“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (directed by Tomas Alfredson, 2011)

    Spy films are a very unique film genre. Not only is there action, but there is also a serious about them that can cause you to grab on to your seat as it takes you on a roller coaster of twists and turns. Spy films are fairly enjoyable to watch. Everyone has probably seen “James Bond” so many times and thought how cool it would be to have the gadgets that he has. If you like films that have twists and turns, then “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is for you.
    Based on the 1974 novel of the same name by John le Carre, the film takes place in the heart of the Cold War in London, where British Intelligence (also known as “the Circus”) discover that there is a mole who is possibly delivering information to the Russians. To track him down, they bring out a former member out of retirement, George Smiley (played by Gary Oldman). Smiley is sent to track him down with several people on his side in “the Circus.” However, he know is that anyone could be a traitor. The film goes on a roller coaster of twists that make you wonder if Smiley will find the mole.
    The man who truly steals the show is Gary Oldman. Oldman is one of the greatest, and probably the most underrated, actor of all time. If you watch his performances in “Sid & Nancy,” “JFK,” “Air Force One,” “The Contender,” the “Harry Potter” films, Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, you can tell how good he is because he transforms himself both physically and vocally every time. In “Tinker Tailor,” his portrayal of George Smiley may seem like he’s playing a quiet old man, but he manages to to play him with such intensity that you can tell that he is in control. George Smiley is nothing like James Bond because he doesn’t have the gadgets, Aston Martin’s, Vodka Martini’s, and gorgeous women. Instead, Smiley is a bit of an anti-Bond because he is a great manipulator, but at the same time is wise and cool. Alec Guinness played George Smiley in a version of “Tinker Tailor” for the BBC and he was able to create a character that worked for him. In this version, Oldman does not try to play Guinness’s Smiley, but he manages to take Smiley into his own hands by creating something strong and powerful. This is definitely one of the best performances of Oldman’s career.
    The cast of “Tinker Tailor” is amazing. You’ve got an all-star British cast featuring Oldman, Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”), Tom Hardy (“Inception”), John Hurt (“The Elephant Man”), Toby Jones (“Frost/Nixon”), Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”), and Ciaran Hinds (“There Will Be Blood”) so what’s not to like? Each of these actors deliver fantastic performances. Each manages to hold their own with their own touch on John le Carre’s characters. This is probably one of the best ensembles in film history.
    The film score composed by Alberto Iglesias sets the mood of the film perfectly. With a jazz sound, it reminds you that this is a spy movie. As for the direction of this film, Tomas Alfredson does a very great job at adapting the story for the screen. He manages to keep all the important structures of the story in tact.
    “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” may be a bit confusing for people who haven’t read the book. If you go see this movie, please read the book beforehand because there points that can cause you to go, “What just happened?” However, that’s what’s great this movie. There many twists and turns that they will have you riding on the edge of your seat and questioning where the loyalties of these character truly lie. If you like traditional spy films with intensity, then “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is for you.

“Scent of A Woman” (directed by Martin Brest, 1992)

    As a director, Martin Brest is known for directing the comedies “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) and “Midnight Run” (1988). These films were very popular to members of the public. Then, he made the drama “Scent of A Woman”. This film is a departure from the work that Brest is known for because the film is fairly serious. However, it is a coming-of-age story that a person could identify with. The film is about a boy named Charlie (portrayed by Chris O’Donnell) who is caught in the act of a prank that he played on the headmaster of his school. At the same time, he is hired to take care of blind retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (portrayed by Al Pacino), who helps guide him to making the right choice despite that fact that he himself is battling his own demons.
    The acting performances in this film are perfect. The man who steals the show is obviously Al Pacino. We all know Pacino for his performances in “The Godfather”, “Dog Day Afternoon”, “...And Justice For All”, “Scarface”, and “Dick Tracey”, but in this film, Pacino gives one of the best performances of his whole career. His portrayal of Frank Slade makes you want to hate him so much, but by the end makes you want to love him despite the fact that he is acting like a jerk for most of the time. Another feature that Pacino does well with in this film is his portrayal of blindness, which is fairly difficult for an actor to do, but he makes it look fairly easy. Chris O’Donnell gives a strong performance as well. His performance is not as amazing as Pacino’s, but he manages to take his own while he invests in Charlie’s character and his own situation. The rest of the cast, which features the talents of James Rebhorn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Gabriel Anwar, are able to give something special to their roles in a very special film.
    “Scent of A Woman” has many unforgettable moments. From Pacino dancing the tango with Gabriel Anwar and driving a Ferrari (which he both does blind) to his ending speech, there are scenes that you can remember so well. There are several quotable lines, most of which come from Pacino including his classic “Who-ah!” While there are some pretty serious moments in the film, there is always a few laughs, which never hurts.
    What makes this film special is that this is a coming-of-age story. We learn things from these movies and they make us feel good about life. We can also look at the characters and say, “Hey, I can identify myself with that character” or “I see a lot of myself in him or her.” There are situations where we can look at them and say, “That has happened to me before.” These kinds of films can make us feel good or bad about ourselves. It depends on how we think of ourselves and of these kinds of films. So the next time you see a coming-of-age film, please treat it with care because these are special stories that almost everyone can identify with. In the end, “Scent of A Woman” will make you feel good about yourself.

TimeOut Chicago Blog Critics

    When writing for a blog, writers have different ways of communicating their ideas and messages to the public. Some of their ideas can lead to crazy arguments and can show how worked up people can get about a specific topic. When it comes to "TimeOut Chicago Blog Critics" article, it shows how each critic reviews and approach a different piece whether its art or something from everyday life.
    Out of all the critics who all showed their approaches, and they did them very well, the one who really stood out was Jim DeRogatis, music critic of the Chicago Sun-Times and Sound Opinions (and my professor for Reving The Arts). He starts off by saying "The difference between a good critic and a bad critic is the ability to put into words the reading behind those opinions." Jim is a very good critic. What I've notice about how he works is that he is very defensive and he can sound like a jerk at times. However, that is sort of how the business works. If you want to say that your opinion is better than everybody else’s then you’ll have to fight for it even if it includes saying that everybody else’s opinion sucks.
    Another way that Jim approaches his responses is that he references something that someone mentions earlier. You have to be able to know your facts if you want to get your opinion out about something. Everyone has a different opinion about something so it’s all about getting your voice heard and going it right.
    The most important point that Jim mentions is that critics have to give their HONEST opinion, not something that is made up. He also mentions that critics have to be “obligated” to give an honest opinion. The truth is that he’s right. Critics are obligated to give their honest opinion even if it isn’t right. Critics can’t be dishonest in what they write about that would make them terrible critics. As a result, nobody would want to read any of the things that they put out.
    A quote that really stood out that Jim said was “Professionalism is earned by the writing.” He is right again. Writing is something that people work on and can develop over the course of many years. You care not called a great writer until have earned that right. You need to be able to accept criticism whether you agree with it or not and be able to explore your ideas in critique. People also need to be creative in order to earn it because that way you can do whatever you want. No one can tell you what to believe, but you can create your own opinions.
    Each critic proved themselves very well in this article, but in the end, Jim DeRogatis comes forth as the winner. The article shows that you can’t hold back your opinions because people will continue to bug you about what you opinion really is whether you want to share it or not. That is what being a critic is about. You have to be honest and fight for your right to get your opinion heard.

Reviewing For The Arts

Reviewing Reviews

The first article that I found was Rolling Stone's review of Bruce Springsteen's 2007 album "Magic". To me, "Magic" is probably one of Bruce's best albums to date. While reading the review, I had to notice things that worked and things that didn't work in the article. First off, the thing that works about this review is that David Fricke really paints a picture of some of the sounds that we would hear on the album, that is if noboby has bought it yet. He also describes that this is the most "openly nostalgic record Springsteen has ever made." This is a good way to describe it because there is a sense of that when you listen to the songs and it shows a meaning in how it works on life.

However, the thing that doesn't work is that David Fricke compares some of the new songs to some of Bruce's older songs. It's okay to say that they are in that style, but that they are as great as the old ones are not true. It is never a good idea to say that because there is a difference between comparing something to something being in that style. It's okay to say it's in the style of that because that is easier to say.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/magic-20071018

The other review was Rolling Stone's review of Led Zeppelin's debut album "Led Zeppelin I". I like this album a lot. What the critic does well with is that he describes the sounds that are on the album like "Robert Plant's houled vocals", "lots of guitar rhythm section changes", and "John Bonham smashing cymbals on every beat." The real disappointment about while mentioning all of the band members, they don't mention John Paul Jones because he was a big part of the group as well. No wonder he is probably the most underrated musician in the business.
There is only one sad truth about this review. When "Led Zeppelin I" came out in 1969, the critics, including Rolling Stone, hated them. They didn't like their sound. Everyone thought of them being just a hard core blues band. It says in the review a couple times where the critic mentions the Jeff Beck Group. First of all, they are two completely different groups. The critic references Robert Plant's voice to Rod Stewart's voice. You can't do that because they have two completely different singing voices. Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page are two completely different guitar players even though they both played in the Yardbirds together.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/led-zeppelin-i-19690315