its oscar time

having seen most of the oscar nominated movies this year, i am in a position i rarely find myself in: actually knowledgeable about the movies that could win awards. ive always been passionate about the oscars, and eagerly await them each year. i must admit, i am a bit of a nerd about this stuff too. i always have ones that i am rooting for, but usually i am in a position where i have only seen one or two (or none) of them. but now, with a vested interest in the proceedings, i feel compelled to choose my favorites. i list these choices not on the expectation that they will win, but on my own preference. when it comes to winning the oscars, its usually a lot more political than just 'the best movie', and as someone who is not in the industry, i couldnt claim to know what will actually win. but i do have my favorites...

so, with out further ado, here are the films id like to win:

best picture: there will be blood.

having seen (almost) all the films nominated, i must admit that they are all quite good. 'michael clayton' was a thrilling lawyer drama, 'juno' was a bright breath of fresh air, 'no country for old men' was a powerful look at a killer. i didnt bother seeing 'atonement' because it looked stupid, even an oscar nomination will not change that. but, all these weeks later, it is 'there will be blood' that still lingers, it still haunts with its stark landscape and brooding portrait of a man who wants it all at any cost.

best director: joel and ethan coen.

this is a little harder one to pick. the truth of the matter is that if a director is really good you dont notice. i didnt notice what it was about 'no country for old men' that made the film engaging, but i do know that each scene was always elegantly shot and never confused in its setup or execution of its scenes. i guess that would qualify as good directing.

best actor: daniel day-lewis.

'there will be blood' was an amazing film, but it does not gain its power from its story. all the power of the film comes, rather, from the portrayal of the oil man at its center. the delivery is so different than anything else seen lately. the cadence and delivery of the lines by day-lewis alone demands your utmost attention. it is almost impossible to take your eyes off of him when he is on the screen. this role proves that acting is truly an art form.

best actress: ellen page.

the cultural phenomenon that is 'juno' can be placed almost entirely in the lap of ellen page. she is such a natural fit at playing this role. it almost seems as if she isnt acting at all, but rather this is what she is actually like (which after seeing interviews with her might actually be the case...). she was able to take a really heavy story of teen pregnancy and turn it into an uplifting tale of growing up and accepting what may come. much of the credit for this can also be put on diablo cody, the author of the screenplay, but ellen page brings it to such magnificent life that her impact cannot be dismissed.

best supporting actor: casey affleck.

his portrayal of robert ford stole the whole show in a movie staring one of the biggest stars out there today- brad pitt. his nervous loser of a character in 'the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford' was totally fleshed out and believable as someone who is star struck by his hero, but is unable to stand along side of him. he wants so hard to be a member of jesse's posse, but is too awkward and introverted to ever really be a hero himself. casey affleck was able to show all this through his portrayal. a remarkable feat.

best supporting actress: tilda swinton.

her performance in 'michael clayton' is the only one of the nominated women who i saw. she did a great job as a lawyer who is representing a company that is disposing poisonous waste. she does a great job of showing the strength needed to be that lawyer, but also allows us to see her own private weakness when she is trying to prepare for the big presentations. the final showdown with clooney is powerful and satisfying.

other than that, i would say that 'no country for old men' is worthy of the adapted screenplay oscar, and 'juno' should end the night with a win for original screenplay.

again, i'm not saying that these films and actors will win, but they definitely should.

definitely, maybe

saturday i went to go see this movie with diana. now, i dont usually admit to watching chick flicks, but i knew i could give this one a pass because its got ryan reynolds in it (that would be 'berg', for those of you in the know). the set up is this: a father reluctantly explains to his daughter how he and her mother first met. they are currently getting divorced though, which makes it a bit more complicated. he proceeds to tell his daughter about meeting three different women, but keeping their identity a secret. through out the retelling she guesses which one is really her mother.

a bit of a strange set up, but it plays out very naturally. as he tells the story, we meet three different women, and the surprising thing is- all of them are great women! its quite refreshing to see a movie that has fleshed out women who arent just a stereotype, or who are hiding some terrible secret, or as completely neurotic. as the father tells the story you realize that he could be happy with any of the three women, and any of them could be the daughters mother.

we never do hear why the relationship has fallen apart enough to require a divorce, but thats just another unusual thing about this move- the couple actually respect each other! they arent some cliched couple who are bitter or hate each other. they are civil and put the well being of their child first. wow, what a strange and amazing concept in a movie!!!

i would say the thing that i loved the best about the movie would be its unwillingness to fall into the standards of a chick flick. all the characters are loving, level headed, and intelligent. they are fully textured, well written, and very well acted. man, i sure do like that ryan reynolds...

no country for old men

last night i had some time, so i went to go and see this movie. i have been intentionally ignoring any information on this movie for quite some time now. i didnt really want to know much about it, rather be taken in by the experience as it was unfolding.

the film is a bit slow, but i hardly noticed. im not sure it thats because i was too engaged in the story, or if its because ive been watching a ton of slow movies lately that im used to it now... its basically a texas man who finds some money and a lot of trouble, the sheriff who helps out however he can, and the determined man who wants his money back. its somewhat odd the way each of the actors play in this movie. they each just seem to realize that they have no say in how things are going to go down. they are trapped in this path- like dominoes already set, just waiting to get pushed down. a couple times there were instances where a character would begrudgingly do what they knew they needed to, even thought they knew it wasnt going to end well for them.

the guy with the money doesnt really seem all that interested in the money, nor does the guy trying to get it back. they seem much more interested in evening the score that in resolution to their problems. and the sherriff is interested only enough to get rid of the annoyance, but not much beyond that.

all the acting was good, i really enjoyed tommy lee jones and his simple responses, for example his deputy asks 'its a mess, aint it?' he responds 'If it ain't, it'll do till the mess gets here.' and i do believe javier bardem deserves most the the praise he has been getting.

ive been hearing a lot of people who hate the ending of this movie. now, im not going to give anything way, but i must say that i disagree. i felt the ending was fitting. satisfying? no, but fitting.

there will be blood

this weekend i had a few hours to kill, so i checked what movies are showing around here, and it turned out that 'there will be blood' finally came to town! so off i went...

this movie is directed by paul thomas anderson, who directed a film a few years ago that i really love called 'magnolia'. having seen it and a few others of his i was very excited at the fact that he was releasing a movie at all. when i heard that it was going to star daniel day lewis i knew it was going to be something special. turns out, it is.

the story is a different one, its actually based on the novel 'oil!' by upton sinclair. it is a story that takes place at the turn of the century 1900s and follows a man who travels the country helping out in different towns setting up oil rigs. the film really interested me because it was a story i hadnt ever heard told before. daniel day lewis, who is always amazing, creates such a strong and unusual character that you are just drawn to him. his journey is a bumpy one, some of it is his fault, but much of it is out of his control. to see him deal with what ever comes can be chilling, and at times gruesome. the character has a bit of a social problem: he not only wants to succeed, but he also wont be happy until everyone else fails. the title is a bit mystifying throughout most of the film, but it becomes quite evident when all is said and done. the raw emotion and passion that is shown by the characters is so visceral that its somewhat startling and telling.

the film is a bit long and a bit slow, but it is always riveting.

juno

ive been wanting to see this one for quite a while now. even before it got all the oscar attention ive had my eye on it. i figure anything with jason bateman, the kid from arrested development, and kitty pryde from the x-men movies was going to be at least ok. as it got more and more attention i figured i should definitely check it out.

well, saturday i finally got around to it, and boy was it worth it! the movie was hysterical! if you dont know the story line of this movie then you really need to stop living under that rock of yours. but just in case, ill summarize it for you. its about a 16 year old who gets pregnant and decides to go through with the birth and give the child up to a couple who hasnt been able to conceive. its not the story thats getting everyone talking, its the writing that makes this movie great. the style of conversation among everyone is a bit different. everyone is highly intelligent and amazingly witty, which just doesnt happen in real life. it almost teeters on the wes anderson style of quirky, but it has a lot more heart. after about the first ten minutes you start to accept this hip hyper-reality and can really get into the characters and their relationships with each other. the main character juno is very self confident and certain that she knows everything. and for a while, we believe her. she is so sure footed and wise beyond her years that she thinks she can handle whatever life throws at her, and for much of the film we are prone to agree. but one of the themes that the film (expertly) explores is the idea of naivete.

over all the film is certainly one of the funniest of the year, and also is surprisingly touching.

[editor's note: i saw this in the theater on a date.  in case you are wondering- yes, the date went well, i have since married her!]

cloverfield

the guys and i went to go see this on friday, opening night. ive been looking forward to this one since they first had the teaser attached to transformers over the summer. i didnt really get into the online hysteria around it, but i kept it in mind as one to see. ive been seeing reviews of it that say its total crap, and others that say its awesome. the hype has been so deafening, that it was time to make the decision for myself.

turns out, its pretty good. the premise is simple: a giant monster attack from the perspective of those who are in the city it is stomping all over. the style is very much 'blair witch project' with the perception given that we are about to watch a tape that was found. as we watch it it becomes clear that this is going to be a shaky camera ride. in fact, before the movie started, someone from the theater actually came up and warned us that this film could induce nausea. needless to say, that got us even more excited for it. i didnt have any problems with it, but a couple of the guys said they felt a little dizzy at points. the premise of the film is done well, its a bunch of twenty somethings throwing a party for a friend who is leaving town. just as the party gets going, the power goes out. they look outside and see the city being destroyed. they have to get out of there quick. they head to the subway system and other places looking for a friend and a way out. part of what makes the film work is that even the effects shots are done from the handheld camera, so they look real. this is what makes the monster really work- we never really get a clear shot of what the thing looks like. well, actually we do, and thats the one complaint i have with the movie. at the end they show too much of the monster that it takes away some of the mystery that had been such a strong part of the movie up until that point. also, it suffers from too many endings. for a movie that was so chaotic and strange, the ending is a little too neat and tidy.

over all though, this is definitely one to see in the theater, i have a feeling that it will loose a lot when its seen on a regular tv screen.

michael clayton

i saw this movie on a whim. i remember it coming out this past fall, but not really knowing anything about it. i had some time to kill, so i figured id give it a shot.

the movie itself is about a guy who works for a law firm whos life isnt exactly in order. there is a class action lawsuit going on against a company where they are being sued for putting bad chemicals in the ground. the huge law firm that is handling the case has been working 12 years on it, trying to wear down those suing the company. one day the head lawyer just cracks. he realizes that this is a terrible thing and doesnt want anything to do with it anymore. he goes crazy in front of court officials. the company fears that this will hurt their case, so they send in someone to fix it for them. in comes george clooneys character. hes kind of the janitor who comes in to clean up any messes that arise. hes very good at what he does, but he is having a hard time cleaning up the messes in his own life.

the story is quite interesting, and the character arcs are very compelling. we really see the struggle that both men go through with who they are and what they do. there is a little bit of time jumping as well (we see events happen, then jump back a few days to see what lead up to it). it was at times confusing, but it seems like that was a bit intentional. the character doesnt know the whole story, so we are left out a little bit as well. it is a twisty tale that is told, but the ending is incredibly satisfying.

alien vs predator: requiem

i know, i know, i should have known better. but i went anyway. i have a bit of a soft spot for those 'alien' movies, and i dig predator too. i saw the last avp and was disappointed. i wasnt sure what i was expecting, but it wasnt as good as i was hoping. but i must admit, in light of avp:r, that first one sure is looking a lot better...

the story, if you can really call it that, is about an alieny predatory thing who accidentally crashes on earth, and the predators have to get rid of him for some reason. many people die, many stomachs burst open. many predator weapons are used. big showdown. the end.
heres the biggest problem: its generic. the first avp didnt have enough action, but at least they brought up some interesting mythology about the creatures. we learned a bit more about the aliens and why the predators are after them. but this movie? it could have just as easily been made without either of the franchises being involved. it could have just been monster vs monster and it would not have suffered at all for it. actually, now that i think about it, it might have helped- there wouldnt be as much expected, so the fact that it is just a run-of-the-mill monster movie would not have been such a letdown.

i would say 'oh well, maybe next time', but i think if they tried again it might make this one look good...

i am legend

when we finally got to see this movie, i was quite excited for it. i wasnt sure what to expect, the advertising champagne focused on will smiths character being alone in this desolate future. but i also knew a little bit about the story, so i knew it has its roots in a much more horror style genre.

the story begins with a plague wiping out almost everyone, and smith is the last man in new york. hes been on his own, with his dog, for almost three years when we meet up with him. we follow him around as he looks for food and his typically uneventful search for any survivors. this, by far, is the best part of the film. we see him trying to live a normal life, setting up mannequins in stores he frequents and talking to them as if they were real. we get a sense of what it must be like for him, trying to stave off insanity. the mood is slow and introspective. like the island part of castaway, it begins to become a thoughtful portrait of loneliness, and how one tries to adapt. there are even some good scares with what is out there. but about three Fourths of the way through the movie, it takes an unfortunate turn. the story falls off the rails and falls into all the cliches it had been so successful in avoiding up until that point.

over all, it was worth seeing for the first half. the quite moments and the story reveals along the way are pitch perfect, but when the plot turns, it turns hard.

sweeney todd

ive been looking forward to this film for quite some time. im not at all familiar with the musical its based on (yes, this movie is a musical), but the prospect of any film by tim burton with jonny depp in it is always something to get excited about.

i went to go see it wednesday, and my general reaction was this: meh. im not sure why, but i was all together unimpressed. the story is dark and interesting, but i think it fell flat because of the fact that its a musical. it may have been great as a musical, but i felt the the songs themselves were quite bland as well. nothing really stands out as a memorable tune. the songs werent catchy, and there were many times where i just plain couldnt understand what they were singing. oh, and none of them could really sing that well, so that has a way of lowering the quality of the film. the story line has a lot of promise, but even that didnt pan out as being that interesting. the bit with the daughter and sailor boy was disjointed and disconnected from the major plot and never really played any important role in what was going on with the main characters, the bit about the poor woman was weak and very obvious, and the meat pie thing wasnt very well executed.

it saddens me to say this, but i think burton and depp missed the mark on this one.

the assassination of jesse james

now, that not exactly the full title of the film, but i figured i wouldn't be able to fit the whole thing on there. the full title is 'the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford'. a bit of a mouth full, huh?

tuesday i was sitting around my parents place and getting bored, so i figured i'd catch a movie. i saw that woodland theaters (the cheap second run and art house theater) was showing this movie and i had read a bit about it and wanted to check it out. so i did.

the film itself is a bit unusual as far as films go. its not so much a story as it is a character study. all the scenes don't necessarily tie in with each other so much as they all show different aspects of who these guys are. brad pitt plays jesse james as a tired, sad, and angry man who distrusts everyone (with good reason), and casey affleck plays robert ford as an insecure boy with a misplaced ego. the film itself is quite slow. it really creates the feeling of being there. the pace of the film helps us to understand the pace of life at that time, as well as the reality of the actions and events portrayed. it plainly shows the emotions of jesse james, a spent man accepting what evils have finally caught up with him, and robert ford, a desperate man blind to the truth that he will never amount to anything. its quite sad, really, but that's what makes it even more powerful.

oh, and the guy who plays dick liddil, paul schneider, is amazing. its difficult to admit, but i think he stole the show away from brad pitt. truly someone who will be making it big, and soon. keep an eye on this guy.

national treasure 2

monday i met up with jeffry lee at the mall and we figured we would catch a movie. there were a couple that we wanted to see, but werent particularly passionate about which one we should see. we ended up deciding to go see 'national treasure 2: book of secrets'.

now, its no big secret that i am not a nicolas cage fan, but for some reason i really enjoyed the first one. i think it was because i had just finished reading 'the da vinci code' and wanted to see a fun puzzle-based adventure movie. i saw it and really enjoyed it- it was certainly better than the really crappy da vinci movie that was eventually made. the first one was filled with a fun mix of history, conspiracy theories, puzzles, action, and adventure. it was completely over-the-top and left any sense of logic in its wake.

the second one is just more of the same (well, except less of the logic). the plot is loosely based on something or other to do with the lincoln assassination. the journey to find some sort of golden city takes them to paris, england, washington dc, and finally south dakoda (as all good adventures should...?) at many points you must actively fight your brain from working because the jumps in logic are so ludicrous that any sort of thinking would ruin the fun. but there are actually a few times where the characters themselves begin to question its absurdity, so they are obviously in on the joke. one of the funnies things in the movie is the fact that the only way a character is able to add emphasis to what they are saying is to repeat it ('is it? is it?'), which happens about ten to fifteen times throughout the movie. jeff and i got a great many laughs out of that, but it seems that the rest of the audience didnt quite pick up on it. the rest of the audience didnt quite pick up on it.

over all, im sure i will quickly forget the movie, but in a couple years when its on tv i will probably stop and watch it again for the laughs and the ridiculous ride it takes you on.

transformers

ive seen this one a few times now, and i figure i should say a few words about it. the first time i saw it was opening weekend in theaters, and i loved it! i had always intended to head back and see it again on the big screen, but the summer passed by faster than i thought it would. oh well.

a few weeks ago it came out on dvd. i, always a sucker for special movie packaging, had to get the two disc version from target. the case is so ridiculous that its actually quite impressive. they made the dvd case into a transforming robot. it looks really stupid as the case, and it doesnt really look much better as the robot. but thats not the point, the point is that its really outrageous and lame- which automatically means awesome!

i watched it when i first got it and is fun factor was still intact, even on a smaller screen. the film itself does a great job of bringing a back story to the robots. they did a really great job on optimus prime and the effect of all the robots changing. the human characters are passable for the most part (i still can not stand the girl with the australian accent, i know its real but it sounds totally fake!) the 'all spark' cube is a bit lame, but they needed a macguffin, and it did enough to serve its purpose. would have loved a few more fight scenes, but thats when a sequel is for, i guess... on top of a good movie was the second disc. the bonus second disc is worth the purchase alone, it goes very in depth about the production and everything that went into making it. some of the shots of how they filmed and then added in the robots was more interesting then i expected.

i just watched it a third time this week, this time with the director commentary on. and once again, i am impressed. having listened to many, many director commentaries, i was quite impressed with michael bays candor. usually the people doing the commentary end up kissing each others butt the whole time 'oh, you were so great in that scene', 'oooh, i loved the camera angle you used there' (im looking at you, kevin costner), or they become very technical or just plain nonsense (that you be you, tim burton). but on this commentary, bay is completely honest about what went right, what went wrong, how the transformer fans helped or were wrong about different stuff. it was refreshing, to hear someone tell it like it is and actually give some insight into the movie making process.

all in all, it was one of those rare things: a great movie, with even better dvd extras!

once

the music. oh, the music! i was lucky enough to see this film in the theater (twice) and be swept away by the melody it brings. its a simple story of a man who loves to sing and play his beaten up guitar. his path crosses with a foreign woman who talks with him. they form a friendship and play music together for a while. their stories, music, and hearts intertwine for a short time, but it is magic to behold. the film is, in essence, a musical. the great thing though, is that it is not a traditional musical where the characters are talking and then break out in song and dance, rather the characters in it sit down and sing. they make music together as musicians, which leads them to a recording studio and briefly into each other's souls. its a love story, but more a love story about the love of music than any romantic type of love. soon their paths take them in different directions, but the music they shared and created continue to exist even after their time together. i must admit that immediately after walking out of the theater the first time i saw it i went straight to the store to buy the soundtrack- that song 'falling slowly' is one of the most beautiful and melancholy songs i have heard in years! the whole movie is inspired and moving.

rocky balboa

ive never been into the whole 'rocky' thing. in fact, i dont think ive ever actually seen any of them the whole way through. still, for some reason, i wanted to see this latest sequel. maybe out of morbid curiosity, just to see how badly stallone has aged, maybe because of the many good reviews it got when it came out, or maybe because it was free at the library. im not sure which was the reason for picking it up, but i watched it a couple days ago, and was somewhat impressed.

though unfamiliar with the previous 5, i could tell that most of the movie was filled with references to what had come before. it didnt seem excessive, just the opposite in fact, the movie is all about finishing strong and moving on, so it was altogether fitting that there would be frequent referencing of the past. the idea of one last fight was played out pretty well, and the final fight was actually quite exciting. it almost made me want to go back and check out the originals. or not.