You know what I hate? I hate when servers go down. Hate it. It's a nuisance to both the owner of the site and the server. You know what else I hate? When after a period of non-blogging rest I go back onto my blog to write and the server's down.
So here I am, five or so posts lighter and with a multitude of movies to review. Instead of doing that, here are some short little snippets of what I've seen this past Christmas break:
'A Christmas Tale' (Arnaud Desplechin, 2008)
Now here is one of the first Christmas movies I have come across in recent years that is almost alarmingly hard to sit through. However that by no means makes it an awful one. On the contrary, it's a stirring piece of film making. Watching the Vuillard family, helmed by monster matron Junon (a spectacular Catherine Deneuve), simultaneously tear each other apart and then love each other ferociously is quite the experience.
Mathieu Amalric is the stand out as Henri, the son banished by his sister Elizabeth (Anne Consigny), who ironically is one out of two possible donors of bone marrow for the dying Junon. Amalric seems to be on a roll, fresh off of his heart-shattering portrayal of Jean-Dominique Bauby in my favorite movie of last year, 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'. Desplechin succeeds in making this 'Tale' one of distinct reality even though it is also injected with subtle flights of fantasy. You're a fly on the wall at this unsettling, acid-tinged Christmas extravaganza and it's completely worth the ride.
B+'Doubt' (John Patrick Shanley, 2008)
When I first heard that John Patrick Shanley was adapting his own stage play for the screen I was thrilled. Even more so was I when I found out that Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams and were cast in the three pivotal roles of Sister Aloysious Beauvier, Father Brendan Flynn and Sister James, respectively. There, oddly, have been tons of negative reviews floating around from my fellow bloggers and top critics alike of the film, I just don't get it. I ate every bit of this up. Every bit. Every melodramatic, screaming at the top of your lungs that you like 'Frosty the Snowman' bit. I thought Meryl was sensational, non-surprisingly, as Sister Aloysious. She ignited the screen every time she was on it and is a shoo-in as a nominee on my Actress ballot.
Completely. Hoffman and Adams were wonderful with what they had, also non-surprisingly. Viola Davis worked wonders with her twelve minute or so scene, wonders. She made a deep impression on myself and I'd assume the rest of my audience, though I
really wanted to give her a tissue. Like, there has never been a problem with wiping your nose while crying before has there? Anyways I particularly enjoyed the cinematography here by Deakins, even though some of the side-angle shots got to be a little bit too high school student experimental for my tastes. A riotously dramatic treat.
A'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (David Fincher, 2008)
Just to add to the "hate list" that I started at the beginning of this post, another thing I hate is when I proclaim that a movie is the best of the year without seeing everything. I named 'Milk' just that when I saw it back in November. And then 'Benjamin Button' came around. On all counts, David Fincher's 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is the best film of 2008. Now, I might be saying that again after seeing 'Slumdog Millionaire,' 'The Wrestler,' or 'The Reader' when I see those in the coming weeks, but...I highly doubt it. I mean, this movie, god, is just a technical masterwork.
It has absolutely mesmerizing performances from Brad Pitt, from Cate Blanchett, from Taraji P. Henson, from Tilda Swinton, and has the most wholeheartedly seamless visual effects probably since 'Titanic'. Some have been saying it left them feeling cold, and I just have to scoff. This is one of the most equally heartwarming and breaking films of the decade, let alone the year. I feel a little guilty calling it #1 over something so equally fantastic as 'Milk,' but I just have to. It's got everything. Oh and it made me sob like a small child, which is always good. An absolutely spell bounding piece of work.
A'Happy Go-Lucky' (Mike Leigh, 2008)
What a joyous, delightful little film this is! I adored every bit of this (well, I mean the hobo thing could've been scrapped but whatever), especially the phenomenal Sally Hawkins. It's funny, my friend Shannon and I were recently arguing over her performance. Shannon thought it was just "cute," whereas I found that there was something more to it. Yet, I sit here, and can't really pinpoint what that "something" is. Regardless though, she is just the embodiment of what we all should be: kind, good people--more over, optimists. I was getting angry at something, who knows what, a few days ago and I actually thought to myself "What would Poppy do?"
How the hell often does that happen after seeing a movie? I don't know, I might be crazy, but this movie was just so good. Eddie Marsan was brilliant as Scott, the pessimist to Poppy's happy-go-lucky character, but one of my favorite parts of this was Karina Fernandez who played the Flamenco instructor. Dear god, she was a riot if I were saw one. Loved her, loved this, see it whenever you can.
A'Revolutionary Road' (Sam Mendes, 2008)
It took me a
while to figure this beauty out. A while. Honestly I still am not quite sure where I stand on this, but let me see if I can explain for you readers how I feel. I adore both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, so I was in heavy anticipation of this adaptation of the Richard Yates's novel of the same title. So my friends and I sit down in the nearly sold out showing and for the ensuing two hours I was treated with one of the worst audiences I have ever experienced the displeasure of being in. There were numerous times in this where, as usual, I would have delighted in crying, yet that's a moderately hard task to do when the people around you are chuckling like little hyenas in the background. Almost every scene in this where one should have been able to hear a pin drop, there was laughing. I just didn't get that, so right off the cuff I was a bit peeved overall.
Anyways, Winslet was to die for. She gave a heartwrenching, powerful and terrifying performance as April Wheeler, a woman trapped by the suburban life being formed around her. DiCaprio too did quite well, keeping moderately up to pace with Winslet, yet at some turns he was a bit too over the top--even for my tastes. That sounds kind of ridiculous when both have to go "over the top," but if you see it I think you'll understand what I mean. Michael Shannon deserves some praise, but all I could think of when he was on screen was Michael Shannon doing his best Joker impersonation. Meh, he was effective. One thing I enjoyed in particular was the way Mendes really made you feel what the Wheeler's were feeling: claustrophobic. The audience is trapped in the same emotional spaces that the two were themselves, and because of that, the piece is moderately miserable. But hey, I suppose that was the point of it all, no? A second viewing is mandatory before I make my final decision.
B+/
B'Wendy and Lucy' (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)
The true joy of this film is its ability to say so much about the more often than not harsh realities one can face in this day and age without really saying anything. Thank god for Michelle Williams. This movie belongs to her, completely. Like, her performance is outstandingly good. She, very much like Winslet in 'Revolutionary Road,' can do even more with her eyes, with her mannerisms than when she is speaking.
I have to go back to what I said before, though: it just astounds me that screenwriters Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt (also the director) could weave such an engrossing tale about a wandering woman and her dog, her car broken down in a small town just trying to get to where she was hoping to go--Alaska, in Wendy's case. One scene in particular at the end, was revelatory. I'm not going to give it away or anything, but oh my lord it was amazing, and it's all thanks to Williams. Who knew that Jen Lindley from 'Dawson's Creek' would evolve throughout her cinematic career thus far into such a brilliant actress. Bravo.
A-'Man on Wire' (James Marsh, 2008)
I've, admittedly, never really been the biggest fan of the documentary. I mean I've watched my Michael Moore and...yeah. That's about it, sadly. Until this baby came along. How wholeheartedly inspiring this whole story was! The way Marsh weaved the whole story into being a crime-caper/beautiful portrait of mad man/genius Philippe Petit was enthralling, completely.
When you really see all of the painstaking planning that went into his illegal, amazing feat tight-rope walking across the World Trade Center's twin towers, it's just mind blowing. And oh, when he finally does do it after all of the road blocks that he and his crew encounter along the way, you're overwhelmed with emotion. When Annie, his ex who was there for many of his rope walking acts, recounts for us the moment that he lays down on the wire, it brings a tear to your eye. A beautiful story.
AAnd there we have it. Expect reviews for 'In Bruges' and 'The Other Boleyn Girl' (ugh) in the coming days. And whenever I finally see 'Slumdog,' 'The Wrestler,' 'The Reader,' 'Frost/Nixon,' and 'Gran Torino,' those as well.
