tháng 2 2011 ~ The Larsen Film Review

P.S. I Love You (2007)

This movie has been in my queue for quite some time. It can be funny how the longer and longer it takes you to watch a movie can sometimes be because you anticipate that it will not be good. Honestly for the 4 years it took me to get around to this one I had no idea that it starred Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.

So the film starts with a painfully long opening sequence that makes you wonder if you missed the opening credits somehow. A 10+ minute argument that ends well, but was confusingly long, involving characters we didn't know yet. After the opening credits we learn that Butler's character is dead, there is no explanation why or how and first, this was even just grazed over when we do learn. It was an awkward and harsh shift in the film that did not leave you with an emotional connection to the Swank's character going through the loss... which was odd. The film becomes something you would watch on the Lifetime Network with Gina Gershon and Lisa Kudrow consoling Swank. Since Butler's character's death was illness related he had time to write letter, make audio recordings, plan vacations, and do a number of things for his widow. Cheesy and borderline ridiculous.

A film like this is typical now for Butler, so that wasn't odd for me. He is not good in these films and should stick with action. The real problem here is Swank, he is not good at Romantic comedy and it was more of a romance/drama than a comedy, because she doesn't really bring anything funny to the table. Avoid this one, it isn't even a good date night movie.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0431308/

This was not the film I expected at all. For some reason I expected Anne Hathaway's character to be a crazy obsessive girlfriend, but I was quite off base here. The film was nominated for two Golden Globes: Jake Gyllenhaal for actor in a comedy, Anne Hathaway for actress in a comedy. Not Oscar worthy, but it was an entertaining movie, and the Globes are about entertainment, so I liked the nominations.

The film is actually about a pharmaceutical salesman and a girl with Parkinsons disease. Maybe an oversimplification, but when Jamie [Jake Gyllenhaal] starts working for Pfizer he shadows a doctor while trying to make the doctor his client. The doctor played by none other than Hank Azaria, the many voices of Springfield ["The Simpsons"]. Jamie is a womanizer and he falls in love with Maggie [Anne Hathaway], a woman not interested in a relationship given her medical condition.

I was surprised at the amount of nudity in this film, Hathaway and Gyllenhall show us a lot, and the movie poster is just a hint. Jake has been here before showing us a lot in Brokeback Mountain.This is, however, new territory for Hathaway, who had a minor role in Brokeback Mountain, but not like this. I thought the acting was pretty good, and I really liked the story. Some of the supporting cast was a little over the top, but overall it was a pretty good [racy] romantic comedy.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758752/

Growing up I didn't watch a lot of movies, so there are a number of films that would make you say, "Really you never saw that?" Well this is one of those. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis with support from Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, and Tia Carrere (Wayne's World).

This James Cameron action film, about a secret agent who uses his CIA resources to thwart his wife's extramarital affair. Thing go wrong and he ends up getting them both involved in his current case. Almost two and a half hours, but action packed and edited well, even nominated for an Oscar for visual effects.

I would be shocked if most people reading this have not already seen it. It was very good, a lot of fun, and a great inclusion on the "101 Action Movies to See Before You Die" book. Check it out if you missed it like me.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111503/

So I really though this was a movie starring Kiefer Sutherland, Kenneth Branagh really looks like him in this movie poster. Based on true events, this film about three aboriginal girls escaping from their government camp to find their mothers across the Australian Outback. Branagh is a pretty minor character in the film, and it is centered around the three girls, Molly especially.

The film is really meant to bring light to the Australian Government's pour handling of the Aboriginal people. The term half-caste is a child that is half aboriginal and half white, those that are more fair skinned were allow to go on to higher learning, those that were darker were held basically in indentured servitude. The end goal was to "breed out" the race, slowly mixing them with the main population.

The plot of the film is following three girls as they are captured and them make an effort to travel by foot along the rabbit proof fence to find their families. The movie is very short, has a good message, and honestly doesn't have much more to it that what was said. It was good but honestly forgettable.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252444/

Every year that I watch the Oscar ballot I hope there is a stand out film that I initially didn't care much about. This is that film. Usually a nomination in the acting category, primarily in the supporting actress category are very weak films. Ones with a fantastic dramatic spurt but either a bad script or bad editing, or some other major flaw that caused it to get ignored in the major categories.

I think the problem with this one is that foreign films with English speaking do very bad at the Oscars. There isn't a foreign film category, just a foreign LANGUAGE category. Therefore films like this fall through the cracks without much support from the production company for a publicity campaign. The bottom line is that this film is very good with performances as good if not better than Jacki Weaver's (which got the nomination).

The film is centered around a boy, we start with him in his living room with his dead mother, who has just O.D.'ed and he is looking for a place to live. Seventeen and turning to family he calls his grandmother [Jacki Weaver] who offers to take him in. Janine [Weaver] and her boys are criminals, and the police are hot on their tails. Ben Mendelsohn was incredible in this film. Not many performance jar me that much, and he really freaked me out. His encounters with Laura Wheelwright's character were chilling, and his interaction with our main character [played by James Frecheville] was fantastic. Guy Pearce [Memento] was actually kind of weak to me in this film. I can't explain it, but I didn't really like his acting.

It is disappointing that this film hasn't received more press, it is worth seeing. Be aware that this is definitely not a movie for kids.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313092/

I was fully expecting and hoping to have this post out before the Oscars, but the delay of Na Wewe made that impossible. While waiting I lacked the motivation to write about the other four I had seen. Since the Oscars are over I can say that Na Wewe was the pre-Oscar favorite for the win, The Confession was in "second" and my pick since I didn't like Na Wewe. No one thought Wish 143 was deep enough to win, yet it was my favorite this year. Wish 143 and The Confession are online for free viewing so check them out, the other three can now be found on iTunes for just $1.99 each.

Film: Wish 143
Director: Ian Barnes
Runtime: 24 min
Country: UK
Vote: 8/10

You know those charity organizations that grant wishes for terminally ill children? Well this film is about a [I think...] 16 year old boy who wants to have sex before he dies. A wish that can't exactly be filled by the charity, but one that makes the paper, and the priest at the hospital tries to help the boy cope with. I really liked it.

Film: The Confession
Director: Tanel Toom
Runtime: 26 min
Country: UK
Vote: 7/10

When two catholic boys have to prepare for their first confession they look to pull a prank worthy of needing to confess. When it spirals out of control how will they deal with trying to admit their involvement. Well acted and worth watching.

Film: Na Wewe
Director: Ivan Goldschmidt
Runtime: 19 min
Country: Belgium
Vote: 7/10

Based in 1994 in Burundi during a civil war. A journalist and his assistant hitch a ride after their car breaks down. When they are stopped at a Hutus road block the group has to talk their way out of the situation. The most realistic of the group, and very intense. Also the only subtitled of the group.

Film: The Crush
Director: Michael Creagh
Runtime:15 min
Country: Ireland
Vote: 7/10

Definitely not the plot I was expecting. Ardal is an 8-year-old boy who has a crush on his teacher. When he meets his teachers real boyfriend, he challenges the boyfriend for the teacher. Good but not great.

WINNER:

Film: God of Love
Director: Luke Matheny
Runtime: 18 min
Country: USA
Vote: 6/10

The only U.S. entry and this years winner. I'd expect more US nominations and wins, but this is actually pretty rare lately. Written by, directed by, and starring Luke Matheny, a curly haired boy while girl troubles. A night club singer and champion dart thrower, he is granted the magical gift of darts that will make anyone fall in love, much like cupid. Considered an up and coming Wes Anderson, expect to see him making feature length films in the near future. I didn't care for it much, but I also don't love Anderson. If you do like Wes Anderson, you should really check this one out.

It is hard to say if this was a strong or weak year. I didn't really LOVE anything, but nothing was really that bad. The winner was my least favorite, which is a first, but check them out for yourself.

First off, I wrote this post some time ago, but getting access to The Lost Thing was delayed and I held off posting until after the Oscars. Now that things are said and done, for the first time in a decade I liked the winner the most.

Each year it seems like I get more into this Oscar category. This year I went as far as to watch a few films that didn't even make the short list (Top 10). About 30 short films qualify each year, a number that I'm sure is growing. Qualification is winning a film festival during the year. At the same time you can win a festival while being released say 2 years earlier, which takes a spot away from a film that could have qualified. I honestly do not know what festivals any of these films won.

WINNER:

Film: The Lost Thing

Director: Andrew Ruhemann, Shaun Tan
Runtime: 15 min
Country: Australia
Vote: 8/10

Easily my favorite this year. Maybe the anticipation of it's itunes release Feb. 22nd helped. Really it is just a cool little short film. Unique styling, interesting story that keeps you interested, and a good soundtrack. I felt that it was one scene too long and the ending was a little bad. If I had a vote this would get my pick. This also has the best idea for a film that could before feature length in the future, kind of like 9.

Film: Day and Night

Director: Teddy Newton
Runtime: 6 min
Country: USA
Vote: 8/10

The biggest misconception with Oscar predictors is that this category is Pixar's to lose, just like Animated Feature. They couldn't be more wrong. Last year Partly Cloudy was short listed but failed to get a nomination. Two years ago Presto did not win. Three years ago Pixar was not nominated in this category. Four years ago Lifted lost; One Man Band, Boundin', and Mike's New Car all lost before that! All told, it has been a decade since Pixar has won this category with For the Birds, which is their 3rd and last win in the category in 23 years. Entertainment does not win this category. New and different does. Many of the shorts I just listed were my favorites, but they were nothing NEW. Only Wallace and Gromit seem to be able to win without being new here. The short is very cute, and aired before Toy Story 3 in theaters this year. Day and Night are characters that show each other all of the wonderful things they get to see. Definitely worth checking out, but I won't put it for the win on my ballot.

Film: Let's Pollute
Director: Geefwee Boedoe
Runtime: 6 min
Country: USA
Vote: 8/10

Probably the most witty short film in the group. This satire about American's and how much they pollute was really clever. Telling people that using stuff twice is pointless and to throw stuff away instead of using it twice. Growing up with a mother who was very conscious about not polluting, a lot of these jokes really hit home. Check this one out. Note: the youtube version is French, but you can still get the gist of the jokes.

Film: The Gruffalo
Director: Max Lang, Jakob Schuh
Runtime: 27 min
Country: UK
Vote: 7/10

This actually aired on BBC on Christmas Day and features voice work by Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, and James Corden. The fame of the cast and the popularity of the Children's Classic make this a real contender for the win. Many feel that it should have been made into a feature length film, personally I found it pretty slow at time and it does have the longest run time of any nominee in 3 years.

Film: Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Director: Bastien Dubois
Runtime: 11 min
Country: France
Vote: 6/10

Available on youtube with subtitles, the only foreign nominee, which is strange because there are usually several. This short film has an awful pace with some spectacular visuals. The first half is a young man traveling to some sort of religious funeral, then the last half looks like a journal with pictures that move. Images come to life and the animated scrap book just looks amazing. The story just made no sense to me, that doesn't seem to be a problem with the voters in this category so I will pick this one to win the Oscar.

Films that made the short list, but did not get nominated:

Film: Coyote Falls
Director: Matthew O'Callaghan
Runtime: 3 min
Country: USA
Vote: 6/10

A 3 minute Road Runner vs. Wile Coyote short film, available in HD on youtube, that was shown as a preview to 3D animated films in the theater this year. Being short listed was enough of an honor because it is just too short. We are familiar with the characters, so it was fun, but not worthy of much recognition.

Film: Sensology
Director: Michel Gagné
Runtime: 6 min
Country: USA
Vote: 5/10

This reminds me of a lot of the 1960's and 1970's artistic animated films on the Library of Congress National Film Registry. I could even see this getting picked in a decade when it becomes eligible. An animated visualization of two Jazz musicians, it is amazing how long 6 minutes can feel. Director Michel Gagné has done work on The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles so he is not new to the business. It was fine with me that he did not get a nomination.

Qualified Films (won a Festival) that did not make the short list:

Film: Animated History of Poland
Director: Tomasz Baginski
Runtime: 8 min
Country: Poland
Vote: 6/10

After reading some people's comments of the short list, it was felt that these two were slighted recognition. Since they were available I gave them a shot. It also gives me a feel for films that these were up against for nominations. This one has absolutely no dialog and the only text on the screen is time frames that the images took place during. Polish history teachers should show this to their classes, but the reality is I didn't get most of it because I'm not all that familiar with Poland's history. For what it is, it was pretty neat.

Film: My Name is Maria
Director: Elio Quiroga
Runtime: 4 min
Country: Spain
Vote: 4/10

Probably the worst short film of the group. I'm very happy that this one was left off. I don't mean any offense to Quirogo or the staff that worked on this because the visuals were alright. The story was by far the most depressing animated short film I have ever seen. It is centered around a little girl that witnesses her family go through economic difficulties, then some sort of war, all dying in the process. Morbid and Depressing.

This year is not a easy pick, a lot of people are going with Pixar... prove me wrong and take that risk if you want. The most popular is The Gruffalo, the obvious and maybe best choice. Personally I'm picking Madagascar because it is foreign, doesn't make any sense, and has the best art work which tends to win over cute story in this category.

I'll just get straight to the point on this one. I don't like films like this, and I didn't really want to watch it. I'd really rather skip even reviewing it, but I'm sure I'll want to look back some day and see why I disliked it so much.

The truth is, it really wasn't all that bad. It reminded me a lot of The Rules of the Game, the 1939 Jean Renoir film, that I really didn't like. This is a film on many people top films of all time list, so if you liked it, you might like this. The cast is fairly loaded with notables Ryan Phillippe, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, and Maggie Smith. Mirren and Smith were nominated for Oscars for their performances, and the film was nominated for a total of 7.

It is very long, and somewhat slow, but it wasn't dull at any point. I could have done without seeing it, but it does round out a group of best picture winners from the year for me. Maybe 4/10 is kinda harsh, but I'm not going to change it.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280707/

Starring Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid this sci-fi film is one that I delayed out of horror month. Not really a horror, but with scary creatures and some shock factor scenes in the dark, it could be categorized that way. Thing for me is that there just haven't been a lot of good sci-fi film lately. Since this one was slightly above average, and had a decent script, it is worth a watch if you want to see a sci-fi film.

The film starts with Foster waking up from some sort of hyper-sleep. He wakes Quaid and the two of them realize they are on a ship and have overslept. What happened to the crew that was supposed to wake them up? Foster starts exploring the ship and encounters some strange creatures and a few humans. He learns that some of them have been awake from some time and that no one is really sure of the location of the ship.

Action packed, and filled with a few twists, it has a few cheesy moments, but I'm sure they are difficult to avoid with a plot like this. Not bad.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1188729/

Denzel Washington sure was on a hot streak with American Gangster and The Great Debaters. His last two however were not so good. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 was not very good, and The Book of Eli was actually bad.So I was pretty close to not even giving this one a chance given the poor pairing with Chris Pine, who I remember more for his bad movies like Smokin' Aces than his good movie, Star Trek. Oh yeah... he was Kirk.

The thing that made this movie was the editing. The film was a good length, not too short (90min) not to long (120min), but right in between at 98min. The action can frequently and the shots were well done. I've been a fan of Rosario Dawson, who I feel has an above average resume primarily in supporting roles. So the film was cast well also.

Loosely based on true events, and nominated for an Oscar. I give this one thumb up if you are looking for a good action flick.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477080/

If there was an award for the worst movie title, this one would be in the running. It is almost impossible to assume that the title isn't sexual. I put this one off for a while now, expecting it to be a romance. Not to mention something inappropriate for watching in the gym [with company]. Just a few minutes into the movie you learn the real meaning of the title and it all makes sense.The bedroom is a fishing term for a lobster cage, when two male lobsters are in a cage without their claws bound they will fight until one loses his arms.

Now you know the metaphor for the subject matter of the film. We start with Frank [Nick Stahl] and Natalie [Marisa Tomei] having a romp in a field. This also perpetuates the film title... Then we start to learn that Natalie is seperated, yet still married to another man. The film switches focus after a little while and we are centered on Frank's dad [Tom Wilkinson] and mom [Sissy Spacek] for the remainder of the film.

Tom, Sissy, and Marisa were all received individual Oscar nominations and the film was also in the best picture and screenplay race that year. I doubt it had much of a chance against A Beautiful Mind and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring though.

The movie was just ok. Not memorable, and not that interesting really. I could take it or leave it, and with a title like this it will be lucky to hook people to start with.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247425/

Last year I only missed two!! Not sure if this year will be as good since there are a lot of close races. Here are my pics right before things get started.

Best:
Pic: The King's Speech
Director: Social Network
Foreign: Incendies [Mer: Biutiful]
Doc: Inside Job
Actor: Colin Firth (King's Speech)
Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan) [Mer: Annette Bening]
Supp Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Supp Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Best Song: Toy Story 3 [Mer: 127 Hours]
Cinematography: True Grit
Art: King's Speech
Costume: Alice In Wonderland
Visual Effects: Inception
Animated: Toy Story 3
O. Screenplay: The King's Speech
A. Screenplay: Social Network
F.Editing: Social Network
S.Editing: Inception
S.Mixing: Inception
Score: Social Network
Makeup: The Wolfman
DocShort: Killing in the Name [Mer: Strangers No More]
AniShort: Madagascar [Mer: Day & Night]
LiveShort: The Confession [Mer: Na Wewe]

We'll see...

[Monday Morning]
Didn't go as well as last year, when I got all the short and foreign film. This year I got score and song, the only two I missed last year. But I missed a number of others.

The King's Speech won 4 Oscars, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay. Meredith and I got the same three right, going out on a limb guessing David Fincher would get the Best Director instead.

Inception won 4 Oscars as well, We both guessed 3/4 right here also. Sound editing, Sound mixing, and Visual Effects. Cinematography was True Grit's only real shot at an Oscar this year, and Inception took that one also.

The Social Network won 3, Meredith and I guessed all of these right, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Score. I was most excited all night about Reznor's win for Score since the Academy usually goes Classical.

The Fighter won 2, we both agreed on these. Alice in Wonderland won 2, probably the biggest upset in my eyes winning art direction over The King's Speech, I fully expected the Costume Design win. Toy Story 3 won two, Best Animated Feature was a lock, but song was not. It is hard to tell what will happen in that category, and Mer guessed 127 Hours song.

In a Better World won Foreign, the first time in a while that the Globes and Oscars agreed in this category. Which is why I picked Incendies and Mer picked Biutiful. Inside Job won Best Documentary, after watching it this weekend... it was definitely the best. The Wolfman won Best Makeup, a category that should be called "Most Makeup," we both got this right. Black Swan won Best Actress, Mer went on a limb with Anette Bening.

I was 0/3 on shorts, Mer was 1/3 getting the Documentary Short. My favorite The Lost Thing won, I was excited that my favorite won, but I guessed it wrong. God of Love won Live Action, which I felt was an awful choice. Wish 143 was my favorite, I guessed The Confession, and Mer guessed Na Wewe [the favorite in the race]. They should can the Documentary Short category if they won't make these available to the public, either through itunes, video on demand, or dvd. You would think that a category about sending messages would be more apt to sharing their work. Killing in the Name was the favorite in the race, and my pick. Strangers No More was the winner and Meredith picked this one right.

I was 17/24, Mer was 16/24. Not too bad. We have also seen 9 of the 10 winners, and 2 of the 3 short winners!

The annual Nicole Kidman crying drama, I am starting to get used to a film like this being a lock for a Globe or Oscar nomination, in this case both. This is a film about a married couple that is struggling after the loss of a child. With an estimated budget of $5mil and a total gross of less than $2mil two months after opening weekend. I'm not sure why these films keep getting made. "Hey honey, for date night let's get a sitter for our kid and go watch a film about parents who just lost their kid!"

Aside from it being a difficult film with not much plot, the acting was actually very good. Nicole Kidman was much better in this film than anything else I've seen her in since Eyes Wide Shut, and I've seen her A LOT since then. She wouldn't have been as good if it wasn't for Aaron Eckhart and Dianne Wiest, though. Their performances made this film worth watching, the dynamic of the couple finding such different approaches to coping was interesting also. Wiest had a really good scene with her daughter [Kidman], that seemed really authentic.

The title comes from a comic book, not an Alice in Wonderland reference. The source of the comic book would be giving you too much information. It was a cute title and the interludes building to it made the film unique. I don't see how I could suggest a film like this, and don't desire to watch it again. For what it is, it was good though.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0935075/

The third Oscar documentary nominee for me, honestly one that I would have skipped if it would have not been nominated. I'm tired of this type of film, and there were others that I was hoping and expecting to see nominated [Waiting for 'Superman' or The Lottery]. You can't judge a film without seeing it, so let's talk about it.

The film's slogan is "One platoon, one valley, one year," which is very fitting. We start on a plane, filming 4 soldiers being deployed to Afghanistan. They are getting drunk and having a good time, this is also the last time we see Private Restrepo alive. Early in the film he is killed when the platoon exchanges gunfire with the Taliban while working to secure a position in their valley. Considered to be a pivotal valley to control the move helps them take control and establish a new base. They name this base "Restrepo" after their fallen friend, and so we have the title of the movie.

The film is all about getting the feeling that you are right there with the troop. It is pretty incredible that they were able to film during actual warfare and you witness several people getting killed in the movie (not actually on film, but in the "scene" per se). I comment the documentary film makers for managing to tag along during all of this, but at the same time it was a pretty boring film overall. I almost dozed off at one point, and I really don't feel like I learned a single thing. Something I usually hope for in a movie.

It definitely has a following for winning the Oscar given the circumstances this was filmed under. I'll reserve my feeling about this winning for after I watch Inside Job.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559549/

A road trip movie starring Robert Downey Jr. & Zach "snufalufagus" Galifianakis. Snufalufagus' career has really taken off since his role as Allen on The Hangover, and I can tell you right now, if you don't like his brand of humor, you won't like this movie.

I'd call that common sense, you have to like the stars, but he will probably never match his performance from The Hangover, and those going to see him do that will always feel his films come up a little short. The central character in the film really is Robert Downey Jr. who is trying to get home for the birth of his son. Downey plays a man who loses his cool pretty easily, and gets him into trouble, Snufalufagus plays a sad man desperately in need of a friend. There is quite a bit of "guy" humor, jerking off jokes, cursing, and pot usage. The film relies on these things for most of its laughs, and the dark humor will probably be a bad combination for most people.

I wouldn't suggest this one, at all. But I did like it, knowing the type of humor I was getting myself into.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231583/

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the famous Spanish director, known for All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Volver, and Broken Embraces. Since this is my 5th film of his to see, and with mixed emotions about the four I just listed, I expected this to be below average. The title alone scares me, and Spanish comedy is not my thing. With only two films left to finish the Yahoo 100 Movies to See Before You Die, I had The Apu Trilogy and this one. With the 6 hour trilogy over, I felt getting through this one as fast as possible was a great goal. At only 90 minutes it was like pulling off a band-aid.

The film stars Carmen Maura and a young Antonio Banderas. The plot is frustratingly bad, and the acting is worse. I felt like I was watching a bad soap opera on Univision, and struggled to get it over with. Amazingly this film was nominated for an Oscar in 1989 and lost to Pelle the Conqueror [a film I've never heard of].

It was rough, but hey, I finished a movie list by watching it, yay!

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095675/

Part three of a trilogy I was expecting to be an epic rags to riches tale. It is not and that in itself was a bit of a let down. We catch up with Apu as he is signing the papers to leave school, early, without graduating. There is no explanation as to why he leaves school, but he decides to move into a small apartment in the city and pay rent by selling his books.

Close to being kicked out of his apartment for not paying rent, and with dreams of becoming a great writer, he encounters in friend from school. He is there to invite Apu to a family wedding in the country. The day of the wedding the groom arrives [an arranged marriage], and he happens to be literally crazy. Fearing that their daughter will be cursed they ask Apu, who is reluctant at first, but eventually accepts. the remainder if the film is Apu's adulthood and the relationships between him, his wife, and an eventual child.

The film has a positive ending, strange for a trilogy filled with sorrow. Maybe a message that, this is life, and we can find good things in countless bad situations. It was difficult to see the series end this way. I felt the films got increasingly predictable, and less interesting as it went on. I would suggest just watching the first one, and calling that done.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052572/

Last year I ran my first marathon, afterwords I started looking for some good books or magazines specifically on Marathon Running. It is amazing how many are for running your first or running in general. Not many are geared toward multiple marathons.

Anyways, I found one called "Marathon & Beyond," a bi-monthly publication with feature stories about great marathon runners and organizers. I was reading a story about Billy Mills, an American Indian runner who is the only American to ever win the Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters in the Olympics. Only three American have ever won the Marathon in the Olympics, and Mills 9th place finish in the Marathon just days after winning the Gold stands as the highest spot an American born athlete has finish in the Marathon.

So Mills is currently the spokesperson for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, and in the interview I was reading he mentioned this film. I thought I should try and find it and watch it quickly before I forgot about it. I was not thrilled with a few things, and I'll get to them. First off the cast is mainly Robby Benson [Mills], Pat Hingle his coach [Commissioner James Gordon from the late 80's Batman series], Jeff McCracken [his roommate], and Graham Greene [his brother Eddie from the reservation]. Greene is the most familiar face in the film, and has been the American Indian in a number of great films.

So the film starts with him running a high school race, demolishing the competition in front of College scouts, much like the opening of Prefontaine. We then spend the majority of the film at his career at the University of Kansas. I didn't really like that the focus was on him being a Native American and dealing with racism. The director seemed to lack direction on if this was going to be a Lifetime type movie about persecution, or a film about running for runners. The film ends with his Olympic race, a scene I would have liked to see repeated more with some memorable college races, but a good scene nonetheless.

An interesting thing about the interview I read was talking about his achievements as a marathon runner, a portion of his career completely ignored in the film, and one that he admitted that he was embarrassed about. At the time he thought 9th place was a huge failure, and didn't even mention the event once, including the Olympic Trials. It is only now, almost 30 years after this film was made, and 50 years after the race itself that he is able to see how good 9th place really was.

There should be more movies about runners, and less about boxers!

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086220/

Part 3 of the Millennium Trilogy. Lisbeth [Noomi Rapace] is in the hospital and Mikael [Michael Nyqvist] is doing what he can for her case. Writing a review that talks about the film is going to completely spoil the previous two films in the trilogy. I would hope that those sensitive to spoilers would not read a review of a 3rd film in a trilogy without getting some information about the first two.

So trilogy spoilers ahead. We know about the fight between Lisbeth and her father, her half brother, and we know she tried to kill him when she was a girl because of his abuse towards her mother. What happened between the gas fire and her adulthood? Why does she have a guardian she has to check in with?

This film is all about bringing everything together. Questions get answered, and a lot of plot lines from the previous two films get resolved. Everything that you would expect and hope for from a final film in a trilogy. So why do I give the first two higher ratings? Well this film doesn't stand well on its own. It really is just bringing closure to the first two films and doesn't have its own exciting subplot or progression in the story. It makes the trilogy as a set excellent, and is the puzzle piece you need, but by itself it is over two and a half hours of closure. I wish some of the open plots from the first would have been addressed in the second films, then some of the climax from the second [the gun fight to be specific], would have been reserved for this film. It would have required that the stories been written completely different, so not a small change.

For what it is I liked it, and the two and a half hours went by fast.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343097/

Part two of the Apu Trilogy written and directed by Satyajit Ray, the most famous Indian Director of all time. Apu is now 10 years old and his family moves to Benares for his father to find work.

The middle film of the trilogy connects the two higher rated film. Much like the first it is filled with tragedy, which to me starts to get old by the 2nd half. We travel through Apu's adolescents and the film basically spans from him being 10 to his first several years of higher education.

It is very difficult to say much about this film without spoiling it and part 1 of the trilogy. It was just ok for me, the first one really moved me and this one just seemed like Déjà vu.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048956/

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound Mixing was my motivation for watching this film. I hate to say that I'm tired of Angelina Jolie action movies, but they are actually her best genre, and I expected I would watch this eventually, but the nomination inspired me to watch it earlier.

The only real interesting thing about this film is that it was originally a lead role created for a male, but when they couldn't find a good fit while casting they modified the role to fit a heroin. The premise is simple, the Russians planted sleeper agents all over the country, having them wait considerable lengths to be "activated." The question here is, is Angelina a Russian spy? Is she activated? Is she a double agent?

There are some good twists, and it keeps you guessing. Honestly I started to be critical of how some things played out in the middle of the film, and when they worked out in the end I was pleasantly surprised. Not a bad action flick, but I can't look past an average supporting cast, and sometimes boring action scenes.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944835/

Directed by the sexual abuser Roman Polanski, it is a little difficult for me to overlook some of the metaphors I found in this film to Polanski's situation. I'll get to that in a minute.

The film is about a ghost writer, Ewan McGregor, who is hired to write a book for a former British Prime Minister, Adam Long, played by Pierce Brosnan. Loosely based on the actual prime minister Tony Blair. McGregor is hired after the mysterious dead of the former "Ghost" who died before completion of the book. During the following weeks McGregor starts to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding the mysterious death.

This may be considered a spoiler to some, so skip it if this movie interests you. I found that the comparison between Brosnan's character avoiding arrest for something he felt he didn't do, or was even forced into, was a lot like Polanski's situation. Long found himself not allowed to go to several countries for help, just like Polanski has had issues avoiding arrest for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl back in 1977.

The film is well done, and it is nice to see a decent international film this year. Roger Ebert put this in his top 10 of the year, and it has won a number of European Film awards this year. If you like murder mysteries this is worth checking out.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139328/

A biography/drama about growing up on the bad side of town in Los Angeles. By no means is this what I expected. Why? I expected this to resemble a film like Juice, starring Tupac Shakur. I was fully prepared for a drug and gun filled film was excessive violence. Since there are some killings in this on I did still categorize this as "Crime" but it was a lit more dramatic than expected.

The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as Tre, Nia Long (Will Smith's girlfriend on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Laurence Fishburne, and Ice Cube. Cuba and Ice a friends, Nia is Cuba's girlfriend, and Fishburne plays Cuba's dad. We start with Tre as a boy acting up in school and is sent by his mom to live with his dad in South Central. His father turns out to be a good influence and we just forward to the boys as high school seniors.

The story is well developed, it brings forward a lot of emotion, and does a great job presenting the problems in the ghetto. John Singleton was even nominated for two Oscars for his directing and writing on this film. Well deserved, and a really good film, with a really good cast.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101507/

Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival and nominated for an Oscar. Having seen 3 of the 5 documentaries they year I'm willing to gamble and say that this is my pick for the Oscar. Maybe not to win, but it was my favorite.

The film is a look at the unregulated natural gas drilling that is happening all over America. It is ruining stream water, American's well water, and important to me... it creates more pollution that vehicle emissions in my Metroplex.

As a Fort Worth resident it is chilling to see just how much drilling is going on in my own backyard. I now know what the big pool of green water next to the drill a half mile from my home is. It is a way for the gas company to allow toxic chemicals to evaporate into the air... completely unregulated. It is no surprise that the Dallas/Ft.Worth Metroplex is now home to cities with the highest rates of cancer.

The most important documentary of the year, if I can suggest a single film for residents of my community to see it is this one.

Vote: 10/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1558250/

This was one of those films were what you expect and what you get are COMPLETELY different. I went into this film expecting a George Clooney action film, instead I got a dramatic look at an aging hired assassin.

The opening scenes have some shooting and you really get that feel that this could be a double agent, Clooney figuring stuff out movie. Instead we get a movie that reminds me of French New Wave, an introverted look at an assassin. We see the precision of his work, and his lack of self worth. The problem is that it is so painfully slow and boring you could care less how it ends.

It is a pity this movie couldn't have been better, compress the plot, add a lot more scenes in between the assignment and conclusion and you have a better film. Or a different film completely. Don't waste your time on this one.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440728/

Nominated for a golden globe for Halle Berry's performance, this film is a showcase of Berry's dramatic acting ability, as she plays a young woman with multiple personalities.

Frankie is a young woman who works at a night club and goes into fits of rage. After being admitted to a hospital after a domestic disturbance she starts meeting with Oz (Stellan Skarsgård) and he slowly starts to get a grip on her situation.

A very basic and boring film honestly. There isn't much resolution, and the story isn't that interesting. It is really just a chance for Berry to prove she can really act. Maybe this will help get into some more entertaining films in the next few years, but this one really isn't worth watching unless you are a fan of hers. I wasn't really disappointed with any aspect of the film, I just wasn't moved by anything.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1221208/

###### NOTE: New film reviews posted below this one!!! #####

Now that I have seen and reviewed all 10 Best Picture nominees for the year, [the first time I've seen them all before the ceremony], I thought I'd create a quick list with hyperlinks to my reviews of the 10 films. I've ranked them by what I liked the most. I would say Black Swan, 127 Hours, and Winter's Bone are not for everyone. I'm glad that Social Network won the Golden Globe (the award for most entertaining in my book) and that King's Speech is now the favorite for the Oscar (a film that will be remembered for a long time). Inception is still the movie I'd most like to own. Winter's Bone was definitely the weakest overall movie in the group.

1. Inception (10/10)
2. The Social Network (10/10)
3. The King's Speech (9/10)
4. Toy Story 3 (9/10)
5. Black Swan (8/10)
6. The Kids Are Alright (8/10)
7. 127 Hours (8/10)
8. True Grit (7/10)
9. The Fighter (7/10)
10. Winter's Bone (6/10)

The sports movie of the Oscar ballot, this film is another boxing movie. A sport that seems to become less popular year after year, yet continues to entice Hollywood again and again. Will UFC fighters be our heros of Hollywood films in 20 years? This film has a pretty nice cast with Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo.I'm a big fan of Leo after watching Frozen River last year, and her performance was so much different in this one, yet just as incredible.

The film is full of arguments. I wasn't sure if this was Jersey at first because of the Northeastern accents and dialog that reminded me of "Jersey Shore". so it is hard for me to like good acting in an environment that I'd rather not encounter. That being said Bale, Adams, and Leo were fantastic in their performances and all deserve the nominations they have been getting. I'm not shocked that Wahlberg didn't get any nominations because for a leading role the script didn't ask much of him.

If there were only five Best Picture nominees this one would not have been nominated. Good acting, but not the best overall movie. Might be your cup of tea, and better than most movies I encounter outside of awards season.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964517/

Not to be confused with Casino Jack and the United States of Money the documentary about Jack Abramoff and the corruption of D.C. Lobbiest. This film is actually a dramatic retelling of the events that took place.

Starring Kevin Spacey, Kelly Preston, and the unwatchable Jon Lovitz, this movie didn't just fall flat it was hard to watch. One thing you need to understand is that Abramoff was indited because he was dumb enough to put all the illegal things he did in e-mails. This left a paper trail that gave him no defense, and he took the fall for many bad people. The thing I hated about this movie, was instead of showing him text his friends or send an e-mail, they converted these e-mails to script lines. They came off as really really bad acting. Apparently Abramoff liked to do impersonations, so Spacey played Abramoff doing a bad impersonation, and it came off as Spacey just acting really bad.

I knew the plot, I knew the events, I knew a lot about this film going into it. Maybe that is why I didn't like it. I've heard that you have to understand what Abramoff was like to get it... well not for me. There is a reason you didn't hear about this one.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1194417/

It is interesting how you can get behind a film so much that you can be against a film you haven't even seen yet. I wanted to see The Social Network win so bad, that I almost wanted this film to be bad. Now that I've actually seen it, I've changed my mind.

This film was actually really good. Colin Firth was excellent as the stuttering Duke of York, and Geoffrey Rush did an excellent job also playing Lionel his teacher. The film is about a stuttering Duke who gains confidence as he loses his stutter thanks to the help of an unorthodox teacher. Set in the early 1900's with the onset of the 2nd World War approaching this is the perfect era of film for the Oscar voters. The acting is more heartwarming, but the subject matter is less appealing.

Helena Bonham Carter annoys me to some degree, her minor role was minor enough to be likable. The rest of the supporting cast was good, but nothing really stands out. My only qualm with the film is that Firth seems a little old for the character, he even looked much older than his older brother in the movie. That really didn't work for me, but was so minor, and some people just look older than they are. Check it out, it is sure to win some awards.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/

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P.S. I Love You (2007)

Love and Other Drugs (2010)

True Lies (1994)

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

Animal Kingdom (2010)

Oscar Live-Action Short Films (2010)

Oscar Animated Short Films (2010)

Gosford Park (2001)

Pandorum (2009)

Unstoppable (2010)

In the Bedroom (2001)

My Oscar Pics

Rabbit Hole (2010)

Restrepo (2010)

Due Date (2010)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

The World of Apu: Apur Sansar (1959)

Running Brave (1983)

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest: Luftslottet som sprängdes (2009)

The Unvanquished: Aparajito (1956)

Salt (2010)

The Ghost Writer (2010)

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

GasLand (2010)

The American (2010)

Frankie and Alice (2010)

Oscar Best Picture Rankings

The Fighter (2010)

Casino Jack (2010)

The King's Speech (2010)

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