Frost/Nixon- A Ron Howard pic, which means it suffers from the same problem as the ones before it: it looks like it was shot for ABC Family. Don't underestimate the performances in the film: Howard directed Langella to a deserved nomination, the story was gripping meaning it had a great many things to offer the viewer as well as honest moments of tension and conflict. Yet, it all seemed like it was smoothed over, like it was polished and produced until even the moment of climax, a heated telephone conversation between Frost and Nixon, seemed glossy. There's not a true moment of connection between the characters and audience, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. The actors made a great connection to the characters in becoming so much like them, the audience was still interested in watching them. The theme of loneliness appears several times in reference to Nixon. He looks alone, he looks like he doesn't know where to belong, and he's sort of alone with his chief of staff and his stories. I didn't mind it, like I don't mind watching Apollo 13 when it's on television. (7.6/10)
Milk- Funny thing is I didn't like this when I saw it the first time (primarily because it was the second film of my first double feature, so I was having a hard time sitting still) but as I thought about it more, I realized I watched it in the wrong mindset. This is the new Braveheart, a quieter, poofier Braveheart, but Braveheart nevertheless. I like it now because I see it as the anti-epic and Harvey Milk as that icon for change, that idea of never being satisfied. It's a calm story and sutble, and I think I missed that the first time. You can throw a dart at the performances, it had the best ensemble (French pronunciation please), and come up with a great (Read: beyond great, benchmark) one: James Franco stands out as the most deserving performance in the mix, even greater than Sean Penn's, but then there is Emil Hirsch, Josh Brolin (casting him is like a license to print money; the man makes Penn look bad), Victor Garber, Diego Luna. Each one is a unique character, so much so that it's very easy to keep the immense character list untangled. The obvious thing about the theme is Milk's loneliness throughout as he can never realize his dream, but the more important, and I think vital comparison is Dan White's loneliness as everyone around him sort of abandons him which leads him to ultimately make his final decision. He felt he no other options. Milk is the same way but chose to fight back instead of allowing the fight to break him down. It's a call to arms, a rally cry for change. (8.2/10)
The Reader- Don't think for a second just because this is listed third it is some how a more inferior film than the others, but the truth is, it's hard to put this so far down the list. It was such a unique story, so full of human drama and excellent performances. It was driven by the characters and their unique situation, it was hard to look away. The film is also filled with passion and pride, and has a twist in the story. Sometimes you go to a movie expecting a twist and other times you don't expect one. I didn't expect this story to have a twist, and yet I was reward because it was a small fact that greatly change my judgement on the character and created a subtle shift in perspective. It's that type of filmmaking that should be more prevalent in our culture, making films softer and quieter. Again, the theme of loneliness is reflected in the fact the main characters have only a love affair, not a a consummate relationship, not one of love, but of passion, something formed of necessity and loneliness, not from love. And as it ends they are bitter and resentful, and years later the distance between them is still palpable. Fascinating because of its striking originality. (8.6/10)
Gran Torino- Here's a guy, Clint Eastwood, who is one of America's most beloved actors, in one of his most personal roles to date. We know him as a really tough cowboy, but he's very personal in this one. Not Million Dollar Baby personal (he basically played the same role), but in a different way because it wasn't a story about a girl fighter, it was a story about him trying to survive in the world he remembers. He's fighting with the world around him because it's ever changing, and change is something he doesn't like. A lot of people complained about the other roles in the film, like the roles of the child actors, the roles of the Asian actors and how nothing was really convincing or how nothing was really that "good." but understanding the the directing process of Eastwood, I know how he doesn't wait around for extra takes. He does simply a few and moves on. he's so confident in the performance, he knows exactly when he gets what he wants. I was not bothered by the other roles, I thought it was all part of the presentation. His role was very good, and if the rumors are true that this is his last role on screen (not behind the camera) than it was a return to form, because in the end he looks and sounds and acts like a cowboy from one of his earlier movies. I was very surprised with this film, and I was very pleased with it. The theme comes in at the very beginning after his wife dies, and his children all of a sudden have a problem connecting to him and the people around him can't connect, and he can't connect to others. He's alone in his world and refuses to change. That stubbornness prevents his happiness. (8.8/10)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- I read the short story a number of years ago and read it again in anticipation. I was 90% sure the film would be better just because it had ample time to expand on the relationships between Ben and Daisy. I adore everything about this film. It's absolutely striking, it's got beautiful and philosophical dialogue, a unique and touching story, and tremendous acting from everyone involved. This film represents just the epitome of loneliness between people, how Ben ages in reverse and can never really get close enough to a person to love them, and if he does love them, it can never last. There are lines that were often repeated: "I was just thinking how nothing lasts, and what a shame that is," or "You never know what's coming for you." The feelings and emotions were conveyed so effectively it was hard to see where it could have been made better. It could have though, because the tragedy could have been much more obvious. They have the character sort of die out and we don't fully realize what that means that he's just gone. The story does this much more effectively, and in my opinion gives the story a much more realized sense of tragedy. This is something that sticks with you, because of the dialogue and story and imagery. (9.2/10)
Revolutionary Road- This one, however, was fully realized. Every single piece of this film is remarkable and worthwhile. There was not one thing in here that wasn't needed. The acting was some of the best ever, the drama was off the scale in its brilliance, and the tragedy was highly valuable. The scale and magnitude of this movie is significant. It's a movie that's uncomfortable to watch because you can see what the characters are headed for and you can see what's happening to them. It shows how the little things can break us down and eat away at us until we truly don't recognize ourselves or each other. This story reminded so much of A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway just because of the dynamic in relationship between husband and wife, and the eventual outcome of the characters. This is one of those pieces that comes along and it just shakes everything you know. The music, a single piano melody which is both brilliant and haunting, rips through the screen and begs you to pay attention; it creates actual moments of stress and anxiety for the audience. I just felt overwhelmed by all the emotions the characters wrestled with, and the range of parts they played. Loneliness is the whole theme throughout the movie, simply because they are married and it love and don't really know each other or how to communicate with each other. The man labeled as "crazy" in the movie (an academy-nominated role) is actually the most intelligent in the movie and knows exactly what's going on the room between people. The fact he knows and the others don't is such a fascinating display as well. The reason it can't be higher is this movie can only be taken on one level: it's the story of a married couple in the 50s. It was shot is a conventional manner and done in a usual style, but the story is so good, the acting so above par, that it doesn't need to do anything else, and I applaud it for that very reason. (9.4/10)
The Wrestler- And so it came to be that Aronofsky, the law school dropout, made the greatest films in the history of cinema. This film is so raw and biting, it's also so uncomfortable to watch. The Ram is constantly being beat down and having health problems and making mistakes, that it's a fun train wreck to watch, but it's also a challenge to the audience. It's more like Requiem than any of the others because of its brutal realism. The scenes are stark, the landscapes are dirty, and it makes no apologies for this. The Ram is exactly the same way, sort of difficult to watch, but he's not going to apologize for his ugliness. Rourke shines on the screen in the role, and one can imagine that at anytime he's going to freak out and go absolutely crazy. It's perhaps one of the finest examples of storytelling I've seen yet and the camera choices and attention to detail is superior in every facet. Anything I can think of or compare to it pales and falls short by a lot. The Ram's loneliness is portrayed so convincingly in every single aspect of his life: his estranged daughter who he doesn't know how to talk to, the hooker Cassidy who he doesn't know how to talk to, his fans, himself. He feels like he can only connect with people when he's in the ring smashing some people up. And it's heartbreaking to watch, and tragic, but not a depressing tragic, just a human story, a real story, a worthy story. (9.5/10)
Synecdoche, New York- I can't explain this film. You wouldn't get it even if I started from the beginning, because it's about life and how we can't really realize our potential or our dreams, and how the things we do in our life really don't make a lot of sense outside the context of the events. This is the first film I've ever seen that successfully incorporated an unreliable narrator. Kaufman bends reality and it stays with you. Hoffman is in his most brilliant role ever, and at his most mature. It's hard to watch because he's failing in health. His problems become our problems. This film has motifs and metaphors. It has quotable lines and humor in the oddest places. Ebert was right, you'll have to watch the movie twice, not because you want to, but because you have to. You'll watch it a third time because you want to. I think this is the most complicated, challenging, fascinating piece of filmmaking in history (such grandiosity is not beneath me reader). Every performance is rock solid, and it's another human tragedy story. It's not depressing, it just sucks because we're watching our life up on the screen. The brilliance just can't truly be realized in one screening. It's remarkable that no one talked about it, that no one got nominated. It makes me sad that this doesn't get the recognition it deserves because it's an absolute masterpiece and believe me, I use that word a lot. (9.7/10)
