HOPEFUL

The Golden Globes gave a lot of love to IN BRUGES, the quirky, dark comedy from early 2008 that got a lot of fantastic reviews and did decent box office in limited release. This is one of those little gems that often gets overlooked at year's end during the awards blitz. At the Globes, the film got nominations for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) and for the performances of two of its stars, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. The surprise of the night was when Farrell won Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. I have been a huge fan of Farrell's work, especially in the last few years. He's had a brilliant run of performances in some of the best, most interesting pictures of the decade, which include TIGERLAND, MINORITY REPORT, INTERMISSION, A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD, ALEXANDER, THE NEW WORLD, ASK THE DUST, MIAMI VICE, CASSANDRA'S DREAM, and most recently, IN BRUGES. I'd love to see a little love from the Academy next week when they announce their nominations for both Farrell's work and the film itself. I know IN BRUGES stands zero chance of a Best Picture nomination, but a Best Original Screenplay nomination would be extremely well deserved. And Farrell's performance, a combination of the prickly and the sympathetic, was his most layered, most nuanced, and richest yet. If you missed IN BRUGES when it was in theaters, do yourself a favor and rent it soon. It's a heady mixture of comedy, violence, hit-man pathos, and internal self-reflection that all adds up to a helluva flick.

DVD ROUND UP

I had read lots of good stuff about the super low-budget indie rom-com IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS (****) and I was not disappointed. Here’s a film that reminds you that it’s not about how much money you have to tell your story, but rather, how you execute your story. After a hilarious and sexually-awkward opening that sort of has to be seen to be believed, IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS sets down the path laid out before it by BEFORE SUNRISE and tells an extremely winning tale of modern romantic hook-ups. Written and directed by Alex Holdridge, the film stars Scoot McNairy as Jacob, a lonely wannabe writer living a miserable romantic life in Los Angeles. Struggling to get his career going and still reeling from a bad break-up, Jacob wastes away his days taking bong rips and doing, well, nothing productive. Spurred on by his amusing roommate Jacob (Brian McGuire), Jacob posts a personal ad on Craigslist, looking for a date for New Year’s Eve. Not long after posting his ad, his phone rings, and an alluring voice is on the other line. The female voice tells him to meet her at a local coffee shop so that she can determine if she likes him; she says that she’ll know within a matter of minutes if she likes him. Jacob does as he’s told, and he meets Vivian (Sara Simmonds), a cute, spunky, and just-a-tad-crazy blonde chick, and the two of them embark on a roughly hour-long walk of Los Angeles, getting to know each other in the process. The strength of IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS lies in its honest dialogue, natural performances, and the unforced sexiness of the relationship between Jacob and Vivian. And, in what amounts to a cinematic first, we get to see two people who wake up in the morning and realize – surprise surprise! – that they have terrible morning breath, and fix the situation by popping some gum. Before they start to kiss each other. I mean, how many times have we seen actors in scenes where they have presumably just woken up from sleeping and then turn to their significant other and just go at it, regardless of how foul and rank their morning breath might be? This is just a small thing. But that’s the kick of IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS – it’s a film that’s made up of a lot of small things which leads to a bigger thing – emotional and situational honesty. There is a realistic raunchiness to the film that I appreciated, and the performances, especially those by McNairy and Simmonds, are terrific. This is one of the best independent features from 2008.

My parents recommended Paul Weiland’s delightful “true-ish story” SIXTY-SIX (***1/2) after they recently saw it and I am thankful that they alerted me to this films existence. This is the story of Bernie Reubens (a charming Gregg Sulkin), a kid about to have his Bar mitzvah but who is afraid that the party won’t be all that it can be because of the fact that England might be playing in the World Cup Finals on the same day as his ceremony. The awesome British character actor Eddie Marsan, who had a fantastic year with his solid work in this film as well has his great work in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY and a quick but memorable appearance in HANCOCK, plays Manny, Bernie’s father, who is struggling with family financial problems and trying to break the news to his son that his Bar mitzvah won’t be as lavish as his older brother’s was. Bernie, not a fan of football (or soccer as we Americans call it), is all about his big-day with the Torah; he’s arranging seating charts, making invitations, and trying to figure out the menu. But when England starts to surprisingly win a few matches and then make it into the finals, everything is put to the test for Bernie and his family. Who will show up for the ceremony and the party? Will England win the game? What will happen with Manny and his finances? The film, which is a tad predictable and a little overly sentimental, earns the right to be both of those things through the sincere performances and the Weiland’s believable dialogue Marsan is so good as Manny and Sulkin is so effective as Bernie that you end up truly rooting for them to get exactly what they want. Helena Bonham Carter appears as Bernie’s mother, and as always, she’s a welcome addition to the cast. This is a light, breezy comedy with a few moments of drama thrown into the mix. It’s a lot of fun.

HAMLET 2 (***) is an off-the-wall showcase for its mega-talented star Steve Coogan, who most American audiences will recognize from his bit-part in this year’s TROPIC THUNDER. Co-written by SOUTH PARK alum Pam Brady and co-written and directed by Andrew Fleming (DICK, THE CRAFT), this is a gleefully dirty comedy that is the very definition of un-PC. Coogan is Dana Marschz, a failed actor who has retreated to Tucson and gets by on his meager salary as a high-school drama teacher. Marschz, who thinks he’s a better actor than he really is, is surprised one day to find that enrollment in his class as tripled due to other electives being cancelled. He inherits a rag-tag group of kids (mostly Latino) and after learning that the drama department is about to scrapped due to budget cuts, he devises an outrageously offensive sequel to HAMLET, which includes an asininely funny musical bit entitled “Rock Me, Sexy Jesus.” Parents and school officials are outraged, but that doesn’t stop Marschz from putting on his show. The film is hit and miss all throughout; that’s normally the deal when you’re dishing out a joke a second. Brady and Fleming take shots at the public school system in America and liberally assault pretty much every ethnic and religious group. And while most of it’s funny, some of it is stale. But it’s mostly saved by the rambunctious comic energy of Coogan, who could definitely become a big star in America if he plays his cards right. Before you check out HAMLET 2, I’d advise that your rent the criminally underrated 2005 comedy TRISTAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY, which also features Coogan, and is much, much better. Still, for an undemanding rental, HAMLET 2 will do just fine.

THE WACKNESS (**1/2) was, to use a term straight out of the vocabulary of the film’s lead character, a’ight. It was a’ight, yo! Written and directed by Jonathan Levine, THE WACKNESS is one of the first films to take the 1990’s and use them for the basis of a true “period” picture. Lots of shots of 90’s apparel, technology, and automobiles. Josh Peck is Luke Shapiro, a high-school pot head (and dealer) who trades weed for therapy sessions with his bong-ripping shrink Dr. Squires (a having-fun Ben Kingsley). The two of them are immature clowns, looking to get laid in NYC, except one of them is going through a mid-life crisis, and the other is still a virgin. The film is mostly entertaining but ultimately silly, and the whigger-lingo employed by Shapiro is, at first funny, and then fairly annoying. I know that’s his character, but it just sort of grates a bit on the nerves. Still, it’s not a terrible movie; it’s got some funny lines, a handful of good scenes, and the cute Olivia Thirlby from JUNO and SNOW ANGLES plays, well, the same character she played in those two films. There are a few steamy sex scenes, lots of pot use, a decent hip-hop soundtrack, and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. I wouldn’t be surprised if Levine follows up THE WACKNESS with something better.

STILL THE BEST

If you have seen a better film from 2008 than THE FALL lemme know.

NICE POSTER

Big fan of Kathryn Bigelow's work. Can't wait to see this.

DARKNESS

Sam Mendes' REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (****) is the best stick-a-gun-in-your-mouth film of 2008.

An excellent job by everyone involved. Full reaction to be posted soon.

HOLIDAY MOVIE ROUND UP PART 1

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (****) is sumptuous, old-fashioned, Hollywood movie-making at its finest. David Fincher, working with the most heart-felt material of his career, makes a startling leap forward as a storyteller with this magical-realism filled romantic fantasy which features any number of fantastic contributions: flawless and groundbreaking visual effects; great performances; breathtaking cinematography and production design; and a tragically romantic screenplay from big-gun screenwriter Eric Roth (THE INSIDER, FORREST GUMP, THE GOOD SHEPHERD). Destined for Oscar nominations, the film is the quirky story of Benjamin Button, a man born as an old man, who ages in reverse, thus complicating every facet of his life. Brad Pitt stars as the titular character, and continues, after his entrancing work in last year’s THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, to demonstrate his underrated acting abilities. He’s matched by the ever luminous Cate Blanchett as his eternal love interest. Watching the two of them drift together and then apart and then together again throughout the sprawling, nearly three hour narrative is the stuff of genuine heart-ache. The film, which has a Gump-esque trajectory in that one man observes and contemplates life while the world and everyone around him changes, never dips into the overly sentimental as Robert Zemeckis’ otherwise impressive film sometimes had a tendency of doing. The key here is Fincher; he keeps a slightly detached perspective from his characters and from the story so that your heartstrings aren’t assaulted with full-bore manipulation. Coming on the heels of last year’s detail-obsessed masterpiece ZODIAC, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is the furthest thing from what the phrase “A David Fincher film” has come to mean. Working with Roth’s eloquent writing style he’s able to create a love story that feels real, right, and true, even with a story device (that whole aging backwards thing) that could have felt purely like a gimmick. It’s a film where death hangs over the proceedings in an ominous way, and the way that Fincher combines dark themes with an ultimately uplifting message is a stroke of pure directorial finesse. Claudio Miranda’s silky, shadowy, and all-together rapturous digital cinematography combines beautifully with Alexandre Desplat’s melancholic original score and the opulent art direction, creating a rich atmosphere that only the finest cinematic technicians could have produced. The film, which really feels like the most expensive art-film ever conceived, is a joy to behold.

I had heard the hype for months, and it was all true. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (****) is the best vampire movie ever made. Well, it’s at least the best one that I’ve ever seen. Full disclosure: I am not a horror movie buff and I am by no means a vampire fan. You won’t catch me at a screening of TWILIGHT or looking forward to the gazillion horror releases that flood the multiplexes every year. I had been hearing that this Swedish import was the “vampire movie for people who don’t like vampire movies” and that statement couldn’t be any more spot on. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN tells the super-creepy tale of a lonely 12 year old boy named Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) who has been enduring constant torment at the hands of some school yard bullies. He meets a mysterious (and very pale) 12 year old girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson), who, as it turns out, is a vampire. You should know as little about this film as possible before getting a chance to see it (especially the blistering ending). What I loved about this film so much is that the vampire angle is downplayed and treated very realistically. The director, Tomas Alfredson, isn’t interested in the normal genre scare-tactics, and his approach to the material elevates the entire production. Along with his extremely gifted director of photography Hoyte Van Hoyteman, the two of them create a chilly, eerie climate of dread. The snowy landscape that the characters inhabit creates a chill in the air as you watch the film; bring a sweater or a coat with you. And then there’s that ending. Wow. I don’t remember a film with a better closing final minutes than this one all year. The great thing about this film is that if you were to strip away the vampire elements of the story, you’d be left with a touching and surprisingly emotional story of two lonely kids who are just looking for friendship and companionship. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is, of course, because Hollywood can’t leave any foreign film alone, set to be remade this year, with a release tentatively set for January 2010. I have no use for this. This film is perfect – why do you need to mess around with material that can’t be improved upon? All I have to say is that if Matt Reeves, the attached director of the remake and the guy who directed the excellent CLOVERFIELD earlier this year, changes the film’s brilliant ending, I will be calling for people’s heads. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is visceral, tense, exciting, and most of all, different. It’s also one of the best films of the year.

How can one “review” Charlie Kaufman’s head-scratchingly amazing directorial debut SYNECDOCHE, NY (****)? It’s like the film was designed to defy critique. Kaufman, who has stretched his (and our) cerebral cortex through films such as BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ETERNAL SUNSHINE, and ADAPTATION (to name only three), gets a chance to direct his most ambitious screenplay to date. A film which has inspired a lot of love as well as a lot of hate, SYNECDOCHE, NY is the very definition of challenging and avant garde. It’s also some sort of diseased masterpiece that needs to be seen well more than once in order for everything to make sense and gel together. I’ve only seen it once (sadly) and while it was a few months ago, it’s still very fresh in my mind. Describing it is almost pointless but here goes. Caden Cotard (the always phenomenal Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of the best performances of his already legendary career) is a theater director who decides to stage a massive play showcasing actors playing people that are connected to his life. A perfectionist, and something of an obsessive hypochondriac, Cotard begins to lose a grip on his play, and his life, which begins to spiral out of control, almost certainly due to the various romantic relationships that come to define his life. The film is, at its heart, and much like BENJAMIN BUTTON, about leaving your mark in this world before you die. Actually, SYNECDOCHE, NY is really all about death, and about how no matter how hard you try to escape or out run it, you’re put on this earth once and you have to make the most of it. The film’s glorious supporting cast includes Samantha Morton, Emily Watson, Diane Weist, Catherine Keener, Hope Davis, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tom Noonan. It’s a self-indulgent work, a film that will turn off as many as it delights, and is truly a one-of-a-kind movie experience. If you’re still fuzzy on the plot, well, I’m sorry; I don’t have any more answers at the present time. SYNECDOCHE, NY isn’t about providing easy answers for the viewer, and its main concern isn’t whether or not it’s being entertaining. Kaufman challenges everyone with this film – himself, his actors, his crew, and his audience. Just wait till you get a view of the NYC set that Cotard builds in an abandoned hangar that serves as the stage for his play. And as the play continues to evolve (over a decade), the story, the characters, and the themes all get richer and richer. This is bold, challenging, and brazen filmmaking. See it. Twice. I know I can’t wait to watch it over and over and over again.

THE READER (****) is a sobering piece of work. Patiently directed by Stephen Daldry (THE HOURS, BILLY ELLIOT) and sensitively written by David Hare (THE HOURS, PLENTY), the film takes a hard look at guilt and responsibility, while also folding in the story of an erotic affair and the devastating, life-long consequences that it creates. Kate Winslet is Hanna Schmitz, a bus ticket collector working in Berlin in the 50’s who ignites a passionate affair with a 15 year old boy named Michael, played at first by relative newcomer David Kross in his teen years, and then by Ralph Fiennes as an adult. They first meet when Michael comes down with scarlet fever; she nurses him back to health and deposits him back with his family. Months later, Michael returns to say thank you, and before you know it, the two of them are rolling around in the sack like long-lost lovers. Michael, the inexperienced boy that he is, falls in love with Hannah. She, meanwhile, is harboring more than one terrible secret from him: not only is she illiterate but she also worked for the SS during WWII as a concentration camp guard. Before and after their lovemaking sessions, Hannah insists that Michael read aloud to her from the classics. Then, one day, she mysteriously vanishes, leaving Michael totally devastated. We then jump about 10 years, with Michael in law school. His law school class attends the start of the Nazi War Crimes trials, and, wouldn’t you know it, but Hannah is being tried for her involvement with the Nazis. This opens up old wounds which have never healed for Michael. Based on a controversial and popular novel by German writer Bernhard Schlink, the plot of THE READER is certainly contrived, but in all the right ways. This is a film about guilt, both on the part of us as individuals, and on the part of society in general. There are no easy ways out in THE READER, and in its own quietly haunting way, the film burns a vivid portrait of young and old love, both newly discovered and freshly lost, that will easily put a tear in your eye at some point during the run time. I would not dare spoil the events of the last third of this delicately assembled film; I will concede that I had a lump in my throat by the finale. Winslet, as always, is fantastic, in a very unsympathetic role, which is tricky because she’s an actress that everyone loves, playing a very self-centered character. Kross, meanwhile, is tasked with much of the film’s heavy emotional lifting, and it’s a pleasure to report that he’s more than up to the task. Filming the movie’s numerous (and quite erotic) love scenes were probably nerve wracking for a Hollywood first timer like Kross, but he has an ease with Winslet that’s natural and sweet. THE READER is emotionally draining and demanding, and much like THE HOURS, it’s a film that I’m not sure if I will see much more than twice. That being said, it’s somberly powerful, and one of the better overall efforts of the year.

MOVIES FOR THE WEEKEND

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD tomorrow afternoon.

Maybe GRAN TORINO on Sunday. If not this weekend, then next weekend for sure.

Only those two, plus DEFIANCE and THE WRESTLER, remain until I can officially call 2008 over and done with for new films.

I'm looking forward to posting my final best of the year picks, my own personal Oscar nominations, and the final reviews of the year for a lot of the recent award contending releases. Stay tuned...