Kick-Ass and Iron Man 2 Reviewed at The Cinematheque

In finally getting around to posting those pesky little reviews I missed posting while I was on sabbatical (aka buying and fixing up a house and being generally engrossed in all that jazz) here are two more to add to the checked off list.  They are two superhero adaptation movies with less than superheroic reworkings.  No more need be said here, just read the damn reviews.  Oh yeah, and it feels damn good to be back in the proverbial swing of things once again. 

Read my review of Kick-Ass at The Cinematheque.

Read my review of Iron Man 2 at The Cinematheque. 

Greenberg Reviewed at The Cinematheque

Not to worry true believers.  I said I would return and just like MacArthur on that Filipino shore - I have.  So go ahead and begin the fanfare, get the ticker tape ready cause the Canyon of Heroes is waiting.  Seriously though, I have been quite neglectful in my critical duties as of late (the first throes of home ownership had me out of the so-called loop for a bit) but I am back at it kids.  My first review upon said return is for the latest Noah Baumbach film, Greenberg.  I won't waste anymore of your precious time though with my (half) faux narcissistic prattling.  Thus, without further ado, click on the link and read the review for yourselves.   

Read my review of Greenberg at The Cinematheque.

More reviews will be spewing forth over the next week or so (both new and some fill-ins from when I was awol), including looks at such diverse fare as The Runaways, North Face, Kick-Ass, Fish Tank, Clash of the Titans, Iron Man 2, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Joneses, Vincere, Robin Hood, The Secret in Their Eyes, The Girl on the Train, The Ghost Writer and The Human Centipede - as well as my long-delayed review of the best film of 2010 so far, Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island.

I Shall Return...I Promise...

In case anyone was wondering where I have been for the last month or so (and you would be crazy to not wonder!?) do not worry (and I know you were doing that too!!) because I will return to my regular duties reviewing films of both today and yesteryear.  Right now, my lovely wife and I are busy buying our very first house and therefore I have taken a sabbatical of sorts until we close and move in.  I am still watching movies of course, but will not be posting any reviews until early May sometime.

Until then, here is a review of Alice in Wonderland to tide all you true believers over.  I have chosen a picture from the animated version though, since nothing from Mr. Burton's cover did anything for me.

A Month Away...

I will be on sabbatical of sorts until early April.  After that I will be back with lots of new stuff.

FINAL Oscar Predictions!!!

Well, I suppose it's that time of year again.  Below are my picks for the upcoming (Sunday) Academy Awards.  I usually go 17 or 18 for 24 in my annual predictions, but last year I had a career high 19 correct out of 24.  I'm going for 21+ this year.  Here they are.

Best Picture - The Hurt Locker

For a while this looked like a two way race between Avatar and The Hurt Locker, but after victories at ALL THE GUILDS, The Hurt Locker is the clear frontrunner here.  But then again, the Oscars are notorious for awarding audacious style over substance (Chicago over The Pianist!?) so it still remains a two-dog race.  Then again, a split vote could help Inglourious Basterds (it's pretty damn audacious in its own right). I would love to see Basterds take it, but I would still be pretty happy with The Hurt Locker (my third favourite film of the year).  Just no Avatar please - it'll be Titanic all over again (remember it beat out L.A. Confidential!?).

Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

Again, it had looked like a two-way race between ex-spouses, but with her DGA win, the brilliant and quite beautiful Ms. Bigelow should easily pull this one off - even if Avatar takes the top prize.  Of course there is always the possibility of these two exes splitting the votes and hearing "and the Oscar goes to...Quentin Tarantino."  Hmmmmmm...

Best Actor - Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

A real no-brainer here (as I believe all four acting categories are) as Bridges has deserved this before and never gotten it + he is kinda like Hollywood royalty after all.  Colin Firth's last minute buzz may have come a bit too late.

Best Actress - Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

I hate to say this, but yeah, she's gonna win.  La Streep (my personal choice) or even Mulligan could pull off an upset, but doubtful.  Incidentally, Bullock is also up for Worst Actress at The Razzies (for the film All About Steve) and could become the first person to pull off those two awards in one weekend.

Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

Pulling off "the" performance of the year (in any category), Waltz made the most unlikable of characters fun to watch - and he did it in English, French, German AND Italian.  Another no-brainer, although Plummer's never having won before (never even nominated actually) could pull off an upset - it would be a damn big upset and likely won't happen.

Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique in Precious

This is such a sure thing, the other four nominees need not even show up.   Of course, this category is notorious for surprises, but even the most likely surprise (Anna Kendrick) will probably not break through.

Best Original Screenplay - Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

A lot of people are going with The Hurt Locker here, but I have a feeling QT is going to win his second writing Oscar here - or is this just wishful thinking?

Best Adapted Screenplay - Jason Reitman for Up in the Air

This is pretty much a sure thing here, sort of a consolation prize (as the screenplay Oscars often are - just ask Tarantino when Pupl Fiction won a screenplay Oscar but lost the top prize to Forrest Gump!!?).

Best Cinematography - The White Ribbon

Many are saying this is Avatar's award, but c'mon, that is not cinematography.  That is 3D visual effects.  The White Ribbon won the guild award here so it should win this.  Again, is this just wishful thinking?  Anyway, I think Basterds should take this in all honesty, but that ain't gonna happen.

Best Art Direction - Avatar

I suppose the one thing the movie had going for it was it's visual artistry (even if it was all stolen from Roger Dean's artwork) so it probably will win this award.  Look for either Sherlock Holmes or The Young Victoria to upset though.

Best Film Editing - The Hurt Locker

Slightly more often than not, this category syncs up with best pic.  I see no reason why it will not happen again - that is, if The Hurt Locker wins Best Pic.

Best Costume Design - The Young Victoria

This award so often goes to the most period-y period piece, which means The Young Victoria.  Coco Before Chanel or Bright Star probably deserve the award more (they are movies about designers after all) and I would love to have seen the work in Basterds get nominated here - oh well, Young Vickie it is.

Best Animated Picture - Up

Though I would love to see a Fantastic Mr. Fox upset here (always a sucker for stop-motion) it ain't about to happen... or is it?

Best Foreign-Language Film - El Secreto de sus Ojos (Argentina)

Everyone is saying it is between The White Ribbon and un Prophet, but this category, more than any other, loves to upset all those office Oscar pools (remember No Man's Land beating Amelie, Nowhere in Africa topping Hero, The Lives of Others taking down Pan's Labyrinth and Departures toppling Waltz With Bashir just last year - btw, I successfully predicted all but the last one) so who knows...I'm still rooting for The White Ribbon though.

Best Documentary Feature - The Cove

It is between The Cove and Food Inc., and neither one would surprise, but I think The Cove has more momentum to take the award.

...and the rest...

Best Original Song - The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart

Best Original Score - Up

Best Make-Up - Star Trek

Best Sound Mixing - The Hurt Locker

Best Sound Editing - Avatar

Best Visual Effects - Avatar

...and then there are those that many have no idea about, and I really don't either, but...

Best Documentary (Short Subject) - The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

Haven't seen any of these but the subject matter should put this one on top (and there is no holocaust doc to beat it).  Of course there is a bit of buzz on Music by Prudence.

Best Short Film (Animated) - Logorama

I am pretty much picking this one because it was my favourite of the bunch, but The Academy does love Wallace & Gromit, so they could easily win instead.  Of course let us not count out The Lady & the Reaper.

Best Short Film (Live Action) - Instead of Abracadabra

Pretty much anybody's guess.  Kavi is probably the conventional favourite though.

Well, there are my picks for this year's Oscars.  I am always filled with trepidation when doing this each year (although I know the Oscars rarely do the right thing) and there are several categories I will want to change at the last second (Foreign, Cinematography, any of the shorts) but I suppose I will stick with these.

Changing the venue of my lovely wife and My's Annual Oscar Bash, I will be watching my predictions come true (and you know they will dammit!) at Midtown Cinema in Harrisburg PA - broadcast live on the big screen.  Excelsior!

???

still here.  be back soon.  promise.  don't worry.  more reviews.  so it goes.

James Cameron ain't no Godard, that's fer sure

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.  First James Cameron blatantly steals from poster and album artist Roger Dean for the look of his precious Pandora.  That was bad enough.  Now he does the unthinkable and steals from Jean Luc Godard for the look of his Pandoran natives.  The bastard.

Up In The Air Reviewed at The Cinematheque

It's almost audacious in its very ordinariness, yet it is beloved by many, both middle management types and the critical elite.  It has won and/or been nominated for many an award lo these past two months and is now up for Best Picture, Actor, Director, Screenplay and Supporting Actress (twice) at the Academy Awards.  It stars the ever-charming George Clooney and is directed by the ever-mediocre Jason Reitman.  One of these things does not cancel out the other and therein lies the problem with Up in the Air.  Well, that and about a baker's dozen worth of other things. 

Read my review of Up in the Air at The Cinematheque.

Two New Reviews (Me and Orson Welles AND Youth in Revolt) Reviewed at The Vigilant Monkey

I have two new reviews over at the esoteric webzine The Vigilant Monkey.

The first one is Me and Orson Welles and it is the latest film in the uneven, but mostly well accomplished oeuvre of Richard Linklater.  It is definitely Linklater-lite, but it is on the higher rung of such distinction.  It is surely nowhere near the auteuristic heights of Dazed & Confused and Before Sunset, yet it is also equally as far from the lowlights of his inexplicably well-received School of RockBad News Bears remake.  The thing that does make the film work (other than Linklater's usual command of deceptively fluid camerawork) is the performance of Christian McKay as the titular ultimate auteur.  A spot-on portrayal of Welles - so much so that one forgets that they are not actually watching Orson Welles himself.  Otherwise the film really goes nowhere, which is very un-linklater-like.  and the rather superfluous

Read my review of Me and Orson Welles at The Vigilant Monkey. 

The other film is the Godardian (yea, believe it or not) Youth in Revolt from The Good Girl director Miguel Arteta.  The film, a loose (very loose) rendition of JLG's Breathless (or A bout de souffle if you rather) for the teenage set, never lives up to its high potential or even higher aspirations.  Star Michael Cera, despite playing the exact same role as he does in every other movie he has ever made, does have his moments (and requisite quippish asides) and these moments are what keeps the otherwise haphazard and rather rushed film from falling too much apart. 

Read my review of Youth in Revolt at The Vigilant Monkey.

Oscar Predix - How I did (pretty damn good...but not perfect)

Okay, so I got 9 out of 10 right in Best Pic (picked Invictus over The Blind Side - which was a big surprise of sorts) and of course aced Director, Actor and Actress (pretty much everyone aced those three).  Went 4 for 5 on Supporting Actor (was really hoping Christian McKay would sneak in there).  Supporting Actress was my weak spot but then I figured I was stretching with picking Melanie Laurent.  I did correctly predict District 9's Best Pic nomination.  Overall, I went 31 for 35 or 89%.  Anyway, enough of this, now let's all hope Avatar doesn't take home the Oscar and the award keeps at least a little integrity (if it has any left that is).

Full List of nominations can be viewed at the offiical Oscar website.

Oscar Predix

I suppose I must, so here goes...

Picture

• Inglourious Basterds
• The Hurt Locker
• Precious
• Avatar
• Up in the Air
• An Education
• Up
• Invictus
• A Serious Man
• District 9

The first five are the ones that would still be nominated even if there were still only five nominees (you know, like there should be!).  The next two are pretty solid too.  The last three are anybody's guess.  I seem to have gone out on a limb with District 9, but who cares.  Other notables that could sneak in are The Messenger, The Last Station, Nine, A Single Man, Star Trek and/or The Hangover.

Director

• Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
• Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
• Lee Daniels (Precious)
• James Cameron (Avatar)
• Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)

These are all pretty solid.  I suppose Clint Eastwood could sneak in but not likely.

Actor

• Colin Firth (A Single Man)
• George Clooney (Up in the Air)
• Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
• Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
• Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Actress

• Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
• Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
• Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
• Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)
• Carey Mulligan (An Education)

These ten actors are pretty much what it's going to be.  Haven't seen a single Oscar pundit claim otherwise.  There are bound to be a surprise or two but those are more likely in the supporting realms...and speaking of which...

Supporting Actor

• Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
• Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
• Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
• Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
• Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles)

The last two are shaky and Tucci could surprise by getting nominated for Julie & Julia instead.  Matt Damon's buzz has all but evaporated but he is Matt Damon, so I suppose we shouldn't count him out.  The two dark horse in the race (other than McKay - who qualifies for that moniker as well) are Anthony Mackie for The Hurt Locker and/or Alfred Molina for An Education.  Neither one's nomination would surprise me.

Supporting Actress

• Mo'Nique (Precious)
• Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
• Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds)
• Julianne Moore (A Single Man)
• Penelope Cruz (Nine)

I said there would be surprises and here they are dammit!!  Laurent is probably a no go but I couldn't leave my phantom of the cinematheque angel out of the race.  Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air is probably the safer (and smarter) bet.  We could also possibly see Samantha Morton (The Messenger), Emma Thompson (An Education), Marion Cotillard (Nine) or even Sigourney Weaver if the Avatar bandwagon keeps rolling all the way down the line.

I suppose I could go on and predict all twenty-four categories but I'm tired of typing so that is that.  I guess we'll all find out tomorrow in the a.m..  See you then...

A Single Man Reviewed at The Cinematheque

One expects a certain sense of style when a fashion designer turns filmmaker but one doesn't expect much depth beyond surface beauty.  What one gets with Tom Ford's A Single Man is the unexpected.  A sumptuous film to behold AND a deeply touching (semi) modern day romantic tragedy.  Not much more to say that I haven't already said in my review - which by the way, can be seen and read just on the other end of the link below. 

Read my review of A Single Man at The Cinematheque.

Avatar Reviewed at The Cinematheque

I think I actually hate the idea of what Avatar represents more than the actual movie itself.  A colorful melange of acid-trippy environmentalism and anti-imperialism wrapped inside a gorgeous make-believe world that is unfortunately encumbered with one of the most stereotypical of screenplays (Cameron's weak spot indeed) in many a year.  The movie itself ends up being nothing more than mere middle-of-the-road multi-plex fodder full of pretty computer-created 3D pictures.  The idea that it will change cinema - which it very well may - is what pisses this critic off.  This change in the weather as it were, may be a change in the complete wrong direction.  Taking the art out of cinema (and yes, much of it is already, and always has been, artless) Cameron's apparent paradigm shift could be what Susan Sontag warned us of years ago - the death of cinema.  Okay, I am probably being over-dramatic, but I've been accused of that before.  Whatever the case may be, Avatar is, at best, an okay picture - at best.  Why all the hullabaloo, I don't know - but then the masses always need something to hang their hopes on. 

Read my review of Avatar at The Cinematheque.