Thursday, February 17, 2011

And the Oscar Goes to...

If you ask me it will most likely go to The King’s Speech.  I predict that it will sweep the Academy Awards this year.  And why not?  Here we have extraordinary performances by both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush with outstanding supporting performances by Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pierce.  Did anyone recognize the doctor from Nurse Jackie (HBO)?  She plays a fantastic, albeit, brief role as Wallace Simpson, the American divorcee that mesmerized a king and brought about the abdication of the British throne in 1934.   Beyond the historical significance of the film, it tackles the often overlooked and misunderstood issue of stuttering.  No doubt many people have christened this film as a champion for compassion and understanding in the arena of speech therapy and the intense isolation and disconnect that people with this impediment feel. 
The Black Swan is a cerebral and sophomoric, over-the-top film that I found myself bored within the hour.  In the second hour I found myself laughing out loud.  I don’t think that was Aronofsky’s intention, but if it is then, bravo!  Not to take anything away from Natalie Portman. She fulfilled the part with great aplomb. But just like another actress from years ago who took on an over-the-top psycho role, Faye Dunaway’s performance in Mommy Dearest, I only hope that Natalie can side-step and overcome the repercussions of playing such a character.  As you can tell I am not a fan of Black Swan and I will drink the proverbial cool-aid if it wins.
The Fighter is a wonderfully ‘real’ film that truly mirrors a slice of culture that exists in today’s world.  Mark Wahlberg is good and incredibly shrewd as a producer and businessman.  The real nuanced performances are found in Melissa Leo as the mother.  She represents a woman that is all too real even for moviegoers.  Exiting the theatre, I heard people say things like, “Do people like that really exist?”  “Those people were so hard and ugly.  Is that what people from Massachusetts are really like?”  Yes, and yes.  The hard and ugly part comes from the lifestyle.  Melissa Leo won both the Golden Globe and the SAG Award for her performance.  Amy Adams does a great job as the girlfriend and plays against type. She is a surprise and a breath of fresh air. But the real accolades and the Oscar will most likely go to Christian Bale for his turn as a crack addict.  Not that I hang out with crackheads, but living in New York City one is bound to come across a few now and again and Christian nailed it beyond belief.  He has become one of those actors that goes to those places that no one else is brave enough to do. 
Inception was an amazing piece of cinema.  At once cerebral and thought-provoking, yet thrilling and fast-moving.  A smart story that makes one really ponder the idea of dreams and remote viewing.  Leo’s performance delivers and so does Ellen Page, Joseph-Gordon Levitt and the incomparable Marion Cotillard.  There was a film in the 80’s with Dennis Quaid that tackled the very same subject called “Dreamscape”.  This movie takes the idea and multiplies it unto infinity.  The effects and the writing alone should garner many accolades.  I put my money on Visual Special Effects, Sound design and Editing for this one.
The Social Network is a film that tackles the birth of social networking and the backroom deals it took to make it a reality.  Facebook users beware that the grand poobah of this new way of ‘community’ is tarnished in this semi-bio pic by Aaron Sorkin, best known for his brilliant work on The West Wing.  In a recent 60- minutes interview, Sorkin said that he only loosely based his screenplay on Mark Zuckerberg, founder and bazzillionaire to the Facebook phenomenon.  Making Zuckerberg, played potently by Jesse Eisenberg, an almost asberger’s type personality void of any real emotions ups the stakes in this courtroom drama.  Wonderfully written and fantastically directed, it will certainly give The King’s Speech a run for its money.
The Kids Are All Right is, perhaps, my personal favorite of the year.  Not only is Annette Benning and Julianne Moore’s performances real and visceral, it is the most authentic family drama to come along in quite a while.  The fact that the kids have two mommy’s is only a footnote to the situations and issues that all families face at some time or another. I put my money on Benning to win for Best Actress.
Toy Story 3 is a wonderful animated feature that continues to deliver.  A franchise that consistently proves that Pixar is the king of the Hill in its genre and domain. You can’t go wrong with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Walt Disney.  Issues of abandonment are treated with care in this parable of love.  Best Animated Feature and some technical awards is my bet.
127 Hours.  James Franco stunned me with his brilliant and subtle performance as Sean Penn’s lover in “Milk” last year.  This year he relives the nightmare of being pinned in a canyon miles from help and modern convenience.  Portraying the life of Aron Ralston as he hiked a remote Utah Canyon alone and found himself trapped in the ‘narrows’.  Unable to extricate himself, he took the brave challenge of cutting off his own arm in order to survive.  At once a brilliant portrayal of man against nature as well as man against himself. The story becomes the ultimate resurrection of life over death.  I have to be honest, I knew the true story and I was somewhat squeamish about watching a man cut off his arm but James Franco turns in a riveting performance reaching the realms of high art in this wonderful film directed by Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire, winner of the 2009 Academy’s Best Picture.  This will not win best picture but watch Franco as he climbs the academy’s political ladder.  They will give him an award for both Milk and 127 hours for another film he does in the future.
True Grit is, perhaps, the best western I’ve seen in a long time.  A remake of the 1969 John Wayne classic, based on the book by Charles Portis.  Up there with Stage Coach, Who Shot Liberty Valence, The Unforgiven and Dances with Wolves, this film introduces us to a fine young actress whom I hope steals the best supporting actress award.  Hailee Steinfeld is outstanding.  Kudos to Joel and Ethan Coen for adapting the script and brilliantly directing a coming of age and going of age with this tale of revenge that turns into redemption.   The gripe I hear from theatergoers are that it is verbose, but being a fan of Deadwood when it was an HBO regular, I found the writing a kind of 'American Shakespeare'.  People did not speak in contractions or abbreviations then, and so it seems odd to the modern ear.  But believe me, the Coens are right on the money with this one.
Finally, the Sundance darling of last year with a breakout performance by a previously unknown Jennifer Lawrence is a raw slice of life in fly-over country.  Winter's Bone is set in rural Missouri and Arkansas, I wonder what people do to survive in hard times and this movie leads me to believe that people in dire straights will engage in illegal activity, especially if it only costs a few dollars to procure cold medicine from the local Walgreens or Walmart.  Chasing the shadow of her meth maker father, a young girl tries to make sure she does not lose the farm to a jail bondsman and the law.  John Hawks brings an amazing and frightening performance as her uncle who warns, threatens and then protects his niece from the other thugs dotting the countryside. It will not win, but as they say 'the nomination is what counts'.


I want to address a huge problem that threatens indie filmmakers and that is piracy.  People seem to think that if they can watch a movie for free then they have gotten something over on Hollywood. The fat salaries that big name stars and directors get are the justification to steal.  But increasingly small independent films are being uploaded online even before they make it to market.  Not only is it unfair but it robs the unknown actors, and crew of their livelihoods and future work.  If content can be watched for free then cutting edge films and stories will vanish because they need the small amount of revenue that they actually make to continue making and telling stories of significance.  I spoke with Elizabeth, the director of A Rogue in Londinium and she said that Londinium had been pirated from a film festival screener.  Luckily, a swift and impassioned lawyer made the requisite threats in emails to the offending sites and the links have been taken down.  However, like a multi-tentacled monster, these sites proliferate because people patronize them.  VOD downloads only cost from $3 - $5 from legal sites like amazon and imdb.  For the price of a Vente Latte from Starbucks anyone can watch these films AND support the people who make them. I ask the public to let their conscience be their guide.  Support those who bring stories of significance and enrich our culture.