“ANOTHER YEAR” (Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen & Lesley Manville)
A British ‘Dramedy’, this film tells the tale of a year in the life of an elderly couple, Tom & Gerri (Jim Broadbent & Ruth Sheen)
‘Another Year’ is a character driven story that goes absolutely nowhere.
Tom has a rather boring job testing the ground for construction sites. Gerri’s job as a hospital therapist is somewhat more interesting, but after the opening scenes, it is never brought into the script again – which was also frustrating because Imelda Staunton appears in the first two scenes explaining how she is unable to sleep. Several reasons are given as to why this is happening but her character’s dilemma is never resolved – in fact her character exits the film after appearing to be the main focus of the story.
Tom and Gerri have a son, Joe (Oliver Maltman) Joe is a nice guy in his early thirties. Joe rides his bike a lot. Joe is dull.
Gerri has a man-hungry spinster friend named Mary. Now, Mary is clearly the most interesting character and actress Lesley Manville gives an impressive performance, but we soon discover that Mary is a pathetic drunk. Mary shuns the advances of Tom’s friend Ken (Peter Wight), an overweight, closer to her own age drunk in hopes that half her age, not all that slobby looking Joe will look upon her as girlfriend material instead ‘drunk old (psuedo) Aunt Mary.’ Joe is polite towards Mary basically out of pity, but Mary doesn’t ‘get’ it.
‘Another Year’ is divided up into four segments, Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter.
I’m sure I’m not the only one in the audience that was hoping that it started with Winter and that Autumn would be the last season, but no, this uneventful story plods on & on with the audience sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for something interesting, unusual or strange to happen to these people.
Mary drops by unexpectedly when Tom & Gerri are out and Tom’s recently widowed brother Ronny (David Bradley) lets her inside. I thought, ‘OK, this is it – This is what all the boredom has been leading to – either Ronny is going to snap (due to grief) because Mary starts flirting with him and kill her; or Mary is going to snap & rape Ronny. Either way, I felt sure that something dramatically weird was going to happen... finally!
I can’t say I was disappointed when the screen went black because, at least, we were all put out of our misery. Still, I felt cheated by the fact that NOTHING out of the ordinary happens to these people. In fact, I started thinking of better titles for the movie & the one I came up with was, “Another Year In The Lives Of Ordinary People Having Ordinary Conversations About Their Ordinary Lives” . . . Ordinarily, I’d avoid a film with that title. So I guess that’s why they just cut if off at ‘Another Year’. But that’s ALL it is, ‘JUST’ another year in the life of a likable older couple & their uninteresting friends and relatives. And don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good character study – but in order to make characters come alive, something interesting has to happen to them and NOTHING INTERESTING happens to these nice people. They simply sit around and talk about food, the weather, driving a car versus taking public transportation and how dull their lives are... Oh, and wine – Lots & Lots & Lots of wine! It seemed like in every season there was an elongated scene involving the discussion of what each character felt like drinking;
“Tea, Mary? Or perhaps a spot of Chablis?” “Feel like a cup of coffee, Ken? We also have beer and wine.” “What are you drinking today, Ronny; how about a glass of Chardonnay?”
The female members of our party got off easy – they both fell asleep. While Alan Smithee (Who has come to his senses and is back to agreeing with me) & I kept our eyes glued to the screen, begging for a morsel of memorable dialogue, only to be rebuked by this Oscar nominated script for best original screenplay time & time again. And it wasn’t easy to keep your eyes on the screen at the luxurious Grand Theatre in Tacoma, since every time someone got up to use the bathroom, the screen would turn completely white when they opened the door (& when they returned!)
The label ‘dramedy’ is a misnomer here since there isn’t any dramatic moments and the comedic bits were a limited number of titters and maybe a chuckle or two.
When ‘Inception’ finally ended, I was of the opinion that the audience agreed with me that is was a boring piece of feces since no one left the theatre showing any kind of pleasure. As the crowd exited ‘Another Year’one man said to another, “I liked the first hour fine, but I found the last three to be quite boring.”
It isn't crap, like 'Inception'; the film is nicely acted, but dull. Even the drunks are friendly, but dull. And it seemed to have a running time of infinity. Once again, the viewing audience (& Alan Smithee) agrees with me.
All is right with the world.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The DILEMMA
“The DILEMMA” (Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder & Channing Tatum)
The most interesting thing about this film is the plot – or the concept of the plot, to be more precise. I’ve been in similar predicaments a few times in my life. Fortunately my dilemmas weren’t hampered by Vince Vaughn’s foolish antics. On one side you might argue that my dilemmas were void of any humor... Ron Howard’s ‘comedy’ dilemma doesn’t have much of it either.
That’s not to say it isn’t worth viewing – my wife and I had a lengthy conversation about our personal dilemmas, and after 16 years of marriage, lengthy conversations are a rare commodity. I plan to use it as a conversation starter when we’re out with other couples – asking ‘what would YOU do?’
What Vince Vaughn’s Ronny does is go way overboard in both spying on his best friend’s wife (Winona Ryder as Geneva) and agonizing over when, where & how to tell his buddy and business partner Nick (Kevin James) that his wife is cheating on him.
The subplot of Ronny & Nick’s idea to develop an electric engine that makes a loud annoying rumble was so stupid it detracted from the dilemmas dilemma.
Now, Winona isn’t the sexiest actress alive (or even in the top 50) but it made as much sense that she would marry a homely lardball like Nick as it did that Channing Tatum (as the ‘other’ man, Zip) would find her attractive enough to start a relationship with. Why Ronny acts shocked and appalled when he discovers Geneva making out with Zip is laughable – she’s married to Kevin James and Channing Tatum comes onto her; what a dilemma! Do I remain faithful to my bad boxer-faced obese husband or have an affair with this dopey hunk? Well, DUH!
The one relatively interesting aspect of this dilemma is Ronny’s relationship with girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly) In his pursuit to force Geneva to confess her affair to Nick he drives a wedge between himself and the woman he wants to become his bride.
'The Dilemma' was advertised as a comedy & that is very misleading; it isn't an awful film, but as my wife said, "I was hoping to laugh once or twice."
Vince Vaughn’s rambling speeches should have died an agonizing death after ‘Couples’ Retreat’, but here he is again, babbling in the exact same manner he has in the last 4 or 5 films he’s been in.
I recently pointed out that Owen Wilson broke his string of bad comedies (Marley & Me
being an exception) with the dumb but funny ‘Hall Pass’, but ‘Wedding Crashers’ co-star Vaughn’s streak continues to grow...
In an elongated scene involving Ronny confronting Zip both characters are made to look childish, violent & stupid - but in a pathetic way, not in a humorous way.
Like I said, the best part of this film is the conversations it should stir up AFTER it is over. So wait to rent the DVD and invite a couple of couples over and relish in the ‘real’ stories your friends tell because this one isn’t even worth discussing...
The most interesting thing about this film is the plot – or the concept of the plot, to be more precise. I’ve been in similar predicaments a few times in my life. Fortunately my dilemmas weren’t hampered by Vince Vaughn’s foolish antics. On one side you might argue that my dilemmas were void of any humor... Ron Howard’s ‘comedy’ dilemma doesn’t have much of it either.
That’s not to say it isn’t worth viewing – my wife and I had a lengthy conversation about our personal dilemmas, and after 16 years of marriage, lengthy conversations are a rare commodity. I plan to use it as a conversation starter when we’re out with other couples – asking ‘what would YOU do?’
What Vince Vaughn’s Ronny does is go way overboard in both spying on his best friend’s wife (Winona Ryder as Geneva) and agonizing over when, where & how to tell his buddy and business partner Nick (Kevin James) that his wife is cheating on him.
The subplot of Ronny & Nick’s idea to develop an electric engine that makes a loud annoying rumble was so stupid it detracted from the dilemmas dilemma.
Now, Winona isn’t the sexiest actress alive (or even in the top 50) but it made as much sense that she would marry a homely lardball like Nick as it did that Channing Tatum (as the ‘other’ man, Zip) would find her attractive enough to start a relationship with. Why Ronny acts shocked and appalled when he discovers Geneva making out with Zip is laughable – she’s married to Kevin James and Channing Tatum comes onto her; what a dilemma! Do I remain faithful to my bad boxer-faced obese husband or have an affair with this dopey hunk? Well, DUH!
The one relatively interesting aspect of this dilemma is Ronny’s relationship with girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly) In his pursuit to force Geneva to confess her affair to Nick he drives a wedge between himself and the woman he wants to become his bride.
'The Dilemma' was advertised as a comedy & that is very misleading; it isn't an awful film, but as my wife said, "I was hoping to laugh once or twice."
Vince Vaughn’s rambling speeches should have died an agonizing death after ‘Couples’ Retreat’, but here he is again, babbling in the exact same manner he has in the last 4 or 5 films he’s been in.
I recently pointed out that Owen Wilson broke his string of bad comedies (Marley & Me
being an exception) with the dumb but funny ‘Hall Pass’, but ‘Wedding Crashers’ co-star Vaughn’s streak continues to grow...
In an elongated scene involving Ronny confronting Zip both characters are made to look childish, violent & stupid - but in a pathetic way, not in a humorous way.
Like I said, the best part of this film is the conversations it should stir up AFTER it is over. So wait to rent the DVD and invite a couple of couples over and relish in the ‘real’ stories your friends tell because this one isn’t even worth discussing...
Monday, February 28, 2011
HALL PASS
“HALL PASS” (Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer & Christina Applegate)
The four above mentioned actors are the two couples involved in this film, but ‘Hall Pass’ will forever be known as the film that gave us the absolutely gorgeous Nicky Whelan. . . Wow, what a strikingly beautiful woman - & the Australian accent just makes her even hotter.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the stupid movie. & I’m not knocking it by calling it ‘stupid’. It’s the return of the Farrelly brothers – they excel at stupid - & this one is stupidly funny. Perhaps I was just in the mood to laugh after watching all those serious Oscar contenders (Some of which were just flat out awful) but I chuckled frequently at ‘Hall Pass’ despite realizing, ‘boy, was that dumb!’
One particular scene involved a drunken Latino girl who kept saying she wasn’t going to throw up. I’m sorry, but the sight gag made me laugh loudly. & yes, it was disgusting; disgusting & stupid – Farrelly brothers trademarks - though they haven’t made a good film since ‘Me, Myself & Irene’ in 2000.
Owen Wilson plays Rick – married to Maggie (Jenna Fischer)
Rick’s best friend is Fred (Jason Sudeikis) who is married to Grace (Christina Applegate)
After Maggie calls out Rick for openly ogling a passing girl in tight jeans, she tells Grace, who relates that she knows all about her stupid husband’s ‘trick’ of looking at where the girl will be instead of directly at her. Their friend Joy Beher tells them to give their husbands a ‘hall pass’ – a week off from marriage because every husband ‘thinks’ he could get a lot of tail if only he weren’t married.
So give them permission to be single for a week & they’ll learn how lucky they are that their wives put up with them – because every other woman – especially the hotties they ogle, don’t want to have anything to do with jerks like them.
Rick & Fred, using two of their buddies as an audience & inspiration, decide to start off hitting on chicks at Applebys. . . Then they decide to upgrade to Chilis.
While the ‘boys’ are striking out without ever swinging their bats, their wives are off on vacation meeting guys who know how to hit on ‘chicks’ married, or not. The women come to the conclusion that their husbands’ hall passes work both ways & don’t discourage their suitors.
Now, I’ve always thought Owen Wilson went into comedy because no one would take him seriously as a leading man with that unsightly, disfigured nose of his. So when he meets the extremely attractive barista Leigh (Nicky Whelan) at ‘Drips’, his jaw drops & he’s speechless. Leigh is very sexy & coquettish – but Rick just thinks, she’s like that with ALL her customers. The fact that drop dead gorgeous Leigh would find a man with Owen Wilson's nose attractive is a joke in itself, but I digress - at least he isn't as homely as a Seth Rogen or Adam Sandler, right? It's almost plausible that one of the cutest girls on the planet would show a little interst in him...
When Rick & Fred hear that their chick magnet buddy Coakley is back in town, they salivate at the opportunity to learn from the master – or at least pick up his leftovers.
The joke with Coakley’s arrival is that it’s elderly actor Richard Jenkins - & he’s very funny in the role.
My least favorite sight ‘gag’ – the schlong – is used rather graphically & although the scene had humorous intent – I don’t need to see a $5 foot long flopping around onscreen. Call me homophobic, I just don’t like to look at guys’ junk. It worked in “Walk Hard”, but that’s the only time I found male nudity to be funny.
I don’t even remember the last time I used my ‘laugh-o-meter’ but ‘Hall Pass’ scored a respectable 44 – with many of those hard, out loud laughs. Is it possible that the next time I view this film I won’t find it nearly as humorous – sure – but for right now, I have to be honest & say it made me laugh frequently even though the humor was definitely of the ‘low brow’ quality. It’s no ‘Hangover’ by any means, but it’s probably the funniest movie I’ve seen since that already classic comedy. & if nothing else, holey moley, guys, Nicky Whelan is worth the price of admission alone – I’m talking mega-adorable & like a good sport, she takes her top off. If she hadn’t, do you think I’d be praising this stupid movie as much as I have???
The four above mentioned actors are the two couples involved in this film, but ‘Hall Pass’ will forever be known as the film that gave us the absolutely gorgeous Nicky Whelan. . . Wow, what a strikingly beautiful woman - & the Australian accent just makes her even hotter.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the stupid movie. & I’m not knocking it by calling it ‘stupid’. It’s the return of the Farrelly brothers – they excel at stupid - & this one is stupidly funny. Perhaps I was just in the mood to laugh after watching all those serious Oscar contenders (Some of which were just flat out awful) but I chuckled frequently at ‘Hall Pass’ despite realizing, ‘boy, was that dumb!’
One particular scene involved a drunken Latino girl who kept saying she wasn’t going to throw up. I’m sorry, but the sight gag made me laugh loudly. & yes, it was disgusting; disgusting & stupid – Farrelly brothers trademarks - though they haven’t made a good film since ‘Me, Myself & Irene’ in 2000.
Owen Wilson plays Rick – married to Maggie (Jenna Fischer)
Rick’s best friend is Fred (Jason Sudeikis) who is married to Grace (Christina Applegate)
After Maggie calls out Rick for openly ogling a passing girl in tight jeans, she tells Grace, who relates that she knows all about her stupid husband’s ‘trick’ of looking at where the girl will be instead of directly at her. Their friend Joy Beher tells them to give their husbands a ‘hall pass’ – a week off from marriage because every husband ‘thinks’ he could get a lot of tail if only he weren’t married.
So give them permission to be single for a week & they’ll learn how lucky they are that their wives put up with them – because every other woman – especially the hotties they ogle, don’t want to have anything to do with jerks like them.
Rick & Fred, using two of their buddies as an audience & inspiration, decide to start off hitting on chicks at Applebys. . . Then they decide to upgrade to Chilis.
While the ‘boys’ are striking out without ever swinging their bats, their wives are off on vacation meeting guys who know how to hit on ‘chicks’ married, or not. The women come to the conclusion that their husbands’ hall passes work both ways & don’t discourage their suitors.
Now, I’ve always thought Owen Wilson went into comedy because no one would take him seriously as a leading man with that unsightly, disfigured nose of his. So when he meets the extremely attractive barista Leigh (Nicky Whelan) at ‘Drips’, his jaw drops & he’s speechless. Leigh is very sexy & coquettish – but Rick just thinks, she’s like that with ALL her customers. The fact that drop dead gorgeous Leigh would find a man with Owen Wilson's nose attractive is a joke in itself, but I digress - at least he isn't as homely as a Seth Rogen or Adam Sandler, right? It's almost plausible that one of the cutest girls on the planet would show a little interst in him...
When Rick & Fred hear that their chick magnet buddy Coakley is back in town, they salivate at the opportunity to learn from the master – or at least pick up his leftovers.
The joke with Coakley’s arrival is that it’s elderly actor Richard Jenkins - & he’s very funny in the role.
My least favorite sight ‘gag’ – the schlong – is used rather graphically & although the scene had humorous intent – I don’t need to see a $5 foot long flopping around onscreen. Call me homophobic, I just don’t like to look at guys’ junk. It worked in “Walk Hard”, but that’s the only time I found male nudity to be funny.
I don’t even remember the last time I used my ‘laugh-o-meter’ but ‘Hall Pass’ scored a respectable 44 – with many of those hard, out loud laughs. Is it possible that the next time I view this film I won’t find it nearly as humorous – sure – but for right now, I have to be honest & say it made me laugh frequently even though the humor was definitely of the ‘low brow’ quality. It’s no ‘Hangover’ by any means, but it’s probably the funniest movie I’ve seen since that already classic comedy. & if nothing else, holey moley, guys, Nicky Whelan is worth the price of admission alone – I’m talking mega-adorable & like a good sport, she takes her top off. If she hadn’t, do you think I’d be praising this stupid movie as much as I have???
Monday, February 21, 2011
BARNEY'S VERSION
“BARNEY’S VERSION” (Paul Giamatti & Dustin Hoffman)
At first, I thought this was going to be a dark comedy/murder mystery (due to the title) after Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is confronted by a homicide detective in a bar who tells him he’s a murderer and when the body is found it will prove his guilt. But this isn’t just Barney’s version of what happened when someone close to him is missing and Barney is found past out with two bullets missing from the gun he was holding – the film is actually Barney’s version of his life. The make-up crew should be credited as Giamatti does seem to age several years as the story is told.
What is hard to believe is that three semi-gorgeous women fall in love with and marry short, frumpy, baggy-eyed alcoholic Barney during his lifetime. But then again, since this IS Barney’s version, perhaps the wives weren’t really as attractive as the women Barney conjures up to play them in his ‘version’.
Thinking that way helps to buy the premise.
It opens in present day as we discover that Barney has an ex-wife and two grown children. He works at a television studio called ‘Totally Unnecessary Productions’ where they product totally unnecessary products (apparently)
Marc Bolan & T. Rex introduce the first flashback to 1974 where Barney & his drunken cohorts, Boogie, Leo & the black guy are carousing with the ‘1st’ Mrs. P. whom Barney married because he knocked her up. When their stillborn child comes out dark skinned, pow! there goes the black friend. And soon afterward, the 1st Mrs. P.
On to Montreal in 1975 when Barney meets an out of his league Jewish Princess (played by Minnie Driver) who for some unknown reason falls in love with & marries Barney. At their wedding reception, Barney meets his true love, Miriam Grant (Rosamund Pike)
When Barney asks who the guy with Miriam was, the 2nd Mrs. P. tells him he’s her gay cousin who pretends to be straight so he doesn’t embarrass the family.
“Better to live a lie rather than embarrass the family, sure,” Barney mutters.
So newlywed Barney begins to shower Miriam with gifts & flowers because she wrote down the score of the Stanley Cup finals game that Barney was missing due to his wedding.
Watching this tale, I knew I didn’t like Barney, I didn’t like his in-laws; his friends were hard-core alcoholics & I simply couldn’t buy into the concept that Minnie Driver would fall in love with a drunk that looked like Paul Giamatti (Even with the cute French-inspired wig)
Still, I wasn’t disliking the movie – I credit the witty dialogue. These people weren’t likable, but they said some clever snappy lines that kept me interested.
The one redeeming character was Barney’s dad, Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) an ex-cop that pokes fun at the exasperatingly Jewish In-Laws and defends his son against the homicide detective obsessed with charging Barney with murder.
Barney, it turns out, despite being a raging alcoholic that never seems to think he has a 'problem', has an extremely lucky life - for a loser.
I think I liked this movie for it's uniqueness - it reminded me at times of Michael Douglas's 'Solitary Man', except Barney is a schlub who obtains a comfortable living by lucking out.
There were a few questions I had at the end of the film, which I won’t relate here since they’d give away the ending so I’m hoping they’ll be answered in the sequel when he hear ‘Fred’s Version’.
At first, I thought this was going to be a dark comedy/murder mystery (due to the title) after Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is confronted by a homicide detective in a bar who tells him he’s a murderer and when the body is found it will prove his guilt. But this isn’t just Barney’s version of what happened when someone close to him is missing and Barney is found past out with two bullets missing from the gun he was holding – the film is actually Barney’s version of his life. The make-up crew should be credited as Giamatti does seem to age several years as the story is told.
What is hard to believe is that three semi-gorgeous women fall in love with and marry short, frumpy, baggy-eyed alcoholic Barney during his lifetime. But then again, since this IS Barney’s version, perhaps the wives weren’t really as attractive as the women Barney conjures up to play them in his ‘version’.
Thinking that way helps to buy the premise.
It opens in present day as we discover that Barney has an ex-wife and two grown children. He works at a television studio called ‘Totally Unnecessary Productions’ where they product totally unnecessary products (apparently)
Marc Bolan & T. Rex introduce the first flashback to 1974 where Barney & his drunken cohorts, Boogie, Leo & the black guy are carousing with the ‘1st’ Mrs. P. whom Barney married because he knocked her up. When their stillborn child comes out dark skinned, pow! there goes the black friend. And soon afterward, the 1st Mrs. P.
On to Montreal in 1975 when Barney meets an out of his league Jewish Princess (played by Minnie Driver) who for some unknown reason falls in love with & marries Barney. At their wedding reception, Barney meets his true love, Miriam Grant (Rosamund Pike)
When Barney asks who the guy with Miriam was, the 2nd Mrs. P. tells him he’s her gay cousin who pretends to be straight so he doesn’t embarrass the family.
“Better to live a lie rather than embarrass the family, sure,” Barney mutters.
So newlywed Barney begins to shower Miriam with gifts & flowers because she wrote down the score of the Stanley Cup finals game that Barney was missing due to his wedding.
Watching this tale, I knew I didn’t like Barney, I didn’t like his in-laws; his friends were hard-core alcoholics & I simply couldn’t buy into the concept that Minnie Driver would fall in love with a drunk that looked like Paul Giamatti (Even with the cute French-inspired wig)
Still, I wasn’t disliking the movie – I credit the witty dialogue. These people weren’t likable, but they said some clever snappy lines that kept me interested.
The one redeeming character was Barney’s dad, Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) an ex-cop that pokes fun at the exasperatingly Jewish In-Laws and defends his son against the homicide detective obsessed with charging Barney with murder.
Barney, it turns out, despite being a raging alcoholic that never seems to think he has a 'problem', has an extremely lucky life - for a loser.
I think I liked this movie for it's uniqueness - it reminded me at times of Michael Douglas's 'Solitary Man', except Barney is a schlub who obtains a comfortable living by lucking out.
There were a few questions I had at the end of the film, which I won’t relate here since they’d give away the ending so I’m hoping they’ll be answered in the sequel when he hear ‘Fred’s Version’.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
IF I PICKED THE OSCARS . . .
SICKEL & EGGBERT – IF WE PICKED THE OSCARS...
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES . . .
FAIR GAME
The FIGHTER
GET LOW
The GHOST WRITER
IRON MAN 2
The KING’S SPEECH
NOWHERE BOY
RABBIT HOLE
SECRETARIAT
SHUTTER ISLAND
BEST ACTOR NOMINEES . . .
LEONARDO DICAPRIO (Shutter Island)
MICHAEL DOUGLAS (Solitary Man)
ROBERT DUVALL (Get Low)
AARON ECKHART (Rabbit Hole)
COLIN FIRTH (King’s Speech)
BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES . . .
CATE BLANCHETT (Robin Hood)
ANNE HATHAWAY (Love & Other Drugs)
NICOLE KIDMAN (Rabbit Hole)
DIANE LANE (Secretariat)
NAOMI WATTS (Fair Game)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR . . .
CHRISTIAN BALE (The Fighter)
PIERCE BROSNAN (Ghost Writer)
BILL MURRAY (Get Low)
SAM ROCKWELL (Conviction)
GEOFFREY RUSH (King’s Speech)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS . . .
AMY ADAMS (The Fighter)
HELENA BONHAM CARTER (King’s Speech)
ANNE MARIE DUFF (Nowhere Boy)
MELISSA LEO (The Fighter)
KRISTEN SCOTT THOMAS (Nowhere Boy)
BEST DIRECTOR . . .
TOM HOOPER (King’s Speech)
JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL (Rabbit Hole)
DAVID O. RUSSELL (The Fighter)
MARTIN SCORSESE (Shutter Island)
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD (Nowhere Boy)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
DESPICABLE ME
AND THE WINNER’S ARE . . .
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – ANNE MARIE DUFF
(runner up Melissa Leo)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – CHRISTIAN BALE
(runner up Geoffrey Rush)
BEST ACTRESS – NICOLE KIDMAN
(runner up Naomi Watts)
BEST ACTOR - COLIN FIRTH
(runner up Leonardo DiCaprio)
BEST DIRECTOR – DAVID O. RUSSELL
(runner up the other 4 nominees)
BEST PICTURE - SHUTTER ISLAND
(runner up The King’s Speech)
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES . . .
FAIR GAME
The FIGHTER
GET LOW
The GHOST WRITER
IRON MAN 2
The KING’S SPEECH
NOWHERE BOY
RABBIT HOLE
SECRETARIAT
SHUTTER ISLAND
BEST ACTOR NOMINEES . . .
LEONARDO DICAPRIO (Shutter Island)
MICHAEL DOUGLAS (Solitary Man)
ROBERT DUVALL (Get Low)
AARON ECKHART (Rabbit Hole)
COLIN FIRTH (King’s Speech)
BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES . . .
CATE BLANCHETT (Robin Hood)
ANNE HATHAWAY (Love & Other Drugs)
NICOLE KIDMAN (Rabbit Hole)
DIANE LANE (Secretariat)
NAOMI WATTS (Fair Game)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR . . .
CHRISTIAN BALE (The Fighter)
PIERCE BROSNAN (Ghost Writer)
BILL MURRAY (Get Low)
SAM ROCKWELL (Conviction)
GEOFFREY RUSH (King’s Speech)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS . . .
AMY ADAMS (The Fighter)
HELENA BONHAM CARTER (King’s Speech)
ANNE MARIE DUFF (Nowhere Boy)
MELISSA LEO (The Fighter)
KRISTEN SCOTT THOMAS (Nowhere Boy)
BEST DIRECTOR . . .
TOM HOOPER (King’s Speech)
JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL (Rabbit Hole)
DAVID O. RUSSELL (The Fighter)
MARTIN SCORSESE (Shutter Island)
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD (Nowhere Boy)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
DESPICABLE ME
AND THE WINNER’S ARE . . .
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – ANNE MARIE DUFF
(runner up Melissa Leo)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – CHRISTIAN BALE
(runner up Geoffrey Rush)
BEST ACTRESS – NICOLE KIDMAN
(runner up Naomi Watts)
BEST ACTOR - COLIN FIRTH
(runner up Leonardo DiCaprio)
BEST DIRECTOR – DAVID O. RUSSELL
(runner up the other 4 nominees)
BEST PICTURE - SHUTTER ISLAND
(runner up The King’s Speech)
Monday, February 7, 2011
COMPANY MEN
“COMPANY MEN” (Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello, Kevin Costner & Craig T. Nelson)
Having been a victim of ‘downsizing’ a couple of years ago I thought I would relate very closely with this film... Didn’t happen.
I’ve always gotten a chuckle out of those who make the claim that ‘Hollywood doesn’t connect with the common man’. I’ve always found there to be an abundant supply of moronic films specifically made for the common American male. But this time its true – If Hollywood (in this case writer/director John Wells) thinks that the average American that lost his job in the last few years and is struggling to make ends meet these days can relate to these $100,000+ salaried corporate bigwigs & smug board room jackasses, they (he) are (is) sadly mistaken - At least from the opinion of this struggling American male.
Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) saunters into a conference room bragging about the game of golf he played that morning (Yawn!) so it was hard to feel sorry for this arrogant jerk when he gets the axe. These bozos think they’re so important that the company couldn’t survive without them so they continue living high on the hog despite being in a country where the economy is in a definite meltdown mode.
Tommy Lee Jones plays Gene McClary – best friend of the CEO of GTX (Craig T. Nelson) Gene is indignant when Bobby is let go, but when 60 year old buddy Phil (Chris Cooper) is dismissed, Gene doesn’t seem to care that much... possibly due to the fact that his best friend also fired Gene on the same day.
There’s a scene where Gene’s wife asks if he could get one of the corporate jets to fly her girlfriends to Florida to play golf. After Gene stares at her for a reply, she says, “Fine, we’ll fly commercial.”
With a story like this, isn’t it imperative that the audience feel bad for these people?
Gene seems like a decent guy until we discover that he’s cheating on his wife & when we find out who he’s cheating with, it makes him even more unlikable (& a cringing little prick for staying with the girlfriend) Gene introduces this less-than-half-his-age woman to his grown son. “Boy, dad,” the son says, “she’s young enough to start another family with!” Then in the next sentence bemoans the fact that ‘mom’s having a rough time and is being forced to sell the house.’
Not only are these sleazy jerks hard to take, their offspring are pathetic and heartless as well..
Gene laments how he misses ‘$500 lunches & $3,000 hotel suites’... Yeah, me too... A**hole.
Meanwhile, Bobby is attending job interviews with the swagger of the guy who is actually doing the hiring; “I was making $120,000 at GTX, but I’d be willing to start for $110,000 as long as there are bonus clauses involved.”
The day after Bobby’s $30,000 severance package runs out he sells his Porsche (& we’re supposed to get teary-eyed over this?) His son has to sell his X box – How does someone making $120,000 a year not have enough in the bank to afford a game for his kid? Shortly after this, Bobby & his family move in with his mother & father – I mean, holy crap, how much does a round of golf cost these days?
Phil is the only nice guy in this mess, but he becomes a bitter drunk, thus turning him into a rather depressing character.
The only redeeming character is Kevin Costner as Bobby’s brother-in-law; a carpenter that is hard on the outside but with a soft, marshmallow center.
Being fired is a very humbling experience but it takes Bobby a long time to finally realize that he isn’t the greatest thing since 2-ply toilet paper so that even when he does turn the corner and starts becoming ‘human’, I still didn’t feel happy for him. I was glad that he finally wised up, but still felt that underneath it all was a jerk waiting to pounce yet again...
Having been a victim of ‘downsizing’ a couple of years ago I thought I would relate very closely with this film... Didn’t happen.
I’ve always gotten a chuckle out of those who make the claim that ‘Hollywood doesn’t connect with the common man’. I’ve always found there to be an abundant supply of moronic films specifically made for the common American male. But this time its true – If Hollywood (in this case writer/director John Wells) thinks that the average American that lost his job in the last few years and is struggling to make ends meet these days can relate to these $100,000+ salaried corporate bigwigs & smug board room jackasses, they (he) are (is) sadly mistaken - At least from the opinion of this struggling American male.
Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) saunters into a conference room bragging about the game of golf he played that morning (Yawn!) so it was hard to feel sorry for this arrogant jerk when he gets the axe. These bozos think they’re so important that the company couldn’t survive without them so they continue living high on the hog despite being in a country where the economy is in a definite meltdown mode.
Tommy Lee Jones plays Gene McClary – best friend of the CEO of GTX (Craig T. Nelson) Gene is indignant when Bobby is let go, but when 60 year old buddy Phil (Chris Cooper) is dismissed, Gene doesn’t seem to care that much... possibly due to the fact that his best friend also fired Gene on the same day.
There’s a scene where Gene’s wife asks if he could get one of the corporate jets to fly her girlfriends to Florida to play golf. After Gene stares at her for a reply, she says, “Fine, we’ll fly commercial.”
With a story like this, isn’t it imperative that the audience feel bad for these people?
Gene seems like a decent guy until we discover that he’s cheating on his wife & when we find out who he’s cheating with, it makes him even more unlikable (& a cringing little prick for staying with the girlfriend) Gene introduces this less-than-half-his-age woman to his grown son. “Boy, dad,” the son says, “she’s young enough to start another family with!” Then in the next sentence bemoans the fact that ‘mom’s having a rough time and is being forced to sell the house.’
Not only are these sleazy jerks hard to take, their offspring are pathetic and heartless as well..
Gene laments how he misses ‘$500 lunches & $3,000 hotel suites’... Yeah, me too... A**hole.
Meanwhile, Bobby is attending job interviews with the swagger of the guy who is actually doing the hiring; “I was making $120,000 at GTX, but I’d be willing to start for $110,000 as long as there are bonus clauses involved.”
The day after Bobby’s $30,000 severance package runs out he sells his Porsche (& we’re supposed to get teary-eyed over this?) His son has to sell his X box – How does someone making $120,000 a year not have enough in the bank to afford a game for his kid? Shortly after this, Bobby & his family move in with his mother & father – I mean, holy crap, how much does a round of golf cost these days?
Phil is the only nice guy in this mess, but he becomes a bitter drunk, thus turning him into a rather depressing character.
The only redeeming character is Kevin Costner as Bobby’s brother-in-law; a carpenter that is hard on the outside but with a soft, marshmallow center.
Being fired is a very humbling experience but it takes Bobby a long time to finally realize that he isn’t the greatest thing since 2-ply toilet paper so that even when he does turn the corner and starts becoming ‘human’, I still didn’t feel happy for him. I was glad that he finally wised up, but still felt that underneath it all was a jerk waiting to pounce yet again...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The WAY BACK
“The WAY BACK” (Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell & Saoirse Ronan)
‘The Way Back’ is based on a true story – a story that sounds like it would make a fascinating movie – but the problem is, despite the remarkable feat the characters accomplish, the translation to film is kind of boring.
Based on a book titled, “The Long Walk”, that is precisely what you get here – 40% of the film is simply scenes of guys walking; walking over snowy mountains, walking thru forests, walking across deserts. They walk and they walk and they walk for 4,000 miles.
At the beginning of the film we are told how seven men escaped from a Siberian gulag in 1940 and that three of them made it to India. If we do the math that means four will perish - Except, that’s not what happens. And for me that lessened the achievement of the three that ‘survived’ the entire trek from Siberia to India.
It starts off strong, the film’s central character, Janusz (Jim Sturgess) is given up as a spy to the Nazi’s in Poland by his wife, who was obviously tortured into betraying her spouse.
Janusz is sent to Siberia. As they parade the new prisoners into the gulag they are told that escape is futile since even if they make it past the guards, there is nothing but a barren wilderness for thousands of miles and any villagers they come upon will kill them to collect a bounty on political prisoners.
In the gulag, Janusz befriends an American named Smith (Ed Harris) when asked for his first name, Smith replies, “Mister.” Getting up there in age, Smith does not want to die in prison so he joins Janusz in plotting an escape because of the Polish man’s weakness – kindness.
Also joining the party is a violent Russian thief named Valka (Colin Farrell)
When the first member of the escapees meets his demise, Valka scoffs, “Heh, one less mouth to feed.”
The other members of the group include a man with night blindness from working in the mines - along with a cook, an artist & the last man they called the jokester, though I don’t ever recall him saying anything humorous (Must have been that Polish humor that I don’t get)
You’ll enjoy this film if you like looking at scenery – which doesn't cut it for me. Although the feat is remarkable, it is still just a group of guys walking... and walking... and walking... etc, etc, etc...
Other than the elements of weather, they are never endangered. Even when a group of Huns rides down around them on horseback, the fear that something bad may happen is quickly squelched.
The group is also joined by a Polish girl, Irena (Saoirse Ronan) who tells each man a different story as to how she became lost in the forest.
‘The Way Back’ is basically ‘The Incredible Journey’ without the talking dogs & cat.
The acting is fine, with the exception of Farrell who resorts back to his pre-‘In Bruges’ style of hammy, bug-eyed acting.
I’d say part of the problem is that it’s too long (2:13) but then again, would the viewer really get the full effect of the effort if it were clipped down to 20% scenes of walking and walking and walking?
If someone were to tell me this story – taking 15-20 minutes to tell it all, I know I’d find it fascinating to listen to, but unfortunately saying someone walked 4,000 miles to freedom is much more interesting than actually watching them do it...
‘The Way Back’ is based on a true story – a story that sounds like it would make a fascinating movie – but the problem is, despite the remarkable feat the characters accomplish, the translation to film is kind of boring.
Based on a book titled, “The Long Walk”, that is precisely what you get here – 40% of the film is simply scenes of guys walking; walking over snowy mountains, walking thru forests, walking across deserts. They walk and they walk and they walk for 4,000 miles.
At the beginning of the film we are told how seven men escaped from a Siberian gulag in 1940 and that three of them made it to India. If we do the math that means four will perish - Except, that’s not what happens. And for me that lessened the achievement of the three that ‘survived’ the entire trek from Siberia to India.
It starts off strong, the film’s central character, Janusz (Jim Sturgess) is given up as a spy to the Nazi’s in Poland by his wife, who was obviously tortured into betraying her spouse.
Janusz is sent to Siberia. As they parade the new prisoners into the gulag they are told that escape is futile since even if they make it past the guards, there is nothing but a barren wilderness for thousands of miles and any villagers they come upon will kill them to collect a bounty on political prisoners.
In the gulag, Janusz befriends an American named Smith (Ed Harris) when asked for his first name, Smith replies, “Mister.” Getting up there in age, Smith does not want to die in prison so he joins Janusz in plotting an escape because of the Polish man’s weakness – kindness.
Also joining the party is a violent Russian thief named Valka (Colin Farrell)
When the first member of the escapees meets his demise, Valka scoffs, “Heh, one less mouth to feed.”
The other members of the group include a man with night blindness from working in the mines - along with a cook, an artist & the last man they called the jokester, though I don’t ever recall him saying anything humorous (Must have been that Polish humor that I don’t get)
You’ll enjoy this film if you like looking at scenery – which doesn't cut it for me. Although the feat is remarkable, it is still just a group of guys walking... and walking... and walking... etc, etc, etc...
Other than the elements of weather, they are never endangered. Even when a group of Huns rides down around them on horseback, the fear that something bad may happen is quickly squelched.
The group is also joined by a Polish girl, Irena (Saoirse Ronan) who tells each man a different story as to how she became lost in the forest.
‘The Way Back’ is basically ‘The Incredible Journey’ without the talking dogs & cat.
The acting is fine, with the exception of Farrell who resorts back to his pre-‘In Bruges’ style of hammy, bug-eyed acting.
I’d say part of the problem is that it’s too long (2:13) but then again, would the viewer really get the full effect of the effort if it were clipped down to 20% scenes of walking and walking and walking?
If someone were to tell me this story – taking 15-20 minutes to tell it all, I know I’d find it fascinating to listen to, but unfortunately saying someone walked 4,000 miles to freedom is much more interesting than actually watching them do it...
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