Movies Kick Ass

Oscars 2012: Best Dressed.

2012-02-29T23:53:00.000-06:00

It was the safest year we've ever had on the red carpet. This means that:
a) There's little to make fun of and even less to give us nightmares (something that very well describes the utter forgettability of the whole event)
b) There is just one look that will go down on the fashion books (guess which one...)
c) Meryl Streep is featured among the best dressed for the second time! You'll be in shock when you see how high she ranked!

10) Natalie Portman
Since last year she denied us moments of amazing fashion (damn you baby bump!) she tried hard to make up for it this year in a series of looks that highlight her loveliness. This vintage Dior gown features polka dots, yes polka dots, and even if you would've assumed they only worked in relaxed episodes of Mad Men, Portman made the look acquire a certain je ne sai quoi. The hair is a bit of a letdown, but she looks so jovial and fresh...

9. Michelle Williams

It was about time MiWi wore something that made it seem she was having fun and enjoying herself. The girlieness in this Louis Vuitton is undeniable and the way she accessorized it (the little bow!) is absolutely adorable. This is the first time I've ever been in love with one of her looks.

8. Emma Stone

Yes, we all know this Giambattista Valli is essentially Nicole Kidman's Balenciaga froma few years ago. The difference is in the style of the woman who wears it. With Nicole, the dress made a statement; it seemed to be saying "I am a gift to humanity" and neither of us could prove it wrong, which is why the dress gained a certain arrogance (very much like Jolie and her leg this year).

As worn by Emma, the giant bow expresses her exciting youthfulness and her eager desire to be liked. The flow of the gown is remarkable and Emma's grin brings it something that Nicole's icy demeanor never achieved.

7. Rose Byrne

She's sexy and she knows it, that's why she went for a simple Vivienne Westwodd sequined sheath that screamed disco queen meets dominatrix.

6. Stacy Kiebler
She may not be a celebrity but boy was she perfect on the red carpet. This Marchesa is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. The structure is perfect, the color is bold and demands everyone's attention. Clooney lost Best Actor but he sure had his own little golden statue to take home.

5. Penélope Cruz

Everyone seems to have a strong opinion on Pé's new hairstyle. I think the length is perfect and even if it gives her a slight severity it still brings out the Grace Kelly-ness in her. Something highlighted even more by this gorgeous sky-blue Armani Privé which follows Pé's own kind of red carpet trend but feels utterly refreshing in spite of its classic-ness.

4. Jessics Chastain

Do you remember when Beyoncé wore an awful House of Dereon black and gold dress to the Oscars that made her look like a huge Chinese lantern? Do you remember when a few years later Halle Berry showed Ms. Knowles how to do black and gold? Well, Jessica Chastain now occupies the title of best black.and-gold wearer of all time, in this majestic Alexander McQueen that culminates Chastain's impeccable red carpet season with what might become her most iconic look. She is picture perfect and too flawless for words.

3. Rooney Mara
Bangs? Check.

Intense red lipstick? Check.
Givenchy structured dress? Check.

Mara was another newbie princess bringing it all together with a flawless Oscar look.

The dress' texture made it look like she was surrounded by clouds. Perfection!

2. Meryl Streep
Upon first looking at Meryl's liquid gold Lanvin, one would've thought she was dressed like an Oscar because she knew she'd go home empty handed. As the night progressed, the color gave the Queen of Actors a certain glow that made her look holier than ever.

Then, she won and Meryl achieved a new power, that of prophecy given how beautifully her newest statuette looked against her dress. This is the best Streep has ever looked at any awards ceremony. Well done! Posterity will be thankful.

1. Gwyneth Paltrow
On a night that was all about nostalgia and old Hollywood glamour, Gwyneth Paltrow set the bar higher than the rest in this absolutely exquisite Tom Ford dress complete with a Joan Crawford-esque cape. This look is so perfect that not even the cape is mock-able. It gives her a demure consistency that's only surpassed by the simplicity of her makeup, hair and accessories. If she had gone for a tight bun or a high hairdo, she might've been too severe, or too old. The ease with which her pony tail let the dress take over and highlighted her sinfully beautiful bone structure, might just be Gwyneth's most astonishing red carpet look. Some are crediting the dress to the fact that she had first dibs on Ford's ultra secret new collection but come on, how many actresses out there can pull off a cape?
Gwyneth's boldness and refreshingly oxymoronic effortless glamour are what sartorialist dreams are made of!

What were your favorite looks?

I also discussed fashion with the awesome Nathaniel and Kurt over at The Film Experience. So what are you waiting for? Head over there and join the merriment!

Oscars 2012: Worst Dressed and Meh (Mostly Meh Though)

2012-02-29T18:38:00.004-06:00

This year nobody seemed to make a total fool out of themselves which is a surprise. Then again, the Oscars had never been this safe and predictable in terms of winner which makes the fashion all the more understandable. To kick things off in the meh department we have Miss Angelina Jolie, whose leg seems to have taken on a life of its own in the aftermath of this preposterous look. While we all can agree that she's a beautiful woman, her leg pose was stupid because it made everyone laugh while she thought she was being Jessica Rabbit in terms of sexiness. Perhaps if the leg hadn't been poking out of a boring velvet Atelier Versace, we might've been a bit more impressed by it.

Bérénice Bejo's Elie Saab is not bad by any means, but the color washes her out in such a way, that not even her fiery hair can spark any life in it.

Jesus Christ, enough with the nude color Kristen Wiig! This J. Mendle might be beautiful but it feels like she's worn it to every awards show she's been to.

This Marchesa is a tricky thing. On one side the combination of colors is quite striking and the beading is quite the handcraft, but it makes poor SaBu look at least twenty years older and twenty pounds heavier. The unflattering mid-section makes it seem as if she just had too much ice cream and wants to conceal her new belly. The lack of drama upstairs (meaning the natural makeup) in this case work against her, because we keep being drawn to the strange ice claws around her waist. Overall this one's a mess.

Melissa Leo is a mess one more time. This time she went for a too informal Reem Acra that slightly recall this ensemble worn by Natalie Portman last year. Portman was pregnant at the time, which explains the fact that she was going for a shapeless look. Leo has no excuse.

Wouldn't Jane Fonda have looked great in this Valentino Couture gown? It's totally up her alley and she's only like 60 years older than Shailene Woodley...

Oy, most people are in love with Viola Davis and think saying something unflattering about her is either being a racist, an idiot or the most insensitive person alive, but not even they will be able to deny that she chose a very bad time to get rid of her wigs. We get it, she's proud of her heritage but the wigs were so beautiful that I'm sure no one really knew they were fake. This new hair gives her a Dennis Rodman look that's beyond unflattering, mostly because she's always pairing it up with dresses that are way too tight in the boob department. The color in this Vera Wang isn't doing anything for her really.

Oh J. Lo, you A-list hoochie. This Zuhair Murad dress is what Octavia Spencer was wearing but unlike what the pattern did for her, it does nothing for Lopez who looks like a hooker from space. The holes on her arms are inexplicable and give the dress a cheap look. Did she run out of fabric?

What do you think of these ladies? Anyone here you would promote to best?

Oscar Leap Recap.

2012-02-29T17:32:00.002-06:00

As usual the Oscars were an almost instantly forgettable affair. Billy Crystal did a decent, albeit extremely safe, hosting job and everyone and their grandmother knew that The Artist would win the top awards, so that gave the whole affair a slightly dull mood. Here are my fave bits in chronological order:

Queen Meryl, who had a great surprise in store, was on her usual wonderful mood. She is always such a good sport, even when she must suffer through some real humiliations, like having Sandra Bullock defeat her.

Cameron Diaz and J. Lo epitomized silly fun when they presented the make-up award. In all honesty though, I had no idea that Cam's behind was so, well, ample.

Meryl being a sport for her The Iron Lady make-up team...

This was the second best win of the night. A complete surprise too, considering it actually deserved to win!

The Christopher Guest troupe was all sorts of brilliant and I couldn't help but wonder what are people waiting to have Eugene Levy play Marty in a biopic.

My favorite part about Dragon Tattoo winning Best Editing was to have the orchestra play the shoulda-been-a-winner score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

This bit was slightly ridiculous but Gwynnie was Carole Lombard brilliant, proving that you can be funny and still look like a goddess.

Speaking of goddesses, I demand to get on whatever Emma Stone was on when she presented her award. She was such a joy to watch! She should've hosted the whole thing!

Isn't Kenneth Branagh the cutest?

No wait, isn't Uggie the cutest?

Ugh NO, wait, isn't Bret McKenzie the cutest?

Y'all know I can't stand Angelina Jolie most of the time, which is why I loved that Jim Rash mocked her ridiculous leg move right after she presented him with his Oscar. I'm sure he was exiled from Hollywood the following morning but his, well, rash move injected the event with an oh-no-he-didn't rush of joy.

Woody won!

I hope the Scorsese drinking game goes on for as long as the world exists.

Le sigh...

Rooney Mara won in my heart and I love that her clip was the most risky Oscar has done since I started watching them. Those who say she doesn't "act" should just take a look at hos this angelical creature turns into this:

"I AM insane!"

Her boyfriend looks so supportive! Did you know he's the son of Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen?

THE moment of the night:

Her "what?" was such a lovely moment. I'm sure she never expected to win again. Well done Queen!

SaBu was rightfully one of the first to stand up and applaud the great Streep!

God knows I love Glenn Close (I'm a Patty Hewes wannabe) but Meryl has always had more of a movie star quality that she's always lacked. It was pleasant, if a bit heartbreaking, to see her become one of the all-time biggest losers.

Michel Hazanavicius and Bérénice Bejo are the new Brangelina, right? OK not really, but they exude old-world class in a way the other two will never do.

Gotta love Rooney's mischievous look.

And for those of you who feel I'm devoting too much to Meryl's win, just like her, I say:

"Whatever..."

Long live the Streep! Did you enjoy the Oscars or am I just bringing up bad memories? Had you moved on by now?

Mondo Cane.

2012-02-27T23:46:00.000-06:00

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.

2012-02-27T12:16:00.001-06:00

Style Sunday.

2012-02-26T10:29:00.001-06:00

Emma Stone always looks so radiant and angelical, this Elie Saab makes her seem out of a wholesome episode of Mad Men and hey we're not complaining. Gotta love that she lets that fiery hair do all the work others leave to accessories and heavy makeup.

Rooney Mara gives plum a chance in this stunning J. Mendel cocktail dress. The risqué cleavage and the dramatic makeup make her recall Louise Brooks, while the simple suede heels make her seems as if she was floating.

Are you excited to see these two on the red carpet tonight?

Hugo ****

2012-02-24T17:43:00.001-06:00

Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Richard Griffiths
Frances de la Tour, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz
Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Christopher Lee

During a not so seemingly special moment in Hugo, the eponymous protagonist (Butterfield) and his friend Isabelle (Moretz) sit in a movie theater as they proceed to watch a film. That familiar clickety-clack sounds fill the air and then the camera focuses not on the movie being displayed but on the projector's light from which the images emanate. For a second or so, particularly because of the film being in 3D, audience members will undoubtedly feel as if they are the figures being projected. If cinema is life and god is but the projectionist changing the reels, then no other movie has captured this spiritual connection like Hugo.
Directed by the one and only Martin Scorsese (a god among filmmakers to continue with the metaphysical argot) the film is an adaptation of Brian Selznick's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret and centers its attention on the title character, an orphan living clandestinely in the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris. After the death of his father, the little boy moved to the station where he's accidentally in charge of maintaining the clocks while trying to repair a mysterious automaton left behind by his father.
Convinced that the curious contraption will reveal a message from his late father, he spends night and day trying to make it work, in the meantime stealing food and supplies from the station's various inhabitants. Scorsese (along with the majestic work of production designer Dante Ferretti) creates a microcosms in which the little boy moves around like a Dickensian hero, trying to stay away from the cartoonish Inspector Gustave (Cohen) and thoroughly fascinated by an enigmatic toy store owner who simply goes by the name of Papa Georges (Kingsley).
To reveal more plot points would be sinful but it's more than enough to say that Hugo along with Georges' goddaughter Isabelle, embark on an adventure to unlock the secrets of the automaton which leads them to a remarkable discovery.
Less obsessed with the telling of the story than with the universe that it tries to recreate, Scorsese too sets out on an adventure that's equally moving, didactic and thoroughly enchanting. Eventually the plot involves the creation of cinema and particularly the pioneer works of Georges Méliès who we are told was one of the first artists who realized films were the essence of dreams.
On the surface Hugo seems to be a simple story about finding your place in life - its protagonist thinks that a life without purpose is the equivalent of being a broken machine - and Marty isn't one to deny the little boy his dream. Lovingly he approaches the youngest characters and makes us question exactly how much responsibility does the world put on children?
As an essay on infancy, Hugo makes harsh questions regarding children's roles in a society that seems to ask so little and yet so much of them. Aren't children supposed to be the future? If so, then Hugo's own fate seems marred by the harshness of his past experiences and in order to survive he has obviated his creative nature for more mechanical duties.
Scorsese too wonders if in a way we aren't all machines trying to find our own purpose, waiting perhaps to be fixed. This is best expressed through the inspector who due to a war injury has to wear a mechanical brace on his leg. Other filmmakers would've simply turned the inspector into a Tin Man-like character trying to find the heart among the metal parts, but Marty knows best and lets us see that even if Gustave is the only one wearing a metal device, almost every character in the movie seems to be running on some sort of invisible clockwork, duly repeating their daily tasks perhaps unaware that there is magic out there.
This pessimistic look on life might seem to harsh for a family film which is why Marty joyfully lets us know that magic is still accessible to us and merely requires for us to buy a movie ticket.
In a way then, Hugo isn't exactly about the little child but about Marty himself, a notorious historian and film preservationist, whose mantra seems to be something along the lines of "movies are the gift that never stops giving".
The director takes us back to the early days of cinema which went from being a fad to turning into the most cohesive of the arts. The film meticulously constructs key moments in cinema history mostly involving Méliès work. We see the early master at work in his fish tank-like studio where mermaids coexisted with dancing skeletons and annoyed moon men. If you've often wanted to reach out and touch what was projected on a movie screen, this film literally gives you the power to do it, using an impressive work of 3D cinematography in which every layer seems to be thriving with life.
Towards the end of the film, we are treated to what can only be called a miraculous achievement as moments from ancient movies become nothing less than tangible dreams. Yet in order for us to appreciate cinema more Marty reminds us that because of its all-encompassing powers, movies require that we become familiar with the other arts. His film isn't merely a poem about cinema, but an ode to the power of creation and the power to achieve sublimity through arts. Hugo has countless literary, theatrical and graphic art references; if not just see the way in which the clockwork in the station resemble cubist masterpieces that force us to take a second look in order to determine their structures.
Few movies dare to find the soul in the machine with such effortless proficiency and undeniable love. During one of the film's most breathtaking moments, Hugo has a nightmare within a nightmare and when he wakes up we realize that this is Marty's way of reaching out to us and asking us to never let go of the dream of cinema. Like a Tinkerbell armed with a camera and unbridled passion for his craft we have no other choice but to applaud him and kindle the fire of his devotion.

Motifs in 2011 Cinema: Disillusionment.

2012-02-24T09:30:00.000-06:00

Perhaps because it’s one of the youngest artistic forms, cinema is often assessed in much different manner that literature, or the visual arts. We discuss it in terms of genre, not in terms of thematic offering. Comparing, for example, Corpse Bride and Up because they’re both animated leads to some dubious discussion especially when – like any art form – thematic elements examined in cinema and the way different filmmaker address them make for some stimulating discussion. Motifs in Cinema is a discourse, across nine film blogs, assessing the way in which various thematic elements have been used in the 2011 cinematic landscape. How does a common theme vary in use from a comedy to a drama? Are filmmakers working from a similar canvas when they assess the issue of the artist or the family dynamic? Like everything else, a film begins with an idea - Motifs in Cinema assesses how the use of a single idea changes when utilised by varying artists.

- Andrew K.
Disillusionment.

One of my favorite songs says "disillusion takes what illusion gives" and this couldn't ring truer than it does while looking back at the cinema of 2011. The last decade was characterized because its up and downs were more extreme than anything else in the past. When things got bad, it meant war, terrorist attacks, pandemics, severe economic crises, social revolts, harsh weather changes and natural disasters etc. When things got good - if they ever did - it seemed like the world was closer to unity. Not so surprisingly, most of the good came in direct response to the bad, with entire countries uniting to help out a smaller nation in need, technological and scientific breakthroughs and perhaps naively in the promises made by a series of politicians who for a split second seemed like they would be able to change the world.
The movies of 2011, more than before, focused on how all of the good eventually let us down, how racism, intolerance, war and corruption just might've won the battle.

In Meek's Cutoff - perhaps the most aggressive political commentary of 2011 - Kelly Reichardt questions the Obama administration's lack of direction. Her story of wandering pioneers might not seem like a straightforward "movie" in the sense that it never worries about being entertaining and has no regard for plot. However embedded in its desolated landscapes lies the greatest story never told: how people abandon everything precious to them for an ideal that might never materialize. Realizing these people are lost isn't as heartbreaking as the delusional nature of the man leading them (played with astonishing charisma by Bruce Greenwood) who is more keen on preserving his public image than on acknowledging his flaws and how he let his people down. Meek's Cutoff cleverly uses history to make a point out of the cyclical nature of our universe.

This cyclical nature is repeated in Drive a film that takes place in a Los Angeles that seems to have never moved past the Reagan era. A labyrinth of decay surrounded by neon lights, Nicolas Winding Refn's tale questions what happens when society has lost all signs of latent humanity. L.A. here becomes the ultimate symbol of disillusionment, a city where people once came to dream (there is nary a sign of Hollywood glamour, we only see the menial tasks performed by stuntmen and strippers) but now are in deep search of a hero.
That the hero they get is a morally ambiguous macho figure speaks more about how the icons of valor are thought of as primitive creatures that predate the times we live in.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo then gives us a hero(ine) that fits more in our times. Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) might not be Homer's idea of a savior, but in these times when corporations deal with our private information, she gets the Julian Assange badge of honor for "criminal heroism". When and how exactly did telling the truth and trying to make things right by way of immorality became a sign of courage might be a task more adequate for sociologists, but we'll take our salvation in any way it comes, right?

Although salvation makes no sense when thinking that a single epidemic might invalidate all of our moral codes. In Contagion we saw how an illness not only destroyed lives but shook survivors as well. What is the point in trying to preserve any signs of humanity when we commit the greatest acts of inhumanity against ourselves?
Steven Soderbergh's masterpiece was a chilling reminder that globalization is making us stronger only by giving us a false sense of unity, when in fact countries seem to wish they could erect walls to contain their own troubles without ever recurring to "friendly neighbor" behavior. That we see so many people in the movie trying so hard to contain the pandemic and have them fail so miserably is both horrifying and somehow relieving. Does it make sense that the end of times is then becoming the hedonistic poison of choice to so many people?

The Tree of Life wasn't without loss of illusion, in fact the entire premise circles around having a son realizing he'll never satisfy his father. On a larger scale, the film is also an essay through which Terrence Malick tries to satisfy a supreme power (the ultimate father figure) by trying to find the very essence that created him. It would be facile to blame daddy issues for all that's wrong in the world (despite what Freud would prefer) but The Tree of Life pulled off the ultimate hat trick by offering us a second chance, perhaps those who have faith will find solace in an afterlife. The rest of us are stuck down here mesmerized by the way in which our hopes reach for the sky only to crash with irreverent violence.

Fiddle-dee-dee!

2012-02-23T19:03:00.000-06:00

Ugh, I feel like I haven't seen Pé in a movie screen in ages. Actually I might not have, considering Nine never officially played in theaters here...oh wait, well yes. she did have that tiny cameo in Sex and the City 2 but you know what I mean. Anyhoo, doesn't she look breathtaking in this production still of Nero Fiddled?
Don't we all wish she'll join Dianne Wiest and win two Oscars for Woody movies? (If you don't, say yes anyway).

The Woman in Black ***

2012-02-23T15:50:00.000-06:00

Director: James Watkins
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer
Sophie Stuckey, Liz White, Misha Handley

It's almost impossible to look at Daniel Radcliffe and not think of a certain boy wizard who plagued movie screens for an entire decade. His face became synonymous with the idea of typecasting and viewers should not feel guilty about having a hard time pretending he's someone else while watching The Woman in Black.
Kudos must be given to the young actor who is trying so hard to show audiences they haven't seen the last of him, however this is nary a benefit for him when his physiognomy evokes such blandness that he becomes a blank slate for whoever's directing him. Try as he does, onscreen Radcliffe can only muster two emotions: surprise and fear.
Luckily for him, his face is more than fit for this adaptation of Susan Hill's horror novel, which has him play the lead character of Arthur Kipps, a widowed London solicitor asked to handle Eel Marsh House, the estate of the late Alice Drablow. He travels to the remote village where he is welcomed by locals with unbecoming hostility. The reason? They think that Eel House is haunted by the ghost of a mysterious woman who is slowly eradicating the town's children. Not one to take superstitions seriously, Arthur visits the house where soon enough strange things begin to happen.
There is nothing particularly extraordinary about The Woman in Black, other than the fact that it's such a delightful throwback to atmospheric horror movies. It forgoes any signs of gore or extreme violence, in favor of creepy ambiance which paired with expertly crafted production design and efficient cinematography produce chills the likes of which we rarely get anymore.
The film might've been improved if the writers had put more emphasis in the fascinating dichotomy that lies between the advent of technology and the disappearance of the ghost story. Throughout the film there are numerous mentions to how machines have been used to move forward and leave behind superstition, something that becomes altogether more haunting during a scene in which a series of macabre wind toys perform a demonic symphony.
Throughout, Radcliffe does his best to look pale enough not to be confused with one of the movie's actual ghosts, while talented thespians like Hinds and McTeer chew the scenery with such subtle gusto that they are the ones mustering the real magic.

Swoon (Russian Style).

2012-02-23T13:00:00.000-06:00

Won't Anna Karenina be absolutely breathtaking?

Cartoon Star.

2012-02-23T10:28:00.000-06:00

Don't you love when famous people are turned into cartoons? I know I do and this lovely lady up there is none other than Estrella Morente (of Pé's singing voice in Volver fame) who gets to play herself in the lovely Chico & Rita. I saw it, as well with three other Animated Feature nominees over the weekend, head over to The Film Experience to see how it went.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close ***

2012-02-21T14:45:00.002-06:00

Director: Stephen Daldry
Cast: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn
Viola Davis, John Goodman, Max von Sydow
Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Caldwell

When did manipulation become such a dirty word? Art after all is designed after the very concept of manipulation; whether it is to manipulate elements that become art (concept which goes from painting to the precise position of frames while editing films) or to provoke a reaction from audiences, artists throughout the ages have attempted to manipulate us into thinking, feeling or seeing differently.
It results quite baffling then that people often find themselves so surprised to "discover" an art piece is trying to manipulate them. Isn't this after all what is expected? Even those artists whose entire oeuvre is meant to provoke indifference, are asking something from their audiences.
Throughout his career, Stephen Daldry has been accused of being a manipulator who relies on specifically engineered elements to elicit pre-fabricated praise, stick to the whims of his producers and more often than not rake in some awards.
This shouldn't speak about Daldry's work more than about the industry he's working in, one where he has proved himself to be a highly efficient worker whose mastery of the medium reminisces the work being done by countless filmmakers during the studio system era. Perhaps this is what bothers most people about Daldry's success: his kind of machine-like filmmaking seems like it's set itself out there to invalidate the concept of auterism.
If so, such is the case with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close an adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's
eponymous novel in which Daldry makes a case for his precise taste and manipulation abilities without trying to create something that remotely resembles a personal signature.
His movie is composed of quirks and settings that have worked before and therefore work again (the frenetic editing of Amélie, a musical score that evokes Daldry's own The Hours, a beautiful work of cinematography etc.) Daldry even goes as far as to extend this seeming laziness to the casting, to play the roles of two every-men (and every-women) he went with two of America's most beloved actors: Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
That these two get together to tale a story about 9/11 seems even more appalling! How does Daldry dare make Sandra and Tom suffer? And yet that's precisely what he does and unsurprisingly makes it work.
Daldry is one of those directors who is at the service of story and he concentrates on delivering just that, a well told tale with elements that work, too much, like clockwork.
Hanks plays Thomas Schell, a beloved husband (Bullock plays his wife Linda) and father (Horn plays his son, Oskar) who dies during the NYC terrorist attacks leaving his family without any closure. Oskar is angered at the fact that his mother buried an empty casket, until he finds that his oedipal trauma might have a cure when he finds a mysterious key his father left behind.
Not questioning whether this is a secret message or not, little Oskar sets out on a magical journey across New York City, trying to find the lock that will be opened by the key. Along the way he meets several characters who, like him, have lost someone or are enduring emotional pain (Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright are particularly touching as a married couple) one of them being a mysterious elderly man (Sydow) who for no specified reason refuses to speak.
Oskar's adventure has less in common with Don Quixote than it does with the little boy from The Tin Drum whose story is similarly placed against an unsteady historical background. Leaving behind all subtleties for an impressive, if often obnoxious, performance, child-actor Horn grabs all of Oskar's quirks and turns them into elements that eventually become believable. That he is able to both irritate you and warm your heart speaks about the actor's ability to overcome superfluous character details (he seems autistic but in old school fashion this is never alluded to in clear medical terms) and Daldry makes sure that he has enough to do around the adult actors. Watching the little boy with Sydow could've had creepy implications but instead evokes the legendary actor's devotion to his child in Pelle the Conqueror, in similar fashion, Horn stands perfectly against Hank's jolly demeanor and an impressive Bullock who forgoes all her usual movie star charm for an endless longing.
Perhaps the movie feels shallow because it doesn't devote itself to observing the suffering of 9/11 victims; instead attempting to find the universal in the specific, but touching a subject of that magnitude would always mean that catharsis would be impossible. Curiously to try and find answers within the movie would mean that audiences were recreating Oskar's journey, aiming for something higher than they can accomplish. Whether they take this journey with predisposed anger or hoping for the best and preparing for the worst is up to each of them.

Spanish Lessons.

2012-02-21T08:18:00.000-06:00

The ladies at the Goyas always have amazing styles (it might be the second best Academy red carpet after the Oscars and before the BAFTAs) what better example than Elena Anaya looking like a goddess in Lanvin. She followed Emma Stone's Golden Globes lead but brought it down to basics. Where Stone was a Harley Aphrodite, Elena is a glorious Athena!

Goya Toledo is perfection in this simple Elie Saab, yes there is such a thing as a simple Elie Saab. The skin tone and sparkles give her a sexy quality that's only highlighted by her simple hair and makeup.

Salma Hayek knows how to work 'em and even if her "look at my boobs" looks get a bit exhausting after a while, you can't deny sister looks good. This burgundy Gucci Premiere is great, paying homage to Spain's ruffles while remaining consistent with the Gucci look.

Marta Etura might not be particularly stunning in this Gucci gown, but I wanted to include her because I was so surprised to realize she's the Vice-president of the Spanish Film Academy! This is the equivalent of having I don't know, Julianne Moore being second in command at AMPAS and I mean that as a great thing of course!

For more about the Goyas, head over to The Film Experience where I talk about the awards.

Short Take: "Nostalgia for the Light" and "Pina".

2012-02-20T18:15:00.004-06:00

The Atacama Desert occupies over forty thousand square miles of northern Chile and is known for being the driest desert in the world. Its elements have been compared to Martial soil because absolutely no living organism could thrive in it. Director Patricio Guzmán argues that it's in this desolate place where the universe has created a portal where the past, present and perhaps even the future run into each other, but fear not, this isn't a sci-fi film, instead what the director creates is a moving non-fiction essay that contemplates our existence and how passing time is both tragic and solacing.
Guzmán is a child of the Chilean revolution and as such he tells in detail how his country went from being an exemplary land to a hell where people were murdered or kidnapped if they opposed the system. The documentary interweaves three different stories: we have Guzmán's observations and soulful narration, testimonials from concentration camp survivors and the families of those who never returned home, and there's also interviews with astronomers who run the observation sites in the Atacama desert, all of whom have more in common with each other than they would've guessed.
Guzmán makes a strange, if remarkably convincing case, about how all these people are united by history and the creation of the universe (this film would make a superb companion piece to The Tree of Life) and the director also displays an expert's eye for bending elements of real life into a narrative that's absolutely spellbinding and profound. In all of its essay-glory best, the film proves that Guzmán is as deft a creator as any supernatural force.

Pina Bausch was a pioneer choreographer who updated the concept of Tanztheater: a complex combination of movements and staggering sets which brought a new sensibility to the concept of modern dance. Bausch's longtime friend Wim Wenders had wanted to make a documentary about her life but she passed away a few days before shooting commenced. The project was then rescued by her pupils, who seem to have an utmost faith in their instructor, and the result is Pina, a wonderful nonfiction film that works as a supreme showcase of her legacy.
The film consists of several breathtaking setpieces in which the dancers display unbelievable physical skills, as well as a mystifying unity with their surroundings. Several moments have us rub our eyes in disbelief as we see deft dancers jump over a gargantuan boulder as if it was nothing but a step high, and some other moments explore the duality of the sexes by having a frail-looking female dancer use her humongous arms to do delicate moves (but this one has a twist so be ready to gasp). What remains persistent throughout each setpiece is the way in which Bausch found beauty in all her dancers; from the young and slender ones, to the ones whose faces are so rugged as to suggest they're "has-beens" in the age obsessed world of the arts, you wonder then if Pina, more than a teacher was a spiritual guide who helped these people transcend the confines of mortality through her choreography.

Grades:
Nostalgia for the Light ***½
Pina ***

Style Sunday.

2012-02-19T10:34:00.000-06:00

Rooney Mara goes back to black and looks all kinds of lovely in this Calvin Klein cocktail dress. The bangs have gone from symmetrical to a slightly more juvenile look and if she doesn't scream Audrey Hepburn, then I don't know what does.

Give Michelle Williams some color and she will take your breath away! This Christian Dior ball gown makes her look like a princess. Gotta love how free spirited she looks.

Léa Seydoux is magnificent in this Elie Saab dress, which not only elongates her already gorgeous figure, it also makes her look like a classic screen siren. Love that she let her hair down and went for natural makeup.

Cate Blanchett keeps on being mesmerizing on red carpets. This Juan Carlos Obando gown (which could've fooled me into thinking it was Rodarte) makes her look regal and and vibrant. The open toed shoes are a perfect touch!

Bullhead ***½

2012-02-15T12:01:00.000-06:00

Go to The Film Experience and read my review for Bullhead.

What Better Way to Celebrate V-Day...

2012-02-14T08:03:00.000-06:00

Than with the man who has explored the human heart like no one else?
Head over to PopMatters and read my review for Woody Allen: A Documentary.

The Grammys in One Image:

2012-02-13T10:50:00.002-06:00

Do I Have to Pick a Fave Lisbeth Salander?

2012-02-13T09:53:00.003-06:00

No, you don't! Click here to know why...

And the BAFTAs Went To...

2012-02-12T17:55:00.001-06:00

I love how random the BAFTAs usually are. They seem to have decided to celebrate James Bond's fiftieth anniversary by inviting Tom Jones but not by having say Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Daniel Craig present Best Picture...

Daniel Radcliffe looked so happy to be there! He kept doing huge smiles as if he was auditioning for Broadway again.

Queen Meryl looked positively regal for once, may she please wear something this magnificent to the Oscars.

Jonah Hill has such a mancrush on Brad Pitt, don't ya think?

I was shocked to see Kristen Wiig presenting because she was so brilliant last night on SNL that one would think she'd need a few days to recover and charge her brilliant batteries. In my mind she and Jean Dujardin (who was stunningly awesome on SNL too) flew together and she went through her Bridesmaids airplane skit. Or maybe just maybe she kept her 20's flapper dress and traveled via Dujardin's favored way of transportation:

I love how Octavia Spencer just radiates with joy every time she sees Viola Davis.

Well done Paddy! His Tyrannosaur won Best British Debut.

Sigh.

Oh you magnificent creature...

The BAFTAs always offer the strangest combinations. Why would Christina Ricci and Jeremy Irvine be together? Also, what was up with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Billy Bob Thornton being there?

The Artist swept the awards even winning Best Original Screenplay.
I have nothing against the movie and contrary to what its director would think, I knew it had a screenplay.
What I don't get is how it would win for originality when it's such a rehash of so many movies? The clip they played for this category even featured the Vertigo score!

R.I.P.

This man's voice! For a minute he made me wish the BAFTAs turned into Dogville and Nicole Kidman showing up to kick everyone's asses...

Chris O'Dowd is just the cutest.

Senna not only won Best Documentary, it also upset The Artist taking Best Editing. Really people. if you have not seen this movie, run and find it now.

Don Draper is mad!

Joan knows better...

(I love that they played "All the Lovers" when she presented an award)

Meryl Streep makes winning awards both pleasurable and award-worthy within itself. When she left her shoe on the stairs going up to receive her Best Actress award, not only did she create her own headlines about being Cinderella and loosing at the balls for more than 30 years now, she also made me wonder if this was all planned. She is known for her perfect technical prowess.

She even made me love that Colin Firth was there, even if it should be Jesse Eisenberg handing her out awards.

All bow to Queen Meryl!

Yay Pe!

Pe handing out Best Actor justifies Natalie Portman not being there. I feel like she's been out of the spotlight for too long...a bit over a year fine, but let me be!

Just give this man his Oscar already. I don't get how anyone would have anything bad to say about him, he's so charming and gorgeous and unlike Clooney and Pitt, he does act in his movie. He doesn't play himself...

Why can't the Oscars come up with interesting presenters for Best Picture?

Is it me or does Bérénice Bejo look like she could've given birth to Emma Stone?

I love how Marty is always so happy to win awards, however to be honest he's been so mistreated by awards bodies that I wish he'd go all Woody Allen on their asses and forever ignore them.

Did you enjoy the BAFTAs?

Style Sunday.

2012-02-12T09:58:00.002-06:00

SJP once again is pushing boundaries by combining an Oscar de la Renta dress with a Theyskens Theory biker jacket. There's not much to say about her, other than wow.

Yes, yes I know. SJP and Diane Kruger are always in these columns but seriously, just look at them! Diane is a vision of fearless sartorial taste in this astonishing Giambattista Valli dress. Whatever she did to her hair is working and the structures top gives her a truly regal poise.

Are you sick of SJP and Diane ogling this columns?

Sheet-y Saturday.

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

Whoever is behind this one sheet for Mirror Mirror had only purpose in mind: destroy Tarsem movies from having flawless poster designs. Check out the posters released for The Cell, The Fall and Immortals all of which were visually intriguing movies, with imaginative graphic campaigns. What we have here is Photoshop gone seriously wrong and also slightly plagiarist.

For starters, do not showcase your movie's castle when Princess Jasmine isn't anywhere to be found, wait, are you telling me this isn't the castle from Aladdin?

Next, do not have Armie Hammer look like he's still wearing J. Edgar old age makeup...he's supposed to be the prince, not Snow White's creepy stalker. Next, do not make the elves look like a comedy troupe out of a Chelsea Handler fantasy. Last but not least, don't make people believe your heroine has no arms. Unless this is also an adaptation of Wicked, Snow White was never known for her lack of limbs. Seriously, the teasers featuring individual characters were much, much nicer.

After the overloaded disaster we just saw, this poster is absolutely breathtaking. I don't even know what the movie's about, but the way in which they captured the imminent disappearance of love (don't you want to just try and contain those falling streams from dissolving the couple?) makes me already ache for how heartbreaking this movie will be.

What's your take on these puppies?

Cutest Oscar Nominees: Class of 2011.

2012-02-10T11:14:00.000-06:00

Well, duh? Right?
Y'all know I'm absolutely obsessed with Rooney Mara and while the world seems to have decided she's an ice princess, I think her quiet demeanor screams Audrey Hepburn. No one, I repeat, no one else right now is channeling quintessential, movie star effortlessness like she does. With her Audrey hair, Kate Hepburn style and Grace Kelly, well, grace, she's just perfect.

Bret McKenzie is the kind of guy you want to put in your pocket and keep there forever, except for the times when you'd get him out and have him sing to you. The former Flight of the Concords member breathed new life into The Muppets franchise, his nominated song being just one of the endlessly brilliant musical moments featured in the movie.

One of the greatest things about scouting Oscar luncheon pics is seeing all the people who have movie star faces, but are working behind the scenes (I'm looking at you Dion Beebe!) and this year, the OMG moment came courtesy of Hallvar Witzo, the director of short film nominee Tuba Atlantic.
I am sure his directing work is good and all, but don't you want to see him in a 300 inspired movie or I don't know, beating the crap out of Daniel Craig in an all nude James Bond action sequence?

It's your turn now, what Oscar nominee makes you sigh, play with your hair and go all "aww shucks" at the thought of them?

Music Makes the People Come Together.

2012-02-10T10:59:00.000-06:00

Last year I interviewed the amazing Julie Budet of Yelle, for an exclusive PopMatters feature. I know this is a movie site...BUT it's also one of my proudest moments so far so check it out!
Here's the result.

Martha Marcy May Marlene ***½

2012-02-07T18:23:00.001-06:00

Director: Sean Durkin
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes
Sarah Paulson, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Julia Garner

Martha Marcy May Marlene begins with an escape: we see how a young woman (Olsen) having made sure no one is watching her, picks up a small bag and runs into the woods. Not a minute passes by before she is pursued by a group of people calling out her name "Marcy May! Marcy May!". The young woman hides from them - the look on her face one of complete dread and fear - before she feels safe to continue on her way.
Next, she picks up a pay phone, the woman on the receiving end asking "Martha is that you?", before the caller begs her to come find her. Sean Durkin's debut feature film begins with a bang - albeit an understated one - making us wonder how did this fragile looking woman, end up being known by two different names and what exactly is she running away from.
We learn soon that the woman Martha contacted is her sister Lucy (Paulson), a WASP-y well-doer who picks up her damaged little sister and takes her back to the summer house she shares with her husband, Ted (Dancy).
Lucy seems to be used to Martha pulling off these stunts and immediately assumes that she just got dumped by "some boyfriend". Martha decides to please her and just nod in agreement of whatever she says, without letting her know that she in fact was escaping from the overpowering abuses of a cult she'd joined.
Memories of the way she was forced into submission by, charismatic cult leader, Patrick (Hawkes) begin to haunt her and eventually she becomes convinced that her fellow cult members are coming to get her.
Durkin, who also wrote the screenplay, lets the story flow effectively on two levels, for we never know if Martha's fears are founded on reality or merely part of a persecution delirium.
Durkin's storytelling is so tight and controlled that the movie can work on both levels simultaneously, becoming a creepy thriller about cults as well as a superb study on the frail dynamics between fantasy and reality.
The director amps up the feeling of constant fear by relying on very basic techniques like ambiguous dialogues, a brilliant work of editing that blurs the lines between past and present and a camera that fixes itself on its subjects until it decides to zoom slowly towards them. It's in these moments when the camera tries to get closer that the film's themes manage to get under your skin.
That the camera has such an effect isn't just owed to the cinematographer, but also to Olsen who delivers an exquisite performance. Slowly she becomes one with every other element in the movie: the camera flashing us with the unconscious threats that plague her existence, the editing showing us that her present is constantly disturbed by images of her past and the sound design creating a world view that's haunted in the strictest sense of the word.
Lesser actresses would've let the screenplay's powerful story define their character, Olsen instead taps into something that's both disturbingly primal and beautiful to watch. She creates a persona for each of the women contained in the film's title, her Martha being a wild child who was always in the lookout for a deeper existence, her Marcy May being an illusion-filled girl whose crush turned into a nightmare and her Marlene being a completely fictitious creation that defines this woman's darkest intentions.
Olsen is able to overcome the fact that the movie could've easily become a critique of cults, instead making us understand why someone like Martha would be eager to be seduced by the "love for all" facade offered by strangers.
Watch the scene in which Patrick tells her "you look like a Marcy May", Hawkes complying with the slimy, but undeniably sexy, traits someone would need to convince you of joining their cult and Olsen displaying an almost childish coyness, surprised and moved that someone looks through her this way.
That Martha, Marcy May and Marlene never become completely defined people is testament to Olsen's capacity of inhabiting several lives, trying to find different truths in each of them, the only universal one - and also the film's chilling bookend- being that whoever she really is, she'll never be able to escape from herself.

Ice Queen.

2012-02-07T12:34:00.002-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and read my review for D.W. Griffith's Way Down East.

My Letter to the Editor.

2012-02-06T20:24:00.001-06:00

Today unintentionally became Madonna day at the blog and I apologize if it seems like a bit "too much" (fanboy to death!) but on my way home, I was reading The New Yorker and ran into Anthony Lane's review for W.E.
To say I almost puked is an understatement, Mr. Lane's review was not only irresponsible, it also proved that men who have a problem with women in power take it out on them in any way they can.

I arrived home completely incensed and wrote the following letter to the editor:

"I was appalled to read Anthony Lane's chauvinistic review for Madonna's W.E. in which he makes it clear that he let his hormones and narrow mindedness get the best of him. Not only is the review itself an attack of its director as opposed to a smart deconstruction of the movie, but when Lane writes "what on Earth is the point of a Madonna product, in any medium, if it contains not a single orgy?", he makes it quite clear that not only is he unfamiliar with Madonna's work - he really should listen to her protest album "American Life" or the way she removes sex out of the equation in "Erotica" - Mr. Lane also makes it quite clear that he dislikes Madonna because he couldn't contain the sheer power of her artistic persona in his masturbatory fantasies."

Can you believe anyone would say that about an artist? Would Mr Lane suggest that Picasso's works were only limited to painting whores or that Truffaut only made movies about children? By reducing an artist to a stereotype of one of their many aspects isn's only disrespectful, it's utterly lazy as well. However Mr. Lane would probably never make such a comment if he were talking about David Lynch, Martin Scorsese or Terrence Malick, who despite being masters of the form, often revisit the same themes over and over. This reductive review truly made me sick, although what can you expect of someone who thought the best part in Albert Nobbs were Janet McTeer's "regal" breasts?

Am I right in being so offended by this sexist approach to Madonna's work? This comes in the light of a superb article posted in The Guardian which states that Madge's work is usually criticized because she plays in the boys' league and they hate it.

Queen of the Style.

2012-02-06T15:10:00.002-06:00

Who are we kidding? Madonna's half time show during last night's Super Bowl might be the greatest cinematic spectacle we'll see for at least the first half of 2012. Right? From her inspiring choreography, to her endless list of cinematic and cultural references, the Queen made sure to put on a show nobody would be able to top for years!

Appearing on stage, carried by dozens of semi-naked slave boys (or "boy toys" as she's affectionately called them in the past) Madonna immediately evoked visions of the young Liz Taylor atop a gargantuan carriage in the infamous Cleopatra.

In doing so, the Queen wasn't only paying tribute to one of the most spectacular moments in all of Cinemascope history, she was also saying something about the way in which Taylor, miles ahead of almost any other actress of the Golden Era, was such an empowering feminist figure. A recent article in W Magazine alludes to how Taylor;'s movies singlehandedly dealt with topics that weren't thought of as appropriate in a male-centric world. Themes like abortion, homosexuality and abuse were front of the line in Taylor's movies, however Taylor, like Madonna often had to suffer from prejudices towards her sex and is mostly remembered for her jewelry and marriages.

Wearing a custom made Philip Treacy headdress, Madge combined Egyptian couture with the mightiness of a Nordic goddess.

Never one to deny her love for all that's mainstream and influential, Madonna also paid tribute to some of today's hottest artists including M.I.A, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, Cee-lo Green - all of whom collaborated with her onstage- as well as indirectly paying tribute to others whom she loves and admires like Kylie Minogue and everyone she mentions in the famous "Vogue" rap.

Kylie during her "Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour" which had her don the pose of the title Greek goddess.

Her performance of "Vogue" in particular was such a landmark among her live performances because she incorporated all the elements that make her such a timeless artist.

Madge has always been a pastiche artist and in this particular performance she delivered a hybrid that combined sword and sandals epic-ness (the swoosh and clink sounds included with the song's astonishing brass sections were orgasmic), love for classic movie stars and style (that she used Vogue magazine's instantly recognizable logo was a thing of pure genius!) and most remarkable of all is her fearlessness when it comes to technology. The way she incorporate the visuals on the football field was a work of art.

When it came to fashion, Madge went with Givenchy once more, who created a series of simple looks for her that worked like instant costume changes with minimum work (Madge showing you can be a mythical goddess and also a practical accesorizer was prcieless!).

Givenchy head designer Ricardo Tischi seems to have had a blast designing the pieces for Madge, who seamlessly moved between four different "settings", merely by removing or adding pieces. Now how's that for economical storytelling?

Did you enjoy the Queen as much as I did? What did you think of the way she threw all those pop culture references around?

Loverlier Than Ever.

2012-02-06T11:03:00.003-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and read my review for My Fair Lady.

Le quattro volte ***½

2012-02-05T13:35:00.003-06:00

Director: Michelangelo Frammartino
Cast: Giuseppe Fuda, Bruno Timpano, Nazareno Timpano

Le quattro volte is the rare kind of movie that invites you to reexamine the concepts of life and cinema while remaining endlessly entertaining. Set in a small village in Calabria, the film takes the Pythagorean concept of metempsychosis and turns it into beautifully simple cinematic poetry. Pythagoras thought that once we die, our souls traveled and were born again in another element.
The film then features the transmigration of a goatherd's (Fuda) soul on to a fir tree, a goat and charcoal. All of this is done with the utmost subtlety, with the director never suggesting other than through clever editing that his movie is about reincarnation.
Through a series of visual cues he lets audiences grasp on to the fact that the movie has roots on ancient philosophical beliefs (Pythagoras after all lived in the area where the film takes place) but he never makes a point out of it.
The film instead settles to provide the viewer with various episodes that merely observe life around them. We see how the goatherd goes to church daily where he sweeps and collects the dust, which he then drinks as a health elixir. Because the movie has virtually no dialogues, its serenity resembles an Indian "om" which allows our minds to transport themselves in the middle of the movie.
This is especially remarkable because the film never limits us to the confines of its fiction. That it happens to have quasidocumentary qualities makes this easier and also invites us to wander through the confines of something less metaphysical (or is it?) than soul-traveling: the creation of movies.
How long did it take director Frammartino to make a movie of this scope? The major wonder in Le quattro volte is that everything feels like it's done on such a small scale, but upon second thought you realize that a movie without the benefits of CGI and even professional actors (how do you train a goat to follow directorial cues?) must've been quite an undertaking.
In the film's most impressive scene, a dog, upon realizing that his master has died tries to warn other villagers who are in the middle of a recreation of the Passion. Without using a single cut, Frammartino shows the dog's insistence, leading all the way to an act that would've made Lassie green with envy.
The film's sincerity grants it with some hilarious moments, like the sight of a goat standing on a table without the oppressing need of showing us how it climbed on it, and it also helps it achieve a tender humanity that makes your heart sink in your chest.
Because we are observing life we are granted a certain godlike quality: we are invited to invade the lives of people who couldn't be farther from where and who we are, while being bluntly reminded that perhaps we are all one and the same.

Style Sunday.

2012-02-05T08:30:00.000-06:00

My new obsession (i.e. Rooney Mara) can apparently do no fashion-wrong. Right? Even if she has stayed in the safety zone of black-grey-white, no other movie star this red carpet season has played so much with fabrics, styles and structures as Mara has.

This Givenchy dress is absolutely beautiful; the overlay of transparent fabric over a bodice like structure makes for quite a risky statement, she could've ended up looking like she was wearing a slutty robe over her PJs.

Instead, more than anyone else she's recalling the straight forward taste of Audrey Hepburn (see the simple hair and the natural makeup) More often than not, Rooney lets the clothes speak for themselves and never tries to upstage them, making for a breathtaking synergy.

How have you liked Mara this season?

Short Take: "Take Shelter", "Margin Call" and "Texas Killing Fields"

2012-02-04T22:06:00.000-06:00

In Take Shelter, Michael Shannon plays Curtis, a man who is having constant apocalyptic visions, and can you blame him? With the world going through one of its most severe cases of economic, cultural and sociological

crises, he would need to be heavily sedated to be optimistic. This is the film's magic, how writer/director Jeff Nichols transports all these feelings of impending doom and crafts with them, not a preposterous ode to negativity but an intelligent psychological portrait about the way in which our subconscious manifests its fears.

The film isn't clever because we wonder whether Curtis' visions are signs of insanity or actual premonitions, but because of the way in which Shannon taps onto the fear of losing one's mind when trying to remain a responsible member of society. The film is almost socialist in the way it so fixates itself on work, as Curtis builds a shelter to protect his family (the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain plays his wife and is nothing short of perfect). Nichols crafts a workman symbolism as we see, construction worker, Curtis dig deep down into the ground to escape from a sky that for the first time seems to be noticing him. He's trying to escape doom by working harder. Now how's that for a pitch perfect snapshot of our times?

Margin Call deals with the corruption that goes behind the stock market and emphasizes on the "thrills" that make Wall Street such an adored object of Hollywood's attention. Why not make a comedy about this for once? The film doesn't really contribute anything new to the genre with Penn Badgley and Zachary Quinto playing the wide eyed virgins willing to sell their soul to get a piece of the pie and Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons playing larger-than-life monsters who control everything with their ruthlessness and suspenders. The ensemble is quite effective (despite having the likes of Simon Baker and Demi Moore in its ranks) but the film's lack of actual excitement makes it endlessly dull.

Oy, Sam Worthington really needs blue aliens or Keira Knightley to turn in semi-decent performances, playing a violent detective in Texas Killing Fields does him no favors, but then again the material does none of the actors any favor (although Jessica Chastain somehow manages to deliver the goods). This serial killer flick had all the makings of a B-gore fest, but everything is so overdone that its intention to be some sort of feminist essay bites in the back by becoming endlessly stereotypical and cliché. The film was directed by Michael Mann's daughter and one would wish she had inherited some of her dad's stylish eye for crime movies.

Grades
Take Shelter ***
Margin Call **
Texas Killing Fields *

The Iron Lady **

2012-02-04T16:19:00.000-06:00

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent

Olivia Colman, Alexandra Roach, Harry Lloyd

Richard E. Grant, Anthony Head, Nicholas Farrell

The role of biopics in the extensive firmament of movie genres is something that's more debatable now than ever. In the time of the internet and the wiki-generation, biopics have no more business being guardians of history (were they ever for that matter?) and those that choose to depict the entire lives of their subjects often fail because they become "greatest hits" movies, in which we see filmmakers meticulously recreate entire periods, but rarely say anything "transcendental" about the main character.
Such is the case of The Iron Lady, a film that not only fails to convey the grandiosity (whether that's a compliment or an attack is up to you) of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
As played by Meryl Streep, who gives yet another mesmerizing performance, the film is an impressionistic take on her life. The plot is framed by showing us Thatcher in her old age, facing dementia, as she has flashbacks of the great events in her life.
From being elected as a member of parliament (she's played by Roach as a young woman), all the way to becoming the longest running PM in the twentieth century, we see why Thatcher became such a controversial figure; her extreme conservatism being the center of polarizing views by people in her own country and foreigners.
Biopics now should have something specific to say, whether the figures it portrays are fascists or saints, which is why The Iron Lady's pointlessness can be portrayed as a sign of cowardice by part of the director and screenwriter.
The uneven way in which Thatcher's political actions are presented leaves us with nothing but a series of causes for us to despise the way in which this woman handled her government, with an utmost lack of humanity for anyone other than her family. Her obsession wit her husband Dennis (Broadbent) however, teases by saying maybe she wasn't as independent and assertive as she claimed to be.
The film can't for the life of it decide whether it wants to portray Thatcher as a monster or a flawed human being, we never perceive for example why she thought it so important to take action in the Falklands conflict when her country was facing one of its most serious economic crises. It doesn't help either, that by moving back and forth in time so much we don't ever get a real sense of time, one minute she's sinking Argentinean ships (1982) the next she's resigning as PM (1990).
Adding to that sense of confusion (is the film trying to recreate the effects of dementia for its audience?) then we are shown how the old Thatcher has sudden anxiety attacks missing her husband and going through old home movies. Is Lloyd implying that her dementia invalidates all the evil she did or is she suggesting that the dementia itself is her punishment?
Fortunately for Lloyd, Streep commands the film with a fearlessness better reserved for better movies, disappearing under Thatcher's skin and making it all her own. When the film tries to turn her into a demonic Pygmalion figure at the mercy of campaign managers who want her to win, Streep devours the scenery with a gusto that's almost too pleasurable to watch.
Then she has a blast recreating all the Thatcherisms we've come to know throughout the years, including the high pitched voice and the daring eyebrow lift. Playing her as an older woman, we see how Streep preserves the essence of a woman who now rarely makes public appearances. Her performance isn't only a marvel because of its technical accomplishments but also because of the way in which the glorious actress projects how a character will be once we no longer have access to them.
Early in the film, Thatcher declares "I can not die washing a tea cup", lo and behold, the very last scene shows her doing just that. If Lloyd pretended to elicit snickers, Streep gives one last look at the camera that declares that whether you like Thatcher or not, a human being's dignity must be the one thing they carry to their grave.

Sheet-y Saturday.

2012-02-04T06:38:00.000-06:00

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

I am the first to criticize Hollywood's laziness in re-releasing their classics in 3D but I'm also the first to jump overboard just to show how much they love Titanic. This is the movie that made me fall in love with the idea of movies as things that transcend time and space. My tastes may have become more sophisticated since, give me a break I was 11, but I still defend this movie's corniness whenever people attack it.
See this poster for example, the ridiculous pink skies and the ship in movement, suggest something straight out of a bad Asian hologram postcard or a cheesy karaoke video, but there is something about the tacky embossed logo, or the doe-eyed looks in Leo and Kate's faces that just goes "click". It's sigh inducing and nostalgic all at once.

How do you feel about this re-release?

Short Take (Haiku Edition): "A Better Life"

2012-01-30T23:47:00.001-06:00

Weitz ain't De Sica
Latino life comes down to
Redemptive white guilt

Grade: ** (only because of Bichir)

SAG Style.

2012-01-30T17:09:00.000-06:00

I was busy watching The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for the third time last night and forgot all about the SAG awards. I loved the winners, so there's that and now let's focus on what really mattered, how everyone looked:

Again, as much as I loved pregnant Natalie Portman, that baby bump robbed us of some magic last year, just look how stunning Natalie looks in this plum Giambatista Valli. Her figure has never been better and the simplicity of the makeup and hair are to die for.

I have come up with a theory. Every time Meryl Streep looks good she loses at awards shows. It's like they have something against the greatest living actress looking beautiful when she wins...

You want proof o my theory? Should I write a full post on this? Help me decide...

Anyway she was fantastic in Vivienne Westwood last night.

Marchesa does no wrong when well used. Viola Davis is a true goddess in this flowy Greek inspired dress.

Tilda Swinton is a true vision in this astonishing Lanvin creation, which might just be the exact opposite of the liquid fabric Lanvin she collected her Oscar in. The red lips and hair remind me a bit of Marilyn Monroe and I'm imagining the late genius Derek Jarman doing Marilyn with her...

Is there anyone more adorable than Octavia Spencer? She's looking fierce in this light grey Tadashi Shoji. The high hairdo might be the best we've seen her in so far and the lovely top make her look truly regal.

Oh, actually yes, there is someone more adorable than Octavia, her The Help co-star Jessica Chastain. Want proof of that? Here you go. Anyway, the lovely actress stunned in a blue Calvin Klein that highlighted her upper body in a way she's failed to do recently. Doesn't she look dreamy?

Rose Byrne is gorgeous and this dazzling Elie Saab jumpsuit (and her new bob!) make her look even better! Only someone with real guts can pull off such a daring look on a red carpet. She's ace!

I will keep including Lea Michele in these lineups for as often as she looks completely ridiculous in her extreme posing and affected, almost constipated, in her facial gestures. This Versace dress is awesome, but Lea always manages to cheapen everything with her sluttiness and need to be in the spotlight. Sigh.

The always lovely Emma Stone rocked this Alexander McQueen tea-length dress which pays homage to The Help while reminding us of what a genius McQueen was...that top is SO Lee!

A Valentino red dress seems to be what Michelle Williams needed to finally look alive. She's a picture of joy in this column dress with delicate lace appliqués.

Someone needs to feed Angelina Jolie, she looks cadaverous in this Jenny Packham dress. The gown itself is lovely but Jolie's bracelet looks heavier than her entire body.

Who were your best dressed at SAG?

Drive ****

2012-01-30T13:18:00.001-06:00

You'll have to go to PopMatters and read my review though.

And on the seventh day...

2012-01-29T13:00:00.000-06:00

Style Sunday.

2012-01-29T05:08:00.000-06:00

There was a time when Madonna always topped the lists of worst dressed celebrities, during the last seven years or so she has completely turned that upside down and now often pushes the boundaries of style like she did when she began her career. No longer the reason of constant scandal, she has narrowed down her new style to ladylike but aggressive. See this wonderful Marchesa gown for example. The armor-like bodice would've been enough to cause a stir, but the tulle makes it a "look at me" dress and Madge owns ever inch of it.

Few actresses can say they remember what they were wearing when they first were nominated for an Oscar, Jessica Chastain was in Armani Privé, watching their spring show, when she got the call. She already looked like a million bucks! (I hope she goes with Privé to the ceremony as some sort of good luck charm!)

Only Diane Kruger can pull off something like this. The Erdem dress tactfully combines a mini dress with a longer cut in lace. When others would've made it look tacky, Kruger makes it seem positively regal.

What do you think of Madge's fashion evolution? Feeling the love for Kruger or are you tired of her always being in this section?

Sheet-y Saturday

2012-01-28T13:30:00.000-06:00

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

Whoever is behind the marketing campaign for Shame most certainly knows what he's doing. Each of the film's posters have been more brilliant than the previous and they all sum up the film's concept without recurring to using Michael Fassbender's face. Take this Hungarian poster for example, the way the title is spelled gives it an instantly erotic level, that's mostly marked because it feels so revolting at the same time. It's sensual and exhibitionist, but it also puts into perspective the character of whoever spewed the title out. Can you help but feel deep empathy for his sorrow? The poster was banned upon its release.

The Woodsman Cometh.

2012-01-28T10:55:00.001-06:00

I recently contributed to Dan Stephens' Top 10 Films by compiling a list of Woody Allen's best movies. Click here to read it. Have I left out any of your favorites?

Rainbow Girl.

2012-01-27T13:37:00.000-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and read my review for Mildred Pierce, one of the reasons why TV is seriously threatening cinema in terms of artistic value.

The Lawrence Wears Prada.

2012-01-24T20:22:00.001-06:00

I refused to give up until finding what designer J. Law wore to this morning's announcement. The result is in the title and I was so enamored by this look that I couldn't wait until Sunday to talk about it. This is a custom made Prada dress from the Spring 2012 collection. Lawrence had it altered to fit with a pencil skirt while keeping the girly, playful top. I love the lemon and baby blue with the black fabric of the skirt and her hair is to die for. Anyway, proceed with your da night!

My Favorite Things About the Oscar Nods.

2012-01-24T11:50:00.001-06:00

Rooney Fucking Mara!
I gasped, squealed with joy and peed my pants a little when her name came after the very deserving Viola Davis. I still wonder what people saw in Glenn Close's ridiculous performance as Albert Nobbs (even SaBu makes more sense in retrospect) but stranger things have happened...
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo got four other nominations and even if it missed out on the big ones (not that David Fincher would care) you all know I live for Best Actress, so this is quite a joy for me.

Other things that made me gleeful and smiley:
- The Tree of Life getting in Best Picture and Best Director.
- Allen, Scorsese AND Malick in for Best Director. In terms of pure auterist class this is the best year for the category since 2001 (with Payne taking the ugly Ron Howard spot)
- Jessica Chastain getting in for The Help.
- Bret McKenzie being an Oscar nominee for The Muppets, even if Sergio Mendes will probably win, considering how Oscar likes to be all "worldly" and "embracing of different cultures".
- Midnight in Paris' Best Art Direction nod, completely unexpected but incredibly deserved.
- J. Edgar failing to earn a single nod. Really Clint, even you need to make an effort sometimes.

and of course...

Jennifer Lawrence looking absolutely radiant! That hair color makes her look luscious! Anyone know who was she wearing?

What were your fave things?

I Have But One Oscar Wish.

2012-01-23T23:33:00.002-06:00

A Haiku for "The Darkest Hour".

2012-01-23T18:15:00.002-06:00

If aliens invade
Cast and crew of this movie
Should be first to go

Grade: *

Short Take: "War Horse" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

2012-01-23T16:43:00.000-06:00

We get it, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is trying to show us how spying was done in the pre-internet, pre-GPS days, but few espionage thrillers have ever felt as downtrodden and well, lacking in thrills as Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John LeCarré's novel. Gary Oldman stars as the iconic George Smiley, a British intelligence agent whose methods are as laconic as the underrated actor's ability to insert himself so effortlessly into all his characters.
With extreme attention to detail and an earthy color palette - as well as stylized 70s camera moves - by DP Hoyte Van Hoytema, the film concentrates enough on the surroundings and period details, that it forgets that there's a story to be told, and more importantly as it should be in most spy films, there is a mystery to be solved.
In this case the British suspect there is a Communist mole in their organization, but ask anyone how they solve this and most will come to realize that at some point the movie lost their attention. Its execution is admirable but unless Alfredson was trying to make a point about the dullness of bureaucracy, or deglam crime as David Fincher expertly did in his masterful Zodiac, which he certainly doesn't seem to be doing, the film turns out to be an exercise in dullness in which elegant British actors are killed or double crossed while dressed in uninteresting khaki tones.

Out of all the popular directors from his generation, all of whom claim to be devoted cinephiles, Steven Spielberg seems to be the one who cultivated the most middlebrow taste. If not, ask yourself why of all John Ford's films, he had to choose the tepid How Green Was My Valley as his point of reference for War Horse?
There is nothing wrong with him liking Valley per se but to choose one of Ford's most inferior, albeit award winning, works is the equivalent of being an opera singer and doing Christina Aguilera covers. With that said, War Horse desperately tries to recreate what once was Hollywood's way of filmmaking: interior sets, excessive melodrama and strong family values. Spielberg is either paying tribute to the least challenging productions of an era or writing a guidebook on how to win Academy Awards.
Everything in War Horse feels like it belongs in a different era, and more often than not, it should've stayed there. What once was sweeping, now is obscenely manipulative and as a postmodernist exercise the film doesn't have much to say about the current world.
Human characters are perhaps unnecessary as the movie follows the title horse, named Joey, as he goes from owner to owner, surviving WWI in the process. Because we are asked to devote our attention to an animal, the film gets away with complex character development and tends to rely too much on just how adorable we find Joey. The horse, like some sort of Jesus or Forrest Gump, changes the lives of everyone he touches, which more often than not results in unintentional comedy.
It's truly sad to see actors like Mullan and Arestrup at the service of an equine but by the time when Watson is forced to do her frumpiest Jane Darwell impression, the film reaches new lows in how it so cynically tries to squeeze tears out of its audience.
War Horse should've inspired the old fashioned adjective "jolly", instead it goes all out on the preposterous "mush".

Grades
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy **
War Horse *

2012-01-23T12:28:00.001-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and read our list of the Best Movies of 2011. There is NO arguing with the Top 3 but if you want to go right ahead and read my entries, check out numbers 23 and 7. Actually no, read them all!

The Artist ***½

2012-01-22T22:26:00.000-06:00

Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo
John Goodman, James Cromwell, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller
Malcolm McDowell, Beth Grant

The one thing that was truly magical about movies when they first became popular was their immediacy. The fact that they had no spoken dialogues - and important lines were conveyed with title cards - meant that people the world over could digest them in the same way, regardless of what language they spoke and wherever they lived.
The movies values were never universal but at least everyone had the same chance of dissecting them without the undeniable effect language has on them and films had the same opportunity to be enjoyed by global audiences regardless of where they had been made. After sound was introduced, language became both the medium's most innovative technical achievement but also its greatest separator.
Except for that one genius who speaks every language in the world, the movies have lost their universality. Out of all the arts they are the one that perhaps are more affected by translation; whether its English subtitles determining that characters in an American production are speaking the language of Cervantes, or an Italian dubbing of a Japanese samurai movie, translation alters the way in which we decipher the conveyed messages. They challenge our perception of what the world we live in is actually like and more often they not they trick us into accepting societal and anthropological conventions that aren't our own.
We assume that if they're speaking in a way addressed to us, there must be some truth to what they're saying.
The Artist may not have these concepts behind its creation but it's a time appropriate reminder about the effects of globalization. This, almost entirely, silent film directed by Michel Hazanavicius was conveyed as a love letter to Hollywood's Golden Era and as such recurs to title cards and black and white to transport us to another place and time.
The film's story has shades of City Lights, A Star is Born and Singing in the Rain and centers on the life of movie star George Valentin (Dujardin), a silent era god who finds himself out of a job when he refuses to give in to the new "talking pictures". As his own star dims, George sees Peppy Miller's (Bejo) achieve blinding brightness. She becomes an overnight sensation doing the thing he refuses to do, even if the audience can't hear her talk either.
Directed with loving grace and style by Hazanavicius, the film isn't a strict silent film, it takes its visual cues from movies that range from Citizen Kane (look at the ceilings! Dark projection rooms lit by cigarette smoke!) to Sunset Boulevard (even if Cromwell makes a less creepy driver than Erich von Stroheim) and as such it isn't a silent movie as much as it's a greatest hits of the Golden Era flick.
However the film relies too much on the silent gimmick and refuses to create deeper characters; a flaw that must've been obvious from its screenplay, and one that sadly makes it difficult for audiences to connect with the characters because they don't even become archetypes.
To condemn the movie for its shallowness however would be to deny the pleasure that is watching Dujardin light up the screen with his Douglas Fairbanks smile or to surrender to Bejo's It Girl charm. It's no use to pretend you won't be enthralled by the tricks of Uggie the dog either, but upon its sparkly finale the film begs that we go and look out for the films it so meticulously homages.
Hazanavicius has proven to be a superb director of faux nostalgia films, for a less intimidating example check out his OSS 117 (also starring Dujardin) spy films which are James Bond by way of Serge Gainsbourg, and in The Artist he proves his worth as a cinephile with a great eye for symbols, references and masterful visuals.
He also has an adorable sense of humor, with several key moments in The Artist reminding audiences that they are in a silent film. "Why do you refuse to talk?" asks George's preoccupied wife and this elicits laughter in spite of its potential for eye-rolling.
The Artist is a harmless crowdpleaser that aims for the heart often forgetting about the brain. Its entire essence is conveyed in its very first scenes where we see George Valentin anxiously waiting behind the screen to see how the audience reacts to his latest picture. We see the title card announcing his movie had ended, this is followed by a haunting silence - what else could it be followed by - until the camera cuts to the audience who is enraptured and applauding incessantly. The movie selfconsciously invites you to love it or leave it and such sincerity should too be applauded.

The Descendants *½

2012-01-22T15:11:00.005-06:00

Director: Alexander Payne
Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller
Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster
Rob Huebel, Nick Krause

With his rugged handsomeness and sweet puppy eyes, George Clooney has gone from being a "movie star", in that unattainable, gold dusted sense, to becoming the perfect embodiment of the American midlife crisis. In movies like Up in the Air we are asked to suspend our disbelief and consider him not a star but a person: like the rest of us.
Clooney's likability has made this easy, if not entirely convincing and in The Descendants his charm is replaced by suntanned smugness as he plays the ruling patriarch of the Hawaiian King family. He plays Matt, an attorney who also is the sole trustee of a family legacy that owns 25,000 acres of virgin land in the island of Kaua'i.
When the film begins, and we are teased that richer, profounder themes lie ahead, we learn that Matt's family came to own this without making any effort and now, due to a law against perpetuity, they have to get either sell or lose it within the next seven years.
This plot twist suggests that we are about to find ourselves in the midst of a soul search, through which Matt would need to come to terms with his legacy in the midst of the modern world, for who can say they uphold such high values in these days?
The film then becomes something else, as Matt's wife falls in a coma, forcing him to raise his two young daughters: Alexandra (Woodley) and Scottie (Miller). Added to this, Matt begins to learn his wife kept secrets from him, including an affair.
This leaves Matt with no option but to fully become the patriarch his inheritance demands he is, but how can he do it when he's not even in control of his immediate family's life?
Clooney does his best "everyman" act but the film suffers from its imminent vapidity. Why should we care about these people when their problems seem so aristocratic?
The film even jokes when it begins that people think no one in Hawaii has issues but in all honesty can they blame us? When Alexandra learns her mother might die, she isn't in a hospital room but in a pool and when Matt decides to confront his wife's lover (Lillard) he does so through a series of real estate tricks. It's true that some movies have been able to hook and interest us in the lives of kings, queens and the extremely rich, but to try and do so, after hinting at larger themes ahead, isn't only ridiculous, it's an exercise in reverse empathy. Director Payne too, has become a specialist in chronicling the lives of men who can only be described as assholes, as they try to gain the humanity others around them seem to have. In movies like Sideways and About Schmidt, Payne's horrifying heroes have achieved salvation through the help of people around them who have more earthly values (remember Virginia Madsen in Sideways) and there would be nothing wrong if they never achieved it. After all life isn't always perfect and movies should under no circumstances be morality fables. What Payne understood so well in previous movies is that as humans we are flawed and what he does here is try to correct each of them by the time the movie is over. Not only does his practice backfire, it also makes sure we never want to see these people again.

J. Edgar *½

2012-01-22T14:34:00.001-06:00

Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts
Judi Dench, Josh Lucas, Ed Westwick, Jeffrey Donovan, Denis O'Hare

Somewhere between his cross-dressing and legacy as one of the most controversial figures in 20th century history, J. Edgar hoover might have been a fascinating man; however you can't tell this judging by Clint Eastwood's biopic.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hoover as a young idealist man, all the way to the eccentric, paranoid creature he turned into towards the end of his life. The film's framing device is having Hoover dictate his biography to several typists (among them Westwick in full Chuck Bass mode), highlighting his feats and hinting at events in his private life that make us wonder if they are part of said framing device or slips in Eastwood's uneven narrative.
Shot in absolute darkness by Tom Stern, who foregoes the chiaro in chiaroscuro, the film feels like if it wants to hide things from us because it's not even sure how to tell them or if it's even allowed to tell them. We see Hoover as a young man taking charge of the newly created Bureau of Investigation, trying to solve crimes as famous as Charles Lindbergh's (Lucas) baby being kidnapped and taking credit for arresting famed gangster John Dillinger.
Throughout the film there's a sense of conflict between the screenplay and the filmed result and this makes sense because the screenplay was written by openly gay writer Dustin Lance Black who, with reason, tries to push the film's gay agenda by stressing out Hoover's infamous love of cross dressing and his strange relationship with Clyde Tolson (Hammer). There is of course nothing wrong with revealing aspects of a public figure that might've been unknown by most people, but to do so when the film being made is an homage to old studio filmmaking only works out in disastrous ways.
You get a sense, because of the film's structure, that every time Hoover's homosexuality is hinted at, Eastwood immediately "denies" it with something more "macho" and has him abuse someone or explode in a political tantrum.
The performances don't really help convey any coherent message either with DiCaprio mumbling his way throughout the running time, Hammer being eaten alive by his ridiculous old age makeup and Dench as Mama Hoover not even trying to come up with a decent American accent in her Shakespearean mama-wolf portrayal.
With its conflicting ideologies, excessive running time and preposterous selfimportance, the only person who comes up truly revealed in J. Edgar is its director, who despite a productive run as one of the most iconic American heroes is revealing signs of sad, albeit expected, senility.

Style Sunday.

2012-01-22T12:33:00.000-06:00

Why do I feel like Cate Blanchett hasn't been in movies forever, even if she stole Hanna out of Saoirse Ronan's young porcelain hands? Anyway, because of that feeling, it's elating to see her show up for red carpets. She's truly exquisite in this Givenchy short dress. Not everyone would've been able to pull off all those ruffles with such grace and elegance.

Non-Oscar nominee Elizabeth Olsen will make all those AMPAS members regret not giving her any love for her magnificent turn in Martha Marcy May Marlene if only because she would've made that red carpet shine with her astonishing good taste. Check out the loveliness and simplicity in this Proenza Schouler dress. The pattern matches beautifully with her face and hair color and the black top screams old Hollywood. Sigh.

Miss Cate as much as I do?

Sheet-y Saturday.

2012-01-21T01:00:00.000-06:00

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

This week we have two throwbacks to classic horror films, starting with this lovely illustrated quad poster for The Woman in Black. The color palette is simply terrific and the fonts are magnificent. This movie has been doing a superb job so far with its advertising. The one thing missing from this would've been a sensationalist tagline. Something like, well, "it's simply sensational!". Still without that, this is still pure genius.

Inspired by the poster for Rosemary's Baby, this one sheet for We Need to Talk About Kevin does an inventive job but pretty much gives the movie away, which is what bothered me from the movie itself. It's making up your mind before you even see it, giving you no choice but to surrender to its ideas.

What's your take on these posters?

Me Sabu, You Colonialists.

2012-01-20T11:29:00.002-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and read my review for Eclipse Series 30: Sabu!

Short (Slightly Homoerotic) Take: "August" and "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows".

2012-01-19T18:09:00.001-06:00

The premise of August is simple: Troy (Murray Bartlett) returns to Los Angeles after living in Spain for years and decides to contact his ex, Jonathan (Daniel Dugan). Their reunion is marked by nostalgia and sexual tension, propelled by the notion that Troy wants Jonathan back but there are two problems: Jonathan still hasn't forgiven him completely for having left and he's also in a relationship with Raul (Adrian Gonzalez).
Where the movie could've been trashy and perpetuated the idea that gay men are promiscuous and soulless, it uses a very sensitive approach taking its time to explore who these men truly are.
You understand why Troy left and you understand why Jonathan would want him back. The film offers glimpses of their lives that could've been used for lurid purposes (how Raul for example is married to a woman in order to get a work permit) but instead it focuses on who these people are when no racial or sexual labels are attached. Troy's deep selfishness is heartbreaking in its black-hole voracity and Jonathan's naivete makes us all remember that sometimes we truly would give everything up to be with the one that got away.

The first Sherlock Holmes installment was enjoyable because it essentially conveyed the love story between Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law). Director Guy Ritchie is the master of the modern homoerotic action flicks (unless those slow motion sequences of ripped, sweaty bodies are in fact to attract all kinds of audiences).
The second one suffers because they aren't together all the time, in fact a recurring joke has Watson's fiancee (Kelly Reilly) worried about Sherlock getting in the way of her wedding. Give or take the queer subtext - even if in the end Watson always goes for Sherlock- the movie pretty much consists of sequence after sequence in which the heroes get in trouble while trying to save the world from the evil Moriarty (Jared Harris). Despite its glossiness and inarguable technical mastery the film drags because it reaches a point where you don't even know what mystery Sherlock is trying to solve. Ritchie always lets the big action scenes get the best of him and forgets to emphasize on the plot (an essential part of any mystery movie). Then all of a sudden Sherlock irrupts into Watson's honeymoon train compartment in full drag and you can't do but wonder how much better the movie would be if it had explored an angle as unique as this one.

Grades:
August ***
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows **

Golden Globes Style.

2012-01-18T21:14:00.001-06:00

I know y'all love Angelina and stuff but sometimes she looks extremely constipated. I'm loving that she's pulling the big guns for the Globes though (remember last year's emerald work of art?). This year she's back in Atelier Versace, wearing a luscious ivory dress with a curious red fold. It reminded me a bit of Cameron Diaz's napkin dress from the Oscars a few years ago but Jolie makes it seem almost vampiric, no?

Simple Chanel Couture dress + green earrings = perfection. (Remember what I was saying about redheads and green?)

For the 2006 Oscars, Charlize Theron wore one of the ugliest dresses I have ever seen: a mucus-colored contraption that had her carry a huge crazy bow around. Apparently she got in touch with the people at Dior and begged them to fix that previous sartorial sin. The result is this perfect pink confection. The bow is still there but the way she pulls it off this time screamed "movie star" like no one in the ceremony.

Jessica Biel's mind: I wanna so be like Florence Welch when I grow up! Especially cause sometimes I think I'm a machine and all.

People outside Jessica Biel's mind: are you trying on Victorian wedding dresses for your future nuptials?

Va-va-voom Viola! Seeing her sport this burgundy Emilio Pucci creation after looking like crap in The Help says: good acting!

Jessica Chastain had been flawless in all her red carpet appearances until the time came for her to actually attend big award shows. She was Pepto-Bismol embodied at the Critics Choice Awards and this time, even if she looks much better in Givenchy, there is something that still feels wrong. The dress is lovely in a Marilyn Monroe-meets-Joan Collins way but the hair makes her look like an extra from Nashville.

Oh you goddess of all that's avant garde and amazing...this Haider Ackermann pale blue dress-suit might be one your best looks EVER and you always look astonishing!

Foregoing her usual Calvin klein fetish in favor of this demure J. Mendel worked wonders for Claire Danes. She certainly keeps it very simple and safe most of the time but this was slightly more playful, despite the simplicity of the black and white.

Am I alone in thinking that Michelle Williams totally looked like Grimace?

It's lovely to see Kate doing something other than dominatrix meets Metropolis looks, so we'll let this slightly boring Jenny Packham go by without any fanfare.

Natalie Portman seems to have been doing an audition for Marilyn Monroe, yet somehow this Lanvin does wonders for her. I loved her all throughout last season and bless her baby and all, but pregnant women rarely get to make the most out of couture, so it's lovely to have her finally showing off what she can do when she dresses up minus baby bump.

This custom made dual tone Lanvin makes Emma Stone look positively diabolical and extremely sexy. Who knows what the hell that eagle's doing below her boobs, those smoky eyes have long hypnotized you before you get to question her.

Marchesa dresses are showy enough without the crazy-ass Lea Michele turning them into sideshow attractions. it would've been lovely to see this in someone less craving for attention, perhaps it would've made more sense (the liquid skirt is still to die for though)

Even if Rooney Mara has made us all get used to her love of black and white, this is quite an unexpected turn by Nina Ricci. The dominatrix meets old time screen siren dress is absolutely astonishing. The top recalls January Jones' Versace look from last year's ceremony but Rooney makes it all her own by toning the sexuality down, in the same way that January turned it up. The simple makeup and the - gasp - severe ponytail, were magical.

Diane Lane in Reem Acra is how all movie stars should look.

Octavia Spencer was lovely in this pale lavender Tadashi Shoji design. The slight folds made her curvaceous body achieve new levels of sexiness. The clutch, ring and smile were the perfect compliments.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Sofía Vergara should be Vera Wang's spokeswoman.

Nicole Kidman has found a new ally in Versace. Their dresses make her absolutely ravishing and sexy. Some designers highlight her beauty and if this had been Chanel for example, she would've been more "ivory tower" than milky lusciousness.

Madonna isn't only perfect for having Andrea Riseborough (in Vivienne Westwood) as her date, she also rocks for making this Reem Acra dress look so fierce. The shiny top screams Joan of Arc, while the bottom alludes to Madge's love of the adventurous. The look, complete with crucifix and fingerless gloves seem to pay tribute to her legendary career and as her Globe win showed us, she is ready to give us much more.

Who of these ladies impressed you the most?

Short Take: "The Muppets", "The Adventures of Tintin".

2012-01-18T18:33:00.002-06:00

Appealing to nostalgia might not be the best angle to use in a society where history is constantly relegated to a previous, usually inferior, level of existence, however this is exactly what The Muppets does and it does it magically. Based on the beloved characters made famous by Jim Henson in the late 1970s, the film tries to rekindle the memories of those who loved the Muppets, while introducing them to a whole new generation.
Injected with the fresh blood of director James Bobin and musical composer Bret McKenzie (two of the men behind the amazing Flight of the Conchords) and writer/actor Jason Segel, the movie is a pure labor of love, done by the people who grew up with these characters and who wanted younger people to get to know them.
The movie in a way is a fictitious version of its creation. When it starts we meet Gary (Segel) and Walter, two brothers who live in Smalltown, USA and who grew up loving the Muppets (one of the first scenes has them watching the show together in an episode with Steve Martin as a guest). Walter has a special reason for loving them more: he is a Muppet himself.
Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Adams) take Walter to Los Angeles so he can make his dream come true and visit The Muppets' studio, however once there, Walter is appalled to find out that not only is the lot practically deserted, but an evil businessman (Cooper) has decided to steal it and turn it into an oil refinery.
Walter sets out on a mission to get all the Muppets back together and raise the money to save the studio.
Call it a mix between a telethon (moviethon?), an old fashioned "let's put a show together" spectacle and a trip down memory lane.
The film goes the extra mile to put a smile on audience faces while paying tribute to the enormous legacy The Muppets have had in pop culture but more than that it works as a superb exercise in postmodern theories regarding memory and its direct relation with mass entertainment.
Many people may not remember when they took their first step or when their first tooth fell out but they're more than likely to remember the first time they watched their favorite movie or their favorite TV show. Why and how media has developed parallel to our sensory is perhaps a matter best left to anthropologists and sociologists, however the issue with this film is that it taps onto something similar to an imagined collective consciousness; its pleasures exclusive to those who feel at home watching The Muppets.
The film's meta elements wonderfully convey the nature of filmmaking and interestingly enough lead us to question the prevalence of film as a medium, for example how will future generations feel about the use of current celebrities as "stars"? The film itself makes a point - in some truly outrageous jokes - about the ups and downs of star power. If people fifty years from now think of Jack Black as a movie star, then the movie will have huge nostalgic power, however if they wonder who the hell the fat guy with the weird smile is, the film will prove a point. Either way The Muppets come out winners.

The Adventures of Tintin might very well be the best movie Steven Spielberg has made in a decade. Unlike his "live action" projects which suffer from his excessive use of sentimentality and his need to tie everything up with a lovely bow, this graphic novel adaptation is served from its source material's no-bullshit approach to entertaining, which is something Spielberg has truly excelled at.
Tintin reminds you of the Indiana Jones movies and some of his family classics like E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial because you can feel how the director is loving every minute of it. Motion capture seems to have opened up a door that he's kept shut in favor of more "serious" films. From its lovingly detailed opening sequence, to its wonderful homage to Lawrence of Arabia the film thrives with a restlessness that becomes truly addictive. The work of the actors is superb and the film has one of the most exciting sequences Spielberg has ever shot.
It's refreshing to see how medium experts are finding new life in modern techniques.

Grades:
The Muppets ***½
The Adventures of Tintin ***

Guys and Classic Dolls.

2012-01-18T11:15:00.000-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and check out our list of the Best Male Performances of 2011. Since you're already there, also make sure to read my review for Design for Living.

Girls on Film.

2012-01-17T12:49:00.001-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and read out list of the Best Female Performances of 2011. You'll be in for quite a treat!

Why the Golden Globes Rock:

2012-01-16T12:49:00.002-06:00

Long live the queen!

Style Sunday.

2012-01-15T16:30:00.000-06:00

Is it me or is this the first year where people dress up for the Critics Choice Awards? They're usually in the Indie Spirit side of informality and "relaxed" style. Emma Stone embodies the transition beautifully in this joyful Jason Wu dress that's appropriate for the beach and this awards ceremony. Also, redheads should always wear green!

Elle Fanning is a beautiful girl and somehow this Rodarte dress makes her look like an old lady. Not sure if it washes her out or if the flowers are a bit too much. Anyone can tell me what's wrong with it?

These two make such a perfect couple! Can you imagine how fashion forward they would be together? Sigh. Charlize looks absolutely stunning in this simple Azzedine Alai and the superb Tilda Swinton pulls off a Marlene Dietrich in this gorgeous YSL ensemble.

Don't you hate it when someone dresses awesomely and then just does something like this? Whoever told Jessica Chastain that this dress was doing her any favors, seriously messed with her.

Diane Kruger always looks breathtaking and this Prada design is nothing short of magnificent. Gotta love that she dares to highlight her boobs like this and still pull it off effortlessly.

Kiki oughta learn not to stand with her legs so wide cause she's making this Christian Dior cocktail dress look butch. Otherwise she's pure perfection.

Michelle Williams is such a boring dresser, somehow this Chanel gown screams Nicole Kidman and would probably have looked gorgeous on her, but it feels so dull on MiWi.

Oh Elizabeth Olsen bless you for proving that the Olsens have taste. This Emilio Pucci minidress is absolutely wonderful. Did you see the level of detail it has?

It deserves a million more pictures to admire its level of craftsmanship! Too bad the awards season has denied us the pleasure of her presence more. Lizzie should be nominated for everything!

Who's your favorite in this lineup? Excited about the actual winners in the show?

Sheet-y Saturday.

2012-01-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

These posters for The Iron Lady are truly fantastic, if only all campaigns were this inventive...the only thing I find weird is that they all seem to attack Maggie, as if the movie is predetermining audiences stances of her controversial legacy. I mean, someone out there might like her, no?

I couldn't care less about the re-release of Episode I, however I find it curious that they're bringing the usually classic Star Wars posters to the 21st century and using the "big head and big text" technique. Makes for a nice visual, huh?

What's your take on these two? Excited about Star Wars coming back to theaters?

Let's Hear it for the Stone!

2012-01-14T11:44:00.003-06:00

I'm the first to say "don't trust the masses" but sometimes they seem to make the right choices! Somehow they decided to give Emma Stone an award for something and I won't be one to judge them for that. Since I refuse to bother figuring out what she won for, let's play a game where we try and guess what category she was in!

- Best Redhead Alive

- Awesomest Movie Laugh This Side of Julia Roberts

- The "Lindsay Lohan Award" for Promising Youth Performer (est. 1998)

- Best Use of Gucci (I mean, this outfit, just wow!)
- Most Humble Performer (y'all saw The Help right?)
- Most Adorable Celebrity Alive

So, what do you think she won this for?

Home Watching.

2012-01-09T20:44:00.001-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and check out our list of the Best DVDs and Blu-rays of 2011.

Certified Copy ****

2012-01-09T18:39:00.002-06:00

Director: Abbas Kiarostami,
Cast: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell
Jean-Claude Carrière, Agathe Natanson
Gianna Giachetti, Adrian Moore

The entire world of ideas that lies behind Certified Copy is best summed up in its final shot - fear not, no spoilers ahead - just before the credits start rolling the camera fixes itself inside a hotel room, right in front of a window: a church's bell-tower erected outside, surrounded by other roofs. The window itself is surrounded by an alluring darkness which perfectly frames the external landscape. For what seems to be a split second we wonder if we are watching a hanging picture or real life. Then again, what is "real life" within a motion picture?
Based on the idea that the entire world might as well consist of a series of copies of absolutely everything, Abbas Kiarostami delivers a cerebral movie that also happens to be ravishingly romantic.
The film opens during a lecture given by art historian James Miller (Shimell) who's written a book called "Certified Copy" in which he ponders if the reproduction of an art piece has any intrinsic value or is this worth exclusive to the "original". A woman (Binoche) leaves the lecture early to have a meal with her son (Moore) but meets Miller the following day to have him sign the six copies of the book she bought.
They end up spending the rest of the day together, discussing art, relationships, language and well, life in general.
Along the way there is a twist of sorts but to linger on it would be a disservice to a movie that feels almost dreamlike in its structure.
The movie seems to operate on two different levels, on one part we have the relationship between the lead characters. Since we never know the woman's name, she could easily embody anyone (even us) and her chemistry with James is fascinating.
You could spend the entire day following them around and never get bored with their musings. The film makes it so easy for us to intrude in their conversation that at no time do we feel like we're eavesdropping. During one point even, the woman looks straight into the camera and waves, as if she's aiming at us. The movie invites us to be part of the central dialogue, it expects us to have an opinion, even if the characters never seem to agree on whether opinions are worth anyone's time.
That the film is both elitist and approachable is an achievement in itself and perhaps a lot is owed to the delicious performances given by Binoche and Shimell. Opera singer Shimell debuts onscreen with an electric performance, making James an intellectual we'd actually want to listen to and nobody out there lights up the screen with the effortlessness of Binoche.
All of her moves contain such grace that she might be talking about the weather and we'd still be fascinated by her. The fact that she doesn't talk about peculiarly superficial topics makes her beyond alluring, like one of the art pieces mentioned throughout the film.
Even if in a way, she's merely playing a symbol, Binoche fills this woman with such warmth that we find ourselves staring at the eternal battle between heart and intellect.
Because regardless of how entertaining the film is, it's an unquestionably intellectual movie, which dares the audience to participate in its game. "We are only the DNA replicas of our ancestors" establishes Miller, as Kiarostami rejoices in displaying repetition (during the first sequence the same joke is repeated within five minutes, Miller tells a joke about the simplicity of repetition, the woman buys six books etc...)
The film is filled with clues about a puzzle we're probably not even supposed to be solving. It makes for such pleasurable viewing that you don't want to enter its world of ideas right there and then, you want it to let it wrap around you with its strictly carnal pleasures.
"It'd be stupid of us to ruin our lives for an ideal" says a wise café owner (Giachetti) during one of the film's greatest scenes and she might as well be referring to the experience of watching the movie. Of course, afterwards you can't seem to get the film's concepts out of your head. What is Kiarostami saying about life? About art? "Art is not an easy subject to write about" says Miller, aiming towards the film's elusive center. In the end you have to wonder if Kiarostami had something specific to say or is this a stream of consciousness essay. For proof of how the movie stimulates the brain, here's a question: considering you're watching the movie on home media or a theater and that these are themselves copies of a first print, does the film's value diminish? Even in case you're watching it for the second or third time, does each viewing add any value to it? Certified Copy invites you to explore art and cinema in particular as a window to the soul and in the process will make you wonder what are souls even made of. Instead of feeling frustrating in its constant wondering about the world, it makes you feel that food for thought rarely feels this pleasurable.

Style Sunday: The Girl With the Sartorialist Eye

2012-01-08T15:00:00.001-06:00

Rooney Mara hasn't failed in showing the entire world why David Fincher turned her into his new muse. She has slowly, but securely, been creating a look for herself on red carpets. Combining her beautiful pixie look with extremely feminine, but not fussy, gowns she has been delivering the freshest looks we've seen on the red carpet in ages! She evokes the simplicity and beauty of Audrey Hepburn in this sexy Louis Vuitton cocktail dress. The simple makeup and those shoes compliment her beautifully.

She went for an even more simple look in this astonishing Rodarte gown. Gotta love that she found something from Rodarte that doesn't scream "look at how original I am", this would've fooled me into thinking it was something out of Chanel or Givenchy even. Of course the structural top and the darker bottom might give it away. Love that she didn't do any makeup for this one.

She shows her sexy feminine side in this structural Michael Kors gown. Gotta love that she pulled it off so beautifully even if this dress seems to be more casual than what any other starlet would've worn to a black tie event. The smile is heartwarming and the headband is quite the risky move.

Once Miu Miu get rid of Hailee Steinfeld they must make Rooney their new spokeswoman! She grabbed two of their pieces and turned them into an iconica, tasteful look!

Rooney does Givenchy (ha! see how it looks like Rodarte now!) and pulls off one of her most sophisticated looks yet. The gold is lovely for her (notice how she's all about the earthy tones, makes one wonder how would she look if she colorblocked...)

What's your favorite Rooney look so far? Do you think she has it in her to be a new icon of couture?

Take Two on Meek's.

2012-01-06T10:51:00.001-06:00

Ugh, I hate that Meek's Cutoff is SO good that I always take its awesomeness for granted...please remind me not to leave it out of my Top Ten of 2011. In the meantime go read my second review for it over at PopMatters.

Short Take: "We Need to Talk About Kevin", "Carnage" and "Higher Ground".

2012-01-05T18:01:00.000-06:00

Evil doings always bring up questions about origins: where do people learn to be evil? Is it something you're born with? Is it something the world teaches you? Art has always been fascinated with the subject and artists have tried to tackle it from psychological, spiritual and sociological points of view. The fascination with the subject and the subject itself have become a "chicken or egg" situation. Cinema in particular has a shown a fetish for showing evil children who wreak havoc on their parents or the world (if they happen to be the Antichrist). Movies like The Omen for example deal with how people react around these demonic infants and more often than not give them a protector, someone who believes in the good within them or someone who wants to encourage their evil. We Need to Talk About Kevin isn't precisely that kind of movie but it doesn't steer too far from it either. Lynne Ramsay's adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel gives us the title child, who goes from being a rebellious baby to committing a massacre as a teenager. The movie seems to have decided that there is something very wrong with Kevin from the start, giving the audience no choice but to observe how Ramsay captures his behavior through offbeat framing and artsy sequences. Kevin is shown as a cute but creepy child, who grows into a cute but creepier teenager (played by Ezra Miller) who likes to frown all day long. Ramsay seems to have a ball displaying Kevin's darkness and the film relies too much on the facile horror conventions it's also trying to escape. Since the film has already settled his evil for us, it's up to Tilda Swinton as his mom to try and convey some humanity within the movie. As always, Swinton creates a precise portrait of someone whose humanity overflows the screen. How is it that she results such an otherworldy, almost extraterrestrial public figure, yet she always embodies imperfectly perfect humanity when she acts? As Kevin's mom, Swinton delivers yet another masterful performance that lingers between Mia Farrow's delicious work in Rosemary's Baby and Swinton's own in the remarkable The Deep End: she makes us understand that she would go to the confines of the world to rescue her child's soul, even if she has to lose hers in the process.

Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly play a liberal couple whose kid was beaten up by another kid whose parents are A types played by Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz. Over the course of an afternoon (the film happens in real time) both couples try to come up with a civilized solution to their problem. The problem is, nobody really knows what the problem is. For the parents of the victim, it's something about having their child's integrity restored, for the parents of the abuser, the issue has to do with how many time they're losing trying to understand "child's play". Before soon, the couples are going at each other like their kids did. Roman Polanski, who's always been a fan of confinement, takes the concept to a whole new level in his adaptation of Yasmina Reza's play about the Russian doll-ness of our society. The film is superbly acted (Foster is phenomenal!) but more often than not its purpose seems to be rather vacuous. Is it an exercise for its thespians? A playground diversion for its director? Or can it be simply that the source material never had that much to say?

Few actresses are as magnetic and fascinating as Vera Farmiga. She always conveys a sense of mystery and parallel earthiness that make her seem like a pre-Raphaelite goddess who's come to life out of a painting to say something about our world. In Higher Ground, her directorial debut, she does just that by teaching us a lesson about newborn evangelical Christians. While the movies often have conversion as the twist and usually the enemy of liberal purposes, Farmiga takes her time to observe these people and show us that - gasp - they too are human! Despite their narrow minded world views, despite their beliefs that rely on an unseen force and despite their constant bible quoting, they are not "the enemy". That Farmiga manages to do this without being preachy and instead injecting the film with a languorous sensuality might be the real miracle in store.

Grades:

We Need to Talk About Kevin **½

Carnage **

Higher Ground **½

Short Take: "Senna", "Jane Eyre" and "Warrior".

2012-01-05T13:56:00.000-06:00

Ayrton Senna was widely regarded as one of the best race car pilots in the history of sport and Asif Kapadia's masterful documentary proves why. The thrilling film closely follows Senna's trajectory beginning as an amateur and then going all the way to him being World Champion on three consecutive years. The film chronicles his rivalry with teammate Alain Prost, with whom he engaged in psychological warfare on and off the racing track. What remains so stunning about this film, is how it trespasses into narrative fiction while retaining elements of non-fiction cinema. Most documentaries make you aware that you are watching reality being bent and that for all you want to do about it, the events being related are unchangeable. What goes on with Senna is quite the opposite, the film is done entirely with archival and news footage (there are no modern day interviews or intrusive narration) all of this helps create a seamless chain of events that trick us into thinking we might be watching fiction. We know for a fact that we're not, but the narrative is so precise and flawless that we ask ourselves, why were that many cameras near Ayrton all the time? The entire film has an eerie prescience, as if the people involved knew one day these fragments of their lives would be used to tell a life story. With that said, the film avoids sensationalism, instead turning Ayrton into a mythical figure with a tainted human spirit. His love of god and country are as great as his ego (sometimes he sounded deluded, as if he was the Joan of Arc of racing) and for all the inevitability of its tragic finale, you always hope things will turn out different for him in the end. They don't of course, but Senna proves that truth can sometimes be much more harrowing than fiction.

Out of all the English classic novels, it always results mystifying to ask ourselves how did the Brontë's oeuvre end up falling into the romance genre when their twisted stories of suffering among the English moors perhaps fit better in the category of horror. The greatest adaptation of any of their works is probably I Walked With a Zombie because it goes to the heart of its literary adaptation, Jane Eyre, removes all the romantic bullshit and sees it for what it is: a tale of sadomasochism disguised as love. With that said, most of the world chooses to see Jane Eyre as a tale of doomed romance and love conquering it all, which would make for an interesting essay on how messed up our conceptions of love are...but that's a whole different story. In this adaptation of the classic novel, the usually insipid Mia Wasikowska gives life to Jane Eyre, the suffering governess who goes through a Dickensian childhood only to end in an even more tortuous relationship with her employer, the damaged Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Director Cary Fukunaga goes the traditional way and turns the film into a showcase of classic studio filmmaking with gorgeous sets, a sweeping musical score and Judi Dench. Perhaps it's best to approach the movie as if you were watching a classic Hollywood production, given that Fukunaga injects little into it and like in his previous movie, some scenes offer themselves to be taken as parody (Rochester telling Jane how he's far from handsome comes to mind). It's great that Fassbender and Wasikowska put so much into their roles, because they make the film's artifice achieve a delightful balance.

Warrior is a movie that lingers dangerously between parody and serious filmmaking and can best be comprised by calling it: a greatest hits kind of movie. Taking elements that have worked before for similarly themed movies (although fans of it can argue that all films are versions of other films) director Gavin O'Connor brings us a tearjerker that combines Rocky, The Fighter, Karate Kid and a few biblical parables to create a movie aimed to please everyone. Tom Hardy stars as Tommy, a former marine who returns to the States and asks his ex-alcoholic dad (Nick Nolte) to train him for a mixed martial arts championship named Sparta (for 300 lovers). Meanwhile, Tommy's estranged brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton) is going through an economic crisis that forces him to sign up for the same championship in order to save his house from being foreclosed. Tommy, obviously, hides a dark secret about his days in Iraq and Brendan, who works as a high school teacher, must hide his new moneymaking scheme from his students (somehow mixed martial arts are the equivalent of prostitution to the film's Capra-esque characters) and of course the final showdown will be between the siblings, but which one should win? The real problem with Warrior is that it's so many different movies, that it ends up being none. The acting is quite good, Edgerton and Hardy are terrific and surprisingly sincere, but the plot feels forced and drags on for too long. If you've seen any of the movies it borrows from, you really don't need to bother with it...
However, here's a theory: the movie grabs a soldier and a schoolteacher - two of the most "heroic" and valued professions in the USA - takes away their "integrity" and pitches them against each other in a brutal fight for money. What is the film saying about the worth of morality in a world where the economy plummets constantly? Now, that would've made a much more interesting movie...

Grades:
Senna ***½
Jane Eyre ***
Warrior **

The Help ***

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

What Tate Taylor does with his adaptation of The Help defies expected - if slightly biased - ideas of how African Americans are treated in Hollywood mainstream cinema. His film deals with civil rights, racism and segregation with such delicate command that, for all the industry has accustomed us to...

read the rest of my review over at PopMatters.

First Dose of Polanski This Week.

2012-01-04T14:44:00.000-06:00

Head over to PopMatters and read my review for Cul-de-sac.

Reviews 2012

2012-01-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

Listed alphabetically. Ratings out of ****

W
The Woman in Black ***

Screening Log - 2012

2012-01-01T01:39:00.000-06:00

FEBRUARY
24 - Hugo (Scorsese, 2011) **** x 2 read my review.
23 - The Moment of Truth (Rossi,1965) ***
22 - The Woman in Black (Watkins, 2012) *** read my review.
21 - My Week With Marilyn (Curtis, 2011) **½
20 - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Daldry, 2011) *** read my review.
20 - A Star is Born (Wellman, 1937) ***
19 - Pina (Wenders, 2011) *** read my review.
19 - Chico & Rita (Trueba, 2010) ***
19 - A Cat in Paris (Felicioli, Gagnol, 2010) **
19 - Hugo (Scorsese, 2011) ****
18 - Kung Fu Panda 2 (Yuh, 2011) **
18 - Puss in Boots (Miller, 2011) *½
16 - The Artist (Hazanavicius, 2011) ***½ x 2
13 - Nostalgia for the Light (Guzmán, 2010) ***½ read my review.
12 - Bullhead (Roskam, 2011)  ***½ read my review.
06 - Martha Marcy May Marlene (Durkin, 2011)  ***½ read my review.
04 - Texas Killing Fields (Mann, 2011) read my review.
04 - Margin Call (Chandor, 2011) ** read my review.
04 - The Iron Lady (Lloyd, 2011) ** read my review.
03 - Take Shelter (Nichols, 2011) *** read my review.

JANUARY
29 - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Fincher, 2011) **** x 3
28 - The Help (Taylor, 2011) ***
27 - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Fincher, 2011) **** x 2
26 - A Better Life (Weitz, 2011) **
24 - Drive (Refn, 2011) **** x 2 read my review.
23 - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Fincher, 2011) ****
22 - The Artist (Hazanavicius, 2011) ***½  read my review.
21 - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Alfredson, 2011) **  read my review.
21 - War Horse (Spielberg, 2011) *  read my review.
21 - The Descendants (Payne, 2011) *½  read my review.
20 - J. Edgar (Eastwood, 2011) *½ read my review.
19 - The Darkest Hour ( Gorak, 2011) read my review.
15 - Bridesmaids (Feig, 2011) ***½ x 4
14 - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Ritchie, 2011) **
11 - The Muppets (Bobin, 2011) ***½
08 - Certified Copy (Kiarostami, 2010) **** read my review.
03 - August (Rapaport, 2011) ***
03 - Carnage (Polanski, 2011) ** read my review.
02 - Drive (Refn, 2011) TBA
02 - Higher Ground (Farmiga, 2011) **½ read my review.
02 - We Need to Talk About Kevin (Ramsay, 2011) **½ read my review.
02 - The Prince and the Showgirl (Olivier, 1957) ***
01 - North by Northwest (Hitchcock, 1959) **** x 4
01 - Horrible Bosses (Gordon, 2011) *** x 2

Previous screening logs
2011