I'm overly delinquent on posting movie reviews (with apologies to my friend, Jane). Getting our son ready and off to college, getting used to being an empty-nester, and going back to work took much more time than I anticipated. But I have had occasion to see several movies since my last post and want to offer my opinion on them. In no particular order:
Inception: the best special effects movie of the year. It should clean up in the Oscar technical awards category. Leonardo DiCaprio is the most consistent actor of his generation, giving us another multi-layered performance as Cobb. The premise of the movie (the human mind can be entered through dream invasion, and ideas can be stolen) sparked memories of George Orwell's iconic novel "1984". Definitely on my top ten list for 2010.
The Social Network: the best movie of the year. The public's fascination with Facebook was heightened with this look at the "inception" (the devil made me use the word) of the revolutionary social network. Jesse Eisenberg was the perfect casting choice to play Mark Zuckerberg (the resemblance between the two is uncanny). Andrew Garfield shines as Eduardo, the sympathetic conscience of the movie. I must also mention Justin Timberlake's performance as Napster founder Sean Parker - I found this performance engaging and indicative of how truly multi-talented Mr. Timberlake is.
The Fighter: Number two on my list after The Social Network. Mark Wahlberg's portrayal of Micky Ward is engaging - you simply have to root for Micky to step out of his brother's opaque shadow and become a fighter in his own right. As much as the movie is about Micky Ward, the movie includes a powerhouse performance by Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund, Micky's half-brother who had a perpetual 15 minutes of fame (in his hometown of Lowell, MA as well as in his own mind), but threw a promising career away in favor of becoming a crack addict. While I applaud Mr. Wahlberg's performance, the movie belongs to Christian Bale. It is a shame that the performance will only garner Mr. Bale a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, for his performance is the best acting performance I've seen this year. Melissa Leo and Amy Adams also give Supporting Actress-type performances in this gritty movie.
The Black Swan: To sum up the movie in two words - Natalie Portman. Ms. Portman's performance of a newly appointed prima ballerina who descends into paranoid madness should win the Best Actress Oscar. As a former ballet company member and current ballet teacher, I could relate to the intensely competitive world Ms. Portman's character, Nina Sayers, lives in. The quest for perfection in dance (as in most other pursuits in life) ultimately becomes Nina's downfall. Mila Kunis also shines in this movie as Ms. Portman's self-conjured rival. It is a very dark, disturbing movie, not really a dance movie at all, but a character-driven look at madness that just happens to be set in a dance environment.
Robin Hood: If you've seen Russell Crowe in Gladiator (wonderfully directed by Ridley Scott), then there is absolutely no need to see this movie. I was extremely disappointed with the direction and acting from a duo that created one of my all-time favorite movies, the aforementioned Gladiator.
Cyrus: John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill gave two engaging performances as the love interest (Mr. Reilly) getting to know his girlfriend's son (Mr. Hill). Restraint in both performances made the movie that much more eloquent.
Toy Story 3: My son grew up with Woody and Buzz, and just like Andy in the film, my son went to college this year. I will admit I've never cried at the movies as much as I did seeing this film. This movie summed up so many emotions for me: joy at seeing my son graduate high school and become a college freshman, sadness that he would not be a part of my day-to-day life once he left for college, and extreme pride in the wonderful adult he has become. Even if you are not a Pixar or Disney movie fan, please watch this one - it is a beautiful story.
The Kids Are Alright: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo give excellent performances in an up-to-date look at a modern blended family. Until I saw Natalie Portman in "The Black Swan", I anticipated that Ms. Bening would finally win her Oscar. That may still happen...
The Ghost Writer: I am in the minority in my house with my applause for this movie. Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan give great performances as a ghost writer who is hired to clean up a former British Prime Minister's memoirs. The darkness of the film serves to enhance the mysterious events which befall Mr. McGregor's character.
127 Hours: James Franco's tour de force performance as Aron Ralston, a hiker trapped in a canyon by a huge boulder (his arm is lodged between the rock and the canyon wall) is memorable. The mix of emotions that lead to Aron's radical solution to escape his predicament are beautifully portrayed by Mr. Franco.
The Town: Ben Affleck deserves applause for his restrained direction of this look at the life of bank robbers living in a small town known for its sheer numbers of bank robbers. Jeremy Renner shines again in his supporting role as Jim, Mr. Affleck's character's sidekick. The grittiness of the sets, the uneasiness and guilt in Doug MacRay (Mr. Affleck), the desire of Doug to try to escape the confines of his criminality, make this a film worth viewing.
My early Oscar predictions (to be amended, if necessary when nominations are announced): Best Picture - The Social Network, Best Actor - Colin Firth, Best Actress - Natalie Portman, Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale, Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo, Best Director - David O. Russell
I have not seen The King's Speech or True Grit, but will post reviews after watching them.
I wish you all a Happy, Healthy, New Year. Grab some popcorn and keep going to the movies!
You must must must see The King's Speech right away. It is far and away the best movie I have seen in a very long time. I will be watching to see what you say about the DP's work - interesting camera angles for such an intimate movie. Colin Firth's performance was so good I was quite literally sitting there with knots in my stomach and chest pains empathizing with the speech impediment.
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