"They say the sound part comes first. They say, when you experience a spiritual truth, that it comes to you as a sound that goes through you, changes your vibration, gets you back in the harmony."

A convicted arsonist looks to manipulate a parole officer into a plan to secure his parole by placing his beautiful wife in the lawman's path. 

- Anonymous

The poster there says "A Psychological Duel". However Stone was much more than a duel between the two men, and it was much more than the summary right there. Of course that wraps up the story and the events rather easily, but there was more than what can be expressed via a short plot summary. If someone asks you what movie is about, the easiest way is to explain what happens, right? But all things do not really happen, they are not events, they might be ideas and thoughts. In Stone one of the most important element was the development of the characters and the idea of god, and if there is any, and how the characters searched for god or for something. 

The first scene of the movie is very "disconnected" from the movie. And even though it happened so much earlier than anything else, it gave the audience something important. We learn a lot about people when they are under very much, when they are about to die or lose something. In the first scene the main character's (played by Robert De Niro when he was older) wife tells him she's going to leave him, because she can't take it anymore. The wife, Madylyn, says "You keep my soul in a dungeon." And then Jack rushes up to the second floor and holds their daughter on the edge of the window and says, if Madylyn leaves, he will drop their daughter. And this scene is what our interpretation and stance on Jack will be based on for the rest of the movie. No matter what he does, you will keep that first scene in mind, especially when he's with his wife. And that first scene was a brilliant move from the writer. And this shows that no matter what, your past will be there. You can maybe grow from it, learn from it, but it will be there. This actually can be seen as one of the themes in the movie.

I really don't feel like going into detail with Jack's development, since that seemed to change the least, except maybe compared to Jack's wife. But then there's the convicted arsonist, Stone, who wants to get out of prison and is ready to do almost anything for it. This means also sending his wife to Jack and all that. Stone was almost desperate for getting out, so desperate he started to learn about religion - since many people find religion in prison. And he read the bit that I have on the title of the post right there, about the sound. And even though he at first only tried to get out, spiritual ideas changed him. At first he's a man who wants to get out of prison, and then suddenly he doesn't think it's that important any more, it felt like he would be fine with whatever decision people would come up with. Also his sanity would be at question during many scenes, I think it was wonderfully portrayed.

If there was one thing especially amazing in this movie, apart from extremely well written screenplay, excellent actors and a lot of chances for analysing and interpretation, it was the music. It was simple, but a bit hauntingly disturbing, which suited perfectly with the picture the audience sees. Music and the photography / cinematography of this film made the Stone an absolute piece of art rather than just simple entertainment.

Of course Stone was a tough movie, and partly difficult. It's one of those who need a lot of interpretation and several times of viewing. If you want a simple movie night, Stone is a bad choice for that. However if you want something more, something you admit you might not understand all the way through, then it's a perfect choice. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
9 / 10 

"Walked up and down it looking for one open face, but most people I've meet hardly seem like human beings to me anymore."

The events of the story are set in motion, when a delusional man who believes he is a cowboy falls in love with a young girl he meets by accident.

The story was interesting, something that definitely stood out. Of course it's not addressed from the beginning that Harlan's delusional, it's brought to attention little by little. And the more you find out about what's going on inside Harlan's head, the more distressed it makes you. Especially when he at first seems harmless, and then suddenly you realise this might not be the case. It's also wonderful how the story goes on. Because it begins with Tobe, the girl, and the beginning is through her eyes, but after their first one night together, the story starts to involve Harlan's point of view more and more, until it becomes mostly Harlan's story. And basically Down In The Valley is Harlan's story, but less through his eyes and through first Tobe and then her little brother Lonnie. And it's wonderful how the writer, David Jacobson, realised how he can make a story about a character but still not make the story only from his point of view. This is something movies can do more than let's say novels. In novels that sort of change is confusing, unless it's subtle. Well the change was subtle Down In The Valley, which is sort of why you almost forget how it wasn't about Harlan from the beginning.

I love how the music, cinematography and many other little details made Down In The Valley seem weirdly like a modern-day western. Especially towards the end it's less clear when the story is taking place. That also is never addressed directly, but at the beginning you sort of figure out when it's taking place, but Harlan kind of shuffles the idea. The character really mixes the idea of modern world and the old, wild west. 

The delusion of being a cowboy was also made well. Harlan didn't really think he was in the wild west. He was aware of the time he was living in, but he longed for the wild west so much it made him delusional. 

One thing bothered me all through the movie. The young girl, Tobe, is apparetnly 17-year-old, if you can trust the people on iMDB message boards, Harlan's age is never said directly, but Norton was around 35 when the movie was shot. The age difference was never stated, and nobody actually even mentioned it. Of course Tobe's father wasn't at all pleased about Harlan, but he didn't either mention age being the problem, Maybe it was so obvious. Anyway, this is the subject I was reading about on the messaging boards on iMDB. To summarize what was discussed there, the age difference between Harlan and Tobe was important. It made it seem even more forbidden. And someone also mentioned how Tobe being young was something Harlan saw as innocence, which also reminded him of the old times which he longed for. 

Down In The Valley was surprisingly good film, I didn't expect to like it this much. The tempo is just right, the story is good and the actors are excellent at what they do. However it wasn't exactly surprising. The story was new and interesting, but there wasn't anything that would surprise the viewer. And plot twists and surprise is kind of important in cinema these days - plot twists are what we remember.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10

"We are the sin eaters. It means that we take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us, so that the rest of our case can stay pure. "

The Bourne Legacy takes place around the same time as the events of The Bourne Ultimatum. 

Aaron Cross, a new hero, experiences life-or-death stakes that have been triggered by previous events.

- Universal Pictures

Right now I'd like to state that I haven't seen The Bourne Ultimatum, or the two movies made before that. That's mostly because action movies are mostly tiring and repeating, and it's hard to find a really original action movie. In that genre everything is already done before, and the film makers are basically recycling two or three different kind of plots. I would've thought that I wouldn't have understood The Bourne Legacy at all, since it's more like a spin-off with new main character and all that. The plot, however, isn't too complicated, so even though a new viewer might feel a bit lost at the beginning, everything starts to make more or less sense eventually. Of course there are questions like, what are all the operations here, and all that. So yeah.

The plot wasn't exactly very rich. Still they made the movie two hours long. It could've been cut a lot shorter than that. There was such uselessly long car / motorcycle chase scene, that could've been half of the length. And many of the action scenes could've been shorter, and the point still would've been made. Eventually the question is, was the movie even necessary? Does this movie, in any way, make the other movies deeper? I mean the books probably give more depth to the story, but I read the movies are loosely based on the books. But I'm pretty sure the world of movies could survive without this one.

I like Jeremy Renner as an actor. He does good job most of the time. However it's kind of sad how often his put in action movies. I think I need to see him in some kind of drama or thriller to be sure how good he actually is. 

Sure, The Bourne Legacy is decent entertainment. Maybe I've just becoming more, I don't know what's the word that wouldn't offend anyone, mature with movies. I used to like action, but nowadays I see how a good drama or a thriller is always, always more complex and better than an action movie.

☆☆☆

3 / 10

"You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else."

I've written about this movie before and I will again.

An insomniac office worker goes to support groups to help him get sleep. Then he meets Tyler Durden, who changes his life when they start an underground fight club.

I read Fight Club when I was 14. It sounds bullshit, but it really has defined much of my life philosophy. There's something wonderfully nihilist and emptying in the novels of Chuck Palahniuk, and for a 14-year-old that was mind-blowing. And even if Chuck Palahniuk had a different message he tried to give the readers, there's wisdom in Fight Club even if you take most of the ideas without much interpretation. I'm not saying everything about the idea of Project Mayhem is glorious and should be done, but Fight Club could be one of the best examples if we think about nihilism in the modern literature or pop-culture.

It's funny how the first time I watched Fight Club I thought it was good. Then I read the book and I though the movie wasn't as good as I thought. Now I watched it again, and it is good. The ideas the book have are wonderfully put in the movie, and there isn't many big, important parts missing. Sure, not every line made it there, but nothing is twisted or warped because it's not exactly how the book is. Of course there's the ending, that's quite different, but the ending in the movie is quite open for interpretation, even though few things wouldn't make sense, if you think that the ending was like in the book, but not just as clearly. But the ending in the book is perfect, and probably it's that one thing that sticks with you if you read it. And at least in my mind I can somehow combine both endings in my head, and that right there is a perfect ending.

Of course Fight Club has a downside to it - reading / watching it for the first time is magical, when you realise what's going on. Of course the plot twist in Fight Club is one of the best known plot twist, so people might now it even if they haven't read the book or seen the film. So when you know it, watching or reading it isn't the same anymore. But it's not necessarily any worse, on the contrary. The second, the third, the fourth time you can see things the first time you didn't pay attention. Other characters reacting to the narrator doing something or saying something, because this time... you know, and you understand.

The cinematography in this movie is something brilliant. Partly the movie is like the house Tyler lives in: the quality, the effects... it feels like the movie could fall apart. The disc actually felt like it wasn't original, but a pirated copy, and the label was printed on a cheap printer. The comparison of hotel rooms and Tyler's apartment, everything in this movie just builds up the weird effect the movie has. Fight Club is very well made film, and everything seems precise and everything has a reason, even though that may seem sort of ironic.

Fight Club is a classic - or a cult classic - and everybody should see it at least twice. I'm not telling you to think about nihilism when you watch it, I'm just asking you to watch it and experience something so brilliant...

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

10 / 10

"Everything you have seen here has been an illusion."

A illusionist Eisenheim arrives to Vienna, and meets his first love. Because of this love, and his magic he gets a dangerous enemy: The Crown Prince Leopold, who has the police in his pocket, and wants them to arrest Eisenheim whenever they get the chance.

Movies about magicians always have that weird effect. You watch it, and you want to know how the tricks are done. Partially you know, that the tricks are made by using special effects. But of course the story needs to have some sort of explanation to the tricks and illusions, and that that explanation or answer is what the viewer craves for. Another good example of this is The Prestige. The Prestige keeps the viewer wondering how the tricks are done. The difference between The Prestige and The Illusionist is that The Prestige tells you what is behind the tricks. The Illusionist explains two tricks, and other one is only shown briefly in the book, and other one is explained simply by fast shots of previous events and the things we didn't yet see. 

First it felt like the sort of love triangle between Eisenheim, Leopold and the Duchess was unnecessary, like love triangles usually are. This time that wasn't the case though. The love triangle and events produced by that love triangle were necessary for the plot. If there wasn't a love triangle, the story would be different. Most of the plot twists are relying on the cruel nature of Leopold and his response to the romance between the Duchess and Eisenheim. If it wasn't for Leopold's acts, the story could not go the way it went. To be honest, the whole romance part of the movie at first seemed like it's going to be really unnecessary, but it was actually a great part of the film.

There is a lot of things in common with The Prestige and The Illusionist. Both take place around the same era, both include romance as an important part of the movie, and there's even a love triangle, which in The Prestige is actually much more complicated than that. But in The Prestige there are two magicians against each other. In The Illusionist, it's the crown prince / police against the magician. 

The actors in The Illusionist did a marvellous job. I had never seen Jessica Biel in a movie before, but I think she's very talented, however how can anyone judge after only one movie? You need to see at least two different roles until you can know if someone is good or not. 

The cinematography was also wonderful. Several scenes, if not most of the movie, seemed like it was filmed through a altered lens, but it probably also was made using special effects. That made many scenes look like they were flashbacks or otherwise like it was not happening at the same time as everything else. It was very nice, though it was not easy to notice. I can't say if it was for one or two scenes or through the whole movie. It could've been through the whole thing, but I doubt it. But it was at least used during the only sex scene in the movie, which was actually very classy and very well done. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10

"We are animals, Professor Kincaid... with brains that trick us into thinking we aren't."

A small time pot-grower tricks his identical twin into visiting him in their home town, to have a perfect alibi, for his scheme to take down a local drug lord.

I don't actually see myself why comedy is one of the genres. I mean sure, partly the movie was funny, but I don't think it was so funny it would be called a comedy. But there are others who say it's a comedy, so who am I to argue? Because, you know, maybe my sense of humour didn't cover the humour in this movie, you know?

Anyway, my first idea of the movie was how it reminded me of a TV show. Not like any TV show in particular, but like if the story would've been made longer, even maybe just like six episodes long, then it could've been a TV show. I don't know why, I just think that the story could've been made longer and maybe add some events here and there, and it would've been a perfect TV show. Of course no regular TV show, probably something very marginal, but what could be compared to Breaking Bad. I have no idea where this thought came from. It probably wouldn't even work but I just couldn't take that thought off my mind.

Also it was sort of weird how the movie seemed to have it's ending but then it went on for at least ten minutes after that. It was okay, though, not like it was forced. It was kinda like it had it's climax, and then it started to softly fall down from that climax, until it had a smaller climax before it actually ended. That was actually surprisingly nice. I mean usually the plot structure is the same in movies as in short stories, you know, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Usually movies go that way, unless they are, well, truly a work of art. Of course most movies are mostly art than entertainment - depends on who makes the movie and why they make it. But I mean that yeah, usually the last climax is the biggest one. Maybe it was here, too, but I didn't interpret it that way. 

The actors and actresses were wonderful. Susan Sarandon player the mother of Billy and Brady, and even though her part was small - not any less significant though - I always enjoy seeing her in movies. I mean come one, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was my first favourite movie (I was 12 though) and I still love every single actor from that movie. Tim Blake Nelson, who also wrote and directed the movie, was surprisingly good. Mostly I haven't liked him in the roles I've seen him in but this time his character was, well, different. Not as ridiculous. And Edward Norton was good. I always seeing actors playing two roles in a same movie. 

Leaves of Grass was a good movie. Not really different, and not going to be my favourite. But it was good. Though it wasn't the first movie I watched this year, since yesterday I had two friends over and the first movie we watched this year was actually Death to Smoochy. Yes, Again. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

7 / 10