The Big 'O': Oscar Gang Bang

For us film fans, tomorrow is the big event. The 81st Annual Academy Awards will air, honoring some of the best films from 2008. I hit some speed bumps this year when it came to viewing all the nominees, but I managed to review these films in the running:

The Dark Knight, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda, Tropic Thunder, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Wall-E, and Wanted.

These last few weeks I've been doing my best to to catch up on the other big nominees. While I've done a decent job of seeing these films, I've done a piss-poor job of reviewing them. In an effort to clean my review house, it's time that I show you my O-face. Because there are so many to review, I may forgo discussing in detail the various performance and technical merits. Given the vast number of nominations and awards already received by these films, I don't think you'll mind. Reviews are listed in alphabetical order.


Changeling

Release: 10.24.08
DVD Release: 02.17.09
2 hours, 21 minutes
Rated R

Full Price

In the 1920's, LA resident Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart) comes home from work to find that her son Walter is missing. She quickly contacts the LAPD who, in due course, begin searching for her lost boy. Ecstatic to learn they have found Walter, Christine is shocked to find herself being bullied into accepting a strange child in a ploy by the LAPD to generate positive publicity.

I'm a sucker for any film directed by Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino). There is an unmistakable amount of care and attention taken with all his projects and this is no exception. Jolie's performance spans the gamut of emotions without missing a beat. I'd appreciate it if she would gain about 10-15 pounds, but that's neither here nor there. Changeling hides some unexpected twists, twists that are very disturbing given the truth in which this story is based. What keeps Changeling from perfection is it stumbles in juggling multiple storylines over a long period of time. It may be true to the events, but the devil's in the details.


The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Release: 12.25.08
2 hours, 46 minutes
Rated PG-13

Full Price


Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt, Ocean's Eleven) is indeed a curious case. He's born with ailments of the geriatric but grows stronger, healthier and younger. As this unique man's journey crosses paths with people traveling in opposite directions, Benjamin learns to enjoy the moments where their time intertwines.

Speaking of time, The Curious Case is one long mo'fo' movie! Surprisingly, the beautiful spectacle of his life, and the need to know his life story, provides compelling reasons to sit through the film. The lovers-in-the-night romance between Ben and Daisy (Cate Blanchett, Babel) serves as the foundation for the extraordinary tale. Great performances and crisp visuals aside, I find it curious how quickly this film has faded from my memory and more curious that I don't care to see it again.


Doubt

Release: 12.12.08
1 hour, 44 minutes
Rated PG-13

Full Price


Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep, Devil Wears Prada), head nun and school principal, suspects Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Magnolia) of unscrupulous behavior with a black student. The implications of this in the recently integrated school along with the changing cultural climate of the Catholic church in the 1960's cause the Sister and Father to lock horns. Meanwhile, innocent Sister James (Amy Adams, Junebug) struggles to find the truth of the matter.

Adapted from a play, Doubt is driven by the high caliber of its performances and writing. It's easy to see why Streep, Hoffman, Adams and Viola Davis (Syriana) are all nominated as is John Patrick Shanley (Congo) for the adaptation. Though it is a talkie, the well-crafted exchanges and the unfolding mystery keep you on the edge of your seat. Pardon the pun, but there is no doubt that this is a film not to be missed.


In Bruges

Release: 02.08.08
DVD Release: 06.24.08
1 hour, 47 minutes
Rated R

See It, Take a Friend, Buy the DVD!


Ray (Colin Farrell, Phone Booth) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson, Troy) are two assassins fresh off a hit who are instructed by their boss, Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes, Red Dragon), to lay low in the small Belgian town of Bruges. While Ken finds the quaint town fascinating, Ray thinks Bruges is a shithole and their continued disagreement only escalates when Harry calls with their newest assignment.

In Bruges is a delight. It's full of profanity with a smattering of sex and drug use and some serious bloodshed. Writer-director Martin McDonagh even manages to toss in a surly dwarf without it seeming totally gratuitous. Farrell is hilarious and uncouth yet totally sympathetic. Gleeson was robbed by not being nominated. In Bruges is an unrefined gem that you simply have to watch to be entranced by its many facets.



Man on Wire

Release: 07.25.08
DVD Release: 12.09.08
1 hour, 34 minutes
Rated PG-13

See It, Take a Friend, Buy the DVD!


Man on Wire sits down to interview tightrope walker Philippe Petit, his friends and companions about the events that lead them to sneak into the World Trade Center, attach a tightrope and defy nature while astounding the world.

It's hard to believe that a man could have ever walked between the now non-existent Twin Towers on a thin length of cable. Not only must you see it to believe it, but you need also to look into the eyes of the man who resolved to accomplish it. Man on Wire retraces the birth of the seemingly impossible task and the earth-shattering impact it has on those involved.


Revolutionary Road

Release: 12.26.08
1 hour, 59 minutes
Rated R

Full Price


The story of Frank and April Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond and Kate Winslet, Little Children) occurs in a nice two-story home that rests on a hill on Revolutionary Road. Their friends all agree the Wheelers are such a great couple, but behind the facade are two horribly unhappy people trapped in the nightmare of conventional suburbia. The two bicker, fight and resolve to escape the fears that confront them at every turn.

Academy-nominated Michael Shannon (Bug) in a brief role is not the only memorable character in a film shunned for most acting accolades. The fiery combination of Kate and Leo works as they both love and hate one another. The main deterrent for many moviegoers may be the excessive arguing. If you can stomach their dysfunction, you'll find the Wheelers' extreme situation surprisingly relatable.


Slumdog Millionaire

Release: 11.12.08
2 hours
Rated R

See It, Take a Friend, Buy the DVD!


A young Mumbai man, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), finds himself one question away from winning the grand prize on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Convinced the uneducated slumdog is cheating, he is hauled into jail to be questioned by the Police Inspector (Irrfan Khan, The Namesake). As they retrace every question, Jamal recalls the tragic events in his life that have led him to this amazing crossroads.

The clever storytelling, pulsing score and amazing scenery had my attention rapt from the start. Some will argue that it's a bit too fantastical to be taken seriously. All year long I watch ridiculous films with clichés of love and loss but the masses expect me to swallow that garbage. (I'm looking at you, Wild Hogs!) Slumdog depicts one man's resolve to rise above his station despite all the odds that are stacked against him. It may be a cliche, but it is something to behold.


The Wrestler

Release: 12.17.08
1 hour, 55 minutes
Rated R

See It, Take a Friend, Buy the DVD!


Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke, Sin City) is a professional wrestler from the days when 8-bit Nintendo was all the rage. Now, he wrestles weekends on the smaller ROH circuit. When he's forced to retire, Randy attempts to settle into a new life by making amends with his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood, Thirteen), and creating a relationship with a local stripper, Cassidy (Marisa Tomei, My Cousin Vinny).

If you haven't heard by now, Mickey Rourke is awesome. For that matter, Marisa Tomei is awesome. Marisa Tomei's polework is pretty awesome, too. I was smitten with The Wrestler since the first trailer I ever saw and I promise it will not disappoint. Director Darren Aronofsky (Pi) crafts a tale so real and raw you can practically see the dirt under the nails, feel the cold New Jersey winds and smell the blood and sweat of every match. Powerful and phenomenal don't even begin to adequately describe this.