Be back soon

Hey all,

Sorry for the delay/lack of blogging. I've been rather busy lately dealing with some personal matters. I have found some time to sneak in a few movies, just not the time to let y'all know about them. Here's a quick rundown of some of the films I've been watching:

From 2011:

Take Shelter (9/10)

My Week With Marilyn (8/10)

The Iron Lady (7/10)

Super 8 (8/10)

Released before 2011:

Paradise Lost (8/10)

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (7/10)

The Fireman's Ball (10/10)

Suzanne's Career (8/10)

The Glenn Miller Story (8/10)

Not a bad crop of films. I'm still looking to get a few more in before Sunday when I announce my nominees for The 2nd Annual Eighth Samurai Awards. Up next is A Dangerous Method. Hope it's just what the doctor ordered (sorry). Hopefully try to get War Horse in in the next few days.

The Eighth Samurai Awards!

I know I ranted a little bit about certain films/persons not receiving the proper credit where credit was due, so I have resorted this...

THE EIGHTH SAMURAI AWARDS!

I haven't given out my own awards since January of 2010, but I feel that I need to at least for my own soul's sake praise those that need praising. My full list of nominees is coming out soon. I just need to catch up on a few titles (War Horse, Pina, The Iron Lady, My Week With Marilyn, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, A Separation, A Better Life, Warrior, Real Steel, Jane Eyre, Anonymous, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, just to name a few).

So stay tuned for the full list of nominees. Give until February 18th/19th to finalize the list. Please feel free to send recommendations or concerns via email (withrow.dan@gmail.com) or Twitter (@DanWithrow).

For starters, any thoughts on the name of the award? I'm thinking Samurai will work. Discuss.

Extremely Personal & Incredibly Emotional

The Holocaust. World War II. Genocide in Africa. Communist Berlin. L.A. Riots.

All events in human history that are shrouded with controversy and emotion. We all have seen images that speak volumes of an event or series of events. The same can be said for the events that occurred on September 11th. The images of the towers burning, the crash sites in Washington and Pennsylvania, the raising of the American Flag at Ground Zero, as well as the war and after effects of the terrorist attacks. All stir up great feeling, both patriotic and mournful. Events like this are gold for cinema.

At least for the most part. One has to be careful when tackling a subject that people feel so strongly about. The lives of a nation were changed in just a few hours. It's hard to believe it was over ten years ago, but the images and emotions feel as fresh as yesterday. It's a blessing and a curse for a film to feed off of those emotions. Is it cheap, or is it necessary?

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close tells the story of a family living in New York City post 9/11. Oskar and his mother Linda (Thomas Horn and Sandra Bullock respectively) are still coping with the loss of Thomas (Tom Hanks), Oskar's father and Linda's husband. He was the glue that kept the family together, and not that he is gone there is a giant void in both their lives. When Oskar stumbles upon a key, he sees is as one final contact with his father, one final game the two can play. What does the key fit? Where will it take him?

Oskar is a unique child, both in his abilities and inabilities. He was once thought to have Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, though his tests were inconclusive. Regardless, he is a special boy with an imagination as lofty as lofty as his determination to find the elusive key hole for his father. With the help of his grandmother, grandmother's renter (Oscar nominee Max von Sydow), and the entire city of New York, Oskar journeys out into the unknown, hoping to come across the owner of the said key hole, but more so to find out where his father's final game will take him.

This film should come with a warning along with the MPAA's rating. THIS FILM WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR EMOTIONS. It's really not fair at times. A boy with Aspergers loses his father on 9/11 who is played by Tom Hanks, whom EVERYONE loves. The child's mother is played by Sandra Bullock, another of America's sweethearts, throw that on top of a very intense story about love, loss, and self discovery, you've got one heavy emotional cocktail.

I do think this film hits below the belt a few times, but overall I was impressed with the story. It wasn't so much about finding closure for the death of his father, this was a story about a city still reeling from a tragic event. This boy risks a lot going out into the city, greeting strangers to find out if they knew his father or not, only to discover that there is a good in every person, including himself. He was bringing comfort to their lives, be it a shoulder to cry on or a voice to laugh with, he was there.

Horn, Bullock, and Hanks offer up pretty solid performances. Sydow, who received an Oscar nod for the voiceless Renter, gives a nice performance, but I don't know if it was more worthy than say Albert Brooks in Drive or Andy Serkis in The Adventures of Tin Tin. Regardless it's still a great character and offers another angle to the story of Oskar and his father. Horn and Bullock really lock horns in this film, spewing some shocking revelations.

Director Stephen Daldry has a knack for tackling some tough issues. His last two films, both of which garnered Best Picture nods (The Reader and The Hours), ventured into the Holocaust and suicide. Where these films differ is with the characters. They both had very deep, complex characters, which in Extremely Loud the characters are more confused that anything else, or we can't understand as in Oskar's case. Daldry isn't shy to hold punches, but his punches here seemed a little too harsh and more consistent. It wasn't totally abusive but it came close.

It's a tough movie to get through for some more than others, but for those who can handle the subject matter they have the most to gain from watching.

The nominees are...

I would like to preface by saying that I respect all that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does. For the past 84 years that have given out awards to some of the most well deserving individuals and film productions ever, and in doing so held film to a higher standard than the rest of the world. Film is art, and art is beautiful. I'd also like to say that it's not easy to pick the best from a year's crop of films. Some get left behind, never seen, or just plain forgotten either due to a poor release date or a similar film eclipsing it.

That said, I must disagree with some of the nominations, more so lack there of, for certain films. You can all find the complete list of nominees anywhere really (imdb.com has great coverage) so I won't bore you with reciting who was selected. I do have a few problems with what went down this year.

Let's start off with my favorite movie of the year. Drive. The performances, the soundtrack, the action, the photography, and the direction. All flawless. The film did fairly well at the box office, too, so there is no reason for people not to be aware of its existence. It even won over at Cannes for Refn's direction, something that should garnered more attention. Yet here we are with Drive receiving one nomination for Best Achievement in Sound Editing. Just one nod! Hell even the Hollywood Foreign Press acknowledged the film with a nod to Albert Brooks for Best Supporting Actor. But no, the Academy has neglected to include this outstanding picture in any of the major categories.

Gosling, who starred in the film, was snubbed again for his other two performances in The Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love, both worthy of some recognition, but alas, nada. Even more shocking was Michael Fassbender's exclusion from the acting categories. The man who appeared in several of the year's highly acclaimed films like X-Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, and his best film to date, Shame. His fearless portrayal of a man suffering from sex addiction was both incredible and horrifying to watch. How did they miss him?

A large portion of the films I would consider the year's best were left out. Tyrannosaur, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Skin I Live In (how was this not even selected by Spain to enter the competition???), Another Earth, Senna, Carnage, 50/50, The Mill and the Cross, J. Edgar, and Melancholia all were forgotten completely, while films like Bridesmaids, Extremely Loud, Incredible Close, W/E, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Real Steel, Rio, and The Muppets all get included. A few of those received horrible reviews from both critics and the general public.

I know I am partial to the films that aren't exactly main stream and people do want to see films they have seen or at least could see take the podium, but why can't the smaller films get a shot. I don't know, I think I'm just ranting and getting all of my frustration over Drive and Shame getting the shaft, but this happens far too often where a less deserving film for many reasons gets recognized.

In closing, I offer one last lament about the nominations. Why can't the Academy find a better solution to picking original songs? Two nominations this year? Are you honestly telling me that there were only two songs worthy of the nod? Give me a break. The best song of the year by far, at least in this reviewer's eyes, was "Lay Your Head Down" from Albert Nobbs. It reminded me of a song that won a few years back from Lord of the Rings called "Into the West," a really nice song just like the one from Albert, both kind of like lullabies. More perplexing is how the Golden Globes can nominate FIVE, count 'em FIVE, different songs, and not ONE of those can get a nomination. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It's a shame. They are neglecting to recognize so many creative talents in that field. Get your act together guys, look around!

Well, I hope I haven't gone on for too long. After a week or so I'll get more into calculating the winners (basically flipping a coin) and getting back with my predictions. Those, along with my top movie list of 2011, shall be coming some time in early February (I hope).

A Tortured Soul

I've said it before, but it is so nice to have a movie exceed your expectations, both in the quality of the work and in what you were expecting. Albert Nobbs is that and so much more.

Albert Nobbs is a labor of love. Glenn Close, who stars in the titular role, has been connected with this material for nearly 20 years, playing the same role on stage in 1982. For years she tried to get the production to the big screen, and after a long wait her efforts have put forth a brilliant film. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia (In Treatment), this film tells the story of Albert, an Irish waiter at a hotel. The trouble is she has been portraying herself as a man for 30 years. She has become encased in her mindset of Albert Nobbs that she doesn't know her true self anymore. She must do whatever it takes to get by, even if it means keeping her secret to the grave.

She befriends a local painter, Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), only Hubert isn't all that he says he is either. With Hubert's friendship, Albert sees that what he needs is a wife. He attempts to court another maid at the hotel, Helen (by Mia Wasikowska), only she has taken a shine to Joe (Aaron Johnson), the new handyman. It's sometimes painful to see the lengths that Albert goes to for Helen, but Albert it so pure in his thinking and kind of heart that we want him to get the girl no matter what.

What makes Albert Nobbs so special is Close's performance. Close truly fits the part. There is something in her eyes that makes you really believe that the woman in Albert is only what he keeps hidden under his clothes. All the rest is a man. Close makes us believe that Albert sees himself as a man only just a little different. We see a fragile man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means sucking up to the harsh and vulgar members of high society.

The supporting cast around Close is fantastic as well. McTeer really shines as Albert's only true friend. I would look for both Close and McTeer to be in contention come this Oscar night. Wasikowska and Johnson look great for their respective parts, playing them with honesty. Another accent to the cast is Brendan Gleeson as the local doctor. He adds a touch of sensibility to the entitled of the day. He likes a good, stiff drink (or three) and finds himself comfortable in the company of those considered lower than him.

Gleeson's character brings up a great quality to the film. I am astonished at how much of a commentary of 19th century life is put into the film. I would say most of the first act is setting up the world they live in and periodic references and characters enter the second and third acts to remind us of the time period this story is taking place. Albert Nobbs is in fact a reflection of what it was like to live back then. In order to make a decent living one had to be a man, otherwise find someone to live off of.

It's a heartbreaking story that will really hit home. Albert on the surface is a simple man, but underneath lies a wealth of feeling, confusion, and love. The film ends with the beautiful song "Lay Your Head Down" with lyrics by Close herself, music by Brian Byrne, and sung by Sinead O'Connor. It reminded me of "Into the West" by Annie Lennox, the Oscar winning song fromLord of the Rings: Return of the King. This song from Albert is somber, sweet, and plays like a lullaby. I think it's safe to say that is exactly what it is; a lullaby for Albert, a character whose life has been so strenuous and tiresome.

The more I think about it the more I love this film. Great performances, great characters, and a perfect time period to be placed in. The song is the icing on the cake (and probably has the best shot at winning come Oscar night). It looks like Meryl Streep is all but a lock for Best Actress, but we shall see what happens. Who knows, maybe Albert will gain momentum coming down the homestretch. I hope it does.

We need to talk about this movie

I've always said that 'I don't care if I have a boy or a girl, as long as they are healthy.' After watching Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin, I just want a child that doesn't despise me.

We Need to Talk About Kevin stars Tilda Swinton as Eva, a woman who is currently living alone, isolated, and cast out from society. We don't know why she is looked down upon so much by her fellow neighbors. She wakes up to find her house and car covered in red paint. Perfect strangers walk up to her and abuse her. Her entire daily routine is spent on edge, waiting for the next attack.

We soon find out through a series of flashbacks that she wasn't always like this. She used to have a family. With her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) they have a child, Kevin. From birth their relationship is not quite right. It was a difficult birth, leaving her sort of numb to the fact that she just brought a child into the world. As a baby Kevin cries constantly when he is around his mother. As the years go by Kevin is slow to develop into a normal boy. His speaking and bathroom training are late, but worst of all he can't stand his mother.

This deep seeded hatred snowballs into a horrifying nightmare. Even when Eva has another child, a baby girl, her life doesn't get any easier. Kevin is still at odds with her day in and day out. It's almost uncomfortable, but because Ramsay takes us in and out of the past and present, we never get the full story in one dose, leaving us on edge and trying to figure out what went wrong that put Eva in such a horrible situation in present day.

Ramsay, who wowed critics with her eye opening debut feature Ratcatcher in 1999, delves deeper into the psyche of a child. Ratcatcher examines a seemingly normal child living in extraordinary circumstances. Here with Kevin Ramsay takes an extraordinary child and puts him in normal circumstances. Kevin is from an upper middle class family living in a quaint suburb. Though we don't go deep inside Kevin, we still witness the battle of nature vs. nurture, a prevalent theme in Ratcatcher.

Swinton gives a truly inspired performance. You can see the look of sheer horror, embarrassment, and utter puzzlement as the events unfold in real time and in flashback. At any given scene with her son you wonder if she'll be attacked, made a fool, or actually get through to him. As the film rolls along we slowly realize that the games Kevin is playing with his mother are leading up to a jaw-dropping revelation that people will be talking about for years to come.

I don't think I've seen a film quite like this. It's almost too disturbing to put into words. The nonlinear story telling method keeps you guessing until the very end. Rather than just telling the story in chronological order, which still would have been a good payoff, we are shown glimpses of the aftermath from the climactic event, teasing us and luring us in further and further, deeper and deeper, until the film explodes in one, cathartic scene.

For the faint of heart, or for those of you who get weirded out by this kind of movie, be warned. This movie doesn't let up. Kevin will ware you down until there is nothing left. 2011 might be the year of the feel bad movie.

FIlm is life and life is film

Martin Scorsese is a cinephile first, filmmaker second. His efforts to preserve film have saved countless classics from sure decay and destruction. His documentaries share with us his love and passion for film, history, and art. His narrative work shows a man with a deep understanding and appreciation for film.

So why would he want to make a family film like Hugo? That was my question when I first saw the trailer for this wonderful film. And it's in 3D! Who would have figured that the man who redefined the gangster genre would be doing a PG movie in 3D? Well, after seeing it, I completely understand why, and I applaud Mr. Scorsese for taking such a bold risk.

Hugo tells the story of Hugo (Asa Butterfield), a boy orphaned after the sudden death of this father, a clockmaker and avid tinkerer. Hugo lives in a train station in Paris where he takes care of the clocks. His daily routine consists of stealing food, dodging the station agent (Sacha Baron Cohen), and finding parts to finish his father's automaton. One day he is caught by the toy shop owner (Sir Ben Kingsley) stealing from his store. He manages to stay out of trouble and befriends the shop owner's granddaughter (Chloe Moretz).

The two form a friendship and embark on a journey that takes them all over the train station and the outside, too. The two discover secrets about one another, but more importantly about Chloe's grandfather Georges. They hold the key to Georges' happiness, not to mention unlocking a message from Hugo's father.

Had I done a little research or read the book prior to viewing the film, I would have totally understood why Scorsese made this. The story ties in with one of cinema's great pioneers, Georges Melies, whose films were thought to have been lost in time but luckily several prints still exist. His films harken back to a time in cinema when the actual process of making films was still experimental and very much full of fantasy and wonder.

The film is well made, utilizing the 3D technology without too many of the cliched 3D gimmicks that come along with most films of this nature. It adds more detail to the setting that makes it really pop of the screen. Is it completely necessary to use it for this film? Not completely, but I 100 percent approve of Scorsese using it here.

For Scorsese this film is a love story. Not involving the characters but one between himself and cinema. You can see this love in many of his works like Raging Bull, New York, New York, and Cape Fear just to name a few. He understands the struggle artists have getting a film made. In his short film Key to Reserva, he uses a partial script by Hitchcock that was never put on celluloid by the great director and films it in the same style as Hitch would have. It's incredible to watch. I've never seen such dedication and love put into such a small piece of film. You can tell that he really wanted to do Hitchcock justice.

Hugo is a film that is made from the heart, is about following your heart, and inspires us to never give up, much like Scorsese has done his whole career. Film critic Roger Ebert put it best by saying "Hugo is unlike any other film Martin Scorsese has ever made, and yet possibly the closest to his heart."