My task of watching and reviewing the 10 Oscar Best Picture nominees is almost complete as last night I watched The Fighter. Now all that is left to see is Winter's Bone.
Having watched both the Critic's Choice Awards and the Golden Globe Awards where Christian Bale took home the award for Best Supporting Actor at both shows, I was anxious to see whether or not I agreed with the verdict. Boy do I ever. Bale's acting was tremendous. The Fighter is a story of second chances, third chances, fourth chances, twenty seventh chances...Dicky Eklund (Bale) is a once great boxer from Massachusetts who is known at the Pride of Lowell for having gone toe-to-toe against Sugar Ray Leonard in '78. It's Dicky who gets his younger half-brother, Micky (Marky Mark Wahlberg) interested in boxing, because, as many younger siblings do, Micky wants to do everything that his hero, his brother, does. Despite Dicky having a debilitating crack cocaine addiction, Micky and his family (9 total siblings - 7 girls!) always support him, maybe too much. It's not until his umpteenth arrest and incarceration that Micky realizes he may need to distance himself from his brother in order to have a shot at making it big. With the help of his father and girlfriend (a fantastic Amy Adams -- she can portray a tough chick and a wide-eyed princess) Micky finally starts to live up to his potential.
Overall, The Fighter was a good film. It's not my favorite of the Oscar nominated films, but I absolutely can see its merit. Christian Bale deserves the Best Supporting Actor nomination and I kind of believe that he deserved to be nominated for Best Leading Actor, but I suppose Marky Mark was the main actor of the film.
Updated Ranking
1. Black Swan
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. Inception
4. The King's Speech
5. True Grit
6. 127 Hours
7. Toy Story 3
8. The Fighter
9. The Social Network
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Crimes and Misdemeanors
The first Woody Allen film I ever remember seeing was "What's New Pussycat". I couldn't have been older than 8 years old and my mother wanted to show it to me as she hadn't seen it since the '60s but remembered it being hilarious. That was my introduction to Woody Allen. 14 years later and many Woody Allen movies under my belt, I happened upon one on Netflix instant stream I hadn't seen before called "Crimes and Misdemeanors".
If ever "What's New Pussycat" had an antithesis, it would be "Crimes and Misdemeanors". The slapstick over the top comedy of the former is met in the latter with tragedy not only in the form of unrequited love and a failed career but also in the form of a very serious crime, hence the title. There are two plots that run the length of the film without ever interacting until the very last scene. In one, Judah, an aging optometrist (Martin Landau), is 2 years into an extramarital relationship that is getting out of control as the woman he is cheating on his wife with (Anjelica Huston) is essentially blackmailing him into leaving his wife of many many years. Judah must choose between wrecking his home life by telling his wife and family about the affair or doing something about the other woman. This plot is very Bergmanesque (I know, I know oy with the pretentious liberal arts thing) in that it is filled with all the big existential questions: What is religion? Is there a God? Can morality exist in a world devoid of a system of ethical rules?
The second plot is much lighter, I suppose. Woody Allen portrays a documentary filmmaker stuck in a marriage to a woman he is no longer in love with and with whom he hasn't slept since April 20th of last year ("I remember because it was Hitler's birthday"). He is charged with producing a film about his successful TV producer brother-in-law (Alan Alda, oh how I love you) when he'd much rather be putting together a documentary about an astounding philosophy professor. Lester is one of those Hollywood types who thinks only in dollars and cents and whose catchphrase: "If it bends, it's comedy. If it breaks, it's not" he repeats relentlessly to the point that I didn't even know what it meant anymore by the end of the film. Allen and Alda's characters couldn't be more opposite. Allen's Cliff constantly mocks Alda's superficial Lester, but when it comes down to it, he really envies him for his celebrity and all that it brings him. A light plot in the beginning ends sadly as Lester bests Cliff in a way that really counts.
Filmed in '89, "Crimes and Misdemeanors" carries a lot of similar tones as Allen's later film, "Match Point", but still manages to retain a comedic element that was definitely not present in "Match Point". It surprised me that I didn't like "Crimes and Misdemeanors" as much as I thought I would. I think that can be attributed in part to the cast. It was particularly off-putting to see the normally independent, eloquent, albeit older Anjelica Huston portray a psychotically desperate young woman who has no qualms about breaking up a decades-old marriage, because she is obsessed with her adulterous significant other.
"We're all faced throughout our lives with agonizing decisions, moral choices. Some are on a grand scale, most of these choices are on lesser points. But we define ourselves by the choices we have made. We are, in fact, the sum total of our choices. Events unfold so unpredictably, so unfairly, human happiness does not seem to be included in the design of creation. It is only we, with our capacity to love that give meaning to the indifferent universe. And yet, most human beings seem to have the ability to keep trying and even try to find joy from simple things, like their family, their work, and from the hope that future generations might understand more."
I love Woody Allen, but "Crimes and Misdemeanors" just isn't one of my favorites, although it did have some redeeming qualities. Maybe it will grow on me with age, because it certainly seems geared toward a relatively older audience. I'm sticking with "Annie Hall", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Match Point", "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" for now. A good project would be to watch all of Allen's films when I have the time!
If ever "What's New Pussycat" had an antithesis, it would be "Crimes and Misdemeanors". The slapstick over the top comedy of the former is met in the latter with tragedy not only in the form of unrequited love and a failed career but also in the form of a very serious crime, hence the title. There are two plots that run the length of the film without ever interacting until the very last scene. In one, Judah, an aging optometrist (Martin Landau), is 2 years into an extramarital relationship that is getting out of control as the woman he is cheating on his wife with (Anjelica Huston) is essentially blackmailing him into leaving his wife of many many years. Judah must choose between wrecking his home life by telling his wife and family about the affair or doing something about the other woman. This plot is very Bergmanesque (I know, I know oy with the pretentious liberal arts thing) in that it is filled with all the big existential questions: What is religion? Is there a God? Can morality exist in a world devoid of a system of ethical rules?
The second plot is much lighter, I suppose. Woody Allen portrays a documentary filmmaker stuck in a marriage to a woman he is no longer in love with and with whom he hasn't slept since April 20th of last year ("I remember because it was Hitler's birthday"). He is charged with producing a film about his successful TV producer brother-in-law (Alan Alda, oh how I love you) when he'd much rather be putting together a documentary about an astounding philosophy professor. Lester is one of those Hollywood types who thinks only in dollars and cents and whose catchphrase: "If it bends, it's comedy. If it breaks, it's not" he repeats relentlessly to the point that I didn't even know what it meant anymore by the end of the film. Allen and Alda's characters couldn't be more opposite. Allen's Cliff constantly mocks Alda's superficial Lester, but when it comes down to it, he really envies him for his celebrity and all that it brings him. A light plot in the beginning ends sadly as Lester bests Cliff in a way that really counts.
Filmed in '89, "Crimes and Misdemeanors" carries a lot of similar tones as Allen's later film, "Match Point", but still manages to retain a comedic element that was definitely not present in "Match Point". It surprised me that I didn't like "Crimes and Misdemeanors" as much as I thought I would. I think that can be attributed in part to the cast. It was particularly off-putting to see the normally independent, eloquent, albeit older Anjelica Huston portray a psychotically desperate young woman who has no qualms about breaking up a decades-old marriage, because she is obsessed with her adulterous significant other.
"We're all faced throughout our lives with agonizing decisions, moral choices. Some are on a grand scale, most of these choices are on lesser points. But we define ourselves by the choices we have made. We are, in fact, the sum total of our choices. Events unfold so unpredictably, so unfairly, human happiness does not seem to be included in the design of creation. It is only we, with our capacity to love that give meaning to the indifferent universe. And yet, most human beings seem to have the ability to keep trying and even try to find joy from simple things, like their family, their work, and from the hope that future generations might understand more."
I love Woody Allen, but "Crimes and Misdemeanors" just isn't one of my favorites, although it did have some redeeming qualities. Maybe it will grow on me with age, because it certainly seems geared toward a relatively older audience. I'm sticking with "Annie Hall", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Match Point", "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" for now. A good project would be to watch all of Allen's films when I have the time!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Peter and Vandy
I took a break from my Oscar-nominated films to watch a film on my instant stream queue that was only available until the 9th called "Peter and Vandy". Holy moly what an amazing find! It's movies like these that slip through the cracks, but when you happen to see them you feel as though you've gotten the wind knocked out of you. The acting, the story, the setting, the cinematography, the soundtrack, my word the soundtrack!
If "(500) Days of Summer" met "Memento" and the two gave birth to a child, it would be a tragic yet totally hip love story named "Peter and Vandy". The film is told out of chronological order, thus you really must pay attention to details such as a bouquet of flowers, clothing that the actors are wearing, and a picnic basket at one point to deduct the exact moment in the relationship, as opposed to "(500) Days of Summer" in which numbers flash on the screen letting the audience know the exact point in the relationship.
Peter (Jason Ritter) is a neurotic, adorably awkward contempo hipster who hits it off with disarmingly confident Vandy (Jess Weixler) and somehow musters up the courage to ask her out on a date. I won't go into details from there, because frankly it gets a little confusing, but suffice it to say that both actors do a beyond outstanding job. One fight scene in particular was so realistic that I found myself clenching my jaw at the tension and wanting to leave as silently as possible as if I were actually in the room with them!
A third actor in the film was the bloody amazing soundtrack. My goodness was the music good. When the flickering gritty urban imagery of New York at night combined with the sounds of Animal Collective's "Fireworks" --> goosebumps. Songs by Frightened Rabbit, The National, Menomena, and Patrick Wolf were also featured and they were all mind-blowing in their specific scenes.
It's under-the-radar movies like "Peter and Vandy", "Broken English", "2 Days in Paris", "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" that I wish were recognized more often. But then again, I cannot pretend that the pretentious liberal arts student in me selfishly doesn't like to find and keep these kinds movies all to myself and only tell those I deem worthy enough about.
If "(500) Days of Summer" met "Memento" and the two gave birth to a child, it would be a tragic yet totally hip love story named "Peter and Vandy". The film is told out of chronological order, thus you really must pay attention to details such as a bouquet of flowers, clothing that the actors are wearing, and a picnic basket at one point to deduct the exact moment in the relationship, as opposed to "(500) Days of Summer" in which numbers flash on the screen letting the audience know the exact point in the relationship.
Peter (Jason Ritter) is a neurotic, adorably awkward contempo hipster who hits it off with disarmingly confident Vandy (Jess Weixler) and somehow musters up the courage to ask her out on a date. I won't go into details from there, because frankly it gets a little confusing, but suffice it to say that both actors do a beyond outstanding job. One fight scene in particular was so realistic that I found myself clenching my jaw at the tension and wanting to leave as silently as possible as if I were actually in the room with them!
A third actor in the film was the bloody amazing soundtrack. My goodness was the music good. When the flickering gritty urban imagery of New York at night combined with the sounds of Animal Collective's "Fireworks" --> goosebumps. Songs by Frightened Rabbit, The National, Menomena, and Patrick Wolf were also featured and they were all mind-blowing in their specific scenes.
It's under-the-radar movies like "Peter and Vandy", "Broken English", "2 Days in Paris", "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" that I wish were recognized more often. But then again, I cannot pretend that the pretentious liberal arts student in me selfishly doesn't like to find and keep these kinds movies all to myself and only tell those I deem worthy enough about.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Kids Are All Right
There's something about "The Kids Are All Right" that none of the other best picture noms, the ones that I've seen at least, has and that is contemporary relevance. Maybe it's the fact that it takes place in California that made the film more relatable for me. Being from California, you tend to see or even know "non-traditional" families more often than you would in say, the Midwest or the South.
As in any "traditional" (man + woman) marriage and family, marriage between Nic (Annette Benning being phenomenal as usual) and Jules (Julianne Moore being almost even more phenomenal than Benning) and their two children Joni (named after Joni Mitchell, naturally) and Laser (so rad) is no picnic, at least not during the summer before Joni goes to college. Being 2 women, Nic and Jules can't have children the good ole fashioned way and so they go to a sperm bank and pick and choose the sperm from a candidate who is studying International Relations in college at the time. Nic and Jules each bear one child from the candidate's sperm.
18 years later Joni and Laser are curious to meet the man who makes up half of their gene pool. Enter Paul (Mark Ruffalo), perfectly cast as the scruffy, uncoordinated but still outdoorsy, DIY, owner of a "local foods" restaurant and organic co-op garden (ah California I miss thee). The three hit it off, Paul gets introduced to the "Moms" and everything is great for a time. Then life comes in, as it always does. With too much time being spent around Paul by the children and Jules, aspiring landscape artist who is working on making Paul's garden "fecund", Nic gets jealous and the family life begins to deteriorate from there. The question being, "How involved should a sperm donor who got paid $60 a pop for his services once upon a time, be involved in the lives of his biological offspring?"
Throughout the film there are many tantrums thrown by the 18-year old being stifled by her parents, fights between spouses, extreme lacks of communication between the spouses, parents scolding children, etc. The point being that, hey the lesbian married couple both as spouses and parents have just as many problems as any other family. Whodathunk?! People are people. Marriage is difficult regardless of [whatever].
"Marriage is hard... Just two people slogging through the shit, year after year, getting older, changing. It's a fucking marathon, okay? So, sometimes, you know, you're together for so long, that you just... You stop seeing the other person. You just see weird projections of your own junk. Instead of talking to each other, you go off the rails and act grubby and make stupid choices... You know if I read more Russian novels, then..."
I won't use a blogger to go off on a LGBTQIA rights tangent, because, let's face it, ranting on a movie reviewing blog I use as a distraction probably only read by my facebook friends and a handful of others is just absurd. Suffice it to say that The Kids Are All Right is, in my very humble opinion, the only Oscar Best Picture nominee that deals with something so relevant in 21st American society. I have yet to see The Fighter or Winter's Bone, but I'll get around to that this week sometime. Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right has quickly shot up to my number 2 spot due to its portrayal of a modern American family.
Updated Ranking:
1. Black Swan
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. Inception
4. The King's Speech
5. True Grit
6. 127 Hours
7. Toy Story 3
8. The Social Network
As in any "traditional" (man + woman) marriage and family, marriage between Nic (Annette Benning being phenomenal as usual) and Jules (Julianne Moore being almost even more phenomenal than Benning) and their two children Joni (named after Joni Mitchell, naturally) and Laser (so rad) is no picnic, at least not during the summer before Joni goes to college. Being 2 women, Nic and Jules can't have children the good ole fashioned way and so they go to a sperm bank and pick and choose the sperm from a candidate who is studying International Relations in college at the time. Nic and Jules each bear one child from the candidate's sperm.
18 years later Joni and Laser are curious to meet the man who makes up half of their gene pool. Enter Paul (Mark Ruffalo), perfectly cast as the scruffy, uncoordinated but still outdoorsy, DIY, owner of a "local foods" restaurant and organic co-op garden (ah California I miss thee). The three hit it off, Paul gets introduced to the "Moms" and everything is great for a time. Then life comes in, as it always does. With too much time being spent around Paul by the children and Jules, aspiring landscape artist who is working on making Paul's garden "fecund", Nic gets jealous and the family life begins to deteriorate from there. The question being, "How involved should a sperm donor who got paid $60 a pop for his services once upon a time, be involved in the lives of his biological offspring?"
Throughout the film there are many tantrums thrown by the 18-year old being stifled by her parents, fights between spouses, extreme lacks of communication between the spouses, parents scolding children, etc. The point being that, hey the lesbian married couple both as spouses and parents have just as many problems as any other family. Whodathunk?! People are people. Marriage is difficult regardless of [whatever].
"Marriage is hard... Just two people slogging through the shit, year after year, getting older, changing. It's a fucking marathon, okay? So, sometimes, you know, you're together for so long, that you just... You stop seeing the other person. You just see weird projections of your own junk. Instead of talking to each other, you go off the rails and act grubby and make stupid choices... You know if I read more Russian novels, then..."
I won't use a blogger to go off on a LGBTQIA rights tangent, because, let's face it, ranting on a movie reviewing blog I use as a distraction probably only read by my facebook friends and a handful of others is just absurd. Suffice it to say that The Kids Are All Right is, in my very humble opinion, the only Oscar Best Picture nominee that deals with something so relevant in 21st American society. I have yet to see The Fighter or Winter's Bone, but I'll get around to that this week sometime. Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right has quickly shot up to my number 2 spot due to its portrayal of a modern American family.
Updated Ranking:
1. Black Swan
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. Inception
4. The King's Speech
5. True Grit
6. 127 Hours
7. Toy Story 3
8. The Social Network
Saturday, January 29, 2011
127 Hours
Welp, my Oscar-nominated Best Picture film viewing is still going strong 24 hours later. I would much rather be occupying the hours in the day by watching films than have my forearm stuck between a canyon wall and a boulder, which, funnily enough, is exactly how the majority of the action of 127 Hours unravels. Danny Boyle is another director whose work I greatly admire. His films seem to always deal with some sort of human struggle. From highlighting the verrrrry dark side of drug addiction in Trainspotting (the scene with the baby still gives me the willies), to expounding on the true nature of humans (i.e. they are worse than any fictitious monster imaginable) in 28 Days Later, to putting a contemporary spin on the rags-to-riches story in Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle knows how to tell a damn good story. 127 Hours, the film based on events in Aron Ralston's life, is no exception.
In 2003, Aron Ralston was an overly confident and intelligent 28 year-old engineer from Colorado. It was his goal to hike all of the "fourteneers", all of the peaks in Colorado over 14,000 feet in altitude. He lived for the outdoors and spent little time caring about the well-being of others. As we all know, karma eventually catches up and in April of 2003, Aron left to spend a weekend outdoors in Blue John Canyon in Utah. In typical fashion, he didn't tell a soul where he was going and forgot his cell phone at home, to boot. Real smart, right? While canyoneer-ing in Blue John Canyon, he lost his footing on a loose boulder and fell into a crevasse of sorts. The culprit, the loose boulder, fell right on top of his right forearm pinning it to the canyon wall. This all happens within the first 20 minutes of the film. There are another 73 to go.
From the title, I'm sure you inferred that he is stuck for 127 Hours (Saturday afternoon-Wednesday afternoon). Over the course of the 5-odd days Ralston attempts futilely to free his arm. With dwindling supplies, he becomes dehydrated and delusional. You begin to see Aron come to terms with what a selfish man he has become. Memories of coldly breaking up with the woman he loved and other thoughts are tossed in with the reality of his predicament: of barely returning his loving mother's phone calls, realizing that he will be missing his sister's wedding. These moments, memories, and flashbacks are what make the film so touching. The most heartwarming memory, however, is one in which Aron remembers the first time he saw the sunrise with his father. The memory of two of them, bleary-eyed, wrapped in blankets and wearing some awesome 80s glasses watching the sunrise while sitting on the edge of a cliff together leads one to believe that this is where Aron's love of the outdoors originated. But look at him now, selfish, too independent, barely speaking to his parents who instilled the love of the great outdoors in him. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place (Also the name of Ralston's book about the event).
"You know, I've been thinking. Everything is... just comes together. It's me. I chose this. I chose all this. This rock... this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. It's entire life, ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago. In space. It's been waiting, to come here. Right, right here. I've been moving towards it my entire life. The minute I was born, every breath that I've taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the out surface."
It's just an incredible story about a man who refuses to give up. Most of us when the going gets tough (like I got a bad grade tough, my boyfriend broke up with me tough, I have no money tough) we give up. Aron Ralston, hours from DEATH due to dehydration and lack of food, didn't allow himself to give up. He would rather bear the unimaginable agony of cutting off his own arm than die. Acted extremely well by James Franco. "The scene", you know the one in which he refuses to give up and die so cuts off his arm below the elbow using a DULL knife, is difficult to watch. The sound of the bones cracking is horrendous, the shrill music used to emphasize the splitting pain of cutting through nerves and muscles made me sick to my stomach, and it's not until the moment he frees himself that you realize your heart is pounding, you're squeezing the life out of a pillow and you're sweating. Yeah, it's pretty gruesome and amazing and incredible.
Updated Ranking
1. Black Swan
2. Inception
3. The King's Speech
4. True Grit
5. 127 Hours
6. Toy Story 3
7. The Social Network
In 2003, Aron Ralston was an overly confident and intelligent 28 year-old engineer from Colorado. It was his goal to hike all of the "fourteneers", all of the peaks in Colorado over 14,000 feet in altitude. He lived for the outdoors and spent little time caring about the well-being of others. As we all know, karma eventually catches up and in April of 2003, Aron left to spend a weekend outdoors in Blue John Canyon in Utah. In typical fashion, he didn't tell a soul where he was going and forgot his cell phone at home, to boot. Real smart, right? While canyoneer-ing in Blue John Canyon, he lost his footing on a loose boulder and fell into a crevasse of sorts. The culprit, the loose boulder, fell right on top of his right forearm pinning it to the canyon wall. This all happens within the first 20 minutes of the film. There are another 73 to go.
From the title, I'm sure you inferred that he is stuck for 127 Hours (Saturday afternoon-Wednesday afternoon). Over the course of the 5-odd days Ralston attempts futilely to free his arm. With dwindling supplies, he becomes dehydrated and delusional. You begin to see Aron come to terms with what a selfish man he has become. Memories of coldly breaking up with the woman he loved and other thoughts are tossed in with the reality of his predicament: of barely returning his loving mother's phone calls, realizing that he will be missing his sister's wedding. These moments, memories, and flashbacks are what make the film so touching. The most heartwarming memory, however, is one in which Aron remembers the first time he saw the sunrise with his father. The memory of two of them, bleary-eyed, wrapped in blankets and wearing some awesome 80s glasses watching the sunrise while sitting on the edge of a cliff together leads one to believe that this is where Aron's love of the outdoors originated. But look at him now, selfish, too independent, barely speaking to his parents who instilled the love of the great outdoors in him. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place (Also the name of Ralston's book about the event).
"You know, I've been thinking. Everything is... just comes together. It's me. I chose this. I chose all this. This rock... this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. It's entire life, ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago. In space. It's been waiting, to come here. Right, right here. I've been moving towards it my entire life. The minute I was born, every breath that I've taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the out surface."
It's just an incredible story about a man who refuses to give up. Most of us when the going gets tough (like I got a bad grade tough, my boyfriend broke up with me tough, I have no money tough) we give up. Aron Ralston, hours from DEATH due to dehydration and lack of food, didn't allow himself to give up. He would rather bear the unimaginable agony of cutting off his own arm than die. Acted extremely well by James Franco. "The scene", you know the one in which he refuses to give up and die so cuts off his arm below the elbow using a DULL knife, is difficult to watch. The sound of the bones cracking is horrendous, the shrill music used to emphasize the splitting pain of cutting through nerves and muscles made me sick to my stomach, and it's not until the moment he frees himself that you realize your heart is pounding, you're squeezing the life out of a pillow and you're sweating. Yeah, it's pretty gruesome and amazing and incredible.
Updated Ranking
1. Black Swan
2. Inception
3. The King's Speech
4. True Grit
5. 127 Hours
6. Toy Story 3
7. The Social Network
The King's Speech
Unfortunately, being a poor graduate student saving almost every penny of her money for summer in Europe can make day-to-day life beforehand a real drag, particularly when you love going to the movies as much as myself. Thankfully, it's the 21st century, meaning that just because I don't have the money to spare to go to the cinema doesn't mean I don't get the opportunity to watch great films. Thank the Social Construct for internet and probably-not-so-legal methods of watching awesome films fo freeeeee. Lucky for Oscar, there were a plethora of oot-bay eg-lay Oscar-nominated films online and I was feeling too lazy tonight to do any work other than to grade my students' French exams so I decided after watching True Grit to watch the King's Speech. Flavia, extreme anglophile living under the delusion that she's actually Irish and not, in fact, Spanish, recommended the King's Speech over and over and over again over the course of the past few weeks so maybe now she'll shut her face that I've seen the film and ADORED it.
So, The King's Speech. Excuse me while I soak up my tears. I had been wanting to see this film for quite some time. Let's face it ladies and gentlemen, Colin Firth is one of the most attractive men alive. Although I haven't seen the BBC Version of Pride and Prejudice YET (I know, I know, quelle horreur!), he's good in everything he does (A Single Man, Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually *siiiigh*) and I cannot stop myself from melting at the sound of his adorable English accent.
Many times throughout The King's Speech I couldn't stop myself from tearing up due in part to the great cast, story, musical score, but mostly to the never-ending internal struggle that Firth demonstrated flawlessly in the form of Prince Albert/King George VI. Throughout the film I found myself getting angry at Bertie for acting like such a petulant child towards those trying to help him, then feeling sorry for him because he himself felt like he was still that young boy ceaselessly mocked for his speech impediment, then being overwhelmingly proud of him when he made progress, then angry at him for shutting down, then being proud of him, etc. Following Bertie's journey was an emotional roller coaster to say the least. To me, that's one of the marks of a talented actor, if you're capable of inciting love, anger, pity, and pride in the viewer in the span of 117 minutes.
Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter were both excellent as well in the film. The moment we find out the true identity of Rush's Logue is astounding and amazing. It truly demonstrates that degrees and certificates sometimes serve only as a smokescreen, and that it is true human connection that leads to mutual understanding. It was nice to see Helena in a non-Tim Burton/Chuck Palahniuk role. She nailed normalcy. Who knew she had it in her?
If Eisenberg wins over Colin for best actor, I will be sad. Although, I've heard that the cast of the Fighter is even better. Maybe I'll watch that one next.
Updated Ranking!
1. Black Swan
2. Inception
3. The King's Speech
4. True Grit
5. Toy Story 3
6. The Social Network
So, The King's Speech. Excuse me while I soak up my tears. I had been wanting to see this film for quite some time. Let's face it ladies and gentlemen, Colin Firth is one of the most attractive men alive. Although I haven't seen the BBC Version of Pride and Prejudice YET (I know, I know, quelle horreur!), he's good in everything he does (A Single Man, Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually *siiiigh*) and I cannot stop myself from melting at the sound of his adorable English accent.
Many times throughout The King's Speech I couldn't stop myself from tearing up due in part to the great cast, story, musical score, but mostly to the never-ending internal struggle that Firth demonstrated flawlessly in the form of Prince Albert/King George VI. Throughout the film I found myself getting angry at Bertie for acting like such a petulant child towards those trying to help him, then feeling sorry for him because he himself felt like he was still that young boy ceaselessly mocked for his speech impediment, then being overwhelmingly proud of him when he made progress, then angry at him for shutting down, then being proud of him, etc. Following Bertie's journey was an emotional roller coaster to say the least. To me, that's one of the marks of a talented actor, if you're capable of inciting love, anger, pity, and pride in the viewer in the span of 117 minutes.
Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter were both excellent as well in the film. The moment we find out the true identity of Rush's Logue is astounding and amazing. It truly demonstrates that degrees and certificates sometimes serve only as a smokescreen, and that it is true human connection that leads to mutual understanding. It was nice to see Helena in a non-Tim Burton/Chuck Palahniuk role. She nailed normalcy. Who knew she had it in her?
If Eisenberg wins over Colin for best actor, I will be sad. Although, I've heard that the cast of the Fighter is even better. Maybe I'll watch that one next.
Updated Ranking!
1. Black Swan
2. Inception
3. The King's Speech
4. True Grit
5. Toy Story 3
6. The Social Network
Friday, January 28, 2011
True Grit
So this weekend I gave myself the little project of seeing all of the films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Before this weekend I had seen Black Swan, Inception, The Social Network, and Toy Story 3. Left for me to watch: The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, True Grit and Winter's Bone. Luckily, I immediately found a nicely working link for True Grit online. People had been raving about the film, particularly about Hailee Steinfeld's acting. Needless to say, I was skeptical. I had never heard of this girl. She hadn't been in anything of note before True Grit. Second of all, the girl is 14-years old. Yeah. 14. How good can any 14-year old really be? However, being a fan of everything ever being connected to the Coen Brothers (e.g. The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, Fargo -- he's fleeyun' the interview! --, Burn After Reading -- you're Mormon, next to you everyone's an alcoholic -- etc) , I thought I should give Hailee and True Grit a chance.
To start, Hailee Steinfeld was bloody effing brilliant. Like, AMAZEBALLS brilliant. A sample of the words that came out of my mouth at age 14: Dude sweeeet, that's hella awesome, YOUR MOM, like like like like LIKE, make me look like a huge California tool compared to the lines that Hailee's Mattie Ross was spitting out: "You must pay for everything in this world, one way or another. There is nothing free except the grace of God." Although the words spoken were those of Mattie Ross, the candor, eloquence, and grit (natch) was all Hailee. She just absolutely stole the film.
Although fantastic per usual, Jeff Bridge's Rooster Cogburn and Matt Damon's LaBoeuf couldn't hold a candle to Steinfeld's Mattie Ross. There were a number of scenes that left me short of breath. The scene in which Mattie refuses to be treated like an infant and instead of remaining behind to let Rooster and LaBoeuf go and catch Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin in a brief and totally ordinary appearance), the man who killed Mattie's father for 2 California gold coins and a mare when he had been nothing but cordial to him, she wades stubbornly yet successfully across a deep river that would surely have led to a wet demise were she a less headstrong young woman left me with my mouth agape. Without a word she rides up behind the bewildered Rooster and LaBoeuf as if to say "Nuh uh, boys you ain't gettin' rid of this bad ass teenager that easily *snap snap snap*" (She, of course, would have of course put it much more eloquently).
As the phrase is often perpetuated in dime store philosophy, the journey is more important than the destination in True Grit. The relationships that grow between Mattie and Rooster, then Mattie and LaBoeuf, and lastly, Rooster and LaBoeuf are much more significant than the gang actually catching up to Cheney and subsequently killing him. Mattie finally finds the peace she's been seeking by avenging her father's wrongful death but not until the last 15 minutes of the film or so.
All in all, I highly enjoyed True Grit. Many people were prematurely upset by the Joel and Ethan straying from their typical quirky film style to remake a John Wayne western from the 1960s. I have to say that, yes, it's an adjustment, but a positive one. It was nice to see that the brothers are more than capable of successfully creating something so out of the norm for them.
At this point in my Oscar Best Pic nom viewing here is my ranking of the films in order of personal preference. (1 --> 5, favorite --> least favorite)
1. Black Swan
2. Inception
3. True Grit
4. Toy Story 3
5. The Social Network
Sometimes I feel as though I'm the only person on the planet who didn't find the Social Network as being the film representation of the Second Coming. Please, tell me I'm not alone! I love Jesse Eisenberg, don't get me wrong, I've loved him since The Squid and the Whale, but man, how can you put him in the Best Actor category when he hardly speaks during the film?! It also upsets me that Hailee was lumped in the Best SUPPORTING Actress category when she is the LEADING actress in True Grit. She's the only one! What other actress in the film is she to be supporting, pray tell? Oh well, I suppose the fact that she's nominated at all at the age of 14 is nothing to snub one's nose at. Team Hailee!
To start, Hailee Steinfeld was bloody effing brilliant. Like, AMAZEBALLS brilliant. A sample of the words that came out of my mouth at age 14: Dude sweeeet, that's hella awesome, YOUR MOM, like like like like LIKE, make me look like a huge California tool compared to the lines that Hailee's Mattie Ross was spitting out: "You must pay for everything in this world, one way or another. There is nothing free except the grace of God." Although the words spoken were those of Mattie Ross, the candor, eloquence, and grit (natch) was all Hailee. She just absolutely stole the film.
Although fantastic per usual, Jeff Bridge's Rooster Cogburn and Matt Damon's LaBoeuf couldn't hold a candle to Steinfeld's Mattie Ross. There were a number of scenes that left me short of breath. The scene in which Mattie refuses to be treated like an infant and instead of remaining behind to let Rooster and LaBoeuf go and catch Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin in a brief and totally ordinary appearance), the man who killed Mattie's father for 2 California gold coins and a mare when he had been nothing but cordial to him, she wades stubbornly yet successfully across a deep river that would surely have led to a wet demise were she a less headstrong young woman left me with my mouth agape. Without a word she rides up behind the bewildered Rooster and LaBoeuf as if to say "Nuh uh, boys you ain't gettin' rid of this bad ass teenager that easily *snap snap snap*" (She, of course, would have of course put it much more eloquently).
As the phrase is often perpetuated in dime store philosophy, the journey is more important than the destination in True Grit. The relationships that grow between Mattie and Rooster, then Mattie and LaBoeuf, and lastly, Rooster and LaBoeuf are much more significant than the gang actually catching up to Cheney and subsequently killing him. Mattie finally finds the peace she's been seeking by avenging her father's wrongful death but not until the last 15 minutes of the film or so.
All in all, I highly enjoyed True Grit. Many people were prematurely upset by the Joel and Ethan straying from their typical quirky film style to remake a John Wayne western from the 1960s. I have to say that, yes, it's an adjustment, but a positive one. It was nice to see that the brothers are more than capable of successfully creating something so out of the norm for them.
At this point in my Oscar Best Pic nom viewing here is my ranking of the films in order of personal preference. (1 --> 5, favorite --> least favorite)
1. Black Swan
2. Inception
3. True Grit
4. Toy Story 3
5. The Social Network
Sometimes I feel as though I'm the only person on the planet who didn't find the Social Network as being the film representation of the Second Coming. Please, tell me I'm not alone! I love Jesse Eisenberg, don't get me wrong, I've loved him since The Squid and the Whale, but man, how can you put him in the Best Actor category when he hardly speaks during the film?! It also upsets me that Hailee was lumped in the Best SUPPORTING Actress category when she is the LEADING actress in True Grit. She's the only one! What other actress in the film is she to be supporting, pray tell? Oh well, I suppose the fact that she's nominated at all at the age of 14 is nothing to snub one's nose at. Team Hailee!
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