Knight and Day

When I first saw the trailer for the movie Knight and Day, it immediately went on my must-see list since it reminded me of several favorite movies and TV shows. The Knight and Day trailer recalls the globe-spanning adventure of a classic James Bond film, the humor and style of the Hepburn/Grant caper flick Charade, and the chemistry between Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Now, I've never been much of a Tom Cruise fan, but apparently I'm really mellowing on this issue here lately. It all started with Valkyrie, which I loved in spite of his horrid accent, and then I found out I didn't mind the three Mission: Impossible films at all, and then last week I watched The Last Samurai for the first time and I LOVED it. All this to say that apparently I'm living, breathing proof that people really can change. *wink*

Did I mention I've seen Knight and Day twice now? :)

This movie is sheer fun from start to finish, and as the leads I thought Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were terrific in their respective roles. As you can probably surmise from my first paragraph, in many ways this is a throwback movie, mixing glitzy, globe-trotting adventure, a wildly non-sensical threat to world peace, and a healthy dose of romantic banter. Let me be clear here - the storyline of Knight is RIDICULOUS. That said, I loved every second of it. Knight and Day is best viewed if you will determine to leave the analytical side of your brain and home and simply commit to enjoy the ride. After all, to be really successful an action/comedy/romance hybrid like this really needs to be a little silly, no? :) This movie in many ways defines the idea of a popcorn flick for me. It's got a great tongue-in-cheek tone that can be seen in everything from the script, to the way a scene is shot, to the use of the score to complement the action on-screen. Loved it all.

I really loved how Tom Cruise almost seems to be parodying his past roles in order to bring spy Roy Miller to life. Roy is the most ridiculous, super-serious, amped-up version of a spy I think I've ever seen on-screen. Did I mention that he's also strangely enough the most considerate? Roy's "pep talks" (for lack of a better term) to June, Diaz's character, are some of my favorite moments in the film, and also the most hilarious. You don't expect a spy played by Tom Cruise to go all Dr. Phil on their companion in the middle of a firefight. It's funny and random and random, when done right, is one of my favorite things. :)

Cameron Diaz plays June, the all-American girl who gets caught up in Roy's insane spy world. She also happens to own a garage and loves rebuilding classic cars, and it's a testament to the world of the film that I bought that 100%, with no reservations. If any actress in Hollywood is going to sell being able to work on cars for a living, can you think of someone better than Cameron Diaz? Seriously, I think not. *wink* I really liked Diaz and Cruise's on-screen relationship - they seemed to be having a lot of fun play off each other, and I really enjoyed watching the development of their relationship. Thanks to the confidence Roy instills in her, June begins to develop her own set of spy skills, and shows a heckuvalot of moxie from start to finish.

Peter Sarsgaard gets plenty of screentime as Roy's nemesis Fitzgerald. This movie doesn't give Sarsgaard nearly the material to work with that we got to see in An Education, but that's not what's required, obviously. Sarsgaard fits the bill perfectly as the "company" man determined to bring Roy Miller to justice. Fitzgerald is no Blofeld, that's for sure, but Sarsgaard seems to be having fun playing the guy determined to acquire the movie's ridiculous Macguffin, a.k.a. a really hot battery. I kid you not. But I promise, just abandon yourself to the fun of watching Roy leave instructive post-it notes scattered around June's apartment, and you won't care that the movie racks up an insane body count over a battery.

I loved the look of this movie, and it's peppered with some great special effects action sequences. The trailer gives you a good view of the car chase scene, but it's a lot of fun watching it play out from start to finish. And I LOVED the craziness of having June stuck in this life-and-death race through Boston wearing a bridesmaid's dress and work boots. Grace and practicality rather defines June's character, I suppose! The motorcycle chase in the middle of the running of the bulls in Spain is also slickly produced and fun to watch. Oh, and while these scenes weren't action heavy, I loved how June turns the tables on Roy at the end of the movie, mirroring many of the lines and situations he'd played on her earlier. It was cute and really a nice way to cap off the movie.

I've also got to hand it to John Powell, as he created a fantastic score for Knight and Day. It's definitely not your typical loud action movie score. Sure, there are passages of music that fit that bill, but the best pieces of music are the unexpected ones, such as during the fight on the airplane at the beginning of the movie. The music during that action sequence is light, airy, and funny, and for lack of a better way to describe it since I'm getting tired, I'll say it sounds French. It's music you'd expect to hear in a bistro, or during a movie like Charade, or To Catch a Thief, or even An American in Paris. The unexpected juxtaposition of music and action is just part of this movie's charm.

Final verdict - Knight and Day equals great summer escapism. I can't wait for the DVD. :)

An Education

Fall is here, which means it's the best time of year for Oscar-bait films and - drumroll, please - foreign indie films! Woo-hoo! ;-) After Lori brought this movie to my attention several weeks ago, An Education FINALLY opened in my area today (have I mentioned lately how much I HATE limited release schedules?!). I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, exactly - after all, this May-December romance had the potential to end very badly for our heroine. But based on the cast, strong reviews, and the almost complete & utter lack of anything that I think is worthwhile actually paying to see in the theater, I knew this would be a must-see for me.

The verdict? I was incredibly impressed and thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Carey Mulligan, a Masterpiece veteran from productions ranging from Bleak House, Northanger Abbey, and My Boy Jack to one of the best Doctor Who episodes ever ("Blink"), wows with tour-de-force turn as Jenny. If she's not a serious contender for a Best Actress Oscar, I will be completely shocked & disappointed. I've enjoyed her past work, but this performance was a revelation - I didn't know she had it in her to so convincingly play an innocent yet incredibly saavy and worldly-wise teenager on the cusp of adulthood. Mulligan fits into the 1960s time period perfectly, and more than once channeled Audrey Hepburn quite convincingly with her delicate balance of innocence and maturity.

Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour (I totally didn't recognize Seymour from her turn as Gillian in You've Got Mail until I looked her up on the IMDB) are perfectly cast as Jenny's parents. Molina especially was fantastic in this movie - he was funny and sincere and touching, all rolled into one. Jenny's parents are an interesting couple to watch - kind of caught in the middle of the traditions of their parents and the feminist movement - they push Jenny to meet her potential, create a future for herself by going to college - but it's a future that will be easily set aside the second suitable husband material comes along. I wouldn't be at all displeased to see Molina get a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in An Education - he had this tendancy to steal his scenes. :)

Peter Sarsgaard plays David, the December to Jenny's May, and oh is he a smooth operator. He positively oozes charm and it's easy to see why Jenny would fall for him. And when he plays her parents - those scenes were priceless! I thought the evolution of his performance was interesting to watch - he begins so smoothly, so confidently, and then that confidence begins to crack a bit as he realizes he doesn't want to let Jenny go. Only when a certain secret comes to light does the worldly facade crumble and you see David as he truly is - a shallow, selfish little boy who never quite grew up character-wise.

Also worth mentioning are the other two members of David's "fast" set - Helen, played by the always lovely Rosamund Pike (a.k.a. Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice 2005), and Danny played by the brooding, dangerous-looking Dominic Cooper (a.k.a. Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility 2008). Pike fits this era perfectly - the clothes, the mannerisms, are all pitch-perfect. I had no idea she could play vapid and empty-headed so well, or come across as so funny! Likewise Cooper fit the role of David's friend and co-conspirator well. This wasn't a role that really stretched his repetoire IMO, but I like him well enough and I have to say, he looked good in the suits. ;-) I should also probably call out Emma Thompson and Olivia Williams' appearances. If this movie is any indication Thompson is a lock to play Margaret Thatcher in any upcoming biopics. ;-) While I have to call Thompson out because she's one of my favorite actresses, Olivia Williams definitely plays the more interesting and critical role in my view. If you look at her IMDB page, she's had quite a varied career, but I have to say that her turn as Jenny's teacher is one of her most striking and memorable. She's definitely channeling "average" here - and it's interesting to see how driven she is, perhaps because she hopes to see some of her unfulfilled dreams live out in her most capable pupil? Thoughts to ponder...

I HAVE to mention the look of the film - the sets and costumes are simply gorgeous! Each frame of film is chock-full of glorious period detail and authenticity. The scenes in Paris, where Jenny sports the fantastic gown seen in the above poster, are like something straight out of Roman Holiday or Sabrina. Those associations only reinforce any Audrey Hepburn/Cary Mulligan comparisons too. And the music - the music was just fantastic. I love it in period dramas like this when the music, whether it's score or songs, is an ideal partner to the action on-screen. The songs - from classics by Mel Torme and Brenda Lee to new recordings by Beth Rowley and Melody Gardot - are sublime. The whole pop/jazz sound of the movie is tailor-made to appeal to my musical sensibilities (Thank you, smart filmmakers! LOL!).

Jenny's story is actually told quite powerfully, and the hope in this story is an element I wasn't quite expecting. Let's face it, Jenny's "education" by the much older David could have ended very badly for her. But she's a girl who doesn't have it in her to simply give up and accept a situation. She's blessed with really supportive, very understanding parents, but what I liked best was how she had to choose to pull herself up by the bootstraps, so to speak, and to use the time she spent with David & his friends to make her stronger. Things could have ended very unpleasantly, or bitterly, but Jenny is a character who makes the conscious choice to learn from all experiences and mistakes - and while that certainly doesn't negate the pain the life throws one's way, it just struck me as a great reminder of the power of choice.

Just a note on the rating - for a coming-of-age film made in today's Hollywood, I thought An Education showed some surprising restraint as far as the intimate side of Jenny and David's relationship goes (a fact I appreciated - you know what happens, but this isn't a gratuitous or exploitive film in that regard).

An Education is a smartly scripted, fast-paced, funny, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking little film - I'm so glad I FINALLY got the chance to check it out.