ckolet37

I enjoyed the first Anchorman. It was goofy, yet you had a sense of where it was going. The one liners were flawless, which made it the cult classic it is today. I realized I could only see a movie like this once every two years. When its sequel came around, I expected the same. It was exactly what I expected... In the first half. The first half contained some classic one liners, and fantastic situations these characters are in. The story wasn't that strong, but that was the first Anchorman's problem. The second half was a collapse. A collapse in storytelling, writing, and Will Farrell got a little old. The first half could have gotten at most an eight if it stood alone. The second half was also too overlong, they crammed too many fanfare elements that they felt they needed to keep from the first half. It made it feel like a rehash, not a sequel (trust me, you will know exactly when this happens). In the end, there are things that this first half cannot make up for in the second half. This review, to some may not be a glowing recommendation. However, if you are a fan of the first film, you have probably already have seen this.

Love Actually is a film that thinks that it is trying to defy conventions and other generic plot points to tell a poignant and comically rich storyline with memorable characters and various other elements that will make it a Christmas classic. That is a very audacious attempt for a romantic comedy. Regardless, director Richard Curtis is talented, but everything he touches doesn't turn to gold... or silver. The question is: can this film succeed? There are parts when it does and there are parts when it doesn't. It does not mean it does it poorly, but it dwells into the clichés of its genre. Curtis tries to be an overachiever and sets up too many story lines and characters thinking that they will eventually (and cleverly) cross over and meet up at the very end. Like I said, his strategy is very hit and miss. However there are parts where I felt he did things perfectly: the beginning and the ending. These were the parts where it was original, especially the last three minutes of the movie. In my opinion, that was probably one of the best endings Curtis could have thought of given the circumstances. The performances are even better. Richard Curtis has assembled the best character actors in England to make this film. There was really no performance I could complain about, it was done practically. The main payoff for me is that, at the end, Curtis prioritizes. He picks the stories that actually mean something to us and develops them to the best of his ability. Instead of developing something that we dislike and want to turn off if we hear any more about it.

Before this film, in my opinion the greatest special effects of all time were in Avatar. Everything was so realistic, you could see sweat on their faces. This film not only trumps everything that Avatar has brought us, but I really don't see these effects aging for a long, long time. I could be proved wrong, you could see the models in Star Wars, the shark looks like a dummy in Jaws, but this might be different. I am a big fan of Cuarón's style as a director. I love the darker tone that he brings to his films, his point of view shots in his films are flawless. He went all out, he pushed the boundaries for not only what he could do, but what a director can do. Same with the acting. Sandra Bullock gives a great performance as Ryan Stone. If she was any lesser of an actor than the effect that this film had on us, would be lesser. Bullock is one of those actors that you root for every time. She has that charisma, you want her to survive. In my opinion, the most atmospheric and powerful moments of the film is when she is alone. This is a tremendous feat, considering she is in front of a green screen 99% of the time. George Clooney brings a likability to his role, his character was very entertaining and a relief, when the film was at its darkest. This is the movie event of the year so far, no doubt about it. If you haven't seen a film that you enjoyed so far this year, go see this film if you haven't already.