The Minority Report - "Lincoln" (2012)

The so-called “ploy” of Watching Paint Dry is that we have a college-aged perception on modern movies that come out. Our movie criticism is built on a few college-level courses in film, our unique majors which do not relate to films, and the countless number of other films that we have seen. That being said, Lincoln is a great movie. I do not recommend it if you are going on a date or in the mood for a high-flying adventure. The movie is definitely made for an older generation—its lack of visual stimuli (that is not to say it isn't pretty, because the cinematography is fantastic), for example. This movie was like watching an intriguing, down to Earth old man sit down in various places and tell stories. The intriguing aspect comes from the fact that the old man is President Lincoln in the heat of the debate over the 13th amendment.

I am not going to go over the synopsis of the film, because it is about Lincoln. We all should know the trials and tribulations of Lincoln. If not, go read some things. In fact, this movie is based on the novel Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Goodwin. So, if you know Lincoln and know the history, why should you go see this movie? It is truly the phenomenal acting and excellent writing that make this seem like you are seeing the president in a new light.

Daniel-Day Lewis is Lincoln in this film. There was not a doubt in my mind that this is how the president would be (having never met the man, I cannot fully answer confidently on how Lincoln would act, but still). The film is exceptional in the way it treats the story of the 13^th amendment, its viewing of how American was then, and the depiction of the emotional toll the Civil War had on Americans. This also showcased the emotional strain that leading the country in such a vital time had.

It is hard to not like Lincoln, as it would be almost anti-patriotic to dislike this movie. There are a few items I did not like. Gulliver McGrath’s (playing Lincoln’s youngest son) performance was serviceable, but not the greatest. The ending also did a strange reflection of Lincoln in a flame on his death bed (Spoilers?). Overall this movie is compelling because of the intriguing character of Lincoln and the excellent acting. We will be seeing this movie, not as paint on the wall, but instead winning awards when the season arrives.

By V-Dawg

PS. I am proud of myself for writing this review absent of any Lincoln being shot, hat, or tall jokes/puns. 

The Minority Report - "50/50" (2011)

“50/50” does its name justice. It is a brilliant balance of humor and complete sadness. It does what most movies can't—capture the essence of life and how, in tragedy, there is great pain and yet someone can still find glistening hope and, yes, still laugh. It is a tale of pushing through hard times with the support of family and friends, finding out who you really are, and discovering the true character of the people around you. It can easily be said that this is one of the best movies of the year and should definitely be watched.

Do you remember the Adam sandier film "Funny People"? It tried to create a sense of juxtaposition between sadness and comedy—a dramedy, so to speak. But it failed miserably with a piss poor passing, a hard to love main character, and a multitude of other issues. It is almost as if “50/50” took all the mistakes of that film and reversed them. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a character who anyone can easily relate to; he is not in your face, and plays back on acting. He is a normal 27 year old, unsure of where he is and wants to be in life and is trying to figure everything out, but in this tempest, he finds out he has a rare form of cancer. The story follows him through the slow realization that cancer has highs of optimism and lows of hopelessness. It is a complicated affair and shows just how severely an occurrence like this can take a toll on a person. Seth Rogen plays his best friend, who at times can be hard to like, but at others melts your heart with his charm and humor. Anna Kendrick also has what is possibly her best acting debut to date, as an inexperienced psychologist that accompanies Gordon-Levitt throughout his emotional rollercoaster.

Cancer can inspire a multitude of effects. It can leave an individual weak and hopeless. Near death can truly bring out who you really are, but it also causes ripples of emotions to the ones around you. This is what this movie is about. Sure, the main character is suffering from an illness, but it is a true observation on how an illness can make the others around you sick, and how to rise above everything even if faced with death, and look towards life and live. In short, I laughed, I cried, and came out of the theater still bogged with the feelings the movie inspired in me. This movie is not like watching paint dry.


By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "Inception" (2010)

“What's the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Which is why I have to steal it.”
This movie has been on my “to watch” list for the longest time. Ever since I saw the 1st commercial about a half year ago, I was hooked on finding out how the production of the movie was going and when it was going to be released. Considering the fact that in the US it was released a week before we got it, there was a lot of talk about it over Facebook, Twitter, the newspapers, and movie review websites. It was hard to avoid spoilers and keep up to date with all things Inception, but somehow, I managed to do it. The day it came out here, I was immediately there.

The basic premise of the movie is that a man by the name of Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a type of futuristic extractor of information. The process involves the extractor infiltrating the dreams of someone that possesses information that could not be obtained through normal methods. Because of his experiences with his family and what he now does, he cannot sleep well or dream and he also can’t return to the United States. The recurring appearances of his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), in his missions because of his subconscious have almost compromised a couple of missions, but when he is offered a chance to see his family again if he completes a mission, he can’t help but accept. The man that hires him, Saito (Ken Watanabe), is rich and powerful, and can make basically any wish come true. At his behest, Cobb searches and finds a new dream world architect called Adriadne (Ellen Page), a forger that can change personas and identities within dreams called Eames (Tom Hardy), and a chemist that makes a strong sedative not available on the market called Yusuf (Dileep Rao); all of these people will join him and his friend and colleague, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), as they pull off the mental heist. The target is a man named Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), who is the son of Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlethwaite), a man who is terminally ill and also happens to be Saito’s business rival. The mission is meant to plant the seed of a thought in the mind of Robert Fischer through a process called “inception,” which will make him want to break apart his father’s company as soon as he passes away. What begins as a simple plan quickly turns into a major commitment with many troubles and many dream levels that winds you down and bends your mind almost as much as it bends the storyline.

After I walked out of the movie, I was in love. It was intricate in both plotline and visuals. The way that the scenes were set up made them perfect eye candy for people that enjoy sets and special effects—specifically the scenes involving changes in gravity. The plotline was all but genius, and the way that the story moved along was just right to successfully transmit the information that was going on in all the dream levels. The only thing that went without much of an explanation after being mentioned was the timescale of the dreams. It was brought up in an off-handed way, but not clearly visible in the actual movie. Apart from that, though, the movie was a wonder to behold. Christopher Nolan did an excellent job as director and producer, but specifically as the writer of such an exciting adventure. I recommend everyone to see it if you can. This movie is definitely not like watching paint dry within paint drying within paint drying within paint drying.

By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "(500) Days of Summer" (2009)

“This is not a love story. This is a story about love.”
(500) Days of Summer is the chick-flick for guys. It is a story about a boy who falls in love and instead of like in a chick flick, where the perspective would be from the woman, it is heavily sympathetic in the male’s direction. The movie is a daring and interesting mix of comedy and drama presented in an essential way of filming. This movie has been out for a while, earned enough praise from more esteemed sources, and been picked and overlooked for its entirety. So, to take a new fresh spin on this review and put a little of a Watching Paint Dry spice, I will talk about the movie from the average man’s perspective.

The first time I saw this tale of one man’s persistent pursuit for what he thought was the girl of his dreams, it hit home for me. It touched parts of me and went deep into my life. And as I talked about the movie with more and more of my guy friends, it seems that it connected to them too. Yet, the females I talked to about this movie seemed to deem it as a slow-paced bore fest. I can see this effect, as this movie truly puts the evil of female indecision and the dire effect of male bluntness and assumptions forward. Maybe it was this that easily swept us into this great indie feeling movie, or maybe it was the absolute, pure hotness of Zooey Deschanel that dug into the male audience. All aside, though, Zooey plays the part of a slightly strange, anti social, girl next door type perfectly. Then, Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job playing the loser-like boy who just wants more in life, and also has great chemistry with Deschanel (did I mention she is hot?).

This movie is one of my favorites, and for me to review it may be biased. I may have a slight crush on Zooey Deschanel, and I also am a major sucker for movies with an indie feel, but please take my word when I say this tale of boy love girl, girl doesn’t love boy is fantastic. It is a must see, and great experience. Some complaints people may find in the movie is that it moves a little slow, primarily shows the perspective of the male, and may be a little too strange for the average movie watcher, but if you are looking for an artful, mature comedy, this is your best option. This movie is nothing close to watching paint dry (and is more like watching Zooey Deschanel for two hours!).

By V-Dawg