Conviction (2010)

Like Flash of Genius I struggled to commit my time to watching this one because I felt I already knew the entire story. It only takes reading the imdb synopsis to get the whole story, but this is one of those films that knowing what happens really doesn't ruin the story itself. I remember this being on the Oscar radar but I don't get what kept it out of the running. Sam Rockwell seems to be constantly ignored by the academy and Hilary Swank already has two wins in the leading lady role, so getting overlooked for this one isn't that big of a deal.

The film is about a brother and sister who grow up in a small town with a dysfunctional family. They like to sneak into other people's homes and pretend they have a normal home with a normal family. After several run in's with the police Kenny [Rockwell] is labelled as a suspicious character and is hauled in for questioning every time their is a crime in town. After a brutal murder he is brought in for questioning and almost a year later is determined to be the killer. With no physical evidence he is given a life sentence thanks to an ex-wife and ex-girlfriend on the stand that lied about this whereabouts. His sister Betty [Swank] decides to pursue a law degree to free her brother.

I also relate this film to Flash of Genius because the main character gives up a normal life and family in pursuit of what they feel is right through legal means. Based on a true story this one, overlooked last year, is well worth your time.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1244754/

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The Road (2009)

I won't lie about it, I really didn't completely pay attention to this one. I had something else going on and it was playing in the background. Maybe if I would have focused it would have had a higher rating... then again my wife was paying attention and agrees it was this bad.

This film actually was in post-production for a very long time. I think it was Viggo Mortensen's follow-up to 2007's Eastern Promises which he was nominated for an Oscar from. It was originally scheduled for a Nov. 2008 release but I think the market was saturated with similar themed films. By the time it came out I had lost interest. Now 3 years later I finally got around to watching it after hearing mixed reviews [mostly bad].

The film is based on a novel, and I'm guessing that the novel explained who the apocalypse happened. Either way some sort of event has left the earth in ruins with a very limited food supply and rampant cannibalism. Maybe this is supposed to be a realistic take on what it would be like after nuclear war... I'm not sure. Kodi Smit-McPhee is quite young in this film, you'd know him if you watched Let Me In. Charlize Theron plays the wife of Mortensen in his flashbacks and we have some small roles by Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce, nothing special.

I was quite disappointed by the pace of this film and lack of information, it should have been much better.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/

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Hachi - A Dog's Tale: Hachiko (2009)

A straight-to-video release in the US, this film was actually in the theaters in Japan. It is very loosely based on a true story of a Japanese professor in the 1930's (maybe 40's I forget), who's dog waited every day for him at the train station even after he died.

Entertainment Weekly made a big deal about this being one of Richard Gere's best performances in years. Boy o'boy that sure is setting the bar low. The film start with Gere getting home from the college in a train and walking home, since I live in Texas with a 45 minute commute I'm not sure how realistic walking to and from a train station and never using a car really is in the current setting that they make this film. He finds this abandoned puppy with no identification, after putting up signs to find the owner he eventually keeps him... which you can tell his wife isn't thrilled about. Joan Allen plays his wife, Jason Alexander plays the train attendant, and Sarah Roemer [Disturbia] plays his daughter.

The film is quite sad, definitely to a cheesy and sappy point. It is hard to not let a tear escape at least once. It is almost cruel that the rest of the family didn't give this dog any love, but the film is trying to make a point, and also following the amazing true story they are bending a bit. Anyways, it was able to sneak onto the modern top 250 and there are worse films.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028532/

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When We Leave: Die Fremde (2010)

This was the 9th out of 10 foreign films from last year I really wanted to see. Sadly Life, Above All STILL isn't out on DVD, but is projected for a Dec. 6th, 2011 release.

I can't say I knew anything about this one other than it was really depressing... and boy is it. The film is about a Turkish woman in Germany that leaves her husband. Coming from a culture that forbids this activity he becomes alienated from her family. Her husband beat her and her child so she is forced to rely on the German government to provide assistance to basically hide them. She goes back to school and gets a job, but her constant efforts to still be part of the family only anger the men in the family.

This is an all around sad and depressing film. So sad that I couldn't sleep when finishing it and had to switch gears and watch a comedy for half an hour before I could get it out of my head. there is no silver lining and really no message to this film. It really is just an effort to bring light to modern day oppression that some women still face. Good point, but not something I want to commit two hours to.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288376/

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Even the Rain: También la lluvia (2010)

Gael García Bernal [The Motorcycle Diaries, Y Tu Mamá También, Babel] and Luis Tosar [Miami Vice] [the two guys on the poster] star in a movie about a filming crew trying to shoot in Bolivia amidst the locals protesting the governments privatization of the water supply. This film was Spain's submission to the Oscar Foreign Film race, and was short listed but did not receive a nomination.

The film they are shooting is actually a controversial film about Christopher Columbus and how the Spanish people treated the indigenous people. So it is only that ironic that the local people are fighting mistreatment from the current government at the same time. The crew actually has to do some inward reflection to see if they actually believe what they are preaching on film. Do they really care about these people? Karra Elejalde plays the man they cast as the rebellious leader of the natives that fight the Spanish on film, and he happens to be a leader off film against the government and water company.

The film has an interesting dynamic with these two aspects, but it fails to create any deep ties between these two at the same time. The more interesting dynamic is between the two directors. Bernal starts as the main character and I didn't feel he performed very well in this film, his character also seemed so adamant about the story they were trying to get on film. Tosar's character starts as a jerk and seems to make the most positive change through the film, at first he exploits the natives and casts them well under what he would if they shot this in Spain. When Elejalde's character confronts him about this, he sees the error in his way and becomes a better person. It actually reminded me of a reading from church I heard the same morning I watched this:

"What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, `I will not'; but afterward he repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
-Matthew 21:28-32

I think this should have been the 5th nominee instead of "Outside the Law." But it was still only my 5th favorite.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1422032/

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East of Eden (1955)

John Steinbeck's East of Eden was a very popular film, less for the quality of the film, and more for what happened surrounding the film. The film stars James Dean who died in a car crash around the time of this films release, and was then awarded the first posthumous nomination in Academy Awards history. Of course, Rebel Without a Cause, is the film that made him a cult icon, but this was the one and Giant [his second consecutive posthumous nomination] sum up his three film career.

Not really that challenging to watch his entire filmography, and having seen the other two some time ago it was time for me to watch this one. It is one of only a handful of film I've seen in Cinemascope, and thank goodness it was probably the first I've seen on a widescreen TV. Cinemascope is that really narrow widescreen that has black bars on widescreen televisions and is almost unwatchable on televisions a decade ago, and this one is 2.55:1 ratio, when most Cinemascope is 2.35:1. Anyways...

So the film is about a pair of brothers with a very "religious" father. James Dean plays Cal, the younger brother who can't seem to do anything right. In typical Dean fashion he is rebellious, lacks direction, but is good deep down. Cal has figured out that his mother, who his father told him was dead, is actually alive and working in a burlesque on the bad side of town. Cal does everything he can to win the affection of his father but he can't seem to do anything right.

It is a well written film, but a little dull at times. I prefer his two other films over this one.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048028/

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How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Winner of 5 Oscars and nominated for 5 others. This film will forever be known as the one that beat Citizen Kane [8/10]. Not only Kane, but it also beat out Sergeant York [8/10] and my favorite of the list The Maltese Falcon. The simple fact is that in 1942 this was the better film, get over it film buffs but a working class drama was more popular than an Orson Welles drama.

I'm sure you can see from the bottom of this post that my 6/10 means that I would rank it fourth out of the four I've seen from that year. It was however a decent film. Maybe my 6/10 is a little harsh because I just gave a few other films a 6/10 that I didn't like as much, so if I gave 0.5 points than I would give this 6.5/10.

So the film really centers around the youngest brother of the Morgan family in a Welsh mining town. He watches as his brother grow up and leave the home, as the mine goes through a strike, and as his sister goes through marriage problems that the whole town whispers about.

The film is really not that bad, and I can easily say there are some much weaker best picture winners, this one is spoken about a lot simply for who it beat that year. If you are going to watch all the Best Picture winners, you won't be disappointed by this one.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/

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Lolita (1962)

After taking a little time off from writing it feels like a long time ago that I reviewed Killer's Kiss and mentioned that I saw this Kubrick film. I really struggled to understand this film, is it supposed to be a comedy? or drama? did they really have a lot of dark comedies in the 60's? I just can't take Peter Sellers seriously, and it is hard to take someone who plays multiple characters to trick someone on film as a dramatic role.

So the film is about Professor Humbert Humbert [James Mason] who looks for a room to rent while working at a college. He answers an ad placed by Charlotte [Shelley Winters], a widow with a daughter. It is clear he doesn't care for her, and is about to pass on the room until he meets her daughter, Lolita [Sue Lyon]. Through a serious of strange and awful events he runs off with Lolita convincing a new town that they are father and daughter, when it is clear they are more than that.

Thanks to "The MPAA Code" they are often vague, but you get the point. The film ends a little boring and pathetic which is frustrating because it is two and a half hour commitment... the opposite of Killer's Kiss which clocks in at about an hour.

I would have liked this more if it was a little more fun or serious, I didn't like it being in between. Also if it was about 45 minutes shorter.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056193/

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The Beaver (2011)

Mel Gibson stars as a mentally unstable father, who after failing to commit suicide, takes refuge by speaking through a Beaver puppet he found in a dumpster. Jodie Foster stars as the wife of Gibson in her 3rd film as director. Her first time to direct in 16 years and she didn't make it easy on herself casting Gibson. As well all know Gibson is going through a rough patch in his life as he is struggling with alcohol abuse.

The film, which stars these two actually spends 1/2 of the film focusing on his son, Jared [Zachary Booth], and the issues he is dealing with not wanting to be like his dad, but unable to escape his family. Jennifer Lawrence stars as the valedictorian who seeks out Jared to help her write her graduation speech, which is just as much a stretch of the plot as Gibson with a beaver on his hand.

The film is disturbing at times, then silly at other times, at no point do we get the impression that the beaver can actually speak for itself and Gibson never tries to be a ventriloquist. The beaver is the gimmick, but Booth and Lawrence kept this from being a 4 or 5 for me. I still wouldn't suggest it, but it could have been much worse.


Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1321860/

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Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Hum... what to say about this one. Let me start by saying that my snap judgement of 5/10 might be a little harsh, but my desire to keep it in the "avoid" category remains. Personally I'm not a huge fan of Jack Nicholson as a person, and that probably affects how much I enjoy his films.

I had to do some reading on this film before I could write a review because I felt I missed some things. Not in the way of being distracted, or not paying attention, but in the way that you are watching something "deep" when unaware that you need to be keen to such. This film was made at a time where Nicholson was famous for films like Easy Rider and it was assumed that he couldn't be deep [we know this now after The Shining, As Good as It Gets, and About Schmidt]. So it was a breakthrough film for him at the time, nominated for 4 Oscars and on several critics top 100 lists.

The film is about oil-rig worker with a ditzy girlfriend that he treats like trash. When his father becomes ill he goes home and we find that he has abandoned his wealthy family. It is clear that his relationship with his father is strained to say the least, and that he resents the intellectual conversations that his mother likes to start up. On the surface this is a boring film about an indecisive asshole who cheats on ditzy girlfriend that he impregnated. It does make a compelling story as to why this guy has run away from everything and is the kind of person that he is.

I doubt many of my readers would care for this film, and I doubt I'll give it much thought again.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065724/

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Another Year (2010)

It seems to be a toss up with the 5th screenplay nomination for the Oscars. They always seem to pick one film I never expected and one that doesn't get nominated for anything else. Lately this has either been a surprisingly good film or an average British film... strange trend. Last year in the adapted category there was the average British film, In The Loop, this year it was this one in the original category. They should have put Fish Tank in this category instead if they wanted a British film. Nevertheless, it is just a nomination, the winner is all I really hope for the Academy to get right. This film happened to also finish the ballot for me, only having the documentary short subject category that I haven't seen in three years. Tell me how, and I'd love to... different story.

So the film starts with some misdirection, focusing on a woman getting a physical at a doctors office, he only motive is sleeping pills and it is clear she is very depressed. She is sent to see a psychologist, one of our leading characters Gerri [Ruth Sheen]. Gerri tried to get her to open up, then after their session she goes out for drinks with her co-worker Mary [Lesley Manville]. Mary is a piece of work, aging single and full of false confidence about her looks. Gerri heads home to her husband Tom [Jim Broadbent, the first actor I recognized, you'd know him from the Harry Potter series as Professor Slughorn, also from Hot Fuzz and Iris]. So Tom and Gerri invite Mary over for dinner, she proceeds to get plastered, emotional, and pass out in their sons old room.

So enough about the specifics. The film goes through all four seasons, we see their relationship with Mary stumble and rebuild. Tom visits his brother, who then comes to visit. One of their friends from college makes a visit, etc, etc. It is pretty average in subject matter. A happy couple and their interesting friends. Or should I say ordinary? It was quite boring, and the build up of the first 20 minutes as we learn the backgrounds and work life of the cast is just about all the action we get. A very disappointing film.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431181/

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Cavalcade (1933)

The vast majority of Oscar winners I was able to find with a netflix subscription several years ago, but there were a few that were nearly impossible to get ahold of. The only way I was able to find this one was to order the DVD on ebay from a Korean company that had made a dvd from an old VHS. To this date it is still not on dvd but can be found if you really try.

Unless you are obsessive about finishing lists, you probably should just leave this as one of the ones you never got a chance to see because it wasn't convenient [I now have a copy I'd be happy to give you].  

I really can't tell you what the film is about, because for the most part it isn't really about anything substantial. A family tragedy film is the best way to describe it, by definition a cavalcade is a procession of dramatic events. A mother has two sons, the oldest goes on his honeymoon traveling on the Titanic. You can guess what happens... but then again you have to guess because we never see the ship go down and it isn't like there weren't some survivors. The younger son and father both go off to war, we get some glimpses of soldiers marching and random battlefields during World War I, but again we don't actually see the tragic events.

I'd have to say this is really something of an anti-war drama, but it is really hard to say. The audio was horrible, grainy and muffled, what you can expect from a bootleg DVD with a VHS source. There is a reason no one is pushing for this one to get a cleaned up release. Easily the worst Oscar winner I've seen so far.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023876/

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Flash of Genius (2008)

Directed by Marc Abraham [Producer of Air Force One and Children of Men just to name a few], and starring Greg Kinnear [As Good as It Gets and  Little Miss Sunshine], comes a film about a college professor and engineer/inventor who invents the intermittent windshield wiper.

A film that has been on my radar for almost 4 years now but constantly overlooked because all I could think when seeing it was, "how interesting can a film about windshield wipers really be?" The film starts with the invention process, then goes into how Mr. Kinnear goes about getting the patent rights then trying to sell his invention to the major motor companies. After the invention is stolen by Ford, Mr. Kinnear's life starts falling apart as he gives up everything to take his fight to the courts.

A film that questions ethics and shows the limits that one has to go to, to defend his rights through the court system. I'm surprised at how much I really liked this film because I felt like I knew what it was about before watching it and didn't expect much. A good court room drama, so I would suggest it, if that is your kind of movie.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054588/

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In a Better World: Hævnen (2010)

From what I have traced of my heritage I have more Danish in me than any other nationality, so it was pretty exciting to see that both the Golden Globe and Oscar for Foreign film were won by this film. It was also nice to see that it was actually a GOOD film.

The trailer... or maybe I should say teaser intro of this film shows African children following a Caucasian man in a Jeep on a dirt road. The film also opens with this Doctor working at a Red Cross aid station in Africa, so it was pretty safe to assume this film would take place in Africa. Well it doesn't, this is really meant to show that two fathers, both doctors, have to spend time away from their children back home as they work some length of a "shift" in Africa.

The story actually is about anger. Yes anger. Kids getting bullied in school, a boy losing his mother, children going through divorce, doctors making difficult decisions. Anger is an over simplification, but I can't easily remember a film that drew me in so much that my heart was racing wanting a father to fight back, wanting a kid to fight back. It might test your Christian principles of turning the other cheek.

I don't want to say too much, because if you watch a foreign film, than unlike more than a few of the past years, you should watch the Oscar/Golden Globe winner.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340107/

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The Basketball Diaries (1995)

Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg star in a mid-90's film will little to do about sports, and a lot to do with teenage drug usage. I think I would have liked this a lot more if I would have watched it when in high school.

Jim [DiCaprio] and Mickey [Mark] are best friends and play on the high school basketball team together. They go to Catholic school and roam the streets on New York at night. They start with drinking and smoking and daring each other to jump off cliffs into the river, but this eventually leads to then getting mixed up in heroic in crack. Both characters go over the edge, start robbing stores and living on the streets.

A teenage angst film that I'm afraid I've outgrow. I'm afraid to watch  The Beach again, a movie I gave a 10 in high school, and that I fear I would not feel the same about today.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112461/

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Barney's Version (2010)

Paul Giamatti won a Golden Globe for his performance as Barney Panofsky in a film about a man who lead a very colorful and exciting life. We start with Giamatti drunk and calling his ex-wife in the middle of the night saying mean things to her new husband.

We then flashback to his early 20's knowing that he ends up with an ex-wife and kids. The teaser of his current life makes you wonder just how things turned out the way they did. Then we quickly learn what type of personality he has.

I wasn't thrilled with the subject matter. A hairy neurotic guy that smokes, drinks, watches hockey, was a suspect in his best friends disappearance and fails with three marriages. The acting was good however, but the characters were a bit annoying... like Minnie Driver [where has she been the last 6 years?].

This might have been good enough to be an 8 based on acting performances. I wouldn't go around recommending this to anyone so I settled on a 7. It was the last Golden Globe film for me to watch and I put it off for a reason, it just wasn't something I'll remember in 5 years.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1423894/

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Bottle Shock (2008)

An indie dramady made on a shoestring budget on a 30 day shoot that grossed $4 million. Starring Alan Rickman [Severus Snape], Chris Pine [Star Trek], Bill Pullman [While You Were Sleeping], and Rachael Taylor.

The film focuses on the rise of the Napa Valley and California as it competes against the best French wines. The term Bottle Shock means two things, the term comes from what happens to wine in transportation [like a transatlantic flight], and more obviously the shock of a bottle of wine actually being good.

Rickman seems like Snape out of character to me, his nuances and body language are the same out of make-up which is hard for me to disconnect from. Pine and Taylor have conversations that remind me of a cable sitcom. This isn't a compete slam because that means that it is an easy watch but most scenes just don't seem like realistic dialogue exchanges to me [just fake]. I wasn't a huge fan of Pullman's character but that doesn't mean he didn't play him well, it is pretty standard performance for him. The film in general just isn't constructed to be anything but cheesy.

Maybe my comments were a little mean, but I discourage you from going out and renting this film. If you want to pick it up from the library or happen to see it on tv or netflix it might be worth your time on a slow tv night. Take away Taylor bedding Pine's friend and this is a family friendly drama also.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914797/

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Fish Tank (2009)

Directed by Andrea Arnold an Oscar winner for the Live Action Short Film Wasp in 2003. Arnold took a cast of no name actors and put together a film that won the BAFTA [Best British Film] last year.

The film in some ways reminded me of Precious, partially because of the apathetic parent that seems to have a hate for her teenage daughter. Also, in a few small ways for the interaction between the mother's boyfriend and the daughter. Katie Jarvis [you wouldn't know her from another film] plays Mia. A teenage girl in what looks like a English "projects," she gets in fights, drinks, smokes, and looks for a way out of her current situation.

The really don't want to spoil the plot of this film, but you question the intentions of the boyfriend from the start and your opinion of Mia will change several times.

I look forward to keeping an eye on Arnold's next project. As a side note, for a British film with a lot of slang I was surprised at how little trouble I had understand the dialogue. A problem I have been encountering on films like Kes lately.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232776/

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Monsters (2010)

I'm going to be meaner than I should in my review of this film and I need to tell you why from the start. I watched this film simply because it beat out The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for the Saturn award for the best Internation Scifi, Action, or Horror film. The saturn awards are geared at giving credit to films in genres overlooked by the Oscars and Globes and I felt this was a much weaker film. It is marketed as an alien action film but is in fact a drama so I don't think it should have been considered for the Saturn, but then again The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is more of a drama than an action.

The thing is this film is labeled as a SciFi film, even the opening credits are an alien attack. The poster makes it look like an action film. But these aren't the only reasons I disliked the film.

It is a drama centered around the two characters you see on the poster. A journalist and his bosses daughter who are traveling from South Mexico to America through an "infected" zone. They encounter little to no aliens and the film is centered around a budding relationship. It achieves so little in an hour and a half and the aliens are more of a distraction from the real plot than an addition.

Make in the UK but not a single actor has a British accent. Entirely in english and the winner of the foreign award, kind of a joke if you ask me.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470827/

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Nowhere in Africa: Nirgendwo in Afrika (2001)

The best film I have seen in a little while, and a good example of why it it worth checking out older foreign films. This story is very complex and has many elements that make it worth watching. I like a film that takes a while to explain the plot to someone. An Oscar winner, and one that is on a number of my top movie lists... as it should be.

The film is about a Jewish family that leaves everything they own behind and move to Africa. Wealthy in Germany as a lawyer the husband is the first to leave and goes to manage a farm. He then sends for his wife and daughter but comes down with malaria. He requests that his wife bring some essentials and leave behind the china and expensive clothing. Instead she brings all things unnecessary and spends her money on a dress in the train station. Their love is constantly tested throughout the film in a very realistic fashion, how many people would love each other in a completely different environment? She constantly questions his decision to move to African until they learn of what is happening to the Jews back home.

This is a good example of a "perfect" Oscar film one would say. The committee is older and loves WWII centric films, but I say a good film is a good film. I welcomed the subject matter and felt the film had less to do with WWII and more to do with relationships. I highly recommend this German subtitled film, and expect I'll watch it again some day.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161860/

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