Sometimes I Watch Movies, Vol 2

Last year, in the month or so leading up to the Academy Awards, I felt compelled to go see all the movies that had acting or picture nominations. This was an extremely rewarding experience, if only because I got to watch the awards show feeling as though I actually had an informed opinion on who deserved which award. In years past, I'd typically seen one, maybe two of the nominated performances, and so I'd root for that one simply because I had no firsthand knowledge of the others. This is one way to watch an awards show, but more often than not my picks wouldn't win, and I'd be left wondering if I'd missed out on a really great movie.

All this is not to say that the Academy Awards are the final authority on good filmmaking. This year, as in every year, I have vehemently disagreed with some of their choices, and there is at least one frontrunner that, if it wins, might turn me off to respecting the Academy's judgment forever. But I'm a believer in being a part of the cultural conversation, and I'm constantly in search of really good stories, regardless of the medium. This is as good a place as any to start.

Before I comment on this year's nominees, a couple of disclaimers. First, I am officially NOT a fan of the new expanded Best Picture category, primarily because of the motivations behind it. There has been a lot of chatter about how this change has opened up the field to crowd-pleaser movies that would otherwise have been shut out (you missed it by one year, The Dark Knight). That's all fine, but that's not why the Academy did this. They did it to boost two things: ratings for the Oscar telecast, and overall box office for this year. They think that more people of the category to which I used to belong (only seeing a few nominated movies a year) will tune in to the show because actors and films they recognize are up for awards. That's probably true, although the joke's on them a little bit in this particular year, because who didn't see Avatar, which would have been nominated regardless. And they also think that people of the category to which I now belong will shell out more bucks at the movie theater to make sure they see every nominated movie. Joke's on me there, because that's just what I did. I used my Netflix account to see all the movies that were out on DVD already, but what I found was that I couldn't engage with the film in the same way on DVD, and that pretty seriously biased me against the movies I didn't see in the theater. Which made me think next year I'd better start listening to Oscar buzz in the fall and go see all the movies that look as though they'll be nominated before they go out of theaters. Sigh. Studios win, I lose. So this new rule is dumb, and if nothing else it kept me from the Best Picture Showcase this year, which was seriously disappointing because I really enjoyed it last year. But I couldn't stomach the idea of spending 12 straight hours at the theater two Saturdays in a row.

My second disclaimer is connected to what I said about not engaging with the movies I saw on DVD. Last year I saw all five Best Pic nominees in the theater and felt that I could judge them on equal ground as a result. This year I saw four of the ten nominees on DVD and none of them are even close to being frontrunners in my mind. There's a reason we have movie theaters, I realized, and the small screen doesn't do this kind of filmmaking justice. I found it much easier to lose interest in the movies I saw on DVD, and I have to disclose here that I only saw half each of The Hurt Locker and District 9. In both cases, ironically, I was interrupted about halfway through the movie by a phone call from my dad, and in both cases by the time I got off I didn't care about the movie anymore. This is at least partially due to the fact that I never like war movies, and the only example of sci-fi action that I can ever remember liking is the Star Wars trilogy. So I don't think I would have liked these movies a whole lot better in the theater, but they got glowing reviews, and some say Hurt Locker is the one to beat for Best Picture, so I wish I'd seen it in the theater if only so I could have given it my full attention and maybe gotten some idea what all the fuss was about. And while I'm on this topic, there are two supporting actor performances I didn't get to see either. I was trying to cram a bunch of movies into last week and discovered that The Lovely Bones was no longer playing in Manhattan. That is really surprising to me because it only came out in December and it got an Oscar nomination ... but I was not going to trek out to Queens. And once I realized I wasn't going to see all the movies I decided not to go see Nine either. I didn't really want to go see it, and since I'm kind of an all or nothing person it would have caused a lot of cognitive dissonance to see all but one movie at least partially, so making it two took away that pressure. So I suppose I can't really make an informed decision in the supporting actor categories, but in my defense no one seems to think Stanley Tucci or Penelope Cruz will win, and the bottom line is that my opinion does not affect the outcome in the slightest. Let's get to it.

Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart: I have to confess my surprise that Bridges took home both the Golden Globe and the SAG Award for this role, because it wasn't my favorite of the season. I think part of the problem is that the whole time I was watching Crazy Heart I felt like I was watching an inferior version of 2008's The Wrestler. Bridges' character, Bad Blake, is a washed-up country star in the manner of Mickey Rourke's washed-up wrestler, and while he imbues the character with a lot of heart, I just didn't think he was as interesting as Rourke. So it was tough for me to consider his the best performance of the year. However, Bridges gets props for letting Bad's emotions leak out at just the right moment, especially his wounded pride when his much younger protege (played by Colin Farrell in an uncredited performance that is actually excellent) turns out to be more of a rival. And he sings in the movie, which is more than Rourke did. 4 stars.

George Clooney - Up in the Air: I thought Up in the Air was a terrific movie. I'll say more below, but it's very rare for a film to so seamlessly meld comedy and drama and do both effectively. Clooney is the centerpiece, and the movie makes great use of his talent. He plays Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer who travels from place to place firing workers so that their bosses don't have to. It's a soulless job, and it's clear from the first frame that he uses the job's constant traveling as an excuse not to settle down or get serious about a relationship. I can't see anyone playing this role as well as Clooney if only because he is so much like this in his personal life (if People magazine is to be believed). And you have to respect an actor who so willingly takes on his own persona in a film. Every word and gesture of Clooney's was believable, and I felt so strongly for his character by the end. A tour de force. 5 stars.

Colin Firth - A Single Man: I was skeptical about this film because it's directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, and as a rule I'm skeptical of artists that try to cross over to other media for no other reason than because they can. That said, Ford's direction was heavy-handed and the plot a bit unfocused, but this movie was not bad. Most of that is due to Firth's performance. It was really refreshing to see him play a gay man whose lover has recently been killed, since he is mostly known for haplessly wooing women like Elizabeth Bennet. This felt like more of a stretch for him, and yet he did it beautifully. The things he does with his face when he first gets the call that his lover has died would be more than enough to win him this award in a better movie. He is so heartfelt, and so wounded. I kept wanting the movie to be over because it just hurt to look at Firth. That's a compliment to him. 4 stars.

Morgan Freeman - Invictus: I was so surprised when this movie wasn't nominated for Best Picture. It's a film by Clint Eastwood! About Nelson Mandela! But it wasn't the year's best, so I can forgive that. Freeman definitely deserves recognition for his turn as Mandela. He's got a decent Afrikaans accent and he radiates with Mandela's optimism and good nature. My only complaint was that I was always aware I was watching Freeman, not Mandela. I kept thinking of Sean Penn in Milk and how completely he disappeared into that character. He set the standard for me for biopics, and I'm going to have a hard time truly appreciating any performance that doesn't live up to that. At the same time, I am much more familiar with Nelson Mandela the person than I was with Harvey Milk the person, so I acknowledge that might be part of why I found Penn so inseparable from the character he played. Regardless, a capable effort from Freeman. 3 stars.

Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker: Poor Jeremy Renner got stuck in a movie I didn't finish, so I don't feel qualified to truly comment on his performance as a bomb defuser. This movie played like a war documentary to me, and all the actors seemed like they were really soldiers, so that's a credit to Renner and the others. But that's about all I can give him considering how uninterested I was in this movie. 3 stars.

And the Oscar goes to ... George Clooney, for the most multi-dimensional performance of the year in a movie that I truly enjoyed start to finish. However, if Oscar predictors have their way, it will be Bridges.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon - Invictus: Matt Damon pleasantly surprised me in this movie. He very effectively disappeared into the role of Francois Pienaar, the captain of the South African rugby team, complete with a believable accent. He also seemed suitably starstruck in the presence of Freeman's Mandela. Unfortunately, his character was a bit one-note; his only conflict was how to lead the rugby team to victory in the World Cup, and there wasn't much time in the movie (or rugby knowledge in my head) to show just how he did this. So I wish Damon had been given a bit more to work with, but he did well with what he had. 3 stars.

Woody Harrelson - The Messenger: The Messenger gets this year's Rachel award from me, as in Rachel Getting Married, the movie I so loved last year that was so tragically underrepresented at the Oscars. I didn't love Messenger quite as much, but I am in complete disbelief that it was not nominated for Best Picture. It was in the top three movies that I saw this year, and I'm just mad that the Academy didn't recognize it for the gem that it is. Harrelson stars as an army officer who shows a soldier (Ben Foster) how to deliver bad news to families as members of the Casualty Notification service. This is a heartrending premise, and the movie more than lived up to it. It was so painful to watch these men tell wives and fathers and mothers that their loved ones had died in battle. At the same time, it was fascinating to watch them try and follow the rules laid out by the army for how to do this, when anyone with even an iota of sympathy for fellow human beings couldn't be expected to do so. Both Harrelson and Foster were terrific, and Foster should have been nominated as well (while I'm at it, so should have Samantha Morton, as a young widow Foster's character falls for). So I would love to see Harrelson win if only so that this movie can receive an award of some kind. This is the best I've ever seen him. 5 stars.

Christopher Plummer - The Last Station: This category is actually where I'm the most conflicted, because I didn't like this movie as much as The Messenger, but Christopher Plummer is far and away my sentimental favorite in this category, so I want him to win as badly as I do Harrelson. How is that at age 80, Plummer has never been nominated? That is a travesty that ought to be immediately remedied, this particular performance notwithstanding. In the cover story for the February 15th issue of New York magazine, Mark Harris (the wisest voice to be heard in all this Oscar hullaballoo; he will be quoted later as well) contends that the Oscar in each category will go to the movie or actor who has the best "Oscar-season storyline." He gives many examples of such storylines (The Hurt Locker - The Chance to Make History as Kathryn Bigelow could be the first woman to win Best Director; Up in the Air's Anna Kendrick - The Kid With a Future), but neglects to label Plummer, who is so obviously The Legend Who Deserves Recognition. In terms of the performance, he is as good as I can imagine anyone being as Leo Tolstoy, renegotiating his will and trying to please his demanding wife while living up to his own equally demanding principles. Tolstoy is one of the most fascinating figures in history to me, so I was eager to see Plummer take him on. He more than justifies himself. But I want him to win not so much because he was the best, but because he's The Legend! Come on Academy - this guy can't have too many roles left in him. 4 stars.

Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones: I've heard that Tucci is more or less the only reason to go see this movie, so bravo to him. Having not seen it myself, I can't in good faith rate the performance, but I will go out on a limb and stay it doesn't stand a chance against Harrelson, Plummer, and Christoph Waltz.

Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds: Speaking of, this is an astounding performance. In fact, I think the Supporting Actor is the strongest category of this year because this is one of three performances I think would be shoo-ins if they weren't pitted against one another. But this one will come out on top. Basterds is a clever little puzzle of a movie, with many things to like about it, but Waltz's performance is the reason to go see it. As the SS colonel who is known as "the Jew hunter" and skips around the European countryside in search of every last Jew that might be hiding there, he speaks four languages with ease and is both hilarious and chilling. You can't take your eyes off of him. 5 stars.

And the Oscar goes to ... Waltz. I love Harrelson and Plummer to death, but pound for pound, Waltz delivered the performance of a career.

Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side: Sigh. I have so many issues with this movie, most of which I will point out in my discussion of its Best Picture nomination. But what's up for discussion here is this performance, which is far and away the most redeeming quality of the film. Most of Bullock's good lines are in the trailer, but despite her unfortunate dialogue, she owns the part and speaks every one of those words with conviction. As Leigh Anne Tuohy, the matriarch of a well-to-do Memphis family who adopts a hulking black boy from the projects and primes him for SEC football scholarships, she mixes Southern sweetness and Mama Bear tartness admirably. But the movie is such a sentimental piece of fluff that even Bullock's performance doesn't leave much of an impression. I respect her acting abilities and am certainly glad to see her being offered parts that aren't in chick flicks, but I am utterly baffled as to why she's been winning all the awards. 3 stars.

Helen Mirren - The Last Station: As I said above, I'm fascinated by Tolstoy and so I was really looking forward to this movie. It's probably not the best that could possibly be done with the material, but Mirren and Plummer are the actors to portray the Tolstoys in any event. It's a bit distracting that they are so undeniably British, and hearing them pronounce all those Russian names ruins the verisimilitude of the setting. But beyond that small quibble, Mirren especially turns in a winning performance. Her Countess Sofya is passionate and volatile, and her concern for herself and her family is displayed equally with her devotion to her husband. It's a joy to watch her and Plummer tussle and cuddle. 4 stars.

Carey Mulligan - An Education: I didn't love this movie, and actually my favorite performance was Alfred Molina's, as Mulligan's dad. Still, I understand what the fuss over her is all about. She plays Jenny, a young British schoolgirl who gains some hard won worldly wisdom after taking up with an older man. Anybody playing Jenny would need to allow her new understandings about life to play clearly across her face, and Mulligan does this beautifully. I wish the script had given her a few more opportunities to come to these understandings; rather, we typically get a speech from her to some disapproving adult following the realization. She delivers these very well, but they always feel a bit like foregone conclusions since Jenny articulates what she has learned so clearly. I couldn't quite put my finger on what didn't work for me, but it had something to do with that - I wanted to watch her learn rather than hear that she had. Still, a solid effort. 4 stars.

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: This movie blew me away on every level. I was afraid to see it because I'd heard about some of the monstrosities that take place in it, but I am so glad I went anyway, and Sidibe is a big reason for that. I saw her on a couple of talk shows prior to seeing the movie, and she is an extremely bright, vivacious young woman, which made her portrayal of Precious Jones all the more revelatory. As the obese, illiterate teen pregnant with her father's child, she completely disappears into the role, so there's no trace of the girl she is in real life. The hurt she experiences is so much more poignant because it's Precious that it's happening to, and I cared so much for her and wanted her to be safe. This combined with the fact that her story had authentic hope (not the saccharine version peddled byThe Blind Side) make her far and away this season's best actress. 5 stars.

Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia: This woman can do no wrong. She may very well be the closest humanity will ever come to a perfect actress. It's amazing what she's able to do in even a movie like this, and she elevates all her material far beyond where it would have gone without her. I'm not super familiar with Julia Child, but I still felt that I was watching her during this entire film. There is no doubt in my mind that Streep embodied her perfectly. I have nothing negative to say about the performance, except that I wish it was in a better movie. 5 stars.

And the Oscar goes to ... Sidibe, please, please Academy. Alas, I fear it will be Bullock.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Penelope Cruz - Nine: I didn't see this movie, so I can't comment on Cruz's performance, but I am impressed that she managed to get nominated in the same category that she won last year. And also that she was clearly a standout in a movie that suffered a lot of backlash and was not well-received.

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air: I want so much to like Farmiga, but I just hated her character. As the traveling businesswoman who dallies with George Clooney's character when they are in the same city, she was so selfish and inconsiderate that I just felt very put off. On the other hand, the fact that Farmiga played this role so convincingly is a compliment to the performance, so there you have it. She was a great match for Clooney from a comedic standpoint, but I guess she didn't give me enough reasons why the character was such a creep for me to like her in the end. 3 stars.

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart: Gyllenhaal is another one of those actresses who turns everything she touches to gold. Still, something about this role didn't quite work for me. She plays Jean, the journalist who interviews Jeff Bridges' Bad Blake during one of his tour stops, and they eventually fall for each other until he blows it and she can no longer trust him. Gyllenhaal skillfully displays all of Jean's emotions and her love for Blake is believable, but I guess they are so mismatched physically that I was too distracted to really appreciate the performance. Why would this girl fall for this guy? I couldn't figure it out. 3 stars.

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air: Kendrick is far closer to this award than Farmiga, for me. I thought she was way more hilarious than she had any right to be in the Twilight movies, so I was really looking forward to seeing her here. And she does not disappoint. As Natalie, who represents the next generation of downsizers following in Ryan Bingham's footsteps, she perfectly embodies the idealism and sense of novelty that only recent college grads project. The scene that makes the performance, though, is one when she rips into Clooney's Bingham for the lack of commitment and and roots in his life. She steals the scene, and that's saying something when Clooney is the one playing opposite. This movie is very well-written, but it still shouldn't logically have turned out three performances as good as these. Kendrick is a bit of a phenom, and I expect great things from her in the future. 4 stars.

Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: This is the one performance this year that I don't think I can justify with words. It left me completely speechless. I don't think anyone in the industry doubts that Mo'Nique will run away with this award, and she deserves it. She plays Mary, the mother of Gabourey Sidibe's Precious. She's cruel and abusive beyond comprehension, but she doesn't flinch for a second. And her refusal to back down makes her all the more heartbreaking in her final scene, when she tries to explain herself. I felt like I understood her, and that is an achievement. I don't know where this performance came from, but wow. 5 1/2 stars.

And the Oscar goes to ... Mo'Nique.

Best Picture

Avatar: Oh, Avatar. I tried to like this movie. Not very hard, but I tried. And I didn't like it at all. Not the least little bit. I get all the hype surrounding it, since the visual effects are obviously astonishing, and since James Cameron hasn't made a movie since Titanic. But this is not a good movie. It's all eye candy, and even that only impressed me to a certain point. I don't like watching movies in 3-D because of those clunky cardboard glasses, and I've yet to see a movie that I think was markedly improved in 3-D. And it's pretty, but it was too much like last year's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in that regard. I kept getting distracted by all the prettiness. At one point two of the Na'vi characters are walking through a forest and the ground turns pink everywhere they step. I couldn't help but think of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" video, and I'm pretty sure that's not where my head was supposed to be. The story is a joke, and everyone who knows anything about movies is acknowledging that right now. That makes it all the more frustrating that a lot of them are also saying it's the best movie of the year. What's a movie if not its story? It's fine for Avatar to win all the technical awards, because it's definitely a technical achievement, but without the story, it's not a great movie. The good guys are unambiguously good, the bad guys unambiguously bad, and to be honest, I can't even really remember what happens. Some kind of government trying to mine something and cutting down trees and a rogue Marine guy becoming one of the Na'vi people to try and stop them. Said Marine is played by Sam Worthington, who is so boring that I was thrilled when he was animated because he was so much more interesting to watch. Cameron, who is a total ass (which doesn't help with me liking his movie), keeps talking about how empowering his technology is for actors, and in Worthington's case he may be right, but actors that are actually good at their job? I don't want them to be animated. I want to see their faces, because they know how to use their faces. So for directors interested in making sci-fi fluff, sure, this is groundbreaking, but I want good characters and good story. The only character I cared about was Giovanni Ribsi's, and he didn't get nearly enough screen time so I don't remember what his role was. I'm so frustrated by the acclaim this movie is getting, and if it wins Best Picture I might be over the Oscars forever. 2 stars.

The Blind Side: Allow me to rant a bit longer, because Avatar is actually my second least favorite movie of the year. This one is my least favorite. I have zero patience for movies where rich people save poor minorities, whatever the circumstances. It's impossible to tell a story like that without oversimplifying, and this movie does so criminally. Anyone familiar with the Michael Lewis book on which the film is based can tell you that nobody in this movie is as heroic as they were portrayed to be. I know that movies are not real life, but I think someone who makes something based on a true story like this one has a responsibility. And for those who say that they just love a good heartwarming sports movie, go rent Remember the Titans. That's a quality sports movie, and one in which the white people aren't better than the black people. I'll quote Mark Harris, who says it far more eloquently than I can: "In the movie, the 'main character' isn't Michael, but the nice white lady who plucks a winner out of the otherwise apparently worthless population of the projects. What does this alteration accomplish, other than to tell audiences that all you need to change someone's life is a heart (and wallet) of gold, innate bossiness, and a pistol in your purse? ... The Blind Side is a fable of exceptionalism about a kid who's worth saving because he might become a superstar." Amen. 1 star.

District 9 - So I didn't actually finish District 9, and I wish I had because people are saying it's really well-made. I thought it was all right for what it was, a pretty innovative sci-fi film with some underlying political messages, and the faux-documentary style in which it was shot was cool, but I'm just not interested in movies about aliens. Fans of the genre seem to think that it's the new frontier, so in that respect I'm happy that it got some Oscar love.

An Education - This film at least held my attention to the end. I thought Carey Mulligan made it a much better movie than it would have been without her. The topic is interesting enough, the emotional journey of a girl growing up and discovering what the world is all about, but the script isn't quite up to the task. Peter Sarsgaard, as the man who steals Jenny's innocence, is completely uninteresting; he is obviously a cad from the start and does nothing to make himself sympathetic. Alfred Molina, as Jenny's dad, is hilarious, and his presence brightens the whole movie. In general, I wish for a more nuanced bad guy and a story that digs a little deeper. 3 stars.

The Hurt Locker - The general consensus is that this movie is the front-runner for the big prize, and it's not Avatar, so I'm glad. On the other hand, I don't really get what all the fuss is about, and that might be because I don't really watch war movies. I don't have anything to compare this one to so that's why it didn't seem like much. In the half that I watched, a bunch of soldiers ran around, defused bombs, shot at people, and then talked about life and death back in their bunkers. Okay. I wish I was more enthusiastic about it. I don't want it to win, but I do want it to beat Avatar, and I definitely want director Kathryn Bigelow to beat James Cameron. Not only would she be the first woman to win best director, but she's his ex-wife, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have beat him.

Inglourious Basterds - I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. I don't think it's the best picture of the year, but it deserved the nomination. Quentin Tarantino is shamelessly getting off on his revenge fantasies, but at least he does it in a way that's fun and lets others watch. Christoph Waltz is getting all the praise for his acting, but I thought Brad Pitt was terrific. Definitely better here than in his nominated performance last year as Benjamin Button. He was so funny, and I kept hoping that all the other characters would go away and he and Waltz could be the only ones. They do have an excellent confrontation at the end that is cathartic for all involved. Parts of the movie stretched on too long, and the subtitles were a bit wearying, but a strong effort. 3 stars.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: Oh, who named this movie. This is not how you name a movie. But title aside, this movie is astonishing. It manages the extremely tricky feat of presenting an underprivileged character as someone who has hope for the future, without sentimentalizing her. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a movie do that so well. The plot is tough, but people like Precious exist in the world, and certainly the neighborhood she lives in and the classrooms she learns in exist. It does us no good to turn a blind eye, but it also does us no good to try and pretty everybody up. Sidibe and Mo'Nique are fantastic, and the rest of the cast is more than able, even Mariah Carey, whom I expected to be disastrous. I loved this movie. Of all the nominees, this is the one that stuck with me the most and made me feel like things are really bad but they will get better. That's what good stories do. 5 stars.

A Serious Man - The problem with this movie is how rooted it is in suburban Jewish culture. I can't find a connection with that culture no matter how hard I try. Their Yiddish slang and their perpetual "woe is me" attitude and their constant feeling like outsiders - I just don't get it. It has nothing to do with not liking Jewish people, because of course that's not the case. It's that movies like this take place in a world so insular that there's no entry point for someone on the outside. It just makes the story uninteresting to me. I think Woody Allen's movies are a more accessible version of the same kind of thing. But the Coen brothers ... I'd still rather watch Raising Arizona any day. 3 stars.

Up - I'm so pleased that this movie was nominated because it was really good, and animated movies aren't often acknowledged in this category. It was a visual delight - in fact, I take back what I said earlier about 3-D not making a movie any better. In this case it actually did, because that big bunch of gorgeous balloons floating over mountain vistas and waterfalls almost looked real in 3-D. It wasn't as technically proficient as Avatar, but it was a better movie because the visuals served the story rather than the other way around. I didn't spend every moment trying to figure out how they did this or that. I just watched the movie, and it's a joyful little movie, and it's impossible to walk away from without smiling. 4 stars.

Up in the Air - This is quite an impressive movie. In lesser hands it would have been a weightless comedy straining for significance, but in Jason Reitman's it's an achievement. I thought it was so funny, so current with its bad economy plot, and the best part was that it has these emotional moments that totally come from behind. They should feel out of place, but the amazing thing is realizing each time that the story and the cast have 100% earned them. This is the smartest, most respectable comedy I've seen in a long time. 5 stars.

And the Oscar goes to ... anybody but Avatar or The Blind Side, but Precious would be my vote.