fred-kolb
Joined Mar 2007
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fred-kolb's rating
I think it's time to cut poor Robert Pattinson some slack. Since he was cast as the sweet-talking and pale vampire Edward Cullen in the teen hit "Twilight" all boyfriends in the world are jealous of the one guy their girlfriends are more in love with then them at times, and have therefore labeled him as an atrocious actor with no talent and a face that lacks any sort of expression. Well, granted "The Twilight Saga" or "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" certainly haven't shown him in the greatest light as a performer, but then again those two film series are not exactly best known for their outstanding opportunities to demonstrate fine acting. Therefore, the adaptation of Sara Gruen's novel about a circus during the Great Depression era in the 1930s "Water for Elephants" turned out to be the first big screen trial, and as far as I'm concerned, he passed the test with flying colors. The film turned out to be an extremely well-made, enjoyable and superbly acted drama, that was by far the best film about the circus I have seen in a long time.
In 1931, Jacob Jankowski is just about to get his degree in veterinary sciences from Cornell, when his parents pass away in a car accident and leave their son homeless and without a future. Traveling along the railroads, he one night encounters a train full performers from the Benzini Brothers Circus, who take him to a brand-new life and offer him a job. He soon meets the animal trainer and ringmaster August, a charismatic, but arrogant and brutal man, who first wants to throw Jacob of the train but hesitates when he finds out he is a veterinarian. Instead, he hires him to treat the injury of his star attraction, a beautiful horse, trained by August's wife Marlene. But soon August discovers a new attraction, an elephant named Rosie and he picks Jacob to train her. But when he sees that Jacob is unwilling to establish complete control over her, he turns raging and brutally forces the elephant to listen to his orders. Jacob turns more and more against August, and falls in love with Marlene, who is torn between being with the man she loves, or the man who was responsible for making her a star.
Although Francis Lawrence's only two works as a director so far have been the comic book adaptation "Constantine" and the acclaimed science-fiction horror thriller "I am Legend", he handles a historical film with great ease, and transformed Gruen's novel onto the big screen in a mix of lush sets and colors, but also a tone of sadness and melancholy in regard to the Great Depression. "Water for Elephants", while more of a fairy tale than historical fiction, is brilliantly executed on a fairly small scale that rightfully indulges in its sparse, but well-constructed sets. The film conveys a perfect circus atmosphere, especially when the tent is built and dozens of workers are pulling on the ropes, or a montage of circus acts is shown with the underlying and incredibly nostalgic music by James Newton Howard. Ultimately, it's a tour de force that relies on its escapist tone and particularly a scene when Jacob and August first met, and the latter takes the newcomer on the roof of the train, you feel the thrill and excitement of taking a journey that you are curious to witness. Although the story is not nearly as creative, with a rough, yet charming young outsider falling in love with a beautiful circus performer, who is married to an older and brutish man, and certainly does trip over one or the other cliché occasionally, it's told with passion and dynamically, so there's always the occasional unexpected twist. The film is also a bit light on the real despair that went on during the Great Depression, and although the true horrors are hinted at occasionally, there's a reason it's merely rated PG-13.
As mentioned, Robert Pattinson deserves some props for stepping up his game big time for this film, and considering his face finally doesn't look like a bucket of chalk has been emptied over it, he has a quite weathered and charming aura, that will come to serve him well in the future. His chemistry with Reese Witherspoon though was a bit dry, especially compared to the sizzling of her and Christoph Waltz, which may be because she's 11 years older than him. Nevertheless, individually they are both superb, with Witherspoon giving a tough and sympathetic performance as a star, who's been at the very bottom and will do anything never to get back there again. But the show is once again stolen by Christoph Waltz, who is one of those actors, who never seems to miss a beat or step out of line in the slightest. The delivery of every single syllable is perfectly timed and precisely planned, and he is easily one of the most intimidating and brilliant actors Hollywood has seen in a long time. But it really was quite amazing that August always seemed to be able to pull his bodyguards from hammer space, whenever Jacob was ready to attack him, which was my only real issue surrounding his character. Hal Holbrook also leaves an impression as an older Jacob, narrating the story, and finishing up the film with a moving and wonderfully final line.
Mostly due to the fantastic leading trio of actors, especially Christoph Waltz, and the surprisingly inspired direction by Francis Lawrence, who has just recommended himself for more historical film projects, the film is enjoyable and moving at the same time. I have just won back my love for the circus thanks to this film.
In 1931, Jacob Jankowski is just about to get his degree in veterinary sciences from Cornell, when his parents pass away in a car accident and leave their son homeless and without a future. Traveling along the railroads, he one night encounters a train full performers from the Benzini Brothers Circus, who take him to a brand-new life and offer him a job. He soon meets the animal trainer and ringmaster August, a charismatic, but arrogant and brutal man, who first wants to throw Jacob of the train but hesitates when he finds out he is a veterinarian. Instead, he hires him to treat the injury of his star attraction, a beautiful horse, trained by August's wife Marlene. But soon August discovers a new attraction, an elephant named Rosie and he picks Jacob to train her. But when he sees that Jacob is unwilling to establish complete control over her, he turns raging and brutally forces the elephant to listen to his orders. Jacob turns more and more against August, and falls in love with Marlene, who is torn between being with the man she loves, or the man who was responsible for making her a star.
Although Francis Lawrence's only two works as a director so far have been the comic book adaptation "Constantine" and the acclaimed science-fiction horror thriller "I am Legend", he handles a historical film with great ease, and transformed Gruen's novel onto the big screen in a mix of lush sets and colors, but also a tone of sadness and melancholy in regard to the Great Depression. "Water for Elephants", while more of a fairy tale than historical fiction, is brilliantly executed on a fairly small scale that rightfully indulges in its sparse, but well-constructed sets. The film conveys a perfect circus atmosphere, especially when the tent is built and dozens of workers are pulling on the ropes, or a montage of circus acts is shown with the underlying and incredibly nostalgic music by James Newton Howard. Ultimately, it's a tour de force that relies on its escapist tone and particularly a scene when Jacob and August first met, and the latter takes the newcomer on the roof of the train, you feel the thrill and excitement of taking a journey that you are curious to witness. Although the story is not nearly as creative, with a rough, yet charming young outsider falling in love with a beautiful circus performer, who is married to an older and brutish man, and certainly does trip over one or the other cliché occasionally, it's told with passion and dynamically, so there's always the occasional unexpected twist. The film is also a bit light on the real despair that went on during the Great Depression, and although the true horrors are hinted at occasionally, there's a reason it's merely rated PG-13.
As mentioned, Robert Pattinson deserves some props for stepping up his game big time for this film, and considering his face finally doesn't look like a bucket of chalk has been emptied over it, he has a quite weathered and charming aura, that will come to serve him well in the future. His chemistry with Reese Witherspoon though was a bit dry, especially compared to the sizzling of her and Christoph Waltz, which may be because she's 11 years older than him. Nevertheless, individually they are both superb, with Witherspoon giving a tough and sympathetic performance as a star, who's been at the very bottom and will do anything never to get back there again. But the show is once again stolen by Christoph Waltz, who is one of those actors, who never seems to miss a beat or step out of line in the slightest. The delivery of every single syllable is perfectly timed and precisely planned, and he is easily one of the most intimidating and brilliant actors Hollywood has seen in a long time. But it really was quite amazing that August always seemed to be able to pull his bodyguards from hammer space, whenever Jacob was ready to attack him, which was my only real issue surrounding his character. Hal Holbrook also leaves an impression as an older Jacob, narrating the story, and finishing up the film with a moving and wonderfully final line.
Mostly due to the fantastic leading trio of actors, especially Christoph Waltz, and the surprisingly inspired direction by Francis Lawrence, who has just recommended himself for more historical film projects, the film is enjoyable and moving at the same time. I have just won back my love for the circus thanks to this film.
Harry Potter, a series of novels that defied everything that was possible and started a phenomenon unlike anything that ever existed or ever will exist. An entire generation has come to identify themselves with the books and the movies, especially those who shared a similar age with the characters when they came out. Last night, when I saw the eighth and final Harry Potter movie at the midnight screening, I was yelling and cheering when the curtain came open and once again yelling and cheering when the credits started to roll. But I had tears in my eyes, both of joy and immense sadness that it was now over, as one of the greatest film series of all time comes to an end.
After having destroyed their first Horcrux and having buried Dobby, Harry, Ron and Hermione are hiding at shell cottage with Ron's oldest brother Bill, his wife Fleur, as well as the goblin Griphook and the wand maker Mr. Olivander. Griphook tells Harry that the sword of Gryffindor in his possession was supposed to be in the Gringotts vault of Bellatrix Lestrange and the three eventually start to suspect that a Horcrux might be hidden there. After successfully breaking in and barely escaping on the back of a dragon, the three realize that the last stop in their journey will have to be Hogwarts, the school they went to for six years, and where the final showdown between Harry Potter and his nemesis Lord Voldemort will take place. Neither can live, while the other one survives.
As far as I'm concerned the right adjectives to describe this film haven't been invented yet. No words I can think of would do the grandness and perfection of the spectacular conclusion of this film franchise justice, and for now I'll just have to leave it at saying that this has good chances of becoming my favorite movie of the year. When you sit there and watch the movie at midnight with a group of teenagers all nearing the age of 20, who define their childhood with "Harry Potter' you are swept right into a different world of enthusiasm, emotions and nostalgia. I didn't think it was just great, I thought it was flawless. The sad and emotional scenes are so heart-wrenching that I could hear the entire movie theater tearing up, mainly during the scenes involving Snape and his memories that Harry watches in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Snape really comes to define this movie and his character really got to me as a man, who seemed to be the epitome of coldness and villainy throughout the entire series, and in the end turns out to be a tragic hero of the greatest measure, who would even have made Shakespeare proud. The movie is a huge extravaganza of action and visual spectacles, and while the first part was really solemn, apocalyptic and quiet, this one almost indulges in its grand scales and procures a huge battle of magic and some very powerful spells, bringing rock statues to live and creating an enormous energy shield around the castle. I always said that I wanted the series to go out with a bang and in the most memorable way possible and David Yates ensured with his vision that this film will be remembered for years to come.
The acting in Harry Potter has never been as good as it is here. Daniel Radcliffe in his final performance as the hero of this great franchise takes absolute center stage here and after ten years in the role he makes an incredibly convincing, brave and courageous hero, who conveys emotions with credibility and there are some scenes, where his facial expressions are just heartbreaking. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are really just supporting players here, but they have both made quite a name for themselves in their roles as well and all three actors are capable of continuing their careers far beyond Harry Potter. However, I think the key to the film's immense success are the performances by Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman, both of whom are more than deserving of an Oscar nomination. Fiennes, who is one of my favorite actors working today, finally hits the mark completely as Lord Voldemort and he is so menacing, cold and scary in his role that he has now become the living embodiment of evil and the defining villain of a generation. Alan Rickman though has a personality unmatched by any actor I have ever seen before. Snape is someone you love to hate and hate to love at the same time. Rickman's facial expressions as Snape are incredible subtle, but just the slightest change can reveal so much about him, and his carefully chosen enunciation of each syllable he utters is beyond belief. Although he is scary and seems cold-hearted most of the time, in the end when all comes to a close, everyone will feel so sorry for him. Finally though I have to give a shout out to Matthew Lewis who played Neville Longbottom, and after starting off as a chubby and not too bright lad in "The Philosopher's Stone", he's become a rough, determined and courageous fighter who believes in freedom and defending yourself. I was really impressed with his transformation.
For the first time in eight movies, I honestly believed that the screen version worked better than the written version. The pictures just seemed to tell the story so much better, and while some of the book almost felt like a letdown to me, the film finished it all off on such a brilliant and high note and the final image was heart-warming and really felt conclusive, and that's when I knew that it was all over. This franchise will never quite finds its equal, as it has moved and influenced so many people who now come off age. It's always sad to say goodbye, but long live Harry Potter, the boy who lived!
After having destroyed their first Horcrux and having buried Dobby, Harry, Ron and Hermione are hiding at shell cottage with Ron's oldest brother Bill, his wife Fleur, as well as the goblin Griphook and the wand maker Mr. Olivander. Griphook tells Harry that the sword of Gryffindor in his possession was supposed to be in the Gringotts vault of Bellatrix Lestrange and the three eventually start to suspect that a Horcrux might be hidden there. After successfully breaking in and barely escaping on the back of a dragon, the three realize that the last stop in their journey will have to be Hogwarts, the school they went to for six years, and where the final showdown between Harry Potter and his nemesis Lord Voldemort will take place. Neither can live, while the other one survives.
As far as I'm concerned the right adjectives to describe this film haven't been invented yet. No words I can think of would do the grandness and perfection of the spectacular conclusion of this film franchise justice, and for now I'll just have to leave it at saying that this has good chances of becoming my favorite movie of the year. When you sit there and watch the movie at midnight with a group of teenagers all nearing the age of 20, who define their childhood with "Harry Potter' you are swept right into a different world of enthusiasm, emotions and nostalgia. I didn't think it was just great, I thought it was flawless. The sad and emotional scenes are so heart-wrenching that I could hear the entire movie theater tearing up, mainly during the scenes involving Snape and his memories that Harry watches in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Snape really comes to define this movie and his character really got to me as a man, who seemed to be the epitome of coldness and villainy throughout the entire series, and in the end turns out to be a tragic hero of the greatest measure, who would even have made Shakespeare proud. The movie is a huge extravaganza of action and visual spectacles, and while the first part was really solemn, apocalyptic and quiet, this one almost indulges in its grand scales and procures a huge battle of magic and some very powerful spells, bringing rock statues to live and creating an enormous energy shield around the castle. I always said that I wanted the series to go out with a bang and in the most memorable way possible and David Yates ensured with his vision that this film will be remembered for years to come.
The acting in Harry Potter has never been as good as it is here. Daniel Radcliffe in his final performance as the hero of this great franchise takes absolute center stage here and after ten years in the role he makes an incredibly convincing, brave and courageous hero, who conveys emotions with credibility and there are some scenes, where his facial expressions are just heartbreaking. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are really just supporting players here, but they have both made quite a name for themselves in their roles as well and all three actors are capable of continuing their careers far beyond Harry Potter. However, I think the key to the film's immense success are the performances by Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman, both of whom are more than deserving of an Oscar nomination. Fiennes, who is one of my favorite actors working today, finally hits the mark completely as Lord Voldemort and he is so menacing, cold and scary in his role that he has now become the living embodiment of evil and the defining villain of a generation. Alan Rickman though has a personality unmatched by any actor I have ever seen before. Snape is someone you love to hate and hate to love at the same time. Rickman's facial expressions as Snape are incredible subtle, but just the slightest change can reveal so much about him, and his carefully chosen enunciation of each syllable he utters is beyond belief. Although he is scary and seems cold-hearted most of the time, in the end when all comes to a close, everyone will feel so sorry for him. Finally though I have to give a shout out to Matthew Lewis who played Neville Longbottom, and after starting off as a chubby and not too bright lad in "The Philosopher's Stone", he's become a rough, determined and courageous fighter who believes in freedom and defending yourself. I was really impressed with his transformation.
For the first time in eight movies, I honestly believed that the screen version worked better than the written version. The pictures just seemed to tell the story so much better, and while some of the book almost felt like a letdown to me, the film finished it all off on such a brilliant and high note and the final image was heart-warming and really felt conclusive, and that's when I knew that it was all over. This franchise will never quite finds its equal, as it has moved and influenced so many people who now come off age. It's always sad to say goodbye, but long live Harry Potter, the boy who lived!
The new shows this fall have almost all been hugely disappointing, starting with the new "Law and Order: LA" which proves that the concept of the show is starting to get old, "The Event" is yet another bunch of twists and turns that will end in the middle of nowhere sooner or later and the hugely anticipated "Hawaii-Five-O" started out strong, but has now taken a turn for the worse, although it's still among the better new shows, which frankly isn't saying much.
"Blue Bloods", on the other hand, really stands out as a gritty and quite realistic police drama, made by the producers of the hugely successful and dearly missed "The Sopranos". Now, we get to see inside the daily lives of a family whose job is to solve crimes, instead of committing them, and thanks to an ensemble of gifted actors, it's quite interesting to see their interactions, both personally and professionally.
Frank Reagan is the chief of police in New York City, a man deeply respected by his family and the people he works with. His oldest son Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is a homicide detective with a reputation for not doing things by the book, and in the first episode already he sticks someones head in a toilet to get the location of a missing girl out of him. While people admire as someone who gets the job done, he has alienated several people over the years through his views and methods, including his sister Erin (Bridget Moynahan). She is a district attorney, and since Danny often uses unorthodox and even illegal methods to arrest criminals, she has a hard time with convicting them, causing them to argue quite frequently. Jamie (Will Estes) is their youngest brother, and after finishing law school, suddenly decides to become a police officer, much to the dismay of his fiancé. Although still a rookie, he is approached by a secret society called the Blue Templars, who wish to hire him to investigate the death of his brother, who was a cop himself and was shot while investigating a case.
The show comes up with an interesting concept,showing us the interaction of these four family members while investigating crimes and how they often clash in their believes and principles. Donnie Wahlberg's character Danny is probably the most interesting one of the bunch, mainly because it's hinted at that he was in Iraq, and that his tendency to loose patience with the people he arrests is rooted in something he experienced there. It's good to have Tom Selleck back on TV, who is a better actor now than ever, and since I already liked him in the Jesse Stones movies, it's great that I get to see him every week now.
You can watch Blue Bloods every Friday at 10 on CBS, and since it's one of the most successful shows that have ever aired in the time slot, it looks like it stands a very high chance of surviving for more than a season, which will be an achievement not shared by too many of the new shows, I'm sure.
"Blue Bloods", on the other hand, really stands out as a gritty and quite realistic police drama, made by the producers of the hugely successful and dearly missed "The Sopranos". Now, we get to see inside the daily lives of a family whose job is to solve crimes, instead of committing them, and thanks to an ensemble of gifted actors, it's quite interesting to see their interactions, both personally and professionally.
Frank Reagan is the chief of police in New York City, a man deeply respected by his family and the people he works with. His oldest son Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is a homicide detective with a reputation for not doing things by the book, and in the first episode already he sticks someones head in a toilet to get the location of a missing girl out of him. While people admire as someone who gets the job done, he has alienated several people over the years through his views and methods, including his sister Erin (Bridget Moynahan). She is a district attorney, and since Danny often uses unorthodox and even illegal methods to arrest criminals, she has a hard time with convicting them, causing them to argue quite frequently. Jamie (Will Estes) is their youngest brother, and after finishing law school, suddenly decides to become a police officer, much to the dismay of his fiancé. Although still a rookie, he is approached by a secret society called the Blue Templars, who wish to hire him to investigate the death of his brother, who was a cop himself and was shot while investigating a case.
The show comes up with an interesting concept,showing us the interaction of these four family members while investigating crimes and how they often clash in their believes and principles. Donnie Wahlberg's character Danny is probably the most interesting one of the bunch, mainly because it's hinted at that he was in Iraq, and that his tendency to loose patience with the people he arrests is rooted in something he experienced there. It's good to have Tom Selleck back on TV, who is a better actor now than ever, and since I already liked him in the Jesse Stones movies, it's great that I get to see him every week now.
You can watch Blue Bloods every Friday at 10 on CBS, and since it's one of the most successful shows that have ever aired in the time slot, it looks like it stands a very high chance of surviving for more than a season, which will be an achievement not shared by too many of the new shows, I'm sure.