Boogie Nights, I Am Sam and An Education

So I have finally gotten back on track with my netflix account after neglecting to return a DVD for about 10 months...My queue had grown to a ridiculous level, so here are some shorter reviews of some older movies.

Oh Markie Mark. I think that this was one of his first big movies (not sure if this came before or after Fear), and was not a bad start for him. I didn't realize what an all star cast this movie had--Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour-Hufman and John C. Reill--definitely some great performances. Wahlberg looked hot obviously, and portrayed a great character arc starting from naive and innocent and then going full circle.

I really liked Julianne Moore in this...not sure if it is because I have been on a Moore kick recently or not, but she had been impressing me in the last few movies I have seen her in. I thought she played old strung out porn star pretty well. Also, Burt Reynolds was hilarious. I feel like this was a movie I heard a lot about when I was younger so it was a little hyped up, but it was good--nothing outstanding but good. A little long though (the movie, not the prosthetic penis that wahlberg shows in the end. hah) Overall, it is about as good as you would think a movie about the porn industry would be.

My Rating: B-

Ah, can't believe I hadn't seen this sooner. Loveeee love loved this movie. I did not expect to like it as much as I did, because I usually don't like Michelle Peiffer or Dakota Fanning--but the two, combined with Sean Penn's outstanding performance make an incredibly touching and real story. Through the course of the movie, you grow to care so much for Penn's character are his quirks--one of my favorites: "That's a very good choice."

This movie made me realize I haven't seen enough of Penn and that I need to see some his other work; he was amazing. He played such a simple and loveable character, while Fanning and Peiffer complimented him perfectly, portraying the movies message that "All You Need is Love." I don't know if I was overlly emotional the night I watched this or not, but I felt like I pretty much cried non-stop through the whole thing...most specifically at the moment when Penn's character goes to visit his daughter with her foster mother (who I actually really like as an actress also, she was in An Education too), bringing her flowers, but stops when he sees that she appears to be having fun, and realizes that she might be better off. There were so many heart wrecnhing moments that drew me further and further into the incredible bond that the father and daughter had. Great story, great actors--sorry I didn't see this much sooner.

My Rating: A+

First off, Peter Saarsgard is dreamy. And looks exactly like Colin Firth. I enjoyed this movie. Great performances by Alfred Molina and Saarsgard, but the real star of the movie was Carey Mulligan. She had a great spunk and spark for knowledge during a time when women were more or less meant to be seen and not heard. I loved her sass and quick wit, and really liked the story of her character in general. Parts of this movie felt a little creepy though--i.e., a man in his 30's picking up a 16 year old high schooler on the side of the road and then continuing to pursue a relationship with her. I appreciate that it was a different time, but the sex scenes were still a bit uncomfortable.

The end came a bit as a shock to me...I may not have been paying as close attention as I should have been, and watched the movie in 2 seperate sittings--but I did not see Saarsgard's character being such a low life. Not completely sure how to feel about the movie; I enjoyed the acting almost across the board, but the story line lacked a bit for me. I think at times I wanted more detailed scenes, or a bit more realness in the way that Jenny's parents dealt with David.

My Rating: B

The Kids Are All Right

Really really good movie. I was thoroughly invested in the innerworkings of the family, and had a hard time siding with any of the main characters involved--a sign that the actors each did a great job portraying their characters. The story felt so real, and raw. Annette Benning and Julianne Moore do a great job at showing the hardships of a marriage, and the every day events that put a strain on relationships.

I am glad the movie has gained such a following, and that it is nominated for best picture. It won at the Golden Globes (although against movies like Burlesque and The Tourist), but I don't think it has a shot against The King's Speach and The Social Network at the Oscars. My big question however is in Annette Benning and Mark Ruffalo getting nominations, and Julianne Moore being left out. Benning and Ruffalo were both great (although both dont have a shot at beating Natpo or Colin Firth), but I think that one of the movies strongest performances came from Moore (who had one of the best moments of the movie, were her apology to the family in one of the last scenes). I thought that both of the kids were great as well. AND, did anybody else notice that Mark Ruffalo's girlfriend was Yaya from America's Next Top Model? So random, but glad she is doing something now--I wanted her to win her cycle.

The quote of the movie that really sealed the deal for me thinking it was great was this...

"...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...Stop seeing the other person. You just see weird projections of your own junk."

My Rating: A

True Grit

Hmm...Was not wowed as much as I was hoping I would be. This film has gone through a weird few months--doing well in the box office, getting no golden globe nominations, and then getting 10 oscar nominations. I typically love the Coen brothers, and I will say that for the most part, the movie was entertaining; there were however some slow parts, and Matt Damon.

I think I should probably see the original True Grit now to compare, but the story line is solid. The epic cinematography (which will probably win) was a great backdrop to the story, and Hailee Steinfeld was the perfect LEAD actress...right? No, she was nominated as a supporting actress for the movie, landing her in a category that was not already dominated by front runner Natalie Portman. There is no question that Hailee's character was the lead--the first half hour of the movie completely revolved around her, and all of the crucial plot elements followed her movement. I do not mean to say that she wasn't amazing though. The 15 year old easily out-acted the rest of the cast, and portrayed a maturity well beyond her years.

I have read a few reviews about Jeff Bridges performance and most criticize it as not being intimidating enough--which I agree with. He is made out to be too much of a drunk to really be a formidable opponent. I also found myself missing about a third of his dialog because he slurred so much. I did enjoy his performance in the court room the first time we are introduced to his character though.

Matt Damon and Josh Brolin were both a little disappointing. I recognize that they were trying to paint Damon as the clown Texas Ranger, but I thought that they made him a little bit too much of a caricature. I know...its the Coen brothers, thats what they do...but it seemed like Damon's character was less believable than Bridges and Steinfield. I also had a problem with Brolin's performance. By looks alone, he was perfect. He had a menacing look to him that was great for the character; but it was the voice he used that I didn't like. I was expecting a man a bit more intelligent too.

Overall, the movie was good. Hailee Steinfield helped draw you into the characters, while Brolin, Bridges and Damon all were all cartoons. So how will the movie fare at the Oscars? I think that as a film it has no chance. Bridges got his acting win last year. The Coen brothers? Maybe, but unlikely. I think that the best hopes for this film will come in either the Supporting Actress category or Cinematography.

My Rating: B

Oscar Nominations List

So the nominations list came out this morning...Big suprises included Christopher Nolan NOT getting a directing nom for Inception, True Grit earning the 2nd most nominations (2nd to The King's Speech with 12, it had 10), and the recognition of both Michelle Williams and Javier Bardem. Little sad Andrew Garfield missed out too.

Below is the rundown of the major nominations and my predictions for the time being...still have a few movies to see (The King's Speech, True Grit, Blue Valentine, The Kids are Alright and Biutiful) but here it is so far...The predicted winner is in red, italics for what I actually want to win. Possible dark horses in green

Best Picture:
Inception
Toy Story 3
True Grit
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Black Swan
127 Hours
Winter's Bone
The Kids are Alright
The Fighter

Lead Actress:
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Lead Actor:
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

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

127 Hours

Great movie. James Franco is pretty much the heart and soul, as the final 3/4 of the movie pretty much stars him in a crevasse fighting for his life. Parts of the movie reminded a bit of Titanic--you knew the end result before going in to the movie, but the story on the way there was what made it interesting. I am glad that Franco has been earned a fair share of nominations for his performance, and think that he should get an Oscar nom also--but there is slim chance he will beat Colin Firth (although if somebody does beat Firth, it will be him).

I really liked some of the things that Danny Boyle did with the shooting. Going in, I had been warned of the split screen sections, and more artsy shots (i.e. the water traveling up the hose on the camelback), but I tended to enjoy both. The split screen multiple camera angle moments gave scenes that could have been otherwise a bit plain, an extra depth. I wondered how this story would really play out, and how they would manage to entertain an audience by showing Franco caught under a rock for an hour and a half--but they did. By giving Ralston some background in the early scenes, and in the scene with the female hitchhikers, you start to get who he is. The scene that really got me was a few days into him being trapped, when he was starting to lose it, and he put on the talk show voice and was interviewing himself. Really glad that Boyle decided to team up with AR Rahman again too(oscar winner for the Slumdog soundtrack).

As I said above, this was the James Franco show--he made the movie. Not suprised that the movie as a whole hasn't earned much recognition, it is not quite oscar winning material. I think that many people were weary of the main event of the movie...Franco hacking his arm off. They didn't shy away from showing the details in the movie either--it was probably just about as much as I could handle--but it didn't take away from the movie as a whole. And of course, as I have found recently, the actual footage at the end of the movie of the real Aron Ralston got the waterworks going (the footage at the end of The Fighter did it too!).

My Rating: B+

The Social Network

So it looks like we have a front runner--the Social Network cleaned up at the Golden Globes, winning Best picture (Drama), Best director, Best Screenplay and Best Score. Is this momentum going to continue through the SAG awards, and then on to the Oscars??

As I sat through the opening dialog between Zuckerberg and his girlfriend, I was nervous that I was going to get exhausted from how spitfire the dialog was flying at me. It was definitely difficult to get used to the fast pace, but Sorkin's intelligent dialog is the movies strong suit. Sure, at times it felt a little like the Gilmore Girls, but the fast pace was what kept the audience invested. Nobody thought a story about the creation of facebook would be too riveting a story-- but Mark Zuckerberg, the Winklevoss twins, and Eduardo Saverin definitely made some entertaining characters to build a movie around. How accurate was the story? Probably not even a little bit.

It was hard not to get a bit nostalgic in the early scenes of the movie as the idea for a website like facebook was hatched, and to think about how awesome it was to be able to join such an elite network once we got to college. Of course that exclusivity is gone now, but I think the movie did well showing the path that the website took.

As mentioned above, the character portrayals were awesome--and from almost completely unknown actors. Jesse Eisenberg should not have been nominated for a Golden Globe for it, but his performance was hilarious (although not a lot different from his previous roles?). Pretty sure Andrew garfield stole the show...and I can't wait to see him as the new spiderman. I think that Josh Pence as the hateable Winklevoss was perfect though. I enjoyed most of the performances in the entire movie, except Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker. Timberlake was playing himself--there wasn't a second he was on screen that I really thought he was acting as somebody else.

On a completely separate note, I love that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails wrote the score, and further more, that he won the Golden Globe for it. I thought the score was awesome, and hope he gets the oscar too.

Overall, I guess I am not surprised that the movie took the Golden Globe...It undoubtedly felt like one of the more intelligent and whole movies of the group (although I have yet to see the Kings Speech), and although I would have loved to have seen Black Swan win, it was definitely too artsy. With great writing, an fresh cast (despite Timberlake), and a awesome score, It was pretty good all around.

My Rating: A

The Fighter

Christian Bale. Christian Bale, Christian Bale, Christian Bale. And Melissa Leo. The movie was entertaining as a whole, and has awesome fight sequences, but Bale and Leo stole the show. The two play a pair of completely wretched human beings, but through some intense characterization and relationhips with Mark Wahlbergs character, you still feel for in the end. The realness of this whole story is what made it for me, coupled with the actual story of how it came to be (Mark Wahlberg bought the story, from his home town in Southie years ago, so that he could be the one to produce it and make sure it happened.)

Christian Bale blew me away. Everybody knows he is a character actor, as seen in The Machinist and American Psycho, but this portrayal was flawless. He transformed his body into that of an addict, and took on all the ticks and habits of the real life character as we saw during the credits of the movie when the real life people that the movie was based on were shown. Additionally, Melissa Leo gave an amazing performance as the over-bearing matriarch that you wanted to slap through the whole movie.

I was excited before seeing the movie for Amy Adams performance, as it is a role very far outside the roles we have seen her in, but I was a little let down. It was definitely refreshing to see her swear (a lot) and show a little skin, but I wish she had gotten a little grittier...although one of my favorite seens in the movie was her beating on the ugly sisters. Mark Wahlberg was another that didn't necessarily wow me--he played the character well, but did anybody really expect Markie Mark to get an acting nomination? That being said, he was better than I thought he would be. And he looked good.

Overall, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo carried the movie. I really felt that the on screen relationships that the two made were what drove the movie. Without the two of them, I don't think that the movie would have been anywhere near as successfull. Again, I think this movie will be nominated for an oscar for best film, but don't think it will win...the ensemble as a whole wasn't strong enough. I think that Bale has it for supporting, and Leo has a good shot also.

My rating: B+