DVD REVIEW: PARADISE

Leave it to the award winning screenwriter of Juno to write a comedy about a burn victim. Paradise is about Lamb, a highly sheltered young woman who was raised under strict religious values by her family in small town in Montana. A traumatic plane crash leaves most of her body severely burned, she later gets a large settlement of money from suing the plane manufacturer. The movie begins with lamb announcing that she will not give any of her new found riches to the church as originally planned but will go out to Las Vegas and start to enjoy life. When she arrives at sin city Lamb become friends with a female lounge singer, (Octavia Spencer) and an amorous British bartender (RussellBrand). Together they help Lamb check off things from her “Bucket List of Sin” in the city that never sleeps.

I must be clear that I am a Diablo Cody fan, I have been since the beginning when she wrote her novel Candy Girl, about her experiences as a stripper. What makes Paradise unique is that this is the first feature Diablo Cody wrote and directed. I had to check this movie out and watched it keeping that in mind. This movie, Paradise was made on a lower budget then the previous films she wrote. It was shot digitally, not on film but I feel this did not take anything away from the story because it was so funny and well written.

The witty dialogue in this film is what you would expect from Diablo Cody. It is the kind of humor that makes you laugh and then laugh louder when you think about it more. This writer's use of voice over is also a strong element. Cody said that this voice over was an after thought, conceived while they were editing. This narration helped carry us through the story, I am glad they added it. By the time I reached the films ending it was clear that this movie was more than just your run of the mill comedy. Diablo Cody paid attention to every detail, she foreshadows things nicely and it shows.

How well did this accomplished screenwriter do as a director? The movie looked good and showed off a different side of Las Vegas. The camera movement was motivated and supported what was going on in the scene, something first time directors can have trouble with. In a recent KCRW radio interview Diablo Cody said that being a full time mother and a director was too much, that she does not want to direct again. She did a great job. Maybe someday when her kids are older she will changer her mind and take the director's chair again. If Paradise is any indication, her fans will still be there. I know I will.

Hear the KCRW radio interview with the writer-director Diablo Cody.

 

Watch the Paradise trailer.

 

If you like my writing, please check out my suspense novel Box Cutter Killer which is priced to sell for the Kindle and the Nook. 

 

I am also the writer-director of the thriller Cam-Girl which will be released in early 2014. 

DVD REVIEW: Before Midnight (2013)

Chick flick. The term comes with some bad connotations and strikes fear into the hearts of boyfriends the world over. I know that I am not a fan of most of these movies, only because they tend to be as flat and predictable as a scratch and sniff book.

There are some exceptions to this, Before Midnight is one of them. This is the third film that centers around two characters, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). Before Sunrise [1995] shows how they first meet and fall in love as they stroll around the streets of Vienna. The second film, Before Sunset [2004] reunites these characters years later under circumstances that create a blend of love and loss. Before Midnight is a bold and beautiful film that shows what a real long term relationship is all about. We get to see this couple nine years later while they are both on vacation at Greece. Are these two love birds happy? Yes and no, because this movie is like real life, things are complicated. They have twin daughters and Jesse is divorced but this couple is still dealing with the consequences. Each of them have their own responsibilities and jealousies.

What makes these three films unique is that this is a patient franchise. These movies are made almost a decade apart from each other, the characters mature at the same rate as the actors who portray them. This is a far cry from the shotgun fantasy franchises that they film at the same time just to make more money. Just as important is the fact that Hawke and Delpy share screenwriting credit with the filmmaker, Richard Linklater. It comes as no surprise that these actors give amazing performances as these two characters which they have co-authored. They chose Greece as the setting before they wrote the script which shows in how effectively they use each location.

One thing that separates Before Midnight from the two earlier films was the amount of time we see this couple interacting with other people. The diner scene for example surrounds Celine and Jesse with people that remind them of where they used to be as a couple and informs them about what may lie ahead. If you want to see what good writing and acting looks like, this diner scene is it.

Before Midnight lets me recommend one of these so called chick flicks. So curl up with your loved one, or your pillow if you have to and watch this film trilogy.



- Curt Wiser is the Author of the suspense novel Box Cutter Killer and the Writer-Director of the feature film Cam-Girl.     

Before Midnight on IMDB.