Hello everyone! Since I’ve been home for a month thanks to winter break from college, I’ve spent a lot of time seeing movies in order to prepare myself for awards season! I love the Oscars, SAGs, Golden Globes, etc, and going to see the movies that are nominated. So far, this break, I’ve seen a total of eight movies (including two that I don’t believe will be nominated) and that’s not including that I saw David Fincher’s adapataion of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” three times. But I’ve already written a review about that, so here are some thoughts on the other movies I’ve seen thus far, and my reccomendations.
1) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: This is a British spy movie starring Gary Oldman alongside other British favorites such as Colin Firth. Gary Oldman plays a retired British spy in the 70s who is rehired in order to investigate the suspiscion that there’s a double agent in the Secret Intelligence Service. It’s a very complex storyline, I must warn you because halfway through the movie I started forgetting things and who was who. This is a movie you have to actively watch and pay attention to or else there are going to be holes in your knowledge of the plot and you’ll have no idea what’s going on. I must have zoned out at some point and then lost track of what was going on. But Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy are spectacular in this movie and leave a really good impression. It’s worth seeing, but don’t expect that everything will be easy to understand. Overall, a good film.
2) The Artist: This is a silent black and white movie about the transition from silent films to talkies in the late 20s and early 30s. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are shoo ins for Oscar noms. I mean, the only thing they could really use in their acting was their expressions and movements. With no dialouge, it makes things so much harder. But these guys got the message across perfectly. I knew exactly what was going on the whole time, and understood the conflict just by the looks on their faces and who they interacted with people. I really hope this movie wins Best Picture, because it’s so innovative. No one’s done a film like this in who knows how long, and not only that, but it was a well done silent film. There was a perfect balance of comedy and drama that’s sure to leave any audience smiling. Go see it!
3) New Year’s Eve: Obviously, this isn’t an Oscar film by any means, and to be honest, it was just plain stupid. The only parts I truly enjoyed were the parts that Sofia Vegara or Hector Elizondo were in. I mean, it did get a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes. Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that.
4) Young Adult: This is a film written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman, the same duo that gave us the wonderful film that was Juno. So I had high expectations. But the movie didn’t really reach those expectations. It’s about a thirty-something woman named Mavis Gary who is a writer of young adult novels, and how she tries to win back her high school boyfriend who is already married an has a child. This movie should really be called, “That Awkward Moment When…” because half the movie made me cringe. But I think that was the purpose. You look at this Mavis girl and you just want her to stop doing what she’s doing because you know she’s just going to end up more pathetic than she already is. Mavis is played by Charlize Theron, and she gives a pretty good performance. Also, Patton Oswalt (W&M alum!) stands out by playing a guy who went to her high schools that she goes to for advice, though sometimes it seems he’s just as pathetic as she is. Though the story itself is cringe-worthy, the performances of those two are pretty darn good. But this is definitely not a feel-good movie.
5) My Week With Marilyn: This is a film starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe during the time she went to England to make a movie with Sir Laurence Olivier (played by Kenneth Branagh). During the making of the movie, Marilyn is nervous all the time and can’t seem to concentrate unless the third assistant director, Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), is around. The two develop an intimate friendship and he gives her the strength to finish the movie with confidence. The film is based on true events, and this guy Colin actually wrote a book about this time he spent with Marilyn. I really enjoyed this movie. Great performances from both Williams and Branagh, definite Oscar potential. I was really impressed with Williams in partituclar, since she had to play such an iconic person in history, and even though I wasn’t alive when Marilyn Monroe was popular, it seems that Williams really personified her. The rest of the cast flourishes as well. Good pick.
6) Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol: Again, not any awards potential here, but this is a great action movie. Definitely worth seeing. I mean, Tom Cruise climbs the tallest building in the world in Dubai with only sticky gloves (though in reality he was in a harness, but actually did climb that building!) Impressive! I did some research and most of the actors chose to do all their own stunts and many of the gadgets they use in the movie are actually real or in prototype form. For example, a contact lens that identifies faces is a real tool that spies use. A very fun movie that’s sure to entertain.
7) Shame: Okay so I just saw this yesterday and I’m pretty sure that you probably haven’t heard of it, I mean, it was only in one indie theatre in DC that I could find and it hasn’t really been promoted. Probably because it’s NC-17. Yeahhhhh. Well, this movie stars Michael Fassbender (who is amazing in this) as a sex addict, who’s put in a difficult situation when his high-matinance sister decides to drop in on him. Most of this movie is really hard to watch and makes you uncomfortable, but overall I think it was very well done. Most of the scenes are shot without any breaks, giving it an almost theatrical feel, which was pretty cool. Also, there’s a whole lot of silence in the movie and Fassbender does so much acting in his face that is really impressive. I hope he gets nominated for an Oscar for this because he certainly earned it. But I wouldn’t reccomend this one unless you really know what you’re getting into, or unless you’re really serious about seeing all the potential Oscar movies. It’s another “That Awkward Moment When…” movie. Except worse.
Yay for awards season! See ya next Tuesday for a Golden Globes recap.
Also, I posted a new song on Youtube today, check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=win-mCG-lZI
Pics from: http://www.impawards.com/2011/young_adult_ver2.html
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