What to see this weekend: Water for Elephants

This book was awesome...so I'm very excited to see the movie this weekend!

What to see this weekend: Win Win

Film Review: Potiche

This French farce has everything I've wanted to see in a comedy for quite sometime and haven't. Set in a small town in 1970s France, the film follows Catherine Deneuve who plays the Potiche or trophy wife of a successful backwards minded businessman. Based on the play of the same name, this delightful comedy is beautifully directed by Francois Ozon. The movie also stars Gerard Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac and Green Card) and Fabrice Luchini. The film opens in limited theaters on Friday.

What to see this weekend: Jane Eyre

The newest film adaptation of this classic novel by Charlotte Bronte stars Mia Wasikowska (The Kids Are All Right, Alice in Wonderland) as the titled heroine. I'm a sucker for period pieces and if you are too, you don't want to pass up on this new Focus Features gem. Click here for the official trailer.

What to see this weekend:Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Since I'm spoiled and live in a city where even the most obscure of the indie films is screened for the public, I have to recommend this intriguing film set in Thailand about a man who can recall his past lives. Winner of The Spirit Award's Best Foreign Film prize, this is playing all weekend at the Film Forum-209 West Houston.

Woody Allen takes on Paris

It could only be a matter a time of course. Mr. Allen who is famous for his New York City based films, slowly spread his wings and flew across the pond to Europe to tackle on neurosis overseas. With films like Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger he has slowly begun to explore the potential for Americans to have their misadventures abroad. So it seems to be with his next film Midnight in Paris. The film is a romantic comedy about a family traveling to Paris on a business trip. In the family party is a young engaged couple played by Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. No this is not a follow up to Wedding Crashers- but hopefully it will bring about equal laughs.

Other than an elegant backdrop the film also sports a strong supporting cast, including Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody and Kathy Bates. Of course Carla Bruni is also in it...since she is the first lady of France, would Woody have it any other way? Interestingly enough this lacks a past muse in the picture, but perhaps he has moved on and has set his sights on McAdams for that. Either way, I'm excited for this film to come out in late Spring.

What to see this weekend: A Good Man

This documentary comedy tells the story of an Australian farmer who decides to open a brothel to support his growing family which includes his quadriplegic wife. This doc has been making its way throughout film festivals in Australia and is now playing in NYC, Feb 25- March 3 at Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street.

The Best Perfomance(s) of the Year!

While all of the on screen individuals share very little in common with each other, their off screen counterparts have one thing definitely in common: they're great actors.

Actor in a Leading Role Nominees

• Javier Bardem
• Jeff Bridges
• Jesse Eisenberg
• Colin Firth
• James Franco

My Pick: Colin Firth

Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees

• Christian Bale
• John Hawkes
• Jeremy Renner
• Mark Ruffalo
• Geoffrey Rush

My Pick: Geoffrey Rush

Actress in a Leading Role Nominees

• Annette Bening
• Nicole Kidman
• Jennifer Lawrence
• Natalie Portman
• Michelle Williams

My Pick: Natalie Portman

Actress in a Supporting Role Nominees

• Amy Adams
• Helena Bonham Carter
• Melissa Leo
• Hailee Steinfeld
• Jacki Weaver

My Pick: Hailee Steinfeld

And the Oscar goes to...

I have to acknowledge that it has taken me awhile to start writing here again, but I think I can safely say after completing some timely tasks I am back with force. I was a little underwhelmed with the films that came out in 2010, but will also say that a handful of very good work did come out this year. As the 2011 Oscars approach, I find myself reflecting on the categories and their potential new winners. So lets countdown until Sunday with some picks!

Best Picture Nominees:

• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King's Speech
• 127 Hours
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit
• Winter's Bone

My Prediction: The King's Speech

In all fairness to Winter's Bone I did not see it and if the Oscars are anything like the Grammy's perhaps all bets are off on guessing a winner. If we're trying to predict the Academy's vote however, I think The King's Speech will take Best Picture. A quick rundown on why I don't think the other films will or should not win:

Black Swan- Great performance by Natalie Portman, but compared to the other films on the list, this picture does not seem strong enough to take it. I will always have a soft spot for Vincent Cassel though.

The Fighter-Another good "performance" film. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo propel this film to another level in my opinion. I think their performances should be celebrated, but the overall production will unlikely be victorious on Sunday.

Inception & The Kids Are All Right: Audience movies. My comment is that if the category were not extended to have so many seats, these two would not have made the cut. Worth watching...doubtful either will win.

The King's Speech: This film screams oscar bait. With due respect however- acting was great, writing was amazing and directing was above par. The producers here knew what they wanted, how they wanted it and seemed to get all the pieces of the puzzle to come together and click.

127 Hours: I think this one does have a chance. Good acting, story and directing are all there. I just don't know if it will be the favorite- my gut still goes with the above.

The Social Network: Am I the only person in the world that did not think this movie was that good? Perhaps. Mediocre for me. Jesse Eisenberg does a great Mark Zuckerberg, but can someone explain to me why Rashida Jones is even in the film? Her character serves very little purpose. Sorry fans of this film- sure its with the times but I just don't feel like I ever need to see it again.

Toy Story 3: I would applaud for this to win- although I have not seen it, so I cannot cast my vote. I have only heard good things about this film, but I sense a discrimination against animation in the Academy and don't know if we've progressed to an age where this will come out as the winner.

True Grit: Amazing, amazing, amazing! Will it win? It is deserving, but I think it is at battle with King's Speech and something tells me Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are going to win the Academy over with their banter in the end.

Tomorrow's analysis: Best Actor & Actress in a Leading Role.

Movie Review: Never Let Me Go

When I saw that this film starred two of my favorite actresses, Keira Knightley (Atonement)and Carey Mulligan (An Education), I knew I could not pass it up and with respects to the acting this was true. Exceptional performances were given by Knightley and Mulligan who play Ruth and Kathy; two young women born into inescapably frightening circumstances. Andrew Garfield (Boy A) who completes the top billing for the film gives his own gravity to it with his character Tommy. Particularly intriguing however are the wonderful performances by the child actors who play the young Ruth, Kathy, and Tommy, with the most being the young Kathy played by Izzy Meikle-Small.

While giving a big applause to the acting in the film, the story line and script leave the audience with a sense that something is missing. That something? I'll have to read the book first to really know. The film is based on the novel by the same title, published in 2005 and in the same year winning the award "Best Novel" by Time Magazine. The story also has an amazing hook...
It is approximately mid-1950s and scientists and doctors have made great leaps in the field of medicine. Organ transplants are now seamlessly completed, leaving people to exceptionally long life expectancies and a high need for healthy organ donations. The film opens in Britain at a boarding school where children (assumed to be orphans) are bred to be the aforementioned organ donors when they reach their full growth period (late twenties). The three main characters Ruth, Tommy and Kathy are pulled together by friendship, jealousy and ultimately love as they come to terms with their perilous inevitable fate.

It is true that I recommend renting this film when it is available. The final scene in itself makes the whole movie worth watching. But I did leave feeling slightly robbed of something that could have been far more powerful, had there been stronger screenwrighting for the talented cast to use.

Comedy on the radar; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead

This is one is so ridiculously ridiculous it needs no intro or explanation! Checkout the trailer below...the film comes out in select cities on Friday.

Movie Review: Happythankyoumoreplease

You might recognize Josh Radnor from tv's How I Met Your Mother but the screenwriter/director in him has made its debut in the upcoming movie Happythankyoumoreplease. I saw a screening of the film at the GenArt Film Festival occurring over the next week here in New York and was overwhelmingly pleased with the entire evening's film presentations.

In Happythankyoumoreplease you're introduced to the character of Sam Wexler, played by Radnor, who although thinks himself to be a good guy, is slightly selfish outside of his immediate circle of friends. This all changes when Sam meets a young child who is separated from his foster care family on the subway. The film also highlights the lives of Sam's friends who bring alot of layers and poignancy to the storyline. Also starring in the film are Malin Akerman (Watchmen, Couples Retreat), Zoe Kazan (Revolutionary Road, It's Complicated), and Kate Mara (Entourage, Iron Man 2).

Check out an interview with Radnor below from the Sundance Film Festival where the film premiered and acquired distribution and a limited release date of August 27th. This is definitely a New Yorker's movie, as it was shot here, mostly in the downtown areas all in a matter of 5 weeks!

Movie to checkout: Bluebeard

Bluebeard (Barbe Bleue) originially premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival last February and is slowly making its way around the globe. The film, which is directed by Catherine Breillat, takes an intrigueing and dark twist on the classic children's tale. It centers around a rich tyrannic lord who has a habit of making his young wives dissapear. When his newest acquired spouse realizes his habits she must outsmart him to save her skin. No word on regular releases and such but it's saved in my Netflix queue nonetheless. Check out the trailer below:

Anticipated movie: Breaking Upwards

Back from my mini hiatus and ready to continue the updates! A movie that I am excited to catch when it comes to NY is Breaking Upwards which opens in limited release throughout the US tomorrow. The film follows a real life couple in a fictional narrative loosely based on their real life relationship. When monogamy becomes too mundane, the couple decides to try being in an open relationship to spice things up. The trailer definitely peaked my interests and it was shot all around the city, making it a must see for all New Yorkers!

What to see this weekend: Prodigal Sons

Director Kimberly Reed brings you a documentary on her life and relationship with her older brother as they reunite after ten years of estrangement and re-conciliate their brotherly rivalry. After having grown up a man Reed is now a female filmmaker...Marc grew up a man but not a very fortunate one in terms of luck, until his whole perspective on life changes when he learns that his birth parents were Orson Wells and Rita Hayworth.

What to watch...

The Red Riding Trilogy screened at the Telluride and New York film festivals and opened in New York on February 5 at the IFC Center. There is a national release also following but if watching a three part film over the course of five hours is not something you can stomache than watch it on IFC channel's video on demand.

Described by Apple Movie Trailers as "a mesmerizing neo-noir epic based on factual events and adapted for the screen by Tony Grisoni (FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS) from David Peace’s electrifying series of novels revolving around the manhunt for the “Yorkshire Ripper,” a serial killer who terrorized northwest England in the 1970s and ’80s. The three films are directed by three notable filmmakers—Julian Jarrold (BRIDESHEAD REVISITED), James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE) and Anand Tucker (SHOPGIRL)."

Check out the trailers below & make sure to catch the trilogy in theaters or on demand:

Movie Review: Crazy Heart

After watching the film Crazy Heart it is very apparent why Jeff Bridges walked away with Best Actor in a Drama at this weekend's Golden Globes. He appears on the screen as his character Bad Blake and you have no recollection of his past roles, successes and failures (Big Lebowski and Men Who Stare at Goats). Bad is the kind of character that leaves the audience with sadness and hope. Watching Bridges continue to lose himself in a tumbleweed way of life which primarily revolves around an abuse of whiskey, cigarettes, and a lot of women is painful and brings to mind Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Maggie Gyllenhaal also gives a beautiful, honest performance as a young mother who begins to care deeply for Bad despite their significance age difference. Ultimately what draws the audience in and makes the film a powerful one is the honesty and rawness of humanity. The complexities which encase each of us and show that we are composed of beautiful melodies as well harsh, deafening, ugly noise.

An area where the film fell short is in the embracing of Bad's past. It touches upon his years of success very quickly and sporadically but does not really open up; perhaps the reason for this is that Bad himself has been living a majority of his life in a blur. Also the rehabilitation of Bad happens so quickly that if you left for a bathroom break you would have completely missed his transformation from degenerate, washed up country artist to dignified song writing legend. In contrast to the slow bloom of the beginning of the film, the end comes crashing quite quickly, which I thought to be a little of a disappointment.

The reasons to not miss Crazy Heart fall mostly in the performances and the soundtrack which is beautiful and sad at the same time and works well throughout the storyline; and if folksy/country music is not something that appeals to you, the vast, majestic scenery of the southwest that soaks the background of much of the film will surely take your breath away.

2010 Golden Globe Winners

The 2010 Golden Globes were a bit of a disappointment for me in terms of who won and who walked away empty handed. Albeit a pretty funny bit by Gervais and a nice ovation to Scorsese, the winners and their speeches were not in my favor. Yes, yes Avatar had amazing special affects and has been in the works so long that James Cameron definitely deserved to be recognized, but I would not have chosen it for picture of the year, and I would definitely not have given him best director which should have gone to Kathryn Bigelow for Hurt Locker. I also would have picked Carey Mulligan for best actress for her amazing performance in An Education and although I would have given it to Morgan Freeman before, after having watched Crazy Heart Jeff Bridges definitely earned his statue.

Overall just like the actual event, I thought the ceremony was a bit of a wash out. One of those televised events that is wonderful while watching and leaves a bad taste in your mouth after the results have come out...and now I see why Gervais was slowly putting away the pints while hosting.

For a full list of winners click here.

Movie Review: Book of Eli

The Book of Eli, which stars Denzel Washington, as a tote bearing "Odysseus" on a quest to go West in a post apocalyptic United States wasteland is not your everyday run of the mill end of days film. Directed by the Hughes brothers, the film lures in the audience from the opening scene with each carefully crafted situation encountered, the desperation and dilapidation of society unfolds. Washington gives an amazing performance as a traveler who is on a mission to bring his book to its home in an unknown western town, on the way he encounters different obstacles which bring his character to the ultimate revelation and binds the film's ending.

Mila Kunis and Gary Oldman also bring an exceptional edge to their roles. The former as Solara, a young woman who seeks more from her destroyed surroundings and reaches out to Washington as he inspires her to realize there is hope for the world; and the latter, a treacherous mayor of a collapsed ghost town in the deserts of the west.

Book of Eli takes its time to unfold, the timing of the picture I found to be especially effective in terms of laying out the absence of structure and time in the world portrayed. The deadened future has no calendar, days blend into cold nights, which run until a blistering sun provides no cheer just blistering heat and another day of bleakness. The cinematography brings to mind the same scarcity of resources that were also apparent in There Will Be Blood. I thought the grayness in the picture really struck a note well to relay a hellish existence where the simple things once taken for granted are now things worth dying over and how happiness is not something the living beings know much about. The metaphorical symbolism in the film is also something to look out for and is extremely well done.

So definitely go see it...and not just once! If you haven't seen it already, check out the trailer below:

Movie Review: A Young Victoria

A Young Victoria stars Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria, England's longest reigning monarch. The film follows the young Queen in the very early years of her reign as she takes the throne, faces much adversity due to her youth, and also learns many hard lessons from those trying to manipulate her and her power. The film also stars Rupert Friend as Prince Albert and Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne. The film which was written by Julian Fellowes, writer of Gosford Park and Vanity Fair, is as well done as any period piece. Save for a few awkward cut away scenes, the film carries the audience with it at a nice pace. The short fall of it all is a lack of a major occurrance. The swells and breaks are minor, with no significant shocks, common in many films that pride themselves in historical accuracy.

The reasons to see this film are to take in the magnificent costumes done by Sandy Powell, oscar winning costume designer of Shakespeare in Love and Gangs of New York. Also Emily Blunt's performance is captivating and landed her the Golden Globe nomination, although I do not think it strong enough to take the win amongst her other contenders.

The film is out today in limited release throughout the United States. Checkout the trailer below as well as an interview with Emily Blunt & Rupert Friend by CBCtv: