Drive

I'm too late for a review as the movie came out about 2 weeks ago already. But here's the deal:

• Drive is directed with so much gusto and finesse, you will think any other movie that came out this year was crap. Director Nicolas Winding Refn and director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel have made a visually-gripping film.  L.A. never looked more haunting at night, and even a stop-light is a thing of beauty here.  Not to mention the detailed close-ups of the characters' faces (Carey Mulligan's dimples and Ryan Gosling's sneer speak louder than words)  and stop-motion shots that make you believe you're stuck in someone else's dream (or nightmare).
• The acting is top-notch.  There were, and are, many good movies this year, but this is by far the best movie I saw in 2011.  Ryan Gosling as Driver (the driver), a stuntman by day, heist-enabler by night, is a ticking bomb.  Even with a straight face, the character's emotions come clear in his nervous gaze, the impatient rubbing of  his leather gloves, and that damn hot toothpick on the edge of his lips.  Carey Mulligan is a gem, and Albert Brooks is outstanding as Bernie Rose, a once-upon-a-time movie producer, turned local mobster.  Christina Hendricks makes a short, but incendiary appearance that will literally blow your head off.  The actors don't need to talk much, the dialogue is minimal, but biting. It feels like a Clint Eastwood movie, where faces speak louder than lips, and when lips do speak, the dialogue is chilling (Driver: "You shut your mouth or I'll kick your teeth down your throat and shut it for you").   Hossein Amini wrote the screenplay, based on the book by James Sallis. 
• The entire movie has an incredible 80's touch to it.  The music is electrifying, just like the movie itself.  Sound is a substantial part of Drive, and it's important to the story, just as much as the acting and directing.  Sharp sounds of cars swooping by buildings and  pulsating electrical beats are engineered in a way that makes a movie about speed all the more slow and tense.  
• See it. 

One day is all it takes

On July 15th, 1988, Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew celebrate their graduation.  They've never really engaged in much talk before, although Emma has a crush on him.  Influenced by the buzz, they go off to her tiny flat, where, well not much happens. And so begins the story of Dex and Em, close personal friends. She's a nerdy feminist whose idea of romantic music would be Tracy Chapman's Revolution.  He's a charismatic girl-magnet who wants to leave her room as soon as the sun comes out.  She wears dresses with combat boots.  He wears Armani suits.  She's a cynic. He's a prick. And they're friends. Underline friends.


Directed by Lone Scherfig, whose 2009 cautionary tale An Education got an Oscar nod and put Carey Mulligan on the map of serious actresses, One Day is based on the bestseller by David Nicholls, who also wrote the script.  Starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, the film is a love story unlike most we've seen in recent years, yet familiar.  While it begins as a comedy mixed with drama, it eventually unfolds into a drama mixed with comedy.

The premise is that we meet Dex and Em the same day every year, July 15th - the day they met. This is a challenge, because while a novel leaves more room for character development with such plot, a movie has to move faster, and still remain smooth.  Hathaway and Sturgess have fizzling chemistry and both excel in portraying their characters with empathy.  From the very beginning, you feel like you know these people and you can relate to them and what's happening between them. Emma really likes Dex. Like, really. But he's too busy chasing skirts and having unprotected sex in bathroom stalls. You won't be able to take your eyes off Hathaway's face when in a would-be-crucial moment of their relationship Dex admits, "Well I fancy pretty much everyone. It's like I just got out of jail all the time." It pinches a nerve. Hathaway has been growing more and more as a dramatic actress, and although this role may seem comic from the trailer, it is more than that.  She plays a character similar to her role in Love and Other Drugs, but with more zest and sensibility. And Sturgess, who's been grossly under-appreciated, is reminiscent of a young Michael Caine.  Cool and collected on the outside, but you know there's something bubbling inside.  This is what makes a performance real and memorable.  Sturgess joins other young actors such as Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who handpick their roles and excel absolutely every time.

The movie has an offbeat and true to the book script (it helps that the movie was written by the same guy, of course). It's packed with smart dialogue. In terms of supporting cast, most endearing is Rafe Spall as Ian Whitehead, Emma's totally unfunny comedian boyfriend.  Patricia Clarkson who plays Dexter's mom, also co-stars and is as charming as always.

One Day is not the new When Harry Met Sally. And don't go to see it if that's what you want to get.  It joins a category of bittersweet love dramedies (my personal favorite) like (500) Days of Summer and the upcoming Sundance Festival gem Like Crazy.  While it definitely poses the unanswered dilemma whether men and women can really ever be just close friends, it doesn't laugh at it.  It shows a more fragile side to the relationship between a man and a woman, and the best part is that it doesn't answer the question.  Close personal friendships have the word "personal" in them after all.

Midnight in Paris: My Review

For those of you who know me well, it won't be a surprise if I said I loved Woody Allen's latest Midnight in Paris. I like even the movies most panned by his critics, so perhaps my judgement is flawed.  It's my devotion as a fan, I guess.

But when true inspiration and originality strike him, Woody never wastes the opportunity. And Midnight in Paris is such a gem, it will keep you thinking about it for days.  It's a true Woody Allen: it focuses on the importance of art, our mortality and our disability to find satisfaction in our lives, in the time that we live in.  But at the same time it feels fresh and unlike any of the dramedies we've seen lately.  It lacks the R rated humor of Bridesmaids, or the heaviosity of, say, Hesher, and it falls in this film genre that can only most fittingly be called 'Allen.'

The movie tells the story of Hollywood script-writer Gill Pender (a sentimental, perfect Owen Wilson) who loves Paris most when it rains, and is married to a high-strung, dull, shopaholic daddy's girl, who just wants to get out of Paris and move into their future beach-house in Malibu (Rachel McAdams is excellent as an arrogant diva). Gill, however, is starting to get the idea that he should move to Paris, so that he can re-work his career and finish his novel: about a guy who works at a nostalgia shop, selling memorabilia from times long gone, but not forgotten.  The character in Gill's novel is much like himself; he wishes he could live in Paris when the greatest writers and artists were inhabiting it - the early 1920s.  And one night, as Gill gets lost on his way back to the hotel and the clock strikes midnight, he is picked up in a horse-carriage and driven to a restaurant where he meets the Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, and Cole Porter.

Without giving any more of the plot away, Midnight in Paris is a tale of nostalgia, emphasizing that idea some of us have that we should have been born at another time, when we would have been happier.  For some it's the '60s, for others it's the 1920's, and for some it may be the Belle Époque.  Like Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and all Woody Allen movies, it has an incredible supporting cast including Michael Sheen, Carla Bruni, Alison Pill, Corey Stoll, Tom Hiddleston, Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody, and an appearance by French comedian Gad Elmaleh.  Some of these people you know very well, and others you've never heard of, but each and every single one of them portrays a character that is heart-warming and well-developed, and you will want to see more of these actors in the future (some of whom have done mostly TV shows before appearing in Midnight in Paris). 


Midnight in Paris is great not also because it is fresh, charming, and has an incredible cast, but because its only rivals are Woody Allen movies. It's reminiscent of The Purple Rose of Cairo (1984) and Radio Days (1987). The first deals with this idea that there is an alternate reality in which we could be living in, if only we were able to tap into it. And the second is about a character who is sentimentally remembering his childhood and creates stories and scenarios about various charming radio celebrities.

In short, go see Midnight in Paris. I'm certain it's already crossed your dreams.

Summer Movies Preview

It's been months since my last post, so please forgive me for my uninspired-ness. But now I'm back and ready to count down the top 5 most anticipated summer movies for 2011! For the most part it looks like any other summer: explosions, 3D-induced headaches, super heroes...But there are some real gems expected to bliss this summer, some potentially great comedies, and some real good dramas.  Excited? Yes, I am!

#5. The Hangover Part II (May 26)

A lot of really great movies have been followed by sequels and failed miserably (The Hannibal franchise? the Disney sequels in which the princesses start having babies? what the what? and many other better examples) Hopefully The Hangover Part II won't be the case. It looks like it's gonna be packed with the same kind of ridiculous situations the wolfpack went through in the first movie, except this time the debauchery takes place in Thailand. Go safe, or go broke, director Todd Phillips (probably) said. In any case, it looks like it's gonna be a blast.

#4. X-Men First Class (June 3) 

OK, this one looks crazyyyy good! And it has a cast that can do no wrong: James McAvoy? January Jones? Michael Fassbender? Kevin Bacon? Hollywood may just be starting to get the hang of the super hero genre, and making it as much about human drama as it is about mind-blowing special effects. 

#3. Bridesmaids (May 13)

I've posted this before, but this is probably the chick-flick/smart film about women genre's chance to redeem itself from the sloppy, boring mess that was Eat, Pray, Love last year. Women need a good laugh. And who said women can't be funny?! In fact, today's best comedians are for the most part women: Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig (who wrote Bridesmaids), Maya Rudolph.... Fueled with Judd Apatow as producer, this is one little dynamite package bound to become a new comedy classic. 

#2. Hesher (May 6)

The Oscar kind of movie in the midst of the Summer movie season. Ouch. It's sunny out and people want some mindless fun.  But for those cinephiles out there who breathe and drink and eat movies (*cough*), this one is an absolute must. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman have been getting rave reviews for their performances and it will not be a huge surprise to see this indie movie turn up at the Academy Awards next February, for Gordon-Levitt alone if not for anything else.  

#1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (July 15)

I love the Harry Potter movies and the last one looks like it's gonna be the best of the entire franchise. The kids have grown and are all going to become very fine actors. With their last effort for the Harry Potter movies, they're bringing a whole new arsenal of human drama.  There is more character development, more real-ness to it than the first couple of movies, which were lighter.  Dark times. 

+ 2 movies I personally look forward to:

Midnight in Paris (USA - May 20, Canada - who knows?)

Woody Allen takes us to Paris this time and it looks like it's going to be almost as charming as Vicky Cristina Barcelona was in 2008.  With a killer casting, as usual, Allen once again brings in a city as the most evocative character of all.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (July 29)

I always watch anything with Steve Carell. Yes, I saw Dinner for Schmucks, and yes it was horrible, buttt Steve is better than that.  He's back with another heartfelt comedy in the spirit of Dan in Real Life, and this time he's backed up by the wonderful Ryan Gosling, who's taking on a completely different role than his usual repertoire here.  With Julianne Moore and Emma Stone in the mix, this looks like a perfect light summer fix.

His Majesty, Colin Firth

This year's Oscars had their ups and downs, and many would agree hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco were to blame (or the bad script they were forced to enact). However, this year's movies were all, without exception, nothing short from amazing.  One of the highlights of the night was Colin Firth's win for Best Actor in the Leading Actor category for The King's Speech. 

Little Gold Men (with Tight Butts).

This year had some of the best movies to come out in a while, and I would say 2010 has much stronger films to be proud of than 2009.  All 10 contestants in the Best Picture nomination deserve the Oscar, and honestly, I would be happy for any winner.  But of course I've made my picks in the most anticipated categories, et voilà:

Best Picture:  The Social Network 
The Social Network is not just a movie about Facebook, it's a movie about narcissism, lost friendships, ambition, and a certain amount of genius.  It's the story of a generation, and that's what makes it stand out among  the other candidates: it encapsulates more than a package of great dialogue, an all-excellent cast, and brilliant directing of David Fincher, whom critics praised for making typing on a keyboard look like a bank robbery.

the misfits.

Actor: Colin Firth
That's another tough category, and for me, it's really between Firth and Bardem (even though I have yet to see Biutiful). Firth played more than a stuttering king, he was also a husband, a father, and a friend.  It was one of the year's most difficult performances to pull off, and Firth deserves the little gold man even more than he did last year for A Single Man. 
And by the way, WHY isn't Ryan Gosling nominated? His performance in Blue Valentine was one of the best male performances I saw all year.


Actress: Natalie Portman 
That was, without a doubt, one of the gutsiest performances all year.  No actress has worked harder than Portman  to earn this award, and it's about time to give her the Oscar.  As the jealous and ambitious ballerina Nina, Portman realized the year's most difficult performance to pull off by a woman.  For me, the Oscars have always been about what goes into a performance, all the work, the total disappearance of the actor, and the emergence of a great character (history is full of them, take Bridges' heartbreaking performance in Crazy Heart last year, Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump and many, many others). Portman did just that.
However, Annette Bening's turn in The Kids Are All Right was just as flawless, just as self-effacing. And so was Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine. Tough, tough to choose.

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
There is no doubt about this.  What a performance.  And it's not the best of his career, because Bale is just so damn good every single time, and he's played the deranged, messed up character so many times before (American Psycho, The Machinist, even Batman) but this is the one that will earn him the Oscar. 100%

                                                  


Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo OR Amy Adams 
As soon as I walked out of The Fighter, I wanted to find out who played that crazy bitch of a mother (excuse my French). Melissa Leo is absolutely unrecognizable and her character is the unbearable Freudian mother that wants to protect her boys but ultimately just stands in their way (like any mom). Howeverrr, Amy Adams was a ball of fire! Her performance was fierce, yet subdued.  It was just another role that Adams nailed perfectly (how many actresses can go from playing an obeying, shy nun in Doubt, to a cat-like barmaid whose short shorts leave little to the imagination?)  and even if she doesn't win this year, I am certain she will soon.

Director: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
I'm almost certain Fincher's The Social Network will collect the writing, score, and best picture awards.  And since Christopher Nolan was snubbed in the director nomination (boooooo) then Aronofsky is defintely my pick. Black Swan was beautiful, terrifying, had an amazing cast, and gave me nightmares. Aronofsky is one of the up-and-coming generation of cinema auteurs, and Black Swan was a crowning achievement for such a young director.  'nough said.

Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
My 10 year-old sister loves it, I love it, my mom loves it.  All Toy Story movies are heartfelt pictures of childhood.  Pixar should put a copyright on nostalgia. (also, one of Tom Hanks' best roles.)

Foreign Language Film: Incendies (Quebec, Canada)

This is a tough one, because Incendies is the only foreign movie from the category that I actually saw.  A scary, absolutely depressing story about mother whose will asks her children to track down their brother and their father in the Middle East.  Leaves your jaw hanging by the end of the movie.

Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan for Inception

You mean Inception wasn't based on some crazy science-fiction novel about dreams? Or Freud? Please, Academy, if you won't acknowledge Nolan for best director (which he is) then you have to give him credit for the original screenplay.

Adapted Screenplay:  Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

For sure. That was the movie with the snappiest, smartest dialogue all year. Must win.

Cinematography: The Social Network 

Original Score: The Social Network 

Visual Effects: Inception 

Art Direction: Inception