Surprisingly Marley & Me was good...
It was shot really well, Now, I know you expect a big studio movie like Marley & Me to be able to make a film look pretty...
I watched Gran Torino recently and thought the cinematography on that was excellent and I didn't think I'd see a picture that good for awhile, but to my surprise Marley & Me was shot really good. I think I've stressed that point now, but it's a aspect of film that people ignore, you notices the effects, costumes, acting and so on, but the cinematographer or DOP doesn't get enough recognition.
Usually the praise goes to the Actors and then the Director and thats about where it stops, as far as the average movie buff/goer notices. I'm not saying I can reel off loads of great DOP's, because I can't, but I like to give credit when due. Because a Actor or Director even the film would be nothing without these guys. The Actors can act and the Director can direct, but that would be nothing if there wasn't somebody setting up the shot, pulling the lighting together and composing it all.
Tim Burton always gets lots of credit for how good his films look. He has these fantastic looking sets and costumes, and the lighting and colours are always great, but wait, that isn't Tim Burtons job, granted it may be his vision, but it isn't just him that makes his film look the way they do. Filmmaking is a team effort. And that shouldn't be forgotten.
Right, back to Marley & Me.
So I've pointed out it looked very nice. And then maybe went of track a little.
I can't say Marley & Me was on top of the list of films I have to watch, but I rented it out to cheer up my girlfriend, I also watched Confessions of a Shopaholic in the same day. Ha, and Bruno, but that one was for me. And it was exceptionally funny, I haven't laughed like that at a film in a long, long time. I actually thought it was better than Borat, and I really enjoyed Borat, so that saying something.
Anyway, kinda going of track again (**stay focus James**). So, I wasn't really looking forward to watching Marley & Me, and we watched it quite late that night, which meant we had to have the TV really quiet so that we didn't wake anybody up. Which really pisses me off, because I like to watch my movies nice and loud, even if it is only Marley & Me, when that dog barks I want it to sound like its on my lap. Usually I wait till everybody is asleep then plug my headphones in! Thats a little tip for you. But it does mean you have to wait awhile to watch what you want and can create a rather strange sleeping habit. It's the price to pay for good sound though.
So, I can't comment on the sound quality and if you read my last blog you'll understand how much the sound means to me. What I will comment on is the story and acting. I wasn't looking forward to watching Marley & Me, but everyone kept saying it'll make you cry, so I was a little intrigued, but if someone says it'll make you cry and it has a dog in it they've kind of given the story away. Dogs in films don't have a good record, but a dying dog makes a good flick, Turner and Hooch for example. K9, is another.
What I did find good was the onscreen relationship between Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. I have a soft spot for both these actors and I don't know why. I think I like Owen Wilson because everything he says sound like he telling you a secret, a little whisper. And I grow up on a TV diet of Friends, so much of my Teen life was spent with Rachel and the gang.
Wilson and Aniston worked really well together, you expect a relationship like theirs to have grown over time, and it's shocking to realise that this is there first film together.
Aniston is a actor I think is underrated. Being part of a popular TV show is always going to be hard to escape, especially hard to escape the character they played. I think all the cast of Friends have been typecast since the death of the show, but Aniston I felt was the only one that had talent to make it into the movies. But as I say she has played similar parts in most of her films. However, Maybe its not just her, but also the audience, seeing her as one character for 10 years (probably more with the amounts of repeats) its hard imagining her as anybody else.
Over all I thought Marley & Me was a decent enough film, Although predictable I got to know the three lead characters (including the dog) enough to want to find out what happened next. Thats all I'm asking for with a film of this type, the well acted parts, a great supporting role from Alan Arkin, the beautiful cinematography and some comedic moments were all added extras.
The film was about 20 minutes longer than it should have been, The actual running time was 2 hours, which is probably standard nowadays, but I prefer my comedy dramas to be a hour and half to a hour and forty five mins tops. There were definitely 15 minutes that could have been cut here and there, and that would have made the film smoother and even more enjoyable.
I think another reason why I tolerated the film was because Owen Wilson's character took up a columnist job at the newspaper he worked at and his funny, but realistic take on life became very popular amongst the readers. When I finished my A-levels I really fancied doing my own column in a student magazine about life as a student, and I sent a sample column to many magazines. I think all of them came back saying "you have a talent for this style writing, but most people only want to read about what celebrities are getting up to, not somebody they don't know" Which is fair enough. However, that connection I had with OW's character made it more compelling for me.
This made me think about my own writing, if you feel closer to characters you can emotionally connect with does this make a better film? Is that why when stand up comedians poke fun at life we all find it hilarious. Because we connected with it, we are imagining our selfs doing what they are saying, or remembering when we may have already done it.
Many questions being asked, all growing from a late night viewing of Marley & Me, strange how things can effect you. I wonder if the book is any better?
