Life (2015)

Simply Perfect

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I only watched this movie because it's August and there's nothing new on television. I am also a film buff AND enjoy photography which is why I kept watching even tho' I thought it was rather tedious and boring in the end.Firstly, the actor portraying Dean was nothing like him really and he didn't make me believe. And he was so sleepy and mumbly it made me wonder how on earth James Dean ever got a film contract in the first place.Secondly, the vomiting over his son scene (Stock) was revolting.Thirdly, when they got to Dean's childhood farm home in Indiana and visited the town I could not stop thinking about where it was actually filmed as it looked so familiar to me and so Southern Ontario. And sure enough it was!!! Lastly, Ben Kingsley as Jack Warner. Ick. Talk about chewing the scenery.Best thing about the film were the real photos in the credits.

Review: I wasn't that impressed with this movie because it seemed to drag after a while and the main characters were quite depressing. The only reason why I didn't fall asleep is because I wanted to know how Dennis Stock took those amazing shots of James Dean, which have become iconic. The whole film is based around that brief period when Dennis is trying to get the perfect photographs for Life magazine, so there isn't much depth to the characters. When you see the real pictures at the end, it is quite emotional, especially after watching there brief journey together but the whole pace and feel of the movie isn't that great. The storyline is quite simple! Robert Pattinson plays photographer, Dennis Stock who goes to a celebrity party to take pictures and he bumps into upcoming star James Dean, (Dane DeHaan) who he finds interesting as a person and really wants to photograph. After convincing his boss, John Morris (Joel Edgerton) that James Dean is going to be a star, he goes ahead with the assignment before the release of East of Eden. James agrees to the assignment and they both become friends, while John is taking pictures of James whilst travelling from Los Angeles to New York and to Indiana. John gets to see the many different sides of James Dean but he has his own personal problems, especially with his young son, from his ex-girlfriend, who he very rarely sees. After there 2 week road trip together, James Dean becomes a huge star, after the release of East of Eden and Dennis Stock pictures, during that period, become a big hit. 7 months later, James Dean sadly dies in a car accident, which enhances the popularity of the photographs. To this day, the photographs are still as popular as ever, worldwide and they captured a time in both of there life's, when they didn't know what path that was yet to come. The director didn't set out to make a biopic about James Dean but you can't help wanting to know more about his life at that period. Everybody knows that he died in a car accident at a young age, so after seeing such an in depth look into those 2 weeks of them being together, you really want to see the aftermath of how those pictures touched a wide audience after his death. With that aside, Dane DeHaan did play James Dean extremely well but Robert Pattinson just seemed to be acting the same as he has done any many of his previous movies. Anyway, it didn't go down to well with audiences, judging by the movies takings but it's good to see how these famous pictures actually got taken. I can understand why people would find it boring and un-entertaining because it does take some time to get to the point, so it has to get an Average mark from me.Round-Up: Robert Pattinson, 29, hasn't really made a big impression on the big screen since the Twilight series, which is mainly down to his small range. Water for Elephants and the Rover were decent movies but Map to the Stars, Bel Ami, Cosmopolis and Remember Me, weren't that great. At such a young age, he still has time to pull himself out of the Twilight shadow, like Daniel Radcliffe and Harry Potter but he needs a project that will bring him out of his comfort zone, to show that he really can act. Anyway, this movie was directed by Anton Corbijn, 60, whose mostly known for his music videos, with artist like Depeche Mode, U2, Bryan Adams and Metallica. He also directed Control with Sam Riley, the American with George Clooney and A Most Wanted Man with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman so he has covered many genres behind the camera. This movie really did need something to perk it up, because its very one toned and quite glum in places. I don't know that much about the actually story between James Dean and Dennis Stock, so I can't say how close he was to the true story but if your bringing something to the big screen, you really need to cover a few elements to keep the audience interested, which this movie sadly didn't. Budget: $15million Worldwide Gross: $1.1millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their biography/dramas starring Robert Pattinson, Dane DeHaan, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Peter Lucas, Lauren Gallagher and Kendal Rae. 4/10

The fact that my name is actually James Dean may come of as a cliché but it really isn't. Dane Dehaan captures Deans essence of carelessness at the beginning and his evolvement of becoming the actor he is now known for. Pattison plays a struggling father and stressful photographer who assigns himself the project of making James Dean a star by shooting a series of photos of Dean showing the world what he was like behind the camera. From Deans Hollywood stardom at the beginning to him and Dennis going back to where it all began for Dean in Indiana, Life is a subtle and beautiful look at the young stars game before he met his sad death so young. Life is a 2015 must see. If Dehaan doesn't even get an Oscar nomination for best actor I will be fuming. Everyone go see Life. It's brilliant.

Watching Life feels as if director Anton Corbijn takes his viewers by the hand and sits with them in a circle. Instead of a fairy tale book, he uses an old, well-thumbed magazine,titled Life, from March 1955."Many years ago, in fact exactly 60 years ago, there were 2 young men,James and Dennis, totally different from each other but with one common goal: they wanted to become an artist, the former as an actor, the latter as a photographer."With his amazing talent for everything visually, Corbijn leads you to the fascinating fifties. Men were smoking and drinking while working, women cleaned the houses and teenagers were desperately looking for their identity, their voice. Big cars, tailored suits, small, intimate offices, jazz, blues...it's all there. And there's Hollywood of course, with its glitter and glamour, its matinée idols, its studio's... Corbijn turns the pages of this magazine while he tells us the story behind the remarkable photos. He's in no hurry, he's not looking for drama or action. He shows us how these 2 young men get to know each other, how they use each other for their own purposes, how they also care for each other. James is a free spirit, a rebel who follows his own rules. Dennis is dealing with a divorce and the responsibility for a little son he barely sees while trying to become more than just a paparazzo. Their time together, in New-York and in Indianapolis, resulted in some of the most famous celebrity pics ever made.After the publication the photographer built a successful career, the actor...died 6 months later and became a Hollywood legend.This is Life, the film: beautiful cinematography and amazing performances. People can criticize the lack of similarities between Dane DeHaan and James Dean, or wonder if Rob Pattinson played Dennis Stock the way he was or not. It doesn't matter. Almost no one today has known Dean in real life and almost no one today has known Stock at the time. What matters is the story about the making of these famous photos. His films, together with these photos made Dean immortal (and successful in his opinion).Casting the biggest teen idol of this century for a film about the biggest teen idol of last century but not in that role was very clever but also kind of risky. Tall and lean, with matinée-idol good looks, Rob Pattinson had to play down his magnetic screen presence so that Dane DeHaan could bring more charisma in his performance of Dean. It was a challenge but both managed to impress in their respective roles.Sorry for mistakes as English isn't my native language.