Most Incomprensible
The Angel's Share (2012)
"What did he just say?" (BPG)
The Angels' Share (2013) is a film by Ken Loach, famous for subtitling a film or two of his as their regional accents make them mostly incomprehensible for anyone not from England, or not even from the region. This movie is set in Scotland, and I wish they'd subtitled it. The Glaswegian is such that I got about 20 percent of the words but comprehended about two thirds of what was being said. A young man, at serious risk, fathers a child and tries to go straight... with the help of single malt scotch. Enough said. I suggest renting this on DVD and using the subtitles, which are always included in English to help those with hearing trouble. This will help! On the acting side, it's all excellent, with special stand outs being John Henshaw and real-life scotch guru Charles MacLean as... a scotch guru.
Only Film of the Year I Watched Twice in the Cinema
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
"Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician!" (Karl Urban as Bones)
I saw it again after the 3D disaster. This time it was in 2D. Ahhhhhh, much better. LOVED IT.
Most Incredible Waste of Talent, Money, and Two Hours I'll Never get Back
Now you see me (2013)
"The more you look, the less you see." (Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas)
I don't have enough time left on this planet to figure out what went wrong with this one.
Movie in Which Brad Pitt Makes me a Fan at Last
World War Z (2013)
"If you can fight, fight. Be prepared for anything. Our war has just begun." (Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane)
The AMC series Walking Dead gave me a certain vision of zombies and how they might operate. World War Z blows that shambling, groteque nightmare out of the water, with a portrayal of super-zombies who move fast and furious. They are TERRIFYING. I screamed out loud at least once during this movie. No, I`m not talking about a little squeak, I mean a scream. My friend Barbara and I were clutching each other`s hands more than once. The cast is all excellent, and Brad Pitt of course single-handedly pretty much saves the world (what, really, you needed a spoiler warning? OF COURSE HE DOES - THIS IS HOLLYWOOD... and he looks weathered and strained, rather like Harrison Ford used to before he just got sort of grumpy). I was too busy being frightened to notice if there were any holes in the plot of inconsistencies. Come on! It`s a zombie movie! Perfect movie if you like a clingy date, like yours truly.
Most Poetic and Haunting Film of the Year, and of Many Other Years
Wings of Desire (1987)
"Last night I dreamt of a stranger... of my man. Only with him could I be
alone, open up to him, wholly open, wholly for him. Welcome him wholly
into me. Surround him with the labyrinth of shared happiness. I know...
it's you." (Solveig Dommartin as Marion)
I was well overdue to see this again. Angels over Berlin listen, unseen, to the thoughts of people of the city. One angel (Bruno Ganz) yearns to be mortal, to feel physically and emotionally what it is to be human, and to love the object of his devotion, an unhappy trapeze artist played by Solveig Dommartin (who died tragically young in 2007 at 45). The film was shot by Henri Alekan, who made - among other films - the breathtakingly beautiful and surreal La Belle et la Bête (1946).
Most Haunting Score
The Woman in White (1948)
Based on Wilkie Collins' 1860 mystery novel, this film distinguishes itself for me by the most haunting score. Composed by the legendary Max Steiner, it incorporates English melodies, including the gorgeous Pavana: The Earl of Salisbury by William Byrd (which is uncredited). The impressive cast includes Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Gig Young, Agnes Moorehead and a deliciously evil Sydney Greenstreet.
Most Very Overdue to be Discovered
Before Midnight (2013)
"Well, it must be one hell of a night we're about to have." (Juliette Delpy as Celine)
For years, family and friends whose opinions I held dear had told me about the first two films in this trilogy, Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004). This now-trilogy is a project that has developed over 19 years with director Richard Linklater and actors Ethan Hawke and Juliette Delpy (both actors are credited with co-writing the last two films with Linklater). So what's it about? In the first film, Jesse (Hawke), a young American man, boards a train travelling to Prague, and encounters a young French woman (Delpy), Celine. They begin talking. They get off the train and keep talking all night. I won't say anything else, just that these three films are uniquely fresh and captivating, with all the charm of discovery and youth in the first, and... well, I just don't want to say anything else. Just that I hope you'll see them if you haven't. The films have been made nine years apart, and so we are growing with those characters. It's reminiscent of the brilliant Up series. Hawke and Delpy are phenomenal. I just hope there'll be another one... I think.
Film That Made me Most Want to go Back to one of my Motherlands
The Trip (2010)
"Death is but a moment... Cowardice is a lifetime of affliction." (Steve Coogan as himself)
Deliciously funny, as everyone probably already knows (I'm often behind the times), British comics and impersonators Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travel around Britain out-impersonating each other, trying out restaurants and hotels in the Lake District and other gorgeous parts of England, and being generally brilliant. I read they're doing another one in Italy... this time I won't wait three years.
Showing posts with label bpg movie awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bpg movie awards. Show all posts
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
BPG Winter 2013 Movie Awards
///UPDATED, because I forgot Lincoln!///
Again, this is a mixture of newly released and... newly discovered. This post is long overdue.
Least Annoying Supernatural Teen Romance Flick of the Past Few Years, Although That's not Saying Much
Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Lena: Ethan promise me one thing; it will be a perfectly normal human date.
Ethan: I swear. I won't even call you after the date.
Lena: Jerk.
Ethan: Witch
What do I remember about this? It's a supernatural teen love movie (ever heard of one of those?), which proves yet again that most British actors can't do good American-South accents. In this one it's the usually magnificent Jeremy Irons (who plays the teen witch's scenery-chewing dad), although I think the award for all-time worst southern accent goes to Charles Dance in China Moon (1994). With an impressive cast featuring Viola Davis, Emma Thompson and Eileen Atkins, the actress who plays Lena is Alice Englert, who happens to be Jane Campion's daughter. She's engaging and beautiful but not cookie-cutter, and I so wish she had been cast in the next movie I saw...
Movie Most Supportive of the Notion That When Something is in a Different Language, I cut it a lot of Slack
En kongelig affære (A Royal Affair, 2012)
Based on the true story of the love affair between the wife of Christian VII of Denmark (1749 – 1808) and his doctor, this movie provided us with the most oohs and aaahs as we delved into our iPhones after the movie had ended. So much of it was based on history that I knew nothing about. That was interesting. Obviously it's a period movie, and it was stunningly art directed and filmed. But Alicia Vikander as the queen was cast obviously for her lovely face and her wan expression. I wish an actress like Alice Englert had been cast instead, someone with some range and fire. I think Vikander's blandness would have translated even worse had it been in English. Sometimes the removal of a different language and an unknown history lends a certain alluring mystery to something that otherwise would appear fairly ordinary. And on that note...
Most Pleasing Depiction of Piercingly-Blue-Eyed, Tanned, Almost-Naked men Laying Around and Squinting into the Relentless Sun
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Torstein: Why are you feeding the sharks our tomato soup?
Well, let me explain right off the bat. Kon-Tiki was filmed simulataneously in Norwegian and in English. So each scene was shot twice. This move was apparently made to secure international funding. I would never watch a dubbed movie (ironic purposes or drinking games aside) but this wasn't dubbed. However, I wish I'd had the option in Toronto to see it in Norwegian and subtitled. I can't help thinking that, for the lead actor, especially, it would have provided a little more emotional range. That actor is Pål Sverre Hagen and he played Thor Heyerdahl (1914 - 2002) who sailed his famous balsa-wood raft from Peru to Polynesia to support his theory that those islands were settled from the east and not from the west.
The production values are fantastic. Brooklyn of the 1940s is depicted with great care and obviously a great amount of money went into this. No wonder the producers wanted serious international backing. There are many heart-stopping moments (I was with my mother and grasped her hands many times, squealing in terror), and also plenty of delicious ones, as toned, tanned Norwegian or Swedish men, named Bengt, Erik, Thor and Knut (love those names!) lay around in the sun-baked doldrums of the Pacific Ocean. Truly, this film gives a great insight into the very fears they must have faced alone with no modern technology in the middle of that vast water. I highly recommend this film, in English or Norwegian.
Second-Whitest Makeup Used on an Actress
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Byer: Jason Bourne was just the tip of the iceberg.
I can't agree. Matt Damon as Jason Bourne was the iceberg. Jeremy Renner does a great job following up an unforgettable portrayal and the movie retains most of the stylish, timeless thriller atmosphere. A relief that David Strathairn is in it as my dad and I have a running gag about how we love it when he comes into the ops room or whatever and demands a 20-block lockdown. Also, David Strathairn is my secret boyfriend, just as Rachel Weisz is my secret girlfriend, and she's the female interest in the movie (but has some seriously overly white make-up on in the first few scenes at her house). Okay, so Jeremy Renner might not have taken off his shirt quite as often as a certain dear friend indicated to me (I'm looking at you Ms B!), but it was still nice when he did.
Most Eagerly Anticipated Movie of the Spring Which Got Ruined by Lousy 3D Side Effects
Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)
G: Yeesh, no more 3D for me!
Oh, how I wish I could you tell you more! Eagerly, I ordered my tickets weeks in advance, going for the 3D option. How excited we were as the cinema filled on opening night last Friday! How queasy we were not too far in, from the camera movement and the 3D lousiness! My companion M had to leave for a few minutes to settle his stomach. I had to take off my 3D glasses and watch the second half in blurriness. I think it was a really good movie, although it lacks the sweet surprises of discovering the new cast that we enjoyed in the previous film of this iteration. Sigh. Can't really say much else, except Benedict Cumberbatch is as strong as he always is. I might see it again to catch what I missed. Or I might not.
Most breathtaking art direction
Lincoln (2012)
Lincoln: Hmm. I reckon it's the speed that's strange to me. I'm used to going at a deliberate pace.
I know my pace, and I know my sleep patterns and how much snooze I need. But when, after a fantastic big Chinese meal, my friend suggested that we were certainly not too old to attend a 10:30 p.m. viewing of a movie, I was up for it! Except, I sort of wasn't. Chinese food + a dark, comfortable cinema = nap. Three naps. So I didn't see all of Lincoln. What I loved: THE CAST. Look them up - they were all superb. Also, the art direction was stunning. It didn't fall into the old Merchant-Ivory trap of making everything look the way we wished it had, the way we might imagine a previous time through our own romanticized glasses. I had a great sense of truth in the look, apart from the golden glow that always seemed to be shining in through drawn curtains, but that is a small detail. And all the other small details were brilliant, including - of course - Daniel Day Lewis's make up. Between that and his acting, it was an eerie recreation. My only quibble in the movie was the saintly aura in which Lincoln seemed to exist, and - with that brilliant makeup - it made him seem slightly apart. This might have been purposeful, but I didn't enjoy it. I relish a portrayal that is warts-and-all, one which shows the faults against which truly great people have to do their own personal battles. Of course, maybe that was in the movie and I slept through it. I'll see it again some time.
Most Friendship-Affirming and Most Likely to Make me Still Want to Live in a Repurposed Space
The Station Agent (2003)
Finbar: You said you weren't going to talk to me if I sat here, Joe.Joe: I haven't said anything in like twenty minutes.
Finbar: Nine.
Joe: You timed me?
Finbar: Mm-hmm.
Joe: That's cold, bro.
I always think this movie just came out about a year ago. I've been meaning to see it since it came out in 2003. It's scary how that time flew. This is a rare movie that I will want to see repeatedly. It's about the unexpected friendships and unexpected places that we might call home. In this case, an abandoned railway station. I've always harboured a dream to live in a home that has been repurposed from some other use. This movie is a gem.
Most Worth the Wait... But why did I Wait so Long???
The Producers (1968)
Roger De Bris: Ah, Bialystock and Bloom, I presume! Heh heh, forgive the pun!
Leo Bloom [to Max] What pun?
Max Bialystock: Shut up, he thinks he's witty.
Yes, it's taken me this long to see it. What can I say? Brilliantly funny, with a cast that I can't imagine being excelled. Zero Mostel's great sad eyes and lugubrious face are such a perfect foil to Gene Wilder's neurotic twitchiness. I loved it. Last Sunday PBS aired a special on director Mel Brooks' career as part of the American Masters series. It was fascinating. The man is incorrigible, and so achingly funny. If you can catch this documentary, it's a great insight into the tortured, driven pysche of a true original. And it never occured to me that the bean-eating, farting scene in Blazing Saddles really paved the way for the vulgar humour that was to follow in film. Thanks, Mel! No, really, thanks. :) Of course he is much more than that. Young Frankenstein remains one of my top twelve.
Movie That Most had me Expecting Less Than Nothing, but Caused me to Come Away Pleasantly Surprised.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Gandalf: I'm looking for someone to share an adventure.
I was miffed to discover on opening night (I had tix all lined up with my three good movie pals), that The Hobbit had been made into three movies, which reeked to me of a cash grab... and that the extremely high-resolution film of this first instalment actually showed up the flaws in the sets and props. After a fun dinner at our favourite Giorgio's, we got in line for The Hobbit - and I had a great time! Yes, it's a bit slow, but there's lots of interesting stuff to look at. Yes that final chase scene in the caves was ridiculous and overlong but I'll be back to see the other two instalments, hopefully with the same little movie gang.
Most Unexpected and Haunting Sci-Fi Action Thriller
Looper (2012)
Abe: This time travel crap, just fries your brain like a egg...
This is why I need to blog more regularly. I saw this many months ago. So, yes, I've lost a lot of detail, but it stayed with me more than most movies. I believe it's the first science-fiction film to open the Toronto International Film Festival, and I suppose that's saying something about it, something about its thoughtfulness and a certain unexpected demand of the brain. Time travel is tricky. How to make sense of the effects of time, of being in the same moment as yourself from the future, or the past. God... imagine if you could meet yourself from another time, which would it be? I'll think on that later, although my immediate response would be to meet myself from the future, to learn from mistakes I am most apt to make, to try and avoid them. I'm intrigued by time travel, and rarely miss an opportunity to indulge in the many filmic and literary fantasies that explore it. Looper has some major spoiler opportunities, so I won't say much, just that the concept is fascinating, the acting is sharp, Emily Blunt (one of this blog's favourites) is riveting, and fine prosthetic work on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's nose goes a long way to making the story work.
Best Movie of the Year to Reference the Icelandic Sagas (and therefore Wagner's Ring Cycle)... oh Hell, it's just the Best Movie of the Year - Period
Django Unchained (2012)
Django: The D is silent.
Another great Tarantino, in this case a passionate, funny, gobsmacking, brutally violent homage to the spaghetti western, complete with rapid zoom shots, cheesy 60s music and a cameo by Franco Nero. Jamie Foxx is relentlessly virtuosic and intense in the lead role of a slave searching for his wife. Christoph Walz is overwhelmingly charming as his German companion who buys Django's freedom. One of the best movies of the year and a powerful hero quest. Unless you can't handle any sort of violence, SEE IT!
Whitest Make-up Used on an Actress... Plus Movie I Most Didn't Expect to Like, but I did, but I Sort of Wish I Didn't
Black Swan (2010)
Beth: Perfect? I'm not perfect. I'm nothing.
I didn't expect to enjoy this. I had managed to avoid seeing it. Then it was on television one evening, and I started watching. Half an hour later, I was sitting on the edge of my sofa, transfixed. I'm not entirely sure why. None of the cast interests me (except for Barbara Hershey), and the dramas of strung-out ballerinas is overplayed for the most part in most depictions on film. But in all the neurotic overwrought hysteria, there is something viscerally gripping and morbidly fascinating about this film. Even as I type this, my lip is curling a little in distaste. But... there's nothing else quite like it in my memory. I'm glad I saw it.
Most Surprising, Moving, and Unexpected Animated Film
Mary and Max (2009)
Max (to Mary): You are my best friend. You are my only friend.
The screenplay by director Adam Elliot is magic: eccentric, heartfelt, deeply human. The stop-start animation (claymation I guess) is in a washed out, almost greyscale colour scheme. The voices are beautifully cast in this moving tale of a little Australian girl and a middle-aged New York man, who come together as pen pals and take us on a journey into their - and our - hearts. As for the soundtrack, I'll never again hear the Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly the same way.
So? Did you see any of these? Come on - I have lots of readers, but most of you are kind of shy I guess. I'd love to know your opinions!
And one more: don't bother seeing or even renting Hotel Transylvania. It has its sweet moments, and I had such high hopes, but in the end it's 91 minutes I'll never get back.
Again, this is a mixture of newly released and... newly discovered. This post is long overdue.
Least Annoying Supernatural Teen Romance Flick of the Past Few Years, Although That's not Saying Much
Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Lena: Ethan promise me one thing; it will be a perfectly normal human date.
Ethan: I swear. I won't even call you after the date.
Lena: Jerk.
Ethan: Witch
What do I remember about this? It's a supernatural teen love movie (ever heard of one of those?), which proves yet again that most British actors can't do good American-South accents. In this one it's the usually magnificent Jeremy Irons (who plays the teen witch's scenery-chewing dad), although I think the award for all-time worst southern accent goes to Charles Dance in China Moon (1994). With an impressive cast featuring Viola Davis, Emma Thompson and Eileen Atkins, the actress who plays Lena is Alice Englert, who happens to be Jane Campion's daughter. She's engaging and beautiful but not cookie-cutter, and I so wish she had been cast in the next movie I saw...
Movie Most Supportive of the Notion That When Something is in a Different Language, I cut it a lot of Slack
En kongelig affære (A Royal Affair, 2012)
Based on the true story of the love affair between the wife of Christian VII of Denmark (1749 – 1808) and his doctor, this movie provided us with the most oohs and aaahs as we delved into our iPhones after the movie had ended. So much of it was based on history that I knew nothing about. That was interesting. Obviously it's a period movie, and it was stunningly art directed and filmed. But Alicia Vikander as the queen was cast obviously for her lovely face and her wan expression. I wish an actress like Alice Englert had been cast instead, someone with some range and fire. I think Vikander's blandness would have translated even worse had it been in English. Sometimes the removal of a different language and an unknown history lends a certain alluring mystery to something that otherwise would appear fairly ordinary. And on that note...
Most Pleasing Depiction of Piercingly-Blue-Eyed, Tanned, Almost-Naked men Laying Around and Squinting into the Relentless Sun
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Torstein: Why are you feeding the sharks our tomato soup?
Well, let me explain right off the bat. Kon-Tiki was filmed simulataneously in Norwegian and in English. So each scene was shot twice. This move was apparently made to secure international funding. I would never watch a dubbed movie (ironic purposes or drinking games aside) but this wasn't dubbed. However, I wish I'd had the option in Toronto to see it in Norwegian and subtitled. I can't help thinking that, for the lead actor, especially, it would have provided a little more emotional range. That actor is Pål Sverre Hagen and he played Thor Heyerdahl (1914 - 2002) who sailed his famous balsa-wood raft from Peru to Polynesia to support his theory that those islands were settled from the east and not from the west.
The production values are fantastic. Brooklyn of the 1940s is depicted with great care and obviously a great amount of money went into this. No wonder the producers wanted serious international backing. There are many heart-stopping moments (I was with my mother and grasped her hands many times, squealing in terror), and also plenty of delicious ones, as toned, tanned Norwegian or Swedish men, named Bengt, Erik, Thor and Knut (love those names!) lay around in the sun-baked doldrums of the Pacific Ocean. Truly, this film gives a great insight into the very fears they must have faced alone with no modern technology in the middle of that vast water. I highly recommend this film, in English or Norwegian.
Second-Whitest Makeup Used on an Actress
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Byer: Jason Bourne was just the tip of the iceberg.
I can't agree. Matt Damon as Jason Bourne was the iceberg. Jeremy Renner does a great job following up an unforgettable portrayal and the movie retains most of the stylish, timeless thriller atmosphere. A relief that David Strathairn is in it as my dad and I have a running gag about how we love it when he comes into the ops room or whatever and demands a 20-block lockdown. Also, David Strathairn is my secret boyfriend, just as Rachel Weisz is my secret girlfriend, and she's the female interest in the movie (but has some seriously overly white make-up on in the first few scenes at her house). Okay, so Jeremy Renner might not have taken off his shirt quite as often as a certain dear friend indicated to me (I'm looking at you Ms B!), but it was still nice when he did.
Most Eagerly Anticipated Movie of the Spring Which Got Ruined by Lousy 3D Side Effects
Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)
G: Yeesh, no more 3D for me!
Oh, how I wish I could you tell you more! Eagerly, I ordered my tickets weeks in advance, going for the 3D option. How excited we were as the cinema filled on opening night last Friday! How queasy we were not too far in, from the camera movement and the 3D lousiness! My companion M had to leave for a few minutes to settle his stomach. I had to take off my 3D glasses and watch the second half in blurriness. I think it was a really good movie, although it lacks the sweet surprises of discovering the new cast that we enjoyed in the previous film of this iteration. Sigh. Can't really say much else, except Benedict Cumberbatch is as strong as he always is. I might see it again to catch what I missed. Or I might not.
Most breathtaking art direction
Lincoln (2012)
Lincoln: Hmm. I reckon it's the speed that's strange to me. I'm used to going at a deliberate pace.
I know my pace, and I know my sleep patterns and how much snooze I need. But when, after a fantastic big Chinese meal, my friend suggested that we were certainly not too old to attend a 10:30 p.m. viewing of a movie, I was up for it! Except, I sort of wasn't. Chinese food + a dark, comfortable cinema = nap. Three naps. So I didn't see all of Lincoln. What I loved: THE CAST. Look them up - they were all superb. Also, the art direction was stunning. It didn't fall into the old Merchant-Ivory trap of making everything look the way we wished it had, the way we might imagine a previous time through our own romanticized glasses. I had a great sense of truth in the look, apart from the golden glow that always seemed to be shining in through drawn curtains, but that is a small detail. And all the other small details were brilliant, including - of course - Daniel Day Lewis's make up. Between that and his acting, it was an eerie recreation. My only quibble in the movie was the saintly aura in which Lincoln seemed to exist, and - with that brilliant makeup - it made him seem slightly apart. This might have been purposeful, but I didn't enjoy it. I relish a portrayal that is warts-and-all, one which shows the faults against which truly great people have to do their own personal battles. Of course, maybe that was in the movie and I slept through it. I'll see it again some time.
Most Friendship-Affirming and Most Likely to Make me Still Want to Live in a Repurposed Space
The Station Agent (2003)
Finbar: You said you weren't going to talk to me if I sat here, Joe.Joe: I haven't said anything in like twenty minutes.
Finbar: Nine.
Joe: You timed me?
Finbar: Mm-hmm.
Joe: That's cold, bro.
I always think this movie just came out about a year ago. I've been meaning to see it since it came out in 2003. It's scary how that time flew. This is a rare movie that I will want to see repeatedly. It's about the unexpected friendships and unexpected places that we might call home. In this case, an abandoned railway station. I've always harboured a dream to live in a home that has been repurposed from some other use. This movie is a gem.
Most Worth the Wait... But why did I Wait so Long???
The Producers (1968)
Roger De Bris: Ah, Bialystock and Bloom, I presume! Heh heh, forgive the pun!
Leo Bloom [to Max] What pun?
Max Bialystock: Shut up, he thinks he's witty.
Yes, it's taken me this long to see it. What can I say? Brilliantly funny, with a cast that I can't imagine being excelled. Zero Mostel's great sad eyes and lugubrious face are such a perfect foil to Gene Wilder's neurotic twitchiness. I loved it. Last Sunday PBS aired a special on director Mel Brooks' career as part of the American Masters series. It was fascinating. The man is incorrigible, and so achingly funny. If you can catch this documentary, it's a great insight into the tortured, driven pysche of a true original. And it never occured to me that the bean-eating, farting scene in Blazing Saddles really paved the way for the vulgar humour that was to follow in film. Thanks, Mel! No, really, thanks. :) Of course he is much more than that. Young Frankenstein remains one of my top twelve.
Movie That Most had me Expecting Less Than Nothing, but Caused me to Come Away Pleasantly Surprised.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Gandalf: I'm looking for someone to share an adventure.
I was miffed to discover on opening night (I had tix all lined up with my three good movie pals), that The Hobbit had been made into three movies, which reeked to me of a cash grab... and that the extremely high-resolution film of this first instalment actually showed up the flaws in the sets and props. After a fun dinner at our favourite Giorgio's, we got in line for The Hobbit - and I had a great time! Yes, it's a bit slow, but there's lots of interesting stuff to look at. Yes that final chase scene in the caves was ridiculous and overlong but I'll be back to see the other two instalments, hopefully with the same little movie gang.
Most Unexpected and Haunting Sci-Fi Action Thriller
Looper (2012)
Abe: This time travel crap, just fries your brain like a egg...
This is why I need to blog more regularly. I saw this many months ago. So, yes, I've lost a lot of detail, but it stayed with me more than most movies. I believe it's the first science-fiction film to open the Toronto International Film Festival, and I suppose that's saying something about it, something about its thoughtfulness and a certain unexpected demand of the brain. Time travel is tricky. How to make sense of the effects of time, of being in the same moment as yourself from the future, or the past. God... imagine if you could meet yourself from another time, which would it be? I'll think on that later, although my immediate response would be to meet myself from the future, to learn from mistakes I am most apt to make, to try and avoid them. I'm intrigued by time travel, and rarely miss an opportunity to indulge in the many filmic and literary fantasies that explore it. Looper has some major spoiler opportunities, so I won't say much, just that the concept is fascinating, the acting is sharp, Emily Blunt (one of this blog's favourites) is riveting, and fine prosthetic work on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's nose goes a long way to making the story work.
Best Movie of the Year to Reference the Icelandic Sagas (and therefore Wagner's Ring Cycle)... oh Hell, it's just the Best Movie of the Year - Period
Django Unchained (2012)
Django: The D is silent.
Another great Tarantino, in this case a passionate, funny, gobsmacking, brutally violent homage to the spaghetti western, complete with rapid zoom shots, cheesy 60s music and a cameo by Franco Nero. Jamie Foxx is relentlessly virtuosic and intense in the lead role of a slave searching for his wife. Christoph Walz is overwhelmingly charming as his German companion who buys Django's freedom. One of the best movies of the year and a powerful hero quest. Unless you can't handle any sort of violence, SEE IT!
Whitest Make-up Used on an Actress... Plus Movie I Most Didn't Expect to Like, but I did, but I Sort of Wish I Didn't
Black Swan (2010)
Beth: Perfect? I'm not perfect. I'm nothing.
I didn't expect to enjoy this. I had managed to avoid seeing it. Then it was on television one evening, and I started watching. Half an hour later, I was sitting on the edge of my sofa, transfixed. I'm not entirely sure why. None of the cast interests me (except for Barbara Hershey), and the dramas of strung-out ballerinas is overplayed for the most part in most depictions on film. But in all the neurotic overwrought hysteria, there is something viscerally gripping and morbidly fascinating about this film. Even as I type this, my lip is curling a little in distaste. But... there's nothing else quite like it in my memory. I'm glad I saw it.
Most Surprising, Moving, and Unexpected Animated Film
Mary and Max (2009)
Max (to Mary): You are my best friend. You are my only friend.
The screenplay by director Adam Elliot is magic: eccentric, heartfelt, deeply human. The stop-start animation (claymation I guess) is in a washed out, almost greyscale colour scheme. The voices are beautifully cast in this moving tale of a little Australian girl and a middle-aged New York man, who come together as pen pals and take us on a journey into their - and our - hearts. As for the soundtrack, I'll never again hear the Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly the same way.
So? Did you see any of these? Come on - I have lots of readers, but most of you are kind of shy I guess. I'd love to know your opinions!
And one more: don't bother seeing or even renting Hotel Transylvania. It has its sweet moments, and I had such high hopes, but in the end it's 91 minutes I'll never get back.
Monday, July 23, 2012
BPG Summer Movie Awards 2012 Part Deux
Best Use of Norwegian Settting in a Film This Year or any Year (Although I saw Neither Blue Parrots or Mighty Fjords)
Headhunters (2011)
"Too ridiculously good looking." (Me, as well as Derek Zoolander)
Aksel Hennie plays Roger Brown (where did that name come from?), a man with a self-confessed short-man complex. In an effort to keep his towering blond, beautiful wife in beautiful surroundings and jewellery (and therefore, he hopes, loyal to him), he works not only as the country's best headhunter, but also as a part-time art thief. Enter the chiseled and distractingly gorgeous Clas Greve, a model-handsome special-services soldier (or something like that), and Roger gets in over his head, literally. Oh, boy, literally, in the film's grossest scene.
I won't go on, I recommend it. It's a good summer yarn.
~~~~~~~~
Best Song to Relieve General Droopiness: "Video Killed the Radio Star"
Take This Waltz (2011)
"Life has a gap in it... It just does. You don't go crazy trying to fill it." (Sarah Silverman as Geraldine)
Michelle Williams (always so excellent) plays Margot, a woman married to Lou (Seth Rogan) and infatuated with Daniel (Luke Kirby). I got the odd sensation that whatever the movie was telling me was at odds with what I was getting... sort of.
*** SPOILER ALERT!***
The relationship between Margot and her husband is infantile; they're like squabbling, affectionate siblings, down to the revolting game of telling each other what sort of damage they'd like to do to each other (skinning alive, that sort of thing). But when she meets the handsome and charming artist/rickshaw driver Daniel, she falls into the same sort of pattern... hurling insults at him, and unable to commit to her attraction to him physically: in one scene she bursts out laughing when he tries to seduce her verbally. She's emotionally backward, and I don't think there's a scene where her eyes don't well up with some sort of intense emotion. The woman needs help! So what happens instead?
She leaves her husband for the rickshaw driver (who nonetheless manages to afford a pretty nifty looking loft) and then begins a strange sequence of scenes, where the new couple indulges in sex, at last, and then sex with other people along for the ride. Wha~?! That seemed to come out of nowhere. Their relationship is all about sex and the thrill of the novelty of some forms of that. Ok. So... then she ends up kind of unhappy still because, you know, she's still the woman she is, and that is depressed, and sex with her new rickshaw driver won't solve that. There then follows a reprisal of a scene where she enjoys a fairground ride (on Toronto's Centre Island), set to "Video Killed the Radio Star", so that was a sweet moment of nostalgia.
Maybe that's the point of the story, that she's just never going to be happy, that maybe that's a foolish dream anyway, but, for adult-children, I definitely preferred Dark Horse.
In Take This Waltz, an excellent cast features Sarah Silverman as the sister-in-law; both she and Seth Rogan are surprising choices, and I liked that. Toronto stars as itself (yay!).
~~~~~~~~
Film That Provided me with Sleep That I Actually Didn't Need at all
To Rome with Love (2012
"Honk... shoooo, honk.... shooo" (Me, except not, because I don't snore. Actually I really don't, but I do talk in my sleep sometimes, or make what has been described as "lamenting sounds" - how creepy!)
Well, you know that I was aching for this film to be wonderful: I love a lot of Woody Allen movies, and I love Rome (it's where half my family is from). I didn't like the trailer, and then I fell asleep four times during this movie. So... I can't say I saw the whole thing, but what I did see felt disjointed, deeply so.
Fabio Armiliato, the tenor, plays... a tenor. An all-star cast includes Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, among others. Woody Allen, in one of the ensemble roles, is actually my favourite part of the film, of the bits I saw.
~~~~~~~~
Most Brilliant, Charming and Uplifting Screenplay, and Film That Stands Best Chance of the Summer of a Repeat Viewing
Safety not Guaranteed (2012)
"There's no sense in nonsense, especially when the heat's hot." (Aubrey Plaza as Darius)
I read a comment on imdb.com where someone wrote after seeing this film, "The world just got a little brighter." I agree. This film, quirky and fresh and original, was a delight from start to finish. None of the casting was predictable, the screenplay was full of charm, insight, depth, and wit.
This is a generous film, in every sense. A somewhat shallow reporter from Seattle takes two young interns on a little road trip to investigate a classified ad, in which a man is seeking a partner to travel in time with. In his ad, he specifies that they have to bring their own weapons, and... safety is not guaranteed.
I'm still sifting this one through my mind, as it's one of those films that gives you a lot to think about, or you can just leave the theatre smiling and not think about it. Time, personal history and regret are at the core of the story. Isn't that what time travel is all about, anyway? I think more people yearn to go back, than forward.
I don't want to say anything more, because this is a film I hope a lot of people see. Let me know if you do, and what you think!
Headhunters (2011)
"Too ridiculously good looking." (Me, as well as Derek Zoolander)
I saw the movie last Tuesday, the hottest day of the year.
The temperature reached 37 C (98.6 F) with a humidex (what the humidity
makes it actually feel like) of 48 C (118 F). The movie theatres were
packed with folks just needing a break from the pizza-oven atmosphere of
the city streets. Headhunters was one of the showings that wasn't sold out.
Norway is right at the top of my list of countries I want to visit. Years ago I saw a not-terribly-good British mystery series set there, but there was something about it that captivated me. I think part of it has to do with the similarity of the scenery with northern Ontario. Anyhow, I don't think I've seen a Norwegian film before. But it was full of Norwegian scenery, which, along with Swedish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is all too ridiculously good looking, and I'm not complaining.
The story is based on a book by Jo Nesbø (I have The Snowman by him on my bookshelf, as yet unread). It's a thriller and the movie, which has had mixed reviews, is certainly that. I enjoyed it tremendously, probably more so because it was Norwegian. I have a feeling that if it had been English-language, I would probably have taken more care to pick it apart. Such is the glamour of the exotic and unknown. Yes, Norway, to me you are exotic.
The story is based on a book by Jo Nesbø (I have The Snowman by him on my bookshelf, as yet unread). It's a thriller and the movie, which has had mixed reviews, is certainly that. I enjoyed it tremendously, probably more so because it was Norwegian. I have a feeling that if it had been English-language, I would probably have taken more care to pick it apart. Such is the glamour of the exotic and unknown. Yes, Norway, to me you are exotic.
I won't go on, I recommend it. It's a good summer yarn.
~~~~~~~~
Best Song to Relieve General Droopiness: "Video Killed the Radio Star"
Take This Waltz (2011)
"Life has a gap in it... It just does. You don't go crazy trying to fill it." (Sarah Silverman as Geraldine)
Michelle Williams (always so excellent) plays Margot, a woman married to Lou (Seth Rogan) and infatuated with Daniel (Luke Kirby). I got the odd sensation that whatever the movie was telling me was at odds with what I was getting... sort of.
*** SPOILER ALERT!***
The relationship between Margot and her husband is infantile; they're like squabbling, affectionate siblings, down to the revolting game of telling each other what sort of damage they'd like to do to each other (skinning alive, that sort of thing). But when she meets the handsome and charming artist/rickshaw driver Daniel, she falls into the same sort of pattern... hurling insults at him, and unable to commit to her attraction to him physically: in one scene she bursts out laughing when he tries to seduce her verbally. She's emotionally backward, and I don't think there's a scene where her eyes don't well up with some sort of intense emotion. The woman needs help! So what happens instead?
She leaves her husband for the rickshaw driver (who nonetheless manages to afford a pretty nifty looking loft) and then begins a strange sequence of scenes, where the new couple indulges in sex, at last, and then sex with other people along for the ride. Wha~?! That seemed to come out of nowhere. Their relationship is all about sex and the thrill of the novelty of some forms of that. Ok. So... then she ends up kind of unhappy still because, you know, she's still the woman she is, and that is depressed, and sex with her new rickshaw driver won't solve that. There then follows a reprisal of a scene where she enjoys a fairground ride (on Toronto's Centre Island), set to "Video Killed the Radio Star", so that was a sweet moment of nostalgia.
Maybe that's the point of the story, that she's just never going to be happy, that maybe that's a foolish dream anyway, but, for adult-children, I definitely preferred Dark Horse.
In Take This Waltz, an excellent cast features Sarah Silverman as the sister-in-law; both she and Seth Rogan are surprising choices, and I liked that. Toronto stars as itself (yay!).
~~~~~~~~
Film That Provided me with Sleep That I Actually Didn't Need at all
To Rome with Love (2012
"Honk... shoooo, honk.... shooo" (Me, except not, because I don't snore. Actually I really don't, but I do talk in my sleep sometimes, or make what has been described as "lamenting sounds" - how creepy!)
Well, you know that I was aching for this film to be wonderful: I love a lot of Woody Allen movies, and I love Rome (it's where half my family is from). I didn't like the trailer, and then I fell asleep four times during this movie. So... I can't say I saw the whole thing, but what I did see felt disjointed, deeply so.
Fabio Armiliato, the tenor, plays... a tenor. An all-star cast includes Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, among others. Woody Allen, in one of the ensemble roles, is actually my favourite part of the film, of the bits I saw.
~~~~~~~~
Most Brilliant, Charming and Uplifting Screenplay, and Film That Stands Best Chance of the Summer of a Repeat Viewing
Safety not Guaranteed (2012)
"There's no sense in nonsense, especially when the heat's hot." (Aubrey Plaza as Darius)
I read a comment on imdb.com where someone wrote after seeing this film, "The world just got a little brighter." I agree. This film, quirky and fresh and original, was a delight from start to finish. None of the casting was predictable, the screenplay was full of charm, insight, depth, and wit.
This is a generous film, in every sense. A somewhat shallow reporter from Seattle takes two young interns on a little road trip to investigate a classified ad, in which a man is seeking a partner to travel in time with. In his ad, he specifies that they have to bring their own weapons, and... safety is not guaranteed.
I'm still sifting this one through my mind, as it's one of those films that gives you a lot to think about, or you can just leave the theatre smiling and not think about it. Time, personal history and regret are at the core of the story. Isn't that what time travel is all about, anyway? I think more people yearn to go back, than forward.
I don't want to say anything more, because this is a film I hope a lot of people see. Let me know if you do, and what you think!
Friday, July 6, 2012
BPG Summer Movie Awards 2012, Part One
The Best Picture of the Summer So Far in a not Very Impressive Competition
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Laura Bishop: "Does it concern you that your daughter has just run away from home?"
Walt Bishop: "That's a loaded question."
(Frances McDormand as Laura and Bill Murray as Walt.)
This is the Peter Pan story retold in Wes Anderson's distinctively quirky way. I'm so happy film makers like this are around to tell and retell stories in ways that move and delight. The story revolves around a young boy and girl who run away to be together. The cast is richly populated with names, but - more importantly - with talent and range. Bruce Willis wipes the slate clean with a fresh and unexpected portrayal that I think (ok, as much as I hate awards shows) will have him up for a supporting Oscar next year. Afterwards at dinner (at Amore, north of Eglinton on Yonge), we agreed that the kids were great, and we loved how everyone looked real, as in not particularly good looking. Favourite moment: Bill Murray with his naked tummy hanging over his pyjama bottoms. I just saw him today again in Lost in Translation. What can I say, I sort of fancy him. And for the music lovers out there, Moonrise Kingdom's score relies heavily on Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. Its gravitas matches the earnestness of the young would-be lovers perfectly.
The Film Most Likely to Make me Laugh, Then Make me Want to Come Home and Take a Shower
Ted (2012)
John: "Hello, 911? It's an emergency, my teddy bear's been kidnapped! Hello? Hello?"
(Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett)
Well, you probably already know this is Seth Macfarlane's first film. And, if you know that, you already know that it's incredibly vulgar, and - if you're a fan - very funny. My cheeks are still hurting from laughing. What the story basically comes down to is the difficult feelings we have when our partner has a friend who seems more trouble than they're worth. How do you handle it? What do you do? In Mila Kunis's place, your boyfriend's troublesome friend is his childhood teddy bear who miraculously came to life when the eight-year-old boy wished it. Ted is now a coarse, hooker-picker-upper, pot-smoking, filthy stuffed toy. Awkward to say the least. I spent half the film putting my hand over my mouth thinking, he didn't just say that, and the other half laughing my head off. Sort of like a long Family Guy episode. And it features some really wickedly funny cameos from some real talent.
The Award for Excellence in Giving Arty Movies a Bad Name
The Woman in the Fifth (2011)
What I heard intrigued me. A spiritually broken American professor/writer shows up in Paris looking for his estranged wife and daughter. He ends up living in a dive and living a risky existence. He goes to a literary party and meets a mysterious woman with an exotic accent. He's played by art film hunk, Ethan Hawke, complete with really grubby RayBans (oh, I wanted to clean those glasses), and the mystery woman is played by Kristin Scott Thomas. It's directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and based on a novel by Douglas Kennedy, which is reviewed in this link by the Guardian.
Kristin Scott Thomas starts out doing what she shouldn't: being coy. I wish I knew where this saying came from: "A woman over 30 can never be coy, but she can certainly be arch." The first coy scene was like a spoof of a pretentious European art film. You just can't play this kind of seriousness without eliciting sniggers. Where's the irony? God, I need irony to dilute this sort of thing. Fortunately, after that, she settles down and becomes a sort of Muse, being basically whatever Ethan Hawke's character needs her to be. What a stunner she is. My favourite film of hers is I've Loved you so Long (2008). Try and see it if you can. But regarding The Woman in the Fifth, I won't say any more, in case you go to see it. I'm sure some people loved it. Actually one of my companions after dinner really liked it. I didn't.
Most Recommended for Pyschology Majors
Dark Horse (2011)
I'd have sworn I'd seen a Todd Solondz film before, but I guess I was just familiar with the name. I must have read it somewhere. I visited the TIFF Lightbox, Toronto's cinematheque. It's a fine location to see a film. The screening rooms are comfortable, with very low lighting during screenings and great seating and perfect temperatures. This was an afternoon show and there were only three other people there. Dark Horse is about a big, spoiled man-child with a deeply neurotic sense of entitlement. He takes injustice-collecting to incredible heights. He's awful and hysterical and he's brilliantly played by Jordan Gelber. His parents? Get this casting: Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken (the latter was the reason I decided to see the film). Selma Blair is the "girlfriend," and you'll know why I use the quotation marks if you decide to see the film. The first half was strong and funny. After that you get into some scenes where reality and fantasy or delusion intermingle and I didn't so much get lost as lose why certain delusions were occurring. And whose were they? I'm glad I saw it. It's definitely one for students of human nature.
Most Impressive yet Unarousing Male Bottoms
Magic Mike (2012)
Paige: "I was hoping this was all a joke."
(Cody Horn as Paige)
Believe it or not, I wasn't interested in this film. Male strippers, in this case played by some hot Hollywood bods, are so not my bag, baby. In the pictures I'd seen, the leads look like they were inflated by a bicycle pump. But, then I read that Steven Soderbergh had directed it, and I thought, hold it, this might be interesting... and so I went.
The plot is simple and predictable. I wouldn't want to know any of these people. They live ugly lives and spew ugly thoughts at each other. There is scarcely a moment of honesty, so busy are the men with posing on and off stage. At the end there seemed to come a sort of quasi redemption, but even that gets trampled on. Only to be watched if you need to see ripped men humping furniture and hysterical women. Oh, and you know what? You could just save the money and look for something similar on YouTube.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Laura Bishop: "Does it concern you that your daughter has just run away from home?"
Walt Bishop: "That's a loaded question."
(Frances McDormand as Laura and Bill Murray as Walt.)
This is the Peter Pan story retold in Wes Anderson's distinctively quirky way. I'm so happy film makers like this are around to tell and retell stories in ways that move and delight. The story revolves around a young boy and girl who run away to be together. The cast is richly populated with names, but - more importantly - with talent and range. Bruce Willis wipes the slate clean with a fresh and unexpected portrayal that I think (ok, as much as I hate awards shows) will have him up for a supporting Oscar next year. Afterwards at dinner (at Amore, north of Eglinton on Yonge), we agreed that the kids were great, and we loved how everyone looked real, as in not particularly good looking. Favourite moment: Bill Murray with his naked tummy hanging over his pyjama bottoms. I just saw him today again in Lost in Translation. What can I say, I sort of fancy him. And for the music lovers out there, Moonrise Kingdom's score relies heavily on Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. Its gravitas matches the earnestness of the young would-be lovers perfectly.
The Film Most Likely to Make me Laugh, Then Make me Want to Come Home and Take a Shower
Ted (2012)
John: "Hello, 911? It's an emergency, my teddy bear's been kidnapped! Hello? Hello?"
(Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett)
Well, you probably already know this is Seth Macfarlane's first film. And, if you know that, you already know that it's incredibly vulgar, and - if you're a fan - very funny. My cheeks are still hurting from laughing. What the story basically comes down to is the difficult feelings we have when our partner has a friend who seems more trouble than they're worth. How do you handle it? What do you do? In Mila Kunis's place, your boyfriend's troublesome friend is his childhood teddy bear who miraculously came to life when the eight-year-old boy wished it. Ted is now a coarse, hooker-picker-upper, pot-smoking, filthy stuffed toy. Awkward to say the least. I spent half the film putting my hand over my mouth thinking, he didn't just say that, and the other half laughing my head off. Sort of like a long Family Guy episode. And it features some really wickedly funny cameos from some real talent.
The Award for Excellence in Giving Arty Movies a Bad Name
The Woman in the Fifth (2011)
What I heard intrigued me. A spiritually broken American professor/writer shows up in Paris looking for his estranged wife and daughter. He ends up living in a dive and living a risky existence. He goes to a literary party and meets a mysterious woman with an exotic accent. He's played by art film hunk, Ethan Hawke, complete with really grubby RayBans (oh, I wanted to clean those glasses), and the mystery woman is played by Kristin Scott Thomas. It's directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and based on a novel by Douglas Kennedy, which is reviewed in this link by the Guardian.
Kristin Scott Thomas starts out doing what she shouldn't: being coy. I wish I knew where this saying came from: "A woman over 30 can never be coy, but she can certainly be arch." The first coy scene was like a spoof of a pretentious European art film. You just can't play this kind of seriousness without eliciting sniggers. Where's the irony? God, I need irony to dilute this sort of thing. Fortunately, after that, she settles down and becomes a sort of Muse, being basically whatever Ethan Hawke's character needs her to be. What a stunner she is. My favourite film of hers is I've Loved you so Long (2008). Try and see it if you can. But regarding The Woman in the Fifth, I won't say any more, in case you go to see it. I'm sure some people loved it. Actually one of my companions after dinner really liked it. I didn't.
Most Recommended for Pyschology Majors
Dark Horse (2011)
I'd have sworn I'd seen a Todd Solondz film before, but I guess I was just familiar with the name. I must have read it somewhere. I visited the TIFF Lightbox, Toronto's cinematheque. It's a fine location to see a film. The screening rooms are comfortable, with very low lighting during screenings and great seating and perfect temperatures. This was an afternoon show and there were only three other people there. Dark Horse is about a big, spoiled man-child with a deeply neurotic sense of entitlement. He takes injustice-collecting to incredible heights. He's awful and hysterical and he's brilliantly played by Jordan Gelber. His parents? Get this casting: Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken (the latter was the reason I decided to see the film). Selma Blair is the "girlfriend," and you'll know why I use the quotation marks if you decide to see the film. The first half was strong and funny. After that you get into some scenes where reality and fantasy or delusion intermingle and I didn't so much get lost as lose why certain delusions were occurring. And whose were they? I'm glad I saw it. It's definitely one for students of human nature.
Most Impressive yet Unarousing Male Bottoms
Magic Mike (2012)
Paige: "I was hoping this was all a joke."
(Cody Horn as Paige)
Believe it or not, I wasn't interested in this film. Male strippers, in this case played by some hot Hollywood bods, are so not my bag, baby. In the pictures I'd seen, the leads look like they were inflated by a bicycle pump. But, then I read that Steven Soderbergh had directed it, and I thought, hold it, this might be interesting... and so I went.
The plot is simple and predictable. I wouldn't want to know any of these people. They live ugly lives and spew ugly thoughts at each other. There is scarcely a moment of honesty, so busy are the men with posing on and off stage. At the end there seemed to come a sort of quasi redemption, but even that gets trampled on. Only to be watched if you need to see ripped men humping furniture and hysterical women. Oh, and you know what? You could just save the money and look for something similar on YouTube.
Friday, March 9, 2012
BPG Winter Movie Awards
Following up from last summer's movie awards...
Most Deliciously Perfect, With Most Impressive Live-Action Terrier
The Artist (2011)
"With pleasure." (Jean Dujardin as George Valentin)
I only saw this a week before the Oscars and thought maybe all the hype and awards and such would dampen the experience for me. Surely it couldn't live up to all the accolades? Reader, it surpassed them. This film is magic, moving enchantment. It couldn't have been made without Jean Dujardin, who is so perfectly cast as the dashing silent film star. If Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Clark Gable had had a child, it would be George Valentin. His eyebrows alone deserved awards. Bérénice Bejo as the female lead was lovely and loveable. The dog, Uggie, is an animal star as only a Jack Russell can be: incorrigible and irresistible. This film was funny, touching, tragic and elevating. If you love old movies, you have to see this homage to old Hollywood. As I left the theatre, I knew I'll own this on Bluray as soon as it's available. I won't say anything else as I don't want to ruin it for anyone! But by now you'll all know about the Oscar wins - hooray!
Most Hit and Miss, With Best Capture-Animation Terrier
The Adventures of TinTin (2011)
"Great snakes!" (Jamie Bell as the voice of TinTin)
I'm a TinTin nut. I have read and re-read all the books since childhood, and still do on occasion. A few weeks before the movie came out, I attended a talk given by Michael Farr, a TinTinologist on the inspirations behind the characters in the novel. All very interesting. The movie was not a let down nor a triumph in my opinion. After some wonderful opening credits featuring the 2D imagery I love so much, the motion-capture animation was very clever, but lacked heart. I think the problem is the eyes, which are, let's face it, surely the hardest thing to animate. But the original illustrations just used simple pen dots... fair enough as the 2D illustrations were exactly that. The motion-capture animation seems to seek to make as life-like an impression as possible. And at times it was breathtakingly so. But the eyes! The eyes didn't work, especially for Bianca Castafiore, whose sexy, limpid lids in the drawings were replaced by rather piggy little affairs. Her voice was wishy washy, except when she sang (Renée Fleming did the duties there - nice!) The other voices were very well done but the film lost me when Captain Haddock gave a weirdly out-of-character pep talk to TinTin. I suppose it's hard for a film directed at young people in this politically correct time to just accept that Haddock is a raging alcoholic who'd often as not rather stay home than go off on some hair-brained adventure with his young ace boy reporter friend. I'm not sure I'd bother with seeing a sequel. But Snowy was cute!
Most Emotionally Rollercoasting, featuring Best Performance by an Imaginary Planet
Melancholia (2011)
"I want the planet to get them!" (Blog Princess G)
Okay, I did whisper that to my companion half way through the second half of this movie, but I wasn't entirely serious. What I meant to express was that the characters were driving me nuts, but in a good way. This movie made me laugh, get angry, get sad and made me think. For that alone I am grateful. Ultimately I thought it was beautiful and haunting. I wasn't in the mood for a Lars von Trier film, but I was lured by the prospect of the Tristan und Isolde "Prelude" being used. It was, repeatedly. For those of you who don't know the premise, a planet named Melancholia appears to be heading for earth. Will it collide? Will life on earth end as we know it? Will Kirsten Dunst overcome her depression with the aid or hindrance of her various family members? I highly recommend this unusual film. This worked where Tree of Life didn't. Alex Ross didn't like it as he references the Bill Viola video in the Peter Sellars production of Tristan that we're getting here in Toronto next year. I can't wait.
Oh, and I don't usually talk during movies. In fact, this was the first, and last, time.
Most Abusive to Ornate Wooden Doors
Anonymous (2011)
"I'm perfect!" (Rafe Spall as William Shakespeare)
Yes, Shakespeare was. And I don't care who wrote the plays; they're all brilliant.
What an impressive cast list... and so much energy... and SUCH strong sets! I mean, none of those magnificent wooden doors could just be opened and walked through. Each door had to be flung open so that it crashed and banged, as the walker strode angrily or lustily or imperiously through it. The art direction was memorable. But the story was implausible and I fell asleep. Twice.
Most "Wow, is there anything Meryl Streep can't do?"
The Iron Lady (2011)
"It used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone." (Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher)
No, there's nothing she can't do. Meryl Streep is a goddess, a magician, a force of nature. The film itself was kind to Thatcher and didn't have any particular insights into anything. I have forgotten much of it already.
Most Almost Grrrrrreat, Alpha Male, Liam Neeson Glowerfest
The Grey (2011)
"We're going to get a large branch and sharpen the end of it, and we're going to shove it up this thing's ass. Then we're going to eat it." Liam Neeson as Ottway
** SPOILER ALERT**
After a terrifyingly well-filmed plane crash, Neeson leads a team of Arctic miners through a wolf-haunted frozen landscape, trying to reach civilization. Neeson means business. If I'm ever stuck in an Arctic survival situation I want Neeson with me. He's so big, a group of us could cut him open and crawl inside to keep warm. And he's so fierce, glowering across the frozen wasteland, daring fate/God to do him in. So far, so good. You have the makings of an excellent survival movie, on a par with Alive (1993, which the film references) or The Edge (1997). So what's with demonizing wolves? That got to me, it really did. It was unnecessary and annoying. And the end drove me crazy. Grrrrr.
Most Moving Family Drama
A Separation (2011)
"He does not know me but I know that he is my father." (Peyman Moadi as Nader)
I'll admit it: I didn't want to see this movie. When my friend called me up and suggested it, I was tired from work and vertigo, and I assumed this would be a politically charged, highly depressing experience. I wasn't in the mood. Well, I was persuaded and I'm grateful I was, and expressed this to him as we left the cinema. This isn't a political drama (not that there's anything wrong with that but there was something wrong with my assumption that it would be). It's a family drama... Leila wishes to leave Iran to give her daughter other opportunities in life. Her husband, Nader, wishes to remain in Iran to care for his father who is weakened by Alzheimer's. They separate and he hires a caregiver for his father. And there the drama unfolds. I won't say anything more. I just urge you to see it. And, if you care for this sort of thing, it won the Oscar last month for best foreign language film.
Most Deliciously Perfect, With Most Impressive Live-Action Terrier
The Artist (2011)
"With pleasure." (Jean Dujardin as George Valentin)
I only saw this a week before the Oscars and thought maybe all the hype and awards and such would dampen the experience for me. Surely it couldn't live up to all the accolades? Reader, it surpassed them. This film is magic, moving enchantment. It couldn't have been made without Jean Dujardin, who is so perfectly cast as the dashing silent film star. If Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Clark Gable had had a child, it would be George Valentin. His eyebrows alone deserved awards. Bérénice Bejo as the female lead was lovely and loveable. The dog, Uggie, is an animal star as only a Jack Russell can be: incorrigible and irresistible. This film was funny, touching, tragic and elevating. If you love old movies, you have to see this homage to old Hollywood. As I left the theatre, I knew I'll own this on Bluray as soon as it's available. I won't say anything else as I don't want to ruin it for anyone! But by now you'll all know about the Oscar wins - hooray!
Most Hit and Miss, With Best Capture-Animation Terrier
The Adventures of TinTin (2011)
"Great snakes!" (Jamie Bell as the voice of TinTin)
I'm a TinTin nut. I have read and re-read all the books since childhood, and still do on occasion. A few weeks before the movie came out, I attended a talk given by Michael Farr, a TinTinologist on the inspirations behind the characters in the novel. All very interesting. The movie was not a let down nor a triumph in my opinion. After some wonderful opening credits featuring the 2D imagery I love so much, the motion-capture animation was very clever, but lacked heart. I think the problem is the eyes, which are, let's face it, surely the hardest thing to animate. But the original illustrations just used simple pen dots... fair enough as the 2D illustrations were exactly that. The motion-capture animation seems to seek to make as life-like an impression as possible. And at times it was breathtakingly so. But the eyes! The eyes didn't work, especially for Bianca Castafiore, whose sexy, limpid lids in the drawings were replaced by rather piggy little affairs. Her voice was wishy washy, except when she sang (Renée Fleming did the duties there - nice!) The other voices were very well done but the film lost me when Captain Haddock gave a weirdly out-of-character pep talk to TinTin. I suppose it's hard for a film directed at young people in this politically correct time to just accept that Haddock is a raging alcoholic who'd often as not rather stay home than go off on some hair-brained adventure with his young ace boy reporter friend. I'm not sure I'd bother with seeing a sequel. But Snowy was cute!
Most Emotionally Rollercoasting, featuring Best Performance by an Imaginary Planet
Melancholia (2011)
"I want the planet to get them!" (Blog Princess G)
Okay, I did whisper that to my companion half way through the second half of this movie, but I wasn't entirely serious. What I meant to express was that the characters were driving me nuts, but in a good way. This movie made me laugh, get angry, get sad and made me think. For that alone I am grateful. Ultimately I thought it was beautiful and haunting. I wasn't in the mood for a Lars von Trier film, but I was lured by the prospect of the Tristan und Isolde "Prelude" being used. It was, repeatedly. For those of you who don't know the premise, a planet named Melancholia appears to be heading for earth. Will it collide? Will life on earth end as we know it? Will Kirsten Dunst overcome her depression with the aid or hindrance of her various family members? I highly recommend this unusual film. This worked where Tree of Life didn't. Alex Ross didn't like it as he references the Bill Viola video in the Peter Sellars production of Tristan that we're getting here in Toronto next year. I can't wait.
Oh, and I don't usually talk during movies. In fact, this was the first, and last, time.
Most Abusive to Ornate Wooden Doors
Anonymous (2011)
"I'm perfect!" (Rafe Spall as William Shakespeare)
Yes, Shakespeare was. And I don't care who wrote the plays; they're all brilliant.
What an impressive cast list... and so much energy... and SUCH strong sets! I mean, none of those magnificent wooden doors could just be opened and walked through. Each door had to be flung open so that it crashed and banged, as the walker strode angrily or lustily or imperiously through it. The art direction was memorable. But the story was implausible and I fell asleep. Twice.
Most "Wow, is there anything Meryl Streep can't do?"
The Iron Lady (2011)
"It used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone." (Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher)
No, there's nothing she can't do. Meryl Streep is a goddess, a magician, a force of nature. The film itself was kind to Thatcher and didn't have any particular insights into anything. I have forgotten much of it already.
Most Almost Grrrrrreat, Alpha Male, Liam Neeson Glowerfest
The Grey (2011)
"We're going to get a large branch and sharpen the end of it, and we're going to shove it up this thing's ass. Then we're going to eat it." Liam Neeson as Ottway
** SPOILER ALERT**
After a terrifyingly well-filmed plane crash, Neeson leads a team of Arctic miners through a wolf-haunted frozen landscape, trying to reach civilization. Neeson means business. If I'm ever stuck in an Arctic survival situation I want Neeson with me. He's so big, a group of us could cut him open and crawl inside to keep warm. And he's so fierce, glowering across the frozen wasteland, daring fate/God to do him in. So far, so good. You have the makings of an excellent survival movie, on a par with Alive (1993, which the film references) or The Edge (1997). So what's with demonizing wolves? That got to me, it really did. It was unnecessary and annoying. And the end drove me crazy. Grrrrr.
Most Moving Family Drama
A Separation (2011)
"He does not know me but I know that he is my father." (Peyman Moadi as Nader)
I'll admit it: I didn't want to see this movie. When my friend called me up and suggested it, I was tired from work and vertigo, and I assumed this would be a politically charged, highly depressing experience. I wasn't in the mood. Well, I was persuaded and I'm grateful I was, and expressed this to him as we left the cinema. This isn't a political drama (not that there's anything wrong with that but there was something wrong with my assumption that it would be). It's a family drama... Leila wishes to leave Iran to give her daughter other opportunities in life. Her husband, Nader, wishes to remain in Iran to care for his father who is weakened by Alzheimer's. They separate and he hires a caregiver for his father. And there the drama unfolds. I won't say anything more. I just urge you to see it. And, if you care for this sort of thing, it won the Oscar last month for best foreign language film.
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