Here is my ever-expanding list of the reviews and grades from the year in film. Longer reviews to come.
Everything from The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, and even The House Bunny gets a review here.
Cinema of all types. Don't be the man that got away. Sit down, stay awhile, and comment away.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Film Grades and Reviews: 2008
Here is my ever-expanding list of the reviews and grades from the year in film. Longer reviews to come.
Everything from The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, and even The House Bunny gets a review here.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Crazy Heart Review
Crazy Heart
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall.
Written and Directed by: Scott Cooper.
Starring as Bad Blake, a once-prominent country singer whose life has been nearly shattered by hard living and booze, Jeff Bridges once again reminds why he has been one of the most consistent and important actors of the last 40 years in his latest film, the unexpected and nuanced indie, “Crazy Heart.”
Blake lives his life like one of the country songs he sings in his liquor-soaked sets. He’s flirted with huge success, ruined four separate marriages, lives one bottle of whiskey at a time, and doesn’t have a relationship with the one son he knows about. But just as it seems Blake is going to be destroyed at the hands of his demons, fate graces him with many opportunities to amend his ways and finally have the opportunities he wants.
Fate gives him a job in the form of a songwriting gig for Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), his protégé who eventually surpassed him in money and fame but never forgot where or who he came from, and a woman named Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), an aspiring music journalist and single mother Blake meets in Santa Fe, who despite her difficult past, tries to love Blake for the man she thinks he can be.
Now, it’s true, the down-and-out country singer who tries to change his ways with the help of a loving woman is not the most original film concept ever conceived (see the even-better 1983 film “Tender Mercies”), but this film by first time writer/director Scott Cooper elevates beyond the clichés by the surprising decisions he makes and the lovely and simple performances by his lead performances.
First and foremost Cooper, adapting the 1989 novel by Thomas Cobb, has injected a light touch and unexpected humor to a story that could have been bogged down by its own seriousness. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its gravitas; it has heaps of it, but just when you think the film is going to descend into a woe is me diatribe, it brings you back with a beautiful humanity. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Jean, with a hopeless romantic heart and delicate strength is just like the audience; she, despite all of his red flags, has fallen in love with Bad Blake just like we have.
Most importantly though as we’ve seen in other musical films such as “Ray,” about Ray Charles, “Bird,” about jazzman Charlie Parker, or the Johnny Cash film, ”Walk the Line” it’s so important that we as the audience are drawn into the musician’s magnetism, their presence on stage; we need to understand why audiences are drawn to them. “Crazy Heart” is no exception. The musical numbers sweat with an authenticity. You’ll believe that all of these new original songs written by T Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton, including the film’s theme song “The Weary Kind,” have been hits for decades.
Even though Bad Blake is a fictitious character, he’s brought to vivacious and startling life by the genius that is Jeff Bridges. Ever since his breakthrough in the 1971 classic “The Last Picture Show,” Bridges has showcased a realism and a naturalistic quality in his acting that has made him severely underrated in forty year career. He doesn’t have the determined focus of Robert De Niro or the volcanic spurts of a Sean Penn. He’s a restrained naturalist. It’s the way he looks at someone after they’ve delivered a line of dialogue, or the way that he laughs at the reality that has become his life; it just feels so lived in, so present, so charming. It’s his unadorned purity as an actor that seems like a much more difficult task than the typical grandstanding and scenery chewing.
The film occasionally gets trapped into the clichés that it mostly avoids and that can be a bit disheartening, but for the most part “Crazy Heart” is like a good country song. We’ve heard it all before, but it takes a real stylist, a true artist, to make it seem all shiny and new.
Grade: B
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Weekend Trailer
I keep hearing rumblings about this movie from friends and fellow bloggers, (Thanks Nathaniel at The Film Experience!)and I finally get the hype with this beautiful little trailer. Seemingly a couple parts Once with a touch of this year's Sundance darling Like Crazy, I kinda fell in love with the trailer on spec. I hope it comes to Dayton soonish.
Tyrannosaur Trailer
After a startling debut at Sundance in January and awards for both stars Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman, Tyrannosaur is looking to make a big dent in the awards play for the fall. A bruising portrayal of violence and isolationism, the film is directed by Paddy Considine (In America and Cinderella Man), and the trailer looks even stronger than I thought.
The Artist Trailer Debuts
After wooing the audiences at Cannes and the Weinstein Company for a cool pickup and Oscar campaign, The Artist is set to arrive this Thanksgiving and we're finally getting our first look now. A silent film made in France about the glories of the Golden Age of cinema looks like a tough sell, but this looks beyond charming.
Look for lead actor Jean Dujardin to be in a serious conversation as Best Actor as well as the film in many a technical categories. They're going to be showing the film at many of the big fall festivals which is only a better opportunity for it pick up steam.
Trailer embedded below:
Look for lead actor Jean Dujardin to be in a serious conversation as Best Actor as well as the film in many a technical categories. They're going to be showing the film at many of the big fall festivals which is only a better opportunity for it pick up steam.
Trailer embedded below:
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Film Grades and Reviews: 2009
Here is my ever-expanding list of the reviews and grades from the year in film. Longer reviews to come on many of these.
Can't Miss
A/A-
The Hurt Locker
Up
Precious full review
A Serious Man
An Education
The Messenger
Great with reservations
A-/B+
Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up in the Air
Bright Star
Inglourious Basterds
A Single Man
Good, but...
B+/B
(500) Days of Summer
Whip It!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Two Lovers
Funny People
Sugar
Why not?
B/B-
Crazy Heart full review
Julie & Julia
Duplicity
District 9
It's Complicated...
The Young Victoria
Where the Wild Things Are
Adventureland
Zombieland
Drag Me To Hell
Every Little Step
Fast & Furious mini review
The September Issue
Take Me or Leave Me
B-/C+
The Princess and the Frog
Angels & Demons
Star Trek
Public Enemies
I Love You Man
Taken
Brothers
Feh
C+/C
The Hangover
Sunshine Cleaning
The Proposal
State of Play
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Michael Jackson: This Is It
Fired Up!
Not Recommended
C/C-
The Blind Side
Observe and Report
Nine
The Taking of Pelham 123
Watchmen
Away We Go
17 Again
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Year One
Cinematic Ebola Virus
D+ thru F
The Lovely Bones
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Couples Retreat
Bruno
Obsessed
The Ugly Truth
Bride Wars
2011 Facebook Status Film Reviews
In theaters
Bridesmaids: Idiosyncratic, interesting, and unafraid to be a little maudlin, the film is a love letter to chick flicks and gross out comedies at the same time. Kristin Wiig's script is deft and particularly poignant while her performance finds nuances I didn't think she had in her. A quality endeavor all around. B+
Crazy Stupid Love: It's not really groundbreaking, but it's incredibly well done especially from a dynamite cast. It's gets a bit long in the tooth late, but it's really okay. Carell's performance is more akin to Dan in Real Life than his other work, and Ryan Gosling proves his off-camera charms can work on-screen as well. My favorite redheads Emma Stone and Julianne Moore are lovelier as ever. B+
Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Despite jokes, characters, and story arcs that pander to the lowest common denominator, a deeply sexist and unsurprising view of women, and unnecessary comedy, the film is quite a thrilling ride with some of the most dazzling visual effects I've seen in a great while. There's a much simpler story this time around so the action and robots are front and center. B-
The Tree of Life: It's a healthy mix of wow moments and what the fuck. I'm not at all certain what it all means, but I don't know that I care. I was overwhelmed and engulfed in a vision of the world and it took my breath away. Still haven't really wrapped my head around what I watched. Needs to gestate a bit. I'll keep you posted. A-
Bad Teacher: I will say, I like it, quite a bit. Watching Cammy do and say such bad things with such relish was a genuine thrill. But as much as I like it, I actually want it to be bawdier and badder. Coming from the director of Bad Santa, I was hoping for the far more outrageous. Segal and Timberlake are good, but Lucy Punch steals the scenes as a rival teacher. I can't wait for the unrated DVD. B
Super 8 was a zingy piece of nostalgic sci-fi movie-making. Bolstered by two emotional performances by newcomer Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, the film is youthful, exciting, and surprisingly funny. There is some excessive action sequences especially at the end, and the ending, albeit sweet, does stumble a bit. An nuanced soundscape, a great score, the film is still a win despite its glaring flaws. A-
Midnight in Paris was a sweet and airy dollop of whipped meringue. But like meringue, it's not very filling. Stuffed chock full of the magic and romance that Woody Allen has created for his New York City, here he takes us to the City of Lights in 1920s. Witty, charming, and oh so literate. Props to Marion Cotillard for her continued string of great work this time as muse. Kudos also to some great actors in small cameos as Hemingway, Dahli, and Gertrude Stein. B
Just Go With It: It's really depressing when the women (Aniston and a terribly out-of-place, yet still very funny Nicole Kidman) are best part of the film especially when the film treats them and all women with such disdain. C
X-Men First Class: A lot of fun. Enjoyed its messing with the mythology. Stylish and really impeccably cast. Michael Fassbender better become a household name because he's inspiring and gorgeous even in such a silly kind of movie. Plus the triumvirate of hotness that is January Jones, Rose Byrne, and Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence...Yeah! B
On DVD
The Break-Up: Vaughn & Aniston do exactly what you'd expect in this unromantic comedy. Despite the predictability of it all and the overabundance of star wattage, I really didn't mind it. The story diverges enough from standard romcom silliness to stay fresh and Aniston is able to find more emotional realness than I ever thought she could muster. Granted...It was before she stopped trying. (2006) B-
The Lovely Bones: Great source material, amazing director and cast, and we get this tonally schizophrenic, over-sharing, emotionally slutty frenetically shot hodgepodge of images? Saoirse Ronan makes a valiant effort as the slain Susie Salmon as is Brian Eno's score, but Stanley Tucci's serial killer's just plain annoying and I'd never think Mark Wahlberg was a CPA. What a waste. (2009) D+
North Country: A pretty standard yet interesting biopic about female mine workers fighting for equality in 80s Minnesota. Anchored by a riveting Charlize Theron, and the rest of the stellar cast including godlike Richard Jenkins, Sissy Spacek, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Jeremy Renner do their best with hohum material. A bit too long too. (2005) B
Frida: Poor Salma Hayek is just not up for the challenge and certainly doesn't have the chops to handle this role. The film is stylish and well-made with great art direction and one of my favorite film scores. It has a bit too much of Taymor's quirks for me, but Alfred Molina is astonishing. With a different actress, this would have been at least 12x better. (2002) B-
Whip It!: A surprising film, directed by Drew Barrymore, full of feisty fun and ample heart. This roller derby coming-of-age comedy stars the always affable Ellen Page plus a supporting cast that includes Kristin Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden, Juliette Lewis, and Jimmy Fallon. Funny, charming, and a bit dirty, Whip It was a great time round the roller ring. (2009) B+
Short Bus: Mixing unedited, real sex on screen, the improvisational Mike Leigh style script, a game cast, and heady direction John Cameron Mitchell's cinematic experiment almost really works. What starts off being quite funny and odd slowly melting into too much melodrama by the end. The ending, albeit fun, tries to find faux profundity in some very odd circumstances while still leaving some characters out to sea. (2006) B
Bridesmaids: Idiosyncratic, interesting, and unafraid to be a little maudlin, the film is a love letter to chick flicks and gross out comedies at the same time. Kristin Wiig's script is deft and particularly poignant while her performance finds nuances I didn't think she had in her. A quality endeavor all around. B+
Crazy Stupid Love: It's not really groundbreaking, but it's incredibly well done especially from a dynamite cast. It's gets a bit long in the tooth late, but it's really okay. Carell's performance is more akin to Dan in Real Life than his other work, and Ryan Gosling proves his off-camera charms can work on-screen as well. My favorite redheads Emma Stone and Julianne Moore are lovelier as ever. B+
Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Despite jokes, characters, and story arcs that pander to the lowest common denominator, a deeply sexist and unsurprising view of women, and unnecessary comedy, the film is quite a thrilling ride with some of the most dazzling visual effects I've seen in a great while. There's a much simpler story this time around so the action and robots are front and center. B-
The Tree of Life: It's a healthy mix of wow moments and what the fuck. I'm not at all certain what it all means, but I don't know that I care. I was overwhelmed and engulfed in a vision of the world and it took my breath away. Still haven't really wrapped my head around what I watched. Needs to gestate a bit. I'll keep you posted. A-
Bad Teacher: I will say, I like it, quite a bit. Watching Cammy do and say such bad things with such relish was a genuine thrill. But as much as I like it, I actually want it to be bawdier and badder. Coming from the director of Bad Santa, I was hoping for the far more outrageous. Segal and Timberlake are good, but Lucy Punch steals the scenes as a rival teacher. I can't wait for the unrated DVD. B
Super 8 was a zingy piece of nostalgic sci-fi movie-making. Bolstered by two emotional performances by newcomer Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, the film is youthful, exciting, and surprisingly funny. There is some excessive action sequences especially at the end, and the ending, albeit sweet, does stumble a bit. An nuanced soundscape, a great score, the film is still a win despite its glaring flaws. A-
Midnight in Paris was a sweet and airy dollop of whipped meringue. But like meringue, it's not very filling. Stuffed chock full of the magic and romance that Woody Allen has created for his New York City, here he takes us to the City of Lights in 1920s. Witty, charming, and oh so literate. Props to Marion Cotillard for her continued string of great work this time as muse. Kudos also to some great actors in small cameos as Hemingway, Dahli, and Gertrude Stein. B
Just Go With It: It's really depressing when the women (Aniston and a terribly out-of-place, yet still very funny Nicole Kidman) are best part of the film especially when the film treats them and all women with such disdain. C
X-Men First Class: A lot of fun. Enjoyed its messing with the mythology. Stylish and really impeccably cast. Michael Fassbender better become a household name because he's inspiring and gorgeous even in such a silly kind of movie. Plus the triumvirate of hotness that is January Jones, Rose Byrne, and Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence...Yeah! B
On DVD
The Break-Up: Vaughn & Aniston do exactly what you'd expect in this unromantic comedy. Despite the predictability of it all and the overabundance of star wattage, I really didn't mind it. The story diverges enough from standard romcom silliness to stay fresh and Aniston is able to find more emotional realness than I ever thought she could muster. Granted...It was before she stopped trying. (2006) B-
The Lovely Bones: Great source material, amazing director and cast, and we get this tonally schizophrenic, over-sharing, emotionally slutty frenetically shot hodgepodge of images? Saoirse Ronan makes a valiant effort as the slain Susie Salmon as is Brian Eno's score, but Stanley Tucci's serial killer's just plain annoying and I'd never think Mark Wahlberg was a CPA. What a waste. (2009) D+
North Country: A pretty standard yet interesting biopic about female mine workers fighting for equality in 80s Minnesota. Anchored by a riveting Charlize Theron, and the rest of the stellar cast including godlike Richard Jenkins, Sissy Spacek, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Jeremy Renner do their best with hohum material. A bit too long too. (2005) B
Frida: Poor Salma Hayek is just not up for the challenge and certainly doesn't have the chops to handle this role. The film is stylish and well-made with great art direction and one of my favorite film scores. It has a bit too much of Taymor's quirks for me, but Alfred Molina is astonishing. With a different actress, this would have been at least 12x better. (2002) B-
Whip It!: A surprising film, directed by Drew Barrymore, full of feisty fun and ample heart. This roller derby coming-of-age comedy stars the always affable Ellen Page plus a supporting cast that includes Kristin Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden, Juliette Lewis, and Jimmy Fallon. Funny, charming, and a bit dirty, Whip It was a great time round the roller ring. (2009) B+
Short Bus: Mixing unedited, real sex on screen, the improvisational Mike Leigh style script, a game cast, and heady direction John Cameron Mitchell's cinematic experiment almost really works. What starts off being quite funny and odd slowly melting into too much melodrama by the end. The ending, albeit fun, tries to find faux profundity in some very odd circumstances while still leaving some characters out to sea. (2006) B
Film Grades and Reviews: 2010
Here is my ever-expanding list of the reviews and grades from the year in film. Longer reviews to come on many of these.
Can't Miss
A/A-
The Social Network full review
Black Swan real time reaction
Toy Story 3
A Prophet
Winter's Bone
Great with reservations
A-/B+
Inception
True Grit mini review
Fish Tank
The Kids are All Right
Inside Job mini review
127 Hours
Rabbit Hole mini review
Easy A
The Town full review
The Fighter
Blue Valentine
Good, but...
B+/B
Restrepo
How To Train Your Dragon
Tangled
The King's Speech
The Tillman Story mini review
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
Unstoppable
The Other Guys
Somewhere
Why not?
B/B-
The Company Men
Never Let Me Go
Please Give
Fair Game
Conviction
Red
Despicable Me
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Waiting for Superman
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Kick-Ass
Biutiful mini review
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Tron: Legacy
Take Me or Leave Me
B-/C+
Eat Pray Love
Shutter Island
Date Night
Love and Other Drugs
I Love You Phillip Morris
Burlesque
Prince of Persia
Solitary Man
Letters to Juliet
Feh
C+/C
Iron Man 2
Robin Hood
Dear John
She's Out of My League
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Get Him to the Greek
Cyrus
The Runaways
Country Strong mini review
Not Recommended
C/C-
Dinner for Schmucks
Sex and the City 2
Morning Glory
MacGruber
Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief
Hot Tub Time Machine
Cinematic Ebola Virus
D+ thru F
Remember Me
Valentine's Day
You Again
Alice in Wonderland full review
Clash of the Titans
Legion
The Last Song
The Bounty Hunter
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