Filmography 2010

This is a really awesome video featuring most of the films released in 2010:

The Shawshank Redemption

In 50 years when another young film geek is attempting a do it yourself film school by viewing older classics, The Shawshank Redemption will without a doubt be on his or her list. It is a modern classic that is just now coming out of the shadows of Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump which were released at the same time. The story is inspiring without being manipulative and the whole cast inhabits their characters as real people, the “bad” guys are at times like able and the “good” guys are in no way saints. Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne as a man who refuses to become an imprisoned man even when imprisoned. He maintains his dignity and courage in situations that would make most men give up. Morgan Freeman is Red, Andy’s closest friend and the prison’s Sears and Roebuck as he describes himself. He is a man who seems to have mastered prison life until Andy comes along and surprises him. The film hinges on their friendship and they both come to depend on each other within prison for sanity. My favorite performance in the film is Bob Gunton as the warden. Rather than play this character as a clichéd heartless bastard, he instead presents himself as a sheep, seemingly well intentioned and reform minded. Only as time progresses, do we see the wolf beneath and learn that he is addicted to the power of being warden. He will stop at nothing to maintain his royal status, using the prisoners as slaves and a means of monetary gain. I usually don’t enjoy happy endings in movies because they often feel forced or fake. This is a rare exception, however, because Andy and Red are truly redeemed at the end and morally deserve the severance they receive just as much as the Warden deserves the ending he gets. I love that Morgan Freeman was cast as Red, originally written as a white Irish character. This example of color blind casting is rare in Hollywood and unfortunately only seems to occur with a few actors, Freeman primarily. The only cliché I felt the film didn’t transcend was having the prisoners be the heroes and the warden and guards as the villains. I would love to see a prison film that features the prisoners as the bad guys and the staff as decent people.

My Top Ten of 2010

This wasn't the strongest year for film, however, there were some greats. These are films that I felt were the best of the year, either due to acting, filmmaking, or simply connecting to me on a personal level. Three films that might have made the list are Somewhere, Rabbit Hole, and Blue Valentine. They have not been released wide yet, so I have yet to see them. I will post seperate reviews when I do. Without futher rambling:

1.) 127 Hours- Seeing this film has been the most personal movie-going experience I have had all year. I relate to the lead’s need of independence and desire to leave on an adventure without telling anyone. This plan backfiring and his realization that he has slowly cut out everyone important in his life makes for an extremely watch able story, James Franco’s performance and Danny Boyle’s stylish direction only making the film stronger.

2.) Black Swan- This film is a deeply satisfying story about how a performer literally goes crazy in order to perfect her performance. Darren Aronofsky’s direction is great, giving the film a feeling of uneasiness, but it is the cast that makes this film perfect. Natalie Portman gives everything she has and then some while the supporting cast doesn’t include a weak performance, particularly Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder.

3.) True Grit-There is nothing I could write about the Coen brothers that hasn’t already being better written. They have a command of story that is rare in Hollywood and their quality to quantity ratio is unlike any directors ever. True Grit is no exception. The film is faithful to both the novel and the original John Wayne film, but manages to make the world the characters inhabit more realistic.

4.) The Fighter- I don't know how Christian Bale does it. Not only did he lose a significant amount of weight for this role, he literally disappears into his role of Mark Wahlberg's crackhead brother. The fact that he is the stand out in a film that also includes amazing performances from both Melissa Leo and Amy Adams just solidifies his status as one of the best working actors today. The film itself is funny and depressing at the same time, giving it an authentic feeling. It felt at times like I was watching a documentary instead of a dramitization. This was a film that I underestimated based on it's trailer and it's "boxing movie" label. This is much more than a boxing movie.

5.) The King’s Speech- This is a beautifully photographed film. I found myself noticing the beauty of the sets and all their details. The film goes from being good to great because of the performances of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush as King George VI and his speech therapist. The two actors have amazing energy as the spar with each other and the relationship they build throughout the film is completely believable.

6.) The Social Network- This is a great film, expertly acted, written, and directed. It is a faithful portrait of our generation, not accomplishing things to make life better for mankind, but to get rich and be seen as cool. Jesse Eisenberg’s Zuckerberg quickly becomes seduced by the world that Justin Timberlake’s character presents to him that he loses his best friend in the process. This, like Black Swan, doesn’t have a weak link within it’s cast.

7.) Inception- I wish all action films were like this, using effects to tell a story rather than telling a “story” to show off effects. I love that this film expects me to think and be smart enough to keep up instead of dumbing down and treating the audience like idiots. I was literally on the edge of my seat the first time I saw this. Nolan is in total control of a film that feels out of control.

8.) Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World- I am not a fan of video games or anime, two huge influences on this film. I do, however, like films that are actually funny and witty. Edgar Wright is 3-0 with this film that becomes like candy to our eyes. If Social Network is a portrait of my generation’s ambition, this is an accurate portrait of my generations lack of ambition. The characters are barely cognizant of how they got from one moment to another, they just do. Michael Cera also delivers his least awkward teen performance to date.

9.) Shutter Island-Scorcese's love letter to the horror genre is more like a how-to for making a thriller. The cast is top notch and the scene with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lake with his children might be the most emotionally charged scene put to film this year.

10.) The Town- I love Ben Affleck the actor. I feel he is underrated. As a director, he is even better and thankfully getting the respect he deserves. Like The Fighter, this has an authentic east coast feel due to wonderful performances by Affleck, Jeremy Renner, and Rebecca Hall.

Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

I am not a fan of the fantasy genre, but I can't deny that this film has some great imagery. I am speaking of the New Zealand landscape where the film was shot. The effects leave a bit more to be disired as any computer generated imagery does. The acting is pretty good, given the silly things the characters have to say. I was slightly offended that the whole film is being fought over jewlery. I think Breakfast at Tiffany's has fetishized rings enough. Also, If instructed not to ever put the ring on, why does Frodo put it on 6 or 7 times in the film? Doesn't he realize that by putting the ring on, he is alerting his hunters to his location. Also, it really bothers me that the hobbits don't wear shoes, especially when hiking through the snow covered mountains. Other than these complaints, the film is alright and it did leave me curious to see the next one, which I hope is darker a la Empire.

Sunset Blvd.

I knew two things about Sunset Blvd. prior to watching it: It's director is Billy Wilder and the most famous line from the film is "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up". Seeing as how Wilder was the director, I assumed this was a comedy. Knowing that line, I figured it was a film about a Hollywood starlet at the height of her career. I was wrong on both accounts. Sunset Blvd. is a very dark film noir about a struggling writer who is taken in by an eccentric aging actress from the silent era who's career has long passed. It has been one of the most surprising films I have seen yet this year and I mean that in the best way possible. This is a near perfect film. William Holden is the youngest I've ever seen him on screen, encapsulating machismo even in his early days. The real star of this film, though, is Gloria Swanson and Norma Desmond. Swanson was a real silent film star who had faded into radio and television work when Billy Wilder cast her. She plays Desmond with a manic delusional quality that is creepy. I imagine that meeting Michael Jackson would have been very similar to Holden and Swanson's first encounter in the film. The fact that she is sheltered from reality by her "butler" Max, who used to be the director of her films doesn't help her condition. Max is played by Erich Von Stroheim, who was a real life director of some of Swanson's famous silent films. This inspired casting blurs the line between the film and reality, giving it an especially uncomfortable atmosphere. The ending gave me chills, learning the true context of Swanson's famous line. Wilder's film is as close to perfect as I have seen in a long time.

Trivia: Many Hollywood personalities cameoed as themselves in the film, including Cecile De Mille and Buster Keaton.

One of my favorite lines from the movie:  "That's the way a lot of us think about Schwab's drugstore...Kind of a combination office, kaffee klatch and waiting room" I'm sitting at a Starbucks as I write this.

It Happened One Night

1934’s It Happened One Night is one of only 3 films to win Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director, and Best Screenplay Oscars. It’s a story of a wealthy socialite who runs away from her father to meet up with the man she has recently eloped with. On her way, she meets a newspaper man who helps her on her way with the intention of writing a newspaper article about her. They fall in love on the way, both of them fighting it the whole way. The film, directed by Frank Capra, is a classic screwball comedy. The film is successful because of the chemistry between stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Their annoyance with each other is very believable as is their gradual attraction. I was at first annoyed that they didn’t like each other at first. It is so common in romantic comedies for the leads to dislike each other at the beginning and then to begin getting along. The difference here is that they continue to bicker the entire film. Thinking about it, I realized that all couples tend to argue as often as they get along. It’s never out of hate, but out of reluctance for someone to know you so well, they can spot your flaws. This is what I enjoyed the most about the film. It ends happily, but not happily ever after. I imagine Gable and Colbert waking up after their honeymoon and battling over what to have for breakfast. The constant struggle to make both people in a relationship a stronger person is often misinterpreted as being controlling, when it’s usually not meant in that way. Taking that away from the film has made it a richer experience for me. As for the actors, Gable seems a bit uncomfortable in some scenes. This is most likely due to the fact that he isn’t playing the “Clark Gable” type here. His character has flaws not usually associated with him. Overall, though, he appears to be having a good time. Colbert is one of the most beautiful actresses I have ever seen on screen, with the exception of her eyebrows in this film. She never plays her socialite character as spoiled, but instead presents her self as just lacking the experiences that define lower class people as normal. The two’s chemistry is present in spades. My favorite scene in the film involves them competing to see who is the best hitchhiker, Gable with his thumb or Colbert with her leg, which finally wins out. Little competitions like these is something that occurs between me and Kassy often and it’s always surprising to be underestimated or to wrongfully underestimate and learn something new about the other person. The best films allows the viewer to connect with the characters in some way and this was my connection to this film. It’s pretty funny also.
　

　

Movie catch up

I haven’t had internet in a while, so here are quick reviews of the films I have seen since my last post:

Casablanca: This film is arguably the most beloved Best Picture Oscar winner of all time. That played against the film for me because my expectations for the film was huge. It is a good movie, but I do feel as if it is overrated. The cast is great and the set design is amazing, but overall I was under whelmed. Rather than focus on the aspects of the film I was disappointed in, I will focus on what I like in the film. I really enjoyed Claude Rains performance. He has a way of disappearing into a performance (he-he) I also admire the way that the character of Sam is portrayed. Rick treats Sam as an equal and is really his only true friend. It feels like a brave choice for the time. My favorite aspect of the film is the ending. The fact that Humphrey Bogart doesn’t get the girl is what makes this a realistic love story. Like life, there is rarely a happy ending.

Lawrence of Arabia: This is a film, like Casablanca, that is often in the top ten of great movie lists. I also feel that this film is over hyped. It has possibly the greatest production value ever. The sets and costumes and grandiosity of the film is all there. I feel like the movie is lacking heart, however. I never connected to any character emotionally. The closest I came was Peter O’Toole’s debut performance as Lt. Lawrence. He is a man who is brand new to adulthood and searching within for how he will be defined. He is idealistic and knows he has greatness in him. His character arc is the most compelling component of the film. I am disappointed that most of the Arabic characters in the film are played by non-Arabic actors. This film was made about 20 years after Casablanca and somehow manages to be less racially progressive.


Raging Bull: I am not usually a fan of “sports” films, but there is something cinematic about boxing. This is possibly the greatest boxing film, followed by Rocky and Million Dollar Baby. None of these films are about the sport of boxing though. Raging Bull is about a man who is a force of nature and boxing serves as an outlet to release the “raging bull” inside of him. Robert De Niro becomes Jake LaMotta, both losing and gaining weight for the role as a way to fully commit to the role. This level of method acting has since become a bit of a marketing gimmick, but at the time was fresh. Scorsese’s use of black and white is an homage to the time period that the film takes place in and the contrast of that medium and the violence and rawness works perfectly.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Along with The Philadelphia Story, this is my favorite James Stewart role. Jefferson Smith is a character who you immediately root for. Stewart has a way of playing characters as genuine. This film is weirdly both a time capsule of the time and timeless at the same time. In today’s political culture, this comes off as a fantasy almost. Everyone would like to see the political machine taken on and defeated. Jefferson Smith’s patriotic nature is met with cynicism by all of his new colleagues in Washington and he manages to win them over by putting his reputation at risk. Claude Rains again delivers as the senior senator who attempts to use Smith as a pawn for his own interests. This is without a doubt the greatest film about filibustering ever made.

Rear Window: James Stewart stars in this film as a very different character than in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. He plays a man here who is depressed due to an broken leg that restricts him to the confines of his own apartment. He is ungrateful to his girlfriend who brings him dinner and spends her nights attempting to lift his spirit. The film focuses on the week before he gets his cast off and how he passes the time by living vicariously through his neighbors by spying on them with binoculars and creating his own back stories for each of them. The plot takes a turn when he begins to suspect one of his neighbors of murdering of the neighbor’s spouse. Hitchcock does an amazing job of neither confirming or denying Stewart’s suspicion and I found myself wondering if maybe being cooped up had driven Stewart mad. The courtyard set of the film is stunning as each apartment window is it’s own world. This is not Hitch’s greatest film, but it is never dull or lacking.


Stagecoach: Stagecoach is credited as being John Wayne’s breakthrough role. As great as he is, I found myself really enjoying the supporting cast, especially the relationship between Donald Meek’s timid whiskey salesman and Thomas Mitchell’s alcoholic doctor. The plot is great in it simplicity. The characters on the stagecoach are attempting to make it from one city to another in one piece, facing all the dangers that were present in the old west. I love that the film is a character study first and an adventure story second. One of John Ford’s best films.

The Searchers: I was a bit disconnected from this film. I was slightly offended by John Wayne’s racist character and how he is portrayed as the hero of the story. Not my favorite western even though it is often cited as being one of the most important. I will eventually give the film another shot, but until then, this has been one of my least favorite films from the AFI top 100.

Nashville: Robert Altman can film stream of consciousness like no other filmmaker. The Characters of Nashville walk in and out of frame often mid-conversation. It gives a feeling of being a bystander witnessing these people coming and going. The cast is huge, but the style of filming makes Nashville, TN the true star of the film. It captures the collective mind set of the musicians, politicians, and everyday people of Nashville rather than tell a linear story. This film seems to have been inspiration to many new filmmakers, most notably Paul Thomas Anderson in Boogie Nights and Richard Linklatter in Slacker.


Cabaret: Most musicals pre Cabaret were perfectly polished grand spectacles that cast “stars” in elaborate costumes, singing and dancing in over the top sets. Cabaret broke all those rules by presenting a seedy world full of morally ambiguous characters. Even though the film is set during World War II, this is without a doubt a 70’s film. I love that the music in this film is secondary to the story instead of a story being written around huge musical numbers. Liza Minnelli will forever be remembered as Sally Bowles and my only previous exposure to Minnelli was her role as Lucille 2 in Arrested Development and for the reputation of her personal life. She shows vulnerability in a way that I can not tell if she is acting or not. The greatest character of the film is without doubt Joel Grey as the emcee, a role he originated on stage. He serves as not only the emcee of the Kit Kat Klub, but also the film itself. Grey’s performance reminds me of a clown, desperate to make other peoples lives better regardless of the sadness of his own. Cabaret is one of my favorite musicals.


Rebecca: This is the only Alfred Hitchcock film to win an Oscar for Best Picture and it is my favorite Hitchcock film I’ve seen thus far. He is primarily known as a director of horror films, but this is not a scary movie. It does have creepy elements, especially within the gothic feel of Manderley, the De Winter estate. The film is, in my opinion, primarily a love story between Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier and how Fontaine misinterprets Olivier’s character as never having recovered from his previous wife’s demise. When she learns his true feelings and the fact that he is actually in love for the first time, she returns the feelings by standing by him even though she knows that he has murdered his first wife. The cast is wonderful, Olivier being the standout to me. With the exception of The Clash of The Titans, this is the first Olivier film I’ve ever seen.

Chicago: Chicago seems to take many cues from Cabaret, featuring characters who are not typical of a Hollywood musical. It is definitely it’s own film though. Taking place in a time when criminals were often seen as role models by people, It stars Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as rival inmates, both competing for the public’s attention as well as the services of Richard Gere’s showman lawyer. Every character is fleshed out and I love Queen Latifah in particular. The music is very catchy, especially John C. Reilly’s rendition of Mister Cellophane. Moulin Rogue is given most of the credit for reviving the movie musical, but I really feel like Chicago has had an equal or greater role in it’s resurgence.

Around The World In Eighty Days

I’ve just seen my first stinker. Around The World in 80 Days won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1957. After watching this bloated, noisy excuse for a film, I assumed 1957 was just a bad year for film. This isn’t the case. Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza’s wonderful book, The Greatest Movies Ever includes three classic films from 1957: Funny Face, Paths of Glory, and Wild Strawberries. Not surprisingly, Around the World in 80 Days doesn’t make the cut. That same year, Giant was also nominated for Best Picture. Giant is one of my favorite films and is a far superior film by all accounts. How it lost out to this is anyone’s guess, but if I had to make one, I would say that this film won because pretty much everyone in Hollywood makes a cameo appearance. Around the World apparently coined the phrase cameo. The film features guest appearances from Shirley McClaine, Peter Lorre, Red Buttons, Frank Sinatra, Buster Keaton, and Ceasar Romero amongst others. I assume that since everyone that votes for the Oscars had a role in the film, this must be why it won. The film has great production value and was obviously very expensive to make, but the acting is amateurish and the plot is razor thin. My biggest problem with the film is it’s flat out racism. Each country that is visited during the trip around the world depicts the “natives” as broad stereotypes right down to the costumes. It is as if the entire film was shot at Epcot Center. This film was supposedly a comedy, but I laughed exactly one time in the film. The dialogue is paraphrased below:
Fogg: I want you to guard this bag with your life
Servant: I shall treat it as if it is a beautiful woman.
Fogg : (deadpans) Don’t make love to it, just watch it.
Other than that, the film consists of the same scene repeated over and over again against the back drop of a different country. I am really disappointed that I spent what felt like an eternity watching this useless movie. Not even David Niven could save it and he spend most of the film looking appropriately embarrassed.

From Here To Eternity

1953's From Here to Eternity is one of those rare films that shows military life pretty close to how it actually is. It deals with a lot of problems that military members deal with: Drinking, infidelity, being overworked and underappreciated, an absent officer. I was expecting a war movie, but got a much better film instead. It is about the lead up to Pearl Harbor and follows two stories, one about a young private played by Montgomery Clift, a new transfer to his company who is persecuted for not playing politics within his company. His only friend is a trouble maker played by Frank Sinatra in a great supporting role. The other storyline focus's on Clift's 1st Sgt, played by Burt Lancaster, who falls in love with his commanding officer's wife, played by Deborah Kerr and must choose between her and the career he loves just as much as her, if not more. The acting in this movie is amazing and even includes my friend Ernest Borgnine in a small role as an abusive brig warden. All of the main cast were nominated for Oscar's and Sinatra and Donna Reed won them in the supporting categories. The film also swept most of the other awards, including Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Editing, and Screenplay. I even noticed George Reeves in one scene, who is known as the second most famous Reeves to play Superman. This is the film that Pearl Harbor could have been if it wasn't directed by Micheal Bay. I was very impressed with Lancaster and Clifts performances. Lancaster plays Sgt Warden as a soldier that will do anything to take care off his men, something the commanding officer doesn't do. Clift plays Private Pruitt with a naturalistic style that was just catching on at the time. He also looks like Dennis Quiad to me. That's pretty irrelevant though. The movie's iconic scene of Lancaster and Kerr kissing on the beach as waves crash was good, but not even close to the best moment in the film. Check this one out if you get the chance.

A Night At The Opera

After the draining experience of watching Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, I decided a comedy was in order. I chose A Night at The Opera, starring Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx. It is a mad cap film that barely has a plot, but is so fast paced I hardly noticed. Most of the film takes place on a ship ride from Italy to New York, where Groucho is working for a man bringing over a very famous Italian opera singer to debut in New York. Groucho finds three stow a ways in his luggage in the form of Chico, Harpo, and Ricardo, an aspiring Opera singer chasing after the girl. The rest of the film is the four of them plotting to get Ricardo in the Opera while avoiding the cops who are after them. The film is very funny and filled with crazy stunts and non-sequitors through out.This is the first Marx Bros. movie i have seen and they are like The Three Stooges if the Stooges got along. This was also the first film that dies not feature Zeppo Marx, who left the group after their previous film flopped. The dialogue is sharp through out and I was surprised at how many blatant sexual references and jokes were made for a film released in 1935. That is one of the things I am learning with this project. I had always imagined old movies being boring, stuffy, or chaste. The are actually just as Risque as movies today, some even more so. I feel very lucky to be discovering all of these classics.