oscar nominated short films--
good news: these standout works, in years past only publicly available in l.a. & nyc for the one week preceding the big ceremony, have opened Early and are now also (allegedly) available via itunes. i haven't been able to find them online, but maybe You can. here, a brief rundown on the two options available (as separate admission tickets) at theaters:
animated--
considerably more commercial crop than last year's, and better for it. extraordinarily deep competition warrants inclusion of highly commended (just shy of nomination) bonus few. familiar powerhouse names, like pixar, shine again.
deep: A-
live action--
not one within this dour quintet excites. quality filmmaking, to be sure, yet it feels more like governing board is out to represent international flavor than to showcase true elite. and why so short on Fun, y'all? we want Fun!
dour: C
and WOW! check This out: best picture showcase!
feb 21, day before the oscars, amc theatres will offer all five best picture nominees on select screens nationwide for only $30 (only $25 for moviewatcher members)--large bucket of popcorn included w/ free refills all day! plus you can come & go as you please. for all pertinent details go to:
http://www.amctheatres.com/promos/showcase/
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
noble undertaking
the class--
feels as much like a documentary as any fiction you'll see. story is, in fact, written by a teacher, who stars alongside many of his actual colleagues and former students. scenes are, in effect, recreations of situations familiar to them all. notably unfamiliar to all of us, however (unless you're an instructor of teens in city as massive & multinational as paris), is just how monstrous are the challenges--and how few and bittersweet the rewards--within such a setting. winner of top prize at cannes festival 2008, and worthy nominee for best foreign language film at this month's oscars.
bittersweet: B+
feels as much like a documentary as any fiction you'll see. story is, in fact, written by a teacher, who stars alongside many of his actual colleagues and former students. scenes are, in effect, recreations of situations familiar to them all. notably unfamiliar to all of us, however (unless you're an instructor of teens in city as massive & multinational as paris), is just how monstrous are the challenges--and how few and bittersweet the rewards--within such a setting. winner of top prize at cannes festival 2008, and worthy nominee for best foreign language film at this month's oscars.
bittersweet: B+
Monday, February 2, 2009
site move in time for oscars
you may (or may not) have noticed that i've offered up very little writing here in the new year. naturally, there are not many new releases out in pre-awards season that float my boat--very few, at least, that i've not already seen.
also playing a significant factor is my impending move to another blog site--one that filters through a privatized domain. official announcement soon to come; do be on the lookout.
and in the meantime, get your ass out to see all of the nominated films (oscars, independent spirit awards, razzies). you've got less than three weeks.
also playing a significant factor is my impending move to another blog site--one that filters through a privatized domain. official announcement soon to come; do be on the lookout.
and in the meantime, get your ass out to see all of the nominated films (oscars, independent spirit awards, razzies). you've got less than three weeks.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
oscar nom eve
less than 12hrs from now the nominations for the 2009 academy awards will be read live here in los angeles. very exciting day for the town. now, i'm not getting my ass out of bed to See or Hear the noms read live--i'll simply pore over the list online as so many millions will upon rising--however, let my appreciation for sleep fool thee not: i am Full with anticipation.
and this is Not a great year for movies. again. certainly not as good as last year. a few real gems within the heap of mediocrity. i don't expect there will be a lot of surprises in the nominations, either. maybe two or three in the major categories. yet let my confidence in the surety of the early returns fool thee not: i am anxiously awaiting Official word.
yes, a thrilling morning awaits us--one that is to be followed by an entire Month of speculation, congratulations, and of course anxiety. and i'll be one of the many thousands in this magical town who's swimming in it all and counting down the days (and counting down the daze...). feb22 is the date to save. i'm Excited.
10hrs, 25min, and....
and this is Not a great year for movies. again. certainly not as good as last year. a few real gems within the heap of mediocrity. i don't expect there will be a lot of surprises in the nominations, either. maybe two or three in the major categories. yet let my confidence in the surety of the early returns fool thee not: i am anxiously awaiting Official word.
yes, a thrilling morning awaits us--one that is to be followed by an entire Month of speculation, congratulations, and of course anxiety. and i'll be one of the many thousands in this magical town who's swimming in it all and counting down the days (and counting down the daze...). feb22 is the date to save. i'm Excited.
10hrs, 25min, and....
Sunday, January 11, 2009
visions of war
amended 1/14:
decided to try letter grades in 2009 instead of star ratings. with this change you can expect a more accurate reflection of my assessment of each film. i welcome your comments.
waltz with bashir--
one of the boldest, most creative films in years in any genre. this decorated documentary's also collecting distinction in foreign, animated, screenplay, and mixed media categories. brilliantly explores the universal power & mystery of memory while translating traumatic personal experience into silver screen magic. art direction and original score are also stellar, and the back-to-reality ending devastating.
magic: A
defiance--
producer edward zwick has an impressive track record with history pics--painstakingingly dissecting fascinating actual events, reshaping meaningful moments into digestible hollywood morsels. this here, however, amounts to nothing more than captivating true story filled with tired war cliches. dramatic scenes consistently feel stagey. the score is thrilling, and daniel craig is fun to watch--a natural leader. accents, although not egregious, are not so natural. if choosing between WWII pics, go see valkyrie instead.
stagey: C
decided to try letter grades in 2009 instead of star ratings. with this change you can expect a more accurate reflection of my assessment of each film. i welcome your comments.
waltz with bashir--
one of the boldest, most creative films in years in any genre. this decorated documentary's also collecting distinction in foreign, animated, screenplay, and mixed media categories. brilliantly explores the universal power & mystery of memory while translating traumatic personal experience into silver screen magic. art direction and original score are also stellar, and the back-to-reality ending devastating.
magic: A
defiance--
producer edward zwick has an impressive track record with history pics--painstakingingly dissecting fascinating actual events, reshaping meaningful moments into digestible hollywood morsels. this here, however, amounts to nothing more than captivating true story filled with tired war cliches. dramatic scenes consistently feel stagey. the score is thrilling, and daniel craig is fun to watch--a natural leader. accents, although not egregious, are not so natural. if choosing between WWII pics, go see valkyrie instead.
stagey: C
Monday, January 5, 2009
best of 2008?
talking with friends over the past month or so, i became convinced that creating a Favorites list would be a cool thing to do. it would give Me a much-needed chance to reflect on the year in film, and revisit the lot before awards season, while providing you readers an easy opportunity to peruse by category the pick of the proverbial litter, plus a few stinkers.
so here it is!
now a reminder, or what you might even call a bit of a disclaimer: films listed are not what i'm labeling the Best of '08. no, instead, they are my Favorites--the ones that got me, grabbed me, touched me, moved me.... my favorite performances, on the other hand, simply Are the year's best. (take it to the bank.)
there is no preset number of listees, just a record of what really Worked. and i've picked some memorable "genres" to which i feel you're likely to favorably respond.
for a full breakdown of the Best, be sure to check back here for my oscar preview around the beginning of february. i'll give full-blown analysis of every nomination in every category, and offer my take on both who will win and who should win.
(click or copy/paste link below to see last year's predictions.)
http://insiderfilmreview.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html
standouts by category:
action--
the bank job [yep, the Only one i Really liked all year; but Man, is it good!]
animated--
wall-e
kung fu panda
horror/terror--
the orphanage
the strangers
comedy--
tropic thunder
role models
baby mama
superhero--
the dark knight
iron man
vampire flick--
let the right one in
twilight
how i saw 'em:
others with 4 or 5 star rating (highly recommended)--
milk
the fall
frost/nixon
seven pounds
man on wire
the curious case of benjamin button
the edge of heaven
the wrestler
slumdog millionaire
elegy
changeling
happy-go-lucky
vicky cristina barcelona
the visitor
snow angels
least favorite films of the year--
10,000 bc
in bruges
the happening
madagascar 2
standout performances:
actress--
anne hathaway (rachel getting married)
sally hawkins (happy-go-lucky)
angelina jolie (changeling)
melissa leo (frozen river)
actor--
richard jenkins (the visitor)
frank langella (frost/nixon)
sean penn (milk)
mickey rourke (the wrestler)
brad pitt (the curious case of benjamin button)
supporting actress--
emma thompson (brideshead revisited)
rosemarie dewitt (rachel getting married)
taraji p. henson (the curious case of benjamin button)
penelope cruz (vicky cristina barcelona)
viola davis (doubt)
supporting actor--
heath ledger (the dark knight)
robert downey jr. (tropic thunder)
ralph fiennes (the duchess)
eddie marsan (happy-go-lucky)
josh brolin (milk)
michael shannon (revolutionary road)
michael sheen (frost/nixon)
wow, i really hope i didn't Forget anything. if i Did, i'll make a note of it in my next post.
later this week i'll be reviewing several new releases--the first batch from the 2009 crop.
so here it is!
now a reminder, or what you might even call a bit of a disclaimer: films listed are not what i'm labeling the Best of '08. no, instead, they are my Favorites--the ones that got me, grabbed me, touched me, moved me.... my favorite performances, on the other hand, simply Are the year's best. (take it to the bank.)
there is no preset number of listees, just a record of what really Worked. and i've picked some memorable "genres" to which i feel you're likely to favorably respond.
for a full breakdown of the Best, be sure to check back here for my oscar preview around the beginning of february. i'll give full-blown analysis of every nomination in every category, and offer my take on both who will win and who should win.
(click or copy/paste link below to see last year's predictions.)
http://insiderfilmreview.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html
standouts by category:
action--
the bank job [yep, the Only one i Really liked all year; but Man, is it good!]
animated--
wall-e
kung fu panda
horror/terror--
the orphanage
the strangers
comedy--
tropic thunder
role models
baby mama
superhero--
the dark knight
iron man
vampire flick--
let the right one in
twilight
how i saw 'em:
others with 4 or 5 star rating (highly recommended)--
milk
the fall
frost/nixon
seven pounds
man on wire
the curious case of benjamin button
the edge of heaven
the wrestler
slumdog millionaire
elegy
changeling
happy-go-lucky
vicky cristina barcelona
the visitor
snow angels
least favorite films of the year--
10,000 bc
in bruges
the happening
madagascar 2
standout performances:
actress--
anne hathaway (rachel getting married)
sally hawkins (happy-go-lucky)
angelina jolie (changeling)
melissa leo (frozen river)
actor--
richard jenkins (the visitor)
frank langella (frost/nixon)
sean penn (milk)
mickey rourke (the wrestler)
brad pitt (the curious case of benjamin button)
supporting actress--
emma thompson (brideshead revisited)
rosemarie dewitt (rachel getting married)
taraji p. henson (the curious case of benjamin button)
penelope cruz (vicky cristina barcelona)
viola davis (doubt)
supporting actor--
heath ledger (the dark knight)
robert downey jr. (tropic thunder)
ralph fiennes (the duchess)
eddie marsan (happy-go-lucky)
josh brolin (milk)
michael shannon (revolutionary road)
michael sheen (frost/nixon)
wow, i really hope i didn't Forget anything. if i Did, i'll make a note of it in my next post.
later this week i'll be reviewing several new releases--the first batch from the 2009 crop.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
what star power can (& should) do
the curious case of benjamin button--
rather like a less whimsical forrest gump in that it ties protagonist to decades' worth of historical events. even has its own magical through-line, a la floating white feather, in spectral hummingbird. at heart of things, an elegant love story. from production standpoint, money well spent in every department; absolutely breathes Quality. likely to garner most oscar nominations and must be considered best picture front-runner. should earn brad pitt his first nod for lead actor, as well.
Quality: 5 stars
valkyrie--
despite early pre-production struggles and measure of questionable buzz, tom cruise & co. do pull pic off with aplomb. credit bryan singer & christopher mcquarrie (director and writer, respectively, of the usual suspects) with vision. they spin fact-based nazi struggle for internal power into noble crusade. it is fascinating tale, one deserving of big budget treatment. assemblage of international talent--top german-language actors from award-winning films like the lives of others, black book, and downfall, plus cream of brit crop--enables formidable ensemble.
aplomb: 3 stars
* the edge of heaven (BONUS dvd review)--
winner of 18(!)--thus far--major international festival awards, including screenplay distinction, cannes 2007. frequently compared to critical darling babel, Much better at connecting the dots. authentic, gritty performances by talented multi-national cast. establishes writer/director fatih akin as one to watch on world cinema scene.
gritty: 4 stars
rather like a less whimsical forrest gump in that it ties protagonist to decades' worth of historical events. even has its own magical through-line, a la floating white feather, in spectral hummingbird. at heart of things, an elegant love story. from production standpoint, money well spent in every department; absolutely breathes Quality. likely to garner most oscar nominations and must be considered best picture front-runner. should earn brad pitt his first nod for lead actor, as well.
Quality: 5 stars
valkyrie--
despite early pre-production struggles and measure of questionable buzz, tom cruise & co. do pull pic off with aplomb. credit bryan singer & christopher mcquarrie (director and writer, respectively, of the usual suspects) with vision. they spin fact-based nazi struggle for internal power into noble crusade. it is fascinating tale, one deserving of big budget treatment. assemblage of international talent--top german-language actors from award-winning films like the lives of others, black book, and downfall, plus cream of brit crop--enables formidable ensemble.
aplomb: 3 stars
* the edge of heaven (BONUS dvd review)--
winner of 18(!)--thus far--major international festival awards, including screenplay distinction, cannes 2007. frequently compared to critical darling babel, Much better at connecting the dots. authentic, gritty performances by talented multi-national cast. establishes writer/director fatih akin as one to watch on world cinema scene.
gritty: 4 stars
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