Shame

Summary:  Brandon is a man in his mid-thirties, living in New York with a pretty good job.  You'd think he had everything going for him, but he's wrestling with sex addiction.  His sister comes for a visit which makes his life much more difficult.  She is a singer who routinely visits when her life starts getting difficult, usually caused by a boyfriend. 

OaTs:  I saw this at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Before the screening, director Steve McQueen asked the audience just to "look at the film."  I found it a simple request, and one I was more than happy to oblige.  It was exquisitely filmed and acted.  There wasn't a terrible amount of dialogue.  This is because Michael Fassbender, who played Brandon, could tell you just about everything with his face.

For instance, there is a scene, my favorite in the film, where is sister, played by Carey Mulligan, is singing the old standard, "New York, New York" at a club in New York.  She begs Brandon to come hear her and he finally relents.  She sings it simply, quietly, and beautifully, unlike any other rendition of the song I have heard.  And the look on Brandon's face is something else.  I found it hard to tell what exactly he was thinking, but I knew what he was feeling.  I was equally moved by the performance.  Brandon had tears running down his face.  It was a beautiful piece of acting.

The sex addiction part is so interesting.  Steve McQueen is a British director, and when asked why it isn't set in Britain, he responded that he couldn't find anyone over there to talk about sex addiction.  He could find people in New York to talk about it, so he set it there.  It's a subject that I am unfamiliar with, because it is so hidden from the public.  It's funny to me that there were people in American more comfortable talking about it an less in the UK.  I've always found, in film anyway, that Europeans are more comfortable with sex than Americans.  I guess maybe it's the "addiction" part that screws them up.  I don't know.

It's not a film for the faint of heart.  There is a lot of nudity and a lot of sex going on.  I think I would have been more uneasy with it had it been gratuitous.  It wasn't.  It was necessary to tell the story.  You can't tell a story about sex addiction without showing sex.  It is rated NC-17 for a reason.  

I'm not sure that it's a film I'd want to see again, just because it is so emotionally draining, but I am glad I saw it.  I think it's easy for people ignorant on the subject to call people "weak" when they are addicted to something.  I can honestly say that I may have been one of those people years ago.  I finally opened my eyes to all of the different people of the world and have come to an understanding that there are things I can't attempt to understand for myself.  I refuse to judge others, as it is not my place.  And this is one of those films I will be able to recall as one that helped me to understand something a little better than I had before.

As Walt Disney said, "I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained."  To say that I was "entertained" by this film may be a bit of a stretch, but the film came across as more of a work of art than a lesson for the audience.  Every now and then, a film can come out that is more than a film.  I believe this is one of them, as it surely changed the way I see things.  And it do so without shoving a lecture down my throat, which I very much appreciate. 

Score:  8/10

Hugo

Summary:  In Paris at the early part of the 20th century, a young boy named Hugo, was taught to repair clocks by his father, who also repaired clocks.  One day, his father brings home a broken automaton he found in a museum.  He wants Hugo to help him fix it.  The father is killed in a fire before it can be fixed.  Hugo is taken in by his drunken uncle who works on the clocks at the train station.  After his uncle disappears, Hugo continues working on the clocks and trying to fix the automaton.  He steals parts of toys for his automaton from a shop at the train station and is caught by the owner of the shop.  The owner takes everything in Hugo's pockets, including the notebook of his father's with instructions on how to fix the automaton.

Hugo then makes friend with the shop owner's goddaughter, Isabel.  She tries to help Hugo get his notebook back after he tells her why he wants it so badly.  The thing is, even though Hugo fixes the automaton, there is still a missing key in the shape of a heart that he needs.  It happens to be hanging around Isabel's neck.  Once it is all put together, the automaton draws a picture of the famous George Melies silent film, A Trip to the Moon, which happens to be the first film Hugo's father ever saw.

From here on, the story takes a turn into exploring who the toy shop owner is and why this notebook meant so much to him.  I refuse to reveal any of the secrets to those who haven't seen the film, which is a shame because these very reasons are why I love this film so dearly.

OaTs:  Martin Scorsese isn't known for making family films, but he is known for his love of film.  This is probably the reason that I like him so much.  I can tell that he has a deep love and affection for film history.  Scorsese is also known for his work in film restoration and making sure that we don't lose the treasures of the past.  This comes through in Hugo, more than any other film he has made.  Films about film make me incredible happy when done right.  So between this movie and The Artist, I am loving the movies right now.

After seeing the trailer for this film, I wasn't interested in seeing it at all.  It was in 3D, which I had successfully avoided for the past two years, and it seemed to be a children's movie that I wouldn't really like all that much.  Then, after reading glowing reviews by Peter Travers and a critic at Movieline.com, I decided that it was a film I should try.  To claim that it's the greatest use of 3D to date, and that Scorsese makes it plain how much he loves film, I thought that I would be a shame to miss it.  Little did I know just how much this movie would mean to me.

I love film history.  I have a deep affection for old black and white movies of yesteryear.  So for Scorsese to explore the origins of film in France, and effectively tell the audience that the loss of these films is a devastating loss, was a pure pleasure for me to watch.  Not many people I know are aware of who George Melies is and just why he is so important.  They also wouldn't know that the poster to this film, on display above, is a homage to Harold Lloyd, a great silent film comedian.  This is yet another film that I feel was made for me.  I love it when a filmmaker can do that:  make me feel like this movie was made especially for me. 

Score:  9/10

The Artist

Summary:  George Valentin is a silent film star.  He is admired by all, and adored by upcoming starlet Peppy Miller.  She bumps into him while he is posing for publicity pictures on the sidewalk.  After her pictures run in the paper, she starts getting small parts in films as a dancer or back ground actor.  Her parts steadily grow once films add sound.  She becomes America's new sweetheart.  

George's career, however, takes a dive once talkies become popular.  He stubbornly decides to fund his own silent film, which tanks at the box office.  He is forced to auction his belongings and fire his driver/assistant.  The only companion that stays by his side is his pet dog.  His wife leaves him and he has to move out of his mansion.

Peppy is still drawn to George, long after years have passed since their first meeting.  She tries to help him get back into film and he rejects her help.  Coming to a breaking point, he finally accepts the changes in film a joins Peppy for a show stopping dance number.

OaTs:  I have wanted to see this film ever since I learned of its existence.  I love films about the film industry.  I love French films.  I love black and white films.  This seemed to have all of this going for it.  It was screening at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), but only before I was schedule to arrive in Toronto to volunteer.  I didn't get the chance to see it there, and was rather bummed because I thought the chance of it coming anywhere near the Shenandoah Valley was slim to none.  Guess I was wrong.  I'd like to send out a big "Thank You!" to the Virginia Film Festival.

My sister, Lisa, joined me for the screening at The Paramount Theater in Charlottesville.  It was the perfect venue for a silent, black and white film.  It was an old theater with upholstered seats and intricate detailing on the walls and ceiling.  And there was a balcony.  It's was old-timey.  It was perfect.  Even the presenter of the film said, "Somewhere, Samuel Goldwyn is smiling at people watching a silent movie in a theater like this."  Like I said, perfect.

When I have told people about the film, they seemed surprised that I, or anyone, would have enjoyed a silent film.  They obviously don't know me all that well.  I respect and admire film history more than I can express.  To be able to step into a time machine and go back to the cinemas of the 1920s and 1930s was an irreplaceable experience.  This experience almost means more to me than the film itself.

Anyway, I absolutely loved it. The acting was incredible.  You get to know these characters and sympathize with them even though they aren't speaking.  Their face tells the story.  You understand their feelings just by their body movement and facial expressions.  Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo played the leads to great results.  Their chemistry was incredible.

After watching the film trailer more times than any person should, I came to the conclusion that the film would be more dark than light.  I was wrong.  There was lots of humor and plenty of comedic moments for the leads and their wonderful supporting cast.  I was worried it would be too much like A Star is Born or Singin' in the Rain.  But it actually combined the best parts of both stories/films to great effect.  The drama hit a bit harder once you had been laughing.

I'm really hoping this does well come Oscar night. 

Score:  10/10

Some Sundance

In January 2011, I volunteered at the Sundance Film Festival for the second time.  As a full time volunteer, you get unlimited access to films on a space available basis, using special volunteer tickets they set aside for the 1600 of us donating our time to the festival.  Since it was my second year, I knew the ropes and got to see more films than I did the first year.  And I saw some pretty good ones.  Here are my thoughts on several that are making headlines and generating Oscar buzz, no matter how much of a dark horse they may be.

Like Crazy:  This is the story of a young couple, an American boy and a British girl, who are torn apart when her visa expires.  The rest of the film follows their struggle to get her allowed back in the US.  They break up and get back together and drift apart and reunite and do it all over again by the end of the film.  It's heartbreaking and also heartwarming.  Don't ask me how this movie does it, but it really does.  Felicity Jones plays the girl so wonderfully and simply.  I'm a big fan of subtle performances like this.  And Anton Yelchin is equally great as her boyfriend.  Each time they part, your heart breaks with them.  I highly recommend this one to romantics and cynics alike.  (8/10)

Margin Call:  One of my absolute favorites of the festival.  I'll be perfectly honest in saying that I didn't understand all of it.  It follows a Wall Street company on the verge of the 2008 stock market collapse.  There are many different individuals all approaching this crisis in a different manner.  The cast is exceptional.  The dialogue is great.  The tension is thick.  And it's soooo relevant.  Kevin Spacey leads with his great performance and he is thoroughly supported by Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, and Penn Badgely.  I can't wait to see it again so I can catch more things and possibly understand it more.  Though, I'm not counting on it.  (9/10)

Martha Marcy May Marlene:  I really wanted to see this film for one reason:  John Hawkes.  I saw him at Sundance the year before in Winter's Bone and completely fell for him.  Such an astounding actor. He plays a cult leader that takes in the main character for a couple of years before she runs away.  This girl, Martha, calls her older sister to pick her up.  Martha then goes to stay with her and her husband.  The cult haunts her and causes her to break social norms.  It's a chilling tale, one that stays with you long after watching it.  Martha is played by Elizabeth Olsen, another young actress to watch in the future.  She could become something really great.  (8/10)

Tyrannosaur:  An independent film from the UK about a very violent tempered man.  When his path crosses with a Christian woman with secrets of her own, he starts attempting to curb his violent tendencies.  These characters were played by Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman.  Their chemistry was incredible.  I hadn't seen either actor before.  It's a rather intense film, but one I would consider watching again because of the beautiful acting performances.  I'd love it if this became a contender come time for nominations, but I am not holding my breath.  (7/10) 

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Here are a couple more films I saw that I loved, but have passed quietly over the past few months.  They all got mixed to positive reviews.  But one of them was my favorite of the festival. 

Another Earth: A girl whose life has collapsed seeks solace in the man she hurt the most while the world is consumed with the discovery of another plant. One exactly like Earth, even the people. Fascinating story. Wonderful acting. Captivating and original. Brit Marling (co-writer and star) is going places. Remember her name. (8/10)

The Devil's Double: The true story of Uday Hussein's body double, Latif, and how he got out of it. Incredible acting performance by Dominic Cooper as both Uday and Latif. A bit gruesome in parts for me, but the story was well worth the squeamish moments. The hero was one of the more moral and good characters I've ever encountered. (7/10)

Higher Ground: A woman's journey of faith through out her lifetime. She joins a Christian fundamentalist group with her husband and children and struggles with the demands of the community. It's about so much more than just faith, and it's a role most actresses in Hollywood would kill for: a strong woman who thinks for herself and makes herself a priority. Congrats to Vera Farmiga for being both a wonderful actress and director on this film. (8/10)

The Music Never Stopped: Based on a true story, a long lost son returns with a brain tumor, ridding him of his memories. The only way his parents can make a connection with him is through his music. His father struggles with this because he believes this music made his son run away. A new all time favorite movie of mine. Poignant, funny, and everything I could hope for in a movie. JK Simmons was perfection as the father, Henry Sawyer, who loves his son so much he learns to love music that he used to hate in order to reconnect.  I'd probably pick JK Simmons as MY Oscar winner for Best Actor.  At least as of today. (10/10) 

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There was one other film that I really loved at Sundance that I haven't heard much about since.  I don't believe it has been released.  I hope it does eventually, because it was a really beautiful film.

Perfect Sense:  Two lonely people finally find love in each other but then the world around them starts to come crashing down. People all around start losing their senses, starting with smell, and no one knows why. Interesting and original story for me. I found myself very invested in these characters, played by Ewan McGregor and Eva Green.  It makes you think about what you might do in that situation.  And it could scare the hell out of you.  (8/10)

50/50

Summary:  Adam is a 27 year old guy working for an NPR-like organization when he finds out that his back pain is a result of a tumor on his spine.  It's a large tumor, growing around many of his vertebrae.  He undergoes chemotherapy, meeting some great characters in treatment.  His best friend, Kyle, is also a big presence, trying to be supportive in a roundabout way.  Adam's girlfriend is the classic passive-aggressive girlfriend who makes the situation all about herself.  And Adam's mother is the hovering, worrying mother who Adam hardly ever calls back.  He also starts seeing a therapist, Katherine, who is 24 years old and still working on her doctorate.  He is her third patient. 

OaTs:  Based on the life of screenwriter Will Reiser, I'd have to say that, not having ever had cancer myself, it was a very realistic portrayal of how a young man would cope with the diagnosis.  At first, he seems to be handling it well, but as a chemo friend dies, and he gets further information from the doctor about his condition, he breaks down a little at a time.  And Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Adam, is absolute superb in this role.  I wish it was a more realistic expectation for him to be nominated for an Academy Award come next year.

I really think Seth Rogan was cast well as the best friend.  He had a great mix of humor and support going on.  Sometimes you can't tell if he really is trying to help or if he is trying to use this to get girls.  There's a great moment before Adam goes in for surgery that helps flush out Rogan's character and I really liked what I saw.  I think it's natural for a best friend to want to take your mind off of everything, and for that to both help and hurt the one diagnosed.  It was a really great dynamic.

I also really liked Angelica Huston as Adam's mother.  While taking care of Adam's father who has Alzheimer's, she doesn't have many people to talk to.  You can understand her need to talk to her son so often, but Adam is also completely justified in wanting to ignore her.  They come to an understanding and it's a great moment to see.

Anna Kendrick played Katherine, the therapist.  You can tell that she is trying really hard, but she's not all that great at her job yet.  She is still trying to find the best ways to relate and support her patients, but it doesn't come across as helpful in the beginning.  She would have made a great girlfriend of a cancer patient, which Adam also sees, but as a therapist, I don't think she was quite ready for what she got herself into.

Adam's girlfriend, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, was absolutely horrible.  Not in a villainous kind of way, but in a "let's make this all about me" kind of way.  She wouldn't even go into the hospital to wait for him, insisting on waiting in the car because she doesn't like hospitals.  Adam's chemo buddies get this, but don't push the issue with Adam.

His buddies, by the way, were one of my favorite parts of the film.  The ate pot-macaroons and shared frustrations.  When one passes away, it's a real eye opening moment for Adam, where I think he finally realized that there a chance he may not beat this.  There are a couple more moments in the film where you can really feel Adam's frustration and fear.  I don't want to spoil the moments for you, but up until that moment, I was questioning whether or not this movie would tug at my heartstrings.  And it did.  It really did.  No tears, but some serious choking up. 

Score:  8/10

Moneyball

Summary:  Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, tries to rebuild his team like no other GM has done before.  With a limited budget, he employs someone to help him look at stats and base players on their On Base Percentage (OBP) instead of all the intangibles scouts use.  Three of the A's biggest players leave during the off season, so Beane tries to replace them with lower-paid, less-flashy players.  The manager of the team, Art Howe, doesn't appreciate Beane's methods and resists.  After losing too many games, Beane moves some players around so Howe is forced to play the team the way Bean meant it to be played.  They start winning.

OaTs:  Directed by Bennett Miller, Moneyball based on a true story.  This is where I find most of my problems come in.  His theory of only looking at stats doesn't really work.  They have used it to some extent in the MLB since Beane brought it to everyone's attention, but those intangibles really are key to building a quality team.  And since it only made a slight difference in the A's status, it's hard for me to see how it was such an important story to tell.  This may be a little harsh, but I follow baseball too much in real life to let all of that go when I watch a movie.

But if I'm looking at it as just a movie, a fictional story with no attachments to real life, it wasn't half bad.  I will complain a little about the lack of time spent on the field.  There was really only one game they showed in any detail.  It was an important game, so I'm glad they did.  I just wish they'd have done it more.  I love baseball movies.  There aren't enough made anymore.  I'm glad for what I can get, but I was a little let down with the lack of pure baseball action going on.

Brad Pitt, as Billy Beane, was pretty good.  I loved him a couple of years ago in Babel, where we played an average husband and father.  I remember thinking that I'd like for him to play more roles like that - an average guy in different circumstances.  He found a role like that here and he did a really good job.  I bought into how much Beane cared about making the team successful.  I could tell he had a real appreciation for the game, which I love to see.  

I will say that my favorite scenes of his, though, were the ones with his on-screen daughter.  Billy is divorced from the mother and they share custody of their 12 year old girl.  He takes her shopping for a guitar, and when she finds one she likes, she sits down and play a few bars, humming along with the melody.  He asks her to sing and she does.  The look on his face when he's watching her is absolutely wonderful.  You can tell that he is completely in awe of her and her talent.  Loved that moment.  But it did hit me after seeing the movie that it was kind of a random scene.  I'm not sure what the point was of having it in there.  Maybe that storyline should have been its own separate story.

Jonah Hill played Pete Brand, the guy who comes up with the theory Beane puts into practice.  Brand becomes Beane's right hand man.  Their dynamic was really special.  There was a lot of sharp and witty dialogue that kept the movie from becoming boring and monotonous.  I could tell that some of the words came from none other than Aaron Sorkin, a favorite writer of mine.  No one can write dialogue like him.

So that's about it.  It's not going to be a favorite movie of mine, but I did enjoy it.  Partially because I was at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, VA.  It's a theater where you can order a meal while you watch a movie.  I met family there because it's almost halfway between us.  We had a great evening.  That's probably what I'll associate with this film the most, a great evening of family, food, and film.

Score:  7/10

The Ides of March

Summary:  A political thriller centered on the press secretary for the democratic presidential nominee.  Stephen Meyers, the secretary, starts sleeping with an intern on the campaign and finds out that the candidate, Mike Morris, had slept with her before.  She got pregnant by the candidate and needs to take care of it.  Meanwhile, the opposing campaign manager tries to recruit Stephen for their team.  Stephen is supposedly one of the greatest young political minds out there.  The whole situation implodes and Stephen has to decide what he's going to do:  continue working for a candidate you once believe to be different than the rest, or admit that he's just another corrupt politician and work against him?

OaTs:  The press secretary is played by Ryan Gosling and the candidate is played by George Clooney, who also directed.  Philip Seymour Hoffman was the campaign manager and Marissa Tomei was his wife, a reporter for a big newspaper, reporting on the presidential race.  Evan Rachel Wood played the intern on the campaign.  Paul Giamatti was the campaign manager for the opposition.  Given this cast, I figured I was in for a great ensemble piece that I'd be rooting for come Oscar Night.  I was wrong.

The story was much more focused on one person than I thought it would be, which is quite a shame given the ensemble.  There was hardly a scene Gosling wasn't in.  He's played to be an upright and genuine guy at first, and then you start to wonder about him.  The constant reminders of how good of a guy he's supposed to be started to ring false after a while.  I found him to be rather annoying and cocky after I got to know him.  

I was much more interested in Philip Seymour Hoffman's character, Paul, who is Stephen's boss and Morris' right-hand man.  I adore Hoffman and every word he utters sounds like music to my ears.  I love his voice, but that’s not nearly as important as the fact that the audience can totally understand his conviction.  He seemed to be a decent guy, but didn't profess to be.  And actions speak louder than words, especially in film.  I could have watched a film about his character all day.

There's really not much to say without giving away the ending of the movie, but I feel justified in my belief that the movie could have been more engaging and much less predictable. But the biggest reason for my disappointment is that I absolutely loved Good Night, and Good Luck, Clooney's Oscar nominated directorial effort from 2005.  It's one of my favorites of the past decade.  I had high hopes, and they were quite dashed by the end of the film.

I found myself predicting the very last shot.  When the last scene began, it all started to seem very familiar.  The way the camera moved.  The character's actions.  The noise and dialogue in the background.  I could feel what was coming next.  Then it happened.  Exactly what I saw in my mind a minute or two earlier.  And I was disappointed.  I wanted something new.  Something that I hadn't seen before.

The thing is, I actually don't like it when I figure things out.  In that brief moment, after I predict the ending and before it's revealed that I'm right, I think to myself, "Prove me wrong. Surprise me."  And I wish that with all my heart.  When I walk into the theater, I ache to see something different.  I sit down in my seat, preferably in the middle of the row, directly in front of the screen, and beg the screen, "Wow me."  It doesn't happen as often anymore.  I was hoping this film would, but it didn’t.

Maybe The West Wing set the bar a little high for political shows and films.  Maybe I shouldn't have listened to the hype and reviews coming out of Toronto.  I don't know.  I can't call it a bad film, it was just a predictable one.  And those are my least favorite.  I can like a bad film.  I've liked many in the past.  But it's hard for me to like a predictable one.

Score:  6/10