Paper Heart

We just got back from a screening of Paper Heart, a half-documentary, half-film about love. While that may sound cheesy, it's really not.

Charlyne Yi and Jake Johnson were on hand for a Q&A after the screening and they were just as funny and adorable in real life. Jake is actually from Chicago as well, so a few members of his family were there to see it along with us. I don't like recommending films that I think some people may not like, but I have no hesitation when it comes to putting my stamp of approval on this one.

It's sweet, quirky, funny, honest, charming, and pretty unique. If you're one of those people who doesn't like Michael Cera because he always plays himself, though, you definitely won't like this. He literally plays Michael Cera. Everyone else, enjoy!

Bowie's in Space

(Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

Jon and I were lucky enough to see a screening of Moon on Monday. I'm going to talk about it, but don't fret, I won't spoil anything for you. In fact, if you're going to go see this film, I would suggest not letting anyone spoil it. Don't read the reviews (except mine, obviously!). Don't even watch the trailer. Throw down your $8 and check it out if:

1) You trust my taste

2) You don't need sex scenes, explosions, or high-speed car chases to enjoy a movie

3) You like films that make you think (and give you a bit of a mindf*ck)

4) You're not opposed to something that could reasonably be classified as sci-fi

5) You enjoy watching really fantastic acting

Moon stars the versatile Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell and the voice of Kevin Spacey as Gerty, the robot who wears his emoticons on his sleeve. It takes place on the moon (surprise!) and it is fascinating in its simplicity. It starts out slowly and quietly, with the pace of the film and music perfectly conveying the monotony of everyday life away from Earth and completely alone. Part of the reason I enjoyed Moon so much was the acting of Rockwell. You feel for him when you see how the life of solitude is affecting him and you root for him to get back home and back to his wife and daughter.

Then things start happening. This is the stuff I won't give away, but I assure you, you will think you see what's coming, and you will only be half right. There is no Armageddon-style heightened drama, but it is dramatic.

Moon is the brainchild of Duncan Jones, sometimes known as Zowie or Joey Bowie. Yes, he is David Bowie's son and yes, from what I can tell, he inherited a few of his dad's odd sensibilities about life, space, and the universe. This is his first film and I can't wait to see his next.

There is the weird sci-fi mix of artificial intelligence, science gone wild, questions of right and wrong, uncertainty about what is real and what is imagined, the unknowns of space, and the mysteries of the human mind.

It wasn't like Donnie Darko, where I left the theater questioning what I saw and wondering how it all fit together, but the next day I was definitely still thinking about it. I kept remembering little tidbits here and there that I might not have fully appreciated at the time. I had a few "Ah-ha!" moments and came to a few realizations about what I think he meant by some of the choices he made with the storyline. I may have overthought some of it (as is my style), but with movies I enjoy trying to wrap my mind around the "bigger picture."

So have I convinced you yet?

Tomorrow: Public Enemies screening after work. Very excited about this one as well!

Major thanks to Gapers Block for the screenings, as usual. If you're in Chicago and don't read the site or follow them on Twitter, you're missing out!

Make the Trek

Apparently I love J.J. Abrams. I've watched LOST and Fringe regularly since they began and I was really excited about Cloverfield, but watching Star Trek last Thursday finally solidified it for me. I can't even think of anyone to compare him to in the industry, past or present. He's quickly building his very own Sci Fi (or is it SyFy now?) empire where monsters are real, life is mysterious, heroes are human and fallible, and the past/present/future is never completely set in stone.

I won't spoil any of the movie for you, so no worries if you're reading this. I will just say that J.J. took the Star Trek world that everyone knew and he turned it on its head. Not only is it fresh and exciting again, but it can go wherever it wants in the future due to a clever bit of writing. There were definitely references (shout-outs) to the TV series and films of the past, but they're not done in an overly cheesy manner that distracts from everything else going on (not going to lie, there were a few "wink wink" moments put in specifically for the die-hards). I think that given the inherent far-fetched nature of any Sci Fi story, this one was pulled off in the most plausible way possible. There are scenes (especially early on) that I feel were slightly unnecessary, but I suppose those are more about the character set-ups than anything else.

Speaking of characters, every single one of them is bad-ass. Kirk gets beaten up in every way possible by everyone possible. The action scenes are really well done and visually, it is absolutely stunning. The acting is pretty spot-on, only occasionally going over-the-top. In my opinion, this is a testament to the near-perfect casting of the film (Winona Ryder does NOT need to be in this, but...whatever). One of the most important things for any story to be successful is to make the audience care about the characters in one way or another. You don't have to love everyone, but you have to have some sort of emotional stake in the outcome, or you might as well just walk out of the theater. Whether it was the writing or the acting or a combination of the two, I did care.

Luckily, Star Trek never stumbles into the trap of becoming a caricature of itself or the genre, which, let's face it, it could have done very easily. One sure sign that you may like it: the guy in the theater dressed as Captain Kirk was apparently raving about it afterward...

It's not just for the Trekkies, though, kids! Jon, who has openly stated that he believes Star Trek is "the dorkiest thing ever," enjoyed it just as much as the hardcore fans. I'm somewhere in between fan and apathetic towards the Trek, but I would pay to see this again. This is a big deal coming from me, because I am usually staunchly against viewing films more than once (with notable exceptions like The Dark Knight, Trainspotting and a few others).

There you have it, folks. Well, there you have as much as I can say until you go see it and we can discuss further...so go do it because I'm dying to talk about this!!!