natasha-bishop

I saw the world premiere of "Bernie" last night at the Los Angeles Film Festival. I must confess, after Jack Black's run of "Year One", "Gulliver's Travels", and "Kung Fu Panda", I was starting to lose hope of ever seeing the "School of Rock" guy I fell in love with. When I heard Richard Linklater (School of Rock) and Jack Black were teaming up again, I felt a glimmer of hope. I am happy to report, I was not disappointed last night! Jack Black gives one of the best performances of his career in "Bernie." Shirley MacLaine was the icing on the cake and Matthew McConaughey was the cherry on top. I loved this movie! "Bernie" is based on the true story of Bernie Tiede, an assistant funeral director and general do-gooder, who confessed to killing Marjorie Nugent, a very rich and mean old lady. Bernie was a bit eccentric but beloved by his entire community of Carthage, Texas. Jack Black nails this performance. He really shows us what he is capable of as an actor. It was such a pleasure to watch him transform into Bernie Tiede. Great moments of physical comedy and also some twisted, dark moments of catching a glimpse into Bernie's spiraling psyche. Shirley MacLaine was Marjorie Nugent who was known as a mean, bitter lady with no friends and a family who tried to sue her for her money. You can't go wrong with Shirley MacLaine – she's just brilliant. The chemistry between MacLaine and Black was fantastic. I truly enjoyed watching them on the screen together. Even at the world premiere last night they had great chemistry in person. It seems like they truly loved working together on this film. Matthew McConaughey was great as the D.A. Danny Buck Davidson, the character didn't seem to be a huge stretch for him, but who cares – he was great! I'm not sure when it is due to be released, but I will be recommending it to my friends when it hits theatres.

I saw an advance screening of Revolutionary Road in Beverly Hills, CA this evening (December 14th). A Q&A session followed the screening with Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, and screenwriter Justin Haythe. Photos from the Q&A are attached to this report.

Revolutionary Road is a story that you won't be able to shake easily. The film will stick in your head and leave you to contemplate what has just happened on the screen before you. Richard Yates gives us the story of Frank and April Wheeler, the seemingly perfect suburbia couple. We soon find out their marriage is teetering on the edge of a collapse as they are overwhelmed by the fact that they have each made the wrong choices in their lives.

Once again Kate Winselt and Leonardo DiCaprio come together with great chemistry, pulling the best out of each other. This is a heavy film with emotionally complex characters, I'm not sure I could think of any two actors that could pull off the roles of Frank and April Wheeler like Leonardo and Kate did.

"Truth is usually in singular - Lies always come in plural." I'm not sure who said that, but it is a notion that sums up this film.

Michael Shannon shinned in his role as the clinically insane son of Kathy Bates character; John Givings. Bates and Shannon both deliver humorous scenes to this heavy storyline, although there are times when you see the sadness and desperation in their characters as well. Michael Shannon's character, John Givings, is the truth in this film. Although clinically insane, he can see through everyone's lies and does the unthinkable; he forces everyone face their own truth.

I guarantee you will not be singing "My Heart Will Go On" after seeing this film. But you won't be disappointed with this little film gem.

I caught an advance screening of the new Will Smith film Seven Pounds in Hollywood, CA. A Q&A featuring director Gabriele Muccino (pursuit of happiness) followed the screening.

"In seven days God created the world. In seven days I shattered mine." – Ben Thomas, Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds follows the story of Ben Thomas, an IRS agent on a mission to redeem himself from a haunting secret. We follow him on his mission to seek out seven strangers in desperate need of help. Ben's plans are complicated when he meets and falls in love with Emily (Rosario Dawson), a young woman with a terminal heart condition. Italian director Gabriele Muccino brilliantly pieces together a tragic modern day Shakespearian love story, weaving between the present day and glimpses into the dark past. Seven Pounds is not a kick back and zone out film, you have to work as an audience member to put all the pieces together. The more you allow your mind to work in this film, the more you will get out of it.

I never considered Will Smith to be a dramatic actor; he was OK in Pursuit of Happiness but I didn't feel like he was digging deep to relate and portray that character. Seven Pounds is a whole new arena! There is absolutely nothing Will Smith has in common with his character Ben Thomas. Smith had to really flex his acting muscles with this role, and he delivered an outstanding dramatic performance. Gabriele Muccino mentioned during the Q&A session that he spent a lot of time with Will to figure out his character and really nail him down on screen. Trust between the director and actor was what found Ben Thomas lurking inside of Will Smith. Another interesting note; Muccino (director) did not speak a lick of English while directing Pursuit of Happiness, he only recently learned English right before filming Seven Pounds. That was amazing considering the performance he was able to pull out of Will Smith.

Ben Thomas was not a character I liked at the beginning of this movie, in fact, I hated him. Woody Harrelson appears in this film as a blind man named Ezra who is treated very poorly by Smith's character. Why Ben Thomas treats Ezra this way will become crystal clear at the end of the film. Why Ben Thomas keeps a fish in his hotel room becomes crystal clear at the end of this film. By the end of the film I both loved and hated Will's character.

I would have been disappointed if I paid $15.00 to see Pursuit of Happiness in the Theatre. I would not have been disappointed if I paid $15.00 to see Seven Pounds in the theatre.

SOME TIPS FOR WATCHING THIS MOVIE

DO: Drink plenty of water before you go see Seven Pounds, because you will leave dehydrated from tear shed if you don't.

DON'T: Leave for a popcorn refill during the movie or you will miss some key points.

DON'T: See this film if you have an attention span of a gnat.

DO: See this film if you want to try your brain at the Shakespearean love story told through brilliant film editing and flash back sequences.