Sunday, February 27, 2011

Thoughts On The 2011 Oscars

So the Oscars have come and gone, the suspense is over, and the tweeters and bloggers are flooding the world wide web with their thoughts and disappointments over the recent announcements. So... without further ado, here are my thoughts.

The Hosts :(
James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosted this year's ceremony. Like pretty much everyone else after hearing they were would be hosting... I was surprised. I like both of them, but the fact Academy was trying appeal to a younger demographic seemed kind of weird. The hosts even poked fun at that at the beginning of the night.

Overall, I wasn't too happy with these hosts. Anne Hathaway is gorgeous and James Franco is a good actor, but the two didn't always deliver. Hathaway was actually trying, she had some funny moments, good charisma, and tried to look somewhat interested. Franco, on the other hand, was as bland as bland could be. The only really memorable moment was Franco dressed in drag and making a Charlie Sheen joke. Maybe it was them, the writing, the producers, or a combination of the three, but the Franco and Hathaway won't exactly be getting an Oscar for hosting... lets just say that.

Natalie Portman Wins Best Actress :D
As I've made it clear on this blog and to pretty much everyone I know... I am a huge fan of Natalie Portman. She's a dedicated, classy, talented, and gorgeous actress who brings a unique personality and charisma into all of her roles (alright... the Star Wars prequels weren't exactly her best performances but most of what she's done is really good!). So yeah, needless to say, seeing Portman win the Oscar for her performance in Black Swan was one of the highlights of the evening... for me at least.

The Wolfman Wins For Best Makeup
I saw The Wolfman a while back, it was a pretty fun movie. Nothing special, pretty standard horror remake, with some decent visuals, passable suspense, and an enjoyable cast. Its not so much that I was rooting for this one to win or anything, in fact I was convinced it wasn't going to. Its just always a pleasant surprise to see a horror film win an Oscar, even if it wasn't a major category. Also to see Rick Baker take home his 7th Oscar win (geez, maybe that guy should share the wealth a little) and the second one of his Oscars to win for a werewolf movie (I told everyone to watch An American Werewolf in London on my last blog entry, if you haven't seen it yet... go watch it now!).

Christian Bale Wins For Best Supporting Actor
Okay, let me make something clear about Christian Bale. His infamous flip out on the set of Terminator Salvation was really really stupid of him. It was a dick move and I doubt he would argue with that. Maybe the guy acts like that all the time or maybe he was just caught in a bad moment... I really don't know. That being said, the guy is one of the best actors working today. With what seems like one stellar performance after the other... the dude has skill. But there's more than just that. You know how Natalie Portman starved herself to get into her character for Black Swan? Well, Bale has done that so many times that I imagine his life has been probably cut short by a few years. I can't think of any other actor who has starved himself and bulked up as many times as Bale. To think, in spite of all that, the guy never got an Oscar nomination... until now. So yes, Bale earned his Oscar, not just because of his performance in The Fighter, but with the hope that the guy actually might live past age 50. So now that he finally got his Oscar... maybe he'll finally lighten up a little bit and choose less intense roles... no, I don't think so either.

Melissa Leo's Acceptance Speech :)
I was happy to see Leo win her Oscar for The Fighter. She did a really good job as the dedicated mother/manager of Mark Walberg and Christian Bale (though Steinfeld was my pick for the year, but Leo was great too). I enjoyed her acceptance speech for a couple reasons. Her sincere and genuine delivery, along with her modesty, was one of the most enjoyable speeches. And to hear her say, "When Kate Winslet did this, it looked so fucking easy" was pretty funny too!

Kirk Douglas Presenting the Oscar For Best Supporting Actress :)
Right before Melissa Leo was announced as the victor for the said Oscar, Kirk Douglas decided to draw out his speech as long as he could. On top of him being funny and sincere, its always great to see film veteran like himself present an award. Some were not particularly happy with a 90-year-old actor like himself stumbling over his speech, but his sincerity, humor, and personality was something that was by-in-large missing from this year's ceremonies.

The Best Picture Award
This is actually the first year that I had seen all of the Best Picture nominees before the ceremony... so for once, I can actually critique all of them.

Black Swan
As I've said time and time again, this was my favorite movie of the year. I would have loved to see this one win the award, but I wasn't holding my breath. Movies with such dark and intense subject matter seldom go down well with the Academy. Though this and the other nominations, plus Natalie Portman's Oscar victory made me quite happy :)

The Fighter
A well made drama with great performances from its cast. I enjoyed the movie enough to include it on my top 10 movies of the year, at number 10. I ultimately found it to be a good if not by-the-numbers drama that owes a lot to previous movies of the genre. Worth the nomination definitely and the awards for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo though.

Inception
A lot of movie geeks were rooting for this one. Christopher Nolan's epic sci-fi action film was praised by critics and audiences as one of the film creatively unique movies in a year where creativity was lacking. It swept most of the technical awards but the baffling snub of Christopher Nolan for a best director nod still has fanboys flipping their lids. It would have been nice to see this one win Best Picture, but I can't say I'm surprised that it didn't.

The Kids Are All Right
This was a good but imperfect movie. It was actually one of the few nominees on this list to actually include a solid poignant message in its script. Although it had performances ranging from great to just okay, and some scenes in the movie felt quite forced. I liked it but I wasn't reallying rooting for this to win Best Picture. Would have been nice to see this get the award for Best Original Screenplay though.

The King's Speech
The winning movie! I'll write my thoughts on this movie in the next section.

127 Hours
This was a solid movie, with a great lead actor and a fantastic director. It had well executed technical filmmaking to go alongside what was essentially a one-man show. I also liked how it incorporated its "inspiring story" without coming off as overtly-cheesy like so many of these kinds of movies do. Still, I thought there were better movies on this list, but it definitely deserved all of its nominations.

The Social Network
This was the film that was giving The King's Speech its competition. All I can say is this... aside from Black Swan, I was really hoping this movie would take home the victory. Not only did it deliver the most poignant message of the year, but it boasted great performances, fantastic cinematography, clever editing, and a memorable score. While the Best Picture movie is usually decided by the best acting and to a lesser extent best script, that really shouldn't be the case. The Best Picture needs to be decided on the movie as a whole, including acting, script, technical execution, and how the director is able to engage the said script. The Social Network took what was a fairly generic story consisting mainly of a bunch of guys typing code and turned it into one of the most engaging, prolific, and dynamic movies of the year. This is a best picture film in every sense of the word! It should have been the winner, or at least won instead of King's Speech!

Toy Story 3
Not only is Toy Story 3 a worthy nomination for the sake of a it being an animated film, but also because its a sequel, which are almost as seldom acknowledged by the Academy as well. Toy Story 3 was definitely a good nomination though, as it was a film that tackled some heavy subject matter for any film, especially a family flick. It was also well animated, had great voice acting, and was a profoundly entertaining movie. Would have been cool to see it win Best Picture, but that was a long shot.

Winter's Bone
Winter's Bone was the Academy's soul acknowledgement of indie cinema this year. Consider this the best movie of 2010 that nobody saw. I didn't see this before I made my Top 10 of 2010 list, but if I had, I probably would have included it on the list. It was a well made drama with great performances and an intriguing story. Jennifer Lawrence holds her own in a challenging leading role, alongside some experienced acting vets. Consider her the 2nd best breakout star of the year (2nd only to Hailee Steinfeld). Not my personal choice, but a good movie and a good nomination.

The King's Speech Wins Best Picture :l
Let me make this clear before I go on my rant about The King's Speech. In spite of any negative things I might say about it, I LIKED THE MOVIE! It was a well made movie with good filmmaking and great performances, and it deserved most if not all of its Oscar nominations. That being said, the only Oscar I honestly think it deserved to win was Colin Firth for Best Actor. He was the only truly outstanding part of the movie and he earned his Oscar. Ultimately, The King's Speech is a movie that was made for the sole reason of reeling in Oscars. Its a movie that plays to the large Baby Boomer demographic of the Academy by setting the movie in WWII, opts for a heartwarming ending, includes previously nominated performers, and puts way more emphasis on its actors than anything else.

Let me make this clear... the Best Picture award cannot be judged solely on the acting! This happens almost every Oscar season. Yes, acting is an integral part of filmmaking which can (and often does) make or break a film... BUT, the Best Picture award is not the "best cast" award. Best Picture implies best overall movie... acting, story, directing, cinematography, editing, special effects, etc should all be considered, but they seldom are. The only Best Picture winner I can think of off the top of my head that had the full package was Return of the King... the catch was that Lord of the Rings had to try three times before it finally landed that coveted Oscar.

The King's Speech was well made, I'm not denying that. The thing about it that I didn't like was that it was using unoriginal and typically uninspired methods. The film that was giving it the most competition, The Social Network, was definitely the better movie.

Severe Lack Of Enjoyable Extras:(
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but you know those little short videos, tributes, sketches they like to intersperse in the runtime of the Oscars? Well, I really enjoy them. Its always nice to see a short funny video poking fun at some of the year's more popular movies, to see a tribute to a genre, or a heartwarming dedication of a legendary filmmaker or actor. This year, they did their typical "In Memorium," a short tribute to Lena Horne, and a decent opening sketch where the hosts were put into the Best Picture nominees, but that was about it.

Overall
The Oscars this year... yeah, they kinda sucked. When the most memorable moments are James Franco in drag, a Charlie Sheen joke, and Melissa Leo saying fuck... , that's pretty unimpressive. As for the Awards, the Oscar bait movie swept most of the major categories and the underdogs (for lack of a better word) had to settle for sweeping the technical categories. At least two of my favorite actors (Portman and Bale) were the victors of their Oscars... so I can take comfort in that. But yeah, lets hope the awards turn out better next year.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

2011 Oscar Predictions

Alright, I've watched as many as the Oscar nominated films as I could, the other award ceremonies are mostly done, and I've been following the buzz and gossip enough to make my predictions for the upcoming Oscar winners. Here are my opinions on who will probably win and who I personally think should win.

Best Actor In A Lead Role

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

Great choices, excellent choices really. I haven't seen Biutiful yet, but if Javier Bardem is as good in that one as he is in most of his movies, I'd say its a nomination well earned. That being said, the winner for this one is this year's easiest award to predict... Colin Firth for The King's Speech. Firth has been a perennial favorite for the Academy for a while now and after missing out last year, he's pretty much got this one in the bag. While both Javier Bardem and Jeff Bridges are great... they've both won recently. As for James Franco and Jesse Eisenberg... both outstanding performances, but too young to compete with the Academy's preferred acting veterans.

Who Will Win: Colin Firth
Who I Would Pick: Colin Firth

Best Actor In A Supporting Role

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

Also outstanding choices, but will probably come down to two. Christian Bale is the best bet right now, after being a critical and audience favorite for years, he finally got his long deserved nomination in a critically received film that is usually the kind of movie the Academy loves. Then again, The King's Speech also resonates with the Academy quite well, and Geoffrey Rush's critically acclaimed performance is looking promising too, even though he's already got one Oscar victory under his belt.

Who Will Win: Christian Bale (Probably)
Who I Would Pick: Bale... partially because his performance in The Fighter was really good and because he's been overlooked by the Academy for years... "Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?"

Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Didn't see Blue Valentine or Rabbit Hole, so I can't really speak for Williams or Kidman. But lets be honest here... Natalie Portman acted her ass off in Black Swan and while I have no doubt the others are great, Natalie Portman has this one in the bag. The only thing that might scare off Academy voters is the dark subject matter of Black Swan. If that happens, Bening will be next in line. Still, I think Portman's got this one.

Who Will Win: Natalie Portman
Who I Think Should Win: Do I really need to say it???

Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Out of all the acting categories, this one is this toughest to call. I'm gonna go with Melissa Leo for The Fighter as who probably will win. After receiving critical praise for her performance in The Fighter plus a nomination under her belt already, there's a decent chance she'll win. My personal favorite is Hailee Steinfeld. To be honest, I think she's getting cheated for being nominated for the "supporting" category when she really should have been nominated for a leading role (she was the main character after all).

Who Will Win: Melissa Leo (Maybe)
Who I Would Pick: Hailee Steinfeld

Animated Feature Film
“How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
“Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Toy Story 3! NEXT!

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

True Grit and The King's Speech both had solid camerawork, but nowhere near as interesting, creative, or stimulating as the other three on this list. Pretty sure this one will come down to Inception.

Who Will Win: Inception
Who I Would Pick: Inception

Art Direction
“Alice in Wonderland” Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Inception” Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
“The King's Speech” Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
“True Grit” Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Hell I don't know whose gonna win this one. They were all artistically dynamic in their own ways. My choices would either be Inception or Harry Potter. Though Alice In Wonderland (Blah!) might stand a chance at winning this one on account of how much money the movie took in at the box office.

Who Will Win: Not sure...
Who Should Win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
“I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi
“The King's Speech” Jenny Beavan
“The Tempest” Sandy Powell
“True Grit” Mary Zophres

The Academy generally prefers Victorian/Romanic era Royalty costumes for this category... though if that's not an option, historical pieces usually become the top choice. Alice In Wonderland comes closest to this Victorian theme but because its a fantasy film and not a historical piece, The King's Speech is probably the top choice among academy members. Personally I'd like True Grit to win this award.

Who Will Win: The King's Speech (Probably)
Who Should Win: True Grit

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

Dear Academy Members,
Don't think that I've forgotten that you've snubbed Christopher Nolan AGAIN out of an Oscar nomination. I'd be willing to forgive you if you gave Darren Aronofsky that said Oscar victory, but since I know you're not going to do that, I'll settle for the more likely chance of David Fincher winning. It's only because you nominated two of my favorite directors that I'm willing to eventually put this nonsense behind us. Next time, I hope you realize your mistakes and figure this out.

Who Will Win: David Fincher
Who Should Win: Darren Aronofsky

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

Oh my favorite category! I think this one will either be The Social Network or 127 Hours, more likely the former. All of these are really good choices though, it could honestly go to any one of them. Personally, I would pick Black Swan for this award, but hey, I gotta be me!

Who Will Win: The Social Network (Probably)
Who Should Win: Black Swan

Visual Effects
“Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
“Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky and Joe Farrell
“Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
“Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Dear Academy,
Me again. I might have been able to turn a blind eye to the fact that you snubbed Tron Legacy out of this Visual Effects Oscar had the other choices all been worthy contenders. Don't get me wrong, Inception, Harry Potter, and... yes, even Alice in Wonderland all had great visuals that merit a nomination. But Iron Man 2... sure the effects were good but nowhere near as impressive as Tron. However, its the fact that you put F**KING HEREAFTER among the nominees! The visuals in that movie SUCKED!!! Sure, I know Inception would have won this Oscar no matter what... but seriously the lack of love you showed for Tron... one of the most visually dynamic movies of the year... was really lame.

Who Will Win: Inception
Who I Would Pick: Inception (even if Tron had been nominated, Inception would still be my top pick)

Best Foreign Language Film
“Biutiful” Mexico
“Dogtooth”
Greece
“In a Better World”
Denmark
“Incendies”
Canada
“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)”
Alegeria

Haven't seen any of the movies on this list, so I can't say who I would pick. Though, seeing as Biutiful was nominated for another category, I imagine that will be the winner.

Who Will Win: Biutiful
Who I Would Pick: No clue

Best Makeup
“Barney's Version” Adrien Morot
“The Way Back”
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Wolfman”
Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Yay! Rick Baker gets his 11th Oscar nomination, if he wins this... it'll be Oscar victory #7! Here's some pointless trivia for you: Baker was the first person to win an Oscar for Best Makeup. In 1981, when the category was added to the list, he won for another Werewolf movie, the horror/comedy, "An American Werewolf In London." (If you haven't seen that movie, check it out, because its awesome!).

As for who will win and who should win... I've only seen one film in this, The Wolfman. Maybe for old time sakes that will be the winner, but I wouldn't bet on it... seeing how much the Academy loves horror films *sarcasm*. So, I really can't say who will win this one.

Who Will Win: No idea... for argument's sake, lets say "The Way Back."
Who I Would Pick: The Wolfman by default I guess.

Best Picture
“Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
“The Fighter”
David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
“Inception”
Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“The Kids Are All Right”
Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
“The King's Speech”
Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
“127 Hours”
Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
“The Social Network”
Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Toy Story 3”
Darla K. Anderson, Producer
“True Grit”
Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“Winter's Bone"
Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Its the second year the Academy is trying out 10 Best Picture nominees. Just like last year, its probably going to come down to just two... "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech." This is a tough one to predict, as the more likely favorite among voting members would be "The King's Speech." Still, the Academy has been slowly transitioning into more of a "we like new stuff too" theme. So, its could go to either one. Since David Fincher is the likely candidate for Best Director, the theory is that "The King's Speech" will get Best Picture in return. Then again, many thought that would be the case with "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" last year, and look how that worked out. My prediction is going to have to be "The Social Network" (partially because it just seems like the Academy is working in that direction and also because I liked it a little more). Though if "The King's Speech" won, I would not be surprised in the slightest. My choice for the category would be Black Swan (shocker I know.)

Who Will Win: The Social Network
Who I Would Pick: Black Swan

As for the other categories, I'll include them in a short rundown right here. These are my predictions, not necessarily my top choices.

Best Picture: The Social Network
Leading Actor: Colin Firth
Leading Actress: Natalie Portman
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
Director: David Fincher
Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Foreign Language: Biutiful
Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Original Screenplay: The King's Speech
Visual Effects: Inception
Sound Editing: Inception
Sound Mixing: Inception
Animated Short: Day & Night
Live Action Short: The Confession
Original Score: Inception
Original Song: If I Rise
Editing: The Social Network
Costume Design: The King's Speech
Art Direction: True Grit
Cinematography: Inception
Documentary: Gasland
Short Documentary: Sun Come Up (No idea, just a random guess)

Friday, February 4, 2011

The King's Speech - Review

Almost every time I've discussed The King's Speech with my fellow film geeks or read reviews for the movie, I've been hearing a particular term spoken left and right... "Oscar Bait." What is Oscar Bait? It is a movie that is released in the last two months of the year with recognizable casts, featuring relevant subject matter with the hopes of catching the Academy's attention. The King's Speech is just that kind of movie. Depending on who you are, its either a movie you'll love... or love to hate. Elitist remarks aside, how does The King's Speech fair out?

The movie is based on the true story of King George VI, and how he overcame his speech impediment before taking the throne. It begins in the year 1925, as Prince Albert (played by Colin Firth) has difficulty making a speech do to a stutter he had since childhood. After his regular doctors and physicians have no luck fixing his speech issues, his wife, Princess Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), seeks out a speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). While reluctant at first, Albert continues to see Logue while working on his speech as well as sorting through some of the Prince's past issues.

Okay... a cast of recognizable stars, a drama based on a true story, and released in December... The King's Speech might as well be the blueprint for Oscar bait. With 12 nominations in its grasp already plus buzz about it being a serious contender for Best Feature... you can't escape what it is. And what it is... is pretty dang good. I admit that what The King's Speech represents makes it an easy target for criticism, but that shouldn't really affect one's enjoyment of a solid movie.

One thing that I've been finding interesting about this movie is the buzz that Colin Firth has been receiving. Even before Oscar nods were announced, Firth was the actor to beat. He was nominated last year but didn't win, he has good ties with the academy, and he stars in an actor-driven movie. Ironically, what I didn't hear too much of... how good his performance actually is. So yeah, Colin Firth is good in this movie... REALLY good actually. Like, even Oscar-worthy good. Yes, Firth will win the award for Best Actor this year, and you know what... he earned it. Say what you will about Firth, hypotheses of Academy politics or conspiracy theories or whatever but the fact of the matter is this, a solid performance is going to win an Oscar... that works for me.

As great as a job Firth does, I think Geoffrey Rush steals the show in many ways. He plays the eccentric actor-turned speech therapist, Lionel Logue. Rush looks like he was having a fun time playing the character, and everytime he's on screen, its hard not enjoy his quirkiness. I enjoyed Helena Bonham Carter too. She wasn't given as much screentime as Firth or Rush but she does a good job with role. Plus, Its nice to see her playing a character in a movie not directed by Tim Burton. You'll see right away that this is an actor-driven movie, and if the performances failed to deliver, the whole film would crumble. Fortunately, everyone gives a great performance and makes the movie entertaining.

The director, Tom Hooper, finds himself in something of an interesting spot. See, The King's Speech is primarily a actors movie. While the directorial efforts are important, there's only so much a director can do with a movie like this. And make no mistake, Hooper is clearly a skilled director. The movie looks great, the cinematography is excellent, the acting is consistent, the costumes look nice, and the film is well put together. I guess it just feels kind of by-the-numbers. Acting aside, there was nothing that was particularly unique, innovative, or memorable. Basic, though solid, filmmaking, nothing wrong with that I suppose but I wouldn't expect it to be a timeless classic or anything like that.

The story is about on par with the direction. Its a historical piece, so you can't fudge the script too much or else you risk historical authenticity. And while it has enjoyable characters and an interesting concept, its incredibly predictable. No big twists, surprises, or anything I didn't see coming. Its not bad per se, but like the direction, its so by-the-numbers that it'll entertain but won't amount to something anyone will be talking about years from now. It could be worse I suppose.

Overall, The King's Speech was quite good! See it for the great performances, see it for the historical relevance, or just see it to be entertained. Not one of my favorites of the year, but still good enough to watched.

My Score: 4 out of 5!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Buried - Review

Sometimes, its best to keep things simple. The only thing is, that the simpler the premise, you run the risk of equating simple to boring. A film with a premise as incredibly basic as Buried could have easily gone that route. Does it fall victim to its simplicity or make something awesome out of it?
The movie stars Ryan Reynolds as Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working in Iraq. After his convoy is attacked by terrorists, Paul wakes up in a coffin buried six feet under ground. With only a cigarette lighter and cell phone in hand, Paul has only a small amount of time to save himself before he runs out of oxygen.

If that plot description seems short, its because it is. The whole movie takes place in the coffin. Literally 100% of the movie features Ryan Reynolds buried underground in a coffin. No cutaways, no flashbacks, no other settings... Buried brings new meaning to keeping it simple! Like I said at the beginning, a thriller with a concept so simplistic runs a serious risk of becoming bland. I can gladly say that is not the case with buried.

Right off the bat, you can see that the director, Rodrigo Cortés, is a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock... the legendary filmmaker behind classics including Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo and many more. The opening credits bear a striking resemblance to those in Psycho. Not to mention, the concept also resembles some of Hitchcock's one-room suspense movies like Rear Window or Lifeboat... both of which also took place mostly or all in one primary location.

You can't fault Rodrigo Cortés for taking inspiration from Hitchcock... after all, he was the master of suspense. And make no mistake, Cortés does a bang up job in this movie. Its a well directed thriller... with some extremely effective claustrophobic camerawork, a good performance from Reynolds (more on that soon), and a some absolutely nail-biting suspense. This is one of those movies that'll have a hard time getting out of your head after watching it. My only real gripe with Cortés is that he is so clearly stuck on Hitchcock's techniques that its hard to tell whether he put much of his own personal flair into this flick. I guess if you're going to rip off a director, it might as well be Hitchcock, but it would have been nice to see something that didn't feel so derivative. Again, I must stress that this movie is well directed. I'm hoping Cortés will be directing more movies soon.

Its Ryan Reynolds who really sells this movie. Working off no other actors is a challenge, even more so when you're spending the whole movie confined to a box. Aside from a few people he speaks with on his phone, his contact is limited and he's pretty much on his own. Make no mistake, almost all of the film's most suspenseful scenes are effective thanks due to Reynolds ability to sell the role. His performance comes off as legitimate, believable, and genuine... and extremely effective.

Overall, I enjoyed Buried. Its an effective nail-biting thriller that is worth at least one watch. Check it out!

4 out of 5!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Best Movies of 2010

Dang! I tried to post a Top 10 list for 2010 sooner than I did last year, but time got the better of me again. At least, I made a better effort to see more movies this time around, so my Top 10 list should be a bit better. Of course, there were still some movies I didn't get a chance to see, so there might be a few diamonds in the rough I'm omitting. A few I missed... Blue Valentine, Winters Bone, and a few others no doubt. Nonetheless, here are my favorite movies of 2010!

10. The Fighter
Its far from an original movie and you'll be able to predict the ending as soon as it begins... but The Fighter is helped by a compelling character study and great performances. Mark Walberg, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo are all fantastic in their respective roles but Christian Bale steals the show in one of his best performances. Its nice to see that Bale (as well as Adams and Leo) finally got his overdue Oscar nomination. This is definitely worth watching if you haven't seen it yet.

9. Kick Ass
Because any movie that has a 11-year-old girl annihilate a gang of drug dealers to the theme of the Banana Splits is awesome. In all seriousness though, Kick Ass was a really enjoyable take on the superhero genre. I dug the characters, costume design, funny satire, and brutal action the movie depicted. Definitely worth seeing if you can stomach the violence.

8. Splice
A modern reimagining of the Frankenstein concept starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley... sure I'm interested. Splice took the aforementioned concept and turned it into a very intriguing and relevant sci-fi/horror film. Good performances, solid special effects, and an intelligent story with equal parts science and fiction all work together to make this 8th best film of the year.

7. 127 Hours
It was nice to see James Franco make some huge strides in his acting ability with 127 Hours. Acting in a movie where you're mostly by yourself and confined to (literally) between a rock and a hard place would be a challenge for any actor... and he nails it! Danny Boyle is just that good of a director. Already with an impressive directorial filmography (Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later, and others), 127 Hours is another great film to add to his resume. If you haven't gotten a chance to see this one yet... check it out when it comes to a theatre near you.

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
I went into this one with high expectations and boy did it deliver! I loved the darker tone, great atmosphere, and excellent performances from the famous cast. I was glad to see them break up the book into two movies... in order to give the story a proper finale. Only downside, there's still six months to wait until the final movie finally arrives. Oh, and the fact that the Harry Potter series is coming to an end. Its been fun!

5. Toy Story 3
As far as trilogies go, you can usually bet that the threequel won't be as good as its predecessors. Toy Story 3 proves to be the exception to that rule and delivers the best in the series. In effect, the series becomes one of the best film trilogies of all time. Pixar still has the edge in the story telling department, bringing the popular series to a close in both funny and touching ways. If you haven't seen this yet, definitely check it out!

4. Inception
Christopher Nolan seems like the kind of guy who can do no wrong... lets hope he keeps it up. Originality was something mostly missing this year, but Inception was one of the few movies to bring some of it to the table. You can't go wrong with awesome special effects, sweet action, and an puzzling script. Throw in a great cast and killer direction from Nolan... you've got a hit. And yes... I'm still ticked that Nolan got snubbed for a Best Director nomination. It was easily one of the most well directed movies of the year. Hang in there Nolan, sooner or later the Academy will recognize your awesomeness.

3. The Social Network
The Social Network proves theory of mine... "You can make a good movie out of anything." Why, because this movie is mainly just a bunch of computer nerds sitting in front of their computers typing code. Yet through outstanding performances, stylistic editing, a great musical score, fabulous direction, and an intelligent script... I'd say it turned out pretty well. Whether you see it as a creative take on the formation of Facebook or an intriguing character study, its an absolute must watch.

2. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Its unfair that a movie this good was both snubbed at the Oscars and became a box office bomb... or "bob-omb"??? On one hand, its an enjoyable video game themed romantic action-comedy and on the other, its a unique introspective into 21st century relationships for young adults. Either way, its a creative and visually stunning movie with a fantastic director and brilliant set pieces. If you're one of the many who hasn't seen this movie yet, you owe it to yourself to see it. Whether you're into the dating storyline, the game-centric action scenes, the killer special effects, or the hilarious humor... it can't be missed.

1. Black Swan
Me choosing a Darren Aronofsky movie as my favorite of the year... there's a shocker. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge fan of Aronofsky's work... and that I really like Natalie Portman, intense psychological thrillers, bizarre imagery, dark subject matter, and quick editing. Yeah... this is just my kind of movie. Black Swan is original, creative, dark, tense, never a dull moment, every performance is perfect, there is nothing I didn't like in this movie... absolutely nothing. Natalie Portman is absolutely awesome in this... she WILL win the Oscar. If you're up for a good and intense thriller... this is a must see!

"Hey Chris! Why did you leave off [insert movie title here]? That was way better that the movies you had!" I know, there were more really good movies that unfortunately I had to cut. Maybe I'll post some honorable mentions later on.

Those are my favorite movies of the year, if you haven't seen them, go watch them. If you have seen them... watch them again!