2011 Oscars: Best Picture

It is time. If there was a year to have 10 best picture nominations it is definitely this year. Unfortunately they started this trend last year when there were not 10 great movies. But all that has changed and now after having seen all of these movies it is time to whittle them down to see what is the best picture of the year.

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

It is tough for small independent movies to get noticed in a world full of blockbusters, its even harder when the movies debuted early in the year. Which is why the nominations of "Winter's Bone" and "The Kids Are Alright" is so impressive. Both movies were smash hits at Sundance last year and that kind of kudos never usually carry over. For Kids the acclaim has not stopped, winning some major awards from the foreign press. But for small films like this they need to pack a lot of punch for them to overcome huge budgets and a much larger pool of talent to work from. Bone moves far too slow for anyone to not fidget around, and while an honest look at a bigger problem without self examination it probably didn't blow you away. And comedies, well as we all know comedies are very rarely deemed artistic enough to be certified with the highest awards. Kids won't walk away with any major awards because of such fierce competition from more dramatic categories, and until a comedy comes out with a lot more to say, one will probably never win in best picture. There is no need for the Oscars to split the genres like the Golden Globes does as that would water down what it means to be best picture, it’s just something we will have to deal with.

The same genre discrimination happens with animation. Are you telling me that "Lion King" wasn't a better movie than "Quiz Show"? Or that Wall-E didn't have important critiques of society just because it was done by robots. Any movie that can go 45 minutes without dialogue and still tell a beautiful story has done amazing things. But alas only three animated movies have ever been nominated for best picture and if the category hadn't been expanded I doubt "Up" or "Toy Story 3" would be in the running. Last year was a weak year for movies and they were trying to correct an injustice from the previous years. "Toy Story 3" is without questions one of the best movies of the year but with so many other quality live action films I doubt they would have received the recognition they deserve. The movie had everything; there was action, comedy, drama and heart. There were moments in the movie where I was afraid for the well being of the toys I have gotten to know so well. Anyone who tells me there wasn't any water leaking from your face you are either a liar or soulless, both options kind of suck. Pixar has changed the game and now require children's movies to appeal to an older generation as well. It also forced the Academy to increase the number of movies they nominate.

Nolan also had a hand in that when audiences and critics agreed that "The Dark Knight" also got the snub treatment. Nolan has done amazing things with a camera and I would implore everyone to see all of the movies he has done as there is not a dud among them. This meteoric rise to prominence is what has alienated some of the voters. It is without doubt one of the most original movies of the year, but without any nominations in acting or directing it shrinks any legitimate chances of winning, even though I could see this movie getting a fair share of the votes. It should clean up in most of the technical awards but that will be it.

Had the category not been extended I am not sure that "True Grit" or "127 Hours" would be receiving this honor. These two movies, more so than the independents that I mentioned earlier, are probably closer to the edge of the bubble. They were both really good movies, but I don't know if I would classify either of them as great. Danny Boyle and the Coen Brother's both recently won and for better works I doubt that the Academy will look to reward them again so soon.

Now here are 4 of the 5 that would be on the list had the Oscars chosen to keep it short. "Black Swan” is a beautiful art house movie that was transformed into a blockbuster using special effects. Critically, this may be the actual best movie of the year. It could go round for round with any of the four movies that are left, but I am not voting, and neither are the critics. This is an old man's game and it was a weird movie. And if you are not into the psychological frenzy that comes with turning into a big black duck than I doubt this is a movie for you. Plus the weight of it all is entirely on Natalie Portman to assure this movie does well, she has a solid cast around her but the acting block, which is the largest group of voting members in the academy, didn't deem any of their performances worthy enough to also be nominated.

All the acting kudos went to “The Fighter,” and justifiably so. The cast is fantastic and coming from Boston I can say they captured the essence of the town. Not Boston proper per say as that is full of rich people and college kids now, but the suburbs of Boston, which is actually where the movie takes place. While usually not as telling as the Director's Guild, the Screen Actor's Guild's best ensemble award and Best Picture have been in sync about 50% of the time. It also helped to predict major upsets in the past. Many thought that "The Fighter" would win for best ensemble, which is not surprising as three of the supporting players are also nominated for Oscars and two are heavy favorites. I would argue that the cast for "The Fighter" is the best this year, but the voters chose "The King's Speech" perhaps confusing the honor for what they perceive as the best movie of the year. Speech does have a solid cast but it isn't nearly as deep or as powerful as the one from Lowell.

With only two movies left, these remain the popular movies to win the night’s biggest award, the heavy favorite being "The King's Speech." After winning the SAG for best ensemble many thought that David Fincher would win the DGA award but it was not meant to be as the director's involved chose Tom Hooper as their recipient. The Producer's Guild also rewarded Speech which made it a Triple Crown winner. This has happened only six other times and of those six times five of those movies won the best picture award. The only time it didn't happen was when "Apollo 13" lost to "Braveheart." But 'The Social Network" also has some major awards as well winning the Golden Globes and Critics' Awards big prizes. The Facebook Movie had all of the early momentum but that has since vanished to the other side of the pond.

This is a classic match up between the youth and the older vote. And that is how many of the battle lines may be drawn with an assist from the Brits supporting a movie about the crown. Historical dramas with an uplifting message have always done well in this category, but in the past decade there has been more of a sway towards grittier movies with appeal from the critics. The past three winners "Hurt Locker," "Slumdog Millionaire," and "No Country for Old Men" have not been typical Oscar winners. They have even been nominating towards a younger and hipster crowd, with nominations like "Juno" and "District 9." But did it go too young with a movie about college kids being smarter than you alienating voters.

This also sets up a rematch and possible vengeance for producer Scott Rudin. Harvey Weinstein has always been one to go after Oscars and in 1999 he pulled off one of the biggest Oscar upsets when "Shakespeare in Love" beat "Saving Private Ryan." Now there is little doubt over which is the actual better movie (if any of you say Shakespeare send me your address so I can slap the taste right out of your mouth) but campaigning helped and won him the award. Now it is Rudin who is knocking on the door of the man who won all three of the guild’s awards. It would not be anywhere near the same kind of upset but it would still be impressive.

Any fan of this writer knows who my support is behind. "The King's Speech," while a very well done movie, just tried following a winning formula. Academy members love historical dramas and love to humanize monarchs. A successful formula to follow, but it was a wholly unoriginal story and idea. The performance of Colin Firth is sublime as His Royal Highness; he submerged himself in the role and helped to make a historically unimportant role seem regal again. The praise it received from the guilds and an Oscar for best acting should be enough. "The Social Network" is without a doubt the best picture of the year, it is current, it is fresh, and god damn it, its American. It had all of the best parts to it. The writing and directing will no doubt win but Jesse Eisenberg is also nominated and at one point there was talk that all three supporting actors could get nominated, and maybe they all deserved it. Tell me it wasn't impressive that one man played both Winklevoss twins. All of the interactions between each character were amazing. Not only that but Trent Reznor did a fantastic job with the score. It was the best produced movie of the year with all of the parts contributing to a masterpiece. A direct correlation between this movie and "Citizen Kane," arguably the greatest movie of all time, is impressive as well. Even if this movie were to lose in the end it would still go down as the more important film of our time and much more telling of our era.

What do you think? Do I have it wrong? Will you even be watching? I personally can't wait. And to those of you who made it to the end of this extremely long article and my others thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the show.

2011 Oscars: Director

Over the past 50 years the best director and best picture award usually sync up. Makes sense the director is there from start to finish and he usually crafts the way the movie is to be made. Unless you have pissed off your editor. So with the big night just a couple of days away let’s look at the best directors of 2010

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

First and foremost HOW IS NOLAN NOT ON THIS LIST. I know people in the business have been going on and on about this snub, but it has justification. I mean come on, could anyone else in the industry make a movie like this. And why, because he didn't go to a few luncheons. Seriously. Alright I'm better, let’s continue.

Many speculate that it was the Coen Brothers who knocked off Nolan for the nomination (I know I said I was done bitching about it but this has a point, just wait) so that would make them the last ones invited to the party. I love their treatment of the West and they are at their comfort level in a rural atmosphere. Also working against them is they just won three years ago, and this film is not nearly at the same level as No Country for Old Men so I would have to suspect that they have probably the least possible chance to win.

I really enjoyed both Black Swan and The Fighter but these two movies are pretty much on the opposite ends of the spectrum. For every person out there who loved the almost noir style of the movie, there is another older voter out there who found the movie creepy and unwatchable. This movie is far too polarizing to win. The Fighter is a much safer watch with a happy and uplifting ending for all of the characters involved. But there is nothing to it visually. Russell pretty much just lets the actors be and allowed them to take over the scenes. This will get the movie a couple acting awards but makes it less likely for the film to win for its directing.

Now we are down the big two movies of the year. Tom Hooper has all the stats behind him. His movie is heavily favored to win best picture and he won the Director's Guild's award which also has a 70% carry over rate to repeat a win. So the easy pick would be Hooper to win as best director, but this may be a year to buck the odds. This relative new comer has already won Emmy gold and with the most nominations of the year this movie is going to walk away with some of the biggest awards of the night, but not this one.

The Social Network is an obvious choice for best adapted screenplay and rightly so, everyone notices the fast paced poetics that fly out of the actor's mouths. But the movie is also visually striking. Even in the day light hours there is a dark tone that is present through the entire film and I can assure you this is not done by accident. With the underhanded dealings and all the betrayals going on it the story the lighting captures the mood of the story. The pacing of the movie also has to do with just how the movie is put together. There are a lot of quick cut and close ups that allow you to become intimately involved with the characters. The framing of the story allows for the flow and it never feels like it is being rushed, but rather the time flies by in the movie which is always an accomplishment given so many people's short attention span. The Social Network had such early momentum that was all snagged up by The King's Speech but traces of its early domination can still be seen. The Academy will look to award David Fincher the award for best director, an award he deserves to win for what he did with the movie.

Will this win for Fincher be a telling sign of things to come for the nights last award, will all the Oscar predictors get it right with Speech, or will one of the other eight movies pull an upset and bring everyone on stage, we'll examine that tomorrow.

Hall Pass

It has been a decade since the Farrelly Brothers have made a comedy worth watching. After late-nineties hit Something About Mary the guys tried their hand at some PG-13 comedies to try and win over a younger audience. But as these boys mature so must their humor. So after a couple big whiffs the boys returns to where they belongs, to a theater where kids under 17 need to be accompanied by an adult.

Your interest in this movie depends entirely on your attitudes towards vulgar comedy. Personally I love watching movies where our hero gets his balls zippered above his penis but that's me. So if you are not into that sort of thing then it is time to move on because this won't be a movie for you. But for those that enjoy dick jokes read on.

Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis star as Rick and Fred respectively. These two
suburbanites while lovingly faithful to their wives, can't help but ogle the women around them. Finally, their wives fed up with their frat boy thoughts, give their husbands the week off of marriage to do what that want, no penalties attached.

The story is rather flat, there is not a whole lot going on past the initial explanation. It is almost as if the plot is used as a way to get from joke A to joke B. Not that there is anything wrong with that. There are some hearty belly laughs during this movie. The laughter was often so loud through the theater that it was tough to hear the next several lines of dialogue. It came in all forms, from the spoken zingers to the physically outlandish. And call me crazy but I see some potential in some of their new made up terms. I don't think they'll be used by too many but keep an ear out for fake chow.

To that point Jason Sudeikis proves he can be the leading man. Anyone who saw his stint on "30 Rock" has probably known that for quite some time, but now it is shown for all to see. He shows off confidence in the role and gets many of the big laughs in the movie. He switches from creep to caring almost effortlessly. His delivery isn't quite deadpan because he always has that smile on his face, and that’s part of his charm and why he never loses the sympathies of the audience even when he is doing his best to debase the other sex.

Since Sudeikis gets to be the sidekick that means that Owen Wilson needs to play the straight man. His role in this movie is very similar to his role in The Wedding Crashers but just not as loose. Most of his humor comes from his awkwardness; with his character having been domesticated as long he has Rick no longer knows how to act when let off the leash. Having been around parents I know what a life full of Disney and Dora will do to you socially, so it makes sense for the character. It is just unfortunate as Owen Wilson can be so versatile when he is allowed to create the situation rather than just react to it which is what this role calls for.

Their wives aren't left out of the picture as the trailers may have indicated. The ladies also are out on the prowl, and they appear much less confused on how to handle a similar situation. Maybe more could have come out of this storyline but when the pens are in the hands of men, it is easier to write for their gender. Lucy and Ethel they ain't, instead they are used as foils to their husbands' stories. Also under utilized are the guys’ friends. Richard Jenkins, Larry Joe Campbell, and Stephen Merchant have some great moments in the movie but are only in scenes used to show the evolution, or devolution, of our protagonists.

This movie is at its best when it is at its raunchiest and that is why I liked it. There is a lot of lull in the story between the big laughs. It is still worth the viewing if that's what you are in the mood for. The Farrelly Brothers have had some big whiffs recently but these guys just enjoy making a movie and it shows. And I enjoyed watching it. B

2011 Oscars: Actor

A couple more guys who have already won the Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA awards will be looking to continue their hot streak heading into the Academy Awards. First let's look at the highly competitive Best Actor category.

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"

Colin Firth is going to win. And frankly his performance alone may vault this little British movie to Best Picture. More on that Saturday. Moving on.

BEST 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"

Like any race it really comes down to two nominees. But all men deserve and did fantastic jobs in these roles. The only role I would even think to toss out is Mark Ruffalo, as he is out shined by his co stars and the rest of the men in the category. His character's laid back attitude doesn't really have enough pop to claim the night's award. Josh Hawkes and Jeremy Renner are both held back by the politicking of the event. For those who have not seen Winter's Bone, Uncle Tear Drop starts as frightening then evolves to sympathetic as the movie progresses, but unfortunately not too many people saw it, so he's out. It is tough to pull out the best part of The Town, but Renner was definitely the best actor in it. His character was great and his flirtations with anti-hero and villain stole the show but The Town received so few nominations that it would be unlikely many will vote for him. Worry not, this young actor will be nominated many more times before it is all said and done.

This leaves as always two actors left to fight it out. As I mentioned in my past reviews of both The Fighter and The King's Speech both men were fantastic and deserved awards for their performances. But since the last tie happened in 1969 this is highly unlikely. Christian Bale is the odds on favorite to win and it is completely justified. Bale has always been known to immerse himself in the role. His method acting has finally paid off as this bug eyed druggie both elevates and deflates his brother's boxing career. The entire audience felt the gamut of emotions as he was likable and hated in the same breath and that is what made him so interesting. His performance brings out the best of the other actors as they try to keep up with his energy. Much like Bale elevated the cast around him Colin Firth better remember to thank Geoffrey Rush for all the give and take in their performances. Rush provided the levity to Speech that was so desperately needed to give the film some heart. Bale's performance was the second best of his career (Patrick Bateman being the obvious best) and he deserves the statuette and should come out on top. But if anyone is going to play upset it will be the speech therapist.

What do you think, will the British men be taking away all of our gold with them across the pond or do you see someone else winning. Is it possible for the host to win the award? Let me know what you think. Tomorrow I will look at the director's which is historically one of the biggest precursors to who will win the night’s big award.

2011 Oscars: Actress

One would think that the lead actress role would be locked up by now, but some people in the industry are seeing a late surge that could change some voters’ minds late in the game. Before that let’s look at the supporting actress category.

BEST 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"

First let’s get a couple of these out of the way. The King's Speech is as patriarchal as you can get. This movie is all about the men, and while The Queen Mum has an important place in history, she had little or nothing to do in this film, so she's out. Not everyone takes their role of Academy voter as seriously as Sir Elton John so if there is a movie people are going to sit out it will probably be the Australian import Animal Kingdom. If you haven't had a chance this movie is definitely worth a spot on your Netflix queue. Then it comes down to two movies The Fighter and True Grit. Melissa Leo did fantastic in the movie and I thought her performance would go unnoticed behind that of Christian Bale but boy was I proven wrong with that. Melissa Leo has already won Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe gold for her performance as the selfish mother. She has been acting since the eighties and has paid her dues. But then comes along this little 14-year old girl to muck the whole thing up. Hailee Steinfeld not only held her own in True Grit but at times outshines two past Academy winners. One could argue that she isn't really a supporting actress but rather the lead with Jeff Bridges. I doubt she had much say in the whole thing as this is only her FIRST MOVIE (I think at 14 I was growing a mullet). Compound the fact that Melissa Leo took out ads for herself just as people were starting to talk about the kid. Put the performances next to each other and I think Hailee Steinfeld did more to help Jeff Bridges grow as a character than Melissa Leo did for Wahlberg. All the big blogs out there go with an upset pick. So I'm going with Hailee Steinfeld to upset the veteran actress.

BEST 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"

This was supposed to be a lock, no one has been hotter than Natalie Portman and frankly that helps. Usually the Academy will deal out Oscar to the next big PYT (read: Hallie Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron). Natalie Portman has been steaming up the scene ever since The Professional (that's a joke people). She has gone from child actress, to blockbuster starlet, to indie queen and this Sunday she seems poised to grab the statuette. And rightfully so, the performance is frightening and the movie will stay with you long after you have left the theater. But recently there has been an upswing in support for Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right. Now I personally thought that Julianne Moore had the better performance in this movie, but this time Bening won't be competing against her co star because Moore was not nominated. While the Academy tends to not support comedy movies they do love gay movies, as one Hollywood observer noted "If you play gay or retarded you get an Oscar. I'd take in the ass for an Oscar." The now four-time nominated actress will eventually win the award, but this is not her night. Portman's performance is too captivating to go unrewarded plus Oscar also loves to break up marriages (read Hallie Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock). The recently engaged and knocked up Portman may walk away a winner Sunday, but the tabloids will make sure to bring her back down within a couple of years.

Tomorrow we'll look at the men. Who do you think will win for Best Actor (hint: it rhymes with Colin Mirth). What about this category, do you smell upset? Let me know what you think.

2011 Oscars: Writing

It's my favorite time of year. The time when my true elitism can come out and I can look at some artsy-fartsy movies and debate with fellow film lovers who deserve to win. Through the next week I'm going to look at each category. Let’s start with screenplay.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Besides Best Actor and Actress aside this is the biggest lock of the major awards. The Social Network won the Writer's Guild Award and it will no doubt win the Academy Award. The dialogue is fast paced and quick witted. The story moves fast and engages you the whole way through. All five films are extremely well written and interesting stories but the lightning pace of words that flow off the screen give The Social Network the clear edge. And the fact that Sorkin has never been nominated for an Oscar before, most notably for A Few Good Men is a mistake that the Academy will look to remedy. Count it.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

When a movie is pegged as a favorite for best picture usually the voters will get swept away and just assume that this movie has the best everything. That is what will likely happen with The King's Speech this year. The story is extremely interesting but would often get looked over because of some of the other larger than life characters that came out of the Second World War But then that was it, no one was talking about it, and people would comment that Colin Firth was amazing but not really comment on the story. And frankly I hate considering movies based on real life events as an original screenplay. It was based on the story of King George VI and while still a slight exaggeration of history it was much more accurate than The Social Network which is in the adapted screenplay category, tell me how that makes sense. The movie that had everyone talking was Inception, the story was interesting, it had everyone engaged and while Nolan may have made it complicated for the sake of making it complicated people could not stop talking about it. And that fucking top. But people in the Academy hate Christopher Nolan and they have not hidden this fact, most notably with his snub as best director. Members of the Academy don't like awarding new comers and believe that there is a process and people need to earn the award through a career of work. Plus Nolan hasn't been campaigning, but rather working on the third Batman. Does Nolan deserve the award, I think so. Will he win, not a chance. The award will go to The King's Speech and later on in life we'll laugh about this.

Hopefully I'll be doing one of these a day until Oscar time. Let me know what you think of the writing category. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the women of the silver screen. Melissa Leo better put up one hell of a fight if she wants the award. Ah I love puns.

I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four is based on a young-adult novel that spent six weeks on the children's chapter of The New York Times Best Seller list. It is also the first part of a six book series. No wonder this book was snagged up to make a movie, I imagine all the producers heard was ka-ching. And with producer Michael Bay on board how could this not be a hit.

The movie is about a teenage outsider named John Smith, how outside, well he's from space. He and his eight other Lorien friends are being hunted down by another alien race called the Mogadorians. Three others have already been killed and he is next on the list.

It is never made apparent in the movie why they have to be killed in numerical order, or for that matter why these Mogadorians are hunting them down. I think they tried to explain it, but really it just boiled down to them being giant douche-bags because that's what they do, kill children. But I'd probably be pissed if I had weird gill things on the side of my nose too so I'll let it slide.

Once number three is killed John Smith is escorted out of Florida and on the move again to Paradise. Ohio that is. And there he meets the other hot outsider of the high school Sarah. She used to be a cheerleader, but now is into photography and as we all know photography is the kiss of death in your high school social life. But it was all a matter of time, because everyone knows that Sarah should be spelled without an H, but what do I know. He also manages to piss off the quarterback and befriends the school nerd.

Alex Pettyfer does a solid job as the lead character John Smith/Number 4. If I was going to cast a brooding alien teenager I would probably cast a former GAP model as well. He has already done quite a bit and while he may never reach the teen heartthrob level of Robert Pattinson he could definately become a Channing Tatum. I'm still not sure if any of that was a compliment or an insult.

The movie is at its best when it is dealing with issues of Puppy love. It does well with teenage angst and doesn't linger on it too long before it becomes annoying. Dianna Argon does a terrific job as the love interest. With a couple more roles like this one to prove she can be cutesy and create on scream chemistry, she is probably the most likely of the Glee kids to break out into the film industry. Hopefully not too fast, they still need to win at regionals.

They seemed to have the timing down for this movie, because just as I was starting to wonder when the action sequences were going to start our hero meets his villain. Kevin Durand plays our Mogadorian Commander and has become a staple in popcorn action movies. He plays this character a little over the top, but it's only a little annoying, as it appears he just seems to be having fun with the role. The action sequences are also over the top, but that is to be expected with Bay. Really the most out of place part is that our hero's hands can turn into flashlights. That super power is almost as lame as the kid on Captain Planer who got heart. It also probably explains why he feels the need to flick his hair back so often rather than go and be a tough guy.

Timothy Olyphant obviously does a stand out job as the guardian for number four. He takes over as the bad ass of the film, but his trademark style from Justified is toned down a little so that the kids could shine in this one. Which is unfortunate because if he had been allowed to let loose a little this could have proven to be a darker movie that maybe more of the adult crowd could get into.

But it was never going to be that movie, this movie was put out fast to grab a quick buck and tried to follow a formula. Take the teenage angst of the CW, add the action and love beats from Twilight, find people who love Abecrombie and Fitch, insert some major explosion and you should have a winner. Basically just focus on the aesthetics of the project and everything else should follow. They paid no heed to the overacting of some of the actors and the stale writing.

Thats not to say it is entirely bad, I actually enjoyed the movie. It reminded me a little of Smallville which is a guilty pleasure of mine. I should probably feel a little ashamed of watching it but the story is usually interesting and its trashy enough for me to enjoy it and then forget about it as soon as it's over. I imagine that is how most people will feel about this movie so I doubt we'll get a chance to see this franchise continue unless the box office numbers are staggering. B-

Biutiful

This movie isn't intended for people who plan to see Just Go With It or The Eagle. This movie is entrenched with misery and tragedy and followed by death. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu leaves nothing to chance in his effort to display tragedy of the human spirit. Everything about this movie from the characters to the environment is falling apart and there is little to do but sit there and be weighted down by people just trying to survive.

Inarritu tells the story of a Uxbal, a low level criminal who recently finds out he has very little time to live. He needs to get all his affairs in order and at the same time come to grips with the finality of his life. He also must provide for his young children all while his brother screws him over at work and his bipolar wife tries to reenter his home life. His life is a mess and he has very little time to fix it.

We are introduced to Uxbal as a man who can communicate with the dead, and ease the transition for both the deceased and the loved ones they leave behind. This story line is probably inserted to enforce the perception that no one knows how to properly face death. While it enriches the character, it adds nothing to the story. I understand why the director wanted to keep that part of the character in the movie, but it serves no purpose in advancing the story and even detracts a little from the character.

This is just one example of the clutter that is involved with the movie. We also see juxtapositions between deported African dealers and imported Chinese slave labor. His detached nature from his father, wife, and brother while at the same time trying to leave a lasting legacy and protection for his children. It seems that not only is Uxbal trying to do too much in a short amount of time, but those behind the scenes are trying to jam so much social commentary that it all seems forced. Inarritu is trying to weigh the audience down with the tragedies that occur in the third world, but because he is trying to say too much, it's tough to hear any of his message.

The messenger and mouthpiece of all this tragedy helps to grab the audience and keep them engaged while everything else around the story seems overwhelming. Javier Bardem is in his comfort zone when tragic conditions look to envelop his character. The look in his eyes can tell you everything you need to know about him. He is not evil, although involved in some underhanded schemes to make money, you never question the morality of the character, although you probably should. He does all he can to do right by the people around him and still tragedy and suffering follow him wherever he goes. Bardem owns the role and carries the film on his shoulders. His character is heart wrenchingly devastating, and draws you into the story even when it seems to be trying too hard.

The scenes with his children as he prepares them for his departure may be the most touching moments. He does all he can to create lasting memories so that he will be remembered unlike his own father who he is quick to dig up and make a quick buck off of. But instead some of those scenes seem to just get lost in the clutter of the story. Inarritu has a tendency to overload his story with movies like Babel coming to mind.

Really the tragedy of the film is that it does not achieve its desired effect. Had it not been for Bardem who shoots this movie into the academy awards it would have just been lost in the other art house films that are out now. C+

127 Hours

A true story, that had only started to fade from our memory was brought back to our attention by James Franco and Danny Boyle and is now up for a couple of awards. 127 Hours tells the story of Aron Ralston, a 27-year old climber, who trapped his right arm between a boulder and the wall of a small slot canyon in the vast Arizona desert. While your choice to go to this movie or to stay away may be based on the climax, you would be foolish to judge this movie on that scene alone.

When this story first emerged I doubt anyone thought to themselves, wow i can't wait for them to make a movie out of this. It's about a guy who is trapped in one spot for five days. How does one even make an interesting movie about that. Luckily for the audience Danny Boyle was brought into the fold, and he loves to use interesting landscapes, different camera angles, and many flashbacks.

It all starts with the script. James Franco's monologues seem so genuine, I have never been in a situation that I felt my life was in danger like Ralston, but I still find myself thinking and talking to myself in the same way as the protagonist. It speaks to the writers on just how realistic this all feels. His regrets, his joys, the moments in his life he kept reliving as he was put through hell, are all things anyone can relate to which makes the fear much more intense.

James Franco does a great job with the character. He leaves little doubt as to why he was nominated for an academy award. Franco uses his charm and enthusiasm to embody the climbers love of life and all things nature. But within the same film he is able to slow himself down and take a look inward as the character understands his own hubris and choices led him to this moment and this situation. It is a very sobering fact to realize that everything you have done has led you to the problems that face you. With nothing but time and his thoughts, Franco is really able to delve into the character's psyche and examine himself.

Even though it is the moment everyone in the theater is waiting the climax of the film takes up a relatively small amount of screen time. There have been much gorier scenes in movies past, what makes the scene is the knowledge that it actually happened. Even when screening this movie so late after its initial debut people were still wincing during the scene where he is breaking his own arm. While there are rumors of people passing out during the initial screenings, the scene is handled well. It does not look to overboard with the violence but really it is the way the scene is put together that makes you flex your own arm to make sure you still have the use of it.

The movie isn't just about being physically stuck, it's a psychological study of what one must do when put in such a situation. So many movies about people being trapped in get it wrong when they focus on the physical conditions, when really the story is about whether you have the will to do all that is necessary to continue living life. That is a challenging inward examination tied in with some nerve-cutting intensity. This movie is tough to watch, but certainly worth a look. A-