[REVIEWS] Films: Oscars Watch

I'm making a last-minute dash to try to see as many Oscar-nominated movies before the ceremony tonight. ...Yeah, I waited a little too long. OH WELL. I'll see how far I can get, anyway.





Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

John Le Carré's classic thriller of Cold War espionage follows an English spy as he returns to MI-6 under a cloud of suspicion. In the years since he was sacked by the agency, some suspect he's become an operative for the Soviet Union.


I don't know if I can give much of a review of this movie. I'm a little biased. I thought it was basically perfect. I mean ... come on. THAT CAST. Despite the high rating it gets from me, it's not one I'd recommend to just anyone. I can see why American audiences and critics weren't as enthusiastic about it as British ones. It's very ... subtle. The writing, the acting, everything. Spy movies are supposed to be full of action and intrigue, right? Well, this one's got intrigue and a half, but not much in the way of action. This is not a Michael Bay film, kiddies. [Rating: 4.5 stars]



Hugo (2011)

When his father dies, 12-year-old orphan Hugo takes up residence behind the walls of a Parisian train station. There, he meets Isabelle, the daughter of filmmaker Georges Méliès, who holds the key to Hugo's destiny.


I wasn't too sure of this movie at first. I'd had pretty high expectations for it to begin with, and then everyone whose opinions of movies I take into serious consideration said it was absolutely amazing. With that in mind, Hugo was almost sure to fall short for me. It did start off somewhat shakily; I wasn't immediately sold. But by the end I was so thoroughly charmed that I couldn't remember exactly what I didn't adore about the beginning; I had only a vague memory of feeling slightly disappointed. ...The café owner's dachshund was my favorite character. But I kind of adored Isabelle, too. [Rating: 4 stars]



The Tree of Life (2011)

Brad Pitt and Sean Penn star in Terrence Malick's 1950s adventure about a confused man named Jack, who sets off on a journey to understand the true nature of the world. Growing up in the Midwest with two brothers, Jack has always been torn between his mother's guidance to approach everything he encounters with an open heart and his father's advice to look after his own interests. Now, Jack must find a way to regain purpose and perspective.


Everyone I know who's seen this movie either loved it or hated it. I think I'm the first person I know who had a "meh" reaction to it. Have you ever seen/heard an opera in its original language without familiarizing yourself with the story first? That's how I felt through a great deal of this movie. I didn't dislike it, and I was aware that I was watching something quite lovely, but I didn't exactly understand and couldn't connect emotionally at all. It felt to me as if about three movies were trying to be made and if they were separated I would have really liked at least two of them, but smooshed together as they were, they just confused me a little bit. [Rating: 3 stars]



The Artist (2011)

This modern-day silent film artfully recounts the poignant end of the silent-movie era in the late 1920s. The story contrasts the declining fortunes of a silent-screen superstar with his lover's rise to popularity as a darling of the "talkies."


So boring. It took me three tries to get through this one. I didn't even like the dog that much, and he was the second best thing about the movie. (The best thing was Bérénice Bejo's smile.) I wish I'd given this a miss and watched Singin' in the Rain and Chaplin instead. [Rating: 2 stars]



Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

Believing that his father left him a message before dying in the September 11 attacks, young Oskar Schell embarks on an emotional odyssey through New York City to find the lock that matches a key he found among his father's belongings.


This movie had a great cast who gave incredible performances. I was especially fond of Thomas Horn and Max von Sydow, but it's really worth noting that this is one of Tom Hanks' few films where I actually liked him. Usually he just annoys the hell out of me. Despite the fact that I enjoyed the actors and several of the characters, I still didn't like the movie overall. I found it pretentious, sentimental in an unpleasant way, and emotionally manipulative. [Rating: 2.5 stars]

[REVIEWS] Films: Oscars Watch

And with this, I'm as ready as I'll ever be for the Oscars. Bring it on! \o/





Midnight in Paris (2011)

In this charming romantic comedy, legendary director Woody Allen focuses his lens on an engaged young couple whose experiences traveling together in Paris make them begin to question the kind of life they want to live.


Somewhere in Hell, winged pigs are having mid-air snowball fights. I liked a Woody Allen film. I'm sure at least a little part of it was the fact that I was expecting to despise it, so my expectations were extremely low, but ... I dunno. I really liked this. I also went into it with only the most basic knowledge of what it was about. The summary above was the most detailed thing I'd read/heard about the plot. Nobody told me about the fantasy element, which I found completely and utterly charming. I think it also helped that the cast was fantastic and did not actually include Woody Allen. (Although it's pretty clear that Woody Allen would have played the Owen Wilson part if he'd made this film two or three decades earlier.) Seriously, though, I am generally not a fan of romantic comedies, and I usually hate Woody Allen, and I still really loved this. So I recommend it to pretty much anyone. [Rating: 4 stars]



The Descendants (2011)

When his wife is killed in a Waikiki boating accident, distant father Matt King (George Clooney) begins an iffy journey to repair his fractured relationship with his two daughters. But he's also trying to decide whether to let go of some valuable family real estate. Judy Greer, Beau Bridges and Matthew Lillard co-star in this tragic-comic tale of legacy and unexpected loss based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings.


Overall, I thought this movie was boring crap, which is what I was expecting. But George Clooney can render almost anything tolerable, so I wound up liking it more than I thought I would. I can't imagine ever seeking it out again myself, but if someone else wanted to watch it with me, I wouldn't be extremely opposed. And I did think Judy Greer was quite good. I feel that should be mentioned. ♥ [Rating: 3 stars]



The Help (2011)

In 1960s Jackson, Miss., aspiring writer Eugenia Phelan crosses taboo racial lines by conversing with Aibileen Clark about her life as a housekeeper, and their ensuing friendship upsets the fragile dynamic between the haves and the have-nots. When other long-silent black servants begin opening up to Eugenia, the disapproving conservative Southern town soon gets swept up in the turbulence of changing times.


There is so much that can be said about this movie and so much of it is negative. But I'm not going to talk about the negative things. If you don't know or can't figure out what might be problematic about a movie like The Help, google it. I'm sure you can easily find someone ranting about it much more eloquently than I could. Instead, I'm going to talk about why I gave a movie I didn't really like three stars. It mainly comes down to two things: Viola Davis deserves ALL THE AWARDS. And Sissy Spacek was brilliant. I mean, Allison Janney was in this film, and Sissy Spacek still managed to be my favorite. That's saying something. [Rating: 3 stars]



War Horse (2011)

Adapted from a novel by Michael Morpurgo, this majestic World War I drama centers on Devon lad Albert and his steadfast horse, Joey, whose faithful bond cannot be shaken -- even when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent off to France.

I'm generally not a Spielberg fan. But ... guys, I really love horses. I think I could have watched this movie with the sound off and been entertained by it. Actually, I might even have liked it better. I was quite impressed visually but I didn't really connect with any of the human characters (though I was very fond of Tom Hiddleston's character), so it felt like a less heartwarming rehash of Black Beauty. Only the horse was a war horse, rather than a cart horse. So if you like pretty movies or war movies or horses or anybody in the cast, I'd recommend this. If you want something new and are familiar with Black Beauty, give it a miss. [Rating: 3.5 stars]



Moneyball (2011)

An all-star cast brings to life the true story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), a former jock turned general manager who uses unconventional methods to bring the best players to the Oakland A's, a major league baseball team struggling against financial hardship.


Moneyball. It's a baseball movie. If you don't like baseball movies, you probably won't like it. If you do like baseball movies ... you might like this one. I didn't think there was anything too special about it (except I've never liked Jonah Hill before and thought he/his character was adorable in this) but there wasn't anything wrong with it, either, and I like baseball, so ... it worked for me. Your mileage may vary. (How's that for an enthusiastic endorsement? -_-) [Rating: 3 stars]