Her (2013)

This movie I simply did not like. No matter how hard I tried I could not get into it. Her is a film about a lonely man, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with the operating system on his phone (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). This premise just turns me off. I was intrigued enough to watch it, but the whole time I was like “How can he love his computer?” and also “How can his computer laugh, and fake an orgasm, and basically have a personality?” Logically I know that technology is developing fast and operating systems probably will be this complicated and intelligent one day in the future. But I was still just like, WTF?

This picture is basically the majority of the film. Joaquin’s face as he talks to his phone. Not on it, to it. Boring.

There are some good aspects to Her, which is directed by Spike Jonze. First of all, Joaquin Phoenix is excellent and he almost made me believe in the absurdity of everything. As good as he is though I found all the close ups of him that dragged on forever uncomfortable and I had to keep looking away from the screen. It’s not Joaquin’s fault, of course, he’s fine to look at. It was just soooo boring. Could they seriously have not staged those scenes in any other way? My eye kept wandering. The eye needs to be enticed and I’m sorry, but Joaquin’s wacky mustache does not do it for me (seriously, what is with all the goofy mustaches in this movie? And the high waisted pants?)

The set design and use of color is one of the only things that worked for me in Her.

The humor in this film was weird, really weird, and really turned me off. The whole dead cat thing? That is fucked up and hardly funny. This film just feels like a limp fish, there’s pretty much nothing happening and hardly any humor. I tried to like this film, but I found it boring. And the ending is the worst, most boring part of it all! Like seriously, that’s it?! I thought that at least Joaquin and Amy Adams were going to jump off the roof or something. Not just sit there in dull, boring silence. This movie is pretentious in the worst way possible. People are becoming too attached to technology and don’t want to put any effort into a relationship. That is what I got from the film and I don’t find that very interesting or original.

Rooney Mara brings some much needed energy and emotion to an otherwise dull film (pictured here with Joaquin Phoenix).

I really liked the set design of the movie. I found all the bright colors quite refreshing and interesting since there are so many dark films these days. The score was also good and added to the movie. And I absolutely loved both Rooney Mara and Chris Pratt. Chris is just hilarious and one of my new favorite people. He makes me smile. The scenes with Rooney and Joaquin were the only scene in which I felt a connection to what was happening. They were so bitter sweet. I really felt that I could understand Theodore’s pain, I think anyone who has ever been in a relationship could relate to him. Rooney is so charismatic and injects some vibrancy into an otherwise dead on arrival film.
Her just doesn’t do it for me. I tried to like it. It has a few good things going on. But overall I feel that it lacks life. It’s hard to make a movie about a guy talking to his OS exciting. And the ending is so weak, just thinking about it pisses me off. 6/10

Trailer Review: Big Eyes

Tim Burton is back with his first live action film since the incredibly disappointing Dark Shadows (2012). I still feel the pain from how bad that film was, I thought it had so much potential. But now Tim is back with something different than the films he’s become known for in the last decade. No overblown, weird effects, no Johnny Depp. Just creepy paintings in which the characters have disturbingly large eyes. Big Eyes is about Margaret and Walter Keane an artistic duo that make it big off of their paintings. The only problem is Walter takes credit for Margaret’s work until she finally fights back.
What I really love about this trailer: Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. They are two incredibly talented, charismatic actors. Christoph especially I would pay to see in just about anything. Over the last couple of years I have found myself really liking Amy. She was the funny, charming heart of American Hustle and also surprisingly good as Lois Lane in Man of Steel. Those two, and Tim, are the main reasons I will probably be seeing this film. I also like the vibrant colors. The film seems to pop on screen. It reminds me of Edward Scissorhands (one of my favorite Burton films). Too many films today have a bland color palate. I think you can still see Tim Burton’s mark on the film, it’s just a little more subtle, which I like.
What I really hate about this trailer: It seems to give away basically the entire film. I abhor when this happens. It seems so counter intuitive. Why would I pay to sit for two hours and watch something that I basically saw for free at home in two minutes? And the story doesn’t appeal to me too much, it looks kind of dull. I love dramas but this just doesn’t have enough… drama. I want to see what Amy Adams can do with the role, but that’s about it.