A Quick Note on the Oscars (ugh)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

One overall thing about the year is that there was a large number of high quality movies. Many oh which came out in the end of the year rush. That's a good thing, however, the Oscars seemed to not "spread around the wealth" enough as Benjemam Button got 13 (?!) nominations and Slumdog Millionaire 10. The Golden Globes did a seemingly better job of getting it right. Anyways, on to some specific comments.

The Good (as in underdogs that were less obvious choices)

1. Richard Jenkins, The Visitor. (Best Actor)
2. Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road (Best Supporting Actor)
3.Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married (Best Actress)
4. Melissa Leo, Frozen River (Best Actress)
5. Viola Davis, Doubt. (Best Supporting Actress)

The Bad
1. No Wall-E for best picture
2. Not as many nominations for the Wrestler (including Bruce Springsteeen, best song)
3. No Kate Winslet or Leonardo DiCaprio for acting in Revoluionary Road
4. Slumdog Millionaire for 10. Now, I loved this movie and I think it deserves the best picture/best director, but some of those other nominations are a little bogus.

The Ugly
1. No Best Picture/ Best director for the Dark Knight. Come on! Easily the largest movie of the year, but also a deep and nuanced film that brought the art into large scale blockbusters. Christopher Nolan is still the man in my book.
2. The Reader for best picture/best director over Dark Knight and Wall-E? Where the hell did that come from. Now I have not seen it yet, but 60% of RT is rather condradictory.
3. 13 for TCCOBB. Please.
4. Poor Clint Eastwood. Couldn't sneak in this year with bad-ass old man Gran Torino.

Brief Thoughts on Best Picture:

1. TCCOBB- maybe deserved, but there is a few others I would put before it (4)
2. Frost/Nixon- deserved I would say from what've I heard/read about it. (3)
3. Milk- Sadly everyone in my family has seen this but me. I'm very glad this is here though, I've only heard rave reviews and it would be great to see this win. (1)
4. The Reader- ? (5)
5. Slumdog Millionaire- Has gotten a lot more love that I would've expected, seems to be "that" indie movie of the year. I think its well deserved, but has it been over-hyped? (2)

In Theaters Review: Revolutionary Road

Revolutionary Road (2008)

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Synopsis(Rotten Tomatoes): Those who were waiting for the romantic reunion of TITANIC's Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet may be surprised by what they find in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. The movie begins with a sweet scene where Frank (DiCaprio) and April (Winslet) meet at a party, but the rest of this drama based on Richard Yates's novel is devoted to watching the destruction of their marriage and their selves in 1950s suburbia. Frank works at a job he hates in New York City, then commutes home to two children and a wife who feels none of them belong in their cookie-cutter town. Their realtor (a fine Kathy Bates) recognizes their specialness and introduces them to her mentally unstable son (BUG's Michael Shannon, in another good, unhinged performance) in an effort to establish some normalcy for the man. However, Frank and April's marriage is not as perfect as it seems to the outside world, and the audience gets to witness their downfall. With its commentary on conformity and finding identity, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD bears more than a passing resemblance in both theme and tone to the TV series MAD MEN and director Sam Mendes's previous film AMERICAN BEAUTY. The characters here may live in a polite age where men wear ties and hats and women clean the house in skirts and heels, but the dialogue often enters brutal territory. Less capable actors wouldn't have been able to capture the volatile chemistry between Frank and April, but DiCaprio and Winslet are as wonderful at uttering sweet nothings as they are at tearing each other apart with verbal barbs. Mendes, directing his wife, Winslet, for the first time, is a perfect match for the source novel's lack of sentimentality and its wry commentary on life in the 1950s that still resonates half a century later

Impressions that I get: The suburbs + 1950's + outer comformity vs. inner longings + a legally insane man seeming sane + first rate acting. Revolutionary Road and Sam Mendes. This movie really cut to the core on a lot of issues and left a lifelong suburbanite like me asking some questions. What desires of mine are being squashed by the "rules of society"? Is it possible to escape what is expected or is freewill just a word? It's tough and exceedingly dystopian at times, sometimes to the point where it all just seems too contrived. However, the story is lifted up by the remarkable and passionate acting of almost everyone in the cast (especially Leo, Kate, and Michael Shannon). The dialouge seems so real and each character complex becuase they never have the answers to explain their firey actions. Mendes could easily pile on some high-brow monolouges to try to explain the philosophies of the characters, but he understands that these people were not like that. They were scared, they make myriad condradictions, they yell and scream and can't figure out why afterwards. One of my favorite exchanges is between Michael Shannon and Leonardo Dicaprio, when Leo refers to the suburbs as the "hopeless emptiness" and Shannon, a legally insane man, replies, "Ah, yes. Most people can see the hopelessness, but never the emptiness." Yet, on the surface, all of these people are so damned nice to each other (with the exception of Michael Shannon, who seems deranged simply becuase he speaks his mind without considerations for social rules). This is the highlight of Revolutionary Road, the gut-wrenching humanity of each person that is hidden underneath a fine layer of bullshit. Everytime I walk past someone on the street who is wearing a suit and has a lovely lady next to them, I could assume they are content with life, however, it could be people just like Frank and April. You see these people everywhere. At dinner parties. Downtown in the office. At the meet-your-teacher day. Maybe they once had, or still have, desires to go to Paris and start life anew. Maybe they still don't know what they love in life. Maybe, that couple over there, is sick and tired of each other, but still hold hands in public becuase the worth of their public image stands above their own melting self image. Or maybe those people are happy and are fullfilling their life desires. Who knows? Either way, Revolutionary Road is a film that examines life in the supposed perfection of the suburbs and leaves you wondering, have I ever seen a "real" soul in my life? Or are they just hidden, like Frank and April, beneath the wedding cake layers of wealth and marriage?

-AT

Acting (9.5/10) Just outstanding, an underappreciated part is Michael Shannon who plays the deranged son of the neighbors, yet is the one man who can see the disturbing truth behind the marital image of Kate and Leo.

Plot (8/10) The plot seems to be the unraveling of love between Frank and April, which is interesting, but the film does lean a little toward the long side.

Cinematography (9/10) Very well done, as always by Sam Mendes. Great shots of portarying comformity without having to say it.

Originality (7.5/10) Does have some strong parrallels to earlier Mendes movies (American Beauty and Road to Perdition), and is an adapted novel from Richard Yates. Still, nobody does it quite like Mendes.

Grade: B++

"These are a few of my favorite things" 2008

Favorite movies of the year (incomplete list)

5. Doubt- Absolute fantastic acting by Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis, Amy Adams and company. Play transformed well to the big screen and the script is filled with bristling arguements that make a seemingly simple issue into a complexity of many levels. On the short side, but never slows up for a moment. Confrontation between Meryl Streep and Viola Davis could be best scene of the year. Unresolved and beautiful becuase of that.

4. The Dark Knight- Christopher Nolan is the man, plain and simple. The "superhero" movie has a new peak due to its breathtaking atmosphere and action sequences combined with a (gasp!) intelligent dialouge and top notch acting. The Joker will be the legacy of Heath Ledger and deservingly so. It brings more to the table than just a fun evening, philosophy and art arise in this film out of the darkest reaches of Gotham City.

3. Slumdog Millionaire- This is just a "wow" movie that tells a story in an unique format from a land most of us only know from National Geographic (if even that.) Read my earlier review for more thoughts on Danny Boyle and Devi Patel.

2. Wall E- More than just a childrens movie. More than just cute robots and slick animation. More than just another Pixar movie. More than just another movie to keep the kids entertained while mom and dad go away in the evening. In fact, mom and dad should bag the dinner dance to stay home and watch this absolute gem of a film. This is the start of a new age of animated movies, no longer can one assume that a film needs an R rating along with several highly qualified actors to be considered quality. Wall E sets a new bar due to its revolutionary sound(of lack there of), fantastic emotional appeal, and noteworthy observations on the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. This film was a joy ride on the surface, yet still mantained a strong message warning of the harms of consumerism. Maybe I look too much into it. But at least Wall-E opens itself up to be examined and that is what seperates it from any animated feature done before.

1. Synecdoche New York- Synechdoche means a part of something referring to the whole thing. The part here is the life of Caden Cotard and the whole thing is the human condition. Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, etc.) created every part of this epic "tragicomic", the script, the direction (first time director I might add), the theme song. This film watches like a novel with sophisticated dialouge, strong imagery, brilliant characters, and, most of all, the overwhelming sense of a structure that is wholy prevelant while just exceding our grasp. It goes from rabbit hole to rabbit hole, plays games with our minds, but still remains connected to the audience every step of the way. Kaufman may very well be considered a genious in my book simply for his ability to combine the utterly complex and incomprehendable thoughts of our minds within the framework of everyday human life. If you want a great opinion of this film, check out Roger Eberts review. See it, think about it, see it again (repeat)....-AT

To See: Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married, and more. Always more. (just in case you think I have weak opinions..)

Most Bizzare Film of the Year

Inland Empire (David Lynch)- Yes, this wasn't this year, but I felt it was worth mentioning. Woah. Step back. Adjust frame. Look again. Am I awake? No, couldn't be. Are those real bunnies or just suits? Is that Polish? Welcome to the land of zoom ins and white noise interrupted by feminine screams of angst. I feel dizzy. So, how many people is Laura Dern supposed to be? I feel like I'm on a sinking ship and I'm the only one who still thinks we're in the harbor. It's kinda like watching a Dali painting. Was there supposed to be a point or was that the point?

Watch it. Three hours later, you might get the idea. Really though, it's a fun time.

Worst Film of the Year

The Love Guru- Ugh. Double Ugh. Now I enjoy a good comedy and it doesn't have to be "politically correct" by any stretch of imagination. It just has to be funny. Watching this felt like all the peverted middle schoolers of the world got together when their hormones were racing and dumped their collection of filthy ideas and fantasties into a sack of human feces. How else could it be explained that (Sir) Ben Kingsley is throwing piss onto Buddhist monks? I will go no further down this road of defilement and bad taste. To paraphrase a far great comedy, "On what day did the Lord create the Love Guru and why not did he himself rest on that day as well?"

Man of the Year

Philip Seymour Hoffman- The Big Lebowski. Magnolia. Almost Famous. Punch Drunk Love. Capote, where we finally saw the magnitude of Mr. Hoffmans greatness. Last year he had an all star performance with Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, the Savages, and Charlie Wilsons War. This year he has hit a high with absolutely stellar, first rate, dauntingly beautiful roles in Doubt and Synecdoche New York. The slightly chubby blond philosopher who can shout and scream, quietly whisper, or do a carbon copy of a historical figure. He takes his roles as seriously as the movies he choses to be in. And he has picked some great ones. When I look at Philip Seymour Hoffman, I see the faces and lives of all the characters he has created over the years, each standing out in its own distinct way. Bravo, may you continute to craft men out of that magnificent soul of yours that has done so much in so little time.

Favorite Albums of the year (as I have listened to so far)

5. She and Him- Volume One

4. TV on the Radio- Dear Science

3. Girl Talk- Feed the Animals

2. Frightened Rabbit- The Midnight Organ Fight

1. Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes

As always, there is so much incoming music to digest, and I only have one mouth and the sands of time are against me..

Some Good Reads of my year (both old and new)

5. The Elephant Vanishes (Short stories)- Haruki Murakami

4. The Corrections- Jonathon Franzen

3. The Great Gatsby- F.Scott Fitzgerald

2. Steppenwolf- Herman Hesse

1. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay- Michael Chabon

There are so many more books to add and my stack to read is always growing. If only time could be stopped.

= Have a merry year filled with fine art, loving family, and steadfast friends=

-AT