Disney's Oceans

This is a film my friends and I were anxious to see. A little embarrassing because it is technically an informational film but we didn't care, we thought it would be so cool especially because it featured all of those crazy creatures beneath the sea and in all honesty it is unlike the rest of the standard films out right now. I, myself, had not seen the Disney's Earth series but had heard great reviews which further propelled us all to head to the the theater. The basis of the film's narrative is centered around the creatures who depend on the ocean to live and consequently the issues facing many of the environmental problems concerning the health of the ocean. Pierce Brosnan was the new narrator of the nature film whereas Morgan Freedman left a strong legacy from the previous Earth series behind. Walt Disney even said himself that real animals are often more surprising than one's they dream up for their cartoon characters and that the natural world was a perfect stage for great comedy, for great drama, and for some of the most amazing stories ever told. He was right. In the motion picture Oceans, the audience is taken on a journey to personally meet some of the world's most unique and unknown creatures that keep you mesmerized in a beautiful state of awe.

The Good: The best part of this film was by far the cinematography. This movie truly shows the amazing technological developments that have made in regards to film production. The people who actually filmed the movie were right there under water face to face with the animals to show their true habitats in the most realistic and fascinating expression of animal life. Each shot was more beautiful then the next which left the audience with a feeling of immense wonder and amazement. The animals they chose to feature were some of the most unique creatures on the planet that, especially me, learned entirely new things about. The way they depicted each of the animals special life stories and how exactly they all relate to one another in a collective food chain was fascinating to see all put together.

The Bad: What I was greatly disappointed by in this film was the actual lack of information. Don't get me wrong, the movie definitely showed me some crazy stuff that I would never have known, however, it was minimal. I felt the focus of the movie was more on the cinematography rather than the facts based on the animals. My friends and I walked out and were like hmmm I wish I could have gotten a little bit more from that.

The Ugly: There was definitely a big downfall to the film. I was quick to notice the major flaw because there seemed to be a piece missing for me. There was no structure to the film. The trailer laid out a specific way the film makers were going to approach the movie: going into each of the five different oceans of the world and showing how the animals live in each. What the movie lacked was showing that exact setup and providing the audience with a certain structure rather than featuring random animals as they saw fit.

Overall, this film was a true cinematic adventure that took me on a journey around the world's oceans to see things that were never possible to be filmed before. I recommend my followers to definitely see this film if you want to see a movie like no other that will cause you to watch the movie with your hand over your mouth in amazement--true story of Glam Gab when she saw the movie. I give this film an B+.

I decided to make a special feature to this post. In this movie, I have fallen in love with its features song and I think you will too. Enjoy :)

The Weary Kind from "Crazy Heart"

Unfortunately because Griff's Guide was not up and running at the time of the Oscars, I never had the chance to post one of my favorite songs that actually ended up winning the Oscar for best song in a motion picture. You'll probably get addicted just like I did, enjoy :)

Date Night

Finally a comedy! The most recent film I saw was an epic comedy starring two of America's television favorites in which the audience was able to watch their comedic talents brought to the silver screen. After seeing the outrageously hilarious antics of Steve Carell and Tina Fey in "Date Night," I left the theater with a smile on my face after experiencing an hour and a half of pure enjoyment. Whether you are fans of either "The Office" or "30 Rock", these comedic geniuses starred as the chaotic yet relatable couple of Phil and Claire Foster. What was meant as a night out to zest up the relationship of a married couple stuck in the tasks of their every day lives as parents at a restaurant in the city lead to just that in an unexpected way. A strange sequence of events lead the couple along a crazy journey that ultimately changed not only themselves but their marriage as well. The movie left the audience laughing out loud and relating to the many trials facing such married couples in today's society. Lets take a look at some of my own critiques from the film.

The Good: For a comedy, there is an abundant amount of good in this comedic treasure. Many comedies face a life or death battle in today's box office markets because it is often too easy for comedic films to flop on the big screen. This is why I so greatly enjoyed this film. When a good comedy finally makes its way for us all to enjoy and experience laugh after laugh, it is such a treat. The stars of this film brought their signature comedic acts into fresh and believable roles as a typical suburban married couple facing common struggles after having kids such as mundane days at work and lack luster romance stuck in one's every days comforts. The story had a well constructed narrative in that they developed the story of the starring couple well. They showed a good portion at the beginning of the film in how their every day tasks left them unsatisfied yet complacent and how they were scared for their marriage because of such aspects. As they watched their friends in the process of getting a divorce, they realized that many of their problems were many of their own even saying, "we have just become really good roommates." As the film continues, all the crazy antics of the night bring the couple face to face with the problems within their marriage in a comical yet compassionate manner. All the issues they faced were relatable and left the audience with that feel good feeling at the end. There were countless scenes which left me literally laughing out loud in embarrassment. A few of my favorites included when Phil threw up after a high risk chase in which Claire says that its embarrassing how out of shape they are but Phil remarks, " No I'm just scared." Another was when they walked back into the hip restaurant to find a phone number dressed absolutely ridiculous. I don't think I even heard what they said because I was so distracted by their hilarious appearance, mainly Steve Carell. Who could forget the getaway of Phil and Claire in the slow moving boat across the river. And of course during the high speed chase, the cab drivers screams brought the entire audience to tears of laughter. Not only did the two main characters have great performances but Common and Mark Walberg turned out great performances as well. For the younger audiences, it was especially fun to see Leighton Meester in such a different role apart from her spot on Gossip Girl. What I was also excited to see was one of my favorite comedians in the film as well, Kristen Wiig. I will always have a great mental picture of Steve rocking that green track suit and the hysterical dance moves of Phil and Claire in the strip club. I also give congrats to the director as I loved the camera angels used throughout the film. The opening scene was absolutely perfect as the haggard couple attempts to get out of bed in the morning. With an elongated shot from the hall, the couple is framed perfectly as the words Date Night come to the screen. The color lens used was perfect and the scenery was a perfect fit for such a night. The hip pad of Mark Walberg, the scandalous and grimy setting of the strip club and the perfect little white house of Phil and Claire served as key ties throughout the film.

The Bad: I do have a few criticism about this comedy. One was the actual chemistry of the on screen couple. Having Steve Carell and Tina Fey as the stars of this film was an absolute perfect casting, however, them being in love with one another was very unbelievable. No one could have done the roles better, however, seeing them as a married couple was unrealistic because they lack any real chemistry. The film would have benefitted if that aspect was different. One aspect that was very unexpected was the poor acting of James Franco and Mila Kunis. Overall, their segment made the film unrealistic and their comedic lines were typical and overplayed. The scene in the film that involved the two of them actually made the film worse.

The Ugly: Excitingly, I could not seem to find any ugly in this film. The film was definitely not flawless but there were no horrific aspects that brought the entire film spiraling down.

Overall, if you are looking for an hour and a half of good laughs and just simple enjoyment, this is the movie for you. It is lighthearted and overall a feel good movie that leaves the audience wanting more. It is a film that spans all age ranges as well. For all those couples on date night, Date Night is the movie to see. I give this movie a B.

GLAM GAB: Carey Mulligan from "An Education"

Carey Mulligan may have stolen the award season’s top nominations, but it is these four scene-stealing red-carpet moments, pictured above, that has left us all wanting more. Leave it to the new fashion darling to test the waters, literally, in baby pink Prada complete with a beach print or taking flight in a dramatically draped Vionnet cocktail dress in a striking shade of red for the premiere of “An Education.” She truly blossomed into a young ingénue when she picked up her leading actress BAFTA award in an off- the shouldered frock by non other then the acclaimed Parisian house of Vionnet. No fashion force is complete without an unforgettable Oscar gown. Mixing her whimsical sense with her flair for innovative shapes, Carey unlocked the key to our fashion fantasies when she stormed the red carpet in a dramatic yet playful Prada gown which featured an embellished bodice adorned with miniature sized forks, knives, and scissors. She topped off her funky gown with show-stopper, shoulder grazing drop earrings courtesy of vintage Fred Leighton. Carey has proven that she is a compelling fashion enthusiast, mixing her youthful vitality with her love of exuberant and dazzling pieces.

Posted by Lauren Wilson

An Education

I am proud to say that I finally watched the last movie that was nominated at this years Oscar Awards that I had yet to see. Before every Oscar show, I make it a point to see all the nominated pictures in the category, however this year I was behind one. I finally saw this film and it was definitely worth the wait. An Education is a unique, compassionate and beautiful story of a young girl's journey trying to grow up in the world she was born into. It is the accumulating story of how love, education and family all fight against one another. Its the love story of Jenny and David, come along for their journey.

The Good: Carey Mulligan had a wonderful performance in this film. Rightly so, she was nominated for best actress at this years Oscar show. She truly demonstrated the coming of age story of this young girl in London fighting to get out of the dull life she has been surrounded by her entire life. She starts out the film by looking like a young sixteen year old girl. She wears clothes that hang loose to her body and her hair is not styled covering her face with bangs. As she stands on the side of the road with her cello, she is the picture of a young girl stuck in a mundane life that goes through the strokes of each day. However, her smile made each scene brighter and provided a critical emotion that the character often feels. When with David this smile expresses naive flattery. After meeting an older man, she is exposed to beautiful things she never knew existed like jazz clubs, auctions, and exquisite clothing. She matures beautifully throughout the film. Not only does she wear new clothing but her entire demeanor changes when dating this older man. She comes to know what she wants, who she is and in essence becomes a stronger young woman from it all. What I enjoyed was seeing how truly different societal standards were in the 40s. Women had few options in their life so it was essential they made the right choices. Peter Sarsgaard had a wonderful performance as well. Someone who did not know of him would completely believe he was actually English. He was the picture of a charming English man. He nailed the complex character as the charming yet cunning character of David. He uses his sweet smile, money and charm to not only win over Jenny's parents but Jenny herself as she falls in love with him. Each character was cast perfectly. The airhead yet greedy girlfriend of David's friend, David's playful best friend and business partner, the innocent and loving young suitor trying to win Jenny's heart but has no chance of it, Jenny's plain mother who desires more excitement and the powerful demeanor depicted through Jenny's father. One key aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the setting they depicted in each scene that corresponded with Jenny's emotions. At the beginning of the film, the scenes are grey and depressing. Her home and town are boring and lack any color. Not only is her uniform grey but the rest of her life is as well. As the movie carries on, the scenes are depicted with stronger and brighter colors. Especially scene in the trip to Paris, her smile is radiant and the objects around her are as well. The director did a perfect job of associating her mood with the places she surrounded herself in. Something that I enjoyed in the film was how tasteful it was. Even though "The Reader" was a personal favorite of mine, An Education portrayed the young/old lovers differently. Rather than exposing everything and making their relationship solely based on sex, these scenes were done tastefully to not make the audience uncomfortable when watching such a young girl with an older man. The ending was so beautiful and the overall narrative left me touched and inspired as a young woman myself making the right choices in my life. The underlying meaning of the film was woman empowerment and the amazing opportunities education brings to women and how the cloud of love can so easily fool young girls. After working her entire life to get into Oxford University, she was so ready to throw it all away to marry the man she was so in love with. The film touches on issues still present in society today through a beautiful coming of age story.

The Bad: I only have a two critiques. One was that at times it was difficult, as an American, to understand some of the British terms, however, those terms made the film authentic. Me as a true American is stupid to these cultural differences and it left me confused at times. My other critique was of the SPOILER ALERT! scene in which Jenny finds out that David is actually married. The man who she is engaged to, threw her education away for and so strongly trusted was a liar. Everything she knew was a lie. I just thought that this scene was a little anti-climatic. With her parents sitting in the back seat and David on the phone, Jenny finds mail with David and his wife's name on it. She finds it so quickly and immediately yells at him to go home. The viewer did not see what was on the mail so I was personally a little confused. She randomly looks in the globe box, sees some papers then screams to be taken home.

The Ugly: No ugly in this film guys!

Overall, An Education was a wonderful film and left me wanting more. I give this film an A.

Miike Snow

Here is my pick to be featured in an upcoming movie. Sit back and enjoy one of my personal favorites Miike Snow :)

Alice in Wonderland

Well it is my very first post and rightfully so the most recent film I saw was one to definitely talk about. I recently watched the highly anticipated Alice and Wonderland, 3D of course. Even though the film had already been out for a few days, I still was waiting in a line to enter the theater. This showed how much anticipation people had for the film and the high expectations that would stem from it. So according to Griff's Guide, I'll lay it out for you in three regards: the good, the bad and the ugly. Following my view of the film, I will give my own rating and advise whether or not to spend your money to go and see it.

The Good: Johnny Depp as always had an amazing performance as the Mad Hatter. According to the cinema class I am currently in, it says that the best actors are those that abide by Method Acting. This technique is when an actor fully engrossing himself in the character he is playing to a point where we are completely convinced he is that person he is meant to portray. Johnny Depp brought out the crazy side that Tim Burton often pulls out of him to portray the spitting image of what we all know as the neurotic Mad Hatter. Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and Helen Bonham Carter as the Red Queen were perfect for the roles they played. They truly represented what good and evil are conceptualized as: white as pure versus red as malicious. And of course, the imagery. The film was a stunning display of the capabilities of today's media effects and with each scene, the viewer escaped into a beautiful world. Tim Burton did his job in bringing the bizarre yet magical world of Wonderland to life. The effects were realistic and the type of color lens they instituted fitted the musky yet picturesque feel of the world. If you noticed all the colors fit the genre of good versus evil. When at the White Queens palace, the characters were more bright and the surrounding sky was more serene whereas the clouds were filled with clouds and torment as well as the quarters of the Red Queens palace were cold and foreboding. The director did a good job in representing the world we imagine yet put a new twist on the ordinary conception. One of my favorite aspects of the movie is that they made sure to incorporate all the major concepts of the book that we hold dear such as Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum, the Cheshire Cat, the hookah smoking caterpillar, croquet with hedge hogs and of course the bunny who is always running late.

The Bad: What is the worst part of having so much anticipating before seeing a film? When that film fails to live up to its expectations. Don't get me wrong, I loved the cinematic aspects of the film however it was the overall narrative that left me unhappy. I felt that the story line was poorly developed and very choppy. I was not the biggest fan of who they chose to play Alice either. She definitely fit the ideal image of the character, however, she lacked a lot of emotion and I felt the film dragged on with her uninteresting displays of emotion. I feel that for such a film, you need a large amount of dramatic elements especially drawn from the characters. The story line was confusing at some points and lacked fluid narrative from one scene to the next. I did not become fully engrossed in the film but rather was checking my clock every so often and ready for its end.

The Ugly: SPOILER ALERT! To the people who have not seen it yet, read with caution. Due to the choppiness of the story, the big reveal at the end of the film was very disappointing. It was meant to be unknown to the viewer that Alice had in fact been to Wonderland before and that she was returning to Wonderland as a now grown girl. The scene at the end of the film where Alice realizes she has in fact been to Wonderland before was anti climatic. This is supposed to serve as the climatic reveal to understand the entire film but it was a disappointing 10 second revelation lacking any real emotion. Alice all of a sudden has this sudden realization while talking to the caterpillar of why she is in Wonderland but it was unexciting and random. The fight sequence at the end as well was very quick and dry. Most importantly I spent more money to see this movie in 3D when I did not need to. The effects were not like those of Avatar where it made the experience so much different. The film would have been just as great without the extra money spent to see it in 3D.

Overall I am glad I saw the film because I had been wanting to since the first press releases came out, however, the film did not live up to its expectations. I would rate it as an average film that should be seen because of the film's imagery and seeing our childhood's memory brought to a new life. I give it a C+

WELCOME!

Welcome to Griff's Guide! This is a place where movie lovers alike can come to hear about the new and upcoming films of today. What's the best way to spend a day? Well thats easy! Why not escape from your every day life for a couple hours into the lives of on screen characters and become invoked in a world we watch with anticipation? After watching hundreds of films, I have decided to contribute my own opinions for you all to hear. I hope to guide your way through today's cinematic adventures with the help of Griff at your service!