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Tuesday Top 10: The 10 Worst Oscar Decisions

2012-02-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

This is a new feature for my blog. Every Tuesday, I'll post a top 10 list about some random movie topic (Best Romantic Comedies, Worst Sequels, etc.). Inspired by the upcoming Oscars, the first entry in this series will be the 10 Worst Oscar decisions ever.

I came up with some criteria for what I would include here. I'm only counting decisions where I saw both the winner and the film that was snubbed as it wouldn't be fair to assume something shouldn't have won just because it beat something great. I'm also not talking about nomination snubs. This is simply the worst decision among films or performers that were actually nominated. Having said that, here is the list...

#10. 1994, Lead Actor - Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump) over Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption)

I actually often find myself as a defender of both Forrest Gump and Tom Hanks performance in it. I think it's a funny and often moving story punctuated by the genius visual creativity of Robert Zemeckis. Hanks performance is more nuanced and multidimensional than people give it credit for. So the reason I chose this entry at #10 has less to do with Hanks being undeserving and more to do with how incredibly amazing Freeman was in Shawshank. Freeman, who had yet to win an Oscar, gave one of the most moving and complex performances of the decade, yet would have to wait 10 years before finally winning his first Oscar for Million Dollar Baby.

#9. 1931, Lead Actress - Helen Hayes (The Sin of Madelon Claudet) over Marie Dressler (Emma)

One of the earliest examples of the Academy rewarding shameless overacting, and it certainly won't be the last to make this list. Helen Hayes was the most beloved stage performer of her time, known as the "First Lady of the American Theater". However, her film performances leave alot to be desired. This was actually her film debut and she played a single mother going to desperate lengths (such as prostitution) to provide for her son. What may have worked wonderfully in the theater comes across as incredibly hammy and ridiculous on screen. Marie Dressler's (who had won the previous year) performance in Emma wasn't her best, but it was still a nice bit of character acting and far more deserving of the win.

#8. 1998, Best Picture - Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan

Despite making my top 10, this is often considered a bigger injustice than it really deserves. Shakespeare in Love is a very good period comedy whose only flaw is a weak leading performance from Joseph Fiennes. What really hurts the film's perception in the eyes of many is the manner in which it won. Miramax poured tons of money in a marketing campaign aimed at Oscar voters, hoping to tip the scales in their favor and it worked. Having said that, this is a very bad choice by the Academy even ignoring the marketing campaign. Saving Private Ryan was a masterful examination of bravery, cowardice and sacrifice in war. As good a movie as Shakespeare in Love is, it doesn't hold a candle to Spielberg's masterpiece.

#7. 2000, Lead Actor - Russell Crowe (Gladiator) over Tom Hanks (Cast Away)

In a reversal from my #10 choice, it is Hanks who was robbed this time. Russell Crowe is a terrific actor and there is nothing wrong with his performance in Gladiator. However, there's nothing especially great about it either. He gives a gives a good, strong physical performance, but it pales in comparison the dynamic portrayals he gave in films like LA Confidential and The Insider. His win here would be like giving Liam Neeson the Oscar for Taken. Meanwhile, Hanks gave the best performance of his career in Cast Away. It was an incredible accomplishment, completely carrying the film by himself for almost the entire running time and making you believe he cared deeply for a volleyball.

#6. 1971, Best Picture - The French Connection over A Clockwork Orange and The Last Picture Show

This is probably a case of a film not aging well at all. The French Connection is a mostly dull (except for the memorable chase scene at the end) cop drama with decent performances. Not sure what the Academy saw in this film, but they really missed the ball by passing over two classics in Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show and Kubrick's A clockwork Orange, wildly different films that are both extremely memorable in their own ways. The French Connection can't even compare to a fellow cop drama from the same year - Dirty Harry, which has aged better and had much more influence over the years.

#5. 2009, Original Screenplay - Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) over Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

The Hurt Locker was a good film and I have no problem with Kathryn Bigelow's Best Director victory, as she created some stunning and viscerally compelling suspense sequences. However, voters also rewarded the screenplay, which is the very worst part of the film. It severely undermined a great premise about a bomb squad in Iraq by making its main character a crazy cowboy who violates protocol constantly and rushes into dangerous situations without thinking. It undermines the entire anti-war concept of the film, as the tense situations they find themselves in are the result of the main character's stupidity instead of the natural craziness of war. Meanwhile, Tarantino crafted another brilliantly original film with his mixture of pulp storytelling, broad humor, and fascinating dialogue.

#4. 1981, Best Picture - Chariots of Fire over Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Reds

Yep, this is a case where the film that won was worse than all four films that it beat. And the sad thing is it's not even close. When people think Chariots of Fire, they remember the memorable musical score by Vangelis and not much else. That's because there isn't much else to it. It's a dreadfully dry and dull film with awful pacing and no engaging characters. The better choice would've been Spielberg's classic adventure tale Raiders of the Lost Ark, with Louis Malle's fascinating character study Atlantic City close behind. Any of them would've been better than the dreadful and unimaginative Chariots of Fire.

#3. 1927-28, Best Picture - Wings over Sunrise and 7th Heaven

The very first Academy Awards makes an appearance on this list with silent war drama Wings not only being a terrible choice that year, but also one of the worst Best Pictures of all time. When I reviewed it a couple years back, I stated it was what you'd expect if Michael Bay had made movies in 1927. I stand by that today, as the somewhat exciting action scenes are not even close to being enough to overcome the horrible love story. The love story takes up the entire second section of the film in an exceedingly long sequence where Clara Bow tries to sober up the drunk main character so he won't be AWOL. Sunrise was split up into a bizarre Best Picture of Artistic Merit category, which it won. If you exclude Sunrise because of this bizarre decision, then Frank Borzage's beautiful melodrama 7th Heaven still would've been a much better choice.

#2. 1992, Lead Actor - Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) over Denzel Washington (Malcolm X)

After being nominated 7 times and losing each and every time, the Academy finally gave an Oscar to Al Pacino for his performance as a blind veteran in Scent of a Woman. Even if we were to exclude his brilliant competitor in the same category, it would've been a ridiculous choice to award Pacino for his repetitive overacting in Scent of a Woman instead of his legendary performances in films like The Godfather, The Godfather 2, and Dog Day Afternoon. And it's especially bad when you consider that he beat Denzel Washington for what truly is one of the most impressive film performances of all time. Denzel literally transformed himself into Malcolm X and gave an intense, multidimensional portrait of the revolutionary civil rights leader.

#1. 2005, Best Picture - Crash over Brokeback Mountain

In some ways, Crash has faced the same problem of Shakespeare in Love and has been unfairly maligned merely for winning when it shouldn't have. I admit to liking (not loving) it when I first saw it in theaters. Some of the individual stories worked really well (especially the Terrence Howard segment), while others are dreadfully simplistic (Sandra Bullock's simplistic and unconvincing transformation). The problem is less that Crash won and more what it beat. Brokeback Mountain was yet another terrific film from the amazing Ang Lee, a beautifully shot and timeless love story with incredible performances (RIP Heath). It has sometimes been dismissed as getting attention only because it was a gay film, but this is a universal love story that is just as compelling as any film about societal pressures keeping a couple apart, such as Remains of the Day or The Age of Innocence. It was the best film of the year and the Academy's decision to pass it over for Crash is the worst Oscar decision ever.

The Woman in Black (James Watkins) **1/2

2012-02-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

The haunted house genre has been one of the oldest and most reliable horror conventions. Classics of the genre include Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary and James Whale's The Old Dark House. The idea lends itself well to creating a spooky atmosphere and lots of opportunities for surprise scares lurking behind any door, painting, or hallway corner. James Watkins' The Woman in Black is certainly not a bad example of the genre and indeed has some pretty good scares, but ultimately does not completely work due to some repetitiveness and a weak third act.

The Woman in Black follows recently widowed young lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe). The death of his wife has seriously affected his life both personally and professionally. His bosses give him one last chance to shape up by traveling to a small village and help settle the estate of a recently deceased woman. He soon finds that nobody in town wants anything to do with that house as they believe it has something to do with a mysterious string of child suicides. Arthur shrugs this off at first, but begins to change his mind after a frightening visit to the house leads to dire consequences.

The film starts off pretty strong, with a creepy opening that sets up a eerie backstory. Director James Watkins does a good job setting up a spooky atmosphere, using fog and dim lighting to great effect. when the film focuses on this, it is a pretty enjoyable ride. The middle section of the film in particular has some great jump-out-of-your-seat moments. Daniel Radcliffe steps out from the Harry Potter series and gives a capable lead performance. His wide eyed everyman appeal is perfect for the lead role.

The problem with the film is it relies too heavily on shock scares set up by something surprising coming from off camera. These big surprises are punctuated with a loud sound effect to make sure the audience knows they're supposed to be scared, like a laugh track on a sitcom. Admittedly, some of the most effective scares in the film come from this device, but the filmmakers go to this well too many times, and it begins to feel repetitive and tedious. The film would have been more effective staying focused on the psychological exploration of the main character. Also problematic is a mostly weak third act featuring a solution that plays out like a less suspenseful episode of Supernatural.

Having said that, the film is competently made and will certainly have strong appeal to fans of the genre. The supporting cast is very strong, showcasing notable vets Janet McTeer, Tom Hardy, and Ciarin Hinds. It's not the film that will completely separate Radcliffe from his famous boy wizard role, but it's a good start. If only Watkins had made up his mind on which movie to make: a psychological ghost story or a B-level shocker. Ultimately, he tries for both and merely ends up with an above average film when it could've been so much more.

Chronicle (Josh Trank) **1/2

2012-02-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

It has been 13 years since The Blair Witch Project debuted at Sundance to great fanfare and the "found footage" genre was born. Since then, there have been a number of films utilizing the same format, with notable examples being Cloverfield and the Paranormal Activity series. This genre is not one of my favorites as it generally lends itself to ridiculous explanations for the camera being there and amateurish writing as the writers try to come up with realistic dialogue (a Tarantino found footage film would probably be great), but there are appropriate uses for the format. However, I cannot think of a film that has used this device worse than Chronicle.

Chronicle follows a lonely teenager named Andrew (Dane DeHaan), who has an abusive father and a dying mother. The only friend he has is his cousin Matt (Alex Russell). Andrew decides to start recording everything with a video camera he bought. He takes the camera everywhere he goes, including a party that leads to the discovery of a strange hole in the ground. Andrew, Matt, and popular class president candidate Steve (Michael B. Jordan) explore that hole and come into contact with a strange object, which eventually gives them superpowers.

There is some really good material in here. The main cast all do really strong work and the overall story arc has a pretty compelling appeal to it. The film takes some refreshing twists to the superhero genre. There is no villain and in fact they don't fight crime at all. The story is more about how the powers affect the social status and friendships among the main characters. Andrew's character development is particularly powerful, as he struggles with reining his powers in amidst personal trauma.

This makes it all the more distressing that they trotted out the tired found footage format. This is a story that did not fit that genre at all. The format worked for The Blair Witch Project, because the filmmakers used the limitations to their advantage, correctly realizing that what you can't see is often scarier than what you can see. However, in Chronicle it feels like the filmmakers are laboring to find an excuse for there to be a camera in nearly every single scene. It's a very distracting conceit, even when they finally come up with the idea of having Andrew able to levitate it.

The filmmakers come up with a few ideas to get around this problem. They introduce a romantic interest for Matt, who also just happens to love carrying a camera everywhere she goes. They never really develop her, making it clear that her only purpose was so there could be footage of Matt when Andrew wasn't around. But this should've been a clue that this format would not work for the film. If you have to include footage from multiple cameras (they also use security camera footage) to tell the story, then why not just ditch the found footage idea and tell the story naturally?

Part of the problem, as is usually the case with a gimmick idea in a film, is a lack of confidence in the story. Maybe director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis didn't realize they already had strong material and didn't need to throw in any tricks to make it seem better. If so, they were dead wrong and made a disastrous choice. Not only was the basic story strong with good performances, powerful character development, and exciting action sequences (especially the ending), but all of this would've been so much better without a device that forced the filmmakers to cut corners and strain credibility.

The Grey (Joe Carnahan) ***

2012-02-02T23:48:00.000-08:00

The TV ads for The Grey promise an action thriller where Liam Neeson puts on his macho act and faces off against wolves. It was undoubtedly a good marketing campaign as The Grey rocketed out to #1 this past weekend with a $19 million haul. However, those that were going to see a mindless man vs. action film were likely to be disappointed. While The Grey does feature some visceral action moments, the heart of the film is about a guy meditating on life and survival, with wolves just one of several impediments. The end result is a movie far better than the trailers suggest, but perhaps confounding to certain audiences who were expecting something different.

The Grey follows a group of oil drillers who work in a remote region of Alaska. On a trip back home, a plane crash leaves most of them dead, stranding the few survivors in the middle of nowhere during a pretty brutal storm. Surviving the elements is bad enough, but they've also found themselves encroaching on the territory of a pack of wolves. A series of wolf attacks makes them realize they cannot stay in the same location waiting to be rescued. Amidst chaos, confusion, and controversy, a man named Ottway (Neeson) takes leadership of the group as they attempt to make a run for safety.

Wolf attacks aren't as frequent as the trailer might suggest. Much of the film is made up of the group pondering their existence, thinking about those they've left behind for such a dangerous job. Neeson in particular has a pretty powerful arc as a man who at one point was dealing with thoughts of suicide, but now wants nothing more than to survive. In this sense, The Grey actually has as much in common with Cast Away as it does your standard wilderness suspense thriller. It's certainly not as good as that near masterpiece, but the thoughtful way they explore the existence of the characters is unexpected and very refreshing.

This isn't to say that The Grey reneges on delivering the action goods. The plane crash sequence is expertly done, with director Joe Carnahan not showing any exterior shots of the plane (also reminiscent of Cast Away), thus creating a "you are there" effect for the audience. There is a terrifying scene where the group attempts to cross over a massive valley via a rope precariously attached to the tree. Sure, that type of scene is a cliche in wilderness stories, but the execution is spot on here. And the nighttime attacks by the wolves (where you can only see their eyes) are suitably frightening.

One major drawback are the all too frequent flashback moments that give us glimpses of Ottway's wife. So much of the film does a good job of building up a palpable sense of dread based on the hopeless predicament the survivors find themselves in, but it really loses all of that whenever they cut away from the immediate scene. It would've been more effective to confine all of these moments to normal dialogue and indeed that is where the best character moments come from.

Liam Neeson is the star attraction and he's perfectly cast here. He has the charisma to emerge as the leader, plus the range and skill to show the emotional turmoil his character is experiencing. If anything, the film focuses a bit too heavily on him as the other characters don't really get developed enough for us to care about them as much as we do Ottway. Despite that, Carnahan has done an admirable job with the material, providing the audience with good thrill sequences, but never sacrificing the strong development of the main character's psychological state.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Stephen Daldry) **1/2

2012-01-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Making a film that mentions or utilizes the September 11th attacks is a very tricky prospect. There have been only a handful of films that have managed to find a way to use 9/11 in their plot without seeming contrived or exploitive. United 93 and World Trade Center both told appropriate tales of heroism on that fateful day. 25th Hour was a movie about the heart and soul of New York, so ignoring 9/11 would have been awkward. Unfortunately, Stephen Daldry's latest film uses 9/11 in a calculated and unnecessary attempt to give the story more importance than it really deserves.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is adapted from a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer about a curious nine year old boy named Oskar (Thomas Horn) that may have Asperger syndrome. He had a really close bond with his father (Tom Hanks), who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. One day Oskar discovers a key hidden in a vase in his father's closet. The key is in an envelope that has the name "Black" on it. Believing this to be a clue to some sort of puzzle that his father left for him to figure out, Oskar sets about visiting everyone with the name Black in New York City, while his mother (Sandra Bullock) struggles to reach out to him.

The inclusion of 9/11 in the story is incredibly problematic. As written and played on the screen, the only purpose of having Oskar's father die on 9/11 appears to be giving the story some sort of dramatic heft. The same exact story about a dead father, a boy looking for answers, and a mother trying to reconnect with her son could've been told without this added element, but I fear the filmmakers (or really the book's author) felt it needed something else to signal to people that this story was serious. It seems to come from a place of laziness and lack of confidence in the basic story.

Not only is the inclusion of 9/11 slightly offensive due to its obvious manipulation, but it negatively alters how Daldry tells this story. There are scenes that are just wildly overplayed, many of them involving Oskar yelling while Daldry spins the camera as much as possible to let you know he's there. The problem is that the film would've worked much better as a slightly quirky, low-key drama. The few moments where they do take this approach, the film builds up some real dramatic momentum.

The most affecting moments in the film are the mother-son relationship. Oskar's mother knows that he preferred his dad to her and there's a memorably agonizing scene where they both discuss this. The way this scene is played is in stark contrast to the pseudo importance that inhabits most of the film. Bullock is very good here, much better than in her wildly overrated Oscar winning role in The Blindside. There are other moments here and there that are tremendously moving, including a moment where Oskar plays his father's voice messages for a mysterious older man (Max von Sydow).

So despite the 9/11 issues, the film still could've been at least decent. However, the film wraps up with a ridiculously sappy final 15 minutes that includes a montage where the first shot made me want to throw something at the screen. There are a couple surprises thrown at the audience, one that is not surprising at all and another that is ridiculous and not credible for one second. I'm not sure how this played in book format, but these storytelling choices just don't work in the film. Much has been made of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close's surprise Oscar nomination and that it is the lowest rated Oscar nominee at Rotten Tomatoes. It's neither as bad as the detractors claim or good enough to be nominated for Best Picture. It's just a mediocre disappointment.

Albert Nobbs (Rodrigo Garcia) **

2012-01-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

Albert Nobbs arrives as an Oscar bait picture featuring Glenn Close in a gender reversing role that was sure to get her nominated. Close is a terrific actress, one of the most reliable over the last couple decades. That she has failed to win an Oscar out of five previous nominations is certainly unfortunate, but this dull period drama comes across more as a calculated attempt to finally end that streak than a serious attempt to make a film with a compelling story. Also getting in the way is a supporting performance in the same film that completely upstages her every step of the way.

Albert Nobbs (Close) is a woman who has been passing as a man for 30 years. She's done this in order to make a living as a waiter, which has successfully led to her current employment at a quaint English hotel. One day she runs into another woman (Janet McTeer) successfully posing as a man, one who has actually managed to find a wife and live a relatively happy life. This inspires Albert to try and do the same so she sets her sights on Helen (Mia Wasikowska), a maid that works for the same hotel.

There's an interesting story within the world of Albert Nobbs, but it's not one the filmmakers chose to tell. As a main character, Albert is not very compelling. It's a low key performance from Close, but it's almost too low key. All of her emotions are kept so tightly within that it becomes really hard for the audience to have a strong emotional bond with the character. However, the movie comes to life whenever Janet McTeer's character hits the screen. She is complex, dynamic, and completely enthralling. It is one of the best performances of the year. A movie focused on her would've been much, much better.

Thus the problem with the film is that apart from the central conceit, Albert is a very dull character. She is so incredibly introverted that the screenplay often has to resort to a lazy and awkward device of having Albert talk to herself so we know what she's thinking. A voice over technique would've been a much better choice here. Also problematic is that Helen is such a thoroughly unpleasant character, there's little reason for us to want Albert to succeed in her quest, especially since Albert's goals (in stark contrast to the McTeer character) seem to be more about convenience of having a wife than any compelling romantic interest.

One of the mysteries in the film that Albert wants to solve is how and when the McTeer character told her wife. Albert constantly tries to find this out, but is often interrupted. I shared Albert's frustration, because the answer to this question is far more compelling than anything involving Albert's life. There is one time later in the film where Albert explains the reason she chose to dress as a man. It's the best scene Close has in the film and a truly heartbreaking scene, but it comes way too late and nothing surrounding this lives up to that one moment. At some point during the making of this movie, I wonder if anyone stopped and thought that maybe they were making the movie about the wrong person.

Haywire (Steven Soderbergh) ***

2012-01-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

It's hard not to like Steven Soderbergh. This is a guy that can make an experimental drama, follow it up with a pure genre film, and back again. What's especially cool is that he brings the same thought and artistry to both. He essentially took a tv-movie idea in Erin Brockovich and made it feel like an offbeat independent film. He made a bank heist film with one of the most star-studded casts in recent memory and it never felt like a big budget Hollywood production. He did a sequel to that film that was even more strange than the original. Now here he is at it again with an exciting action film starring an MMA fighter that contains the same signature touch as his other films.

Haywire exists in an intriguing world of secret operatives. Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is one of the best, able to take down just about anyone in a fight. She's often called upon to handle unseemly tasks that exist beyond the realm of legality. One particular operation goes really bad, leading to the death of someone she was supposed to protect. The blame is immediately placed on her and she now must go on the run, trying to clear her name and find out who double-crossed her.

Like in many of Soderbergh's films, Haywire a features lots of time shifting between present and past. We first meet Mallory after she's been double-crossed and she quickly learns that even her closest allies are against her. After being attacked at a diner, she runs off with a bystander who tried to help her. We then flashback to earlier operations, leading up to the one where she was framed. There's not much point to this bystander character as his presence never amounts to anything, so he's a pretty odd inclusion to the story.

The real treat here is in the flashback sequences, particularly during an operation where Mallory ends up facing off against fellow operative Paul (Michael Fassbender). The long, extended fight scene between these two is incredibly exciting. This leads to a really fun chase sequence over building rooftops. Soderbergh takes a minimalist approach during these action scenes. He doesn't rely on a blaring score or rapid cuts to try and make things seem exciting, instead counting on his MMA star to deliver the goods.

Carano acquits herself nicely in the lead role. It's not the most deep or complicated performance, but she's never wooden and displays a quietly menacing confidence that suits the character well. The supporting cast is quite good as well, including appearances from the always great Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, and Channing Tatum. Haywire is a very entertaining film that proves once again that Soderbergh can take pretty much any idea and apply his own unique style with great success.

Top 10 Movie Project: 1933 Year in Review, Top 10, and Awards

2012-01-27T12:29:00.000-08:00

For those unfamiliar with my Top 10 Movie Project, the idea came about a couple years ago as a means to catch up on classic cinema on a year by year basis. Each year I pick 20-30 films, including the major ones that are available and other films that pique my interest. At the end of the year, I do an annual wrapup, with reviews of each of the films I watched, come up with a top 10 list and my own version of the Oscars. Then I move on to the next year. I started with 1927, so this will be the 7th year I've completed.

Reviews of each of the films I saw for 1933 can be found here.

1933 proved to be an interesting year because the Hays Code had yet to be enforced, meaning there were some daring roles for women where they completely upended traditional sexual dynamics, such as Design for Living, Baby Face, She Done Him Wrong, and Female (until the ending). The Hays Code would come along the next year and heavily censor films over the next decade based on both sexual and political content. It was in effect until 1968, but stopped being heavily enforced in the late 1940s.

A year earlier, the Quigley Publishing company began compiling lists of the top 10 box office stars in Hollywood based on the polling of theater owners. This sets the stage for one of my favorite old Hollywood stories. Marie Dressler, a popular actress in the silent era, was so close to committing suicide that she was in a diner one night planning how she would do it. By a wonderful twist of fate, director Allan Dwan happened to be in that same diner and recognized her. He immediately cast her in his next film. That was in 1928 and after several years of great success, Dressler had become the biggest box office star in Hollywood, winning the Quigley poll in its first two years of existence. It's a fantastic comeback story and Dressler deserved it as she was a wonderful actress.

The return of John Gilbert is another interesting story from the year. Gilbert was a silent film star and his films with Greta Garbo made them the most popular romantic screen duo of their era. His career floundered with the onset of talkes and the reasons are controversial. Conventional wisdom for a while stipulated that his voice was too high pitched for the sound era, especially for someone who was supposed to be a romantic lead. That theory is strongly contradicted by many film buffs, including a passionate Leonard Maltin, who argue Gilbert's decline had more to do with studio politics. Having seen his reunion with Garbo in this year's Queen Christina, the latter opinion seems most definitely correct as his voice sounds perfect for a male romantic lead.

Some of my favorite directors that have been a staple of this project since the very beginning return this year with more great entries. The great Ernst Lubitsch makes his 6th appearance on my top 10 lists with Design for Living, while Fritz Lang makes his 4th appearance (and 2nd #1) with the wonderful Testament of Dr. Mabuse. The master of romantic melodrama Frank Borzage and future legend Frank Capra (still one year removed from his first notable classic) also make their 4th appearances. It was a pretty good year for films overall, but Hollywood still has not caught up to the quality of the late silent era.

Below is my top 10 list, in reverse order. Instead of including stills like I did in previous years, I've included Youtube links to the trailers of these films. When a trailer wasn't available, I included individual scenes.

10. King Kong (Merian C. Cooper, Ernest P. Shoedsack)

The original hasn't aged well, but still remains a compelling story.

9. Lady For a Day (Frank Capra)

May Robson's Apple Annie is an incredibly endearing character.

8. Counsellor at Law (William Wyler)

John Barrymore in another great character performance.

7. Queen Cristina (Rouben Mamoulian)

Garbo lights up the screen as the legendary Swedish queen.

6. A Man's Castle (Frank Borzage)

Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young in a compelling romance.

5. Little Women (George Cukor)

Katharine Hepburn leads a great ensemble cast in this exquisite adaptation.

4. The Private Life of Henry VIII (Alexander Korda)

Charles Laughton in an unforgettable performance as the famous king.

3. Design For Living (Ernst Lubitsch)

Miriam Hopkins, Fredric March, and Gary Cooper in a complicated relationship.

2. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey)

Political satire brings out the best in the Marx Bros.

1. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang)

Mabuse's rein of terror continues in this brilliantly suspenseful thriller.

Awards (winners noted with an *)

Director

Frank Borzage, A Man's Castle
George Cukor, Little Women

Alexander Korda, The Private Life of Henry VIII

*Fritz Lang, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Ernst Lubitsch, Design for Living

Lead Actor

John Barrymore, Counsellor at Law

*Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII

Fredric March, Design for Living

Spencer Tracy, A Man's Castle

Otto Wernicke, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Lead Actress

Greta Garbo, Queen Christina

Katharine Hepburn, Morning Glory

Miriam Hopkins, Design for Living

May Robson, Lady for a Day

*Mae West, She Done Him Wrong

Supporting Actor

Wallace Beery, Dinner at Eight

Oscar Beregi, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Gustav Diessl, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

*Edward Everett Horton, Design for Living

Rudolf Klein-Rogge, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Supporting Actress

Binnie Barnes, The Private Life of Henry VIII

*Marie Dressler, Dinner at Eight

Glenda Farrell, Lady for a Day

Jean Harlow, Dinner at Eight

Elsa Lanchester, The Private Life of Henry VIII

Original Screenplay

*Duck Soup (Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby)

King Kong (James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose)

Lady for a Day (Robert Riskin, Damon Runyan)

The Private Life of Henry VIII (Lajos Biro, Arthur Wimperis)

Queen Christina (H.M. Harwood, Salka Viertel)

Adapted Screenplay

Counsellor at Law (Elmer Rice)

*Design for Living (Ben Hecht)

Little Women (Sarah Y. Mason, Victor Heerman)

A Man's Castle (Jo Swerling)

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang, Thea Von Harbou)

Editing

Counsellor at Law

Design for Living

The Private Life of Henry VIII

*The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Queen Christina

Cinematography

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

King Kong

A Man's Castle

The Private Life of Henry VIII

*The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Art Direction

King Kong

A Man's Castle

The Private Life of Henry VIII

Queen Christina

*The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Costume

Cavalcade

Footlight Parade

Little Women

*The Private Life of Henry VIII

Queen Christina

Visual Effects

The Invisible Man

*King Kong

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

2012 Oscar Nominee Predictions

2012-01-23T18:18:00.000-08:00

The Oscar nominees will be announced tomorrow morning. Thus I am continuing my annual ritual of trying to predict the nominees. I did not do so good last year, missing at least one nominee in each category, although I did get 9 of 10 Best Picture nominees correct. This year will be more difficult as the number of Best Picture nominees is not known beforehand. The new rules stipulate a minimum of 5 nominees and a maximum of 10 nominees, depending on how many reach a certain threshold of votes. Alternates are films/people I think have the best chance outside of my top picks. Wish lists are films/people I feel deserve a nomination that probably won't get one.

Best Picture

The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Alternates: Moneyball, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Tree of Life

Wish List: Bridesmaids, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

These six are pretty much locks for a nomination, so the question here is how many nominees will make the threshold. Most people are predicting 7 nominees, but I'm just not sold on Moneyball hitting the threshold, nor am I convinced of Fincher's DGA nomination carrying over to the Oscars. The Tree of Life might sneak in, but Malick's lack of a DGA nomination is problematic since that's a group where he would tend to have the most support. So I'm playing it safe and sticking to only six nominees here. I wish Bridesmaids could sneak in, and it probably would've under the previous rules, but I don't see it having much chance of getting enough 1st place votes.

Best Director

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicus, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Alternates: David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Wish List: Brad Bird, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Allen, Hazanavicus, Payne, and Scorsese all were nominated at both the DGA and Golden Globes, so they are pretty certain guarantees. The big surprise at the DGA's was Fincher's nomination for Dragon Tattoo. However, I think this will mirror Nolan's DGA nom from last year and get passed over at the Oscars. Spielberg is the safer choice and I think that's where the Oscars will go. Malick has an outside shot, but it would be pretty odd for him to miss out at the DGA's, but then get nominated for an Oscar.

Best Lead Actor

George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo Dicaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Alternates: Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; Demian Bichir, A Better Life

Wish List: Matt Damon, We Bought a Zoo; Owen Wilson, Midight in Paris

Clooney, Pitt, and Dujardin are definitely in. The question then comes to Fassbender, who missed out on a SAG nomination, and Dicaprio, whose film was not well received overall. Oldman seems to have some momentum in the race and the well regarded actor has amazingly never been nominated before. There's a very, very good chance he will get in, but I'm just not sure who he will replace. Bichir was excellent and received a surprise SAG nomination, but very little support elsewhere.

Best Lead Actress

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Alternates: Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Charlize Theron, Young Adult

Wish List: Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method; Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids

I'm pretty confident about this group of five, which is pretty much the same group since the awards season began. Theron received some initial attention, but it has fizzled out. Mara could sneak in if Fincher's DGA nomination actually is a sign that Dragon Tattoo has more support than previously thought. If she does, then it will probably be at Close or Swinton's expense. I'm surprised and disappointed Knightley couldn't get more traction during awards season for her dynamic performance.

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Alternates: Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids; Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus

Wish List: Marion Cotillard, Midnight in Paris; Elle Fanning, Super 8

There are fewer locks in this category than the others. It may only be a 6 woman race (Redgrave is a longshot), but the only nominees I consider to be certainties are Spencer and Chastain. Bejo is probably good, but there is a small chance that category confusion (is she lead or supporting) could doom her. McTeer is probably in with both SAG and Globe nods (although Mila Kunis) missed last year. Among the remaining two, I picked Woodley over McCarthy because she has a chance to get some trickle down support from Clooney.

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Alternates: Nick Nolte, Warrior; Ben Kingsley, Hugo

wish List: Patton Oswalt, Young Adult; Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Now this is a bizarre category this year. The SAG nominations completely upended the race. They omitted early frontrunner Brooks and included Armie Hammer (for J. Edgar) and Nolte. The Globes put Brooks back in and added Viggo Mortensen. It's not always the best idea to bet against the SAGs as a predictor, but I just don't see Nolte or especially Hammer getting in at the Oscars. Kingsley could sneak in riding on a Hugo wave.

Best Original Screenplay

The Artist
Beginners
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
A Separation

Alternates: Young Adult, 50/50

Wish List: Margin Call

Young Adult and 50/50 (along with Win Win) received attention from the WGA, but The Artist, A Separation, and Beginners were not eligible there and I'm petty confident they'll swallow up those spots. If there's a surprise, previous winner Diablo Cody could get in for Young Adult.

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Alternates: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Ides of March

Wish List: We Bought a Zoo, A Dangerous Method

Another test of how much support Dragon Tattoo has. I wouldn't be surprised to see it in, but I think (and hope) that it won't make it. These five seem like really strong certainties, although I wish something could get in ahead of the incredibly overrated script for The Help.

And that's it for this year. As usual I'll be skipping predictions for all the tech categories. All I'd be doing is copying the guild nominees anyways. We'll see how I did tomorrow morning.

Red Tails (Anthony Hemingway) **

2012-01-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

Here we have a movie that purports to tell an important story. It's about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first squadron of all black pilots, who overcame racism to find great success in World War 2. That's a worthy subject for a motion picture, but it's not really one that producer George Lucas and director Anthony Hemingway seem interested in telling. Instead, they've used the premise of the Tuskegee Airmen to fashion a standard Hollywood action film with fictionalized characters that are most are mostly one-dimensional cliche's. The result is a movie that mostly succeeds when the characters are in the air, but completely falters when on the ground.

The movie skips past the original training of the pilots in Tuskegee and puts us right in the middle of World War 2, where the Tuskegee squadron is doing routine missions where they bomb cargo trucks and trains. Colonel AJ Bullard (Terrence Howard) heads to Washington DC to try and convince leaders to give his squadron more dangerous missions and finds success after working his way through plenty of racism and doubt. The pressure is now on as defeat would almost certainly let the racists claim they were right all along, while success could lead to even more opportunities for black soldiers.

The really curious thing about this movie is the decision to come up with fictional characters to tell the story. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the fictional characters were at all interesting. For example, the great 1986 underdog basketball film Hoosiers did the same thing, but the fictional characters like Norman Dale and Jimmy Chitwood were memorable, fascinating people. Most of the people invented for Red Tails are not memorable whatsoever, certainly not as interesting as Benjamin Davis who was one of the first Tuskegee Airmen and eventually commanded the first all black flying squadron, later becoming the first African-American General in the Air force. The characters in Red Tails are caricatures that fit into specific types - drunk, jokester, hot dog, etc

It doesn't help that the dialogue in this film is atrocious, making it seem like they just patched the screenplay together from old war movies. The characters speak in generic and stilted dialogue, often forcing the actors to sound wooden or awkward, although the game cast does as good as can be expected with the material. I find it interesting that Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder is credited as a screenwriter on this. Boondocks was a very controversial and dynamic comic strip (and later animated series) that made some challenging satiric points about racial relations. Aside from one memorable line about the use of the word "colored", none of that insight or wit is evident here and I wonder if McGruder realizes this is a film that Huey Freeman would be ridiculing.

At least the dogfight sequences are suitably exciting. They really do a good job capturing the visceral thrill of combat flying, while making it easy to follow what's happening at all times. On those terms, I suspect many people will flock to this film and be very satisfied with it. But by attaching the significance of the Tuskegee Airmen, I think the film deserved more than the hackneyed writing delivered. It's not as if a more intelligent script would've turned audiences off, so there's no excuse other than general laziness. George Lucas talked about having trouble getting studios to back this project because it had a mostly black cast, so he took it upon himself to finance the film. If his goal was to show that you can make an action movie with black actors that's just as bad as most of the action movies with white actors, then I guess Red Tails is a tremendous success.

The Iron Lady (Phyllida Lloyd) **

2012-01-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

There aren't many politicians in modern history that are further from my ideology than Margaret Thatcher. As Prime Minister of Great Britain, she took a hard line against labor unions, slashed government spending on social programs and education, introduced a flat tax policy to pay for local services, and forged a strong working relationship with Ronald Reagan. Yet my problem with Phyllida Lloyd's film The Iron Lady, which is a biopic about Thatcher's life, is that it focuses too little on her politics. This is a woman who completely changed the political course of an entire nation and the filmmakers have taken the most safe, generic approach in doing a movie about her life. It's a frustrating decision that wastes the terrific casting coup of having Meryl Streep play Thatcher.

The Iron Lady tells Thatcher's story through a framing device. We first see her later in life, after her political career has ended and her body is weakening. She still sees images of her late husband talking to her. Her political career is seen through flashbacks as she remembers important points in her life. We see her initial failed attempt to win a seat in Parliament, followed by her later successes, while fighting sexism all along the way. The film also shows her courtship and eventual marriage to Denis Thatcher, who liked her specifically because she was an ambitious woman that wanted more for her life being a housewife.

The framing device is a pretty terrible idea. Margaret Thatcher is one of the most successful politicians in history, yet most of the movie focuses on her later years where she begins to lose her grip on reality. It's a disservice to a woman who accomplished so much. The dramatization of her political career is reduced to a timeline. We see bullet points - she's MP, then she's Education Secretary, then she's Prime Minister, Falklands War, IRA bombing, etc. In between each of these moments we go back to the framing device and more nonsense where she talks to her dead husband. This editing strategy robs the story of gaining any dramatic momentum. It also robs Streep, whose astonishing and fiery performance in the flashback sequences is far more impressive than in the present day scenes where she's buried under mountains of old age makeup.

It really feels like the problem is that the film was made by people who were uncomfortable with Thatcher's politics. Therefore, the story was designed to feature them as little as possible. Sure, we see her every now and then blasting unions and talking about how everyone should pay equal taxes, but these are mere soundbites and any scene where there is a political discussion is kept very short. There's very little about her close ties with Reagan and in fact, the US is dismissed as a nuisance during the Falkands War sequence. Her arguments in defense of her policies essentially amount to her refusal to compromise. There's nothing wrong with doing a movie about someone you disagree with, but at least show that or even provide a balanced perspective of the individual. Simply glossing over the positions of such an important political figure is a dramatically inept way to tell a story.

Another problem is that the casting of Streep seems to have influenced how they told the story. I really liked the few scenes with Alexandra Roach, who plays a young Margaret Thatcher at he beginning of her career. Some of the things that happened during this period are very important, but barely given any time in the story. She meets Denis Thatcher once, then the next scene with him he proposes to her. She decides to run for parliament, the next scene she loses her election (we see nothing of whether her gender, her politics, or anything had to do with her loss), and then the next scene she finally wins. There's barely enough time to show her first term, because we flash forward immediately years later where she is now the Education Secretary and Streep is in the role.

I admire Meryl Streep as one of the best actresses of the last three decades. I admire Margaret Thatcher for her accomplishments, if not for her ideology. The combination of the two should've been a slam dunk for a terrific movie. However, director Phyllida Lloyd and writer Abi Morgan ruined this dream combo by playing it safe and taking the most boring route through Margaret Thatcher's life. "The Iron Lady" was a very controversial politician, but there's nothing controversial about this bland Hollywood biopic.

The Artist (Michael Hazanavicus) ****

2012-01-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Probably one of the best periods in all of cinema was mid to late 20s just before talkies were about to be introduced. By then filmmakers had mastered the medium of silent cinema and were telling some of the most creative and fascinating stories in film history. Films like Metropolis, Sunrise, Pandora's Box, The Crowd, Napoleon, and many others showed the incredible capabilities of storytelling that directors had acquired. This was before talkies were introduced and clunky sound equipment proved too limiting. The Artist is a masterful film because it uses the advantages of that late silent era to tell a great story.

The Artist is set in 1920s Hollywood and follows George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), who is one of the biggest movie stars of the time. He becomes smitten with a bit player named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), and eventually turns her into a star. George and Peppy's careers go in opposite directions as the era of talkies is ushered in. Peppy becomes an even bigger star in the sound era, while George's refusal to do talkies dooms his career and sends his life into complete turmoil.

Of course, the most talked about aspect of The Artist is that it was shot as a silent film. There are so many ways this could have gone wrong. The main conceit could've just been used as a gimmick and played it too cutesy. But this is a straightforward and serious attempt at making a silent film. One of the most impressive things director Michael Hazanavicus does is tell the story with a sparing use of title cards, much like the great FW Murnau did in his best work. He has clearly studied the classics of the era and understands what made the best ones work.

Apart from the central conceit, the story is a pretty compelling one of a very successful man whose career takes a nosedive and eventually hits rock bottom. In many ways, the story of George Valentin reminded me of Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights. Both men protested a new technology that completely changed everything they had ever done before. Horner eventually made the transition, while Valentin is more resistant and pays the price for it. His descent takes the film into some pretty dark melodrama, but Hazanavicus manages the tonal shift beautifully by using the Peppy Miller story arc as an upbeat contrast.

The story does a good job of showing why George Valentin was a great star. The films within the film are very entertaining and Dujardin perfectly captures the spirit of the dashing, swashbuckling presence that Douglas Fairbanks brought to the screen. Bejo is a revelation as the plucky ingenue, making for a credible Mary Pickford-Clara Bow cutesy, "aw-shucks" comic style. Also memorable is James Cromwell in a deadpan role as Valentin's butler. Cromwell, so good in sound films, is such a great silent actor here that it almost feels like he came to Hollywood in the wrong era.

The Artist also contains one of my favorite film moments of the year. It comes near the end and is a wonderful use of a title card that pulls the rug out from underneath the audience, but does so in a hilarious way that completely cuts the tension. Hazanavicus edits this sequence together beautifully, intercutting moments of despair with bits of silly comedy. It's one of many treasures in this wonderful film. Hazanavicus has come up with a great premise and a great understanding of how to make it work and in turn has made one of the very best films of 2011.

War Horse (Steven Spielberg) **1/2

2012-01-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

There are few directors that have managed the combination of beautiful visual imagery and heartbreaking human emotion as well as Steven Spielberg. Films like ET, The Color Purple, AI, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan are great examples of this. Spielberg's latest film War Horse once again demonstrates this skill with many memorable moments. The problem is that the moments in between are bland and generic, and the poorly structured story prevents War Horse from the greatness it so desperately seeks to achieve.

The film is based on a novel by Michael Mopurgo, which was later adapted into a theater production that won the Tony award for Best Play.. It tells the story of a remarkable horse named Joey who is bought at a auction by a struggling farm family. Teenage son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) works hard to train the horse and it begins to turn the family's fortunes around. With World War 1 looming, the family is forced to sell Joey to the military and he goes on a long journey, encountering both sides of the war and leaving a lasting impression on everyone he meets.

The most stunning relationship in the film is between two horses. While training for the military, Joey meets another horse named Topthorn. Without any dialogue, Spielberg develops a complete and thoroughly memorable relationship between the two horses. One of the greatest moments in the film is when Joey volunteers to take a heavy load up a hill, knowing Topthorn probably will fall just like the previous horse did. This relationship is more well drawn and memorable than anything involving any of the human characters.

Everything in between these scenes between the two horses, especially scenes that don't involve Joey at all, fails to work up any dramatic momentum whatsoever. A major problem is episodic structure of the film that fails to give us enough time with the human characters Joey comes across. This is the 2nd film this year (Ides of March) adapted from a play that clearly suffers from such structure. The soldier that rides Joey in the war, a father and daughter that encounter him, and even Joey's owner who predictably ends up going to war himself are just not given enough screen time develop in a way to really care about them.

In a way, the film is both too long and too short. It's too long in the sense that the human scenes really begin to drag. But it's also too short in the sense that with a longer running time Spielberg could've developed the human characters more. He's never been one to reinvent the wheel when it comes to storytelling as most of his films are formulaic and borrow from other sources. What makes Spielberg's best stories stand out are the fascinating characters he delivers to us. Other than Joey and Topthorn, there are no such characters in this film and thus these human segments just fall flat.

Spielberg is at least still in top notch technical form. Period details are convincing. Many of the battlefield set pieces are suitably exciting. He brings along John Williams once again for another majestic score. The cinematography is astonishing. The film's final shot is especially unforgettable, and perhaps one of the best of Spielberg's career. It's just too bad that so much of the film fails to deliver. I'll remember the horses and not much else.

My Week With Marilyn (Simon Curtis) ***1/2

2012-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

One of the most difficult things about doing a film about someone as iconic as Marilyn Monroe is finding someone who can appropriately fit the role. That doesn't mean, as we've seen with many other attempts, just finding someone who can look the part. In fact, Michelle Williams looks less the part than many others who have done it, but there's never been a better attempt at matching the magnetism that Marilyn Monroe brought to the screen.

As the title suggests, My Week With Marilyn focuses on a small period of time in Marilyn Monroe's (Michelle Williams) life. It is based on a pair of published diary accounts written by Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne). Clark had the opportunity to work with Marilyn Monroe on the film The Prince and the Showgirl, which Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) directed and starred in. The film follows how Clark's relationship with Monroe developed throughout the course of the film's production.

It's a challenging part for Williams. The film would absolutely not work without her giving a great performance. There are many scenes where characters talk about how great Marilyn looks on camera, while watching in awe at the scenes they filmed the previous day. That's a lot to live up to, but Michelle Williams is up to the task. Probably no one can ever match the screen presence that Marilyn Monroe had, but Williams comes amazingly close and completely commands attention every scene she's in.

I liked the idea that the film only shows glimpses into Monroe's life. We've seen so many biopics that all seem to have a standard formula, so this one is a pretty refreshing take on the genre. We see her vulnerability, how much trouble she causes on set for Olivier and other cast members, and bits of her troubled marriage to Arthur Miller. The film doesn't attempt to come up with a grand psychological explanation for her behavior, but just gives us a few suggestions here and there.

If there's a drawback here, it is the lead character. Colin Clark is not very interesting himself, especially when set against these other iconic characters. That's to be expected somewhat, but it still is a bit problematic since he's in nearly every scene and we're meant to care about his fate. There's a cute romantic subplot between him and a costume designer (Emma Watson), but it is underdeveloped and merely seems to serve as a screenplay contrivance to create some conflict.

Director Simon Curtis does a really good job of maintaining a consistent tone. There are some very dramatic moments to be sure, but the film has a whimsical feel to it and nicely avoids descending into depressing melodrama. The supporting cast is pretty solid, with Branagh especially good as the proud, great theatrical actor equally frustrated with Monroe's difficulties on the set and for his inability to match her presence on the screen. It's a fun, often fascinating glimpse into the life of a screen legend and Michelle Williams' marvelous performance carries the film.

Films Seen - 2012

2012-01-01T15:56:00.001-08:00

Here are all the films I've seen that were officially released in 2012. If I've written a review of the film, a link has been provided.

Chronicle (Josh Trank) **1/2

The Grey (Joe Carnahan) ***

Haywire (Steven Soderbergh) ***

Red Tails (Anthony Hemingway) **

The Woman in Black (James Watkins) **1/2

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird, 2011) ****

2011-12-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

Earlier I talked about Steven Spielberg's transition from live action to computer animation in The Adventures of Tintin. Well here we have someone doing the exact opposite. Brad Bird, director of three excellent animated films (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille), tries his hand at live action with the latest entry in the Mission Impossible series. Surprisingly, he is far more successful at his transition than Spielberg. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is a great achievement in solid, smart, incredibly exciting action filmmaking.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol begins with our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in prison for unspecified reasons. A breakout is initiated by two new team members, Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg). They are tasked with retreiving a stolen briefcase that contains Russian nuclear launch codes. As usual, not everything goes according to plan and the team is framed for something they didn't do. The team is sent scrambling, with analyst Peter Brandt (Jeremy Renner) eventually joining them. They must retreive the nuclear launch codes to clear their names and prevent nuclear war.

Brad Bird's The Incredibles had some of the most fun and exciting action sequences I've seen in a film, but much of that had to do with Bird taking advantage of the seemingly unlimited capabilities of computer animation. So it was a bit of a surprise to see him do such a masterful job setting up incredible live action set pieces here. The much talked about one takes place in Dubai on the tallest building in the world as Ethan attempts to enter one of the higher floors from the outside. Not only is it one of the most viscerally exciting action scenes ever, but it also serves as a brilliant tribute to Harold Lloyd's Safety Last! Bird also shows prowess designing action sequences in confined spaces, as in the film's ending which takes place in a parking garage and has a fascinating finish.

Apart from the great design of the action sequences, what makes Bird so successful here is the complete confidence he has in everything he does in this film. Lesser action directors (Michael Bay, I'm looking at you) often fall into the trap of rapidfire cutting to make their otherwise dull action scenes seem more exciting, but there is thankflly none of that nonsense here. Bird is confident enough in the way he's set everything up that he is able to let the camera linger, and in fact often builds tension precisely because the camera doesn't move. A great example is a clever caper sequence inside the Kremlin where Hunt and his team take inspiration from Bugs Bunny in designing a fake background to fool a guard.

Tom Cruise slides comfortably back into his old role and is completely convincing in the action scenes, while providing a calm charisma elsewhere. The new members of his squad are all solid choices. Simon Pegg does a good job in not overplaying the silly action sidekick schtick. Paula Patton has the right combination of sex appeal and physical presence. And Jeremy Renner has fun playing a bit against type as an analyst that may or may not be in over his head. The cast has a strong chemistry and they all play off each other very well. This is a team that I can't wait to see work together again.

The story, such as it is, is appropriately intriguing and never relies on stupidity or laziness. It's all a big MacGuffin because we know the bomb isn't gonna go off and start a nuclear war, but the film keeps challenging the audience on this point, throwing in new wrinkles now and then that make everything seem hopeless. There's a dramatic subplot for both Ethan and Jane, whose loved ones have both been killed, but it is handled in a limited and remarkably restrained manner. Brad Bird just manages to get every single thing right in this film. His previous three films have all received my highest rating and made my top 10 list for their respective years. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol will make it 4 for 4. It is one of the best films of the year.

Young Adult (Jason Reitman, 2011) ***

2011-12-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody last collaborated on Juno, the dramedy about a pregnant teen that went on to great success and won Cody an Oscar for Best Screenplay. One of the things I loved most about that film was how it challenged audience expectations of what characters would be like, such as completely flipping the script on the Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner characters. In Young Adult they're ready to challenge the audience again by presenting them with a thoroughly unpleasant main character.

Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is a writer for a popular series of young adult books. With her life in a bit of a tailspin, she decides to return to the small town she abandoned years ago and win back the heart of her former high school boyfriend. The problem is, he is now married with a child on the way. That doesn't even faze her, as she's convinced herself that he's completely unhappy and will drop his small town life to head back with her to the city.

It's very difficult to do a movie about an extremely unlikable person, so it's a credit to Reitman and Cody that this movie works at all. Most impressive is that they're willing to go all the way with it, too. This isn't some moralizing parable where the hero learns her lesson by the end. In fact, one of the more remarkable things about Mavis is that she doesn't change much at all through the course of the movie. This is a terrible person and Charlize Theron has a great time playing that up as much as possible.

The only person in this film that is really sympathetic is Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt), a former classmate that Mavis didn't have much time for. He is best remembered for being the kid that got severely beat up for being gay, although he repeatedly protests that he's straight. Now she becomes his closest (only) confidant and they make for a very awkward pair of friends. Oswalt gives a terrific performance here, alternating between sadsack loser and snarky observer, essentially providing a surrogate voice for the audience.

These two characters are interesting enough to carry the story, even if it does take some turns into uncomfortable territory. Mavis' constant efforts to win back her ex are really difficult to watch. Eventhough we hate her, she's no cardboard character and it's still hard to watch her get her comeuppance. There are some good laughs provided by Oswalt's critical commentary of her behavior, but for the most part this is a pretty grim affair.

The result is a movie that is admirable and at times fascinating, but not very enjoyable. Mavis is not a character we ever root for, not even as some kind of wicked anti-hero. At the same time, it's hard to root against her, because she's not some kind of evil monster, just a sad and pathetic person. It's still a worthwhile film to watch, but if you were expecting the fun loving sarcasm of Juno, you'll be in for a rude awakening.

The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg, 2011) **1/2

2011-12-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

One of the advantages that animation provides is the freedom with which to design completely original moments of physical movement without being confined to the trappings of live action.A recent film that demonstrated this perhaps better than any other was Pixar's The Incredibles, which was directed by Brad Bird. Bird was able to stretch his imagination with the action scenes and th result was one of the most exciting films of that year. Steven Spielberg is perhaps the best ever at creating memorable and original action set pieces in the live action medium, so it was a very exciting prospect to see him tackling the unlimited capabilities of computer animation with The Adventures of Tintin. Unfortunately, he was only half successful as the exciting action scenes were undone by a poorly structured and uninteresting story.

The Adventures of Tintin is based on a popular comic book series in Europe of the same name. It follows a young reporter named Tintin whose investigations get him mixed up in some wild adventures. He has a trusty sidekick dog named Snowy and two bumbling detectives (named Thompson and Thomson) who help him out. The film version sees him getting mixed up in a mystery involving a model ship that many people seem very eager to get. When it is stolen from his house, he goes on what turns out to be a globetrotting journey to recover it and prevent those who stole it from their nefarious deeds.

Spielberg does make good use of computer animation. The action sequences in Tintin are incredibly thrilling and exhausting. He designs very creative chase sequences that seem to never end, much in the great tradition of the Indiana Jones series. One of my favorites is Snowy's attempts to rescue Tintin after he's been kidnapped. There's also a dangerous seaplane adventure where Spielberg comes up with a long list of creative problems for our heroes to encounter. The film really comes alive during these moments.

What really hurts the film is some baffling storytelling choices. The story starts off as an interesting mystery and Tintin's efforts to solve it were engrossing. However, the film makes the bizarre decision to completely stop at the 2/3rds mark and have one character explain everything through an endless series of expository flashbacks. The movie just completely dies right here with all the momentum they'd built from the stunning action sequences just completely falling apart. And after all that, the true resolution of the mystery is a major disappointment.

Another problem is that the characters never come alive. We don't learn much about Tintin other than he's a plucky and resourceful investigator. More time could've been spent at the beginning giving us more of a glimpse who he is instead of just thrusting him right into his mystery. The bumbling detectives Thompson and Thomson have a few amusing moments, but more often than not the slapstick chemistry between these two does not work. The villains and pirates that populate the mystery plot are all tired stock retreads. It says something that the most fascinating character in the entire film is Tintin's sidekick dog Snowy. It's rare that I don't like a Steven Spielberg film, but he really misfired with this one.

The Muppets (James Bobin, 2011) ***1/2

2011-12-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

It has been 12 years since The Muppets last graced theaters with Muppets in Space (there were two telefilms). For those of us that witnessed that uninspired debacle, it was a good thing they decided to take a break instead of continuing a creative decline in the post-Jim Henson era. The Muppets have now returned to theaters and thankfully the writing team of Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller has come up with a wholly original approach to the material that manages to mix sentiment, nostalgia, and humor with great success.

The movie opens in a hopelessly optimistic place called Smalltown, where Gary (Jason Segel) and his puppet brother Walter have grown up as huge fans of the Muppets, with Walter dreaming of becoming a Muppet one day. As adults, they travel to California with Gary's super sweet girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) and visit the now defunct Muppet studios. Walter stumbles upon a plan by an evil oil executive (Chris Cooper) to take the studio from the Muppets unless they can raise $10 million. Gary, Mary, and Walter convince Kermit to get the gang back together to put on a show to raise enough money to save the studio.

The whole plot is a great conceit that allows the movie to work in two ways. First, it provides a pretty simple and effective structure as they help Kermit convince each of the Muppets to return, allowing us a chance to see what each of them are up to currently (my favorite being Fozzie Bear's sad nightclub act). It evokes memories of the Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney films of the 40s where they would put on a musical act to raise money for some worthwhile cause. Rooney even makes a cameo appearance in this film.

Also, the plot is a meta statement on the real world state of the Muppets. They are yesterdays news. The TV show and films that were so popular in the 70s and early 80s have mostly faded from the memory of modern audiences. There is much talk in the film about wondering if they can stay relevant in the current cynical age. It is this angle that will really appeal to adult audiences who grew up watching the Muppets and would like to see them at their best once again.

Thankfully, they are at their best. Segel and Stoller do a solid job of writing great jokes for these characters. They have a ton of fun taking humorous stabs at Hollywood and messing around with genre conventions, while embracing them at the same time. Since none of this is taken seriously, they never write themselves into a corner as they've set up a world where anything can happen, with one of my favorite jokes being the ability to travel by map. It all fits nicely into the offbeat sensibility that has always worked for the Muppets.

The human characters don't rate very highly, despite the clear appeal of people like Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Chris Cooper. However, the film is populated with amusing cameo performances by stars willing to poke fun at themselves, including a hilarious turn by Jack Black where his own comic persona works against him as he cannot get people to believe he has been kidnapped. The best new character is the earnest puppet Walter, who makes for a great addition to the Muppet cast.

The film is populated with some solid song choices, reaching a sentimental high point with Kermit's performance of the brand new song "Pictures in My Head" and the classic "Rainbow Connection". You'll even get to hear a former Oscar winner rap in an absolutely surreal, but definitely hilarious scene. Segel, Stoller, and director James Bobin have brought the Muppets back, and they've managed to do it in a way that embraces sentiment and makes fun of it at the same time.

The Descendants (Alexander Payne, 2011) ****

2011-12-21T04:16:00.000-08:00

In my review of The Ides of March, I noted that despite the missed opportunities and overall disappointment with that film, it was still refreshing to see that George Clooney was an A-list actor that made interesting choices in his projects instead of settling for the typical Hollywood blockbuster. His decision to star in Alexander Payne's latest character based dramedy The Descendants is yet another example of this, and thankfully it is a far more successful effort. Freed from the constrains of directing a play adaptation, here Clooney gets to focus solely on his character and the result is one of his best film performances.

You'd think Matt King (Clooney) was living a great life. After all, he has a decent amount of money and is sitting on top of a wealthy inheritance. He has a good job, a wife and two daughters. Also, he happens to live in Hawaii, where he was born and raised. we soon learn in The Descendants that Matt's life is actually in a stunning tailspin. Marital relations have been strained for some time and now his wife has suffered a tragic speedboat accident that has left her in a coma. Now he has to take care of his children, a task he has very little experience at. Further complicating matters is when his rebellious teenage daughter returns home with a secret about her mother.

Alexander Payne has always had a great gift at precise character study and this may be his best effort yet on that front. Matt King makes for a well rounded, fascinating, funny individual. He's got some difficult issues going on and ocassionally goes a bit too far in taking people to task, but the audience is with him the whole time. It's not even simply a case of George Clooney's natural charisma in front of the camera, though that certainly helps, but also Payne (and Clooney's) understanding of how to portray Matt as a complicated everyman that is entirely believable and also supremely entertaining. It's a balancing act and Payne once again nails it.

The film also gets it right with many other characters, with Shailene Woodley's terrific performance as Matt's angry teenage daughter Alex a particular standout. She starts off as a seemingly stereotypical brat filled with teen angst, but quickly becomes her father's biggest ally. The way the film handles Alex's friend Sid is also a welcome surprise, starting off as a typically dimwitted surfer, but eventually shown as a genuinely nice guy who has some surprising depth. All of this is achieved without Payne ever betraying the essence of the character. Robert Forster as Matt's gruff father in law, Judy Greer as a woman he meets on vacation, and Beau Bridges as Matt's cousin all have their own memorable moments as well.

Payne's astuteness for character study and development wouldn't mean much if he didn't know how to tell a story. The Descendants doesn't follow the rhythms of your typically Hollywood plot. It flows naturally, with emotional high and low points not coming at places you would normally see in a narrative. He knows how to end scenes at the right places and take them in directions that you wouldn't expect (a great example is during a meeting with his cousin, where Payne avoids unnecessary melodrama). He even manages to weave an environmentalist theme that never once feels distracting or out of place. Thanks to Payne's refreshing take on characters and plot progression, not to mention his fabulous cast, The Descendants is a funny, emotionally rewarding journey to Hawaii.

Oscar Watch: Golden Globe Nominees

2011-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

Jean Dujardin in The Artist, which led the way with 6 nominations.

List of nominees, with my comments at the end:

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Descandants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Carnage
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
George Clooney - The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender - Shame
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Ryan Gosling - The Ides of March

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle WIlliams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain , The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Director - Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Midnight in Paris
The Ides of March
The Artist
The Descendants
Moneyball

Best Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Foreign Language Film
Flowers of War
The Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid with A Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
The Artist, Ludovic Bource
W.E., Abel Korzeniowski
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Hugo, Howard Shore
War Horse, John Williams

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Lay Your Head Down," Albert Nobbs
"Hello Hello," Gnomeo and Juliet
"The Living Proof," The Help
"The Keeper," Machine Gun Preacher
"Masterpiece," W.E.

The Golden Globes have long been considered one of the better Oscar predictors during the pre-Oscar awards season. However, the SAG awards have since trumped them in reliability. Part of the problem is that the Globes split up the Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress categories to Drama and Musical/Comedy. That makes it hard to determine anything from the Globe nominations in those categories. Also, the Globes often make some peculiar choices such as last year's nomination of Michael Douglas for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and the dual Angelina Jolie/Johnny Depp nominations for The Tourist. They are often accused of celebrity whoring (Sharon's 4 nominations being another great example) and nominations like that don't help. Still, they are considered an important part of the Oscar season and have an 83% success rate in the non-split categories over the last two years.

One of the biggest surprises has to be George Clooney's Best Director nomination for The Ides of March. The film got good reviews, but not quite as good as expected and wasn't thought to be a major factor in the Oscar race. Multiple Globe nominations could be a sign that its Oscar prospects have been underrated or another example of the Globes going overboard for a major Hollywood star. Clooney's other film The Descendants secured it's status as a frontrunner with several nominations, including a much needed (and deserved) Supporting Actress nomination for Shailene Woodley, who surprisingly got snubbed at the Screen Actors Guild awards.

Michael Fassbender also rebounded from a SAG snub, but it's hard to tell if it was meaningful since the Lead Actor category is split and frontrunner Jean Dujardin was nominated in the Comedy/Musical category. Even more suspect is the Rooney Mara nomination in Lead Actress. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star is surrounded by Oscar frontrunners Close, Davis, Streep, and Swinton, with two more Oscar frontrunners Williams and Theron in the Comedy/Musical category. There were fewer surprises in the Supporting categories, which more or less confirmed frontrunners (Branagh, Plummer, Bejo, Chastain, Spencer, McTeer) or corrected snubs from the SAG Awards (Brooks, Woodley). One notable omission is Melissa McCarthy, who was a surprise at the SAGs, but her failure to get a nomination here spells trouble for her chances.

Once again, I did not go through the TV nominations, but I was very pleased that Homeland and New Girl both scored multiple nominations.

Oscar Watch: Screen Actors Guild Awards

2011-12-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis lead The Help to 4 total nominations.

List of nominees, with my comments at the end:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

    Demián Bichir - A Better Life as Carlos Galindo
    George Clooney - The Descendants as Matt King
    Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar as J. Edgar Hoover
    Jean Dujardin - The Artist as George Valentin
    Brad Pitt - Moneyball as Billy Beane

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

    Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs as Albert Nobbs
    Viola Davis - The Help as Aibileen Clark
    Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher
    Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin as Eva Khatchadourian
    Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn as Marilyn Monroe

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

    Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn as Laurence Olivier
    Armie Hammer - J. Edgar as Clyde Tolson
    Jonah Hill - Moneyball as Peter Brand
    Nick Nolte - Warrior as Paddy Conlon
    Christopher Plummer - Beginners as Hal

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

    Bérénice Bejo - The Artist as Peppy Miller
    Jessica Chastain - The Help as Celia Foote
    Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids as Megan
    Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs as Hubert Page
    Octavia Spencer - The Help as Minny Jackson

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

The Artist

Bérénice Bejo, James Cromwell, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, and Penelope Ann Miller

Bridesmaids

Rose Byrne, Jill Clayburgh, Ellie Kemper, Matt Lucas, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Chris O'Dowd, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig

The Descendants

Beau Bridges, George Clooney, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and Shailene Woodley

The Help

Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O'Reilly, Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer, Mary Steenburgen, Emma Stone, Cicely Tyson, and Mike Vogel

Midnight In Paris

Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, and Owen Wilson

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

    The Adjustment Bureau
    Cowboys & Aliens
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
    Transformers: Dark of the Moon
    X-Men: First Class

The Screen Actors Guild is often one of the more reliable Oscar predictors. For example, last year 17 of the 20 nominees went on to the Oscars. Of the three that didn't, two were performers that hadn't received support outside of the SAG (Duvall, Swank) and only Mila Kunis' failure to get an Oscar nom was surprising. So for those SAG nominees this year who have already been getting recognition from the various critics groups, they are probably golden. Among that group would include Clooney, Dujardin, and Pitt in Lead Actor; Streep, Swinton, Williams in Lead Actress; Plummer in Supporting Actor; and Jessica Chastain in Supporting Actress.

Outside of that, there were more than a few surprises, most notably dual acting nominations for the negatively reviewed J. Edgar. Dicaprio took a spot thought to be reserved for La Film Critics winner Michael Fassbender, while Armie Hammer took a spot that belonged to NY Film Critics winner Albert Brooks. Melissa McCarthy getting nominated for her hilarious turn in Bridesmaids is a pleasant surprise (as is the shocking Ensemble cast nomination for the film). The most glaring omission from Supporting Actress is Shailene Woodley from The Descendants, but that will be a difficult category with multiple potential nominees from The Help.

The SAGs have a Best Ensemble category instead of Best Film, but it essentially works the same way and is often a good predictor. The previous two years with the expansion to 10 Oscar nominees, only one nominee (Nine) in this category has failed to get an Oscar Best Picture nomination. However, this year's Oscar rules changed and there could be anywhere from 5-10 nominees. That makes me think Bridesmaids will not get a Best Pic nomination (although I'd be overjoyed if it did). Of the other four nominees, three of them are locks for a Best Picture nomination (The Artist, The Descendants, Midnight in Paris) with The Help as a very likely nominee.

Note: I did not go through the TV nominees as that is outside of the focus of this blog, but I am baffled at the absence of Homeland and Claire Danes, not to mention Parks and Recreation, Amy Poehler, and Nick Offerman. Instead they had to find room to nominate Kathy Bates, Patrick J. Adams, and Jon Cryer. Inexcusable!

Oscar Watch: LA Film Critics Awards

2011-12-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Picture: "The Descendants"
Director: Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Actor: Michael Fassbender, "A Dangerous Method," "Jane Eyre," "Shame" and "X-Men: First Class"
Actress: Yun Jung-hee, "Poetry"
Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, "Coriolanus," "The Debt," "The Help," "Take Shelter," "Texas Killing Fields," "The Tree of Life"
Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"
Foreign-language Film: "City of Life and Death"
Animation: "Rango"
Documentary / Non-fiction Film: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Tree of Life"
Music/score: The Chemical Brothers, "Hanna"
Production Design: Dante Ferretti, "Hugo"
Independent/Experimental Film/Video: "Spark of Being"
New Generation: Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Josh Mond and Elizabeth Olsen, "Martha Marcy May Marlene

The La Film Critics doesn't seem to affect the awards race too much. The Descendants and Tree of Life are already sure things for Oscar nominations. Plummer and Chastain have both won elsewhere and seem to be in good spots. They list 4 movies here for Fassbender and I love that X-Men: First Class is included, but make no mistake. This nomination was for his daring performance in Shame. The biggest surprise is Yun Jung-Hee for Poetry, who entered the awards season without a ton of buzz. This doesn't necessarily vault her into the Oscar race as the three previous LA Film Critics winners for Best Actress didn't snag a nomination.

Oscar Watch: National Board of Review Awards

2011-12-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

Best Film: Hugo
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Foreign Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Best Ensemble Cast: The Help
Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy; Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class
Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: The Harry Potter franchise, for "a distinguished translation from Book to Film"
NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime, Pariah

Top 10 Films:

    Hugo
    The Artist
    The Descendants
    Drive
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
    The Ides of March
    J. Edgar
    The Tree of Life
    War Horse

Top 5 Foreign Films

    13 Assassins
    Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
    Footnote
    Le Havre
    Point Blank

Top Documentaries

    Born to Be Wild
    Buck
    George Harrison: Living in the Material World
    Project Nim
    Senna

Top Independent Films

    50/50
    Another Earth
    Beginners
    A Better Life
    Cedar Rapids
    Margin Call
    Shame
    Take Shelter
    We Need To Talk About Kevin
    Win Win

The National Board of Review Awards have been in effect since 1929. They are often considered one of the less legitimate awards groups due to a random, unknown roster of members. Despite that reputation, they are annually acknowledged as one of the major awards season announcements. They have a very good track record at predicting nominees with an 81.8% success rate over the last 10 years.

The good news for Scorsese and Hugo is that the NBR Best Film has been nominated in each of the last 10 years. With the incredibly strong reviews and word of mouth, there's no reason to think Hugo won't continue that trend. Clooney is pretty a guaranteed lock for a nomination any year he gives a lauded performance, so you can already pencil him in for his work in The Descendants. Previous nominee Plummer seems like a good bet with a film that received great reviews. I'm less certain about Swinton (film hasn't opened yet) and Woodley (age).

Unlike many other groups, the NBR also hands out top 10 lists for best of the year. There are some surprises in this list. J. Edgar has received very poor reviews, while The Ides of March reviews have been good, but not great. I do not expect either of them to be a factor in the Best Picture race. Nor would I expect to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or Drive. Deathly Hallows Part 2 might get in due to incredibly strong reviews and as a way to reward the overall accomplishment of the series, but I'm not counting on it just yet.

Oscar Watch: New York Film Critics Circle Awards

2011-12-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

The New York Film Critics circle announced their 2011 award winners on Tuesday:

Best Film: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Best Actor: Brad Pitt – Moneyball and The Tree of Life
Best Actress: Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks – Drive
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life, The Help and Take Shelter
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki – The Tree of Life
Best First Film: J.C. Chandor – Margin Call
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation - Iran
Best Non-Fiction Film: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian – Moneyball

The awards season is officially under way. The New York Film Critics have been an excellent predictor for the Oscars as 79% of their winners have gone on to an Oscar nomination over the last 10 years. They've had an even better track record recently, as in 3 of the last 4 years every single winner has gone on to an Oscar nomination. However, while they are good at predicting nominations, their track record is not quite so good at predicting the winner. The NYFCC Best Picture has only matched up with the Oscars 3 out of the last 17 years.

Since the awards season begins with the New York film critics, they get to set the early tone for the Oscar race. The Artist definitely jumps to the front of the Best Picture race, but the unique film will need more support to stay there. Pitt's win is a bit of a surprise because his performance in Moneyball isn't showy (although it is excellent), but if he continues to get momentum in awards circles, he has an excellent shot at a nomination. I haven't seen The Iron Lady, but Streep playing Margaret Thatcher has got to be a lock for the Oscars. Albert Brooks was unexpected, but it's the kind of change of pace role that could generate lots of buzz. I wouldn't put too much stock in Chastain's win yet, as these multiple film wins are often misleading as the voters are rewarding for body of work instead of individual performance, which is much different than how the Oscars will be looking at it.

The Ides of March (George Clooney, 2011) **1/2

2011-11-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

Dir. George Clooney
Starring Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood

Given the current political climate, it is perhaps a perfect time for Hollywood to produce a solid, top notch political drama. And if there was anyone in Hollywood who would be perfect to pull that off, George Clooney would seem to be a good bet. His political activism combined with his consummate skill as a filmmaker (see: Good Night, Good Luck or Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) puts him in the perfect position to deliver the goods in this genre. Unfortunately, Clooney's film is adapted from a play and despite some admittedly powerful moments, the film never escapes the confining theatrical structure and melodrama of its source material.

Ides of March is based on a play by Beau Willimon about idealistic media consultant Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), who works for the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney). Morris in the midst of a tough battle in the pivotal Ohio Democratic primary and tensions are high on the campaign. He's trying to secure an important endorsement from a popular Senator that suddenly seems to be going for his opponent. A persistent reporter (Marisa Tomei) and rival campaign manager (Paul Giamatti) cause considerable problems for Meyers and his boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

A major problem with this film is that none of it feels very new. Meyers' journey from idealism to cynicism is awfully similar to that of Henry Burton in the superior political film Primary Colors, and at least that one had loads of humor to go along with the political insight, whereas Ides of March is deadly serious. While a serious political film about the realities of modern day politics would certainly be welcome, the plot here sadly forsakes realism for overwrought melodrama. The way the film handles the relationship between Meyers and a young intern (Evan Rachel Wood) is particularly bothersome.

Despite these problems, Clooney manages to coax outstanding performances from an amazing ensemble cast filled with the best performers in Hollywood. While the film doesn't come together as a whole, there are powerful moments where the cast shines. Several confrontation scenes really come to life, such as those between Gosling-Giamatti, Gosling-Hoffman, and Gosling-Clooney. But none of this flows together in a dramatically compelling way. It feels like a series of scenes strung together without any significant narrative rhythm, much like you would expect from a play that was not suitably adapted for the film medium.

While it is frustrating that this film did not come together as well as it should have given the people involved, I wouldn't want this to come off as an indictment against Clooney as a filmmaker. He still remains a rarity as an iconic star that chooses to do serious work that has important things to say. He may have failed here, but it is at least an effort worth appreciating from someone who could make much more money signing on to a brain dead big budget action film. And for those that want to see the fascinating political drama this film should've been, I recommend the documentary The War Room, which follows the behind the scenes drama of Clinton's 1992 campaign. There is a speech by James Carville near the end of that film that is more compelling than anything in The Ides of March.

We Bought a Zoo (Cameron Crowe, 2011) ****

2011-11-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

Dir. Cameron Crowe
Starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Elle Fanning, Thomas Haden Church

Cameron Crowe has always been a patient filmmaker, often taking 3-4 years between projects. It was usually worth it, as in the past this resulted in several films that I consider to be modern classics, such as say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and Almost Famous. Crowe's latest period of absence is more frustrating than usual because it was 7 years ago and that was the highly disappointing Elizabethtown. Thus it is a great treat to finally see Crowe back to top form with this lovely family dramedy sprinkled with his usual brand of original and magical movie moments.

We Bought a Zoo is based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon). Tragedy strikes Benjamin's family when his wife dies and his young daughter (Maggie Eliabeth Jones) and teenage son (Colin Ford) have difficulty adjusting. He decides a change of scenery is in order, but the only property he likes happens to be a dilapidated zoo. After seeing how much his daughter takes to the animals, he decides this is the perfect place for a fresh start and sets about restoring this zoo so it can be reopened.

This film is a delicate balancing act between sentimentality and humor. In the hands of many other directors, the tone would be all wrong, it would feel manipulative and overly silly. But this is a balancing act that Cameron Crowe has mastered throughout his career and he is better at finding that tone than just about anybody else in Hollywood. Not a moment in this film feels fallse or manufactured. In fact much of it is underplayed, especially the relationship between Benjamin and head zookeeper Kelly (Scarlett Johansson), which would normally dominate the film but Crowe never lets it get in the way of the family drama that is the core of the story.

Part of what killed Elizabethtown was terrible casting in the lead role. After making a mistake with Ashton Kutcher, Crowe decided to try Orlando Bloom and he was pretty dreadful. Here Crowe has gone with Matt Damon, who is a perfect fit for the earnest, good natured, and tortured main character. As Benjamin repairs the zoo, he must also repair his relationship with his teenage son, who doesn't want to be there. The father-son relationship in this film is tremendously affecting thanks both to Crowe's honest approach to the material and the terrific performances from Matt Damon and Colin Ford.

What really sets Crowe's films apart are what I call "Crowe moments". These are unique, magical moments throughout his films that seemingly come out of nowhere. Examples include the boombox scene in Say Anything, "You had me at hello" in Jerry Maguire, and the Tiny Dancer singalong in Almost Famous. The Crowe moments are a testament to the effort he has done in studying his idol Billy Wilder, who came up with similarly original moments in his films. Even the great Wilder would attribute this to his own idol Ernst Lubitsch who perfected what was called the Lubitsch Touch. Very few directors seem to have studied these two men, so it is enormously refreshing to see Crowe applying their techniques so successfully once again, more than 80 years after Lubitsch first perfected them.

We Bought a Zoo is a terrific Crowe film that stands strongly with some of his best work. Not only does he come up with a wonderful ensemble cast and a very funny and honest script, but the former Rolling Stone writer once again delivers a marvelous soundtrack to the film, led by Jonsi's incredible score that lifts the film's emotional moments to greatness. The film also has a sublime ending, with Crowe finding a perfect last line to the film that would make both Lubitsch and Wilder proud. Thanks for coming back, Mr. Crowe. You have been missed.

Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011) ***1/2

2011-09-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

Dir. Bennett Miller
Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, Kerris Dorsey

Major League Baseball has the most unbalanced playing field of any pro sport. While other leagues have a mixture of big and small cities, they also have salary cap and luxury tax rules that help even the playing field. Baseball has no salary cap whatsoever, allowing teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to pay close to $200 million dollars on their roster, while most teams can't even afford $100 million and many others can't even put together $40 million. One of those teams happen to be the Oakland A's, and their GM Billy Beane's struggles to field a competitive team during the 2002 season is the heart of Moneyball, a funny and smart film about outsiders trying to upset the traditional method of player analysis.

The A's made the playoffs in the 2001 season, but lost a heartbreaking series to the New York Yankees. A's GM Billy Beane was faced with losing three key members from that team who were free agents and getting offers that Beane could not afford to match. Then he meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young Yale economics grad who has mathematical theories about baseball that flew in the face of conventional baseball thinking. With Brand at his side, Beane sought to construct a team out of players that would be cheap because the traditional method of scouting undervalued their true worth according to advanced statistical studies. The film follows the A's rollercoaster 2002 season, the criticism they faced for this new line of thinking, and some of the individual players involved.

The film is based on the book of the same name by Michael Lewis. It's not a book that immediately jumps out at you with dramatic potential with its intricate discussion of sabremetrics and economics. However, Aaron Sorkin proved he could take the story of an internet startup and make it fascinating with The Social Network, so it was smart to bring him on board here and punch up the script. Sorkin's script never goes deeply into the precise details of sabremetrics, but it deals with the basics just enough for the audience to understand the debate. What Sorkin's script (aided by sure handed direction of Bennet Miller) does is humanize the story by somehow successfully turning a wealthy GM with the looks of Brad Pitt and his Yale grad sidekick into hard luck underdogs.

One of the ways in which Sorkin does this is by delving a bit into Beane's own history as a player, when he was a can't miss prospect that completely missed. There is also a nice genuine attempt at a story between Beane and his young daughter that provides the right amount of sentiment without going overboard, precisely because it is well scripted and well played by the actors. It helps to have an actor with the natural charisma and likability of Brad Pitt. He has a nice chemistry with Jonah Hill, and Sorkin takes advantage of this by punctuating their scenes with lots of humorous touches. The individual players don't get as much attention as in other baseball movies, but Parks and Recreation's Chris Pratt does generate considerable audience support as a former catcher being moved to first base as a key part of Beane's strategy.

Moneyball may not be your standard baseball movie, but it does work in many of the same ways. There is even a "big game" with different stakes than your usual big game, but one that is still incredibly compelling. It avoids many of the dumb cliche's associated with other sports movies, while embracing some of the fun ones (the irascible manager played by Philip Seymour Hoffman is a pretty accurate portrait of the old school method of thinking.) Most importantly, it disproves one of the major complaints of the anti-Moneyball crowd; that the sabremetricians are just geeks who care more about numbers than the passion of the game. In a wonderful scene late in the movie, Beane and Brand watch a lumbering catcher struggle with his fear of running to 2nd base and you can see how much they care about drama and beauty of baseball.

2011 Atlanta Film Festival - Love is All You Need

2011-05-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

Directed by Kim Rocco Shields

It's rare that I dedicate an entire review to a short film, but I've found one that warrants it. Love is All You Need is an incredibly powerful statement against bigotry, bullying, and oppression. It takes a clever central conceit that most films would use as one long joke and uses it to make the audience see things from a different point of view. It is certainly one of the most unforgettable short films I have seen.

Love is All You Need takes place in an alternate universe where same sex couples are the norm. Those that prefer someone of the opposite sex are considered outcasts and are called derogatory terms like queers or breeders. The story focuses on a teenage girl named Ashley who realizes she is attracted to a boy. The film follows her struggle with this attraction and the fallout that happens when people begin to suspect her feelings.

One of the first questions to always ask in these high concept movies is if the story would be interesting without the central conceit. This film most certainly qualifies. In fact, the filmmakers explained in the post-film Q&A session that this is based on a true story and they just transported it to this different world. Too many films try to relay on their gimmick, but this one actually applies the gimmick to a powerful story in a way that it opens the eyes of audience by letting them see bigotry and homophobia from a reverse perspective.

Another problem with gimmick stories is simply playing the gimmick for jokes. There are some moments played for humor, especially in the moments when they show how the world is different from outs (football tryouts are girls only, the parents worry about the "different" drama teacher). However, this film gets it right by staying true the powerful emotional journey that Ashley goes through. Her struggle with feeling a way that society tells her is wrong is compelling and the torment she suffers from others who don't accept her is an all too prevalent problem in this day and age.

The film is also surprisingly technically proficient for a low budget short film. Director Kim Rocco Shields shows a nice visual sense, with a final shot that is just incredible. The central performance by Lexi Dibenedetto is remarkable in how she conveys the powerful internal emotional struggle that her character faces without resorting to hysterical overacting that usually plagues performers that tackle such roles.

If I have one complaint, it is the decision for this film to be screened as part of the Pink Peach Shorts. This is really a film that needs to be seen by straight audiences. Of course, the filmmakers had no say in that and certainly straight people do attend gay films and programs, but I can't help but think that this film could have reached a wider audience of people (that aren't already on board with the message) if it had been included in the Drama Shorts program, for example.

It is frustrating and maddening that there is still so much hatred for people who are "different". Love is All You Need sends a powerful message by making people see what it would be like if they were the ones being treated like second class citizens. The filmmakers did mention that they plan to expand this into a feature film. Here's hoping they are successful and their important message is brought to a larger audience.

2011 Atlanta Film Festival - Day Two

2011-05-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

Directed by Taylor Guterson

In recent years, a new genre of indie filmmaking called mumblecore took the festival circuit by storm. I caught on to the genre a little late, but there were several great examples at last year's Atlanta Film Festival, including Kentucker Audley's Open Five and Aaron Katz's Cold Weather. Mumblecore generally refers to ultra-low budget films about young adult told in an improvisational style. Old Goats takes that genre and applies it to a story involving senior citizens in a way that works surprisingly well.

The story follows three senior citizens, all non-actors playing real life versions of themselves. Britt lives on his houseboat and is contemplating daing again for the first time in 30 years. Bob is still a ladies man and is working on getting his memoirs published. David is a wealthy, retired businessman who is stuck in a social circle of cocktail parties thrown by his wife.

At times, this format is a bit much to take as the actors are clearly reaching for what to say next. however, much of it pays off and the conversations have a very natural sound to them. The story of Britt is most compelling and dominates most of the 2nd half of the film as he mets a woman on an online dating site. His attempts to deal with his first relationship in decades make for some compelling and funny moments in the film. Old Goats isn't a great film, but it's a nice one that tells a bittersweet story about life as a senior citizen.

Directed by David Bonawits

Pleasant Peopleis the type of film that you'll often see at film festivals. It's a quirky movie about twentysomethings and love. The problem that many of these films run into is going too far with the quirkiness. Last year's entry Feed the Fish is definitely an example of that, where it was so disconnected from any kind of emotional reality that it was hard to care about what happened. Pleasant People avoids this for the most part thanks to an ingratiating lead character.

Jiyoung is a girl with a dream and her dream is to be a sucessful musician. She records cheap CD's and shows up at amateur open mic nights at a local club. She is in love with a co-worker named Josh, who tolerates her but clearly has no feelings beyond that. The story is very low key, following her exploits in music and love.

One thing I really appreciated about Pleasant People is that it never feels artificial. Even if the story may drag in certain sections, nothing in here feels written or manufactured. I especially liked that the ending is very loose and open. Most importantly, Pleasant People finds that right balance of tone that so many quirky indies miss. Jiyoung Lee (playing herself) is certainly an interesting person to watch and she carries this film with ease.

Directed by Laura Newman

The influx of big chain stores in the modern economic environment has made it very difficult for small businesses to survive. While not all of these mega retail locations are evil, there's no denying the charm of a local small store or hangout that makes you feel at home. The overly silly, but somewhat satisfying film We are the Hartmans touches on these themes.

Hartmans is a small local pub and music venue that caters to people that don't always feel welcome. It is the last of the small businesses in their town and the oen place that still makes them feel at home. When the owner (Richard Chamberlain) gets sick, his family comes to town and makes plans to sell the place. The Hartmans regulars band together to fight the sale.

There's alot of silliness to be had in here and some of it reaches sitcom levels. However, this is a film that has its heart in the right place. The cast of unknowns works well with verteran actor Richard Chamberlain, who is surprisingly convincing in a role very different from what he usually plays. There's a sweet romance between Hartman's daughter and one of the locals. ultimately, the film gets across the message of standing up for the little guy in the face of corporate greed and does so in an entertaining fashion.

Directed by Mario van Peebles

Mario van Peebles hits the fest with a sports drama starring none other than Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. That sentence alone should be enough to pique most people's interests. Unfortunately, this is a film that runs into too many problems along the way, especially due to Van Peebles irritating insistence on visiting every single sports movie cliche out there.

Jackson stars as Deon, a talented college football running back, who has stardom in his future. He is projected to be a top NFL draft pick, has a family catering to his every interest, and can pretty much pick whatever girl he wants to be with on a nightly basis. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned as before the NFL draft he is diagnosed with cancer. The film follows how this affects his family, which to this point had completely hinged on his future.

The film received some attention because Jackson lost alot of weight to take on this role. His transformation is certainly a stunning sight and the best shot of the entire film. I think perhaps if Van Peebles had gone through the script a few more times he could've ironed things out. It really has some problematic aspects, especially an ending that wraps everything up way too neatly and strains all credibility. It's a disappointing film, but an impressive performance from Jackson.

2011 Atlanta Film Festival - Interview (Richard Chamberlain

2011-05-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Richard Chamberlain first gained notoriety for his role as a young intern in the popular 60s television series Dr. Kildare. He parlayed this success into several successful major roles in the 70s and early 80s including The Towering Inferno, The Three Musketeers, The Last Wave, and King Solomon's Mines. In the 80s he became known as "King of the Miniseries" with his performances in Shogun, The Count of Monte Cristo and (most notably) The Thornbirds. Chamberlain's latest film We are the Hartmans debuted at the Atlanta Film Festival Saturday Night, and I had the chance to catch up with him on the red carpet.

In We are the Hartmans, Chamberlain plays the hippie owner of a local night spot that is one of the last small businesses in a town that has become overrun by big chain stores. When he is hospitalized, his family comes to town and plan to sell the place, but the regulars band together to try and stop this sale, as Hartmans has become a symbol of the last place in town where they feel welcome.

Chamberlain mentioned that he was attracted to the role because he usually doesn't get to "play scruffy". The clean cut actor welcomed the change of pace and loved the idea of getting to play a "Willie Nelson-type" character. It was certainly quite a contrast to see the actor in person and see such a major transformation on screen.

I asked the actor about how the film seems to have relevance to greed and the current political climate. He was very excited about the idea of a film that stood up for the little guy, because in this world of big business corporate dominance, "it is so hard to be small". He mentioned how even in the film industry it is difficult to get people excited about working on small projects, because the first consideration is usually determining the profitability of the idea.

"On smaller films, people are more enthusiastic," Chamberlain said. He contrasted this with bigger budget films, where things are often chaotic and more about getting the job done. He mentioned that it's exciting to be on projects where people care more about the material. He also appears in the indie film The Perfect Family, which recently debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.

However, Chamberlain isn't limiting his options. "Big, medium, small," Chamberlain said in response to what type of films he looks for these days. The 77 year old actor (who hasn't lost his matinee idol looks) still has an infectious enthusiasm for his craft and looks to be continuing his career for a long, long time. Maybe we'll even see him again in Atlanta in the coming years.

2011 Atlanta Film Festival - Day One

2011-05-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

What a lovely film to open my Atlanta film festival. Sahkanaga has all the elements that remind me why I love indie filmmaking so much. It is made with real affection for the story and characters. It is also devoid of the overly cynical, self-conscious filmmaking style that shows up too often on the festival circuit. You can see the director has really poured his heart into every aspect of this film.

The story follows the residents of a small town in rural Georgia and how they are shaken by the aftermath of an awful scandal. It is inspired by a true story that happened in 2002, where the owner of a crematorium was found to be dumping bodies in the woods instead of cremating them. Director John Henry Sumerour takes the elements of that story and focuses it on a teenage boy who struggles with what to do in light of a horrific discovery.

The best thing about the film is how it really captures the tone and essence of rural small town life. The town really comes alive and you feel transported there. It helps that the director has assembled a fine cast of very natural actors. There is no overacting to be found here. The events unfold naturally and at no point does Sumerour try to beat the audience over the head. It is an impressively confident achievement and a terrific way to start the festival.

Here we have a film that suffers from a jarring tonal shift that dooms any chance the film had of working. It starts as a poor man'sversion of Shakespeare in Love and takes an abrupt departure to a deadly serious and depressing romantic drama. The latter part is exceedingly tedious and drags on for far too long.

The film follows the life of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He has dreams of being a successful poet, but his father would rather he earn a law degree. Goethe tries to slug through law school, but his antics constantly get him in trouble and it is clear this is not the place for him to be. It is when he falls in love with a young woman named Lotte that his passions are finally awakened.

The earlier parts of film are somewhat funny and charming. The bizarre shift to a dull, lethargic period drama is not handled well at all, partly because lead Alexander Fehling is not captivating enough to handle such material. In light of this, the attempt at a last minute feel good ending rings hollow. This could have been a fun light romantic dramedy, but the film never finds a proper balance of tone and thus it does not work at all.

Here is a film that is pretty much exactly the opposite of Sahkanaga. It fits right into that genre of self-conscious, cynical indie film, with a writer-director trying way too hard to show the audience how cool he can be. He seems more interested in tyring to pull clever tricks than telling an actual story, and his film suffers as a result.

The story follows a couple of married con artists, who travel from town to town and engineer elaborate ethical games that upend the lives of the people they meet. The film is told in an episodic manner, as they move from con to con. This does cause a problem because while some of the scenarios (particularly a moving sequence in a retirement home) are strong, others fall completely flat (such as a sequence in a church).

It's a shame, because Arthur is a good writer, and he does create some interesting moments. If he had more confidence in his own material instead of feeling the need to announce his skill with so many winks, twists, and tricks, then he'd cetainly be capable of making a solid feature film. Until then, he just has a mediocre film that works intermittently.

2011 Atlanta Film Festival - Introduction

2011-04-29T14:52:00.001-07:00

It is that time of year again. One of my favorite weeks of every year is the annual Atlanta Film Festival. I have been attending the festival since 1999 and covering it since 2007.

The festival has changed quite a bit over the years. What used to be a small, quaint festival has morphed into a higher profile, big event format as they attempt to expand their notoriety while still not sacrificing their local, independent roots.

Last year they had one of their biggest scores with Winter's Bone, a film that went on to score major Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Lead Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. It was also the first year I was granted press credentials and the full access I was given allowed me to do extensive coverage as I reviewed more than 40 feature films and numerous short films as well.

This year will be a little bit different, as the festival changed its format for press relations by hiring a marketing company to handle the press credentials. Instead of giving press members full access, tickets have to be requested on a case by case basis. Also, screeners were not made available so reviewing and recommending films in advance is not possible this time around.

However, despite this change, I have purchased tickets beyond what was granted to me, so I can do as much coverage of the festival as possible. I should mention that the Atlanta Film Festival staff has been extraordinarily helpful in assisting me with adjusting to the new press format.

I will have reviews of each day's films by the next morning. When possible, I have tried to see the first screening of a film so I can recommend (or not) films to see for my reader(s) in the local area. I hope you enjoy my coverage of the 2011 Atlanta Film Festival.

2010 Top 10 List and Awards

2011-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

As is tradition, I release my top 10 films of the year (and my annual awards list) the day of the Oscars instead of at the end of the calendar year. This gives me maximum chance to see as many films from the year as possible.

Top 10 Films of 2010

Honorable Mention: 8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan), The Fighter (David O. Russell), Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy), The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko), The King's Speech (Tom Hooper)

10. The Social Network (David Fincher)

Compelling story of internet phenomenon told with wit and style.

9. 9500 Liberty (Annabel Park, Eric Byler)

Powerful doc about a bigoted anti-immigration bill that nearly tore a community apart.

8. 127 Hours (Danny Boyle)

Uplifting, disturbing climbing disaster story carried by a captivating James Franco.

7. Winter's Bone (Debra Granik)

A girl tries to save her family in this suspenseful mystery set in the Ozarks.

6. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich)

Pixar continues an amazing creative streak with another funny, heartbreaking gem.

5. Please Give (Nicole Holofcener)

Absorbing and funny film that shows Hollywood how female characters should be treated.

4. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese)

Martin Scorsese's passionate thriller was the most ridiculously underrated film of the year.

3. True Grit (Joel and Ethan Coen)

The Coens improve on the original by infusing their own wit and an amazing cast.

2. Inception (Christopher Nolan)

This zero gravity fight scene is one of many treasures of Nolan's imaginative film.

1. Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance)

In a great year for movies, this painfully heartbreaking story of a failing marriage is the most memorable.

Awards (Winners noted by an asterisk)

Best Director

Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine

Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Nicole Holofcener, Please Give

*Christopher Nolan, Inception

Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island

Best Lead Actor

Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Leonardo Dicaprio, Shutter Island

Colin Firth, The King's Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

*Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

Best Lead Actress

Catherine Keener, Please Give

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

*Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Fighter

*Matt Damon, True Grit

John Hawkes, Winter's Bone

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, The Fighter

*Rebecca Hall, Please Give

Mia Wasikowska, The Kids Are All Right

Michelle Williams, Shutter Island

Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer

Best Original Screenplay

Blue Valentine (Derej Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, Joey Curtis)

The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy)

Greenberg (Noah Baumbach, Jennifer Jason Leigh)

*Inception (Christopher Nolan)

Please Give (Nicole Holofcener)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Shutter Island (Laeta Kalogridis)

*The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)

Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)

True Grit (Joel and Ethan COen)

Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini)

Best Animated Film

How to Train Your Dragon

Tangled

*Toy Story 3

Best Documentary Feature

8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan)

*9500 Liberty (Annabel Park, Eric Byler)

Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy)

Restrepo (Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger)

The Tillman Story (Amir Bar-Lev)

Best Editing

127 Hours

*Inception

Shutter Island

The Social Network

True Grit

Best Art Direction

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

*Inception

Shutter Island

True Grit

Best Cinematography

Black Swan

Inception

Shutter Island

The Social Network

*True Grit

Best Costume Design

Agora

*Alice in Wonderland

Black Swan

The King's Speech

True Grit

Best Original Score

Alice in Wonderland

How to Train Your Dragon

Inception

*The Social Network

True Grit

Best Original Song

"Better Days", Eat Pray Love

"Darkness Before the Dawn", Holy Rollers

*"I see the Light", Tangled

"If I Rise", 127 Hours

"We Belong Together", Toy Story 3

Sound Mixing

127 Hours

*Inception

Shutter Island

The Social Network

True Grit

Sound Editing

*Inception

Iron Man 2

Toy Story 3

Tron: Legacy

True Grit

Visual Effects

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

*Inception

Iron Man 2

Tron: Legacy

Best Live Action Short Film

*Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell)

Cigarette Candy (Lauren Wolkstein)

The Confession (Tanel Toom)

God of Love (Luke Matheny)

Tell Me Who (David Lipson)

Best Animated Short Film

Day & Night (Teddy Newton)

The Gruffalo (Jakob Schuh and Max Lang)

*Prayers for Peace (Dustin Grella)

Ledo and Ix Go to Town (Emily Carmichael)

The Lighthouse (Yelislava Gospodinova)

Predictions for the 2011 Academy Awards

2011-02-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Here are my predictions for the 2011 Academy Awards. I've made comments in three categories. Will Win covers what I think the Academy will pick. Should Win is what I would pick among the nominees. Snubbed is who/what I think should've made the cut.

Best Picture

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Will Win: With wins in all three major guild awards (PGA, DGA, SAG), The King's Speech victory is all but assured. Only one film (Apollo 13) has previously won all three of those awards and lost Best Picture.

Should Win: Christopher Nolan's Inception completely rewrote the book on what a Hollywood blockbuster can and should be. No more need to turn off your brain to enjoy a kick ass, exciting action ride. Inception is a grand achievement in combining smart and enthralling cinema and is the most deserving of this year's group of nominees.

Snubbed: It's no surprise that it fell off the Academy's radar, but Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine was a brutally realistic depiction of a failing marriage. It's dark and depressing, but it stirred up stronger emotions than any other film in 2011 and contained the two best performances of the year.

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)

Will Win: I've debated about this one for a long time. The safe bet is to say Hooper will win along with his film. He did win the DGA award and all of the awards momentum has gone to The King's Speech. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the Oscars will follow suit with the BAFTA's and give this award to David Fincher.

Should Win: I've long admired the work of Aronofsky, Russell, and Fincher, but it was the Coens who most distinguished themselves with their colorful remake of an overrated classic. They managed to deliver a beautiful old-fashioned western, while still infusing it with their own sly sensibilities.

Snubbed: There were a few snubs this year, including Derek Cianfrance for his wonderfully understated work on Blue Valentine and Martin Scorsese for his passionate thriller Shutter Island. However, the biggest snub was the omission of Christopher Nolan YET AGAIN. This is a man who now has three nominations from the Director's Guild, but nothing from the Oscars. His brilliant and imaginative work deserves recognition.

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Will Win: Uh, Colin Firth. He will win this. Easiest prediction of the night. Don't question me on this. I will empty my bank account out to wager on Firth against you. Bridges may have had a shot if he hadn't won last year.

Should Win: All very good performances here, but there's a reason Colin Firth is a lock to win. He was just that good.

Snubbed: Ryan Gosling's heartfelt, but admirably subtle work in Blue Valentine was the best performance by a male this year. I have no issues with any of the five nominees, but he was better than all of them.

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Will Win: I'm going with the smart money, which is on Natalie Portman after she made a clean sweep of the pre-Oscar awards. The only thing that makes me nervous is if the Academy wants to give Bening a career Oscar.

Should Win: Just like her co-star Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams did an amazing job at portraying the awful emotional turmoil her character was going through without loud hysterics. Her nomination was a triumph for natural, understated acting, which often goes ignored come awards season.

Snubbed: It may seem like an odd choice since she actually was nominated, but Hailee Steinfeld's nomination in Supporting Actress is actually pretty insulting and not worthy of the great performance she gave. She was clearly the lead in True Grit and the only reason she got nominated in Supporting is because of her age. Her performance was one of the best of the year for anyone of any age.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Will Win: Melissa Leo is the clear frontrunner here and I think she'll take home the Oscar. I'm a little uncertain, because this is a category known for upsets (Binoche over Bacall, Harden over Hudson) and there has been some talk that Hailee Steinfeld could pull off an upset. I also wouldn't be surpsied to see a King's Speech wave carry Helena Bonham Carter.

Should Win: Hailee Steinfeld is nominated in the wrong category, but that's not her fault. She gave the best performance of anyone on this list. I love Leo as an actress, but even her co-star Amy Adams was better.

Snubbed: This is one category where my own personal list differs with the Academy the most, so it is hard to choose from the several people who I think were snubbed, but I will go with Rebecca Hall, who gave two great performances this year in The Town and Please Give. In these two wildly different films, she brought a winning, empathetic personality to the screen.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Will Win: Christian Bale has won pretty much every single award you can win at this point and is all but a certainty to win the Oscar. the only (very small) chance of an upset is if a King's Speech wave takes hold and carries Geoffrey Rush with it.

Should Win: Bale did an amazing job of transforming himself into a very different role, but if people had seen the previous work of John Hawkes, they'd be just as amazed at his transformation. He portrays a loose cannon from the Ozarks who can be intensely frightening, but Hawkes manages to throw multiple dimensions in his performance, creating a very memorable character.

Snubbed: Matt Damon! Matt Damon! Matt Damon! His hilariously offbeat performance in True Grit was one of the great cinematic treats of the year. It is an especially egregious snub when considering that he was nominated last year for an incredibly bland performance in Invictus.

Adapted Screenplay

127 Hours (Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle)
The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
True Grit (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini)

Will Win: The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin's victory here is almost as much a lock as Firth in Lead Actor.

Should Win: I didn't love The Social Network as much as most people, but there's no denying Sorkin's screenplay was amazing and deserving of its eventual victory.

Snubbed: Laeta Kalogridis' sharp adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel Shutter Island set up the perfect structure to allow Martin Scorsese to work his magic.

Original Screenplay

Another Year (Mike Leigh)
The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silverand Paul Tamasy)
Inception (Christopher Nolan)
The Kids are All Right (Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko)
The King's Speech (David Seidler)

Will Win: There's no reason to think The King's Speech won't take top honors here. It's certainly a much better choice than last year's The Hurt Locker.

Should Win: Um, Inception. If there's one major upset I'm rooting for on Oscar night the most, it is that Nolan gets recognized for his incredibly original and very complex screenplay.

Snubbed: Nicole Holofcener's Please Give was one of the best films of the year and completely overlooked during awards season. Her script (which made the cut at the WGA awards) should've been included here.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Will Win: Toy Story 3. No reason to think Pixar won't continue its dominance in this category.

Should Win: Toy Story 3. No reason to think Pixar doesn't deserve continue its dominance in this category.

Snubbed: Disney's Tangled was a nice surprise. Lovely animation and a winning story.

Achievement in Cinematography

Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)
Inception (Wally Pfister)
The King's Speech (Danny Cohen)
The Social Network (Jeff Cronenweth)
True Grit (Roger Deakins)

Will Win: True Grit
Should Win: True Grit
Snubbed: Shutter Island

Achievement in Art Direction

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Shutter Island

Achievement in Costume Design

Alice in Wonderland (Colleen Atwood)
I Am Love (Antonella Cannarozzi)
The King's Speech (Jenny Beaven)
The Tempest (Sandy Powell)
True Grit (Mary Zophres)

Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Alice in Wonderland
Snubbed: Black Swan

Best Documentary Feature

Exit through the Gift Shop (Banksy)
Gasland (Josh Fox)
Inside Job (Charles Ferguson, director)
Restrepo (Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger)
Waste Land (Lucy Walker)

Will Win: Restrepo
Should Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Snubbed: 9500 Liberty

Achievement in Film Editing

Black Swan (Andrew Weisblum)
The Fighter (Pamela Martin)
The King's Speech (Tariq Anwar)
127 Hours (Jon Harris)
The Social Network (Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall)

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: 127 Hours
Snubbed: Inception (If it wasn't such a minor award, this would go down as one of the biggest snubs in Oscar history)

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)

How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
Inception (Hans Zimmer)
The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Tangled

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)

"Coming Home" from Country Strong Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
"I See the Light" from Tangled Music and Lyric by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
"If I Rise" from 127 Hours Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
"We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Will Win: "I See the Light", Tangled
Should Win: "I See the Light", Tangled

Achievement in Sound Editing

Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Iron Man 2

Achievement in Sound Mixing

Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Shutter Island

Achievement in Visual Effects

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Tron: Legacy (Still trying to figure this one out?)

Best Short Film (Live Action)

The Confession (Tanel Toom)
The Crush (Michael Creagh)
God of Love (Luke Matheny)
Na Wewe (Ivan Goldschmidt)
Wish 143 (Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite)

Will Win: The Confession
Should Win: God of Love
Snubbed: Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell)

Best Short Film (Animated)

Day & Night (Teddy Newton)
The Gruffalo (Jakob Schuh and Max Lang)
Let's Pollute (Geefwee Boedoe)
The Lost Thing (Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann)
Madagascar, a Journey Diary (Bastien Duboi)

Will Win: Day & Night
Should Win: The Gruffalo
Snubbed: Prayers for Peace (Dustin Grella)

Note: I did not include selection for the Foreign Film (I've only seen one nominee) or Makeup (I've seen none) categories. I have not yet seen the Best Documentary Shorts, but will do so before the Oscars and add them to this post at that time.

Waiting for Superman (Davis Guggenheim, 2010) **1/2

2011-02-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

No film this year created such strong mixed reactions for me as this one. Davis Guggenheim is clearly a filmmaker of consummate skill and at times Waiting For Superman reaches incredible heights of cinematic greatness. It is certainly a thought provoking film that asks tough questions and sheds an uncomfortable light on the failure of our education system. It also depicts the heartbreaking individual plight of several children (and their families) who are hoping for a better chance at the future. However, the film falters in the one dimensional manner in which it places blame and the misleading manner in which it seeks a solution.

Waiting For Superman documents the problems with the education system in the United States. It does so by showing how test scores have become stagnant despite spending increases, how our rankings compared to the rest of the world are atrocious, and the roadblocks faced by several reformers trying to improve the system. Guggenheim highlights these issues by showing the personal stories of five students who are hoping to get accepted to a charter school and interweaving this by interviews with reformers such as DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and charter school CEO Geoffrey Canada.

So far, so good. The film is powerfully persuasive when examining the many ways in which our system isn't working. The personal stories are fascinating. It's hard not to root for a better future for these children. The film also contains one of the most unforgettable scenes I've ever seen in a documentary. We see several lotteries being run by school districts to determine which kids get a chance to attend the local charter school. The families are sitting there, living and dying as every name or number is called. A little girl keeps mentioning that they're not mentioning her name. This is amazing stuff and it is vividly depicted by Guggenheim.

The question becomes who is at fault and what do we do about it. And this is where things get problematic. The main problem that our education system has, Guggenheim tells us, is the imposing strength of teacher tenure and the inability of reformers to get rid of poor teachers. The teachers unions are depicted as this big selfish group that cares more about their own interests than those of their students. The film presents us a hero in committed reformer Michelle Rhee butting heads with teachers unions over her proposal to weaken tenure in exchange for better pay. The film presents this as a one sided battle that Rhee loses, ending all hope in the district. But the film leaves out the fact that the union did accept Rhee's proposal in their most recent contract and the improved test scores that Rhee boasts about happened well before the tenure changes. There's no doubt that tenure is one problem in our education system and reforming that would be a good idea, but Waiting For Superman unfairly makes the unions scapegoats for the entire failure of our education system.

Guggenheim is also misleading about the proposed solutions. Geoffrey Canada makes compelling points and is a captivating presence on screen. The Harlem Children's Zone has done great work for inner city students and shows terrific results on standardized testing. I have no doubts that he is a great educator. What's wrong is that Guggeinheim spends a majority of the film mentioning how increased spending hasn't worked, yet successful schools like Canada's receive tons of money in private funding, something that would not be realistic or consistent on a nationwide scale. To realize the dream charter system that would supposedly reshape our entire education system, vast increases in spending would clearly be required. This is problematic given the current political climate. Acknowledging this problem and looking at some more specific areas of reform (i.e. why do some charters underperform, what methods are the good ones using) would have made for a far more substantive examination of the issue.

I do think Waiting for Superman is a worthwhile film. It brings an important issue to light and will certainly inspire strong discussions among viewers that need to take place. The lottery scene is one of the more astonishing pieces of filmmaking from 2010. It's just unfortunate that the film gets mired in a repetitive and one sided attack against teacher's unions, masking other issues and potential solutions to the problem. When the Oscar nominees were announced, Waiting for Superman's failure to be nominated for Best Documentary was constantly cited as one of the biggest snubs of the year. I can't help but think that despite Guggeinheim's good intentions, this is one time where the Academy got it right.

Oscar Roundup: Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010) ****

2011-02-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams

Oscar Nominations: Best Lead Actress (Williams)

Story: A couple deals with the harsh realities of life that threaten the stability of their marriage.

Review: No film from last year affected me more deeply than this heartbreakingly real depiction of a failing marriage. This magnificent film achieves so much through natural performances and a beautiful simplicity in the way it details their problems. This is not a film filled with shouting matches (though there are a few such moments), but in fact the most gutwrenching moments come from the quiet arguments, where one person is clearly upset at the other and you can feel the unpleasantness and anger boiling underneath. All of this is juxtaposed with flashbacks showing the happy and sweet beginnings of their relationship. The two performances are astonishing. Ryan Gosling has been one of the most consistently great indie actors ever since his revelatory performance in The Believer and this may be his greatest yet. Michelle Williams builds on the outstanding natural work she did in the magnificent low key drama Wendy and Lucy and turns in another quietly powerful performance. Cianfrance and his co-writers do a great job of building the structure to this story so that the painful implications of the failing marriage only become truly apparent until the end.

Oscar Outlook: Unfortunately, Williams has no chance in the Lead Actress race.

Trivia: To prepare for the film, Gosling and Williams rented a house together and lived on a budget based on their character's incomes. This is the 2nd nomination for Williams, after being nominated for Supporting Actress in Brokeback Mountain.

Oscar Roundup: Live Action Shorts Nominees

2011-02-13T21:53:00.000-08:00

The Confession (Tanel Toom) ***1/2

A young Catholic schoolboy worries that he can't be a true Catholic because he doesn't have anything to confess. He sets off with his friend to do something he can confess for, but their actions lead to disastrous results. Toom does a good job of creating a vivid, dark atmosphere and there are a few haunting moments in the film. The final scene is incredibly well acted.

Wish 143 (Ian Barnes) ***1/2

This is definitely the most affecting of the nominated shorts. A teenager with a terminal illness is visited by a "Make a Wish" style charity and his wish is to have sex. What seems like a vulgar, juvenile setup is actually handled with maturity and deep, absorbing emotions. It's a bit manipulative and an ex-girlfriend character that comes in late as a plot device doesn't work very well, but Barnes and his actors do a superb job creating several three dimensional characters with such a short running time.

Na Wewe (Ivan Goldschmidt) **

What a bizarre film we have here. A tour bus is pulled over in a small African village by a group of Hutu soldiers, looking to find and execute people they suspect of being Tutsi. Most of the film does a good job giving us a window into a tense and hostile atmosphere of a bitter civil war, but all of that is thrown out the window with a jarring ending that does not work at all. I appreciate the message that music can help diffuse tensions, but the way it is displayed here lacks credibility and turns a tense drama into silly fluff.

The Crush (Michael Creagh) *

Care to explain this one, Academy voters? A ridiculously stupid story about a young boy who has a crush on his teacher and disapproves of the man he's going to marry. The filmmaker attempts to fuse both silliness and suspense, but never captures either tone correctly and we're left with a really stupid film and a moronic climax that lacks any subtlety.

God of Love (Luke Matheny) ***1/2

This is probably the film that benefited the most from its placement in the Live Action Shorts program. After four mixed, mostly serious films, this was a breathe of fresh air. It follows a lovestruck lounge singer who comes across a love dart that can make any woman fall in love with him. The film follows his elaborate attempts to make this work on the woman of his dreams. Writer-director-star Luke Matheny does a great job of capturing that Woody Allen spirit, with excellent use of music and black & white cinematography that perfectly sets the mood. Matheny himself gives an ingratiatingly offbeat lead performance and the film ends on the perfect note.

Oscar Outlook: This being the first time I've seen all five nominees, it's hard to predict what the Oscars will do. My guess is they will go for the more serious Confession, but Wish 143 might pull the right heartstrings to get enough votes. I'll be happy with anything other than Na Wewe or The Crush

Oscar Roundup: The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010) ***1/2

2011-02-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon, Timothy Spall

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor (Firth), Best Supporting Actor (Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Carter), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound

Story: Historical drama about the early days of King George VI's (Firth) ascencion to the throne and his friendship with the speech therapist (Rush) that helped him overcome a stuttering problem.

Review: It's certainly no surprise that The King's Speech has garnered so much attention by both the public and the Academy. It is an uplifting, feel good story without any attempt to dumb it down for mass audiences. It's also exquisitely made, with top notch production values and careful craftsmanship from director Tom Hooper. It tells a great historical story and is headlined by a dream cast (Firth, Rush, Carter can always be counted on). A film containing such qualities will always be heavily praised and be a strong contender during awards season. But what I really love about this film is the great sense of humor running through it. This is no dry British history lesson. Hooper and screenwriter David Seidler do a great job of humanizing the characters and making this a pretty lively story . Geoffrey Rush has never been more likeable. Colin Firth is able to show both tremendous charisma and vulnerability in a delicate balancing act of a performance. The film may have truncated history or outrighted distorted it in many parts, but on its own merits remains a solidly entertaining drama made with superb precision.

Oscar Outlook: It is going to be a royal night at the Oscars as The King's Speech is going to win very many awards. The most likely is Colin Firth for Lead Actor. It is the biggest, most assured lock since Heath Ledger's 2007 win for The Dark Knight. Best Picture and Best Director wins also seems like sure bets since the film has swept the major guild awards (PGA, DGA, SAG) and I also expect it to compete strongly in many of the technical categories, although losing a few of them to Inception.

Trivia: Firth joins Jeff Bridges as repeat Lead Actor nominees from 2009. This is Rush's 4th nomination. Jennifer Ehle, who plays Geoffrey Rush's wife in the film, previously co-starred with Colin Firth in the popular BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Oscar Roundup: The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010) ***1/2

2011-02-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Cast: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Lead Actress (Bening), Best Supporting Actor (Ruffalo), Best Original Screenplay

Story: A married lesbian couple (Bening, Moore) worry when their teenage children seek out their sperm donor father (Ruffalo).

Review: The Kids Are All Right is reminiscent of another Lisa Cholodenko film I saw called High Art. That film was a well-intentioned indie with a strong central performance by Ally Sheedy, but had sloppy editing and a screenplay that felt like it needed a few more rewrites. I have not seen anything by Cholodenko since, but judging by this latest effort, she has come a long way as a screenwriter and filmmaker, although she has not completely shed some of the problems that doomed High Art. Yes, the Kids Are All right does have sloppy editing and the pacing is very awkward during the first act. However, this time she is not only aided by a strong central performance from Bening, but also the usually outstanding work of Moore and Ruffalo. Furthermore, Wasikowska and Hutcherson provide solid support as the children. And after the film gets through the first act hiccups, it starts to come together as a vivid portrait of a complex family dynamic and how the powerful bonds of family can persevere despite not fitting into traditional stereotypical norms. It may not be a perfect film, but it is memorable and not one to be missed.

Oscar Outlook: There is a small chance Bening could pull off an upset in the Lead Actress category if the Academy decides to honor her entire body of work. It would certainly be better than many other "Career Oscar" decisions made by the Academy. The film has zero chance in any other category.

Trivia: This is Bening's 4th nomination. She has lost twice to the same actress, Hilary Swank. In 1999, both Bening and Moore were nominated for Lead Actress.

Oscar Roundup: Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) ****

2011-02-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing

Story: With the promise of having his life restored and murder charges dropped, Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) leads a team of spies in a corporate espionage plot that attempts to plant an idea into their target's subconscious mind.

Review: Nolan follows up his triumphant The Dark Knight with another masterpiece. Inception is a premiere achievement in thoughtful, exciting, visually stunning filmmaking. It's rare for Hollywood to give us a film that has one of the most exciting action sequences of the year (the zero gravity fight scene) and also contain one of the most complex stories. Yet this is a trademark of Nolan since his career started, and his great success should be seen as a wake up call to the rest of Hollywood that your big budget blockbusters need not be dumbed down for the audience. Inception also contains (despite no acting nominations) one of my favorite ensemble casts of the year. Those that hated DiCaprio just because he was in Titanic (although he was great before that blockbuster in films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and This Boy's Life) now should be convinced that he is one of the most talented leading men in the business. The rest of the ensemble is filled with a variety of superbly skilled supporting players (including Levitt, who has also gone a long way to changing audience's perceptions about him). The ending of Inception has led to much debate. It's pretty clear what actually happened, but the genius of Nolan is that he doesn't hammer it home, nor does he cop out by not providing a true ending. The ending is open enough for the audience to question what happened, but the visual cues are there for you to figure it out. That's the kind of thought you don't see in other Hollywood blockbusters.

Oscar Outlook: Inception is a major contender in many of the technical categories. I expect it to take home 3 or 4 tech awards, but it actually could completely sweep them. It deservedly won the WGA award for original screenplay, but I expect it to lose out to King's Speech on Oscar night. It has no chance at Best Picture, despite being a better choice than either of the top two contenders (Social Network, King's Speech).

Trivia: Christopher Nolan has received three Director's Guild Award nominations (Inception, The Dark Knight, Memento), one of the best predictors for an Oscar nomination, but has mysteriously been snubbed each time by the Academy.

Oscar Roundup: The Fighter (David O. Russell, 2010) ***1/2

2011-02-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Leo), Best Supporting Actress (Adams), Best Supporting Actor (Bale), Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing

Story: Follows the true story of up and coming boxer Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and the struggle he faces trying to make the best decisions for his career and balancing that with staying loyal to his brother Dicky Eklund (Bale), a former boxer who has become a crack addict.

Review: If you want to see what great acting is all about, The Fighter is a shining example. This is one of the best ensemble performances by a cast in a long time. Much has been writ of Bale's stunning transformation and his performance is deserving of every bit of praise it has received, and so are the much praised turns from Amy Adams (as Ward's feisty girlfriend) and Melissa Leo (as his melodramatic mother). However, I think Wahlberg's own central performance has been sadly overlooked. It's a quiet, nuanced performance that provides a strong emotional foundation at the center of the film. With all these parts in place, David O. Russell (director of previouos greats Flirting With Disaster and Three Kings) creates an authentic depiction of lower class urban life and a moving depiction of the battle between family loyalty and personal fulfillment. If there are any flaws, it's that everything gets tied up a little too neatly in the end. It's the one part of the film that feels more "written" than real.

Oscar Outlook: Christian Bale is an absolute lock to win his first Oscar. Melissa Leo is the frontrunner in the Supporting Actress category (although I think her costar Adams was better), but there has been some talk of a possible Hailee Steinfeld upset. The Fighter has no chance in any of the other categories.

Trivia: Wahlberg had been trying to get this movie made since 2005. He previously tried to get Martin Scorsese to direct and later had Darren Aronofsky on board, who left to work on fellow Best Picture nominee Black Swan. Matt Damon and Brad Pitt were previously attached to play the role of Dicky Eklund.

Oscar Roundup: Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) ***

2011-02-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography

Story: A ballet dancer gets the coveted lead role in Swan Lake, but in her drive to perfect the role, she slowly loses her mind obsessively trying to be more like the evil "Black Swan".

Review: I've been a big fan of Aronofsky's previous work. Two of his films (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) have previously made my top 10 lists. However, I couldn't help but be disappointed by this latest feature. There's no doubting that Natalie Portman gives a stunning performance in the lead role. It's a bold, forceful portrayal that you knew she'd always be capable of if given the right material. Unfortunately, the film doesn't capture either the persistent craziness of Requiem for a Dream, not does it have the strong emotional pull that was there in The Wrestler. It seems to be aiming for both, failing to fully achieve either. Now my review seems a little negative, but I definitely recommend the film. It's a visually impressive movie that ultimately does capture the obsessive drive of an artist, just not a powerfully as I had hoped or expected.

Oscar Outlook: Natalie Portman is the frontrunner for Lead Actress and I expect her to win on Oscar night, although there is a small possibility that Annette Bening could pull off an upset. Black Swan has no chance in any of the other categories.

Trivia: Darren Aronofsky was previously slated to direct The Fighter. He eventually dropped out due to other commitments (including Black Swan). The Fighter went on to be a fellow Best Picture nominee and also nabbed a nomination for the director who replaced Aronofsky, David O Russell.

Oscar Roundup: 127 Hours (Danny Boyle, 2010) ****

2011-02-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

(This is the first in a series. As part of my goal to watch every Oscar nominee from every category excluding Foreign films that won't be available this year, I will also be doing a write up on each film, with my own review of the film and detailing it's chances for winning on Oscar night.)

Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Treat Williams

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Lead Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Original Song, Best Original Score

Story: Based on the ordeal experienced by climber Aron Ralston (James Franco), whose arm got trapped by a boulder, leaving him stuck for several days and causing him to resort to extreme measures to free himself.

Review: A movie about a guy whose arm was stuck in a rock for 5 days doesn't sound very exciting. It would seem difficult to stretch such a story to make a feature length film. But never count out the artistry of Danny Boyle, who comes up with a film that is actually better than his good (but ultimately overrated) Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire. He's aided by a stellar performance in the lead role by James Franco, who has come a long way as a dramatic actor in recent years. In the past, he had reverted to a mumble mouthed line delivery in many of his early dramatic roles that was off putting, but here he gives an incredibly ingratiating performance and does a terrific job of carrying the film as the only person on screen for most of the story. I've sometimes felt that Boyle goes over the top with flashy and self conscious directing techniques, but here the style works perfectly to capture what was going through the mind of his main character. It's a shocking, but ultimately triumphant story of a man who does whatever he can to stay alive, thematically similar (if stylistically very different) to Robert Zemeckis' outstanding Cast Away.

Oscar Outlook: 127 Hours will most likely walk home empty handed, although the song category is unpredictable. It certainly has no shot for Picture, Lead Actor, or Screenplay, as all three of those categories are essentially locks at this point.

Trivia: James Franco is an Oscar nominee in the same year that he is hosting. This has happened 5 times previously, with hosts Frank Capra (You Can't Take it With You) and David Niven (Separate Tables) winning, while hosts Michael Caine (Sleuth), Walter Matthau (Sunshine Boys), and Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee screenplay) watched someone else take home the trophy. Franco will undoubtedly join that latter group as Colin Firth is a certainty in the lead actor race.

The 2011 Academy Awards: Nomination Predictions

2011-01-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

The Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday morning. I have made it an annual ritual (although I didn't post my picks last year) to predict the nominees. In recent years, it has become easier and easier to guess the nominees. More and more pre-awards shows, critics panels, and general coverage of the contenders has taken much of the mystery away from the nominees. This year appears to be one of the easiest to predict in a long time, as there has been very little disagreement from experts and other awards shows. Even the winners of all 6 major categories are all but assured at this point (Lead Actress is perhaps the only category with some mystery left). Of course I could be setting myself up to look like an idiot. After saying it's such a predictable year, watch me get several of these wrong. Nevertheless, here are my picks and commentary on the various categories:

Best Picture

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Alternate Possibilities: Winter's Bone, Blue Valentine

Wish List: Winter's Bone, Shutter Island, Blue Valentine

Thoughts: It's amazing that even with the expanded list of 10 nominees, this list is insanely predictable to the point where there's really only one likely battle left. Does the Academy go for indie fave Winter's Bone or Ben Affleck's The Town? I think they will go for the latter, but I really can't see of another very likely possibility, except for maybe the highly regarded Blue Valentine, although that one has lost all momentum after a poor performance during the pre-Oscar awards circuit. I'm rooting for Winter's Bone, an excellent film I saw at the Atlanta Film Festival. In a just world, Martin Scorsese's wildly underrated Shutter island would also be a lock. However, I will say that if this is the list of 10, it is a much, much better list than last year. Of the 9 I have seen (The Town is the only one I haven't yet), all of them are very good or great.

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
David O Russell (The Fighter)

Alternate Possibilities: Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit), Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer)

Wish List: Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit), Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island), Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine)

Thoughts: My picks match the DGA nominees, which don't always match the Oscar choices, but these seem pretty likely. If there is an upset, it will be for Oscar favorites Joel and Ethan Coen. With 10 Best Picture nominees it is unlikely that we will have a Director nominee whose film didn't also get nominated, but I suppose if it ever happens, this year could be the time if the Academy wants to make a statement on behalf of Polanski. Coens, Scorsese, and Cianfrance would be my personal top three picks in this category.

Best Lead Actor

Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Robert Duvall (Get Low)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

Alternate Possibilities: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter)

Wish List: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island)

Thoughts: Colin Firth will be taking home the Oscar for Best Actor this year. His eventual win is one of the most certain locks there has been in all the years that I've been covering and predicting the Oscars. If Bridges hadn't won last year (for a performance that's not nearly as good as this year), it would be more of a race. The final spot comes down to SAG nominee Robert Duvall or Golden Globe nominee Ryan Gosling. I have yet to see Duvall's film, but I'm rooting for 2007 nominee Gosling, who was fantastic this year. DiCaprio had a fantastic year with two excellent performances in Shutter Island and Inception, but has no realistic shot at a nomination.

Best Lead Actress

Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Alternate Possibilities: Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), Lesley Manville (Another Year), Hilary Swank (Conviction)

Wish List: Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Thoughts: The eventual Oscar race will come down to Bening vs. Portman, with Portman probably having the edge unless Bening can squeeze out enough sympathy votes to put her over the top. The nomination list is a little more complex simply because of the Hailee Steinfeld factor. With the Oscars, voters are allowed to nominate someone in any category they wish, despite what the studio promotes their actors for in trade ads. In the past, both Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) were nominated for Lead Actress, despite being promoted in the supporting category. Steinfeld is a good bet to do it again as she is in every single scene of True Grit. If instead they go for her in Supporting, then that opens up the final spot for Williams or Manville. Williams is deserving, but has been mostly overlooked during awards season. Hilary Swank got a surprise SAG noination, but I highly doubt her name will be called on Tuesday.

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Alternate Possibilities: John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Matt Damon (True Grit)

Wish List: John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Matt Damon (True Grit)

Thoughts: Bale is almost as sure a bet as Firth, though there is a minor conceivable possibility that Rush (who would be winning in almost any other year) could upset him. There isn't as much certainty with the other nominees as there has been much disagreement with the pre-Oscar awards. I went with the safe bets in Ruffalo and Garfield, both of whom can count on a wave of enthusiasm in other categories for their films. That leaves Renner, a highly regarded actor that voters will remember from last year when they nominated him for Lead Actor. I would actually prefer my two alternates to get in. Hawkes was splendid in a multidimensional role that is much different from anything he's done before. It will be really annoying if Damon will be ignored for his brilliant, colorful performance this year when he was awarded for his bland turn in last year's Invictus, but it looks like that's exactly what will happen.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Alternate Possibilities: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Barbara Hershey (Black Swan)

Wish List: Rebecca Hall (Please Give), Michelle Williams (Shutter Island)

Thoughts: Of course, I could be eating it here if I'm wrong on my suspicion that Hailee Steinfeld will be bumped up to Lead Actress. If so, she will probably take the spot of Jacki Weaver. I was skeptical of Kunis's chances until she scored a SAG nomination and now see no reason why she won't ride the coattails of co-star Natalie Portman. Leo appears to the runaway winner here, although I thought Amy Adams was better in the same film. Deserving performances that have no shot include Rebecca Hall's winning performance in unjustly overlooked Please Give and Michelle Williams but stunningly heartbreaking performance in Shutter Island.

Best Original Screenplay

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

Alternate Possibilities: Blue Valentine, Please Give

Wish List: Please Give. Blue Valentine

Thoughts: Yet again, the two nominees I'm rooting for are the two alternates, but neither of them have a shot. These five screenplays will certainly be nominated and I can't imagine any of them being skipped. I added Please Give, which was a WGA nominee, but I know it has zero chance here.

Best Adapted Screenplay

127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Alternate Possibilities: Winter's Bone, The Ghost Writer

Wish List: Shutter Island, Winter's Bone

Thoughts: And here we have another category where the Oscar has already been decided. Aaron Sorkin will be taking home the trophy for his deservedly praised script for The Social Network. The other nominations are pretty set except for a similar battle to the Best Picture race between The Town and Winter's Bone. Since I think The Town will win that, then I'll pick it here, but I hope I'm wrong. Once again, I'll be rooting for Shutter Island knowing it has no shot.

And that will be it for this year. I could go through all the tech categories, but I've never been good at predicting those. It'd mostly be guessing or copying the guild nominees.

It's been a while since I've written much for this blog, but expect that to change soon as I'll try to switch to a bi-weekly schedule writing about both current and classic films.

Films Seen - 2011

2011-01-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

Here are all the films I've seen that were officially released in 2011. If I've written a review of the film, a link has been provided.

50/50 (Jonathan Levine) ***1/2

The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg) **1/2

Albert Nobbs (Rodrigo Garcia) **

The Artist (Michael Hazanavicus) ****

Bad Teacher (Jake Kasdan) ***

Beginners (Mike Mills) ***1/2

A Better Life (Chris Weitz) ***

Bridesmaids (Paul Feig) ****

Cedar Rapids (Miguel Arteta) ***

The Change-Up (David Dobkin) **1/2

Circumstance (Maryam Keshavarz) ***

Cold Weather (Aaron Katz) ****

Crazy, Stupid, Love (Glenn Ficarra, John Requa) ***

A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg) ***1/2

Dear Lemon Lima (Suzi Yoonessi) ****

The Descendants (Alexander Payne) ****

Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn) ****

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Stephen Daldry) **1/2

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher) **

Goethe! (Philipp Stolzl) *1/2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (David Yates) ****

The Help (Tate Taylor) **1/2

Hugo (Martin Scorsese) ***1/2

Horrible Bosses (Seth Gordon) **1/2

The Ides of March (George Clooney) **1/2

The Iron Lady (Phyllida Lloyd) **

J. Edgar (Clint Eastwood) **

Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) **1/2

Margin Call (J.C. Chandor) ***1/2

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird) ****

Moneyball (Bennett Miller) ***1/2

The Muppets (James Bobin) ***1/2

My Week With Marilyn (Simon Curtis) ***1/2

Old Goats (Taylor Guterson) **1/2

Our Idiot Brother (Jesse Peretz) **

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Rob Marshall) **1/2

Pleasant People (David Bonawits) ***

Putty Hill (Matthew Porterfield) ****

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt) ***

Sahkanaga (John Henry Sumerour) ***1/2

Scream 4 (Wes Craven) **

Shame (Steve McQueen) ***1/2

Silver Tongues (Simon Arthur) *

Source Code (Duncan Jones) ***1/2

Super 8 (JJ Abrams) ***1/2

Terri (Azazel Jacobs) ***1/2

Things Fall Apart (Mario Van Peebles) **

Thor (Kenneth Branagh) ***

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson) ***

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick) ***

We Are the Hartmans (Laura Newman) ***

War Horse (Steven Spielberg) **1/2

We Bought a Zoo (Cameron Crowe) ****

Win Win (Thomas McCarthy) ***

X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn) ***

Yellowbrickroad (Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton) ***1/2

Young Adult (Jason Reitman) ***

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (David Yates, 2010) ***

2010-11-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

Dir. David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes

I have had an odd relationship with the Harry Potter franchise. I saw the first five films without reading the books beforehand, but then read all the books right after that fifth film. I've always been a big proponent of judging film adaptations on their own merits apart from the original books. However, that's easier said than done, a realization I've come to with these last two films, both of which I've liked but couldn't completely get past some crucial changes that were made that somewhat water down the emotional impact of a fascinating story.

The latest entry covers events in the first half of the 7th and final book. The familiar trappings of Hogwarts are now gone, Dumbledore is dead, and anyone who is not a pureblood wizard is in grave danger. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his faithful friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are now on the run, while attempting to locate the final four Horcruxes that contain fragments of Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) soul. Locating and figuring out how to destroy them takes them on a dark and frightening journey that seriously tests the strength of their friendship.

There is no doubt that the film is well made. Director David Yates helmed the last two entries (Half-Blood Prince, Order of the Phoenix), which were remarkably consistent with their tight pacing and confident visuals. For the most part, that is the case for this one as well. One notable exception is the Seven Potters sequence, which relies too heavily on quick jump cuts and doesn't get really exciting until it starts to focus solely on Harry and Hagrid. Other than that, Yates does a solid job with the several suspense sequences, including a harrowing visit to the Ministry of Magic featuring a return from one of the series' best villains, Dolores Umbridge.

There are three major omissions and/or changes from the book. The first happens very early into the film, when the exit of the Dursley's is chopped up into two lines of dialogue. The second is when Kreacher's tale is pretty much completely excised from the film. The third, and most egregious, change is the final fate of Wormtail, which makes his reappearance in this film almost completely pointless. Dispensing with Kreacher's story is an acceptable omission in light of the time it would've taken. However, the other two sequences, both notable emotional high points in the story, could've been properly done with adding at most 5 total minutes to the running time.

However, it should also be noted that there were a few changes that actually worked very well. There's a train sequence early in the film that gives a nice little moment for Neville, my favorite character in the series, setting him up for events in the final film. Amidst all the darkness, there are a few moments of levity cleverly sprinkled in that keeps the story from being unbearably dark. And one of the biggest weaknesses in the book was actually improved on, as Yates does a terrific job pacing us through the endless forest sequences, even adding some amusing touches like a little dance number between Harry and Hermione.

The main three cast members have now improved well beyond their limited range in the first few films. Rupert Grint has made the most remarkable transition, as this film finally gives him something other to do than be a clown, and he superbly handles his powerful emotional scenes. Still, there are a few moments where the emotional moments seem to be oddly restrained. A notable example is a scene in the forest where Hermione's anger seems oddly restrained compared to the ferocity she was described with in the book. There’s also a slight change in the Malfoy Manor sequence that robs Rupert Grint of a very powerful moment.

Despite my gripes, this remains a solid piece of filmmaking. The movie does capture the book's major themes of friendship and equality very well. In the Harry Potter universe, staying true to your friends to the very end and treating others with respect despite their differences are personal qualities of the highest order. And in an era fraught with so much divisiveness and where not everyone can marry or join the military, it remains a poignant tale whether you're watching the movie or reading the book.

10 Great Movie Scenes

2010-11-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

There is no rhyme or reason to this list. These are not necessarily the greatest in movie history (although some would probably make that list), but just ten that I thought of and found on Youtube. It is a mixture of newer films and classics. They are ordered alphabetically.

Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe's films are always filled with these wonderfully original moments and this scene, where the protagonists forget about all of their recent squabbles and bond once again over their love of music, is probably his finest moment as a director.

American Madness - One of the pleasures of my Top 10 Movie Project is finding lesser known Capra films like this one that are just as good as some of his beloved classics. In this scene, Walter Huston makes a compelling case for honesty and trust as business virtues that are more important than profit.

The Apartment - Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot is deservedly well known for having one of the best closing movie quotes in history, but this final scene to The Apartment also has a wonderful closing line. Yes, this is a spoiler so if you haven't seen the movie, then skip this scene (and add it to your Netflix queue immediately).

Back to the Future - What? You thought Back to the Future wouldn't make this list. Lots to choose from, but I picked the fun chase scene in town square punctuated by Alan Silvestri's terrific score.

The Circus - Here we have Chaplin's most underrated film and the funniest of the ones I've seen so far (and that includes City Lights and The Gold Rush). In this scene, Chaplin brilliantly uses a carnival funhouse for much hilarity.

Miracle Woman - Another lesser known Capra classic, this film features Barbara Stanwyck in one of the best individual performances I've ever seen in a film. Here is her amazing opening monologue.

The Player - The 80s were not kind to Robert Altman, but he returned with a bang in the 90s with The Player, a wonderful Hollywood satire/murder mystery. This is the opening scene to the film and is one of the best tracking shots in film history.

Rocky - Another film with lots of memorable moments to choose from, but I picked the most dramatic moment of the final fight, where a brutalized Rocky wills himself up off the mat with Bill Conti's brilliant score. Look at Apollo's reaction.

Safety Last! - When it comes to silent comedy, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton get all of the attention, but recently people have been paying attention to the great Harold Lloyd. Safety Last! is his best remembered classic and this daring climbing scene is one of the best sequences in silent film history.

Up - Pixar is amazing. We all know that. Here they are at their finest in a heartbreaking montage that should make even the most hardened cynics weep uncontrollably.

Let Me In (Matt Reeves) ***

2010-10-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Dir. Matt Reeves
Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas

I have to admit to being incredibly skeptical of this film from the moment I heard about it. After all, this is an English language remake of 2008's Let The Right One In, a masterpiece made by Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson. I was certain that they would screw this up based not only on Hollywood's reputation for adapting foreign films, but also because director Matt Reeves really dropped the ball in his directorial debut Cloverfield and the lead female role went to cutesy preteen star Chloe Moretz. I was mostly relieved that this turned out to be an honest attempt to match the spirit of the original without dumbing it down for American audiences.

The story is completely faithful to the original. Bullied teen Oscar (Kode Smit-McPhee) notices a mysterious girl named Abby (Chloe Moretz) move into a nearby apartment with her father (Richard Jenkins). He's quickly smitten with Abby, who helps convince him to fight back against the school bully, only to soon find out that she is a vampire. Meanwhile, a detective (Elias Koteas) investigating mysterious deaths in the town seems to be zeroing in on the culprit.

There are some really disturbing aspects to the first film and I'm impressed that the filmmakers and especially the studio did not water this down one bit, particularly a really uncomfortable moment between Moretz and Jenkins. It's just as creepy and upsetting as the original story. This is essential to creating the exceedingly dark atmosphere for the central characters to operate in. It's not at all what you think when you hear "vampire movie". There are no sparkly vampires to be found here. Nor are there any over the top action sequences. This is serious business.

Reeves' Cloverfield was derailed because the characters were incessantly annoying It was really hard to care about any of them. On top of that, the dialogue was putrid and insulting to the audience's intelligence. Therefore, this adaptation was perhaps a perfect vehicle for Reeves to tackle. The film is less dialogue heavy than Cloverfield and Reeves seems to have a much easier time exploring characters visually. The source material gave him a fascinating set of characters to work with and he understands each of them very well. Also, the casting proved to be much less problematic than I had feared (Moretz is very good, even if she doesn't approach the brilliance of the original's Lina Leandersson).

However, the fact that Reeves has done such a good job capturing the tone and spirit of the original actually makes this remake feel even more pointless. Who is this film aimed at? It's doubtful that audiences who scoff at reading subtitles in the first place would enjoy such a dark and uncomfortable story. People that loved the original already know what happens, diminishing the impact of the story's wonderful surprises. This is perhaps a bit unfair. Certainly, I'd also be complaining if he had heavily altered the film to make it more marketable for a wider audience. So it's pretty much a no win situation, which is usually the case when you remake a great foreign film that is only two years old.

1932 Year in Review and Top 10

2010-10-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

Another year is now complete, the sixth since I started this project. 1932 turned out to be a very good year at the movies, as filmmakers finally got comfortable with the new sound format and the staginess of the early talkies began to disappear. This was also the pre-code area, so directors were allowed to be a little more risque', which I think is evident byt he films that populate my top 10 list.

The changing of the guard had taken full effect by now, as only a few of the successful silent directors were still making quality films, the most notable being Josef Von Sternberg and Ernst Lubitsch. Harold Lloyd is the only silent comedy star that I saw in 1932, albeit his entry was a pretty good one that suggests his talkie ventures were better than they've been remembered. There was another hidden gem from Frank Capra, who was still two years away from making his first well known classic (It Happened One Night).

Reviews of all films I saw from 1932 can be found here. Without further ado, here are my choices for the top 10 films from 1932...

10. Shanghai Express (Josef Von Sternberg)

9. I Was Born, But.... (Yasujiro Ozu)

8. One Hour With You (Ernst Lubitsch)

7. The Old Dark House (James Whale)

6. One Way Passage (Tay Garnett)

5. Me and My Gal (Raoul Walsh)

4. Freaks (Tod Browning)

3. American Madness (Frank Capra)

2. I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy)

1. Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch)

Best Director

Tod Browning, Freaks
Frank Capra, American Madness
Mervyn LeRoy, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang
*Ernst Lubitsch, Trouble in Paradise
James Whale, The Old Dark House

Best Lead Actor

*Walter Huston, American Madness
Herbert Marshall, Trouble in Paradise
Paul Muni, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang
Edward G. Robinson, Two Seconds
Spencer Tracy, Me and My Gal

Best Lead Actress

Joan Bennett, Me and My Gal
Marlene Dietrich, Shanghai Express
*Miriam Hopkins, Trouble in Paradise
Jeanette McDonald, One Hour With You
Barbara Stanwyck, Forbidden

Best Supporting Actor

Edward Ellis, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang
Preston Foster, Two Seconds
*Jean Hersholt, Grand Hotel
Frank McHugh, One Way Passage
Pat O'Brien, American Madness

Best Supporting Actress

Joan Crawford, Grand Hotel
Constance Cummings, American Madness
*Kay Francis, Trouble in Paradise
Aline McMahon, One Way Passage
Genevieve Tobin, One Hour With You

Best Screenplay

American Madness
Freaks
Me and My Gal
Two Seconds
*Trouble in Paradise

Best Editing

American Madness
*I Am A Fugitive From a Chain Gang
One Way Passage
Two Seconds
Trouble in Paradise

Best Cinematoraphy

*A Farewell to Arms
I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang
The Old Dark House
One Way Passage
Trouble in Paradise

Best Costume Design

Grand Hotel
Movie Crazy
One Hour With You
*Shanghai Express
Trouble in Paradise

Best Art Direction

Freaks
Grand Hotel
Movie Crazy
*The Old Dark House
Trouble in Paradise

Movie Reviews - 1932 (Top 10 Movie Project)

2010-10-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here are all the movies I saw from the year 1932. This was for my Top 10 Movie Project, in which I watch the best movies of each year (starting with 1927) and at the end doing a year end write up with a top 10 list. The original format was doing individual reviews of each film, but that proved to be too time consuming, so I've switched a single page for all reviews from the year. In a separate post, I will do the yearly write up and top 10 list. Movies are rated on the classic **** scale.

American Madness (Frank Capra) ****

Starting to get boring to say, but this is yet another early Frank Capra film that is a hidden classic. The plot, about a bank owner who strongly believes in earning the trust of the people and works feverishly to keep that trust, has a compelling relevance to modern events. Walter Huston (ridiculously bad in DW Griffith's Abe Lincoln biopic) is absolutely terrific here as one of the most fundamentally decent men in movie history (he almost makes Forrest Gump look like an asshole). Any lesser performance and it would come off as pure cheese. Capra populates the film with interesting subplots that work together wonderfully and builds to an exciting climax.

Arsene Lupin (Jack Conway) ***

Definitely a fun crime caper with Lionel and John Barrymore making for very entertaining adversaries. Lionel plays the noted Detective Guerchard, who is now on the trail of Arsene Lupin (played by John). Conway kleeps things light throughout and lets the two leads shine. One of the few problems I had with the film was the story making Guerchard an idiot too often, allowing Lupin to constantly escape. If he's a great detective, we don't get to see much of that. However, the constant failures do provide some good character moments for Lionel to play. Good solid fun.

Beast of the City (Charles Brabin) **1/2

Shockingly violent (for the era) tale of a police chief who's had enough of organized crime terrorizing his city and decides to fight fire with fire. Walter Huston tackles the lead role with his usual charisma, but Brabin does a terrible job staging many of the key scenes. The climactic moment is so poorly done that it became comical and much of the dramatic momentum is completely ruined. With all the risks they took in pushing the envelope for a more realistic portrait of organized crime, it's a shame they didn't get the basics right.

Blonde Venus (Josef Von Sternberg) **

Marlene Dietrich has a magnificent screen presence, but even that can't overcrome a character is intensely unlikeable. Von Sternberg's films are always skillfully crafted, but this story about a woman who essentially kidnaps her son so she can live the lifestyle she wants is so ridiculous that no amount of talent can overcome it. Look for an early Cary Grant performance as a sleazy socialite.

Emma (Clarence Brown) **1/2

An above average little melodrama with some good performances that elevate it above the general hokiness of the story. The wonderful Marie Dressler is a housekeeper well loved by the children she's raised, but that all changes when she marries their father (Jean Hersholt, always a pleasure). Dressler creates a memorable character, but the story gets too ridiculous to take seriously.

A Farewell to Arms (Frank Borzage) **

I've been a big fan of Borzage's romantic melodramas. Films like Seventh Heaven, Lucky Star, and even Liliom have combined serious romantic stories with memorable visual backdrops and fantastic lead performances. Borzage's adaptation of the Hemingway novel A Farewell to Arms contains much of what made his previous films so good, but there is a very serious flaw that derails the entire film and that is the performance of Helen Hayes. This is the third film I've seen her in now and she's been awful in every one. She has a great reputation, so maybe later films will sowcase her talent, but in this one she fails miserably at creating an interesting character or even convincing us that she's in love with Gary Cooper (shouldn't be a difficult task!). A major disappointment.

Faithless (Harry Beaumont) **

Not much to say here. This is a soap opera about wealthy people during the depression, but this is a story that is flat from minute one. Talulah Bankhead's presence certainly commands your attention, but her line delivery is extremely wooden. She actually seems bored here and I can't say I blame her.

Forbidden (Frank Capra) ***1/2

Lonely woman (Barbara Stanwyck) takes her life savings and goes on a glamorous vacation, where she ends up falling for a sophisticated man (Adolph Menjou) who just happens to be married. Despite this, their romance blossoms into a long term affair. This is not quite as good as other early Capra pictures, but it is a good solid soap opera that features another sublime performance from Stanwyck, who at this point was probably the best actress of her generation.

Freaks (Tod Browning) ****

Freed from the constraints of adapting a popular novel that doomed him in Dracula, Browning puts together another classic cinematic tale, this one about a group of odd circus performers and what happens when one of them falls in love with the beautiful Trapeze Artist. Like with The Unknown, Freaks takes you in so many unexpected directions and is one of the few films that will really shock you. It's quite an adventure. The final shot in the film is one I'll never forget.

Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding) ***

This film is an early Oscar winner that, like Broadway Melody, is often held up as one of the worst Best Picture choices ever. While it certainly isn't even close to the best film of the year, it is much, much better than many other films that have attained that honor. In fact, it accomplishes pretty much exactly what it set out to do, which is give audiences a chance to see a bunch of big name, legendary stars (Greta Garbo, John and Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Joan Crawford) in one film and throw them together in melodramatic storylines to see the fireworks fly. And on that level, the film works pretty well. Everyone in the big name cast does very well, but Joan Crawford simply steals the movie with a surprisingly sensitive and undeniably winning performance. Jean Hersholt also shows up with another one of his memorable supporting roles.

Horse Feathers (Norman McLeod) ***1/2

One of the better Marx Bros. films and a definite improvement on the overrated Animal Crackers. The college setting is perfect for creating some hilarious scenarios for the cast to interact. I still think the early sound film Cocoanuts is actually the best Marx Bros. film I've seen to date, but this one ranks right up with it because they waste less time with a pointless story and simply set up funny situations.

I Am A Fugitive From a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy) ****

An uncompromising and brutal film that exposes life in a southern chain gang prison. The film was so effective for its time that the filmmakers were sued by the state of Georgia, which is where the real life incident that inspired the film took place, although no specific state is named. Paul Muni is terrific in the lead role, delivering a nuanced performance of a man who goes through many changes throughout the events in the story. LeRoy pulls off a piece of cinematic history with a brilliant editing choice in the film's closing moments

I Was Born, But... (Yasujiro Ozu) ***1/2

Another film that showcases Ozu's wonderful gift for light comedy. This one follows two boys who have moved to a new city and have difficulties fitting in at their new school. Major embarassment ensues when they see their father sucking up to his boss, who is the father of one of the other students. This is a wonderful story where characters react naturally to situations and the drama unfolds in a fluid manner. I've got a long way to go before I get to Ozu's most recognized classic Tokyo Story, but it sure feels like it'll be a great journey to get there.

Love Me Tonight (Rouben Mamoulian) ***1/2

Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette Mcdonald made a name for themselves with their splendid turns in Ernst Lubitsch's late 20s/early 30s musicals, two of which they appeared in together and showcased their remarkable chemistry. Director Rouben Mamoulian, working with a very thin plot, recognizes what he has and simply focuses on highlighting McDonald and Chevalier as much as possible. So yeah, the story isn't worth anything, but so what? Watching these two greats work together is a wonderful treat.

Me and My Gal (Raoul Walsh) ****

One of the best discoveries of the year. Me and My Gal is simply a terific film that does a brilliant job of mixing genres and working on multiple levels. Spencer Tracy is a young policeman that falls in love with a wisecracking waitress played by Joan Bennett. The sarcastic banter between them is hilarious and creates a wonderful romantic chemistry. On the other hand, the film also features a strong side story about gangsters and corruption. The film is filled with wonderful dialogue and a large cast of well drawn characters. This is terrific entertainment.

Movie Crazy (Clyde Bruckman) ***1/2

The second Harold Lloyd talkie I've seen and yet again I'm wondering why his sound films are given so little attention. Maybe this doesn't quite approach the level of Safety Last! or Speedy, but it is still a very funny film that executes a fun premise very well. This time, Harold has adventures trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood and falls for a woman (the lovely Constance Cummings), not knowing this exotic beauty is the same person as his actress friend. There are many good jokes involving this deception and Harold's voice is a perfect match for his plucky on screen persona.

The Mummy (Karl Freund) *1/2

Much like many other early 30s horror films, The Mummy falters with a leisurely paced story that doesn't pick up at all until about the last 15 minutes. Now I'm not to one to criticize a horror film for attempting to develop characters and create an interesting backdrop, but the attempt at doing both of these things is absolutely dreadful here. This is a really boring movie.

The Old Dark House (James Whale) ***1/2

This one is a nice surprise and much better than Whale's unimaginative and weakly paced "classic" Frankenstein (not to mention many other horror films of the era, many of which I've reviewed on this very page). Whale takes the classic haunted mansion concept and breathes life into it with wonderfully staged suspense moments and invests time in developing an interesting group of character we care about. Some of the work Whale does with the camera here is very advanced for the early sound era and helps create a vivid atmosphere. If you're looking for classic horror, skip many of the better known classics and start here instead.

One Hour With You (Ernst Lubitsch) ***1/2

Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette McDonald team up with Lubitsch for the last time. Watching these two together under the direction of such a master is just pure movie magic. There's a really fun story here. The two stars play a married couple whose bliss is interrupted by the wife's flirtatious friend Mitzi (a wonderful Genevieve Tobin). The story is told with the typical Lubitsch flair for light comedy and fanciful songs. Having now seen 9 Lubitsch films, I can safely say he is one of my favorite all time directors.

One Way Passage (Tay Garnett) ****

This little known gem was a nice surprise. Tay Garnett's shipboard romance plays very much like the best Frank Borzage melodrama that Borzage never made. The story follows two doom travelers: Dan (William Powell) is a criminal who has been taken into custody and awaits his fate when the journey is over; Joan (Kay Francis), who is suffering from a terminal illness. What's really special about the film is that despite such an overwhelmingly depressing setup, Garnett is able to setup a whimsical tone and keep the film from becoming unbearable. The two leads are incredible together and the screenplay is populated with memorable supporting characters.

Prosperity (Sam Wood) **1/2

It's always a pleasure to see Marie Dressler and she gives another fun performance as the owner of a small town bank struggling to stay afloat. The story suffers from unflattering comparisons to the more substantial Frank Capra film American Madness, but Dressler's lead performance is strong enough to carry the film.

Red Headed Woman (Jack Conway) **1/2

Wish I could recommend this stronger, because watching Jean Harlow in this film is so much fun. She completely dominates the film with a fiery performance as a scheming, manipulative woman that destroys a marriage. The plot here would fit right in on Melrose Place. Harlow acts circles around the rest of the cast. However, there is not one other positive thing to say about this trashy enterprise, particularly the awful performance of Chester Morris, an actor that was very good in the early talkie Alibi, but has been disappointing in everything else since then.

Scarface (Howard Hawks) **1/2

This is a gangster film that certainly took some major steps forward in the depiction of violent mobster lifestyle. However, the film lacks the depth that the better gangster film of the era include, such as Underworld, Public Enemy, or Little Caeser. This film mainly exists just to showcase the action and seedy lifestyle, albeit this is very well executed by Hawks. Unfortunately, Paul Muni's performance is incredibly hammy. He seems to be acting out in every possible shot and it is incredibly distracting.

Shanghai Express (Josef Von Sternberg) ***1/2

You can never have too much Marlene Dietrich, especially when paired up with her favorite director Josef Von Sternberg. Thankfully this one didn't suffer from the same problematic story issues that doomed Blonde Venus. Shanghai Express follows a group of passengers on a train who are stopped by Chinese guerrillas that take British Army Doctor Donald Harvey (Clive Brook) hostage. The notorious Shangra Lil (Dietrich), who broke his heart many years earlier, is the only person that can save him. Intricate story and great romantic pairing between Dietrich and Brook make up for some uncomfortable racial stereotypes.

Smilin Through (Sidney Franklin) ***

Clever structure helps make this mawkish story go over alot better than it really deserves. Norma Shearer and Fredric March play dual roles. In the first pairing, Fredric March plays the jealous Joseph Wayne, who kills Moonyeen (Norma Shearer) on her wedding day. Many years later, Moonyeen's daughter Kathleen (Shearer) has fallen in love with Kenneth Wayne (March), who happens to be Joseph's son. Kathleen wants the blessing of her caretaker uncle (Leslie Howard), who happened to be Moonyeen's fiance and isn't exactly forgiving. Lots of melodrama to be had here, but it mostly works due to the strong work of the cast. Especially strong is the wonderful Norma Shearer, one of the classiest actresses I've ever seen.

Tarzan the Ape Man (WS Van Dyke) **1/2

The most notable film version of the classic story and I'm probably being a bit too harsh on it. Weismuller is certainly well suited to the lead role and Van Dyke stages some memorable action sequences. However, the film runs way too long and many of the jungle sequences felt very repetitive, which dragged down the pacing. It was fun and exciting in spurts, but incredibly dull in others (especially anything involving the civilized world).

Two Seconds (Mervyn LeRoy) ****

Probably the best performance I've seen from Edward G. Robinson yet. This film has a story with an interesting flashback structure. Robinson plays a man condemned to the electric chair. As he is about to be electrocuted, he ponders that events that led to him to this situation. It becomes quite fascinating to see this man's downward spiral caused by his unfortunate love for a manipulative woman. It also contains one of the more memorably shocking sequences of the era.

Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch) ****

Quite simply, this is one of the best films ever made. The master Ernst Lubitsch tells a story about thief Gaston Monescu (Herbert Marshall) who falls for pickpocket Lily (Miriam Hopkins at her best). The two join forces and pull a con on socialite Mme. Colet (Kay Francis). The delicate way Lubitsch weaves his way through a plot is on full display here, aided by some of the wittiest dialogue that has ever been found in the movies. It's hard to really explain what made Lubitsch so great. He seemed to have a unique gift for coming up with special little moments in his films. These soon would become known as "Lubitsch Touches". Defining that term is a near impossible task, one that Lubitsch disciple Billy Wilder couldn't even accomplish himself. But you know it when you see it, and in Trouble in Paradise it is evident in every single scene of the film.

Please Give (Nicole Holofcener) ****

2010-06-17T02:07:00.000-07:00

Dir. Nicole Holofcener
Starring Catherine Keener, Rebecca Hall, Oliver Platt, Amanda Peet, Sarah Steele, Thomas Ian Nicholas

Nicole Holofcener has been making movies for the last 14 years, yet she's hardly a household name. A quick visit from someone unfamiliar with her work to her IMDB page reveals a pretty small body of work. None of this gives justice to this filmmaker that has shown such a wonderful gift at understanding human relationships. Her latest film is another example of this gift and indirectly is a damning indictment of the way mainstream Hollywood treats female characters.

Catherine Keener (who has appeared in all of Holofcener's films) leads the ensemble as Kate, a fairly wealthy woman who, with her husband Alex (Oliver Platt), runs an antique furniture store. They stock the store with furniture they buy from relatives of those who have recently passed away. Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) is a single woman who spends almost all of her free time taking care of her 90 year old grandmother Andra. The two stories are intertwined because Andra lives next door to Kate and Alex, who are waiting for their chance to expand their apartment.

There is such a wonderful natural quality to the way events play out in Holofcener's films and Please Give is no different. There are situations that happens here which would turn into huge melodramatic moments in most films, yet they are handled with subtlety and realism. Consider a conversation late in the movie that takes place between Alex and his daughter Abby (Sarah Steele), which would include a devastating revelation in most films, yet nothing is completely spelled out and both characters come to an understanding of what has happened and what needs to happen moving forward.

Holofcener also does a great job of accurately portraying relationships. Rebecca finally meets a nice guy in Eugene (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and they begin dating. What I loved about this relationship is how awkward it looks. Eugene is quite a bit shorter than her and when they first kiss, it feels as if they are stumbling around in the darkness. Yet it feels more real and comes across as more emotionally rewarding because of this awkwardness. This is a casting decision that would never pass the smell test of a big studio producer, yet it is a key example of the authenticity that the director brings to her films.

However, this being a Nicole Holofcener film, whether or not the female characters find a man is largely a secondary aspect to the story. The central connection in the film is actually between Kate and Rebecca, two people who seem to have nothing in common. The connection between these two is not based on big dramatic moments, but through the natural course of events that bring them to a better emotional understanding of one another. The resolution is actually a simple, shared glance late in the film. It's a complex development between the characters and it could have only been pulled off with the two outstanding performances by Catherine Keener (as expected) and Rebecca Hall (quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses).

There's plenty here for big Hollywood to learn from. Not every bad thing that happens needs to turn into a major plot point and end with characters screaming at one another. New relationships should be awkward and uncertain, and the couple need not always look like they just walked out of a screen test. Women can be interesting characters apart from whether or not they have found a man. It's unfortunate that we have to wait so long between Nicole Holofcener films, but if she keeps delivering films like Please Give (which is probably her best yet), then it's worth the wait.

After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United (Christopher Browne) ***

2010-05-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Sakhnin is a city located in Israel that has a mostly Arab population. In 2003, the city's soccer team Bnei Sakhnin made it to the top division of Israel's soccer league. Christopher Browne's After the Cup follows the team through a tumultuous season as they fight to avoid regulation, but more importantly show that a mixed team of Arabs and Jews can come together and achieve success.

It's not the most cinematic documentary I've seen. Much of it feels like a standard news report. We get snippets of interviews from various subjects interspered with game action. There's a few glimpses of the players home lives, but never enough to reall get inside the individual personalities on the team. The only player that really stands out is Abban Suan who has a rocky season as the team captain. The film would've been better with a more personal focus on the players.

The game footage is well shot and one of the better aspects of the film. The directer does a great job of shooting from down on the field and making it easy to understand what's going on. There's a definite "you are there" quality to the game action that really adds alot to the experience. The director also uses footage of fans watching the games, living and dying with each shot on goal.

The film has higher stakes than your average sports film. During the difficult season, Sakhnin goes on a losing streak and falls to the bottom of the standings, risking being relegated to a lower division. But the battle isn't just about relegation, it's also to show that Arab citizens in Israel can feel like they belong in their country and that a Arabs and Jews can put aside their differences and achieve something great. This added level of interest elevates the film past some of its flaws and makes it a memorable viewing experience.

TiMER (Jac Schaeffer, 2010) ***

2010-05-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

Dir. Jac Schaeffer
Starring Emma Caulfield, Michelle Borth, John Patrick Amedori, JoBeth Williams, Desmond Harrington

Here's a independent film that shows Hollywood how to take a high concept premise and run with it. TiMer, directed by Jac Schaeffer and starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Emma Caulfield, is a winning romantic comedy with appealing performances. The movie works because the filmmaker understands the high concept should be a complement to the story and not the only reason for it existing.

TiMer is set in a world where people can purchase a device that counts down to when they will meet their soulmate. The device goes on a person's wrist and it seems to be a level of social status as one of the first things people check for when meeting someone is if they've got a timer. Oona (Caulfield) has had one for a long time, but it is blank because her soulmate does not have a timer. So she is constantly bringing men she's dating to the place where they can buy their own TiMer, hoping to find a match. The twist happens when Oona ignores fate and begins dating Mikey, an aimless man who happens to have a timer and cannot possibly be her soulmate.

I appreciated how quickly the film introduced us to the premise. The very first scene is Oona taking one of her suitors to buy a timer. It not only sets up the premise efficiently, but is also a great introduction to the hard luck, empathetic main character. This is followed up with a nifty little advertisement explaining the premise (reminiscent of The Truman Show or Minority Report). This is a terrific way to go, because the filmmaker obviously has more on his mind than just the central conceit, so it makes sense to get that out of the way early and move forward with the story.

A great test for these films is if the story would be interesting at all if you removed the high concept. TiMer certainly succeeds here. Remove the premise and you have a typically sweet, low key indie romance. It wouldn't be anything groundbreaking, but it would definitely be entertaining and a key factor to that is lead performance by Emma Caulfield. She's an actress with a wonderful gift at mixing pathos and witty humor and finding the perfect balance between the two. Also strong is the supporting performance from Michelle Borth as her sister, whose timer is set far in the future so she engages in a series of meaningless sex encounters. The two actresses create winning characters with their engaging performances.

There are a few drawbacks here. Some of the supporting performances are decidedly one note (particularly JoBeth Williams as Oona's mom). The extremely low budget is very apparent from the beginning, especially with regards to the cinematography. It's a pretty ugly looking film, which certainly doesn't fit in with the tone of the story. However, even with these deficiencies TiMer remains a charming and funny movie that does a very good job of exploiting a clever idea.

The Human Centipede (Tom Six, 2010) *

2010-05-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Dir. Tom Six
Starring Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura

The Human Centipede contains one of the most disgustingly twisted premises there has ever been for a horror film. And the director doesn't shy away from actually going forward with the worst of what you'd expect. Yet what's surprising about the film is that it's completely boring for most of the running time. A bizarre idea does not make up for what turns out to be some really pedestrian direction and a repetitive plot.

Two young American tourists (portrayed as incredibly stupid and snotty women) in Germany are stuck when their car blows a tire. In the middle of the night, they make their way through to a remote house in the woods. They meet a mysterious man (Dieter Laser) and ask him for help, which obviously isn't going to happen. He actually happens to be a doctor who is an expert on separating Siamese twins. He also happens to be completely demented and is for some reason fascinated with the idea of joining humans together and the girls have unwittingly become his new test subjects.

This is first (and almost certainly last) experience with the horror genre called torture porn. It's a style that ignores the idea of scaring the audience and instead focuses on shocking or disgusting them. I'm told that this is actually one of the tamer examples of the genre and the filmmaker has admitted that he held back so he could be even more disgusting in the sequel. But the real problem with the idea here isn't that it's disgusting, but that we are treated to almost 90 minutes of listening to characters moan or scream over and over again. This certainly gets annoying very quickly.

The only real attempt at being scary is a generic escape scene early in the film. It happens to be one of the worst examples of the "she has a chance to escape, but does something stupid" sequences that pop up in most horror films. I guess the twist here is that the villain is equally stupid in the same scene, allowing the director to prolong one of his few suspense set pieces. You'd think the same person that was able to come up with the twisted idea for the film could create something more original.

The rest of the film is littered with similarly inept direction. Whenever the director gets stuck, he finds the cheapest way to complete the scene. For example, there's a moment where a police officer runs into a room and does not notice someone else is there. However, the scene is staged and edited so poorly that the angles clearly show that the officer would have seen the person. Another ridiculous moment comes when Six uses subtitles to translate a sign in the doctor's yard, apparently thinking horror fans are too stupid to remember something that had already been translated 30 minutes earlier.

Late in the film, there is an attempt at some psychological exploration of the characters, but it is not convincing at all. There is absolutely no build up to this and in the end it seems more like a convenient path to the ending the director wanted. The Human Centipede is getting alot of attention right now and the initial idea will certainly continue to pique interest, but those viewers who make the unfortunate decision (like yours truly) to see this will find it is an incredibly lame horror film. Tom Six has taken an absolutely insane horror premise and found the most generic possible way to make a movie about it.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy, 2010) ***1/2

2010-05-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

Much time has been spent debating whether the events documented in Exit Through the Gift Shop are authentic or an elaborate hoax perpetrated by the filmmaker. In fact, there has even been debate about whether this film really qualifies as a documentary. The answer to the first questiom is who cares? The film is so much fun that it works either way. The answer to the second question is of course it's a documentary and a fantastic one at that.

Thierry Guetta doesn't go anywhere without his video camera and is obsessed with filming everything he can. He eventually gains the respect of underground street artists and films them as they risk arest to create their works of art. Guetta eventually gets access to Banksy (whose face is never seen), perhaps the most well known artist in his genre. In one of the more fascinating segments of the film, Guetta films Banksy's Guantanamo Bay project, wherein he places a inflatable dummy prisoner within the confines of Disneyland's Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.

The film really takes off when Banksy persuades Guetta to make a film from all the footage he has captured, but is eventually disappointed by the finished product, a hilarious overly pretentious mess. Then the roles get reversed, as Banksy takes over to fix the film and Guetta decides to try his hand at art under the name Mr. Brainwash. The film is filled with wonderful surprises from here on out. Banksy begins to explore how mass marketing can influence critical thinking and make just about anyone a wild success.

Of course, there's the possibility that this section of the film is built around a hoax perpetrated by Banksy, who may be using Guetta as a front to make a large satirical argument. It would certainly fit his MO to make a point in such a manner. If he has done this, then I say bravo to him. As presented in the film, Guetta is an engaging person who definitely has the mad inspiration to have done this all on his own. It's a fantastic development in the film and that doesn't change no matter what Banksy is up to.

The debate over whether or not this is a docmentary is rather silly. Stuff like this pops up every now and then, especially when Michael Moore makes a movie that is not completely based in fact and conservatives like to quip that makes them not documentaries. This kind of criticism comes from an outdated view of what a documentary can and should be, suggesting that the academic Ken Burns style is the only valid format. But the best documentaries take real footage from real events and use that to fashion compelling narratives, and that's what Banksy has done here.

2010 Atlanta Film Festival: Wrap Up, Awards

2010-05-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

One thing those of you reading this blog will soon learn is that I'm a major awards/list geek. My coverage of this year's Atlanta Film Festival is no different. Below you'll find my list of awards in each of the official categories, followed by my top 10 overall Features and top 10 overall Shorts. I saw 40 feature length films and 44 short films this year, so it was really difficult to pick the best of the best.

Best Competition Feature: Dear Lemon Lima (Suzi Yoonessi)
Best Non-Competition Feature: The Mountain Thief (Gerry Balasta)

Best Competition Documentary: 8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan)
Best Non-Competition Documentary: 9500 Liberty (Annabel Park, Eric Byler)

Best Male Performance: John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Best Female Performance: Savanah Wiltfong, Dear Lemon Lima

Best Live Action Short: Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell)
Honorable Mention: Tell Me Who (David Lipson)

Best Animated Short: Prayers for Peace (Dustin Grella)
Honorable Mention: Ledo and Ix Go to Town (Emily Carmichael)

Best Documentary Short: Born Sweet (Cynthia Wade)
Honorable Mention: Cud (Joe York)

Best Pink Peach Feature: 8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan)
Best Pink Peach Short: One Night (Laura Jean Cronin)

Top 10 Feature Length Films:

1. Dear Lemon Lima (Suzi Yoonessi)
2. The Mountain Thief (Gerry Balasta)
3. Cold Weather (Aaron Katz)
4. Putty Hill (Matt Porterfield)
5. YellowBrickRoad (Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton)
6. 8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan)
7. Winter's Bone (Debra Granik)
8. 9500 Liberty (Annabel Park, Eric Byler)
9. Alley Pat: The Music is Recorded (Tom Roche)
10. The Secret to a Happy Ending (Barr Weisman)

Top 10 Short Films:

1. Prayers for Peace (Dustin Grella)
2. Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell)
3. Tell Me Who (David Lipson)
4. Cigarette Candy (Lauren Wolkstein)
5. Born Sweet (Cynthia Wade)
6. Ledo and Ix Go to Town (Emily Carmichael)
7. The Lighthouse (Yelislava Gospodinova)
8. Life on Earth (Jeff Keith)
9. One Night (Laura Jean Cronin)
10. Yulia (Antoine Arditti)

Thanks for all those who have been reading! I had a terrific time at the festival and can't wait until next year.

2010 Atlanta Film Festival: Closing Night

2010-05-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Secret to a Happy Ending (Barr Weisman) ***1/2

In recent years, not only has the Atlanta Film Festival turned opening and closing night into big event films, but they've also strongly catered to local interest. Films like The Lena Baker Story and Last Days of Left Eye have opened the festival in recent years, and Freedom Riders was this year's opener. This year's closing night film was Barr Weisman's The Secret to a Happy Ending, a documentary about the Drive By Truckers, a southern rock band based in Athens, GA. It turns out to be a solidly entertaining rock documentary about a very engaging band.

The Drive by Truckers were formed in 1996 by musicians Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley. At first, they were a small band that released a couple of LP's and went on tour with a revolving door of musicians in the background. In 2001, they had finally set on a stable group and recorded their most ambitious album called Southern Rock Opera. They started to get alot of attention at this point with favorable reviews and a defining point for the band (and a major focus of the film) happened when guitarist Jason Isbell joined the group.

Isbell's narration opens the film fairly ominously as he notes that the idea for the band sounds like one that would never work, but that it did work and he hopes it still will in the future. This certainly promises that we will witness some tension over the next two hours. However, while the film does explore some of the tension, it is done in a more laid back fashion. Weisman is more interested in exploring their inspiration for the songs they write and the emotional impact that music has on both the band and their fans.

One of the most interesting songs is "The Southern Thing", which talks about duality in the south. The band is very proud of their southern roots, but also recognize much of the negative aspects in southern history. For example, witness these powerful lyrics, "You think I'm dumb, maybe not too bright/You wonder how I sleep at night/Proud of the glory, stare down the shame/Duality of the southern thing". The film also talks about the background of many of their other songs, included the song that inspired the film's title.

Last year's festival included a documentary called We Fun, which focused on the local Atlanta music scene. I really disliked the film because the music it chose to showcase was underwhelming and the bands documented came across as egotistical jerks or bizarre performance artists. Thus it was smart for Weisman to focus more on the music than on the interfighting. Two of the band mates were married and later got divorced, one of them (Isbell) eventually leaving the band. The film only briefly covers these topics, which may alienate some viewers, but fits in with the film's overall tone.

Unlike other rock documentaries, you're not going to find the visceral concert footage set in large venues. Weisman's film definitely has a rough edge to it, but that not only fits in with the dive bars and local playhouses that the band performs in, but also the 70s style rock sound that the band so memorably captures. The Secret to a Happy Ending is a documentary that features great music and winning personalities. It is a terrific choice for closing night and definitely a "Happy Ending" for the festival.

2010 Atlanta Film Festival: Day Eight

2010-04-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

I spent my final full day of the festival watching as many shorts programs as I could. The results were mixed, but there were some wonderful short films among this year's crop.

Lesbian Shorts

(Still from Yulia)

The Roe Effect (Kiel Scott) **1/2

Unpleasant and depressing story about two female high school students in a relationship, but an unwanted pregnancy threatens to destroy their relationship. This one has a really bad ending.

Simple Pleasures (Matthew Mendelson) **

I know it's a short film. but very little happens in this one. A woman tries to rekindle a romance with her co-worker, but finds someone else. Yawn. The director tries mixing up the narrative, but his attempt is not successful at making this film interesting.

Public Relations (Gianna Sobol) ***

The two lead actresses (Summer Bishil, Sienna Farall) are so appealing in this one and the film has such a bubbly spirit that I'm surprised it wasn't made as a feature. Supporting characters are annoying caricatures, but the ingratiating leads carry the day.

To Comfort You (Marc Saltarelli) ***

Moving story about a worried mother calling her sick daughter. The title has a double meaning as it becomes quickly clear as the phone is just as much about comforting the mother. Depressing story, but it contains some very good acting from both leads.

Yulia (Antoine Arditti) ***

Animated story of a single woman who gets electrocuted and finds herself in an empty room with no doors, but five levers labeled with different items (Chair, Hammer, Man, Cat, and a Heart). When the heart lever finally gets pulled, the result is much different than what she originally imagined. Unfortunately, I think it was a mistake to include this as part of the Lesbian Shorts program, since that telegraphs the ending. Still, it's a cute story with a memorable animation style.

One Night (Laura Jean Cronin) ***1/2

Utilizing a clever editing style, this short tells the story of a young woman who went to a lesbian bar the night before and got home bloody and bruised. The film intercuts between these two moments and unravels pieces to the story a bit at a time. The resolution is unexpected and emotionally gripping. Only drawback is one key scene that is poorly directed.

Comedy Shorts

(Still from Winner: Best Short Film)

Winner: Best Short Film (Peter Meech) ***

Danny Caine is a filmmaker hot on the heels of winning Sundance with a short film that was 5 seconds long (including end credits and a blooper reel). Now he's at the home of a hollywood producer, trying to convince him that he's ready to direct a big budget feature. Intermittently amusung, but the funniest part comes at the end when they show the 5 second film.

The World of Film Festivals (Jim Jacob) ***1/2

Very simple film is just one guy talking about the ins and outs of film festivals. The actor (director Jacob himself) really knows how to sell deadpan humor. This was one of the funniest of the program.

Quality Time (Colin Marshall) **

Two brothers reunite due to their father's sickness and get into a series of spats and misadventures. Tries for a mixture of humor and pathos, but it is not very funny and the two leads are unlikeable jerks.

Follicle Frolic (Mark Potts) ***

3 minute short film about a strange man who is obsessed with his male roommate's long, flowing hair. The director utilizes voiceover to create some very funny moments and the ending is certainly unexpected.

The Apostles (Jeff Chan) ***

What if Jesus skipped out on the bill during The Last Supper and the apostles argued over how to handle it? Has enough funny moments to work, but doesn't quite live up to thwe premise's full potential.

The Ballad of Friday and June (Tate English) **1/2

Story of a lady and her talking puppet dog. I wrote a pretty scathing review of this one before the festival, but I actually liked it a bit better this time around. The puppet dog's final line is admittedly very funny and the attempts at pathos seemed to work better.

Helium Man (Nicholas Piper) ***

Funny story about a young man who overdoses on helium and now has the ability to float. He discusses with his friend how they can utilize this power to make him a superhero. This short takes a limited premise and infuses it with enough humor to make it work.

How to Ride a Train (Katie Dillon) ***

Taking inspiration from a book written for women in the 1920's, explaining how they should ride a train, director Katie Dillon delivers a very funny little short imaginging just how the idea for that book happened. It's a short, simply joke, but it's a good one.

Pet Peeves (Brooke Adams) *1/2

Sherry has just recently moved in with Jack, bringing along her dog OJ. Jack and OJ do not get along and he is frustrated by the way she pampers the dog. At 22 minutes, this is the longest film in this program, and there's really no reason for that. It's played too broadly and aims for a clever twist that is not funny at all.

Spleenectomy (Kirsten Smith) **

A couple big names headline this short, in which Anna Faris plays an actress who is turned down for a role as a doctor, because theater director Larry Miller doesn't find her convincing. An opportunity presents itself for her to prove him wrong. This is all played so broadly that I'm sure it will be a sitcom following Two and a Half Men next fall.

Looking For Love Shorts

(Still from Tell Me Who)

The Regular (Jamie Kirkpatrick) ***

A nice guy is striking out at a bar as all the chicks seem more interesting the psuedo suave ladies men. Things change when he takes the mic. Very simple idea with terrific execution, although the ending contains a twist that is unnecessary.

Mister Green (Greg Pak) *1/2

Set in a future where global warming has devastated the Earth, a government official has his eyes opened to the path for a better tomorrow. I really liked the visual style to the film, but man is this just a dreadfully preachy story. It sure takes alot of nerve to use a Gandhi quote at the end to drive home the point.

Further Lane (Mesh Flinders) ***

This story is told with a mysterious tone and follows the goings on at a beach house. Very interesting short that showcases some natural directing talent from Flinders. He composes shots very well and utilizes to a minimalist storytelling format to good effect.

Greased (Roxine Helberg) **

Story of a young couple involved in a radical political organization. One of them may know a secret. Will they tell or commit the ultimate betrayal? another short where the directors shows a nice visual sense, but doesn't have an interesting story at all.

Tell Me Who (David Lipson) ****

Clearly the class of this program and one of the best shorts of this year's festival, this story is about a young man who doesn't have much luck with females, but gets a surprise letter from a secret admirer who is leaving town the next day. He makes it a mission to track this woman down before she leaves. It's a wonderfully executed story. Director David Lipson excels at creating a natural rhythm for plot progression and does a great job of populating the background of his shots with nice details (most memorable is a shot of the hero leaving a photo store with the clerk watching him from inside). He's also willing to let the audience figure things out without beating them over the head, a rare commodity even amongst independent filmmakers these days.

The Tedious Existence of Terrell B. Howell (David Silverman) ***

Terrell B. Howell is a boring, strait laced man whose monotonous daily routine is upset when a young woman comes on to him at the gas station. Much of the style and tone is borrowed from Desperate Housewives and they go pretty far for the joke, but the lead performance by Steve Coulter is terrific. He nails every single line reading and almost singlehandedly makes this movie work.

African-American Shorts

(Still from She Got Problems)

Life on Earth (Jeff Keith) ***1/2

Memorable story about a very depressing situation. Lea is 18 years old and is about to age out of the foster system. A social worker has suggester to her and others in the same situation to look for careers in low leverl service jobs. Lea rebels against this idea, inspired by her experiences with plant life. This is an inspiring story about not giving up on your dreams, no matter the situation.

Jackson Parish (Edward McDonald) ***

A successful businessman returns home to the deep south to visit his estranged father. He gets mixed up in a dispute between his father and a mean-spirited white neighbor who is sitting on their land. Thoughtful story is a nice piece of character study with some really impressive acting.

I Own You (Gary Anthony Williams) **1/2

A married interracial couple find out that her ancestors owned his as slaves. What starts off as a joke begins to cause problems when he starts (with prompting from friends) interpreting innocent statements as being racist. Everything is played out in a broad sitcom style, which ruins alot of the humor. However, there are some undeniably funny moments.

Train (Darius Clark Monroe) ***1/2

A young man notices a woman being attacked on a train, but has a hard time getting up the courage to help her. Only 7 minutes long, but this packs a powerful punch and will certainly put you in the mind of the main character, making you wonder how you'd act in the same situation.

She Got Problems (Alison McDonald) ***

Alison McDonald both directed and stars in this very, very funny comedy about an African-American woman who is frustrated at her inability to find a man. McDonald does a great job of mixing different techniques, including documentary style interviews, musical numbers, and animation. And she also brings a winning screen presence to the film.

Asbury Park (Robert Anderson) *1/2

Melodramatic tale of a man returning home after a jail sentence. Director Robert Anderson showcases an eye for creating a sense of time and place, but the story is pretty weak and plays out like an After School special. The climactic contains some very bad overacting.

Drama Shorts

(Still from Ana's Playground)

Metropolis Ferry (Juan Gautier) **1/2
Returning from Morocco, David and his brothers witness an incident at the Spanish border and decide to do something about it. The film is well made, but the story doesn't really go anywhere interesting. It is probably a bit too intricate for a short film and the director could use some more time to explore what he wants to do.

Cigarette Candy (Lauren Wolkstein) ***1/2

A marine returns home after serving in Iraq, but has difficulty playing the part of hero to his hometown family and friends because it doesn't fit with the horrible memories of what happened. This short film is extremely well written and the director and actors know how to play this dramatic story without going over the top. The final shot is outstanding.

Confession (Enrico Marcellino) ***

Extremely short film runs only 2 minutes. It's about a Catholic man who goes to confession and asks forgiveness for something he is about to do. Predictable, but still pretty shocking.

The Odds (Paloma Baeza) ***

Interesting choice for the Drama Shorts program, because this film is actually quite funny. A casino owner interrogates a man to find out how he cheated to win so many hands in a row. The discussion goes back and forth and the interrogater is amusingly made to look like a fool. The final twist was unfortunate, because I think the film worked much better without it.

Puppets of War (Corey Ellis, Francis McDonald) **

Take All Quiet on the Western Front, replace the live actors with puppets, and that's pretty much what you get here. The puppetry work is admittedly impressive, but the fact that it's puppets makes it difficult for the film to build dramatic tension.

Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell) ****

Terrific short film with surprisingly strong production values. In an unnamed war torn country, a group of kids are playing soccer when the ball accidentally ends up in the middle of a sniper zone. A little girl decides to enter the area and try to retreive the ball, but must figure out how to dodge the sniper's shots. Really impressive story with a vivid backdrop. I wouldn't mind seeing this developed into a feature length film.

2010 Atlanta Film Festival: Day Seven

2010-04-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

Only one of the films really stood out, but thankfully there were no misfires either. This is shaping up to be one of the best year's in festival history.

CUTUD: The Crossing (Scott Wurth) ***

Here is another festival documentary with a religious theme. It follows a group in the Philippines who re-enact the crucifixion of Christ. And it's not a magic show with a bunch of fancy tricks. These people actually get nailed to the cross. Wurth's intense and shocking film explores the individuals involved in these ceremonies, the commercialization of the event and the natural controversies that ensue.

The movie explores the history of the event and how the local government has had changing opinions about it. They discuss some of the rivalries, particularly over who gets to be on center cross. Some of the best parts involve the reasons certain individuals participate. For example, Ruben is a man who survived a fall from the third floor of a building and now feels he owes it to God for saving him. Another man is recovered from a drug habit and wants to prove to God that he is truly reformed.

The film builds to the climactic moments where we see the participants nailed to the cross. It is as disturbing and shocking as you'd expect it to be, but also a revealing testament to what people will do if they strongly believe in something. If there's a problem here, the film is too short. At only 42 minutes, the film doesn't have enough time to explore the many subplots and controversies it brings up. It certainly held my interest, but left me wanting more.

Handsome Harry (Bette Gordon) ***

Another Pink Peach selection, Handsome Harry is a surprisingly laid back film considering the nature of the plot. It's about a Vietnam vet named Harry (Jamey Sheridan) who gets a call from dying former war buddy Tom Kelly (Steve Buscemi). Tom wants to make amends for something they both did to a fellow soldier (Campbell Scott). It quickly becomes clear (especially since we know it's a Pink Peach film) that they beat this person up because he was gay.

The film follows the structure of a road trip movie as Harry travels to meet the other members of the unit that were involved in the beating, finding that they have all gone in wildly different direction and have varying opinions about the actions they took. The structure is just a little too neat. The story goes from A to B to C in a rather ordinary fashion and I wish they had dispensed with some ill-advised subplots, like Harry's dalliance with the wife of one of his former buddies.

The best thing about the film is the nuanced acting by both Jamey Sheridan and Campbell Scott. This movie doesn't to the grand melodrama that the backstory would seem to suggest. There are only a handful of scenes between the two characters, but they are all a fine example of exquisite acting. It's nice to see both a director and actors have enough confidence in the material that they don't need to overplay everything. They bring the film to a wonderfully bittersweet ending.

The Eyes of Me (Keith Maitland) ***

The Eyes of Me is a documentary that follows a year in the life of four high school students. that's certainly nothing new for a documentary, but the difference here is that all four students are blind and they are attending the Texas School for the Blind. Keith Maitland's film is an interesting exploration of how different people cope with this problem.

Certanly the student that will get the most attention is Chas, a Senior who lives in his own apartment and struggles both with schoolwork and paying his bills. He has a dream of being a rapper and is so dedicated that he will run a really long cord outside his apartment to steal electricity for his computer. He's a compelling figure that definitely has ups and downs during his senior year.

The two female students, Meghan and Denise, are also very interesting, providing a strong emotional arc to the film. The one student who doesn't come across well is Isaac, who is not very likeable as portrayed in the film. Whenever he was on screen, I was looking forward to the film switching back to one of the other kids. It's not a perfect documentary, but Maitland does a number of things right (including some incredibly well done animated interludes) that make this a winning documentary.

8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan) ***1/2

Last year's opening night film was a politically themed documentary based on the writings of Howard Zinn. Zinn narrated the film and had an ill-advised blunt opening sequence about modern politics that probably lost alot of the audience wasn't already on his side. Well, I'm glad to report that 8: The Mormon Proposition is a politically themed documentary that avoids this mistake by focusing on a more emotional appeal.

Reed Cowan's film is about the battle over Proposition 8 in the 2008 California election, where the state was voting on whether to ban same sex marriage. Going in, I expected the film to take a direct harsh attack on the Mormon church for its policies and there is certainly some of that, but what makes this film so good is the decision to focus on one gay couple and their emotional appeal to be accepted and allowed to marry.

By doing this, Cowan makes an argument that will be more successful in reaching out to those on the fence. The film opens with their marriage and shows just how important that is to them. It's hard for even the most cold hearted person to not be somewhat touched by their enthusiasm and love for one another. Their are several attacks against the Mormon church of course, some of them more successful than others, but this film finds its true power in the simple story of two memorable people in love fighting a society that says they shouldn't be.

The Square (Nash Edgerton) ***

Nash Edgerton's The Square is preceded by one of his earlier short films called Spider (which will also be the case in the theatrical release). which does a great job of getting the audience ready for his dark sense of humor. This is one of the chief pleasures of The Square, a film noir with some fairly standard elements that is elevated by Edgerton's artistry.

Raymond Yale (David Roberts) is a married man having an affair with Carla (Claire van der Boom), who is also married. Carla notices her husband has some money stashed in the attic and hatches a plan with Raymond to steal the money and have the house burned down so her husband will think the cash was lost in the fire. It doesn't go as smoothly as hoped and they must now deal with the consequences as their lives begin to spin out of control.

One of the pleasures of flms like this is watching the perfect plan foiled piece by piece. But Edgerton adds some really twisted humor in this film, especially during a scene where a dog is swimming to meet another dog. This makes it more interesting than your standard film noir. The only complaint here is that Edgerton lets come scene run too long and includes scenes that should have been excised altogether. The pacing is problematic at times, especially during the middle section. Still, it's a stylish, darkly funny movie that is a strong start for a filmmaker that seems to have a bright future.

2010 Atlanta Film Festival: Day Six

2010-04-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

The festival had a slow start, but the past few days have been really strong and for the most part today continued that trend...

The Battle of Pussy Willow Creek (Wendy Jo Cohen) ***

The Battle of Pussy Willow Creek is one of the lost stories of the civil war. Six hundred union soldiers defended against a Confederate army of over three thousand. They were successful at preventing a planned invasion of Washington D.C. Unfortunately, this story was hushed up by both sides because they didn’t want it getting out that the union army was led by a gay colonel, an elderly Chinese immigrant, a one-armed prostitute, and a nerdy escaped slave. Wendy Jo Cohen’s movie finally sheds light on this incredibly important battle.

Of course, this is all made up. It’s actually a mockumentary and it’s certainly a fun one at that. The story is played out like a Ken Burns documentary and the funniest part of the movie is that the director really nails the Ken Burns style. She uses a self serious narrator to take us through the events, supported by interview segments with various talking heads (historians, scholars, relatives) and utilizes voiceovers to read the letters written by the participants. When sticking to this general concept, the movie contains some really funny deadpan humor.

Unfortunately, the director felt the need to amp up the humor and the film gets increasingly silly in the second half. Some of the actors playing the historians start to act out instead of playing it straight. One of the interview segments is on a street corner with some prostitutes. And yet another interview segment shows a naked man in the background. The event itself is already silly and treating it seriously was what made it funny. Adding silliness on top of that makes the film lose its balance. It’s still funny enough for me to consider it a good film, but it could have been so much more if the director had more confidence to see her vision through to the end.

The Things We Carry (Ian McCrudden) **1/2

The Things We Carry is such a well-intentioned film and feels so personal for the filmmakers that it pains me to say it is just not very good. It follows the story of a young woman who is returning home after her mother’s death. This forces her to reconnect with her estranged sister, who stayed in their hometown to look after their mother. The two work out their differences as they try to track down an item left for them by their mother’s junkie friend.

When focusing on the relationship between the two sisters, the movie does have some merit. The film was developed by two sisters (Alyssa Lobit is the writer and star, Athena Lobit is the producer) and they seem to understand how to authentically portray a sibling relationship. The acting between the two leads (Catherine Kresge plays the other sister) is good enough. It’s when focusing on other aspects of the story that the film falls apart.

The drug subplot is a real problem here. One of the junkie friends (played by Johnny Whitworth) seems to have importance at the beginning of the film, but gets almost completely cut out of the third act for seemingly no reason. The constant flashbacks to memories of their mother are also not handled well, trying to find a balance between how sweet she could be and how her drug addiction caused pain, but mostly just straining credibility. The plot device of having them bond while trying to find this mysterious box is a bit too transparent and creates an unnecessary “big moment” at the end, which seems completely out of place for this film. Less plot devices and more scenes of the two sisters trying to reconnect in a natural setting would have gone a long way toward making this a good movie.

American Jihadist (Mark Claywell) ***

Interesting documentary about Isa Abdullah Ali, an African-American Muslim who is strongly committed to his cause and not afraid of letting anyone know it. This film brings to mind last year’s festival selection American Fugitive: The Truth About Hassan. The major difference here is Ali is walking free, despite a history of taking up arms in defense of his religion. American Jihadist talks about his life and the decisions that led him to where he is today.

Ali isn’t your typical Muslim extremist. He feels as if he is fighting for the downtrodden and will go to many places around the world to carry on that fight. The most interesting is when he moves to Bosnia because the government has taken action against Muslims. Claywell is able to get footage of Ali and his family in Bosnia, where they appear to be very happy and fit in perfectly. He gets candid with Ali and his family, no one seemingly worried about how their frank comments could get them in trouble.

The drawback to the film is that it skips over some important aspects of the story. There’s footage of an interview with the US Secretary of Defense, who says that Ali will be arrested if found. Yet the movie mentions that Ali turns himself in at one point and is immediately released. There’s very little explanation for either why Ali decided to turn himself in or why the US let him go. But this is still an interesting look at the life of a man who passionately believes in something and is surprisingly content with his life.

Documentary Shorts 2

Born Sweet (Cynthia Wade) ***1/2

This 28 minute short (pictured above) tells us about a poor Cambodian village where in the past aid groups dug wells for the citizens, not knowing that they were tapping into arsenic deposits. The result is a town fraught with arsenic poisoning. The film focuses on a specific person, 15 year old Vinh Voeurn, who dreams of being a karaoke star. In the midst of an extremely sad situation, this wonderful film finds hope with a winning conclusion.

No Excuses (Whitney Trower, Michele Richardson) ***

Kyle Maynard is a congenital amputee who owns a gym called No Excuses Athletics. This documentary is only three minutes long and seems mostly designed to shock the audience by showing Maynard’s private workout routine, including an amazing shot of him doing pull ups. He’s an inspirational person, but we barely learn anything about him. He’s certainly interesting enough to deserve more time devoted to him than this.

Pax (Sarah Harvey) ***1/2

This is such a sweet story that it almost feels too good to be true. Sgt. Bill Campbell is an Iraq war veteran on disability due to traumatic brain injury. Through a program called Puppies Behind Bars, he is given a trained dog (named Pax) to help him recover from the trauma. The film documents Bill’s visit to the prison where he meets Laurie, the woman who trained Pax. This is an incredibly moving film that would probably get too sappy if it was any longer, but is just right at 22 minutes.

Woman Rebel (Kiran Deol) ***1/2

At 37 minutes this is one of the longer shorts at the festival and it tells a pretty remarkable story. Silu is a female soldier fighting as part of the revolutionary army in Nepal, a struggle which went on for more than 10 years. The movie shows what happens when the revolutionaries and the government come to the peace table. Silu ends up running for office and is elected to parliament. It’s a powerful testament to what can happen when people put guns down and seek peaceful solutions.

Cold Weather (Aaron Katz) ****

The day closes with one of the best films of this year's festival. Earlier I wrote about Kentucker Audley’s Open Five and how it fit into the mumblecore genre. Well, Aaron Katz has done something very interesting here by taking the style of mumblecore and infusing it with a mystery premise. The result is a startlingly original movie with a surprising amount of depth and is an outstanding example of independent filmmaking.

Doug (Cris Lankenau) recently dropped out of a forensic science program at college and moved back home to live with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn). He gets a blue collar job where he makes friends with Carlos (Raul Castillo) over their shared enjoyment of Sherlock Holmes novels. When Doug’s ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) fails to show up for a date with Carlos, they begin to get worried and start to investigate her disappearance.

Director Aaron Katz creates some fantastic moments precisely because of what he chooses not to do. There is a sequence that revolves around the need to steal a briefcase in a diner, but Katz only shows us the perspective from outside as we see the getaway car waiting. But this is no ordinary suspense film. The mystery is just a backdrop to explore the relationships between the four leads and the wonderfully natural performances from the cast go a long way toward making this work. Katz has made a wonderful film filled with low-key humor, suspenseful moments, and complex relationships.

2010 Atlanta Film Festival: Day 5

2010-04-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

The festival awards ceremony was held the night before. Films that were in competition were eligible for awards in different categories such as Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, and various awards for shorts voted on by jury members specifically picked for those categories. Here are this year's winners...

Feature Length

Narrative Feature: Putty Hill (Matt Porterfield)
Documentary Feature: Family Affair (Chico Colvard)
Pink Peach Feature: 8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan)

Shorts

Narrative Short: Firstborn (Etienne Kallos)
Narrative Short Hon Mention: Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell)
Documentary Short: Born Sweet (Cynthia Wade)
Documentary Short Hon Mention: Woman Rebel (Kiran Deol)
Animated Short: The Machine (Rob Shaw)
Animated Short Hon Mention: Prayers for Peace (Dustin Grella)
Pink Peach Short: Curious Thing (Alain Hain)

There will also be an audience award announced at the end of the festival. I'll also be handing out my awards when I write my festival wrap up. Now on to today's reviews...

Putty Hill (Matt Porterfield) ***1/2

The first film I see after the awards announcement happens to be the jury winner for Best Narrative Feature. It's easy to see what the jury liked about this movie. There is some really good filmmaking going on here. Putty Hill dissects the hopes and fears of people in a Baltimore neighborhood as they prepare for the funeral of a young man named Corey that was well known in the community. Director Matt Porterfield does a great job of creating a community of people and making the town they live in so recognizable that it feels like an extra character in the film.

Porterfield uses an interesting structure to the film. It's shot like a documentary and there is an off camera voice asking questions to the various characters and capturing various events. But you never get the sense that someone is actually filming a documentary. Even when uncomfortable questions are being asked, none of the characters seem to think they can just stop answering. This helps explain how he can capture certain private moments, like a discussion between Corey's sister and grandmother. It also makes it feel like the viewer is there, like you've traveled to Baltimore to attend the funeral of someone you knew.

Also working in the film's favor is the improvisational style employed. The movie was cast with untrained actors and they improvised most of the dialogue. It creates a real feeling of authenticity as you don't see anyone playing it up for the cameras or suddenly spouting some brilliant dialogue that feels written. The most wonderful moment is the memorial service itself, which takes place at a karaoke bar and the very real heartfelt performances given are quite moving. Putty Hill is a unique, memorable film and is among this year's best festival screenings.

Dear Lemon Lima (Suzi Yoonessi) ****

Adapted from a short film that played at the Atlanta Film Festival three years earlier comes this story of a 13 year old half-Eskimo girl named Vanessa who is recovering from summer heartbreak as she enters a private school. She immediately finds herself at the bottom of the social food chain and her efforts to win back the love of her life are seemingly hopeless. However, she gets a chance to prove herself when she is named captain during the school's Snowstorm Survivor competition, where she picks all the school's cast offs (known as FUBAR's) to be on her team.

This is a fantastic movie that finds a perfect balance of tone. Not one moment is too quirky, nor does it ever get too serious. And the chief reason for that is the wonderful performance of Savanah Wiltfong in the lead role. Knowing that her character already has quirky elements and there's already a sense of silliness to the proceedings, she does something rather remarkable for an actress of her age and actually underplays the character. There's very little showing off on her part. None of her line deliveries are obnoxiously offbeat. She never once makes bizarre facial expressions. Instead, she creates a winning lead character with a low key, nuanced performance.

The film has a wonderful visual style. The sets and costumes are populated with solid bright colors, creating a cheery, positive atmosphere. Writer-director Yoonessi also does a remarkable job creating fully fleshed out supporting characters, including a neighbor boy whose mom is very strict, a popular girl who has more heart than we initially suspect, and especially Vanessa's ex Philip who is certainly played as a stuck up jerk, but a realistic three dimensional jerk. All of this helps creating a wonderful world for her memorable lead character to inhabit. This is a charming, witty, tremendously entertaining film.

Open Five (Kentucker Audley) ***

The term mumblecore has received some controversy, mainly because many of those directors credited with making films in that genre despise the word. But whatever word you use, it is clear the style of mumblecore is here to stay as you can see it populating the film festival ciruit. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a movement towards more low key, intimate filmmaking and away from the self-conscious overly cynical films that used to dominate the indie scene. As someone who prefers the former to the latter, I find films like Open Five rather refreshing.

The simple plot is befitting of the genre. Two girls from New York come down to Memphis to visit two guys, one of whom is a musician and the other a low budget filmmaker. They visit dive bars, BBQ restaurants, Graceland, energetic churches. They talk about their relationships and how they'll continue once the trip is over. For the most part, this is really solid stuff. The people involved are interesting, and the improvisational dialogue style really works.

The only major issue I had with the film was the awkward shooting angles used in many scenes. Many of them are shot with us looking at the back of a character's head. This awkward blocking is really distracting. Now I know the essence of mumblecore is to film on extremely small budgets and the improvisational style makes it hard to get coverage, but there had to be a better way to shoot these scenes. Otherwise it's a nice, relaxing film and a good example of the mumblecore genre.

Yellowbrickroad (Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton) ***1/2

Yellowbrickroad has a very interesting mystery premise. In 1940 the entire town of Friar, NH walked north on a trail into the woods. They never returned. Teddy Barnes (Michael Laurino) is someone who has always been obsessed with this story, and finally (after being stonewalled for years) has been given the information he needs to find the trail. He gathers a crew, including his wife, a psychiatrist, a local resident, a couple friends and they head north to find answers.

This is a really good example of the horror/suspense genre, and will certainly be enjooyed by fans of Lost and The Twilight Zone. Directors Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton make some really good choices throughout the film. Most notably, they use a minimalist sound design to create some really strong atmosphere. There is no score to speak of and that creates a sense of loneliness for the characters. Also, when sound is used it provides a strong contrast to the rest of the film and is actually quite frightening.

A problem that suspense films of this nature usually run into is that the premise is so intriguing that there is no way the eventual explanation can live up to that. But Yellowbrickroad avoids that problem by setting up the story where the answers are not the driving force, but moreso what certain characters are willing to do to get those answers. There is one particularly impressive shot where the filmmakers create a genuine scare with some smart editing techniques and their understanding that you don't need to linger on every big moment. Moments like this are what makes Yellowbrickroad a winning horror/suspense film.

Winter's Bone (Debra Granik) ***1/2

One of the most impressive things I've noticed at this year's festival is that several films have done a terrific job of creating a real sense of place and community. Films like Exit 117, Putty Hill, and The Mountain Thief have all been successful at accomplishing this. Sundance favorite Winter's Bone manages to do the same with a deeply observed portrait of people living in the Ozarks.

Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is a 17 year old girl who is raising her two younger siblings all by herself. Her mother is mentally ill and never speaks. Her father is a criminal who is out on bail and has put up the house as collateral. When he fails to show for his court date, Ree must go out and find him (or his body) or risk losing the only thing her family has left. Her journey takes us through many different parts of this community and gives us a sense of the sad, desperate lives that they lead.

This is a film filled with wonderfully rich characterizations. Most notable is John Hawkes performance as Ree's uncle Teardrop. What first appears to simply be nothing more than a dangerous villain turns out to be a fascinatingly complex individual. Hawkes is an actor I've noticed before (on Deadwood and in previous ATLFF closing night film Me and You and Everyone We Know), but this performance is his crowning achievement. Debra Granik's story does go in some unexpected directions and takes us on a dark, suspenseful journey through the Ozarks.

2010 Atlanta Film Festival: Day Four

2010-04-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

A wildly uneven day with one of the best movies I've ever seen at the festival, and also one of the worst...

Exit 117 (Kevin James McMullin) ***1/2

Here's a nice little slice of life about a group of friends just graduated from high school that are trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Now that description sounds pretty generic. It's certainly a common premise for independent films and I was disappointed in last year's similarly themed The New Twenty. However, Exit 117's winning characters help make this one of the better examples of this genre.

It's quite an achievement for writer-director Kevin James McMullin that he's able to create characters that are so sharply drawn and multi-dimensional when he's dealing with so many of them. There are at least 7 central characters and many other supporting that are also well drawn. The decision to hire actors with no experience pays off because they give very natural performances that help create a sense of authenticity.

Also remarkable is that the film was made for only $850, yet McMullin was able to craft it so well that there were no technical issues hampering enjoyment of the film. In fact, there are several impressive shots throughout and the director is really able to create a nice sense of place in this seemingly dead end New Jersey town. The plot description mentions that it is meant to be an antidote to MTV's Jersey Shore and they've certainly accomplished that. This is a positive, uncynical look at real people with real hopes and fears.

The Myth of Time (Jaguar X) 1/2*

A surrealist film from director Jaguar X (whatever) based on the Mayan creation myth. This is one dreadful film and I pretty much hated every single second of it. It is overly pretentious filmmaking at its worst and possibly the worst film I have ever seen in 11 years of attending the Atlanta Film Festival.

I had to read the guide to get the plot because I barely understood anything that happened. Apparently, it's about "The Dark Eyed One ... and his experiences as a child solider, first love, and ultimately The Revelation". That's great, but I shouldn't have to read the press kit to figure out what I just saw. Example: There's a tribal scene where a white man keeps repeatedly talking about what his "Negro mother" is going to do to the hero. I'm sure Mr. Jaguar X knows what that means, but I'm honestly not interested.

The film is also extremely unpleasant. It's filled with ugly violence (at one point, there's a series of shots showing kids being murdered) and disturbing sexual situations. I've seen worse in other movies, but without a narrative that makes sense it is just unpleasant and difficult to watch. As things got worse and worse, I started to pass the time by counting how many people walked out of the screening. My final number came to 18.

The Mountain Thief (Gerry Balasta) ****

There's perhaps no bigger contrast between two movies than The Mountain Thief and The Myth of Time. There's also perhaps no better way to illustrate my taste in film than the different approaches made by these two filmmakers. The Mountain Thief is a genuinely heartfelt story that is the very antithesis of pretentious filmmaking.

Director Gerry Balasta tells us a story about a poor family that lives in a Philippines garbage town, where trash has been dumped so often that it has actually created a mountain of garbage. The people in this community make their living by collecting trash and there seems to be very little hope of finding a way out, especially since it makes more financial sense for the family to have children helping than sending them to school. Julio and his blind child Ingo are barely getting by when tragedy strikes and threatens not only their place in the community, but more importantly their rights to collect garbage.

Instead of hiring professional actors, Balasta picked his cast from people that lived in the garbage town and conducted an acting workshop with them. The result is (much like Exit 117) natural acting that manages to be quite affecting. The film also looks beautiful, with many grand shots of the mountain, suggesting that despite the misery that these people live in, the mountain takes on an almost mythic quality and is seemingly revered by the characters. After all, it's all they've got. The end credits contain information on the real people involved, and what Balasta has helped do for them since the movie was made. If you don't find this moving, then you must have made a deal with the devil.

Who Saw Him? (Claudia Rorarius) **

From the Pink Peach program (films about LGBT issues) comes this strange German film from director Claudia Rorarius. It follows a gay man in his thirties as he attempts to find the father that he last saw 25 years earlier. This journey takes him to Italy where he tries to get on a family reunion show hosted by a transvestite.

The most odd thing about this movie is the bleak and flat tone. This is a very dry story that lacks any kind of emotional power, which is a serious detriment for a story that feels very personal. After all, the lead actor is playing himself and the story is based on events in his own life. Thus, it seems like a bizarre choice for the director to hold back so much in almost every single scene.

Gianni Meurer does a solid job playing himself in the lead role. There is one long monologue halfway through where the film seems to pick up some emotional momentum. But the director quickly puts a halt to that. It's also a rather unpleasant film to look at as the filmmaker overemphasizes darkness to set the mood. With little emotion and an awful visual scheme, the is an unpleasant film to watch.

Animation Extravaganza

This is always one of my favorite programs at the festival and I was actually disappointed that they reverted back to one program instead of the two they showed last year. (Note: some of these were pre-screened and the reviews are repeated here)...

The Adventures of Ledo and Ix (Emily Carmichael) ***

Animated short that follows two video game characters from an old fashioned Final Fantasy-style adventure game (see picture above) as they ponder their existence and wander into that black space past the edge of the map. It's a clever premise with funny and solid execution

The Anchorite (Matthew Maloney) ***

This one uses a haunting visual style to tell the story of a homeless artist struggling to complete a mural and to find a place for himself. Interesting story that is wonderful to look at.

The Fence Underneath Us (Steven Bednar) **1/2

A fox narrates about his life on a fox farm, discovering that there is a fence underneath preventing him from tunneling out. This one is only 3 minutes and too short to be memorable.

Goodbye Mr. Pink (Helen Piercy) ***1/2

A mixture of live action and stop motion animation is used tell this story about a rabbit that has just died and two kids discussing what the rabbit's afterlife will be like. They are unaware that their words have a direct effect on the rabbit's afterlife. This is a charming story with many hilarious moments.

Happy and Strictly in 'Fuzzy Business' (Robert Paraguassu, Layne Braunstein) ***

Two animated characters (kinda shaped like the ghosts in Pac Man) that appear to be street cleaners pass the time by dreaming about being so rich they can start their own Bearline (get it?). Amusing enough and impressive animation considering this was made in 48 hours.

Horn Dog (Bill Plympton) **1/2

The fourth in Bill Plympton's animated shorts series about an oddly shaped dog (kinda looks like a really fat bat) and his comic misadventures. Last year I enjoyed previous entry in the series Fire Dog. In this one, he takes a liking to an exquisite female show dog, but her owner isn't happy about it. This one has a couple funny moments, but the twist isn't very funny and the hero not quite as likeable this time around.

Ledo and Ix Go to Town (Emily Carmichael) ***1/2

Remember those old school RPG's when you finally found a new town but were constantly frustrated at all the NPC townsfolk that were absolutely useless? That's where our heroes Ledo and Ix find themselves in this hilarious sequel than surpasses its predecessor. Other hilarious bits involve Ix's obsessions with upgrading and equipping weapons and Ledo's struggle to take a chicken out of town.

The Lighthouse (Yelislava Gospodinova) ***1/2

A lighthouse keeper is horrified by the death of birds that are attracted to his lighthouse and keep crashing through the windows to their deaths. He comes up with a solution, but it could have tragic consequences. Eerie story that feels like an animated Twilight Zone episode. Black and white animation style adds alot to the atmosphere.

The Machine (Rob Shaw) ***

Second time seeing this one and I liked it alot more this time around. A machine powered by gears (and nickels) tells a story about a man that creates a robot and watches the robot destroy everything and everyone. Has an interesting animation style and haunting score, but the ending is still a bit predictable.

Prayers For Peace (Dustin Grella) ****

Incredibly moving story about a man dealing with the loss of his brother who was a soldier that died in Iraq. This was drawn using pastels on a chalkboard and we see each scene drawn from scratch. This helps create an intimate, emotional vibe. There's a shocking audio cue at the end that shows just how personal the film is for director Dustin Grella.

Spaceman on Earth (Shant Hamassian) ***

Another animated outing that combines animation and live action. This is a funny science fiction story set in the 50s about an astronaut hero who keeps accidentally annoying his alien neighbor to no end and eventually finds himself on the run as a suspected communist.

The Story of Scrivener and His Aislyn (Evan Curtis) ***

One of the more disappointing entries in this program. The idea is solid: a young boy finds a film canister in the ocean and falls in love with the power of movies. He goes about filming things with his old camera. I love the use of old film footage inserted into the animation, creating a nice constrast to get across the point of how powerful the cinema can be. The film just feels like it needed to be fleshed out a bit more to create the kind of magic it is looking for.