And the Oscar goes to....

Another year has come and gone. All of our favorites and not so favorites have done their little turn on the catwalk, sauntered down the proverbial carpet and been met with either gleeful vindication in their craft or felt the devastating sting of defeat. Ah, rejection, she is a cold, cold mistress. This year was no different. We laughed, we cried, we were taken aback by the occasional drop of an f-bomb.

While in years past, I have occasionally been surprised by a winner (Chicago for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress in 2003? Guess it was a lighthearted year,) this year the surprises were few and far between. I suppose if you had wildly overlooked all of this year’s previous award shows and or lived in a state of film deprivation, you would not have foreseen The King’s Speech sweeping the major awards (Best Picture, Best Director (Tom Hooper), and Best Actor) and Natalie Portman waddling up to mock surprisingly accept her Best Actress. You also might have missed Melissa Leo finally lose it when she got her Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Fighter. I’ll give her a by though because, despite having also won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, I think she’s boggled she actually pulled it off (closest she got previously was a few noms for 2008’s Frozen River.) Not shocked that Toy Story 3 got Best Animated and thoroughly not shocked that Inception swept the technicals (Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Cinematography.) However, what would a show be without a few surprises?

Namely, I was somewhat surprised that Social Network took home so many. I mean sure, it was a good movie and definitely well done but, with so many other heavy hitters in there, I’m a little shocked and, to be true, a little perturbed. Original Score over Inception? Over The King’s Speech? It was good but nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Best Editing over Black Swan? Ok maybe the two were equal but, see, I’m a lady who errs towards the more dramatic. I’m sure many will disagree with me but I probably would have awarded it Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay… and frankly that was only because The King’s Speech was in the Original category (didn’t he say it was from a play? The mysteries never cease.) Also, what happened to True Grit? I kind of can see how Winter’s Bone got overlooked but really, a John Wayne remake? 10 nominations and not a single win. Sad. Just sad.

Couple of side mentions: loved Alice In Wonderland so I’m glad it got Best Art Direction and Best Costumes (for all you purists, yea I know. The first one was a gem and a half but you know what, let us open our minds. Let us embrace the unfamiliar -ok well no one who has spotted a Tim Burton would really call it unfamiliar- and let us go forth into the darkness to give credit where credit is due. It was beautifully done.) I was somewhat disappointed to not see Geoffrey Rush get Best Supporting Actor. Christian Bale was excellent to be sure, but, c’mon, Geoffrey Rush is a classic.

I’m sorry I don’t have much to say in the way of the shorts or documentaries. Maybe next year (if there were any particularly amazing ones, let me know and I’ll make a note.) I can however comment on The Wolfman. I’m sorry, ok the makeup was good but is turning Benicio del Toro into a burly aggressive man-wolf really that much of a stretch?


PS: Do I need to address my thoughts on the hosts? I think I'll leave that to the pros.... as perhaps some other people should have.

Oscar Worthy

With the Oscars just around the corner, and me being a rabid fan of the awards - and no, not just for the dresses… – I wanted to put together a little list of some of my faves (by no means is this all the ones I like or have seen but rather a, shall we say, smattering of a few standouts.)

No Country for Old Men (Best Picture 2008) I love Javier Bardem in this. He is creepy and his haircut is reminiscent of something my mother may or may not have forced me into from the ages of 2 to 6. So let’s just say I relate. And also that kindergarten was a tough year. I especially love him because, while he has been absolutely amazing in Spanish films like Los lunes al sol (Mondays in the Sun) and Mar adentro (The Sea Inside), No Country for Old Men solidified him a star in the US as well.

A Beautiful Mind (2002) Ok, if you know anything about me, you know that I have a particular penchant for a good psychological movie. I’ll take your One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s (1975) and your Girl, Interrupted ’s , but where I really get involved is one where you’re not entirely positive which parts of the story are reality and which ones aren’t.  It’s kind of like where you wake up and you realize that you actually forgot to show up for entire year of Dr. Cron’s Calc class and you didn’t graduate and have to take the whole year over. And while you’re in the shower panicking as to how on earth you’re going to commute between work and finishing up that damn Calc course, you have a thought…. “Was that real? No wait, probably a dream.” And you feel better. It was scary but ultimately you come out alright. Plus, Russell Crowe is excellent.  You know what, just rewind the ol’ time machine and watch him again in Gladiator (2001). Less shirts being worn, more being mauled by tigers.

The Silence of the Lambs (1992) As my roommates, and my mother, and my boyfriend, can attest to, I really like Criminal Minds. Well, Silence of the Lambs was Criminal Minds way before it was cool. It’s got serial killers on the loose, it’s got dead bodies, it’s got mystery and suspense, and it’s got Anthony Hopkins. Based on the novels by Thomas Harris (which are also excellent by the way!), the series is definitely one of my absolute favorites.

The Sting (1974) It’s the 1930’s and Robert Redford is a professional grifter who pulls off the con of a lifetime with the help of Paul Newman to get revenge for his murdered partner. The screenplay is amazing, keeping you right on the edge of your seat until the last minute, and with more twists and turns than a double topsy mulletron (if you don’t know, don’t ask). One of the Oscar Best Picture winners that was also a major commercial success  - no shock there, it stars Hollywood powerhouses Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw and Robert Earl Jones (ok maybe I’m attributing most of his fame to his son, James.) Definitely a gem that might be a little under the radar to today’s audiences, but amazing nonetheless.

Gigi (1959). I’m sorry, but by no means in this one of my favorites, it just amazes me. Frankly it is utterly absurd and I think there is a very distinct possibility that, not only was the academy high out of their trees when they voted for it, but also Maurice Chevalier when he thought to himself, “You know what will solidify my career? Belting out ‘Thank Heaven for Little Girls’ and touching small children on the heads completely unsolicited, not unlike an elderly pederast, slightly drunk Santa.” I’m not saying it’s bad, rather, I’m sure that there are people the world over who number this among their personal Criterion Collection. But my god, the top hats, the dancing, the choreographed singing….

Rebecca (1940) Hitchcock’s first American project under the insane, iron clad production fist of David O. Selznick. Pretty much a template for every future horror movie to come – haunted house on the hill, ghostly presence, creepy servants, pretty girl almost getting killed, you name it, he’s got it in there. It’s beautiful in black and white and the scenery, plot twists and music are perfect. Definitely a classic and the only one of his films to ever win a Best Picture.

All Stars: American Beauty (2000) Schindler’s List (1994) The Godfather Parts 1 &2 (1973 & 1975) Casablana (1944) Gone With the Wind (1940). Please see this list. Do not attempt to use the but-I-don’t-have-a-DVD-player-and-still-consider-VCRs-a-valid-form-of-technology excuse. Do not fear, I will loan you my tapes.

Yes, I realize that I left off Driving Miss Daisy (1990). I’m sorry, alright! I love Morgan Freeman in a hat just as much as the next person but, you know what? It didn’t make the cut. Neither did Lawrence of Arabia (1963).

Spotlight: James Frain

Now I don’t know how much of a Natalie Portman fan you are but a few years ago you could not turn on the TV without half the channels bombarding you with her latest film, Where the Heart Is. It features Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd and Stockard Channing (so basically the trifecta of chick flick stars.) It also includes a quiet, unassuming man as Natalie Portman’s love interest. Though by no means the star of the film, he brings a quiet controlled, slightly disturbed presence to the film, both endearing him to you immediately and making you think that there might be something just a tad off about ol’ Forney.

So, he didn’t do much for me right off the bat. Good actor but I haven’t really seen heads or tails of him since then. Then, like a lightning bolt from the sky, here comes a little show called True Blood and I, like the rest of the country, am entranced. Alright, maybe my attention is waning a bit towards the end (I mean, fairies? What now?) but then they pull out the big guns and here comes charmingly schizophrenic, murderous Franklin and he is instantly my favorite character.

So today I’m doing a little perusing of Hulu and I decide to give NBC’s The Cape a chance. I find myself strangely drawn to the debonair British billionaire moonlighting as the masked villain, Chess. But wait! Who’s this? I’ve seen this face before. Turns out it's none other than both Franklin and Fourney. A brief perusal of IMDB later and turns out, if you’re watching TV, you’re watching James Frain.

Frain was first spotted by Sir Richard Attenborough (Planet Earth? Anyone?) while studying acting in London and was immediately cast alongside Anthony Hopkins in Shadowlands (1993). So, I’m not really sure where you go after a David Attenborough, Anthony Hopkins vehicle but….. Since then, he has been steadily working, appearing in everything from Californication to Law and Order, and CSI to Tales from the Crypt (a personal favorite.) Ever the chameleon, he has also starred in a number of movies, including the Count of Monte Cristo with Guy Pearce and James Caviezel and, that legend of cinema, Into the Blue. However, most will likely recognize him from his roles in The Tudors from 2007 to 2009 and most recently, last year’s Tron: Legacy. 

So what’s up next for this versatile actor? Well, if you can tear your eyes away from Robert Pattinson for the briefest of moments, Frain will be starring as Rosie’s caretaker in Water for Elephants, the most pachyderm centric movie since Dumbo.  Whether he’s starring as a deranged murderer, sneaking into your mother’s prime time crime dramas, or just lounging in a chick flick, he’s definitely one to keep an eye out for.

The King’s Speech (2010)

Tom Hooper – Director

David Seidler – Screenplay

Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

If you’re like me, there was a decent period of your life when you quite literally thought that if you could just scrape some pennies together, get yourself a plane ticket to London, conveniently stumble into some sort of charity opening where *gasp* the Queen is making a speech, charm her, and be invited back to tea to meet the royal family, you could absolutely marry a future king. Because you know, the plane ticket was holding you back. Well, even if that wasn’t your particular fantasy, I think everyone harbors a bit of a secret fascination with royalty. I mean US Weekly certainly does lately. So who am I to pass up a delightful period piece- biopic about the current Queen’s father, King George VI, also known, in the inner circles, as Bertie.

The King’s Speech, based on the novel by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi, tells the tale of a reluctant prince’s rise to lead his country, overcoming a personal aversion to the spotlight and a bit of a temper control problem. Oh, and a devastating stammer. Lionel Logue (Rush) is as brazen as Bertie (Firth) is reserved, forcing him, effectively kicking and screaming, into lowering his shield of propriety and royal arrogance enough to begin to see a future not only without a stutter, but as a public prince. And with the threat of his older brother, the heir to the throne, making a, shall we say, bold choice by pursuing a twice married American divorcée, the crown is heading alarmingly towards his court. Helped along by his practical and outspoken wife (Carter), Bertie comes to value and respect Logue and finds the strength to become a public figure.

Let’s be honest, it’s a who’s who of wonderful actors. Colin Firth is as ever the quintessential British gentleman and Geoffrey Rush, out of the pirate garb, is charming and hilarious as his deadpan voice coach. Add in a surprise guest appearance by Michael Gambon as the dying King George V – which frankly I could have used a little more of – and Guy Pierce as the slightly slutty King Edward “David” VIII. It seems kind of silly to say they were “good”, kind of like I was suggesting that they might not have been. Like, “wow! Geoffrey Rush pulled it off, whew!” So. Instead, I’m going to talk about Helena Bohman Carter who I love and have loved forever. However, while she also is “good” in her numerous roles –, Fight Club’s Marla Singer, Sweeney Todd’s Mrs. Lovett, The Red Queen and, of course, Bellatrix Lestrange– she is effortlessly perfect as the King’s partner, often expressing what her husband clearly does not have the voice to say.

Now I am of the opinion that music can absolutely make a movie. It can be just a perfect song at the right time or a whole score that sets the tone for the film. This can be especially true in a period piece where the audience needs to be transported through time.  The King’s Speech is definitely of the latter category with French composer, Alexandre Desplat, creating the perfect ambiance. Overall, definitely one worth seeing. Not solely because it is up for several Oscars and no one likes to be the sad sally sitting in the corner going, “oh, what? No I didn’t see that. Who are those people?” 


*Colin Firth is likely a shoo-in for Best Actor. The real money is on who will win Best Supporting: Geoffrey Rush or Helena Bonham Carter. Maybe both?

Let’s Kiss and Make Up. It’s Valentine’s Day!

Ok, let’s not beat around the bush. It’s Valentine’s Day. Whether you love it or hate it (resent it more like?), it’s the time of year to celebrate the love, unrequited or otherwise. So, in honor of long forgotten Christian martyrs named St. Valentine, here’ s a list of films that have gotten me through a few of the most alternately beloved and dreaded holidays.

Just Friends: Name of the game here is, as yet, unrequited love. Guy loves girl and girl is blissfully unaware of what’s right in front of her despite his constant and fruitless attempts to woo her.  And it’s a comedy so you won’t cry but instead get that sappy sort of smile and then, when everyone (ehem, your boyfriend) turns to you with disgust in their eyes, make sure to shrilly proclaim “Aww no, I thought it was cute! Ok it was a little dumb but it wasn’t that bad.” But secretly you love it. We all do. No judgment. Also see such gems as Made of Honor, My Best Friend’s Wedding, pretty much the entire series of The Office or, well, anything with Sandra Bullock.

The Notebook: Yea, you’ve seen it. You cried the first time. You’ve cried every time since. If you believe (or are looking to believe) in True Love and Soulmates, you are ready to go. Just see this one with your girlfriends. And if you’re a heterosexual lady and your man shows actual, genuine interest in this, you may want to do a little reconsidering.  Or maybe he’s just a sensitive soul. Or maybe he just figures he’ll get some nice post movie sex afterwards.

Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet:  So ok, it’s not The Notebook but you’ll probably have the same reaction. You’ve got the very best part of the True Love movies and then suddenly when no one’s looking, they pull the rug out from under you. Get a visual of yourself gripping a handful of soggy tissues and whispering “… but…. Why? Why? Why didn’t they just wait a second longer? Why!!??” Also see City of Angels (several songs by Peter Gabriel, come on people), Sweet November or Nights in Rodanthe.

Annie Hall: If you fancy yourself an intellectual who counts among their interests discussing world religions over sips of non dairy lattes while resting your Peruvian hand-knit mittens on the corner table at your local organic NY coffee shop, get ready to pick this one apart. Woody Allen takes us on an interspersed chronicle of his relationship with Diane Keaton. Not your classic chick-flick, rom-com, Woody charms us as only he can. Check out Up In The Air for an interesting slash possibly depressing takes on romance.

Sabrina: A classic. Just lovely, start to finish. The original is a pairing of Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart as the classic “hate each other, like each other, true love.” And, though I am loathe to admit this, the remake starring Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond is wonderful as well. Also check out, Pride and Prejudice or When Harry Met Sally (same vibe, different periods).

Valentine: A slasher flick starring Denise Richards in a red bikini. If you feel like showing your boyfriend a little mercy this holiday season, it’s…not horrible. Also check out Fatal Attraction, Sleeping with the Enemy, What Lies Beneath or Unfaithful (if, you know, murderous, obsessive relationships are your sort of romance.)

The French Connection (1971)

William Friedkin – Director

Ernest Tidyman – Screenplay (based on the book by Robin Moore)

Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey

Not sure why, but I’ve been on kind of a 70’s action movie kick lately. What can you do? But c’mon, let’s be honest, like their style, music, and drug consumption, when it comes to a 70’s action flick, it’s go big or go home. And The French Connection, a true story based on the beginning of the drug explosion into the US, definitely does not disappoint.

Opening onto the mean streets of New York, tough cops Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Hackman) and Det. Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider), are just trying to do their part to clean up the city and stay one step ahead of the mobs and the drugs. After a lucky spot at an after duty bar, they walk into the collar of a lifetime, finding themselves in the thick of a massive heroin shipment from France. Trailing them proves difficult as they attempt to keep track of the go-between delivery man, Sal Boca (Tony Lo Bianco), his mob connections, a hapless French celebrity just trying to make a fast buck, and an elderly and distinguished, Alain Chanier (Spanish screen legend Fernando Rey), the kingpin of oversees heroin smuggling. After a series of dramatic chases through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, Popeye finally comes face to face with Charnier at a warehouse shootout. Now, I can’t spoil an ending (though it’s a true story so I guess you could just look it up) but it’s one that fiction couldn’t have created any better.

In my days as a moviegoer, I have seen some good car chases. Usually they involve some squealing wheels and perhaps an ignition backfire or two as the car rounds the corner on two wheels. It flies down the highway, snaking at breakneck speed between passing buses, usually filled with awestruck schoolchildren and or elderly tourists taking pictures. Finally, it executes a perfect 180 and continues, without daring to slow, in hot pursuit before squealing to a halt whereupon our hero leaps out, guns blazing, to confront our once dangerous, now obviously and woefully outmatched criminal. Well, The French Connection has all of those factors with the added creative bonus of a camera in the driver’s seat. So as Popeye flies beneath the Brooklyn tracks, occasionally glancing skyward to trace the train carrying the rogue would-be assassin, as does the camera. And not just in a few shots that could be taken individually and edited together, but rather 5, 6 seconds shots showing full sequential blocks and a series of passing buses filled with elderly tourists.

While Hackman and Rey are obviously in their element, and the screenplay creates a perfect narrative of a convoluted and complicated history, the choreography steals the show. Between the epic car chases and shootouts, the on-foot chases are exactly as good, making a virtual ballet out of a shoot ‘em up cop movie. Definitely a guy’s movie, the ladies can definitely appreciate it as well. Plus it won the Best Picture Oscar in 1972, so I'm apparently not the only fan

Hancock (2008)

Peter Berg – Director

Vincent Ngo, Vince Gilligan - Writer

Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman

Last night as we were watching Hancock, my roommate, kind of off the cuff, put a question to the viewing populace. If you could have a superpower, what would you want? And without hesitation, I was ready to go with not one, not a “well I think that maybe, I might want… but on the other hand…”, but rather my top 5. In order.  Shapeshifting-Teleportation-Super speed-Mind reading-Fire Power. Bam. Done. I then went on to further explain that one should have this sort of knowledge at their fingertips for when (not if, I distinctly said when) someone offers you a power and you have 4 seconds to decide and you need to be prepared. And 5 seconds later, with everyone staring at me, mouths agape that I had, basically unsolicited, offered this information up for the world, I was embarrassed.

So. Now that that little revelation is out of the way…. Hancock. Basic premise is that an apparent homeless person (Smith) has superpowers and also apparently alcoholism and a bit of a temper control problem. So while he does save people, he also causes LA millions in damage in the process. In an effort to turn his image around and become the superhero the city needs, he accepts the help of a publicist, Ray (Bateman). In the process he meets Ray’s sexy wife (shocker!) Mary played by Charlize Theron and realizes that *gasp* she’s a superhero too!

Well I’m not going to lie, I can’t say this was my favorite of all time.  And this from someone who has been known to watch Syfy original movies not just in the commercial breaks from FX or TBS (Mega Python vs. Gatoroid? Anyone?) The plot is kind of ridiculous. Not that there’re some superheroes roaming around the city with anger management issues. That I can get behind. But rather the premise that, for some undisclosed reason, when 2 superheroes (Mary and Hancock) get close together, they lose their powers becoming vulnerable mortals. And the explanation of “we were built in twos” does little to clear up the mystery. While all of that might be forgiven for a good performance out of our cast, Smith disappoints, reverting somewhat back to his cocky Wild Wild West, Men in Black persona. I had, in recent years, gotten on board the Will-Smith-as-legitimate-actor train and I was a little disappointed to see that his few comic moments (in which he can clearly shine) are overshadowed by someone’s need for him to play the cocky jerk. You can tell Jason Bateman was cast to be the levity, the comic relief, and yet his role gets paired down to mere background noise.

All in all, not the worst “watch it if it’s on” movie, but I wouldn't waste your time on a rental. The special effects and set design are pretty good, but nice visuals alone can’t carry a movie. Sorry.

Groundhog Day (1993)

Harold Ramis – Director

Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis – Screenplay

Bill Murray, Andie McDowell

Everyone’s favorite time of year! That blessed time when we find out whether we are nearing the end of winter or whether (fingers crossed!) we get 6 more weeks of slogging through 2 foot high snow drifts as we battle our way to work, our lips chapped and noses dripping. Because really, who doesn’t love to slog. And while anyone can put out the odd Christmas or Halloween movie, it is the brave soul indeed who can stand up and declare to the world “I Love Groundhogs Day!” And make a 5 lb, rather timid rodent, its star.

Ok, well perhaps that is being a tiny bit facetious. What is true though however, is that this movie continues to over and over (not unlike the movie itself… get it?) be a perennial favorite. I believe the first time I saw this movie was on a middle school field trip. Perhaps to the family-friendly Pequot Museum to view the wigwams, conveniently adjacent to the Foxwoods Casinos. Since then I have seen it upwards to 5 times in various forms on TBS, TNT, or similar. And every time is gets better.  Though that could be affected by the fact that I have a bit of a love for Bill Murray.

The premise is that a self absorbed weatherman, Phil Connors (Murray), is forced to relive Groundhog Day, ostensibly to suggest that he has been doing a crap job of it so far and needs to make some major adjustments in order to move forward.  So while everyone, including his attractive new producer (the ever lovely McDowell), fails to notice the repeating days, Connors attempts makes the most of the situation by going all out on a hedonistic lifestyle, each day more carefully crafted to come out more perfectly than the last. Eventually tiring of this, he- shockingly!!- turns his attention to his producer, Rita, and finds that even knowing the answer to every question can’t necessarily make her love him.

Bill Murray, like in so many of his films, is in his element as an egomaniac blank who, through a series of romantic encounters, becomes a changed man understanding and appreciating the values of human emotion, connection, and blah blah blah. Seriously, the “man is hilarious” is an understatement. His cocky yet bored, dry sense of humor is nearly unmatched in today’s comedies. His timing is effortless and, coupled with the built in humor inherent in the situations of knowing every outcome before it happens, its comedy perfection. Director and co-writer Ramis (Egon in Ghostbusters) does amazing work with the script, writing scene after scene of gems. From freaking out the local elderly B&B owner by answering every question before she asks it, to robbing the bumbling armored car drivers, it’s the perfect (though regrettable) end to the duo’s work together (Ramis also worked with Murray in Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984).)  Andie McDowell plays the straight man (woman) to Murray, setting the stage for his perfect one- liners and over the top reactions. Though she, like many of his female costars, gets lost, bringing little to the table other than to be his romantic interest and backboard. Give the girls something to work with guys!