mrslythe Reviews

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Snow White and the Huntsman

[7/10 · 12 June 2012]

Snow White and the Huntsman

"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?" Apparently not Charlize Theron. Snow White and the Huntsman is a re- imagination of the classic fairytale visualizing good vs. evil. This alternate version of Snow White keeps many of the same elements used in the original animated fantasy; it just complexes into a film that abruptly, actually works. Rupert Sanders' film debut is a visually stunning model, displaying cinematography capturing a depleted color of life, as well as the luminous beginning of it. This hindered story of Snow White is about a ruthless life-absorbing ancient know as Ravenna, (Charlize Theron) who strips the throne of the king (Snow Whites father). Once with full power, her magical mirror explains her fate. The queen now understands that her magic has a weakness, Snow White (Kristen Stewart). Snow White being able to escape the confines of Ravenna, wonders off in to the dark forest where a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), sent by the evil queen, will be sent to retrieve the young valuable innocent. This underrated dark fantasy filled with somewhat memorable medieval fight scenes is an acceptable version to the Snow White imagination. This film has some of the best cinematography I've seen this year, including acting that definitely passed my expectations.

J M K of Yahoo stated in his article that " Not only were the fairy tales constantly adapted to fit new audiences, they were also customized to fit our every changing society and to conform to the cultural standards and societal norms of the current group." This is exactly what this film represents toward the audience of film in today's present day. Most audiences today are looking for action packed fight scenes with explosions and a whole jumble of other unnecessary (when needed) extras. In 1937, when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released, it was the first major feature animated film to be released by Walt Disney, and it was the start of his path of fairy tales. What I'm trying to get at is that audiences change as time progresses, and this film, Snow White and the Huntsman, is definitely for this generations viewers. Showing the action that's needed and the love triangle that throbs the typical young teenage girls heart.

With that said, the cinematography in this film matches the type of genre this film falls in, fantasy. Turning from an angelic sheltered kingdom to an ominous haunting wasteland, the color tones of this altering landscape change from light to dark even back to light, resembling where the characters are in the film. The Queen's terrain is a dry unpleasant place to live, representing the season of Winter, symbolizing death. While a scene deep into the land, a recognizable scene with animals, expresses the pristine Snow White, and represents the Season of Spring, symbolizing rebirth and life. The landscape captures the beauty of this medieval glare with ease. Scenes throughout the film capture the characters in their personal emotions through the setting. Two examples are the sun illuminating the backdrop of Snow White on the beach and the muddy, disgusting, filthy ground that matches the Huntsman alcoholism comparing the two minimal standards. The most memorable setting is inside the dark forest and I will not spoil anything about it! This film is just simply beautiful and when I think of an actual Snow White, this film fits right in.

The actors and actresses in the film did a splendid job. Kristen Stewart is not everyone's favorite actress, especially because of the Twilight movies, but I must admit that she did an amazing job portraying the innocent Snow White. From her first scene till the very end, Kristen Stewart's infamous bland face actually worked out well in this film, fitting in the very isolated life that Snow White had been living in all those years. Chris Hemsworth, one of the rising stars in Hollywood, alongside with his brother Liam, portrayed the Huntsman as a depressed drunk who needed a rebooting of life in him. We're able to see his character grow fairly quickly from a job, to attraction, to war. As all of these occurrences are taking place, Chris Hemsworth's acting abilities are really impressive to watch, especially at such a rapid pace. The thespian that stole the show was Charlize Theron, who I feel is making a comeback from some type of leave that I didn't even notice. Screening a week before Prometheus, Charlize Theron's character definitely helped her character in Prometheus because of how cold she is in Snow White. The yelling, crying, and whining for all things to go her way, persuaded me into her character and you can really feel the power that this evil queen actually possesses. Charlize Theron playing a villainous role fits her quite well because she has that innocently deceiving face that is hard to tell if she is trustworthy or not.

I'd like to be the one to say that I've never been a fan of summer blockbusters. 2012 has really changed my mindset of this, especially starting with this film. Snow White and the Huntsman is a genre film that shouldn't get overlooked and should br watched because of its beautiful scenery and quite surprising good acting. The only problem I had with the film was the introduction of the dwarfs and their roles, but maybe I just missed it. This dark fantasy has enough action, love, sympathy, and magic that every respected dark fantasy should have. Lips as red as blood. Hair black as night. Bring your heart to theaters and enjoy Snow White. 3.5/5

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Prometheus

[8/10 · 10 June 2012]

Prometheus

PREQUEL, PREQUEL, PREQUEL, PREQUEL, PREQUEL, PREQUEL, PREQUEL. Regardless of what anyone says and whatever you have read, Ridley Scott's cinematographically magnificent Prometheus is a prequel to the Alien franchise. My opinion may be challenged with the words of the director himself, stating that the movie is not a direct prequel and is an original movie itself. Prometheus is about a group of doctors, geologists, and other scientific operatives traveling across the vast area of space, to reach a planet they think holds the truth of how humankind was created .This Sci-Fi Horror film has re-launched the combination of these two genres to a new level that was once reached by the primary, Alien. With an astounding cast featuring the enticing Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and the always astonishing Michael Fassebender (Shame), our generation is lucky enough to view this mesmerizing experience most of us weren't able to witness in 1979.

Reference is an understatement when it comes to Prometheus "referencing" certain aspects of Alien in this film. Prometheus flourishes in giving homage to the first Sci-Fi Horror to really put such an everlasting effect on an audience. From the smallest visualization of the ship's monitors to the unforgettable chest-bursting scene, this film is a re-boot to show that Ridley Scott is still capable to impact an audience and to remind the world about the film he released 33 years ago. The hype of this film was very high and audiences across could possibly walk away with anguish on their faces contemplating why they paid $10 to see such a film. The reason why critics and movie viewers are so disappointed is because we've already seen this type of film before and it's nothing new. Yes a different story and a different cast with better developed characters, but what's different? It's not about being different with Ridley Scott, it's about sharing his updated newer version with a generation that always asked, "How did the Xenomorphs (Aliens) become to be?"

The cast of the film was brilliantly chosen. Noomi Rapace who is known for playing disturbing roles, played the role of Elizabeth Shaw just as impeccable as Sigourney Weaver did Ripley in Alien. The difference between the two women is that Noomi's character was dismayed by most of the situations while Weaver's character was a bit stronger and confident in her doings. The very humorously talented Idris Elba played the captain of the ship who had no care for the mission, he just flew the ship. His presence is the most likable because he gives off a jokingly sarcastic response to most of the crew allowing the audience to gain respect for this witty yet determined actions. Charlize Theron who is having an amazing two weeks in theaters, plays the very distant woman in charge, Meredith Vickers, whose job is to make sure everyone else does theirs. She's the antagonist of the film, always hesitating on orders and commands and has no care in the world for what is going on during the whole mission. Theron plays the role flawlessly, probably picking up some pointers from her villainous role in Snow White and the Huntsman. Last but not least, the man of last year Michael Fassbender, plays David the robot. Most human beings have trouble being themselves, so how Fassbender is able to play a robot so perfectly still haunts me as I'm writing this. This hopefully nominated for supporting actor performance is judged solely on the reason of emotion. David the robot is unable to apprehend emotions because he doesn't have a "soul". The actions of David are what drive him to do things that he is beginning to understand due simply to observing the ones who created him.

The movie itself was amazing and I'm still blown away. At first I was hesitant to watch this film because the writers wrote films such as The Darkest Hour and Cowboys and Aliens, two movies that didn't do extremely well in theaters. Knowing how well made and passionate Ripley Scott makes his films, I had no choice but to see this filmmaking pioneer. The story doesn't have many plot holes and the ending is a traditional ending that most audiences would expect but are still capable to blow us away because of how divine it looks. The biggest reason why I liked the film is because of the fact that it is the best prequel I have ever seen for a film and answered so many unanswered questions that I've asked. My high recommendation is to watch Alien first or after because you'll want to be like me after walking out of the theater and smiling to yourself saying, "Wow so that's why that... and that... and this."

This review was very simplistic because maybe I'm still very excited about the movie. I did leave out a lot of information that are very big spoilers because I want everyone to enjoy this movie and to see it for what it really is. I described some characters and how the film is definitely a prequel to Alien. I can't stress this enough and I'm annoying myself just thinking about the similarities both films have. I'm going to make a review later when the BluRay/DVD comes out and I'll do a full review with spoilers and all the good stuff I didn't post now. Here's simply what you should know, • Story - Nothing new, yet refreshed to our generation. • Characters - Each have an inducing different personality similar to the one's in Alien. • Cinematography - Beautiful • IT IS A PREQUEL - Marcel Urena

The Skin I Live In (2011)

The Skin I Live In

[9/10 · 29 April 2012]

The Skin I Live In

"The things the love of a mad man can do." Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro, Desperado) stars as the insanely committed Dr. Robert Ledgard in Pedro Almodóvar's 2011 The Skin I Live In. Taking place in Toledo, Spain, the story is about Dr. Ledgard's frightfully unlucky past pushing him to the extent of inventing a new synthetic skin that can withstand dangers such as fire and the bite of a mosquito, which could cause Malaria. In order to test his experiments, he uses a human being guinea pig, played by the strong, elegantly flawless Elena Anaya (Van Helsing, Talk to Her). Recently, Spanish cinema has acquired my interest due to movies such as Secuestrados and The Orphanage. The Skin I Live In is another Spanish film that keeps me wanting to watch more movies from this beautiful country. The reason why I enjoyed this film so much is because of the unfamiliar style of acting and the original yet accustomed narrative structure.

When I hear of Antonio Banderas I think of the romantic, the man with a mask, the father, the puss in boots, but never in my right mind would I have seen him as the mad scientist who uses revenge in the most unhumanitarian way possible. Banderas takes an unorthodox acting style in this film, combining the emotion of revenge from Desperado with the deception of love from Original Sin. His character Dr. Ledgard, is the type of scientist who will stand up from breakfast to work on the project at hand; he plays the overly obsessive type of scientist. His insanity isn't one which is visible with ease, his subtle actions contemplate his madness. Banderas does a good job to show how affected he is by his past, not by his facial expressions but by the exceedingly amount of absurd activities that he brings about. In the film, Banderas' character has taken part of 3 out of 9 faceplant surgeries in the world, and this brief piece of information gives the audience a sense of how dedicated this character really is to his personal experiments. Without the fulfillment of Antonio Banderas, this film would be highly effected in loss without his striking acting abilities.

The realistic yet merely formalistic narrative structure of The Skin I Live In lays out the basic genre pair of a drama and thriller. At first the film originality establishes the ground rules for the story, telling the audience who the weak imprisoned female victim is and what she can or can't do. Then Antonio Banderas' character is introduced immediately stating he is the doctor and has complete superiority. The story follows a well assembled path leading to the middle of the film settling the flashbacks which are necessary in order to understand how Elena Anaya's character becomes the highly valued captive. The flashbacks inform the audience of information that not even characters in the film know, this may seem like a disappointment but it only heightens the tension. The climax for the film touches on all the newly gathered information and combines it to create one of the most powerful endings I have ever watched.

The Skin I Live In is a troubling controversial film that touches up on a lot of scientific knowledge mixed with the intensities that every drama should carry. Antonio Banderas as the antagonist was perplexing to watch but ended up being one of the best performances I have ever seen by him. Elena Anaya who plays the curious yet vigorous femme fatale set a very superb first impression on me and I would love to view another one of her performances. The dark, unsettling feeling that this film sends off, is definitely a film that everyone from the ages of 18 and up should witness. This is Spanish Cinema at its best. 4.5/5 - Marcel Urena

The Tree of Life (2011)

The Tree of Life

[8/10 · 22 April 2012]

The Tree of Life

The visually articulated, The Tree of Life, is a cinematographically beautiful piece of film. Director Terrence Malick's poetic image catches the story of a small town mid-western family in the 1950's, in which the eldest son witnesses death and questions the meaning of life. Just like every other family in Texas at the time, Brad Pitt plays the over-exaggerated disciplinary father, who finds the smallest detail of deficiency, and makes sure that it will never happen again. Due to the extreme conduct, the eldest son Jack played by Sean Penn, rebels against his father and because of the sight of death, has a confused state of mind. Released in 2011, The Tree of Life is filled with the most remarkably appealing scenery I've ever seen in a film; the cinematography and editing are two reasons alone, why any audience should watch this film.

The cinematography is a major factor contributing to the elegance the film carries throughout the movie. The scenes captured on film in The Tree of Life seem beyond the genuinely realistic aspects of life, yet it's apprehended in the most natural way possible. Every close-up, medium shot, any shot, was taken with such swift precision that gives a sense of captivity to the audience, which makes them feel at home with the family in the film. The reason why the movie comes off as so uncontrolled is because the life of the family is filmed in a documentary style of fashion but not in its entirety; a few other scenes of the film are shot using different techniques and mechanics such as the dolly; for example there's a scene when the kids are running down a dirt road and the camera is tracking backwards. Terrence Malick also captured natural lighting perfectly, whether it was during a sunset or catching the ominous dark figure of the strict Brad Pitt. At times, it felt as if the film I was watching was an extremely well-made home movie; that's the effect that natural lighting has on an audience.

The cinematography in The Tree of Life secured the title of the most angelic feature film of 2011 in my books, but grace can only get so far; a film is nothing without the deep emotional meaning the editing bestows upon it. Evolution in its generality is the concept used for the significant meaning of the film. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is a film that also touches heavily on evolution, is the masterpiece that reminded me of The Tree of Life in almost every conceptual way possible. Although both directors are completely different in their own unique way, their meanings of evolution touched on the subject quite similarly. The way Terrence Malick incorporated his viewpoint of evolution was to use thematic montage, which separate shots are linked together not by the continuity but by their symbolic meaning. By doing this it gives the characters and settings a meaning that is given by the image previously shown, for example the evolution of nature showing a waterfall parallel with the image of young Jack, could foreshadow his rage and rebellion for later events in the movie.

As ugly as evolution has gotten in present day Earth, it's quite the opposite with Terrence Malicks extravagant masterpiece. The Tree of Life, its literal meaning of the slow processed growth of a plant, grows on the roots of the fresh planted audience who observe this astonishing well-made feat. The cinematography is unforgettable and the editing is deep impacted, and yes the film is a prolonging two hours and thirty- nine minutes long, but the length of time is not a concern, because if you think about it, we need trees to survive, so take the time out of your day to watch the life of this tree.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Inglourious Basterds

[10/10 · 19 March 2012]

Inglourious Basterds

"That's a bingo!" A line used by the ironic winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Christoph Waltz, for his role as the German version of the over investigative Sherlock Holmes, Col. Hans Landa. Bingo! Is definitely what this film acquired with a perplexed yet astounding cast including the ever so talented Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine and the director/actor Eli Roth as the coined name, "The Bear Jew" a berserk home run hitting leader in Nazi's. Quentin Tarantino took an everlasting ten years to complete the screenplay for this fictitious outlook of Nazi Germany in World War II and released it in 2009. The enduring story is about a group of American born Jews, known as the Inglorious Basterds, who are shipped behind enemy lines to do one thing, kill Nazi's. Shot in settings such as France, Germany, and England, this Tarantinoesque film is an eye-catching, blistering, yet excessively heavy ingeniously dialogued representation of what to expect when watching a movie by Quentin. This flick by far takes a warm seat in my top ten films of all time, for the reason that the music plays a major role in many scenes and the acting on all fronts, no pun intended, is exceptionally, as Hitler would put it, Aryan.

Music in this film signifies the intensities of a lot of the scenes. Scenes of intensification such as the farm house scene is a great example of how music is used to augment the suspicion of what is about to happen. As Col. Landa (Waltz) figures out that Jews are hiding under the floorboards, the music begins at the start of what will build to the peak of a massacre. The way I see it, music in this film is used as a bridge to connect objects or people that have a disturbing flaw against one another. A scene that caught my attention was one that used music so perfectly as well as camera movement, is a scene when "The Bear Jew" is called upon to beat down on a Nazi. The scene flips back and forth slowly moving in closer to the face of the Nazi and the dark shadows that "The Bear Jew" is supposed to emerge out of, and while this is all happening the music is gradually increasing to give the setting a eerie feeling.

Music may have been a major factor for this film, but the acting surpasses that by a long run. Each actor had a certain style, Brad Pitt plays a straight to the point Tennessee cocaine snorting kind of guy, while on the other side, Christoph Waltz plays a sarcastic over- achieving Nazi detective. These different roles play a major part in the film because it gives the movie an overall amount of balance. The actors also had an exuberant amount of dialogue to rehearse, and I believe the way the dialogue was presented, adapted perfectly with Tarantino's famous style of "Mexican Standoffs". The overall acting is superb and going into a Tarantino film, I knew that the way he sets up his actors, will always be performances to remember.

Nominated eight times at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, Inglorious Basterds is a riveting thrill ride that everyone should try. Yes there are long dialogue scenes but the direction of Tarantino is a unique style of art that can't get passed by; if at the Louvre would you pass the Mona Lisa without looking at it? Go rent Inglourious Basterds on DVD, and when you take it out of your tray, you'll be screaming, "That's a Bingo!"

• Marcel Urena

5/5

Like Crazy (2011)

Like Crazy

[8/10 · 18 March 2012]

Like Crazy

"Patience" is virtue. It's a gratifying thing that I pay no mind of it, because Director Drake Doremus (Douchebag) creates a love story that doesn't require an audience to sit back and observe the infatuating inclination of adoration, he simply gets straight to the point. Like Crazy (2011) stars the hidden yet popular Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog), and the woman who captured my attention with her luminous and flawless features, Felicity Jones (The Tempest). Supposedly shot in Los Angeles, California and England, this Drama tells the story of Anna, a British born citizen attending college in Los Angeles, who falls in love with Jacob, an American born furniture architect major, who attends the same college. From their first date and on. the story of their newfound love takes a trip of distance, love, and patience. Director Drake Doremus does an extravagant job of inspiring his past relationships to create a story of devotional love by having his actors improvise the dialogue and edit the scenes to convey the emotion throughout the film.

Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones couldn't have played their roles any better. Anton's character plays a shy and understandable guy, while Felicity as ironic as her name, plays a happy and curious young woman, and the mesh between the two is phenomenal. The help of their roles comes from the films realistic visualization of every aspect, from the acting to the hand-held camera shots. Making the film as realistic as it is, appears from the improvisation of both the actors. Director Drake Doremus wanted to present the dialogue as legitmate as possible by creating a screen play with actions but no words; he would set the camera to record Yelchin and Jones for up to thirty minutes to have the realistic chemistry between the two "admirers". Even when watching the movie, every scene, whether it was the passion, anger, or jealousy I literally felt that happiness, that hatred, that envy, because the characterization is so genuine.

Just as reputable as the improvising, the editing plays a major role in the emotional encounters of Anna and Jacob. All it took was one date to lock in fate. After the first date, a montage sequence was shown to praise the many following dates after the first. One after the other, the scenes were shown to display how good of a time they are having. What I really like about the editing in this film, is the way Doremus lapses time. I will say that it threw me a curve ball and I lost track of the date within the movie, but he does a good job of mentioning months and years to remind the viewer where the film stands at the particular juncture. Parallel editing is also used to compare and contrast their lifestyles away from each other, showing how similar yet opposed each of their lives actually are.

This movie had many emotions running through my head; exhilaration, annoyance, and relief. A movie that is capable of bearing down those feelings in one sitting, is definitely a must see in my book. Though an abundant amount of alcohol is consumed, I highly recommend this film for all to see, especially that most people from ages sixteen and up can relate in some kind of way to this film. One message that this film sends, proves that marriage is more than a piece of paper, it's the final piece of the puzzle that connects two people whom which are in love. - Marcel Urena

4/5

Unknown (I) (2011)

Unknown

[7/10 · 16 March 2012]

Unknown

"That he may discover the worlds inside love," a quote displayed in Unknown, insignificant to the movie just as Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neelson) is in this film. Directed in 2011, by Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax, Orphan), Unknown follows the story of a Botanist, who travels to Berlin with his wife (January Jones) in order to attend a convention, though the excursion gets short-lived when Dr. Harris gets into an accident, inducing him to a Coma and wakes up to find out his identity has been stolen. Filled with unpredictable yet foreseeable events, this plot twisting thriller uses technique and symbolism known as the Dutch tilt/oblique angle and foreshadowing.

Even though the movie is shot in Berlin, Germany director Jaume Collet-Serra uses the Dutch tilt thrice in this film, to enhance the psychological tension in all three scenes. The first scene expresses the confusion Dr. Harris is feeling when his wife doesn't "know" who he is, the handling of the Dutch tilt in this scene suggests the disorientation of reality that he is facing. A subsequent scene in the film unfolds a picture that the alleged Dr. Harris presents to Liam Neelson's character, to show proof that he is the "real" Dr. Martin Harris. Neelson's figure views the photograph, the Dutch tilt is slightly used to add the emotional effect of shock, and lead Neelson's character to faint. The last use of the Dutch tilt comes in a scene when Dr. Harris (Neelson) is drugged by an unidentified man, when Harris escapes his confines he starts to make his approach out of the hospital. What I like most about this specific scene, is as Harris hurriedly stumbles his way to freedom, the Dutch tilt is used to show the drowsiness caused by the drugs inserted in him.

The technique used to emphasize psychological distortion is well used, just as exceptional as the symbolic meanings in the film. Looking carefully, most thrillers and plot twisting movies throw in a bit of symbolism to allow the audience to play around with what could happen later in the film. Whether the symbolism is the setting of season or a certain object in the film that could lead to foreshadowing. The season in Unknown is Winter, the season of death, which allows the audience to guess that a certain type of death or killing will be arising in later events. Matching the season is the white and light blue tone of color the film uses to apprehend the dull lifeless setting of the confused Dr. Harris. One aspect of foreshadowing is actually in the first ten minutes of the film, when a close-up of Dr. Harris' briefcase is shown alone in a luggage carrier, to suggest that he left his briefcase at the airport and will go back and attempt to reclaim his belonging, in which he does.

Captivating and mind twisting in every aspect, Unknown is an eye absorbing original thriller that everyone should witness, especially if looking for a brain twister. Liam Neelson. yet again, gives a vigorous performance leeching off of his hit movie Taken. Neelson may have a hard time trying to find his daughter and identity, but in the end it won't be hard to find this movie on DVD.

• Marcel Urena

3.5/5

Half Nelson (2006)

Half Nelson

[6/10 · 15 March 2012]

Half Nelson, a hold in which a wrestler, from behind the opponent, passes one arm under the corresponding arm of the opponent and locks the hand on the back of the opponent's neck. The definition of this film corresponds perfectly with the situation that Daniel Dunn, played by Ryan Gosling, is strangled in. Shot in what seems to be inner-city New York, Ryan Gosling portrays a drug addicted junior high History teacher, who gets caught doing drugs by one of his students, Drey, played by Shareeka Epps, and from that point on, "Teach" and Drey continue to build an irregular relationship not knowing both individuals live similar yet contrasting lives. Directed by Ryan Fleck and Oscar nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Ryan Gosling, this drama released in 2006 would have not been given the chance for an Academy Award if it wasn't for the hand-held camera shots and the parallel editing.

Going into most pictures I set myself up ready for a formalistic type of film, the classic technique over content. However in Half Nelson, ninety-five percent of the movie is filmed in the hand-held camera view which suggests documentary footage in an uncontrolled setting. The movie is not a documentary, though the constant movement of the camera proposes the realistic aspect of the film and the intensity of all the characters. Adding to the intensity are the overused close-up and medium close-up shots, which expels the locale, therefore allows the viewer to focus on the expressions that the actors are producing; by doing this Ryan Gosling was able to get nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, because his emotions are so clear, and I as the audience was able to recognize who his character was, due to the continuously shot of close- ups.

Close-up shots aren't the only aspects of intensification, parallel editing is a favorable way to visualize alternating shots from two sequences that suggest they are taking place at the same time. In Half Nelson parallel editing is used to show both the lives of Daniel Dunn and Drey occurring at the same time during different scenes. A certain scene that shows a great example of this is when Daniel Dunn is having dinner at his parent's house, and at the same time Drey is getting ready to go on a ride to do drug deals with Frank, a pretty much "family" member that watches over Drey and her mother while Drey's brother resides in jail; played by the strong willed actor, Anthony Mackie. Both the scenes come to a conclusion that have Drey escorting drugs to a dark sketchy motel and winds up spotting her teacher inside the room. This technique can also be used to differentiate types of groups with music, like Daniel's family listening to the Toronto band Broken Social Scene, while Drey and Frank listened to Rap music.

Half Nelson's style of film did throw me off and I almost thought director Ryan Fleck was being put in submission by the Full Nelson, but in the end the strong Oscar nominated performance by Ryan Gosling and the addition of technique used throughout pulls through as a drama that everyone should see. The film may take time to adjust to but like Drey once said "What do you call cheese that's not yours? Nacho Cheese." It may not be your cheese but it doesn't hurt to get a taste.