March 9th, 2010
Review:
John Wayne (at 41) played a 60-year old Cavalry Captain about to retire immediately after General Custer’s now infamous defeat. The American West seems threatened by the Natives and the Cavalry desperately tries to keep it safe for the civilians in this story which is incredibly boring and mainly consists of people riding around. Add to that a completely inappropriate comedic bar fight, a highly unrealistic climatic scene and annoyingly patriotic overtones delivered in the voice-over narration and you might end up with a bad film. But actually, the film is quite good, saved by the beautiful scenery shot in colour, that serves as perfect background for the musings about a man who has none nothing but the military retiring. Add some aspects of the integration of the Confederacy back into the Union and you actually get a pretty good film - if you can look past the hours spent just riding around.
Random Observations:
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon at the IMDb
Second part of John Ford’s Cavalry trilogy, following Fort Apache.
The film also has a romantic subplot, which doesn’t really add anything to the story, but gives Wayne another chance to shine as the wise and good old guy who the other soldiers look up to.
Tags: 1949, American Film, Arthur Shields, Ben Johnson, Chief John Big Tree, Chief Sky Eagle, english, Fort Apache, Frank S. Nugent, Fred Graham, George O'Brien, Harry Carey Jr., James Warner Bellah, Joanne Dru, John Agar, John Ford, John Wayne, Laurence Stallings, Michael Dugan, Mildred Natwick, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Noble Johnson, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Tom Tyler, Victor McLaglen, Western
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March 6th, 2010
Award Season is Crazy Season. If you follow these things at all, you have been bombarded by information about the superiority of one film above another for months now. If you blissfully ignore all that stuff, you might even not have heard that a producer on The Hurt Locker is in trouble for trying to convince Academy voters to vote for his film instead of Avatar. His crime: sending an e-mail to his friends. Yes, things are crazy. So it is a good thing that with the Oscar telecast on Sunday, Award Season will be over. Until May or so, when the first discussions for next year’s favourites and winners will begin once more.
But before the Oscars, the most important of all the meaningless awards, are handed out on Sunday, it is time for my annual Oscar predictions. Last year, I picked 19 of the 24 winners. This year, let’s try to improve on that. But unlike last year, this year I actually feel like I am entitled to my own opinion, having seen 20 of the 58 animated films, 18 of the 38 feature films, and actually having seen all nominated films in three categories. So not only will I now predict the Oscar winners as promised, I will also tell you who should win. (Yes, my opinion constitutes objective truth in these matters.) The following list is ordered rather randomly and incomplete, an alphabetical and complete breakdown of all categories and predictions follows at the end.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2009, 2010, A Matter of Loaf and Death, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Aardman Animations, Ajami, Alessandro Camon, An Education, Anastasia Masaro, Anna Kendrick, Armando Iannucci, Avatar, award season, Bob Peterson, Carey Mulligan, Caroline Smith, Christoph Waltz, Christopher Plummer, Coen Brothers, Colin Firth, Coraline, Crazy Heart, Das Weisse Band, Dave Warren, Disney, District 9, El Secreto de Sus Ojos, english, Ethan Coen, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Faubourg 36, Gabourey Sidibe, Geoffrey Fletcher, George Clooney, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Helen Mirren, Henry Selick, In the Loop, Inglourious Basterds, Instead of Abracadabra, Invictus, James Cameron, Jason Reitman, Jeff Bridges, Jeremy Renner, Jesse Armstrong, Joel Coen, Kathry Bigelow, La teta asustade, Lee Daniels, Logorama, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marion Cotillard, Mark Boal, Matt Damon, Mauro Fiore, Meryl Streep, Mo'Nique, Morgan Freeman, Movies, Neill Blomkamp, Nick Hornby, Nine, Oren Moverman, Oscar, Paris 36, Penélope Cruz, Pete Doctor, Pixar, Precious, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, Quentin Tarantino, Quention Tarantino, Randy Newman, Sandra Bullock, Sheldon Turner, Sherlock Holmes, Simon Blackwell, Stanley Tucci, Star Trek, T-Bone Burnett, Terri Tatchell, The Blind Side, The Door, The Hurt Locker, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The Messenger, The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells, The White Ribbon, Tom McCarthy, Tony Roche, Un Prophète, Up, Up in the Air, Vera Farmiga, Wallace & Gromit, Wes Anderson, Woody Harrelson
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March 4th, 2010
Review:
An alcoholic former Country star, now reduced to living in squalor and playing in bowling alleys, reconsiders his life when he meets a young journalist and falls for her. The story of the film is fairly trite and unoriginal, and the direction by débutante Scott Cooper is lacking in many ways, but the film is nevertheless made bearable by decent actors who take their caricatured characters to a better place than they belong, and some truly great Country music.
Random Observations:
Crazy Heart at the IMDb
The film is nominated for three Oscars. Best Actor for Jeff Bridges (okay, par for the course for him), Best Supporting Actress for Maggie Gyllenhaal (not okay, she is far below her usual standards here) and Best Original Song, The Weary Kind, which is all kinds of awesome.
This concludes my pre-Oscar Oscar-nominated film-watching. I have now seen 20 of 58 nominated films or 18 of 38 if you don’t count the shorts and documentaries, which nobody does any way. Tomorrow: my big Oscar piece with winner predictions, including the ever popular “Who should win” aspect, and Sunday the Awards show.
I actually really like Colin Farrell’s performance as the young pretty-boy country music superstar.
In sharp contrast to the cast of Nine, the actors in this film can actually sing.
Tags: 2009, American Film, Beth Grant, book adaptation, Colin Farrell, Crazy Heart, Drama, english, Jack Nation, Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, music film, Nine, Paul Herman, Rick Dial, Robert Duvall, romance, Ryan Bingham, Scott Cooper, T-Bone Burnett, Thomas Cobb, Tom Bower
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March 3rd, 2010
Review:
A new commanding officer is sent to Fort Apache, which he sees as a demotion, and subsequently exasperates the other people there by his text-book approach that is not really helpful in dealing with the Apaches. This classic John Ford film spends most of its running time examining life on such a remote outpost of the US military, which is unusual, but after a while becomes quite boring. Apart from that, the story is a thinly disguised take on General Custer’s life with some great scenes and a great lead in Henry Fonda. If only the film wouldn’t drag throughout, it would be really great.
Random Observations:
Fort Apache at the IMDb
First instalment in John Ford unofficial Calvary Trilogy. The other two films will be reviewed by this publication in the near future.
The film is part of a (British) “John Wayne directed by John Ford” boxset, but it’s really a Henry Fonda film.
Considering the film was made in 1948, it is surprisingly realistic in its depiction of who was to blame for the trouble between the Native Americans and conquering Whites.
Feature film debut of John Agar! You have never heard of John Agar? Well, neither have I. But he was married to co-star Shirley Temple at the time, so clearly his star was on the rise.
Tags: 1948, American Film, Anna Lee, based on previously published material, Dick Foran, english, Fort Apache, Frank S. Nugent, George O'Brien, Grant Withers, Guy Kibbee, Hank Worden, Henry Fonda, Irene Rich, Jack Pennick, James Warner Bellah, John Agar, John Ford, John Wayne, Mae Marsh, Mary Gordon, Massacre, Miguel Inclán, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Movita, Pedro Armendáriz, Philip Kieffer, Ray Hyke, Shirley Temple, Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond, Western
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March 3rd, 2010
Review:
In 1960s Italy, a master director tries to recover from two flops, but while everyone is set for his new film, he hasn’t yet written a single word for the script. He examines his decay while being influenced by the seven women who have shaped his life. The best that can be said about the film, based on the Broadway musical, which in turn is based on an Italian musical, which in turn is based on Federico Fellini’s Film 8½, is that it is not as terrible as most reviews make it out to be. It’s a decent enough musical that suffers from an absence of plot and an array of characters that remain bland, which is especially surprising when one considers the acting talent involved.
Random Observations:
Nine at the IMDb
Nominated for three Oscars, for Costumes, Art Direction and Penelope Cruz as Best Supporting Actress, which is surprising, considering that the only actress with even a half-way decent performance is Marion Cotillard.
I really, really hate it when people playing foreigners in a film fake their accents. It’s one thing for the Italian to have Italian accents when they speak English, but since all of the dialogue in the film is really in Italian and just translated to English so the viewers can understand it, there is no reason for the fake accents. But that’s not even the worst here. Most accents disappear and reappear throughout the film, most notably Daniel Day-Lewis’, where it is so distracting that his performance apart from this is barely noticeable.
Also annoying: inserting random Italian words into the English dialogue to “add flavour”. Grazie and Prego do not make the film more Italian than Thank You or Please.
Fittingly, the musical number with the title “Nine” that could have actually shed some light on why the film is called that, was cut from the movie version.
Tags: 2009, 8½, American Film, Anthony Minghella, Arthur Kopit, based on previously published material, based on stage musical, Daniel Day-Lewis, Drama, english, Federico Fellini, Fergie, Giuseppe Spitaleri, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, Maury Yeston, Michael Tolkin, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, musical, Nicole Kidman, Nine, Oscar, Penélope Cruz, Ricky Tognazzi, Rob Marshall, Sophia Loren, Stacy Ferguson
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March 3rd, 2010
Review:
A Federal Marshall sent to an insane asylum on an island in Boston harbour to investigate the disappearance of one of the patients struggles with his own sanity and past as he tries to uncover a big conspiracy. The film is pretty standard thriller fare, including the usual twist near the ending and wouldn’t be the least bit noteworthy if not for the great direction by legend Martin Scorsese and the great acting throughout the film. The ending might seem a bit of a let-down (without spoiling it for those who still want to see the film), but the last line almost makes up for that. Nothing great here, but solid entertainment, much like Scorsese’s Oscar winning last feature film “The Departed“, just not as good.
Random Observations:
Shutter Island at the IMDb
Second film this year where I missed the first few minutes. I really have to work on my timing when going to the cinema. It is very hard to become fully engulfed in a story when you are constantly wondering whether you missed anything important.
Once more Leonard DiCaprio stars for Scorsese. How many times does that make?
The film has an absolutely incredible cast, with great actors like Jackie Earle Haley or Elias Koteas in small, third-tier roles. The cast also includes Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams and Emily Mortimer.
Tags: 2010, American Film, Ben Kingsley, book adaptation, Dennis Lehane, Drama, Elias Koteas, Emily Mortimer, english, Jackie Earle Haley, John Carroll Lynch, Laeta Kalogridis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Martin Scorsese, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Patricia Clarkson, Shutter Island, Ted Levine, The Departed, Thriller
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March 2nd, 2010
Review:
John Wayne and Robert Mitchum are two old gunmen in the old West that get involved in the conflict between two ranchers. But the plot is only an excuse for these two characters to shine and shine they do. The story is silly, but both actors and young addition James Caan make the film worthwhile with performances that perfectly marry the tough guy mentality they are known for with a good dose of humour, creating a very entertaining film that is often outrageously funny.
Random Observations:
El Dorado at the IMDb
Of Mitchum and Wayne, Mitchum really was the far more versatile actor. One could go so far as to call him superior in almost every regard.
The screenplay was written by Leigh Brackett, who possibly had the most interesting writer’s career of all time, starting with The Big Sleep and ending with The Empire Strikes Back (she died during pre-production and Lawrence Kasdan finished the script).
Tags: 1966, Adam Roarke, American Film, Arthur Hunnicutt, book adaptation, Charlene Holt, Christopher George, Edward Asner, El Dorado, english, Harry Brown, Howard Hawks, James Caan, Jim Davis, John Gabriel, John Wayne, Johnny Crawford, Leigh Brackett, Marina Ghane, Michele Carey, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Paul Fix, R.G. Armstrong, Robert Donner, Robert Mitchum, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strike Back, The Big Sleep, The Empire Strikes Back, Victoria George, Western
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March 2nd, 2010
Review:
Seventeen-year-old Justin still sucks him thumb, something which his father and amateur psychiatrist dentist want him to stop. The film, supposedly a mixture between comedy and drama, deals with the replacement addictions he develops in order to stop, while also telling the story of his coming-of-age. Based on a Walter Kirn (who also wrote the source book for Up in the Air) novel, the film is neither very dramatic nor very comedic, but in fact rather bland. The only saving grace is the cast, who make the characters come to life, especially Lou Taylor Pucci in his debut performance as Justin.
Random Observations:
Thumbsucker at the IMDb
The film has actually some nice moments and the ending fits surprisingly well to the story, but that is not enough to make the story engaging in any way.
This is the quintessential Sundance film, a quirky drama-comedy that deals with everyday issues in an unexpected way. Having seen some of the films that Sundance glorified in the last years, I think it is time for the jury to change direction.
Tags: 2005, American Film, Benjamin Bratt, book adaptation, Chase Offerle, Comedy, Drama, english, Keanu Reeves, Kelli Garner, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mike Mills, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Thumbsucker, Tilda Swinton, Up in the Air, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Walter Kirn
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March 1st, 2010
Review:
A US Army bomb squad in Iraq loses its leader and his replacement turns out to be less concerned with rules and safety and more with the adrenalin rush of disarming bombs. The film follows their and especially his story in 2004 Iraq in a combination of action thriller and character study. Both parts are not perfect, but the combination is intriguing, with many suspenseful scenes as well as some interesting insights into the human psyche. Sadly, the film is less of a coherent story and more of a series of anecdotes, thus preventing any real connection with the protagonists and their situation.
Random Observations:
The Hurt Locker at the IMDb
Seventh of the ten Best Picture Oscar nominees I have seen and so far the only one who even remotely deserves that award.
The film has been criticized much both for its lack in realism (apparently, there are numerous mistakes in clothing, equipment and bomb disarming technique) and for it’s stand on the Iraq War (or as I like to call it: Vietnam II). Both criticisms completely miss the point: the depiction of war as hell (at least for most soldiers) is realistic even if they have the wrong guns and the film does not take a stand on the justification of the war at all.
Tags: 2008, action movie, American Film, Anthony Mackie, Barrie Rice, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Christopher Sayegh, David Morse, Drama, english, Evangeline Lilly, Feisal Sadoun, Guy Pearce, Jeremy Renner, Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Nabil Koni, Oscar, Ralph Fiennes, Sam Redford, Sam Spruell, Suhail Al-Dabbach, The Hurt Locker, Thriller, war movie
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March 1st, 2010
Review:
Struggling Hollywood Joe Gillis screenwriter hides his repossessed car in the garage of an abandoned looking mansion, only to find it is the home of former silent film screen star Norma Desmond. Unknowingly aided by her butler, she still maintains that she is the greatest star of them all and Gillis is only to happy to play along when he is invited to help polish the script she wrote for her return to the spotlight. Billy Wilder’s film from 1950 is probably the greatest film about Hollywood ever made, taking an unflinching look at the reality behind the façade of the entertainment industry. Painfully honest, the film features great performances, be they by real silent film star and since long forgotten Gloria Swanson in the lead role or Cecil B. DeMille as the director she places her hopes in. The film, in beautiful black and white (and a great restoration to boot!) is painful yet hopeful in its realistic depiction of Hollywood, but also works as a character study on the nature of fame and self-delusion as well as ageing in general.
Random Observations:
Sunset Blvd. at the IMDb
The saddest scene in the film for me was the bridge game with other former greats like Buster Keaton or H.B. Warner.
The film pushed many boundaries when it was first released, both in terms of the Hayes Code (aka the Production Code) and due to its unprecedented deconstruction of the Hollywood myth.
The film is also often sold as Sunset Boulevard, but the abbreviated Blvd. is the official title, as seen in the opening titles, where it is fittingly shown written in the gutter.
The final scene is also quite devastating. And contains the unforgettable last line “All right, Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
Tags: 1950, American Film, Anna Q. Nilsson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, Cecil B. DeMille, Charles Brackett, Charles Dayton, D.M. Marshman Jr., Drama, english, Erich von Stroheim, Franklyn Farnum, Fred Clark, Gloria Swanson, H.B. Warner, Hedda Hopper, Jack Webb, Jay Livingston, Larry J. Blake, Lloyd Gough, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Nancy Olson, Ray Evans, Sunset Blvd., Sunset Boulevard, William Holden
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