"The life I want - there's no shortcut." : An Education.

Pictured (from left to right): Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan.

The year is 1961 and Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a 16-year-old English schoolgirl, is feeling anxious about her future. She is an A student (except in Latin) and a gifted cellist. Her father (Alfred Molina) is determined to see her off to Oxford in the fall where she intends to “read English.” However, Jenny imagines a life for herself more satisfying than that of her teachers and other adult role models. Enter David (Peter Sarsgaard), a suave 30-something playboy ready to sweep her off her feet to Paris and anywhere else he and his sophisticated comrades Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike) care to go.

An Education is sharply written and superbly acted with delicate direction from Lone Sherfig. It examines the options of a young woman in the early 1960s with a fresh perspective. Most often in film and television we see women of the 1960s in adulthood having either gone to college or not and reflecting on that choice with regret or gratitude to their younger self. In this film, we are watching that younger self choose between what she sees as a dead-end (college education) and a life of fun and excitement (being with David).

Her views on both options shift throughout the story, after all, Jenny is an intelligent girl and despite her self-professed self-awareness, knows that the others around her speaking caution are doing so with good reason. She sees the extremes before her: the teacher, Ms. Stubbs (Olivia Williams) who wants to help her, and Helen, leading the jet-setting life Jenny dreams of but with little to no worldly knowledge. When trying to salvage her academic prospects Jenny tells the Headmistress (Emma Thompson), “I suppose you think I’m a ruined woman,” to which Thompson coldly, yet aptly responds, “You’re not a woman.” I have many more thoughts on this, but I’m making a point to avoid too many spoilers in my reviews, so I shan’t discuss the plot any further.

Carey Mulligan is a revelation. I recall seeing her in Pride & Prejudice in 2005 as Kitty Bennet, who didn’t so much speak as giggle uncontrollably. However, her work on the television show Dr. Who and onstage in The Seagull (in which she costarred alongside Sarsgaard), earned her attention in the performing world. Now she is being primed for Oscar glory, and it is no mystery why. Most critics are likening her to the young Audrey Hepburn, an appropriate comparison. She carries herself with a sensibility that speaks to an old soul but maintains that utterly endearing quality of a youth discovering life for the first time.

The supporting players are on par. Sarsgaard is wonderfully charming, we fall in love with him as quickly as Jenny does and understand exactly why. Cooper and Pike are engaging as his prim yet hedonistic pals. As the voice of reason, Olivia Williams allows Ms. Stubbs to come across to the audience and to Jenny as someone who wants to help, not someone intent on trapping her in a seemingly dull and rigid future, as portrayed by Emma Thompson and Alfred Molina’s characters. Sally Hawkins of last year’s comedy Happy-Go-Lucky, though her screen time is no more than a full minute, gives her character (whose identity is too crucial a plot point to reveal) all the baggage one would expect this individual to have.

An Education is a real treat. It’s intelligent, humorous, and overall very intellectually and emotionally stimulating to watch. When I finally get around to making my Best of the Year list (which will happen once I see Broken Embraces, Up in the Air, and Avatar), I guarantee this will be on it.

"You're too busy inventing your own life." : Nine.

Pictured (from left to right): Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Stacey "Fergie" Ferguson, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, (opposite) Daniel Day-Lewis.


Rob Marshall should thank whatever gods of cinema blessed him when it came time to cast his musical Nine, based on the stage production of the same name, inspired by Fellini’s autobiographical 1963 film 8 ½. It’s difficult to think of a group of actors quite as gilded in Oscar gold as this. Indeed that was what attracted me to the film in the first place. What could possibly be bad about a film containing my favorite actor starring opposite some of my absolute favorite actresses? Quite a bit, as it turned out.

The production numbers were superbly choreographed and meaningfully directed and overall very well-sung, all things considered. Each actress is given her share of the spotlight and numbers that do their characters and their talents justice (Nicole Kidman being a minor exception, her one song, “Unusual Way” is upsettingly minimalist in production). The acting was great on all counts (not surprising) and the look of the entire piece was extremely visually engaging. However, good acting and clever musical performances are not enough to cover up a deeply flawed plotline in which none of the characters, not even its lead, are properly fleshed out.

I admit, I fell under its trance as any enthusiastic audience member would, however, that same audience member, if they have a knowledge of the work of the actresses in this film, would realize that they are all playing characters they have done before. Penelope Cruz, whom I adore not only in this film but in most of her other work, is simply reprising her role as Maria Elena of last year’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She’s just as funny and just as deserving of the nominations she has been getting and will probably continue to get, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. The same can be said of Nicole Kidman, who, in her brief appearance, once again is Satine of 2001’s Moulin Rouge as the used muse. Judi Dench is, well…Judi Dench, but to be fair, nobody does it better.

The only two in the movie who move past their comfort zones (and barely so) are Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard (both of whom won their best lead Oscars in 2008, funnily enough). Day-Lewis is captivating as ever, and while he does not reach the level of There Will be Blood, he reminds us that he is arguably the best actor currently working. Cotillard is divine as his troubled wife Luisa. Her two numbers are sung with a passion none of the other actresses are really given a chance to convey, but nonetheless, she is certainly not losing steam after her astonishing turn in La Vie en Rose. With Nine and Public Enemies, she proves that she can stand out even in movies that are not meant to necessarily showcase her. If you see this film for any reason, let it be for her performance.

With a cast as amazing as this (kudos to Fergie especially, who could out-sing those Oscar winners any day of the week), Marshall owed it to these women and to himself to give them roles that would challenge them and allow them to prove why they impressed us in the first place. Actresses with this much ability should be given material worthy of it, and quite simply they are not.

That aside, the plot itself has its missteps. The entire story centers on the existential crisis within Guido Contini, however, we are given such little insight into his past that he comes off far less sympathetic than was probably intended (no fault of Day-Lewis’s either, he did the best he could). We are forced to chalk up his frustration and “my life is falling apart” mentality to a bad case of writer’s block, with vague hints at a tormented childhood thanks to imagined conversations between Contini and the ghost of his mother (an incandescent Sophia Loren). At one point the film tries to bring in some sort of battle with his religious conscience, but ultimately just kind of gives up on it.

Nine is not a flop, the acting is great, despite its sense of déjà vu. Marshall puts his choreography roots on fantastic display and reminds us what a true artist he actually is when it comes to spectacle. The flaws match the positives, but do not outweigh them. Essentially, I liked Nine as much as I disliked it.

"Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France..."

Pictured (left to right): Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Omar Doom, Daniel Bruhl, Quentin Tarantino, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Brad Pitt.


I feel like every review I give on this blog begins or at some point involves the phrase “When I first saw the trailer for…” and I apologize for how repetitive that is getting, but in all fairness, lately I have been seeing many films that have truly stumped my immediate impressions of them based on their previews. Case in point: Inglourious Basterds.

When I first heard about this film, I wasn’t really sure what to think of it. At first I thought it looked ridiculous and downright stupid. Obviously it was never pretending to be historically accurate, and perhaps at first the history nerd in me was offended by that, but there was a short time in which I did find it intriguing. Yet for whatever reason, I never managed to get to a theater to see it. Thankfully my current place of residence has a projector and decent-sized viewing surface so the big-screen experience was not entirely lost when it came time to watch it on DVD.

Quite frankly, I love everything about this film. My only genuine gripe with it is a glaring continuity error in an earlier scene, in which one frame dispalys a head getting smashed by a bat, when moments later, the head is clearly intact. Literally, that is the only disparaging remark I can make on the entire movie.

I’ve always been wary of Quentin Tarantino as I’m not a huge fan of violence and gore (of which there is a surprisingly minimal amount in Basterds). I certainly appreciate his extensive knowledge of cinema, which is put on wonderful display throughout this, but I cannot help but slightly judge a man who has named “Observe & Report” as one of his favorites of the year. That aside, Basterds is one of his greatest achievements.

The precision of the dialogue is razor sharp, making it easy to believe that Tarantino spent almost ten years writing and fine-tuning it. The acting is spot on for the most part, though to be honest I found Brad Pitt to be the weakest link. The standouts for me were hands down Hollywood newcomers Cristoph Waltz as the menacing Hans Landa (aka “The Jew Hunter”) and Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, a young Jewish woman seeking vengeance for the murder of her family at the hands of Landa. Indeed for me, the most emotionally resonating moment comes from Laurent, who, upon the conclusion of a heart-poundingly tense conversation with Landa in which she must maintain a false identity, lets out an enormous exhale that brings her near tears, a reaction the audience bears with her.

The history is absurd but it works. For example, Hitler is essentially a petulant child with Goebbels acting more as a handler than a right hand. However, Basterds does not make a joke of the horrors of WWII (which is what I initially feared) rather it takes the hardcore bloody revenge upon the Nazis that only a filmmaker like Tarantino would have the guts to admit we all sort of wanted. And so, I say tentatively (as I have not yet seen Up in the Air, Avatar, or Nine), Inglourious Basterds is my favorite film of the year.

"A crying woman is a scheming woman." Antichrist.

I first heard about Lars Von Trier’s ‘Antichrist’ last year during the Cannes Film Festival when Charlotte Gainsbourg took home the coveted Best Actress Palme d’Or for her portrayal of “She”. The film also received an “anti-award” from the ecumenical jury of the festival, who declared it to be “the most misogynist movie from the self-proclaimed biggest director in the world.” Indeed, the film is profoundly anti-women, yet the sexism comes from She, not He (Willem Defoe).

Antichrist is depicted in four chapters and bookended by a Prologue and Epilogue. In the Prologue, we see He and She have passionate sex while their infant son, in the next room, crawls out of his crib and falls to his death from his window. The film then begins with chapter 1, ‘Grief’, in which She goes into such a profound state of mourning that she needs to be hospitalized. He, a therapist, is wary of how many pills she is taking and decides to treat her himself through exposure therapy, bringing her to their serene woodland getaway, aptly called Eden.

As She begins to unravel, the story moves on to Chapter 2, ‘Pain (Chaos Reigns)’, in which He starts to understand why She has come to fear Eden, as the very nature surrounding them seems to hold a keen sense of menace and foreboding. This leads to her explanation that nature is 'Satan's Church' and that woman's nature is fundamentally evil, a conclusion she achieved while studying Gynocide in and around the 12th century for her thesis, which she attempted to write during her last trip to Eden.

The final two chapters, ‘Despair (Gynocide)’ and ‘The Three Beggars’ bring the film to its bloody climax, involving disturbing sexual violence in which She smashes her husband’s testicles with a wooden plank, masturbates him until he ejaculates blood, and drills a hole into his leg so she can bolt him to a heavy grind-stone. In her final act of self-hatred, She severs her clitoris with a pair of rusty scissors.

I knew of these scenes before seeing the film, and when I first learned of them, I immediately told myself ‘absolutely not. I am not seeing this movie.’ However, as something of a masochist, at least when it comes to film, curiosity got the best of me, and I am ultimately thankful it did. Many reviews I read describe it as being strangely beautiful, and at first I thought those people must be severely disturbed. However, now that I have seen it, I find myself in their position. Is it profoundly horrific and disturbing? Absolutely. But it also contains images so haunting and delicate that it is impossible to ignore the film’s overall sense of beauty. This is achieved through a keen use of the language of cinematography, employed most expertly in the Prologue.

Ultimately, I am still rather stumped by this film. I truly do not know what to make of it. I certainly cannot say I disliked it, it is unlike any film I have ever seen, but at the same time, I have absolutely no desire to ever go near it again. And so, no, I do not recommend Antichrist. Viewing this film is a decision that has to be made by the individual, as I truly believe it is a different experience for each member of the audience.

The Runaways are here

So I was very excited today when I finally got to see the teaser trailer for the upcoming film “The Runaways” about the iconic 70’s band helmed by Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. My interest in this movie has built up a lot over the last several months, pretty much since I found out they were making it. Really, it was ever since I found out Dakota Fanning, innocent little girl who had us all weeping in I Am Sam, was going to play Cherie Currie, the drug-addled, corset-wearing frontwoman of The Runaways. Little Dakota is all grow’d up I dare say.

Having read the script, this film is really going to challenge the chops of both leading ladies. Kristen Stewart is good at playing the insecure lonely girl who just can’t believe she’s found a great guy, but I’ll be interested to see her play the rebellious, loud, and altogether angry teenage Joan Jett. I remember reading that Jett, who was on set daily, actually made Stewart cry while filming a scene (presumably the one in which Joan has a total shit fit in the recording studio, which we get glimpses of in the trailer) so that’s promising.

Also based on the script, I am certainly curious to see how many Twi-Moms ask for their money back after taking their tweens to see this (thankfully) R-rated film. I can tell you right now, you parents who think Dakota Fanning is a good role model for young girls, stay clear of this film. In fact, I’m going to do you a favor here.

LIST OF CRAZY SHIT DAKOTA FANNING DOES IN THIS MOVIE THAT WILL FOREVER TAINT YOUR IMAGE OF HER

- Cocaine off an airplane bathroom toilet seat

- Wears a light pink corset, fishnets, and hooker boots

- Whilst in the aforementioned number, she gyrates onstage, having perfected her move of swinging the microphone between her legs.

- More drugs

- While stoned, she and Joan Jett make out, a breast is exposed (probably K-Stew because let’s not forget, Dakota is STILL underage) and they presumably engage in some form of intercourse.

- May or may not get raped by Michael Shannon (the script is very foggy in that sense, but as implied by Lita Ford, he did have sex with her, although, that’s Lita Ford. Who hated Cherie.)

That’s all I can think of right now, there’s probably more that I’m forgetting. Personally I think this girl’s got some serious balls, and for that I salute her. She’s clearly sick of her image as a cookie-cutter cutie pie and I think this is probably her “I’m not a kid star, I’m an ACTRESS” big ol’ f-you to the people who are trying to keep her in that image, ie. the people who totally fucked over the release of Hounddog. Basically, Dakota Fanning wants that effing Oscar.

On a sidenote, I was literally terrified (in the most awesome way) this morning when I realized that was Dakota Fanning singing Cherry Bomb and not just a recording. She sounds SO MUCH like Cherie Currie it’s ridic. For comparison, I’ve got the trailer here followed by a video of them performing the song in Japan (which is actually the performance they show in the trailer).

Golden Globe Nominee Round-up (TV Edition)

That last post was long enough so I decided to do a separate one for the TV awards, which this year are just as interesting as the film ones. So let’s just dive right in here.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Big Love

Dexter

House M.D.

Mad Men

True Blood

Does anyone honestly not think it’s going to be Mad Men?

WILL WIN: Mad Men

COULD WIN: I honestly can’t put anything here without laughing

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL or COMEDY

Entourage

Glee

The Office

Modern Family

30 Rock

IT’S ON. Seriously though, I really really think this might be the end of 30 Rock’s winning streak. Between Modern Family and Glee (which I’m pretty sure is the first television show to actually constitute the ‘Musical’ side of this category) Tina had better start watching her back. But now the question, which will beat it?

WILL WIN: I DON’T KNOW!

COULD WIN: Whoever wins the battle to the death between Glee, 30 Rock, and Modern Family. Holy shit. Can you imagine that battle? That would be amazing. I wonder who I have to call to make that happen.

SKIPPING OVER MINISERIES CUZ ITS BORING AS SHIT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock

Steve Carell – The Office

David Duchovny – Californication

Thomas Jane – Hung

Matthew Morrison – Glee

Even though 30 Rock might not win, I still think Alec Baldwin will. Mainly because Matthew Morrison, by the laws of all that is holy, cannot, and I mean CANNOT win. Seriously, I mean this, if Matthew Morrison wins, I am going to find a kitten and punch it in the face. He is the WORST part of Glee.

WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin

COULD WIN: NOT MATTHEW MORRISON

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Toni Collette – United States of Tara

Courteney Cox – Cougar Town

Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey – 30 Rock

Lea Michele – Glee

LEA. MICHELE. YES. I really like all the actresses in this category but I am SO excited that Lea Michele is nominated especially. I’ll be surprised if she wins, but the fact they’re recognizing her like that is huge. GOOD ON YOU, LEA.

WILL WIN: Idk, probs Tina Fey.

COULD WIN: Toni Collette

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – DRAMA

Simon Baker – The Mentalist

Michael C. Hall – Dexter

Jon Hamm – Mad Men

Hugh Laurie – House M.D.

Bill Paxton – Big Love

This might be Jon Hamm’s second opportunity at this because let’s not forget that this season on Mad Men DON. DRAPER. CRIED. Holy god that episode was incredible. I think he’s got a very very good shot. Also, no Brian Cranston? Did that show go off the air?

WILL WIN: Jon Hamm or Hugh Laurie (seriously, they love awarding that guy)

COULD WIN: Michael C. Hall

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – DRAMA

Glenn Close – Damages

January Jones – Mad Men

Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife

Anna Paquin – True Blood

Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer

Now, I remember last year HFPA you decided to give this award to Anna Paquin. It’s taken a lot, but I have forgiven you for this mistake. Hopefully this year you have seen the error of your ways and acknowledged that even though January Jones may or may not be functionally retarded, SHE IS AMAZING ON THAT SHOW. Seriously, Betty owned so much of this season.

WILL WIN: Probs Glenn Close

COULD WIN: Please January Jones!

I didn’t want to do all the supporting categories cuz frankly, I don’t care all that much, but I would like to point out that JANE LYNCH is nominated for Glee, and will probably win. So…YAY. That is all.

Golden Globe Nominee Round-up (Movie Edition)

So this morning (meaning 12:00 pm), I bounded for my computer (meaning groggily reached for it from my bed) and examined the nominees for the upcoming 2010 Golden Globe awards. I honestly don't know why I get excited about these, because every year I am always very unfortunately reminded that the Golden Globes are really sort of ridiculous. Honestly, The Hollywood Foreign Press has to be the only institution that would actually nominate Sandra Bullock for not one, but TWO performances in what looked like slightly above mediocre films, but I'll get to that in a moment. Let's start with the big ones. As a disclaimer, it’s always very difficult to predict the Golden Globes because people always inevitably are REALLY predicting the Oscars, and the Golden Globes tend to be all over the place whereas the Oscars have a noticeable trend. As another disclaimer, I have not seen many of these films as I do not have access to a movie theater that would show these films.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Up in the Air

Not a WHOLE lot of surprises here. I’d be lying if I said a small part of me wasn’t holding a glimmer of hope for Bright Star, but then again, Pride & Prejudice was not nominated for Best Picture in 2005. Anyhow, The only surprise for me is Inglourious Basterds. I know that movie got very good reviews, but I suppose I always considered it more of a comedy than a drama. This gives me all the more reason to go see it, I suppose.
WILL WIN: Either Precious or Up in the Air
COULD WIN: The Hurt Locker

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

This category always baffles me in the sense that I have never been able to fully understand its purpose. Why not make one category? That way, we won’t have to actually say the sentence “The Hangover got nominated for Best Picture.” This is like last year when James Franco got nominated for Pineapple Express and NOT Milk? Huh? Plus it’s always a horribly uneven category, as there are plenty of musicals that are not comedies at all, for example, NINE as opposed to THE HANGOVER. Seriously, I do not understand this category.
WILL WIN: Nine
COULD WIN: (500) Days of Summer, It’s Complicated


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – DRAMA
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
George Clooney – Up in the Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Tobey Maguire – Brothers

I don’t have many thoughts on this category, nothing terribly surprising. All these actors have been getting a lot of praise for their performances. Jeff Bridges is sort of taking everyone by storm with this Crazy Heart movie, so that’s exciting. I sort of hope George Clooney wins cuz god knows he’ll be drunk by the time he has to make his speech and I know we’d all enjoy that. He was drunk a few years ago when he won Supporting Actor, and that was the first award of the night.
WILL WIN: (tentatively) Jeff Bridges
COULD WIN: Colin Firth, George Clooney, Morgan Freeman

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – DRAMA
Emily Blunt – The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe – Precious

Now here is where I have a bone to pick with you, HFPA. Sandra Bullock? Seriously? I admit, I did not see the Blind Side, mainly because IT LOOKED HORRIBLE. I refuse, REFUSE to believe that anything Sandra Bullock does in that movie even comes close to Abbie Cornish’s crying scene in Bright Star. It’s one thing to not nominate her, but quite another to nominate Sandra effing Bullock in her place. I was all for her Oscar nomination a few years ago in Crash, she was great in that, but The Blind Side? Come on. And as much as I love Emily Blunt (and I really do, she’s one of my faves) I’m sort of surprised to see her there too. That movie looks almost like a parody of British period dramas.
WILL WIN: Carey Mulligan
COULD WIN: Gabby Sidibe

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Matt Damon – The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis – Nine
Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – (500) Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg – A Serious Man

To be honest I really don’t give a shit about this category. I’m just tickled by the fact that there are two hyphenated named gentlemen in it.
WILL WIN: DDL
COULD WIN: JGL

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Sandra Bullock – The Proposal
Marion Cotillard – Nine
Julia Roberts – Duplicity
Meryl Streep – It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

I would really like to know which member of the HFPA is sleeping with Sandra Bullock. How few actresses were in comedies this year that you seriously had to pull that one out of your ass? All I remember about Duplicity is that it’s that movie where Clive Owen is a spy that looked exactly like that OTHER movie where Clive Owen was a spy.
WILL WIN: Meryl Streep
COULD WIN: The other Meryl Streep or Marion Cotillard

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

Again, not a lot going on in this category. All are very predictable nominees, although I kind of assumed Plummer would go for lead, it’s hard to think that Leo Tolstoy on any level would be a supporting role. Whatevs.
WILL WIN: Christoph Waltz
COULD WIN – Matt Damon, Christopher Plummer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air
Mo’Nique – Precious
Julianne Moore – A Single Man

FINALLY. A category in which no part of it makes me want to scream! This is seriously my dream list of nominees for this. I was so worried that they would bow out and only nominate one of the Up in the Air ladies, but no! Both! Vera Farmiga is LONG overdue in terms of awards recognition, she is such an underrated actress, and I am SO glad they are recognizing Anna Kendrick. Between her, Carey Mulligan, and Gabby Sidibe, I feel like this is such a year for breakout young actresses. Awesome. And of course, I’m glad whenever Penelope gets nominated for anything.
WILL WIN: Mo’Nique
COULD WIN: Honestly this is such a close race that they all are sort of dark horses, aside from Mo’Nique of course, who I cannot imagine won’t win.

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
James Cameron – Avatar
Clint Eastwood – Invictus
Jason Reitman – Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

All I can say is, thank GOD this category is no longer a sausage-fest. Kathryn Bigelow, please make aspiring female directors proud, as our only other bets (Jane Campion and Lone Scherflig) have been tossed aside. Side note: Where the eff is Lee Daniels?
WILL WIN: Jason Reitman
COULD WIN: Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow


Other thoughts: I am super sad that nobody from Bright Star got recognized, but there is still hope for the Oscars. They always throw curveballs, so hopefully Abbie Cornish will get her due there. I'm also really glad to see that Where the Wild Things Are did not get nominated for anything. What a horribly overrated movie.

Movie of the Week : Elvis & Anabelle

What's it about?
Elvis Moreau is a rookie mortician, son of a handicapped father. Anabelle Leigh is a prize-winning beauty queen with an overbearing mother and abusive stepfather. When Anabelle collapses dead in the middle of a pageant, her body finds its way to Elvis' embalming table. Enraptured by her beauty even in death, Elvis is compelled to kiss her before beginning his work. The kiss miraculously revives Anabelle, giving her a second chance at life and an opportunity to run away with Elvis and explore her new freedom. Elvis learns of the beauty of companionship, and Anabelle rejoices in having finally found an understanding and compassionate soul. Elvis & Anabelle is a touching love story with plenty of tenderness but also a hint of Poe-esque Gothic, giving it an endearing poetic heart.


Who's in it?
Elvis Moreau - Max Minghella
Anabelle Leigh - Blake Lively
Charlie (Elvis' father) - Joe Mantegna
Geneva (Anabelle's mother) - Mary Steenburgen

Bonus Points
- It has a really great soundtrack. Lots of good indie artists including Bright Eyes, Nouvelle Vague, and several more.
- The film actually shows that when given good material (and actually putting forth effort), Blake Lively is a pretty decent actress. She's very sweet and warm which matches Max Minghella's somber Elvis very well. These two have a very intriguing and rich chemistry.
- You can watch it right now! Because this movie never actually found distribution, it debuted on the Lifetime network earlier this year. Some kind soul has uploaded the whole movie onto the internet, and here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Part I:
http://www.megavideo.com/?d=HI84XZUS

Part II:
http://www.megavideo.com/?d=F7OBD2WB

"Love ain't done nothing for me" : The Responsibility of 'Precious'

When I first saw the trailer for Lee Daniels’ film Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, I, like many fellow moviegoers, was wary about rushing out to see it. From the images shown, it looked like a film intent on depressing its viewers beyond a point of recovery, and I had no interest in seeing a movie that was upsetting for the sake of being upsetting. However, even then a part of me did understand that whatever this movie was, it was important. And after having seen it, I can only reinforce that sentiment.

Claireece Precious Jones is obese, illiterate, impoverished, pregnant with her second child (by her father) and HIV positive. Her mother (played by Mo’Nique, in a performance I shall extol upon later) is lazy, also very overweight, and monstrously abusive. And yet, Precious courageously holds fast to her dreams of eventual superstardom and the possession of a light-skinned boyfriend (referred to in the film as ‘Tom Cruise’). She retreats into these fantasies during moments of especially horrific abuse, for example, during a particularly brutal scene of rape perpetrated by her father.

Thankfully, amidst all this unbelievable, though tragically realistic, adversity, Precious encounters individuals determined to help her realize her potential. The first of these is Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), a teacher at the alternative school Precious is asked to attend after being forced out of her public school (where she was repeating the 8^th grade at the age of 16). Ms. Rain encourages Precious and her classmates to express their thoughts and emotions through writing. This proves a formidable task as most of the girls in the class are scarcely above functional illiteracy. Yet each of them, Precious included, finds any means necessary to get the words down. However, in one scene, shortly after she is diagnosed with HIV, Precious refuses to write, simply scrawling “Why me?” across the page. Unwilling to relent, Ms. Rain forces her to write, understanding that its therapeutic effects are needed now more than ever.

The other figure is Ms. Weiss, played by a surprising Mariah Carey, who effectively de-glammed herself almost beyond recognition for the role. Ms. Weiss is the social worker Precious must consult in order to obtain the welfare her mother insists she get. Despite their sometimes combative relationship, Ms. Weiss ultimately admits that she does like Precious, either as a result or in spite of the harrowing tales of abuse she has been told. Carey, whose last major screen performance was in “Glitter” – a film that audiences and I’m sure Carey herself would like to forget, is unexpectedly effective in this film. She acts as the audience’s representative within the story by having appropriate reactions of horror to many of Precious’ admissions, in particular that her Downs Syndrome daughter is called “Mongo – short for Mongoloid.”

In her debut performance, Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe is a stunner. Like many viewers and critics, I too feared (and on some level assumed) that Sidibe was simply playing herself in the film. I was entirely wrong. After watching interviews with the young actress, Sidibe is thankfully a very joyful, articulate, and intelligent young woman. We see glimmers of this during the film through Precious’ fantasies and lighter moments as she jokes with classmates, but for the most part, she speaks in a low miserable drone, a stark contrast to Sidibe’s high-pitched bubbliness.

But the real star of this film is Mo’Nique, in what I can only refer to as one of if not the gutsiest performance I have ever seen from an actress. As a professional comedian, Mo’Nique moves to the complete opposite end of the spectrum as Precious’ atrocious, severely disturbed mother, Mary. There are moments in this film where I had to wonder what it took for Mo’Nique to bring herself to such a plane on which Mary’s psychosis resides. The answer is a tragedy in itself, as when answering this very question to Ellen DeGeneres, Mo’Nique confessed to having suffered abuse as a child from her oldest brother, Gerald. Regardless of where the performance came from, it is where it goes that it is the true triumph. In the highly emotional climactic scene, Mo’Nique sobbingly regales a thunderstruck Ms. Weiss with the history of sexual abuse afflicted upon Precious by her father. At no point are we asked to forgive Mary for allowing what has happened to Precious to happen, but I speak for many audience members when I say that when she began to weep, I wept along with her, if only out of having to face the question of what horrific events Mary must have witnessed to bring her to such a tormented place.

Precious triumphs in its ability to make a point without preaching it to us. We see Precious, we hear Precious, and we know she is real. The film does not ask us to punish ourselves for having judged people in her situation, but it does ask us to reconsider our outlook on those who, though we may not at first know it, have really never been given a chance at life. And in this way Precious bears a great responsibility as a statement to a country that has recently elected an African American president. The film is not necessarily about race relations. It is not about the fact that Precious is African American. It is about how prejudice can exist even within a racial community, and within a single individual. In one scene, Precious looks at herself in the mirror and imagines a thin, blonde, Caucasian girl staring back. As her sense of self-worth grows, she gains the confidence to look into the mirror and see her true reflection. Lee Daniels masterfully presents us with a commentary on the state of discrimination, not a lecture, and that is what makes Precious one of the most unique, jarring, and ultimately powerful films of recent history. Bravo.

Day 1

I have a blog! This process was surprisingly easy, which was a relief. For anyone out there who might be listening, this blog is where I, K.L. Royal, will post my musings on movies (mostly), music, literature, TV, art, pretty much anything I have an opinion on (although I will probably stay away from politics and religion, those get a bit tiresome after a while). I will most likely also post some of my own work, specifically some of my own music (what can I say, I have no shame about self-promotion). Hopefully I'll find some followers among you, oh blogosphere, and for those of you who do stumble upon this, don't be a stranger :)

Best Wishes,
K.L. Royal