Frank - Movie Review

Welcome back to another edition of Baatezuu Reviews.  Tonight we have watched, for your entertainment and mine, the movie Frank.  What can I say about the movie Frank?

It is quite hard to sum up this film in a couple of paragraphs.  The basic premise revolves around a band and their creative process, but it gets much more interesting by the time it is all over.

General Comments

I wasn't sure what to think of this film when I first saw it.  I saw the picture of the guy with a giant silly head and thought, "This might be an interesting film.  Is this supposed to be funny?  Is it a film about a crazy ax murderer?  Is it a live action South Park?"

Well I can say this much, it is not a film about a crazy ax murderer.  It is a film about a band and the music they make together.  It centers around Jon Burroughs; a guy who is desperate to be an actual musician.  When Jon gets invited to play keyboard with an established band, he jumps at the opportunity.  Little does he know what he is getting himself into.  Lets get to the categories and delve deeper into this crazy little film.

Costumes    

This is one of those films that are not quite known for its costumes, but I always mention this is my reviews regardless.  The costumes always felt spot on for the characters in this movie.  They were crazy, but not so over the top you thought any of them had serious mental issues, even though some of them did. I suppose in some ways it is a nod to the costume designer, that their work does not stand out in a film like this.  I think the one shinning gem of costuming in this film is Frank's giant head.  It is actually very well made.  I noticed watching it that it had several well placed vent holes, latches, hinges, and fans.  Being a tech geek I can pick out things like that.

Special Effects 

I am going to list music under this category as it is such a large part of this film.  The music, while certainly not mainstream, is rather unique and is actually the heart of the movie.  The music is interesting and diverse sort of an electronic cacophony of sounds all mashed together in a very creative way.  I can imagine this being the way some Greatful Dead, or Phish songs were composed. The music reminds me of some of the later Doors live tracks. Looking back on the film, the special effects they used were very subtle.  In my experience most Indie films use very few special effect and this one is no different in that regard.

Cinematography

This film does do some fairly creative things with the camera.  You are always seeing the events of the film as if you are a spectator.  A fly on the wall so to speak.  They make you feel like you are right there with Jon and Frank as they go through their journey in this film.  You can certainly appreciate a well thought out scene and you can tell the director and cinematographer certainly were thinking when they filmed this movie.

Acting

The actors in this film were top notch and this film has a few unexpected gems of acting in it.  Michael Fassbender is amazing as Frank.  Michael brings an intensity to Frank that is gentle yet appropriate for the character.  Frank is awkward, and yet at the same time you get a sense that he really has the universe figured out.  Maggie Gyllenhaal has long been one of my favorite actors.  Maggie can be loving, gentle, kind, and absolutely freaking nuts all in the same scene.  Her performance as Clara in this film is certainly another outstanding piece of her work.

Last mention but not the least is Domhnall Gleeson who plays Jon.  Honestly the whole time I was watching this film I kept thinking to myself, "Is that the kid who played Ron Weasley in Harry Potter?"  I guess the reason that I kept thinking this is because he actually played Bill Weasley in the films.  Domhnall brought a certain sort of naive yet eager energy to this part.  This energy is important for the role of Jon who is quite enthusiastic, yet desperate to find his place in the band.

Writing

The film is really good at showing you a window into a journey of growth and self discovery.  It is real, believable and yet exciting enough to keep you interested in the what is going to happen to the characters next.  I am not typically good at guessing the outcome of most films, but I can definitely say I had no idea where this film was going until the very end.  This movie was also very good at creating a clear path for the characters when it was over.  I love it when a film allows you to continue the story in your head after the credits roll.

Closing Thoughts

I really enjoyed this film on many levels.  It was a look into the psyche, and what makes us human through the enjoyable mediums of music and film.  While the film is kind of a heavy with its themes of humanity and what makes us tick, it also has its fun moments to keep the overall tone from getting to dark.

The characters are all pretty likable and you will certainly be wrapped up in what is going to happen to the band.  Like many other Indie titles this one is a character films.  If you cannot connect with the characters then it is probably not going to hold your interest.  Overall I liked it and I would probably watch it again, but not right away.

Magic Math Machine tells us what our score is.  So we put some trash in the Mr. Fusion, scrape some lead paint off the wall, put a sock in the blender and carry a tune then you get 5.8.  So rounding up, I rate this film 6 out of 7 smiley Mike heads.

Jupiter Ascending - Movie Review (New Format)

Hello again.  Time for a new movie review by yours truly Baatezuu.  I am trying a new format for this review, let me know what you think in the comments below.  I went once again to my favorite movie theatre, The Alamo Drafthouse.  This time I saw the Sci-Fi epic Jupiter Ascending.

General Comments

For anyone who knows me, I am a geek.  For those of you who do not know me, suffice it to say if it has cool tech gadgets I am on that movie as fast as a superhero to a damsel in distress.  No offense meant to the strong ladies in my life.  I am well aware that women kick butt too.  Anyway, back to the comments, this film is full of some of the most imaginative tech I have seen in a movie to date.  It is not just the tech gadgets that stun and amaze, it is the story and visuals as well.  There is even a love story too, so you can take your girlfriends that only like mushy films and she will not hate you for it.

Let me take a moment to explain the new blog format.  I felt I needed more room to express how I felt about the movies I decided upgrade to a seven smiley Mike head format.  In doing so I have more smileyness to work with, and no more strange half Mike heads.  Lets face it, half a Mike head is like something out of a horror movie.  Also, I now have more clearly defined section, and each section gets its own rating.  I will take these individual rating and combine them into some math magic machine to get the overall rating for the movie.  I think this will help to bring a little more logic into my rating system.  So without further ado, I will get on with the review!

Costumes    

Since I currently live with a costumer, I feel it necessary to put this category at the top.  This section is going to be rated on a scale of 1997 Batman & Robin to Downton Abby.  Of course that is not to say that Downton Abby has the best costumes ever, I just think period pieces should rank higher on the scale due to difficulty alone.  Having said that, this film has some of the most spectacular costumes I have seen since The Fifth Element.  That is saying something, since the costumes in The Fifth Element were designed by Jean Paul Gaultier.  We have everything from functional hero wear to elegant high fashion wedding dresses.  There are many different settings for the film, and many different sets of costumes.  The costumes always seem to match the mood and setting of the film, so kudos to Kym Barrett for her stellar designs.

Special Effects

 This section is going to be rated on a scale of paper figures on sticks, to Avatar.  I always say that special effects should help to tell the story, and not get in the way.  This film manages to accomplish that feat and then some.  While I am not a fan of bullet time, especially when overdone or when it is stretched out, this film seems to get it spot on.  It is used very rarely, and for just the right amount of time.  The action sequences are phenomenal as well.  There are a few scenes that are filmed over Chicago where things get blown up and it looks amazingly real.  Ships get blown apart while people are still inside of them.  It is all done so well that you just go, OK that could happen.  Yeah, I think I saw that happen to my uncle Jimmy once.

Cinematography

This is a section that I use to describe the overall camera work in the film.  To me there is nothing worse than a shot that is too close to see what is going on that is being filmed by a guy having a seizure.  you know what I am talking about Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence.  Or perhaps something being filmed by the stunt double with a Go Pro strapped to his head.  I think you get my point, onward.  This film was very will filmed.  They placed the camera at an optimal distance in almost every scene.  You could actually tell what was happening, but were not forced to count Mila Kunis' nose hairs.

Acting

The actors in this film were mostly veteran actors.  The movie stars Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones.  Mila does a great job of playing unassuming, vulnerable, and a little bit tough.  She does a great job creating very natural transition in the Jupiter character throughout the film.  

We also have Channing Tatum as Caine Wise.  Channing pulls off BAMF quite well in this film.  What is a BAMF, well start by using Google, since this is a family friendly blog, but I am sure you will see a photo of Samuel L. Jackson by the term.

There is quite a long list of actors in this film, and none of them were sub par.  Everyone did an amazing job.  All the character were quite will fleshed out.

Writing 

The story is quite fascinating.  It starts off a bit slow, they keep feeding you nuggets of Sci-Fi and intrigue to keep you interested until the really fun bits kick in.  While it does feel a bit Dune like, this particular story line does have a different feel to it.  The rich aristocrats are interesting to watch in their power struggles and political processes.  There may be some familiar elements to the story it does manage to feel mostly original in the telling.

Closing Thoughts

This film is one of the best Sci-Fi films I have seen in quite a while. There is a lot going on, but it is not so heady that you must have a college degree to understand it all.  I personally want to go and watch it again five more times right now.  If you like actions films, and do not mind a little geekery this this film is for you.  If you like films with a little bit of romance, then this film is for you.  If you like puppets, go see the Muppet movie, what are you doing reading this review.

Magic Math Machine says we rate this film a 6.2, so round down carry the one, split an atom, shake your margarita, and you get six out of seven smiley Mike heads.