Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Oscars '09 There was a slew of great pictures this year. Here’s my verbose rundown: Gran Torino – How do you adjust to a changing world? I was reading Roger Ebert talking about Eastwood and how relatively few people can actually get better at their jobs as they get older. I would agree that that pertains to Eastwood. This movie reflects his age and, presumably, some of his thoughts on life as he ages, so well so that the sheer honesty of it really keeps you fixated. Race relations have always been an interest of mine and this movie is almost a study in that topic. No longer is racism so overt, but when it is, it’s almost shocking. And it shouldn’t be hidden--if it’s there, it should be displayed for what it is, so that it can be addressed correctly. That’s what I really liked about this flick. The counterparts to Eastwood are on an equal footing with him. They respond to his attitude with the same asshole-ishness that he gives out. I have a feeling that those people, who say there’s too much PC in the world today, probably wouldn’t be saying that if those same un-PC comments were thrown back at them. This is a great commentary on how our society has evolved and is continually evolving, and I hope Eastwood picks up best director or Schenk picks up best screenplay. Benjamin Button – Should there be a certain progression in our lives? I liked this movie. I like movies that play with the concept of time and our relationship with time. It reminds me of that saying, “The older I get, the less I know.” The world either gets so much more complicated or you just think about things more to the point of utter confusion. It kind of begs the question as to whether we should be living life a certain way, is there an order for us to do or accomplish certain things. I thought the acting was good. I think Taraji Henson has a shot at winning supporting actress and I think this one or the next flick might pick up best editing. Slumdog Millionaire – Can you still have faith in your own abilities when everything is against you? They say that this is Hollywood mixed with Bollywood, but I see this as a quintessentially Hollywood movie by the way it is written and acted. Great story, acting, directing, cinematography. While I was watching it, I could imagine it being the Philippines or any South/SE Asian or Latin country. It reminded me a lot of City of God but this movie actually had a love story at its center. There was one scene in this movie that I particularly liked which helped the movie to avoid falling into the trap that other “slum” pics fall into: When the brothers are talking they’re looking out at Mumbai and it is evidently thriving—roads, cars, skyscrapers. With the spotlight now on this movie, people who are exposed to seeing images of those slums for the first time believe the rest of the country is like that. But in one small scene, the movie counters those perceptions. People who are critics of the film and its negative portrayal of poor areas should really think about that. I can see this picking up directing, cinematography, or best picture awards. Revolutionary Road – What if? This was a really brutal flick, and there wasn’t even any violence in it. I wouldn’t recommend this to people who are considering getting married. You get a real feeling of heaviness after you watch it. The acting was incredible but there’s something that’s starting to bother me about Mendes’ (the director) subjects. He seems to have a real bias against 50s American suburbs, aAs if the entire era was just a façade and evil things were lurking. How about picking a different setting or time period? Frost/Nixon – How does a country move on after it’s been wronged? Another good acting duo in this movie in Sheen-Langella. In thinking about this movie I really believed it was more about the President and the interviewer and less about the country, but it’s really the other way around. The country couldn’t move on in its affairs after Watergate, or didn’t know how to. Ford pardoning Nixon was probably a good thing because it acted as a catharsis for the country. This kind of background tension really adds to the battle between Frost and Nixon. You get a sense of what is at stake for these two. I’d like Langella to win for his portrayal but I’d have to say that the winner for lead actor should be from either of the two next films. Milk – How much should you fight for something you know is right? I used to think Morgan Freeman was the greatest living actor, but I’m really reconsidering that with every Sean Penn movie that I see. He is pretty much astounding in this movie. I hadn’t seen footage of the real Harvey Milk before so I can’t do an adequate comparison, but Penn’s performance speaks of real acting, not impersonation. The movie documents the rise of councilman Harvey Milk and his repeated attempts at public office. The strength of this movie is in how it portrays the struggle for gay rights not only from a local perspective but nationally as well. It really elevates the magnitude of what Milk is doing because he had the potential for overturning, or having laws passed, in every state of the country. What might be overlooked is how amazing a politician Milk really was. Taking the gay rights issues out of the equation, Milk really knew how to ‘milk’ the political system. Incidentally, this movie really makes the city of SF shine. It shoots the city so well. I hope Penn picks up leading actor, but if not, it should go to the guy in: The Wrestler – How do you survive in a world that’s forgotten you? I have yet to see a couple of movies, but from what I’ve seen, I think this is the best movie of the year. Set aside the fact that it’s filmed entirely in Jersey and Springsteen is on the soundtrack, the story is just too moving. I can see a thread linking the movies this year and it seems to be on the theme of getting older. This movie shows the painful side of that. If a lifestyle that you enjoyed no longer cares for you, do you face the real world or keep trying to capture that excitement? This is Mickey Rourke’s dilemma and it’s sad to watch. This movie really felt like I was watching a documentary. Everything was just so real, even the technical aspects of wrestling. I really loved wrestling as a kid, but I never knew it was staged. What I did know was that guys get hurt, and you see a lot of that behind-the-scenes stuff in this movie which makes it even more fascinating. For Rourke’s character the pain that hurts him more is mental and emotional rather than physical, and he makes his ultimate choice based on that realization. I think Aranofsky should get the director award for this. I’ve written too much already, but if I could, I’d talk about the Dark Knight and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, of which I hope both win awards. I'd give honorable mention to Defiance and Marley and Me. I have yet to see Doubt or the Reader so hopefully I’ll have the chance soon. I’ve also heard about a picture called Synecdoche but it's playing in about 2 theatres.