Actor Profile: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

As an actor, I’ve always thought that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (here on referred to as JGL) as a pretty cool guy.  Not only was he in 3rd Rock From The Sun, and as a KID no less, but he managed to transition successfully from child actor to grown-up actor…without getting addicted to drugs, marrying at 18 or divorcing his parents (Macaulay Culkin who?).  What a winner.

Born 17th February, 1981 in Los Angeles, his parents were amongst the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.  Furthermore, his mum ran for the United States Congress in California in the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party.  Respect.  On top of that, JGL’s grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a famous film director.

What would have otherwise been a perfect family history, except in 2010 JGL’s older brother Dan, whom he worked alongside with for his website hitRECord, died under unknown circumstances (people say drug overdose, but we don’t do nasty gossip on here).

Since he’s been around for years and years and years (pretty much) I’ve picked five of his films that I’ve seen, plus the soon to be released, Looper.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999):

JGL plays Cameron James (not James Cameron, thank goodness), a newcomer at Padua Stadium High School.  In short, he falls in love with Bianca Stratford, a beautiful student who can’t actually date…unless her crazy, anti-social older sister, Katarina does.  Awks.  So Cameron, along with his friend Michael, ‘hire’ Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger, ah), an eccentric outcast, to date Kat, so Cameron can, in turn, take Bianca out.

If you haven’t seen the film, but it sounds familiar, it’s loosely based on Shakespeare’s Taming Of The Shrew.

OK, from a cinematic perspective this film doesn’t stand out.  It’s your standard high-school romantic chick-flick where everyone ends up happy as a clam.  Eh.  Whatever.  I still enjoy the hell out of it.  It’s funny, it’s relatively fast-flowing and the characters are all super likeable.  And to be honest, this was the first film that I saw JGL in since his 3rd Rock From The Sun days, and I was just excited that he was still cool.

(500) Days Of Summer-(2009):

Tom (JGL) is a romantic.  He wants true love.  He wants heart-stopping romance. He wants it all.  And why the hell not right?  Isn’t that the point of life?  To find someone to love?

Summer (Zooey Deschanel, always a pleasure) thinks love is a crock of shit.  Why depend on someone else for your happiness?  Why stay with the one person for the rest of your life, when you can be with many people?

Both make good points.  Each to their own.  Except then they meet, and they date.  And things start to go awry.

This is, hands down, one of my most favourite films.  Everything about it is wonderful.  The soundtrack?  Full of The Smiths, Simon and Garfunkle, Regina Spektor.  Can’t go wrong.

The cast?  Zooey Deschanel meeting Joseph Gordon-Levitt?  You’re killing me!

The plot, which is out of chronological order?  Makes what could be boring and predictable something entirely new.  The best scene in the film actually is when Tom’s ‘imagined’ scene and the reality are played together at the same time, on a split screen.  Well, the best scene in my opinion.

But, above all else, what I love about this film is the storyline.  “This isn’t a love story.  This is a story about love.”  I adore the storyline because it’s accurate.  Some people don’t fall in love, some people do.  Some want the world out of someone, but they can’t give it.  And the thing is, this doesn’t make them bad people.  What is so wonderful about this film (directed by Marc Webb, who went on to do The Amazing Spider-Man), is that it speaks the truth is a really un-cliched way.  Love happens.  So does heartbreak.

Inception-(2010):

I’ve already gone into Inception quite a bit on this website, and pretty much everyone has seen it, so I’ll skip the plot summary.  JGL plays Arther in Inception, who is the right-hand man of Cobb so to speak.  His job is to research and manage the assignments that they do; in short, to understand how everything works.  Perhaps you could call him the project manager (can you imagine?  What a cool job).

So what’s so fantastic about this film?  Everything.  The all-star cast, which, I will admit, allows JGL to not stand out for a change. Amazing, I know.  The direction, because, as you may know, we’re big Christopher Nolan fans here at Set In Motion.  The special effects (once again, the Nolan effect).  But overall, the storyline.  Being able to manipulative people through their dreams?  Can you imagine a cooler power to have?  Yeah me either.

One final note; did you know that if you use the first letter of all the main characters you get the acronym DREAMS?  It’s OK.  My mind was blown when I found that out too.

50/50-(2011):

Imagine a comedy that’s central theme is a guy in his 20s who gets diagnosed with cancer.  And there’s a 50% chance that he’ll die a slow painful death.

You’re right, it sounds hilarious!

That’s what 50/50 is all about.  JGL plays Adam, a 27 year old relatively average joe that gets diagnosed with a rare form of ‘back cancer’.  Luckily for him, his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) is there for him.  Which is probably for the best since his girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a selfish bitch, and his therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick) doesn’t really have a clue.

I know this was supposed to be a comedy, but it didn’t really make me laugh. Partially because I’m not a massive Seth Rogen fan, but probably because from any angle cancer is awful.

What I did love about this film was the sheer honesty that it portrays and JGL’s performance.  I don’t usually like performances that show heart-felt emotion, which is probably why I stick to comedies.  But JGL’s depiction of a nice guy in a shitty situation was dead-on (ignore the pun).  The scene when he finally, FINALLY breaks down is downright heart-breaking.  I literally started crying.  And this was only worsened when we see real fear in his eyes before he goes into the operating room.  Seriously, why do you do this to me JGL?

The Dark Knight Rises- (2012):

We all know how much I loved this film, and why.  So let me just add this.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Robin AND Batman.

Could a movie get any more perfect?  Only if he we found out he was related to Andrew Garfield and he popped up in Batman as well…Spiderman.  THEN it would be perfect.

Looper-(2012):

This is the newbie that is set to come out in about 2 weeks.  Starring JGL as a 25 year old assassin in the year 2044, the film centres around the idea that time travel is real, but only available on the black market.  JGL’s character, Joseph Simmons, acts as a ‘looper’, who have to kill and dispose of agents sent by their employers from the year 2074.  Their targets must never escape.  This is all well and good, except when one of his targets is himself (Bruce Willis) from the future.  Oh shit.  It also stars Emily Blunt.

This film will either be very confusing and terrible, or downright amazing.  Possible new Inception?  Oh no I didn’t.  Well, we’ll see.

 

Are you a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt?  Have you seen any of his films?  Let me know!

Actor Profile: Andrew Garfield

I’m a big fan of Andrew Garfield.  OK, to be honest I didn’t really know (at all, whatsoever) who he was until about six months ago, and so I could be grouped amongst the comic fangirls who fell in love with him because he played Peter Parker…but nevertheless, I am a big fan.

Judge all you want, but until I saw the trailer I had more important things to do with my time (if memory serves me, I think I was going through a James Franco stage during Summer…)  But alas, now my eyes have been opened and I can appreciate Andrew Garfield, not only for his acting abilities and good looks, but also the fun fact that he has the same name as a cartoon cat who loves lasagna.  Mmm… lasagna.

Andrew Garfield was born on the 20th of August (whoops. Happy Birthday for a week ago) 1983…making him, believe it or not, 29.  He’s one of those lucky individuals who is able to have a duel citizenship, calling himself a ‘British American’; so basically he was born in Los Angeles, got the heck out of there to move to Surrey, England…only to move back there years later.  Oh, the irony.

Garfield’s acting career started off in British television, where he appeared in shows Sugar Rush and Doctor Who.  His first film was Lions for Lambs and Boy A, but it wasn’t until Never Let Me Go that he got his fair share of the screen.

Garfield met his current girlfriend, actress Emma Stone, when they were filming The Amazing Spiderman together.  Pah.  They’ve also supposedly recently gotten a place together.  And while I should hate her on principle, she’s so hilarious and they’re so cute together I just want to give them a hug.  Is that weird?

Moving on.  Below is a list of the last three films that Andrew Garfield has done:

Never Let Me Go (2010):

Handy hint: don’t watch this film if you’re in a bad mood.  Set in a dystopian future where clones are created to be used for organ harvesting,we are introduced to a trio of friends; Kathy, Tommy and Ruth.  We learn that these clones, while human beings with souls and emotions, are conceived to be used as organ donors when they hit their mid-twenties; and they continue to provide organs until they die, or ‘completion’.  We follow the three in three acts; from their childhood at boarding school Hailsham; to when they are living as adults in The Cottages; and in the final stages of their lives.

This film is depressing as hell.  You spend the film either wanting to punch Keira Knightley (Ruth) in the face because of her manipulative behaviour (plus you know, it’s Keira Knightley), to hoping for a future that can’t exist between Kathy (Carey Mulligan)  and Tommy (Andrew Garfield).  And also, at times, wanting to punch Tommy in the face because he allows himself to be manipulated by Ruth.

And that’s just the love triangle perspective.  Imagine a world where you know when you’re going to die…and it’s not that far away.  No kids, no travelling, no career.  You can fall in love, but it’s another clone (because that’s who you interact with) and if they don’t see you die while you’re young, then you’ll see them die.  And of course, since it’s through organ donation, the process will be painful, long and terrifying.

The joy.

What I liked about this film was the concept of how far we, as humans, would go to survive.  While cloning humans is something that is still strictly forbidden in any scientific aspect, we are finding new ways to create organs.  And if we had the chance to live longer and healthier lives, would we?  Would we sacrifice ‘people’ we don’t know so that human civilisation can avoid life-threatening diseases, like cancer, as a whole?

Never Let Me Go was based on a novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro and directed by Mark Romanek on a $15 million budget.  The look of the film is very basic, but includes some beautiful symbolism, particularly in the final scene with Carey Mulligan.

Personally I thought that Mulligan was a stand-out for this film, which isn’t surprising considering she had wanted to play the role of Kathy ever since she read the book.  I felt that Garfield played his character convincingly, but there were moments that were cringe-worthy.  When he begins screaming uncontrollably, I felt the urge to look away, and I wasn’t connected with his emotions.  However, I felt he was able to play Tommy, in all of his naivety, quite accurately, and I didn’t second-guess the motivations behind his actions.

The Social Network (201o):

I’ll be honest, I didn’t like the premise of this film when it came out.  Facebook?  I already get enough of it whether I like it or not, and going to the cinemas is a way of avoiding it.  You really expect me to sit through a 2 hour film with Facebook as the subject matter?  Pah.

Well…I was an idiot.  Probably still am, because let’s be honest, I’ll probably be doing this in 12 months for another film I boycotted (except I still stand by the fact that Magic Mike is a stupid premise for a film).  Anyway.  The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg as the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg; Andrew Garfield as Facebook’s CFO, Eduardo Saverin; Justin Timberlake as the creator of the Napster, Sean Parker, and Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins.  The film is non-linear, is it goes from a present day court-case to the past.

Zuckerberg is getting sued by two parties at the same time.  Saverin is suing him for $600 million dollars, for unfairly diluting his shares when the company was incorporated.  The Winklevoss twins are suing him for stealing their idea for a social networking site within Harvard.

The flashbacks tell us how Zuckerberg’s idea and the evolution of Facebook occurred; from the original website, Face Mash (which allowed students to rank Harvard girls against each other), to the concept of a social networking site that allowed people to find out who was single, what their interests were etc.  As the website grows in popularity we watch as Sean Parker is introduced and what his influence on the company was, and the friendship between Zuckerberg and Saverin become tested, and eventually destroyed, within the process.

The best thing about this film is that it is easy-to-follow.  I know nothing about business, and yet I wasn’t confused by the plot at all.  I’ve never heard of the term ‘diluted shares’ before, yet even I realised that Saverin had been fucked over.  And this clarity of the plot is due to excellent writing.  Not only is it easy-to-follow but it’s witty, entertaining and allows you to connect with the characters.

Secondly, I thought the acting in The Social Network was flawless.  Eisenberg captured the essence of Zuckerberg perfectly; a computer nerd who, despite being incredibly unpopular, has the smug self-assurance that he is better than everyone else because of his IQ.

Andrew Garfield was spot-on.  Leading into this film, I wondered how they were going to create a storyline out of the fight over Facebook.  Of course Zuckerberg created Facebook, why is this even an issue? Yet, once again, I was wrong.  Garfield plays Saverin in a way that we are both frustrated by his actions, yet are also on his side.  I spent the whole film wanting Saverin and Zuckerberg to kiss and make-up, but when there is the final twist (although is it a twist if it’s common knowledge?) I had to side with Saverin; he may not have created Facebook, but he sure did provide the start-up funds.

The Social Network has grossed about $225 million altogether, and received numerous awards, including three Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score.  Saying that, both Zuckerberg and Saverin have been displeased by the idea of the film being produced, particularly since many of the facts are inaccurate.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012):

While it may not have the same credentials as his previous two films, the advantage of The Amazing Spider-Man is that it had a massive budget, and a massive fan base.  Instant world-wide celebrity anyone?

While it seemed a bit pointless to re-boot a trilogy that was only completed in the last decade, The Amazing Spider-Man still managed to rake in around $697 million, making it the most financially successful re-boot ever.

Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker; a loner at school, who means well, but also doesn’t seem to care enough to make an effort with his peers.  He does have a crush on Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) though; partially because she’s cute and wears nerd-sexy clothes to school (thigh high socks anyone?), but also because she’s awesome at science and loves to beat up bullies.

The story unfolds when Peter finds an old briefcase of his long estranged father, which leads him to Oscorp.  When Peter investigates, he meets the one-armed Dr Curt Connors who is using spider and lizard genes to try and create limb regeneration.  Only problem is, while visiting him, Peter gets bitten by a radioactive spider and turns into Spider-Man.

Then, since we need a villain, Connors creates a serum that allows his arm to grow back…but also turns him into a giant, evil lizard man.  And, since Peter is now Spider-Man, he also lands the girl.

Sorry for any unpredictable spoilers.

What I loved about this film was the cinematography and graphics used; Marc Webb took advantage of the $200 million budget and he used it well.  I thought the chemistry between Garfield and Stone was realistic (well duh) but also really just…nice.  Overall, Garfield played Parker’s character well, making him less of a nerd, and more of an outsider (since most of us have felt that way once or twice in high school).  However, his acting abilities when it comes to crying are definitely…sub-par.  And the idea of a giant lizard for a villain was truly laughable, and not particularly creative.  When you compare Lizard Man Connors to some other villains, a la Bane or The Joker, you kinda wonder why Parker didn’t spend more time hooking up with Stacy and less time fighting him.

The film has an anticipated two sequels, with the second scheduled to be released May 2nd, 2014.

What do you think of Andrew Garfield?  Do you think he’s a good actor?  Attractive?  Interesting?  Just for fun, check out the below video of Andrew dealing with the paparazzi…and then tell me you don’t like him.  Thoughts?

Film Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

Hello, hello!  Apologises to my absence on WordPress these last few weeks.  Hectic is one way to put it, lazy and on holidays and lying in the sun in another way…(For those who didn’t notice I was gone, well, pah!)

However, I thought I’d re-join the blog-o-sphere with the film review of a movie I’ve been rubbing my hands gleefully in anticipation for the past six months or so..SPIDER MAN!

For those who didn’t see the original trilogy (I’m going to hazard a guess and say, not that many, since those movies made an arse-load of money), have never read the comics and don’t understand the most basic of superhero names (come on people, spider + man…hmmm) then here’s the basic drill.

Peter Parker is a bit of a loser.  Not one of those unattractive losers of course, oh no that would not do in Hollywood, but the kind of loser that’s more like “I don’t need to deal with you a-holes ANYWAY, since I’m practically a scientist extraordinare and will probably be the next Charles Darwin some day” (or something like that)…which is where Andrew Garfield comes in.  Quiet, good at taking photos, knows waaayyyy too much about animal gene cross-mutation etc etc and so forth.

Luckily for Peter, he’s a genius and therefore can solve confusing algorithms that mean absolutely no sense to anyone else (namely, me).  Also, he looks like Andrew Garfield, and therefore has no problem snaring the girl, who, this time around, is Gwen Stacey, aka Emma Stone.  Unfortunately for him, he also seems to lack the common sense most of us are born with, and thus does not hesitate when entering into a lab room of spiders, where, unsurprisingly, he is bitten.

Blah blah blah.  Transformations.  Climbing walls.  Self-discovery.  You know the drill.

Only problem is, Spidey (as he shall now be known), uses his mathematical awesome-ness to help Dr Connors grow an arm…and turn into an evil Lizard man who is hell-bent on turning everyone else into evil Lizard men.

Go with it.

So what did I like about the film?

I thought that the directing, special effects, cinematography and overall feel and look to the film were excellent, and definitely on par with the “block-buster” label that it had attached to it.  This film cost $200 million to make, and director Marc Webb made sure the audience knew that.

Overall, I thought the acting was good, not fantastic, but at the same time, at no point cringe-worthy.  While Andrew Garfield excels at the dorky-yet-attractive nerd, he kinda failed miserably during the crying scene, which should have been far more dramatic than it was.  However, it was both pleasing (and frustrating, let’s be honest) to see the chemistry between Garfield and Emma Stone, who are also dating in real life.

I also particularly loved the scenes at the school, or when Garfield is acting the adolescent, grumpy teenager to a tee.  Bonus points for that hilarious scene when he appears hungry and stoned.

What I didn’t like about the film:

I thought that the villain was kinda awful.  He didn’t seem necessary, or scary, or particularly original in any shape or form.  At no point was I terrified of him, or scared for Spidey.  I didn’t understand his motives as a villain (genius scientist by day, Lizard man by night…what the hell?), and therefore didn’t really care what it was that he was doing.

What I see this film again?

In a heartbeat.  Sure, I still don’t really understand why they have ‘re-booted’ the franchise, but at the same time, I went in there expecting to switch my mind off, take in some eye candy and enjoy a tonne of special effects, and all of this was achieved.  And let’s be honest, I’ll probably see it at the cinemas again to appreciate Andrew Garfield in perfect cinematic quality.

Have you seen The Amazing Spider-Man?  Did you like it?  Love it?  Loathe it?  Let me know in the comments!