Catching Up on 2010 Films

'secretariat' i'm sorry to say i missed on the 'big' screen'. knowing the ending did not diminish it at all. that's due the expert direction and editing. diane lane is wonderful once again. ***1/2 stars.

'twelve' is the darker side of 'gossip girl'. it's just a drug crazed teen horror story. forget about it. the onlt redeeming thing in it was chace crawford and because of him alone it gets *1/2 stars.

'the american' is a bore. everything about it sucked. really! 0 stars. yup zero!

 a look at the early life of john lennon is a pleasant surprise. i watch everything kristen scott thomas is in so naturally i rented this. it is so much more than ms. scott thomas. a really good performance by aaron johnson centers the film which relates the factual tug-of-war between his aunt (scott thomas) who raised him and his mother (anne-marie duff is terrific) who let him go and the formation of the future beetles. i really recommend this movie. ***stars.

america the beautiful? not so much. no surprise to me. the true story about the lies and cover up of one one's death to promote the illegal war. 

a tense but sober look at a 12 year old vampire. however it is anything but childish. ***stars

'Hereafter' ***1/2

clint eastwood continues to amaze me. he never looks back. he takes on new material with every directorial effort. and he always seems to succeed. 'hereafter' is the newest success. i'm never ashamed to say i cried...ever! and this film had tears rolling down my face intermittently a number of times. why? not too sure. maybe it was just the cumulative effect of the number of deaths i've lived through my whole life packed into 2hours and 9 minutes. but i am not saying this is a sad film....it isn't. nor is it a joyous film in that we now know what the hereafter is as we don't know this any more after seeing the film than the moment before it began. but it touched something deep within me. that says a lot to me. i liked these moments and the feelings. i liked the film in it's entirety also.

matt damon just keeps on growing as an actor with each role. he and eastwood ('invictus") make a good team. the rest of the cast, mostly unknown to me, all delievered the goods. there was no weak link in the cast.

'hereafter' heads into my top 5 of 2010. is it brilliant? no. is it eastwood's best? no. but it is damn good and better than most releases. is it a masterpiece? no. but it is a minor masterpiece.

'hereafter' touched my spirit.

'The Social Network': ***stars

a likeable cast lifts lifts a story of mostly dislikable characters. and with all his whimsy and childish charm jesse eisenberg can't make facebook founder, well more like facebook thief, mark zuckerberg, any less despicable than he actually is/was.

still aaron sorkin authors an amazingly involving screenplay, brilliantly directed by david fincher and deftly edited by kirk baxter and angus wall. but this does not a 'best picture' make. well not for me at any rate.

the real kudos for me go to andrew garfield as the blindsided and betrayed eduardo saverin and armie hammer in the dual role of the less than shall i say intelligent winklevoss brothers, tyler and cameron, who are more brawn than brain. i actually thought real life twins were playing these real life twins. this is the best dual role play since hayley mills in 'the parent trap'. quite a feat mr. hammer.

okay the bottom line is this: if you are an oscarbater go see it. it will be nominated for multiple awards unless the next two and a half months bring multiple surprises which i doubt. but who knows? for me it's a nominee not a winner.  but then again 'the english patient', 'out of africa' and 'the hurt locker' were winners. so all bets off.

also ask yourself this: do you really really care enough about the history of facebook. truly i don't.

'Dorian Grey' rates 1/2*

this 2009 film went virtually unnoticed when released in the fall of 2009. and no wonder. 'the picture of dorian grey was always a dark tale. this version goes beyond dark. it is now a lurid tale with absolutely no merit whatsoever. run as far from it as you can.

my only question is what the hell was colin firth thinking when he took the second lead in it. really i ask seriously who the hell did he owe a favor. this is the biggest piece of junk i've seen in a long time and that includes every anne hathaway movie i've ever suffered through.

'The Back Up Plan': **stars

i have a thing for jennifer lopez in her romantic comedies. i find her absolutely charming in them. even in this bit of a miss and mess she shines. alex o'laughlin is another charmer. they just have a lousy script to work with that's all too formula and familiar.

rent it on a rainy day. it will pass the time.

"Propostion 8: Equality for Some" ***stars on DVD

i just caught up with this documentary on the prop 8 amendment in california that makes gay men and women unequal under the law according to the state constitution. it is more a worthy indictment of the mormon religion, with a subtext of the catholic religion, than a call for gay rights. albeit they certainly intermingle here. and it is an indictment that is justified. i know less about the church of latter day saints* than any other religion. they want it that way. they are a secretive group. a cult really which all kidding aside has secret and seemingly magic underwear.  it has at it's center the tenant that all it's members practice obedience. obedience to the elders and to god. mostly to the elders first and their illusion (delusion) of god second. religion is a strange thing. you either believe or you don't. you tithe or you don't (i sure as hell would not). you will be blackmailed into making contributions to a cause that the elders adhere to or you will be banished. take banishment!

this film makes makes a good argument that this church in particular should not be tax exempt. i think no church should be tax exempt as they are able to hide their political financial wheeling and dealing with a clock of protection around them. the power that the roman church had in the 50- early 60's is now held by latter day saints. the papists are crumbling under the weight of scandals and hocus pocus. we can only wait for the same for the lds. mitt romney for president? magic underwear indeed!

i recommend this for the information unearthed about lds. if documentaries are not your thing catch up with hbo's 'big love' a more dramatic and fulfilling look at the absurdity and abominations emanating from utah.


we are in the age of aquarius now. pisces is over. thus the symbol of the fish is replaced. i.e. christianity as we know it is on the way out. wake up ye papists. 

*i don't consider scientology a religion. i see it more as a scify movie in real time. it's a cult like all the others but with no redeeming value. at least the vatican has art on it's side. pillaged art but they have it none the less.

'Inception': Is a ****star Masterpiece

FINALLY A FILM THAT LIVES UP TO IT'S PRE-OPENING HYPE

 the best film of the summer is here. director christopher nolan denied twice for best director nominee and his 'batman begins' and 'the dark night' both denied best picture noms may just get his just rewards this time around. he had better. i defy the academy to ignore this picture come oscar nomination time. this is the new epic. my rating system goes to four stars. 'inception' deserves more.

you heard it's about dreams and invading dreams and that's all you are getting from me. you have to see it for yourself. on the big screen both times. both times? i believe you will want to make a return visit. it is so epic that i don't believe anyone can absorb all it offers in one visit. i'm going imax on it real soon.

this the the greatest roller coaster ride ever. this is edge of the seat movie going. it gets you to the edge, then gets you totally edged and trippy and all you want is to ride it longer. it is truly a mind blowing experience.

the cast headed by leo dicaprio is amazing. joseph gordon-levitt, tom hardy and ken watanabe really shine. i had reservations about ellen page at first but her casting was truly inspired. i thought she might be out of her league. but then her character appeared out of her league with the rest of the 'dream team'. neither ellen nor her character are out of their league. and then there is the divine marion cotillard. she brightens any film always. i am mad about this woman...this actress. her role is smaller than the rest but pivotal which makes it larger than the rest.

and then there is leonardo dicaprio. he just gets better and better. he is the film's center. he winds up being it's soul. this leaves a question begging to be asked. 'best actor nominee for this or 'shutter island'? so we have the kate winslet dilemma as in 'the reader' or 'revolutionary road' i picked 'the reader' for kate and she won. leo go with 'shutter island' because you owned that film. here you generously shared with a brilliant ensemble cast. trust me leo.

the musical score by hans zimmer is oscar bait. actually i say this can and will receive as many oscar noms as categories it qualifies for.

so i love this movie. it is amazing, brilliant, adult, thoughtful and yes it is a masterpiece. run to a theater near you. don't think about it just go. it is air conditioned and the perfect antidote for the heat wave in your neighborhood.
this movie about dreams is a dream come true in a summer of filmgoing mediocrity.

i repeat the WARNING: see it before you speak about it!

'Remember Me' on Blu Ray and DVD ***1/2stars

what a pleasant surprise.truth is i rented 'remember me' after seeing 'twilight the eclipse' and falling for the vampire edward more than i had in the past. so i wondered what robert pattinson could do in a non vampiric role. well he does admirably if not extremely well. he plays brooding and distant best. but his distance is not off putting. you root for him in love and family and inner war. coping with loss, family dramas, a distant father and a needy sister whom he adores he captivates. meeting the would be love of his life ally causes confusion and a past event involving her dad almost destroys their probability and possibilities.

i have to say that half way through the film i was wondering where the film was going. i was half expecting the post teenage angst ending. damn was i wrong. the film takes unexpected turns. and then a truly unexpected turn that is neither forced nor contrived nor meant to shock. it just happens as life just happens. i offer no spoiler as it would be criminal.

emilie de ravin as ally grew on me as she began to grow on mr. pattinson's tyler hawkins. chris cooper gives his usual all to the role of ally's dad and ruby jerins as caroline hawkins the kid sister holds her own in a necessarily strangely written role.

and what can i say but having lena olin on screen even for a short time is always a wonderful joy.

but is pierce brosnan that is getting to me. negatively. earlier this year he walked through 'the ghost writer' only looking halfway decent because he was generally paired with the worst performance so far this year of kim cattrall. pierce get it together. you are really just phoning in your performances lately.

but back to...

i wondered how a non vampiric robert would do. well i still do not agree with the james dean comparisons except for maybe the shoulder thing. i still contend he moves more into the montgomery clift intensity zone. and like montgomery his eyes can say almost anything and everything. i'm glad he followed the first 'twilight' films with this sober independent outing which he also 'executive produced'. he certainly proves he has the chops post vampire.

yes i admit mr. pattinson is turning me into a dewey eyed dope. and i'm not complaining.

oh i almost forgot: rent it. damn i'm buying it.

'A Single Man' on Blu Ray and DVD: ***1/2 stars

one of the best films of 2009 finally gets it's dvd/blu ray release. tom ford's first directorial effort seems effortless. he is and wins 2009's best first directorial effort. we can only hope for more. he certainly gave each supporting player his due including the wonderful matthew goode and nicholas hoult. he gave julianne moore the best role of her career so far but oscar snubbed her. penelope cruz, whom i adore, in 'nine' over julianne in this? ... i think not!

but the major kudos go to colin firth. damn what a brilliant performance. the BEST LEADING MALE performance of 2009. he lost the oscar to the oft nominated jeff bridges for all the wrong reasons. but oscar is known for this. john wayne in 'true shit' anyone? (are they really remaking that piece of crap?)

anyway back to mr. firth. he plays george who is preparing for the last day of his life. in often few words but with glances and gestures and his eyes, damn those eyes, he says more than any words could say. just watch him in the scene where by a phone call he is told of his lover's death. not a word. not a single word. colin's face says it all. sometimes words just don't matter. this is one of those times.

his performance is classic. it raises him above most of his piers. finally the brilliant mr. firth gets his role of a lifetime, and oscar be damned.

"Twilight: Eclipse" ***stars

with a new director at the helm, david slade, what is eclipsed this time around is just another vampire movie. mr. slade knows his material. he has gotten to know the actors. he has made a semi-classic romance almost bordering on romantic tragedy. or is falling madly for an undead already the tragedy. well not if you are bella swan. yet who knows that may still happen.



the oft too brooding bella swan now broods with a newfound sensuality. the twosome of bella and the vampire edward cullen begins taking a turn while the mostly in the shadows jacob the werewolf comes out swinging front and center. there is a kiss that could change everything or not. there are glances and stares that have multiple possibilities. yes edward? yes jacob? bella what is going on with the three of you. powerful sensuality with so many unanswered questions. can a human, a vampire, and a shape shifting werewolf ever really get questions answered? their feelings sorted? bella will she or won't she? edward will he or won't he? does this leave jacob with the winning ace?



kristen stewart bursts forward as a new sensual bella...more comfortable in her own skin making her that much more pleasing to us and more able for us to care about and care for. you've made me care bella.



taylor lautner gets a meatier role and just gets meatier. edward asks 'does he ever wear a shirt'. no he doesn't and we don't want him too wear one. he is a better defined jacob now physically and emotionally. he has the acting chops and now gets to truly show them along with those abs.



but it is robert pattinson who truly shines as the vampiric edward cullen. he is the real star here. he shines in every frame he is in. he shows more emotion in one word or one single gesture than most actors of his generation. some compare him to james dean. i say the brilliant montgomery clift. as the movie year is now half over i see only two potential best oscar actor nominees: leo decaprio for 'shutter island' and yes mr. pattinson for this 'eclipse'. i'll nominate him. this is the type of film that is overlooked. his performance should not be. i plan on pushing him as i pushed and cheered on sandra bullock last time around. we all know how that turned out! i only said a nomination so far.



besides the three leads there is the battle. the vampires and wolves team up to do battle with the 'newbies', a wild and undisciplined crazed new born gang of vampires, headed by the queen of mean vampire victoria. the goal is to kill bella to get even with edward. the battle is a rousing edge of the seat scene brilliantly editet sequence.

bravo mr. slade and a damn good supporting cast.

taylor and kirsten and robert bask in the glory you deserve

robert think about getting a tux*.



*i believe this is the official start of oscarbation 2010

'The Last Station' *stars

'the last station' or 'the history of histrionics as offered by 'watch me over emote' helen mirren'.

as the countess sophia who all but kicks her husband leo tolstoy in his nuts ms. mirren proves she is the most overrated british actress of her time. she is such a 'phony' actress. it's all kind of ''watch me act. am i not wonderful? i'm going to scream and shout now. am i not a brilliant actress?". no ms. mirren you are not brilliant. you are damn annoying is what you are.

those who follow this blog know that my love and admiration for british actresses are bountiful and always has been. julie, judy, maggie, keira, deborah and kate are always at the top of all my lists. but mirren my god stop already. you are maddening.

christopher plummer what can i say? you gave an admirable performance considering the scene chewing ham you were playing against. she actually recieved an oscar nomination for this. makes one wonder.

the film itself is a waste of 1:53 hours. the one star is for the location shots, james mcavoy and the cinematography. i am being kind much to kind.

oh well...my suggestion is do not buy, do not rent...pass it by.

'Every Little Step' ****stars

it's really not fair to judge a documentary on the same playing field as a movie. so 4 stars for 'every little step is appropriate. it stands high above other 'theatre' documentaries released.

let's go back to 1975 when choreographer/director michael bennett had an idea after recording hours and hours of broadway dancers or 'gypsies' experiences on why they became dancers and their experiences getting work. he wanted to make a musical of it all. enter marvin hamlisch and joe papp and more an idea would come to life.

in 1976 this 'little' show opened off-broadway at the joe papp theater where many 'little' shows had their start. this show was 'little' as it han no setpieces except for a mirror, minimal props and they were mostly hats and dancers bags and it had no stars. no names. no above the title name recognition. well this 'little' show became the must see show of the 1975 season and made it's move to broadway where it became the longest running show until those idiot 'cats' came along. it took home a basket full of tony awards that year 9 out of the 12 it was nominated floor including bennett as director, the amazing kelly bishop as for best featured actress and of course best musical. unfortunately kelley's win meant a loss for the equally amazing priscilla lopez...it was a coin toss. then there was the featured actor win by sammy williams who tells his story on how and why he became a dancer. his was an amazing performance that goes down in history as a monologue to remember.

slow forward to 1985 when hollwood decided it was time to film this brilliant piece of musical theater. enter acclaimed director richard attenborough. we know mr. attenborough never directed a musical before this. upon seeing the movie it is conceivable that mr. attenborough never ever never saw a musical prior to this time. wgat a frackin' mess. here we have a show about dancers and this director forget the actors have feet. enough of this piece of toxic celluloid.

now a real slow forward to 2006 when a broadway revival is mounted. it was real good. it was not the original but stood on it's own merit. it did win two tony's including best revival of a musical.

so now we go back to the beginning of this little bit of history. the documentary 'every little step'. it traces the audition process for the revival...it becomes the real 'chorus line' story. intermingled with this audition process of high hopes, shattered dreams and a dream come true is archival footage of the original tapes, the original show and it's original conception and creation.

it is brilliant. it is truth. it is sad and joyous at the same time. please please please rent or buy this dvd. if you love or even like musical theater you owe yourself this pleasure. if you don't like or love musical theater i'm not sure why the hell you are reading my blog in the first place.

if you have netflix and a compatible blu ray or play station it is also available on streaming video.

i can't recommend this enough...so now i will stop...no i won't...SEE THIS FILM!

'Invictus' ***1/2stars

in lesser hands this might have been titled 'guess who's coming to the world cup'. however, damn good direction (clint eastwood) and two amazing performances by morgan freeman and matt damon raise this film above the sentimental or just another sports film based on historical events. trust me i know nothing, zero, nada about sports nor do i want to but the final minutes of this film had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breathe. eastwood did something my parents never could: get me interested in sports. trust me it's surely a once in a lifetime moment. god i pray it is.

rent this or buy this...just see it.

p.s. yet this is another 2009 film that lost the oscar to 'the hurt locker'.actually it wasn't even nominated for best picture. i still don't get it!

'Valentine's Day' **stars

a slight fluffy concoction that's sticky as cotton candy and like that candy will leave you basically unfulfilled. but it is a confection that you might enjoy if you happen to enjoy cotton candy.

vignettes is too broad a word to use here as it is all edited together but it does consist of mostly disjointed stories.

the best belongs to jennifer garner and ashton kutcher. i'm not a big fan of the mostly unphotogenic garner but i must say she has one really good scene with which she steals the whole candy box.

then there are the surprises that involve eric dane, bradley cooper and the always charming julia roberts. all are touching really. now get your mind out of the gutter as there is no 3way.

some talent is truly wasted like queen latifa, some have seen better days like shirley macclaine and some are just window dressing like patrick dempsey.

then there are the terrible. the awful jessica biel in a terrible role for instance.

but as in any movie she appears the absolutely worst yet again in this film is anne hathaway. anne should find another millionaire, hopefully not a criminal this time, and go off into the sunset with him. way off in the sunset. far from any and every movie set.

i say rent if you really have nothing else to do.

'Shutter Island' ***1/2stars Available on Blu Ray and DVD

the best film of 2010 so far. that really may not be saying very much due to all the crap that's come out but this is a damn good film. something different and if not completely unique it's the best of it's kind since 2005's 'the jacket'.

an excellent supporting cast is headed by leo dicaprio in a great performance the oscars will probably once again ignore. mark ruffalo as always is perfect and will be forever ignored by the academy.

max von sydow and ben kingsley support admirably. but it is the always good and always underestimated/underrated patricia clarkson that turns out the type of worthy of a nomination supporting role people remember.

personally i think this is martin scorsese's best directorial effort in years. truth be told he really lost me ages ago retreading the same old same old. here he tries something new with good results.

my verdict is rent it, make popcorn and get caught up in it's web.

'Dear John' on DVD and Bluray: *1/2 stars

i truly don't know what to say about this film. well it is getting 1 1/2 stars and not 0 stars because of tatum channing's understated wonderful performance. throw in richard jenkins as his mildly autistic dad and a semi charming amanda seyfried. semi charming as in the first half of this somewhat disjointed film. at first miss seyfried is a wonderful wide eyed charmer who turns into a real bitch. what she does and how she does it is totally fracked up. any woman, or man, who does what she does to john should be sent to dick cheyney's house for slow torture. she becomes despicable...sorry no excuses...cheyney her now! amanda this role was not for you...only a really cold and not too talented actress should have played this role. was anne hathaway unavailable?

what really amazes me is that director lasse hallstrom's last film, the wonderful 'hachi: a dog's tale', went straight to dvd and this story of a pathetic miserable creature saw the light of day or should i say the darkness of a movie theatre.

rent at your own risk. tatum channing and richard jenkins kept me watching. i can't speak for you. this is in the running for my worst of 2010 based solely on the subject.

i've said it before and this is the perfect time to say it again do yourself a favor and rent 'hachi: a dog's tale"

'The Messenger': ***stars on DVD and BluRay

a good script, a military subject rarely seen yet not directed terribly well, kind of too slow paced, gets this 3 stars. why? well with different actors it may have gotten fewer stars. but for no other reason it gets one star for each of the three amazing performances by ben foster, woody harrelson and a super amazing samantha morton. if you appreciate good acting, great considering samantha morton, rent this film.