat unmatched in recent star-studded romantic comedies. Bradley Cooper plays a mentally confused heart broken lover who’s been in and out of a mental institution. His father, played by Robert De Niro, is a persistently gambling Eagles fan. Director David O Russell depicts this story outside of the urban area of Philadelphia, which adds a sense of unique seclusion to the story.
Jennifer Lawrence befriends Bradley Cooper and makes him an offer to reconnect with his girlfriend. In return Bradley Cooper must dance with Jennifer Lawrence in a competition. Both characters exude incredible chemistry in the film, while backed by an undeniably lovable script. Silver Linings Playbook was one to remember.
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Quentin Tarantino’s films, like Django Unchained, are distinct due to their throw back uniqueness. His films completely divert from the status quo of filmmaking. When he makes a film, his past knowledge of the art is imminent and clear to a point where you can’t help but relive the glory days. Django Unchained, Tarantino’s latest novelty, depicts a slave who seeks to rescue his wife from a plantation run by a madman named Calvin Candie. Leonardo Dicaprio’s sadistic take on the character demands fear from his audience. Christoph Waltz plays a bounty hunter who is Django’s partner through this unforgettable journey. Tarantino uses scores from old films to back Django Unchained, which gives the movie new life and the audience a whole new outlook on what their watching. The soundtrack features a wide range of music from composer Ennio Morricone to Rick Ross.
Django Unchained was suspenseful and witty, which is what comes with seeing a Quentin Tarantino film. It was the clever, quick-witted script that gave the movie the Golden Globe for best screenplay. Christoph Waltz also received a well-deserved Golden Globe win for best supporting actor, playing the Bounty hunter in the film. Tarantino and his movies have jumped into a new class, one with the likes of Spielberg and Scorsese, where nothing but pure brilliance is executed every time his name is in the credits.
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Tom Hooper’s musical epic Les Miserables was one of the most anticipated films of the holiday season as well as the year. The musical features a mega-star ensemble consisting of Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Sasha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Amanda Seyfried. Les Miserables is a story that follows this ensemble in France in the wake of the historic French Revolution as they attempt to find peace with each other and themselves in a period of such misery and despair for the people. The film gained much attention for being the first musical on film to do live singing in-between takes as opposed to the normal routine of recording the music beforehand in a studio.
The live singing in the film definitely works to the films advantage. The singing on camera gives the film a very raw and emotional sense to it, unlike any musical film this author has ever seen before. It may not always sound so clean, but that’s the point. It oddly adds to the spirit of the French Revolution, aiding segments such as Anne Hathaway’s powerhouse of a performance.
Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman’s performances are really the two things that were the best parts about the film. Other parts of the film felt rather short. The editing was sloppy and distracting at times, with an abundance of annoying Dutch angles utilized by the director. The tone of the French Revolution also felt too clean in the battle sequences, which takes the viewer out of the experience of the story. It also doesn’t help that the film runs almost 2 hours and 40 minutes, which drags on and on and on.
Overall, Les Miserables is a film that won’t be for everybody. Some will be turned off by the length of the film, others by the overall amount of singing in the film (almost the entire film is the cast singing, with very little bits of speaking dialogue). While maybe not worth it to check this out in theaters, one thing that is definitely worth checking out is the performance of Anne Hathaway. It may sound a bit cliché, but her performance really is something that has to be seen to believe, and it totally deserves her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
