Jamie Daily

The Impossible (2012) Review | Jamie Daily

The Impossible (2012)
85th Academy Awards 2013
4/5 Stars
Nominated for 1 award.
Nominated for Best Actress (Naomi Watts).
Watched March 27, 2014.

 

I try to stay away from descriptions of the movies coming up on my list, but I vaguely knew that The Impossible was about a tidal wave.  In this film, a tourist family is vacationing in Thailand for Christmas and is caught in the 2004 tidal wave that devastated Thailand and other locations connected to the Indian Ocean.  

 

Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons are given a short introduction that gives a small foundation of who they are as a family and a little of who they are as individuals.  There is a quietness in the beginning of the film that forebodes the events coming up.  The tsunami hits pretty quickly into the film and the scenes that follow don't hold back.  The intensity of the raging waters is matched by the ferocious survival instincts of the family.

 

It is hard to give a synopsis of this film because I would really like to not spoil it.  I will simply say that people get split up very easily in the chaos of an emergency situation and finding each other again is almost as terrifying as the disaster itself.  The Thai people carry the wounded, clothe the naked, and rush strangers to overflowing hospitals in the backs of trucks.  

 

The acting is phenomenal.  There are sequences that are a little drawn out and melodramatic, but the intensity of the film calls for that.  The brief moments of relief are a breather, but really I did not breathe properly or stop crying until the credits were over.

 

Is The Impossible the best made film?  No.  The acting is either excellent or acceptable.  The editing and therefore storytelling is good for the most part.  The melodrama gets a bit much and can be frustrating.  Despite all of that, it is a really good view into a disaster situation and how it effected this real family, whom the story is loosely based around.  I have been a huge fan of McGregor's since he was in Star Wars and I was very happy when I found out he was in this film.  

 

If you have the time and the emotional stamina, I would highly recommend this film.  Come prepared with tissues and a shoulder to cry on.

 

Gravity (2013) Review | Jamie Daily

Gravity (2013)
86th Academy Awards 2014
5/5 Stars
Nominated for 10 awards, of which it won 7.
Nominated for Best Picture (Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman), Best Actress (Sandra Bullock), and Best Production Design (Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woollard).
Won Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki), Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón), Best Film Editing (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger), Best Original Score (Steven Price), Best Sound Editing (Gienn Freemantle), Best Sound Mixing (Chris Munro, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Skip Lievsay), and Best Visual Effects (Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Tim Webber).
Watched April 7, 2014.

 

What was undoubtedly this year's overall "winner" at awards night, Gravity is a huge accomplishment in all areas of filmmaking.  To get ten nominations is impressive enough, but to walk away at the end of the night with seven wins is a testament to the skills behind this piece.  If that isn't enough, the movie even lives up to the hype.  From story and casting to visuals and sound, the film is a feast for your senses.

 

Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer on her first space mission.  While out on a routine space walk making repairs, their shuttle is hit by debris and Ryan finds herself detached from the shuttle and spinning helplessly into space.  Luckily, her colleague Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) who is vastly more experienced, was attached to thruster jets when disaster hit and he is able to tether Ryan to himself and begin a horrifying orbit around the earth towards a space station.  Every breath is terrifying as Ryan's space suite constantly reminds her how little oxygen she has left.  She has to learn to overcome her fears and must refuse anything but survival as a possibility.  

 

We know very little about the characters, but the back story that is revealed about them gives all we need to know.  The story is not simple and predictable, although it has the possibility to be that.  While Clooney's performance is simple and to the point, his character is exceedingly impressive and calm.  Bullock commands attention, adding to the crescendo of sound and visuals that make Gravity hard to look away from.  Her nomination was extremely well deserved.  

 

The film does not make a grand statement.  It revolves around the ideas of "you never know who might be listening" and that space is not able to be conquered--that life in space is impossible.  Almost right away Ryan says, "I hate space," which sets up her character for what she is about to experience.  You might laugh, you might cry, and you will definitely be sitting at the edge of your seat.  I can only imagine what the film was like in the theatre in 3D, but even on my HD 47inch it was to die for.  

 

Director, writer, and editor Alfonso Cuarón paired with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki are unstoppable.  I cannot rave enough about the imagery and the lighting.  To be fair, there was no weak link.  All of the puzzle pieces fit.

 

Clearly I would highly recommend this film.  It is one of the best films out of Hollywood in a long time.

 

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Review | Jamie Daily

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
85th Academy Awards 2013
5/5 Stars
Nominated for 5 awards, of which it won 1.
Nominated for Best Picture (Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Migan Ellison), Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal), and Best Film Editing (Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg).
Won Best Sound Editing (Paul N. J. Ottosson).
Watched February 20, 2014.

 

Honestly, Zero Dark Thirty is one of my favorite films from the 85th Academy Awards.  The acting, the story, the editing--everything together makes an intense roller coaster of awesomeness.  A lot of people are concerned about the political statements, or are distracted by the scenes depicting torture.  I of course feel the emotional impact of this film like many other Americans.  I feel it positively and for the most part am okay with the past of my country that the narrative portrays.  I like the essence of America that the film depicts (when it comes to the Intelligence behind war), but I can understand those who do not agree politically with what this film represents and how that might cause some to dislike the movie as a whole.  As most reviewers should be able to do, I will separate my personal and political opinions to dissect the film as objectively as possible.   

 

Maya (Jessica Chastain) was recruited right out of high school to join the CIA.  After 9/11, she is sent to Pakistan.  Her number one job is to track Osama bin Laden.  It is all she has ever done.  The film opens on an interrogation sequence in which Maya is introduced to water boarding and other techniques that intelligence used on terrorists.  Dan (Jason Clarke) becomes a good friend and support of hers, but is unwavering in his interviews.  He shows no problem with sleep deprivation and other tactics, but has a little more emotional depth outside of the interrogation room.  He and Maya trust each other early on, but he eventually heads state side when their interrogation techniques begin to become a little taboo politically.  This leaves Maya to fend with Josephy Bradley (Kyle Chandler), the head of the CIA Pakistani office, on her own.

 

Maya is the job.  She spends long days and nights at her desk and we rarely see any sort of social life from her.  She seems to have one friend among her coworkers, Jessica (Jennifer Ehle), in which we see her go out for dinner one time throughout the whole film.  She works for over a decade, doing nothing but tracking bin Laden.  Her coworkers lose focus after London bus bombs and attacks on their home.  Protect the home land becomes the motto, but this statement produces one of the most emotionally charged scenes of the film in which Maya asserts herself to Joseph, insisting that he provide her with the resources that she needs to track the most dangerous wanted man in the world.

 

We know from history what the end result of Maya's dedication is.  The last third of the film is all about the operation to get bin Laden, and it is eventually Maya who identifies the body.  Over a decade of work to track one man--now what?  I can imagine the surreal weightlessness of the situation, and the imagery of this sequence is spot on.  As she identifies the body, the camera is shot up at her, showing that this is a powerful moment for Maya, and as she leaves Pakistan, the weight of what she has accomplished seems to hit her.  

 

There are no weak points, in my opinion, to this film.  The story telling is magnificent, the focus is great, the camera work is acceptable, and the sequence within bin Laden's compound is so realstic it is impressive.  Despite all of these strengths, Chastain is above and beyond all of them.  Who would think that this is the same actress who played the ditzy blonde Celia Foote in The Help the year before?  She is outstanding.  Her character is emotionally distant and dedicated to the job, but Chastain puts humanity into her.  She has a steely resolve that makes the audience have more confidence in her than her on camera superiors.  She is driven and feisty--the ultimate leading lady with enough gumption for the entire cast.  

 

The supporting cast is so sparingly used that when we come to the sequence in bin Laden's compound and the cut aways to Maya are so few, one might think this would be too much of a change in the narrative.  I actually really liked it.  It is long and quiet and suspenseful.  All Maya is doing is sitting on pins and needles, waiting, which is exactly what we are doing as we watch the film.  

 

They never show bin Laden's face.  They show a trail of blood and some blurry images.  They might show a beard, or a nightgown here and there, but his image is never glorified for memory.  He was and is no more, and it is Maya who should be remembered for her accomplishments, not bin Laden for his terrorism.  

 

This film is rated R and is intense.  It is as much a character driven film as it is a narrative driven film.  There is plenty of action, plenty of drama, and plenty of suspense.  I would highly recommend this film, as it is one of my favorites. 

 

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Review | Jamie Daily

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
85th Academy Awards 2013
5/5 Stars
Nominated for 8 awards, of which it won 1.
Nominated for Best Picture (Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, Jonathan Gordon), Best Director (David O. Russell), Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver), Best Adapted Screenplay (David O. Russell), and Best Film Editing (Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers).
Won Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence).
Watched January 24, 2014.

 

Silver Linings Playbook is your average rom-com story, but with creative and unique characters that take the film up a notch.  It is no wonder that it received so much recognition from the Academy, and if it weren't for some stiff competition, Cooper might have been accepting an award right alongside Lawrence.

 

Pat (Bradley Cooper) has spent the last eight months in a mental hospital.  He found his wife in the shower with another man and almost beat him to death.  He found out in the hospital that he is bi-polar and has been struggling with it his whole life.  Against his doctor's wishes, Pat's mom Dolores (Jackie Weaver) gets him out on court approval and he moves back in with his parents with one goal in mind--get healthy and get Nikki.  His wife Nikki (Brea Bree) has placed a restraining order on him, but Pat will do anything to get her to see that he is better and that he is good enough for her.

 

While having dinner at his friend's house, he re-encounters Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a recent widow who is just as messed up as he is.  After only an hour or so she makes him walk her home and then offers him sex, but Pat insists that he's married.  They begin an unlikely friendship in which their problems sometimes complement each other and other times result in public embarrassments and encounters with the cops.  

 

Tiffany's sister is Veronica (Julia Stiles) who is friends with Nikki.  Pat wants Tiffany to get a letter to Nikki explaining how much he has improved, but Tiffany decides that she will only do it for something in return, which is how Pat gets roped into doing a dance competition with Tiffany.  Pat's dad, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) hates Tiffany because he thinks she's messing up the Eagle's juju.

 

Pat's relationship with his family is complicated, and it is obvious that his dad probably struggles with the same emotional problems that he does.  His mom fights for both of them, hoping that love will cure them both although she always seems anxious about her men.  Pat senior makes a living from betting on the Eagles games and Pat Jr. is his good luck charm.

 

While the end of the story is pretty typical and the rest of the time Pat is pretty good at playing the hero, the rest of the film does a really good job of showing an honest and raw view of Pat, his family, and what they are going through.  Tiffany seems like she's had an extra helping of crazy but Pat slowly brings her down to earth.  Both Cooper and Lawrence fully inhabit their roles and bring a reality to them that is exquisite, especially from Cooper whose previous appearances in films such as The Hangover didn't show the abilities that he possesses.  

 

Despite the fact that Lawrence is pretty hot right now and I am a fan of hers, I think she deserved the Oscar that she won.  She became Tiffany, leaving behind the teen Katniss from The Hunger Games and embracing more of the Ree from Winter's Bone (that earned her a nomination in 2011), she went all out.  Cooper also did the role justice.  My favorite scene was when he could not find his wedding video and a terrific family fight ensued in which the cops were called and a teenage neighbor showed up with a video camera.  I could feel Cooper's frustration and his loss of control while his family tried to help instead of escalate the situation.  

 

The film is kept pretty muted as far as colors go and the comedy is all appropriate and well timed.  David O. Russell obviously did an amazing job directing this film and while I didn't find the editing particularly unique, it got the job done (aka it was invisible, as it should be).  The visuals and behind the scenes are all top notch, but the thing that makes the film for me is the characters and the actors who inhabit them.

 

If you can handle a good amount of swear words and a little bit of crazy, I would definitely recommend Silver Linings Playbook to you.  While it might be a romantic comedy, your guy will enjoy it as much as your girl (Cooper and De Niro don't hurt, and the football talk is good as well).  If you don't have this film on your Netflix list yet I don't know what's wrong with you.

 

Amour (2012) Review

Amour (2012)
85th Academy Awards 2013
5/5 Stars
Nominated for 5 awards, of which it won 1.
Nominated for Best Director (Michael Heneke), Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva), Best Original Screenplay (Michael Haneke), and Best Picture (Margaret Menegoz, Stefan Arndt, Velt Heiduschka, Michael Katz).
Won Best Foreign Language Film (Michael Haneke).
Watched November 12, 2013.

 

Amour is a heavy, well crafted tale of the tests that love goes through in the last days of our lives.  Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) have been married a long time.  Well cultured and now retired music teachers, they lead simple lives in a beautiful french apartment full of books and a baby grand.  One morning, Anne has a lapse, which we assume was probably a stroke, because the next time we see her she has undergone surgery, and it went badly.  She slowly progresses from being half paralyzed in a wheelchair to being bed ridden and cared for my nurses and husband alike.

 

Georges bears most of his wife's condition very well, although you can see the sadness, fear, and helplessness in his eyes.  His daughter, who seems very preoccupied with her own life, keeps insisting that something must be done, but Georges has the ability to see that there isn't much that can be done but help Anne be comfortable.  Anne loses her ability to communicate in the end, but although her words make no sense, you can see every emotion plainly in her eyes.

 

This is one of those films where I forgot pretty quickly that I was watching a foreign film.  I hardly noticed I was reading subtitles most of the time.  It is somewhat slow moving, particularly in the stillness that director Michael Haneke uses effectively.  He chose to shoot several scenes in one shot.  The camera doesn't move for several minutes while Georges cuts flowers, Anne learns to use her wheelchair, or receives a bath from a nurse.  There is so much communication in this film, and most of it isn't through dialogue.

 

The cinematography is brilliant, the story telling is wonderful, and the emotions are heart breaking.  It is easy to connect with the characters, which is sometimes difficult in foreign films.  Almost the entire film is shot in their small apartment and yet we see a whole life story.  Georges and Anne are still individuals who are learning about one another, and though the truth is that we all die alone, Georges is with Anne every step of the way, with love that only he could show to her.

 

Although the film is hard to watch, I also found the story quiet beautiful.  Those of us who are lucky to make it to their age with our partner will one day experience this, and it isn't any easier than if they had lost each other earlier in their lives.  The story is relatable, but it is also an example of the partnership in marriage.

 

This film will require a little patience, and should probably not be viewed if you are having a tough time in life, but besides that I would highly recommend it.

 

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
85th Academy Awards 2013
2/5 Stars
Nominated for 4 awards.
Nominated for Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis), Best Directing (Benh Zeitlin), Best Picture (Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, Michael Gottwald), and Best Writing-Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin).
Watched March 30, 2013.

Photo Source: A Fistful of Culture 

My thoughts about Beasts of the Southern Wild, whether profound or otherwise, are few and far between.  The reviews I have read about the film seem to be on either one side of the fence or the other--complete love or near hate.  I am a rarity and find myself on the fence--neither a devote follower or a hater.  It's a coming of age story… but with a six year old.

 

This is Benh Zeitlin's breakout film as a director, and as such, he came out with a bang.  Being nominated for four Oscars while taking the risks that he did in the film are gutsy, and I doubt this will be the last we hear from him in Hollywood royalty.

 

The film is about a community that lives outside the levy in New Orleans around the time of hurricane Katrina, although this fact not stated in the film.  The main character, Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) lives in this placed called the Bathtub with her father.  They live in two separate trailers that are perched on stilts.  Her father is not always present, and sometimes Hushpuppy has to fend for herself.  Although it is obvious that her father Wink (Dwight Henry) isn't the best dad in the world, he is desperate to teach his daughter how to take care of herself because he knows he won't be around forever.

 

When the hurricane comes, many in their community leave for the protection of the levy, but those who stay see their home torn apart and spend the next while riding boats on what were once streets.  The animals and sea life slowly die and the group has to decide what to do, because doing anything might make the levy people force them to evacuate.

 

Hushpuppy occasionally narrates the film with thoughts so profound and poetic, even though it might be in broken english, that it is hard to believe a six year old could phrase anything that way.  And yet, it is believable because we know Hushpuppy, and we know what a stubborn, quiet, intuitive little girl she is.  We also understand the love she has for her home, as well as the imagination that plays out for us on the screen.  

 

Zeitlin used all non-actors for his cast.  The actor who plays Hushpuppy's dad Wink (Henry) is a baker and has stated no interest in pursuing an acting career.  Many times when non-actors are used, it tears the film apart and very little of the other positive qualities matter.  However, I think the fact that Wallis was nominated for Best Actress, being the youngest ever nominated at nine years old, speaks volumes about the performances in Beasts.  

 

Despite the wonderful acting and the art direction, I found the story hard to connect with.  Even though there are traumatic things happening on screen, I felt little to no connection with the characters and felt very little whenever bad (or good) things happened to them.  The cinematography, at times good, others not, was shot on film instead of HD.  I generally like this quite a lot, but the film utilized the currently very popular style of hand held shots, which is something I can only stand in minimal amounts.  I understand the choice, in part, but think it would have been much more powerful if it was used more sparingly.  

 

I'm not sure whether or not I would recommend this film.  If you are a fan of such brain benders as The Tree of Life by by Terrence Malick, you might enjoy Beast of the Southern Wild, although Zeitlin has a ways to go before he reaches Malick's genius.  This isn't a movie to watch casually, but if you are looking for something serious with childhood adventures (in a non-children friendly movie), it might be a good option.

 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
4/5 Stars
Nominated for 5 awards.
Nominated for Actress (Rooney Mara), Cinematography (Jeff Cronenweth), Film Editing (Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall), Sound Editing (Ren Kluce), and Sound Mixing (David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Bo Persson).
Watched October 20, 2012.

 

photo source: The Guardian

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has David Fincher stamped all over it.  It you have seen Fight Club, The Social Network, and/or Benjamin Button, you will recognize the beautiful imagery and artistry of one of my favourite directors.  Based on the first book of a famous series by Stieg Larsson, the English version that follows, but is not a remake of the Swedish films, is a fast paced, audio-driven investigation of a killer of women with characters more deeply troubled than one would like to imagine.   

 

Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a journalist with a recently ruined reputation.  He is hired by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the age old murder of his niece Harriet.  On a remote, frozen island in Sweden, Mikael holes himself up in Henrik's guest house and sets to work getting to know the troubled Vanger family.  They are a group of communists, alcoholics, rapists, and murderers.  

 

Our other protagonist is the true star of the film, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara).  After trying to kill her father, Lisbeth became a ward of the state and has been abused ever since.  Her hard exterior and self proclaimed psychopathic habits alienate her a bit from the audience, and yet strangely make one cheer for her.  After watching her be brutally raped by her social worker, we then get to watch her exact cruel but deserved revenge on him.  Despite her unconventional and abusive upbringing, Lisbeth is a computer genius with the ability to hack into anyone's computer and conduct incredibly thorough and incredibly illegal background checks for her employer (and also a little bit for herself).  

 

 

photo source: Movie Film Reviews

Over an hour into the film, our two protagonists are finally brought together.  Mikael accepts her without question, although Lisbeth does not seek his acceptance.  Her interest is caught when he asks her to catch this killer of women and immediately she is off and solving mysteries the original investigator had never even dreamed of, let alone that they were somehow linked to the Vangers and Harriet.  

 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is often overly graphic as well as driven more by the suspenseful music than what is really happening on screen.  Lisbeth's character has a lot of depth to her--every scene seems to peel back another asset of her character.  Mikael, on the other hand, seems to be a little one note, which is of course no fault of Craig, who is a consistently brilliant actor.  The relationship between the two is little developed and somehow becomes affectionate, probably because Mikael has a daughter and Lisbeth is attracted to that.  Her relationship with him is more understandable than his with her, but somehow the fact that it shouldn't work makes it all right.  

 

The imagery--cinematography and art direction--along with the sound of this film are beyond spellbinding.  The story is a bit lacking and the ending seems completely off balance with the rest of the film, but all in all, it is a good Oscar contending film.  I appreciate the nominations.  I'm not a fan of films involving rape scenes, but because of Lisbeth's triumph over her rapist in the end, I felt a little better about this one.

 

I would definitely recommend this film.  It has a lot of graphic sex and violence, therefore its 'R' rating is something to be aware of, but if you have missed this film I would definitely recommend it as a Friday night thriller!

 

Sources: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, NY Times, The Guardian,  Movie Film Reviews

The Iron Lady (2012)

The Iron Lady (2012)
84th Academy Awards 2012
4/5 Stars
Nominated for 2 awards, of which it won both.
Won Best Actress (Meryl Streep) and Makeup (Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland).
Watched October 14, 2012.

 

photo source: The Telegraph

It is hard to know what to think and feel about The Iron Lady.  Critics weren't so fond, historians disappointed, and the general public has been wishy-washy.  The Academy, of course, noticed the film's two most incredible aspects and rewarded them both.  Anyone who is anybody will be able to watch this film and will once again be in awe of Meryl Streep and her complete embodiment of her character.  She does, in fact, become Margaret Thatcher for a short, privileged amount of time, and the fact that the vessel that carried her is not completely up to par is hardly her fault, nor should it be.

 

Margaret Thatcher was the first woman Prime Minister in Britain.  She served for eleven and a half years in the 80s, during a time of financial hardship not unlike our recession now, although the riots and protests of their unemployed severely belittles our own recent movement in the States.  Margaret grew up as a grocer's daughter and had political dreams and aspirations very early on.  After earning a scholarship to Oxford, she quickly ran for office and after being voted in at a young age, she climbed the ranks quickly and soon became Prime Minister.  A head strong, determined woman, she often leads well but is sometimes seen as very unreceptive to other opinions.  However, knowing very little of politics, and even less about British politics, I will comment very little on it, except to say that I agree with many of the sentiments and impassioned speeches that were included in the film.  This, I think, made me more inclined to like Mrs. Thatcher.

 

photo source: The League of Dead Films

The Iron Lady follows my favourite sort of timeline--non-linear.  It begins with Mrs. Thatcher as an old woman with dementia who hallucinates that her dead husband is still alive and well.  Despite the fact that her rise to the top of the political ladder was completely done on her own (not disregarding, of course, the power of the voters), her constant hold on the memory of her husband and her incredible need for his companionship shows that she feared loneliness, although it could be argued that her reduced mental capacity brought her to a very innocent and vulnerable place that could easily cause this fear.  The state of the country is in a similar place to when she was in office and her obvious need to understand the current affairs causes her to have flashbacks of when she was in office.  On some occasions, she behaves as if she is still the PM, much to her daughter's dismay.

 

Although many critics did not enjoy the non-linear style in this film, I think it will be hard to make me dislike this style, especially in an Oscar-worthy film.  However, I understand the concerns of many that there was too much preoccupation with Mrs. Thatcher's dementia and not enough time spent on her political career.  In this case, I think that maybe they watched the film with different expectations, whereas I was easily sucked in, particularly because my grandmother recently passed away from Alzheimer's.  Many concerns have been that instead of taking hold of an opportunity to present a historical account of Margaret Thatcher, the filmmakers became preoccupied with her illness instead of her greatness.  Some went so far as to say that it was an obvious play from the Left attempting to diminish her image of strength.  On the contrary, I found it fascinating, especially as I knew my grandmother to be a passionate artist who was very fun loving, and her illness stripped her down to her rawest form--a woman who loved to sing and laugh.  It is a devastating process.  I think it is possible that because of my personal ties to dementia, I did not mind the amount of screen time it received in The Iron Lady, but again, I can understand the negative reviews toward this aspect.

 

I loved the cinematography, the colors, and above all else, of course, the impeccable acting.  This film greatly separates itself from the other British films I have watched so far from the 84th Academy Awards.  I found nothing in it that reminded me of a BBC film, except for the accents of course.  For this fact alone it is leagues beyond Albert Nobbs, in my opinion.

 

The Iron Lady is certainly a fascinating character study and I would definitely recommend it.  Keep in mind that it is a little slow, but Meryl Streep is to die for.   

 

 

Sources: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Hollywood Reporter, Twitch Film, John Likes Movies 

Julia (1977)

Julia (1977)
50th Academy Awards 1978
1/5 Stars
Nominated for 10 awards, of which it won 2.
Nominated for Supporting Actor (Maximilian Schell), Best Actress (Jane Fonda), Cinematography (Douglas Slocombe), Costume Design (Anthea Sylbert), Directing (Fred Zinnemann), Film Editing (Walter Murch), Music-Original (Georges Delerue), and Best Picture (Richard Roth).
Won Supporting Actor (Jason Robarbs) and Writing-Screenplay based on material from another medium (Alvin Sargent).
Watched October 12, 2012.

photo source: toutlecine 

Julia (Vanessa Redgrave) is an eccentric, intelligent activist who was tragically and fortunately born and lived in the time of Hitler.  She was doomed from the beginning, and so it seems was her friend and eventual famous playwright Lillian Hellman (Jane Fonda).  They had a deep, loving friendship all through their childhood until Julia went away to Oxford to study.  It is here that a distance was created between them, not just in miles.  Lillian reflects romantically on her memories of her friend later in life as she attempts to write her first play, holed up in a beach house with her on-again-off-again lover Dash Hammett (Jason Robards).  It is the tragedy and unconditional love and devotion of Lillian's relationship with Julia that preoccupies her writing, but also fuels her greatness.  It is also this that is constantly driving her to visit Europe in hopes of tempting Julia out of hiding to spend time with her.

 

The movie is a mess, unfortunately.  It is supposedly about Julia, but is actually more halfheartedly about Lillian.  It is about their relationship, and yet we rarely see them together except for in Lillian's romanticized memories.  We very rarely see or know anything of depth about Julia, just that she is a shadow that haunts Lilly.  The affection in the relationship is primarily on Lilly's side, although Julia does eventually name her child after her friend.  All that we know about Julia is that she is daring, brave, and an activist first in Vienna and then in Berlin during the rise and dominance of Hitler and Mussolini.  

photo source: Share Files

What should be the climax of the film is infact the worst part.  On one of Lillian's inevitable tragic visits to Europe, she is approached by a "friend" of Julia's who asks her to help them smuggle money into Berlin.  This again begs the question of who actually loves who in the relationship--Lillian who is so willing to put her life on the line for her friend, or Julia who would willingly put her friend's life on the line for the cause?  Instead of an exciting point in the film, it is slow, seemingly pointless, and unfortunately feels like padding to fill screen time.  

 

The acting is wonderful and the imagery is good.  If the film had only been about Lillian with a little bit of Dash it would have been a hit, but because it could not decide who it was really about, it fell drastically short.  I enjoyed the darkness of the setting--rarely was it sunny and cheerful.  I found Lillian herself very interesting, with her chain smoking, writers block, and utter transparity with her emotions.  Jane Fonda did a very good job with her.  Vanessa Redgrave, on the other hand, wasn't given much to deal with in terms of Julia and therefor she did fairly well.  I'm not sure why Jason Robards won supporting actor, though.  Not to say that he didn't do well, but his character didn't feel very demanding.  

 

All in all, I wouldn't recommend the film.  If you are looking for something about the anti-fascist movement it might be of interest to you, although again, it is almost entirely about Lillian and her memories and not very much about what was happening in Germany at the time.  The writing, however, was interesting enough to possibly warrant a viewing.

 

 

Sources: Share Files, toutlecine, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert, The Best Picture Project 

Albert Nobbs (2011)

Albert Nobbs (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
2/5 Stars
Nominated for 3 awards.
Nominated for Best Actress (Glenn Close), Supporting Actress (Janel McTeer), and Makeup (Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston, Matthew W. Mungle).
Watched October 7, 2012.

 

photo source: Cinespect

 

In a winter setting in Dublin, a small group of maids and waiters serve an assortment of guests while watched carefully by the mistress of the house.  Among them is a waiter who from the beginning seems to have an uncanny talent at his trade, which is certainly commented on multiple times within the opening scene.  A man of small stature, he is the utmost of propriety, quiet and polite, even among his coworkers.  It is obvious that he has a secret, this Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close).  At first we have reason to believe that it is only his stash of money underneath the floorboards, but when a certain Hubert Page (Janel McTeer) has to stay in his room for a night, we find out that he is hiding something much bigger.

 

Albert Nobbs is actually a woman.  Her guardian passed away when she was 14.  After being gang raped by five men, she sought work at a nearby party that was short staffed.  She got her hands on a second hand suit, disguised herself as a man, and never turned back.  As an adult, Albert is not only quiet and polite, but fairly naive of modern gender roles and sexuality.  His only aim is to save enough money to buy his own business, but after meeting Mr. Page, things change.  Mr. Page, it turns out, is also a woman dressed as a man, but instead of living a life of solitude, Page is married--to a woman.  Completely dumbfounded, Nobbs begins to dream of having a wife of his own.  Unlike one might presume, he views it purely as a business transaction--an ideal of having a wife sitting by the fire, and working the counter at the shop.  He sets his sights on the prettiest maid, Helen (Mia Wasikowska), but unfortunately she is deeply in love with the new handyman, Joe.  

photo source: Metropulse 

 

I have no hesitation in saying that Albert Nobbs has not been one of my favourite films so far.  I am a huge fan of BBC, Downton Abbey, and other British shows, and this certainly would fall into a similar category.  Its cinematography, characterization, and pace all reflect that of a BBC made for TV movie.  Generally something that I enjoy a lot, especially when it is set in the winter months, I was incredibly bored by the pace and the limited, transparent plot twists.  

 

Much of the appeal for this film was certainly Close and McTeer, two wonderful actresses playing women who both dress and pass as men.  I'm not sure if i agree with the nomination for makeup, but I do understand it.  The film is not done in an experimental style, but is certainly experimenting with gender roles in early English culture.  It is a sad world indeed when women must disguise themselves as men to be able to fend for themselves and create a good life beyond being a maid.  Poor Helen discovers the tragedy of her gender in her career and unmarried motherhood.  That is a fate that both Nobbs and Page did not want for themselves.

 

Albert Nobbs is not something I would recommend on most occasions.  It's intriguing on some level, with a good Christmas feel, but depressing.  If the plot is simply seen as a woman dressed as a man hopelessly chasing another woman who is in love with another man, don't watch it.  However, if your interest was piqued by the gender comments, it might be a good fit for you.

 

 

Sources: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Picturenose, Roger Ebert, John Likes Movies, Metropulse, Cinespect