The Winter Soldier

I'm not going to review a movie that's eviscerated April box office records. It's good. Just see it. You'll love it. 

More convincing? Really? Scarlett Johansson. Samuel Jackson and Robert Redford. That dude that helped ruin The Hurt Locker. 

Honestly, the politically driven story line make this film as nearly accurate as The Newsroom. But with guns. Big brother, the NSA, "...carry a big stick" and hegemony are all topics closely covered and all orchestrated admirably. 

And Cobie Smulders!

See it. Add to the growing record. 

Wes Anderson is back!

Wes Anderson has long been a cult hero beginning with Bottle Rocket and reinvigorating that status with a new title every two years or so. Moonrise Kingdom blew him to new heights and I was personally quite crestfallen to see him lose to Tarantino at last year's Oscars. Grand Budapest Hotel won't take him to the same heights though it's a guaranteed good time.

GBH features near all members of the old crew (minus near everyone in the Royal Tenenbaums) with the addition of Ralph Feinnes who is extraordinary. He will not win an Oscar for this, though I believe he should gain a nod. The supporting cast - all big time actors in their own right - each had a very specific role and piece to the story and all are executed flawlessly. My one gripe is that so many of them made mere cameo appearances rather than becoming significant members of the story - seemingly done so to satiate fans of the Anderson franchise or check the "appear-in-a-Wes-Anderson-film" off the bucket list. In this regard, Grand Budapest Hotel felt less solid than, say, Moonrise Kingdom or Darjeeling. More of a caricature.

Then again, maybe that was the point. The story and these supporting characters all played their roles with such ridiculously hilarious flair. More importantly, each actor looked as if they were having a great deal of fun, which makes it that much more fun to watch. Apart from them, Jude Law, F. Murray Abraham and especially Tony Revolori, making his major film debut as Zero, The GBH Lobby Boy, all made wonderful and memorable performances.

And perhaps that is the difference between Grand Budapest Hotel and Anderson's previous works: GBH is a lighter, care-free version. The others will make viewers feel something beyond laughter - that may not be so in this. I personally loved Grand Budapest Hotel and could watch it ten times over. I wouldn't say I learned anything about myself however, beyond wanting to see what other antics Fiennes' character M. Gustave could get into. Still, this is an Anderson movie at its core and one of the very best. One that will appear to the cult following and widespread fans alike. Check it out.

8/10

You're worried about the Ayatollah? Try the WGA.

A friend in the know once told me The Oscars was the Superbowl for the gays. Whelp, call me what you will but tomorrow night I'll be yelling at the TV louder than when Manning botched Superbowl XVIII last month. Rather than acknowledging the elephant in the room (lack of posts over the past three years) I'm going to jump right into it.

BEST PICTURE  

12 Years a Slave. Hands down. Nothing has come close to a powerhouse of emotion and shame than did Schindler's list 20 years ago. The cast, the direction, the production and the story told a tale that has never been effectively told. Plan B did well and deserves top accolades. Now, if only the same was true for WWZ. 

Honorable Mention: Her and Gravity. Spike Jonze created a world that was technically science fiction although there was nothing unnatural about the relationship that existed between man and machine. I was touched and found myself comparing real relationships to those portrayed on screen. More often than not, those in Her were far more ideal. As for Gravity, Cuaron created something beautiful for sure - but only in sight and sound. Still, this leads to the next mention... 

BEST DIRECTOR

Alfonso Cuaron. Most of us will never go Space. Gravity may give a fledgling idea of what it may be like. Cuaron partnered with a company to design a new alternating quad camera to create the feeling of weightlessness for the viewers. That company has since been bought by Google. The only other film comparable to the total-body-invested-white-knuckle ride to be had in the seat of a theatre showing Gravity was Avatar. And that was four years ago. Four years that have seen monumental achievement. 

Honorable Mention: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave. I had never walked out of a theater feeling such love for others and horrible at the same time. McQueen deserves to win. He won't. But he deserves to. 

BEST ACTOR

Matthew McConaughey. The master of RomComs created a man who will be remembered more than any other character this year. McConaughey reportedly lost 40 pounds, along with completely rebranding himself and what he was perceived to be capable of. Gone are the days of Rick Peck, David Wooderson and all those date movies with Kate Hudson. I cannot recall as significant a transformation since Charlize Theron in Monster ten years ago or that of the late Heath Ledger five years ago. 

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett. I didn't see it so, though I'm not going to comment based on other commentary I've read, I will say this is what is going to happen. 

Honorable Mention: Judi Dench. I would like to point out she is turning 80 this year and has received 7 Oscar nominations and one win after turning 60. That is all. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jared Leto. All the same reasons as McConaughey. There is a scene in Dallas Buyers Club where McConaughey's Ron stands up for Leto's Rayon in a grocery store. Rayon gives Ron a smile full of so much love and truth and honesty - the kind that comes from an admirer looking at her knight in shining armor. You see this and think, "But wait, isn't that Jared Leto? The guy who was in Requiem for a Dream and 30 Seconds to Mars?" This incredible scene stealing was common throughout the film and was undoubtedly the best performance given by any actor - lead or supporting - in 2013. 

Honorable Mention: Michael Fassbender. Pure, raw evil. To compare Schindler's list again, not since Ralph Fiennes character Amon Goeth has there been a villian evoking such hatred and at the same time addicting screen presence. Fassbender isn't really losing to Leto; Leto simply had a better character. 

That said, all nominated supporting actors this year gave near flawless performances (except for one who shall remain nameless). Each one created a unique and layered character filled with such remarkable intricacies. One, Abdi's role in Captain Philips I fear, was so perfect that he may unfortunately be typecast. Again, this year it is about the character more than the performance. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Lupita Nyong'o. She evoked a symbol of destroyed innocence and pain that kept our eyes glued to the screen. And that whipping scene. 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Frozen. Though I didn't love the movie, the pith of it took a new direction from shallow 'boy meets girl and falls in love based on nothing' to love of family and overcoming differences to keep that blood strong. Progress. And to keep in the spirit of things... 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Let it Go. I saw Frozen two months ago and this song still plagues my mind. HERE I STAND AND HERE I STAYYYY. Ridiculous. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Saving Mr. Banks. In a word, I would call it 'charmed'. It fit. It was perfect. 

Honorable Mention: Her. In a futuristic world that is typically portrayed with loads of synth and dissonance, Butler and Pallet made this one feel cozy. 

MAKE-UP

Though the favorite for this is Dallas Buyers Club - and rightly so given the make up budget of $250 for the entire film - I'm picking Bad Grandpa for this one. Knoxville was done up so well that people literally two feet in front of him were oblivious. 

COSTUME

The Great Gatsby. This was period cloth that inspired fashion choices in the present. 

SOUND EDITING

Gravity. The sounds of space. What does a drill sound like when the only audible sound is provided by vibrations through your gloves and you're wearing a helmet? 

Honorable Mention: All is Lost. In a film with very little speaking, the sounds really told the story. This movie was snubbed left and right and I truly believe it would have a shot here if it weren't for incomprehensible technicalities in Gravity. 

SOUND MIXING 

Gravity. Because it's space.

VISUAL EFFECTS

Gravity. I mentioned it above: nothing had come close to Avator before Gravity and Cuaron created something light years ahead. 3D had become gimmicky and Cuaron used it to create a new experience. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Gravity. See Visual Effects. The camera usage and angles truly gave the viewer the feeling they were falling at 17,000 mph. 

FILM EDITING

Gravity. Same.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Great Gatsby. Though the film itself was a mess, the design was simply stunning. This may go to Gravity but it belongs here. 

 DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The Act of Killing. 20 Feet From Stardom is the favorite however the Act of Killing is so much more important.

 DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The favorite is The Lady in Number 6

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Get a Horse! Disney may as well have defined the original cartoon. This brought back that same magic. 

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Helium, although the favorite is The Voorman Problem, Helium looks to be far more heartwarming. 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

12 Years a Slave. The real Solomon Northrup, the protagonist of the film, actually wrote the book the film is based upon. This is assured. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Her. This story shows, more poignantly than any other, that real love knows no bounds. 

This was truly an amazing year for cinema and near any of the nominations are much deserved of winning. 

...just like Ronnie sang

That little ditty was immortalized by Eddie Money back in arguably the most feel-good, optimistic decade of the United States. The Cold War was coming to an end, the economy was up and the shade/suit combo was in full swing. Take Me Home Tonight has that same sort of 80's air of freshness but fails to accomplish anything meaningful.

To sum up: Topher Grace plays an intelligent, MIT graduate lacking drive to find a job because he doesn't want to fail anything. His fear of failing prevents him from trying anything until he sees a high school crush (Teresa Palmer) and tries to impress her. He does this through lying and making himself up to be something he's not. After accomplishing this, he realizes he must be honest with himself and her. She leaves but then he steps up and gains confidence and the girl. Yahoo. It's a standard feel good movie.

The problem, however, is that emotions heighten and fall too quickly (this all happens in the span of about 12 hours), there's very little character development outside of Topher Grace, and there is a lot going on that has nothing to do with the main plot, e.g. the subplot of Anna Farris and Chris Pratt getting married (kinda funny cause they're married in real life?) didn't really help the rest of the movie out and actually left some questions at the end.

More than that nothing seemed honest. Not just the character interactions but the actors themselves. The acting just wasn't very good. Even if it was, the conditions under which all this was happening didn't make sense. All the characters were supposed to be just out of college, MAYBE a year. Topher Grace is almost 33 years old. He was great playing basically the same character back in That 70's Show but here it just doesn't feel right. His twin sister is played by the almost 35 year old Anna Farris. Dan Fogler is the same age. They're all great actors but just didn't fit in these roles. [Ok, ok, Theresa Palmer, Topher Grace's love interest is 25. It fits. Whatever.] Further, all characters in the movie were interacting like they were older than 22-23, talking about international travel and world currency, but at the same time having dance offs and switching into amateur mode when the time was right.

The entire movie just didn't feel right. All in all it was good but not great; a fun, light hearted, underdog-gets-the girl-and-becomes-top-dog movie. Given the actors and humor however it should have come out 5-6 years ago. There were some good one liners but for the most part the humor wasn't there. Catch it on HBO on a late Saturday night after you've had some drinks.

6/10

Oh, also, I saw the movie Hall Pass the weekend it came out but didn't feel it was worthy of a full post. Garbage. Don't fund it. Anyone that has over a year to come up with a movie idea could make something better than Hall Pass. Some critic said it was better than Me, Myself and Irene. Sir, there was nothing in it that even came close to "You keep fuckin' around and you gonna get that scholarship to Yale taken away. End up at Stanford with a muthafuckin' sling blade." No, this was down there with Stuck on You which was about as cool as Communist Russia. Damn you Farrelly brothers.

Quote of the Week:

"No it's not like Horse!"

A beautiful tale

So the other night when I laid out Oscar picks I threw down the Gauntlet and said Colin Firth would get it for Best Actor. While I still think Firth delivered a grand, memorable performance and the hoity-toity folk that comprise the Academy will send the Golden Man his way, it's no doubt that Javier Bardiem makes a justifiable case for his performance in Biutiful. (and hey! Canne's thinks so too! [see below])

Unless you live in Spain, Mexico, New York or L.A. you haven't heard much about this film, much less seen it - it's only garnered $2 mil domestically since it came out a month ago. (Meanwhile Justin Bieber: Never say never made that and another mil on Friday (2/18) alone; all according to BoxOfficeMojo.com). If you've never heard of it, I'm telling you about it now. If you have heard about it and are on the fence to see it, just see it. If not for the powerful story of a man trying to do the most good for those around him then see it for the best lead performance and direction of the year.

As the story begins, Bardiem plays Uxbal, a poor businessman, role model, father and literally, a poor man. He soon finds out he doesn't have long to live and attempts to change his life around the best he can. Unfortunately, his deeds indirectly worsen the lives of those he cares about even more than if he had done nothing. This includes the deportation of a friend, the physical and emotional pain of his children and even the sudden, unintentional deaths of innocent migrants. This is NOT a rainy Saturday afternoon feel-good movie. It is a portrayal of a man's struggle to repent and the realistic consequences he must conquer. The direction of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - the camera angles, moments and breaks, the creation of creepy off center actions and clues - make the viewer feel they're in the spiraling mind of Uxbal in stylistic, almost grotesque fashion.

Check it out.

Rift

Forgive me readers, for I have left you and my partner in cinema sleuthing in a world of silver screen oblivion. It has been 579 days since my last post. You can thank that steaming pile of cow dung (figuratively speaking), The Hurt Locker, for that one. After hearing about an Oscar nod I had to Obi-Wan it for a year and a half and hang out in bed-bug infested Manhattan movie theatre seats to reinforce my faith in quality cinema. Now I'm back like Renton trying to get a fix and some Kelly Macdonald.

I digress. Though some have said this year has been lackluster in movie magic, I say it's been Fantasia. Just think: Inception, The Social Network, The Town, True Grit, Black Swan, The Fighter, 127 Hours, Toy Story 3, Shutter Island, How to Train your Dragon, Get Him to the Greek, and if you're into that sort of thing, Harry Potter 7 Part I. And hey, props to my boy Dwayne Johnson for doing Tooth Fairy. What an interesting career. Anyway, I'll get back to my normal review schedule (once a week!) and drop dimes on the most current sheisse so we can all spend our $6-23 wisely but for now...

It's Oscar time!! There are some movies that I believe should have been nominated (e.g. The Town) and some that should have been taken out (Acting aside, The King's Speech. I'm sorry, but really, he couldn't speak in the beginning and he couldn't speak in the end) but all in all there were some damn good movies out this year. I won't put out long reviews now but here is what I think will be the finalists:

Best Picture: The Social Network

-Sure, Inception was the coolest thing since Neo stopped bullets and yeah, it made viewers question their existence and what they're doing with their lives but The Social Network did it better. The difference? This showed a couple twenty year olds redefining how business is done and the steps taken to construct an empire that is more addicting and has generated more revenue than the crack industry. Yeah, look it up. The Social Network defines our generation more than Kanye West and with better acting, direction and writing (all nominated). It is, without a doubt, the most inspiring film this year and is guaranteed to make you want to change your life for the better - more than Matt Damon's wickid smahwt's film did 13 years ago. Hey, I watched it last night and am writing this today after nearly two years of silence.

Best Actor: Colin Firth

- Despite walking out incredibly underwhelmed with the movie itself, Colin Firth's performance was absolutely remarkable. "In this grave hour fuck fuck fuck perhaps the most fateful in our history bugger shit shit." - Ah', just grand. I have to give a nod to James Franco. Going from "Mmm, so good" in Spider Man 3 to delivering a performance that brought every viewer down into the lonely chasm with him is something none of us saw coming. Give this man the right script and I guarantee he'll win the Golden Man.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman

- This one's easy. Have you seen Black Swan? Go see it. I don't need to explain this. This is a tough role to pull off and she nailed it.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale

- Remember in The Dark Knight when you got excited to see Heath Ledger as the Joker? Same sorta thing. Ledger's performance was legendary but Bale's performance is in the same "OMG WHAT'S HE GONNA DO NEXT?!' class. Super fun to watch.

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo

- There was no other female character this year that was easier to hate and make one cringe than Melissa Leo's portrayal of Alice Ward, the tough-as-a-beaten-coked-up-widowed-mother-of-5-working-in-a-South-Compton-skin-bar-truck-stop mother of Micky and Dicky in The Fighter. Think a Boston trailer trash, blue collar cousin of Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). It was almost hard to believe that she was just an actor that was previously on All My Children. Though it won't, it'd be really great if this went to Hailee Steinfeld. Fourteen years old and killing it almost as dirty as someone with 30 years of experience... like Melissa Leo.

Best Director: David Fincher

- This one is difficult. Both Fincher and Aronovsky have created beautiful works that bring the viewer in more than any other in the past two years. Easy. However, I have never felt the way I did after watching The Social Network. Though some of this can be attributed to Aaron Sorkin, Fincher conjured a story, mood and atmosphere that has and will become the anthem of our generation.

Best Writing directly for the screen: Inception

- Your mind walks into an alley and gets gang banged prison style by the scariest blokes imaginable and when you try to cry uncle and scream to God 'why is this happening?!' you get gagged and blindfolded and it hurts even more. But then you realize you kind of like it. And it may be the best you've ever had. And it may be something you wish you'd never wake from. Christopher Nolan created the perfect metaphor for all our lives in the coolest, most meaningful way imaginable. This screenplay was perfect.

Best Writing Based on a Previous Work: Aaron Sorkin

- Hinted at above, The Social Network is the perfect representation of our generation; it is the sum theme of our society's culture over the past ten years. Further, it's fast paced, thrilling, emotional and above all, inspiring. This will be spark for citizens the world over to kick procrastination in the ribs and realize their potential. Truly a masterpiece.

Chew on that and I'll have more in the coming soon.

"End? This is not the end. Death is just another path, one that we all must take"

Shutter Island

Is it better to live like a monster or die a good man?

Shutter Island is not an easy movie to watch. The acting, as always from Dicaprio, is top notch. The supporting actors are all incredible especially Sir Kingsley. The filming still sees Scorsese at his best.

I did like this film, a lot, BUT not all of it. If you are familiar with the psychological-thriller genre then you know that most of these films suffer the same fatal flaw. . .the ending. Now there are exceptions to this rule: best of all being The Usual Suspects, and the Sixth Sense in a close second. On the opposite side of the spectrum there are films like Identity, which suck donkey balls due to a cop out ending.

Shutter Island sets itself apart due to its great story. Every aspect is engaging and the backstory is fascinating. Scorsese also does a great job of messing with the audience in certain key moments of the film. However, as the end draws near, a too familiar and predictable ending (in my eyes) comes through to fruition but still leaves the audience with something to ponder.

Overall, I'll give Shutter Island a 7.5/10. With a slight ending modification, this would easily warrant a 9.