scene

Up in the Air' Lifts Audience with Comedy, Drama, Romance

By The Observer · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

Due to the recent troubles in the economy, many people turn to movies as a form of escape from their problems. Travels to far-off lands, action-packed sequences and passionate romances fill the screen, taking the audience on a journey out of their lives.

Top 50 Films of the Decade: Part Four

By The Observer · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

20. The Return (2004) A deliberately paced masterful allegory that defines simplicity, and for that reason alone it works. The pacing of this Russian language film, the best from that nation this decade, is eerie in a way rarely seen in the medium, and the acting, of those meant to be scared, coupled with those doing the scaring, is enough to send cool shivers down the spine throughout the film's runtime. 19. Once (2007) Folk singers/songwriters and first time actors Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova share the same screen in the most touching love story to grace the silver screen in quite some time. The music will grab you and never let you go, for Hansard sings as though he's exposing his bare soul to the world in the form of words wrought with the kind of emotional power that can only be evoked by someone truly, and I stress the word "truly," in love. His music, so naked and bare, are love songs in the truest sense. And that is the overriding triumph here—the connection between these two and the rawness that Hansard brings to the role as a man, we assume, who has felt the real thing, that rare thing, the one dreams are made of and the one that in the end may only happen "Once," if ever. 18. Waltz With Bashir (2008) A paradox of a film, this animated documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the 1980's is a marvel in every sense of the word. It will at once tug and tear at your insides forcing you to want to look away in anguish, only to fail because the animation draws you in and doesn't let you escape its otherworldly allure. 17. Antichrist (2009) Costars Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe give their entire selves and then some unto director Lars von Trier's bare-as-bones, uncompromisingly bleak view of human nature. The self-proclaimed "best director in the world" admitted to having suffered from chronic depression during the filming of the movie, and the film undoubtedly benefits from it, as it crosses into rare territory of being truly affecting art. Art that at once will terrify his audience, abandon it, but ultimately, attest to the true visceral power of film, and its ability to not only unnerve but to leave permanent scars. 16. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) Touching on everything from Thomas Hobbes to the relationship between music and nature, Bela Tarr's unapproachable but unforgettable philosophical drama is one of the greatest hidden gems of the decade. It feels like a classic even as you watch it for the first time, and despite the difficulty in discerning the film's meaning, or even its plot really, it's a few heart-stopping moments, shots suspended in time and washed in nearly unequaled grace that make this film truly worth the trip. 15. Borat (2006) Call it what you will—crude, distasteful, offensive, downright disgusting—but for all of the naked wrestling and drunken Pamela Anderson-ogling, Sacha Baron Cohen's exercise in social criticism veiled as a comedy is pure brilliance. Whether that brilliance was intentional or just stumbled upon is the big question, but to paint a picture of what Cohen has managed to do here, the Soviet Union exhausted billions of dollars and countless resources in an effort to paint America as a stupid, racist, hypocritical farce of a country, but failed. In two hours of relentless stupidity that'll have you literally crying from laughter, Sacha Baron Cohen has succeeded at what a once superpower could not. 14. The Lives of Others (2006) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck not only impresses, but amazes with his first feature length film. It stole the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar from right under "Pan's Labyrinth's" nose and rightfully so, as this story of a couple under the surveillance of the Stasi during the final hours of East Germany's existence is a pitch-perfect thriller that at once will bring you aback and hate its main character, the Stasi man tasked with the surveillance (Ulrich Muhe in a perfect, and I mean perfect, performance), and then feel for him, and instead hate the system as he begins to turn against it. 13. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) The lavish and oftentimes unruly Jean-Dominique Bauby, former editor-in-chief of French "Elle," is the subject of Julian Schnabel's aesthetically wonderful, masterfully shot film about the late editor's life after being diagnosed with "locked-in" syndrome. Paralyzed from head-to-toe by a stroke and able only to use one eye, Bauby underwent a tremendous journey of self-discovery and overcame his condition to the point that he dictated an entire book that shares the title of this film. He was a truly inspiring person and through his one eye, we see the world from his perspective, unable to go our own way or do anything but blink and stare, but through that one eye, we see a world filled with breathtaking beauty. 12. The Wrestler (2008) An awe-inspiring Tour de Force of a film, Darren Aronofsky's masterpiece is so deeply penetrating, that it becomes a sort of beautiful requiem. Mickey Rourke's performance as an over-the-hill wrestler trying to hold onto the false hope that he can mount a comeback is iconic at the least and deserves placement alongside the great screen performances of all time. 11. Memento (2000) A supremely crafted get-in-your-head-and-stay-there psychological thriller with a killer twist to boot, Christopher Nolan's most critically celebrated film is audacious in everything from its structure to its gritty pacing. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff that ranks up there with the most meticulous films of our time, or any time for that matter. Really, it's nothing short of a truly captivating and mentally stimulating experience, and a rare one at that, because unlike most films of its ilk, it manages to completely tie together every loose end with painstaking precision.

Top 50 Films of the Decade: Part Four

By The Observer · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

20. The Return (2004) A deliberately paced masterful allegory that defines simplicity, and for that reason alone it works. The pacing of this Russian language film, the best from that nation this decade, is eerie in a way rarely seen in the medium, and the acting, of those meant to be scared, coupled with those doing the scaring, is enough to send cool shivers down the spine throughout the film's runtime. 19. Once (2007) Folk singers/songwriters and first time actors Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova share the same screen in the most touching love story to grace the silver screen in quite some time. The music will grab you and never let you go, for Hansard sings as though he's exposing his bare soul to the world in the form of words wrought with the kind of emotional power that can only be evoked by someone truly, and I stress the word "truly," in love. His music, so naked and bare, are love songs in the truest sense. And that is the overriding triumph here—the connection between these two and the rawness that Hansard brings to the role as a man, we assume, who has felt the real thing, that rare thing, the one dreams are made of and the one that in the end may only happen "Once," if ever. 18. Waltz With Bashir (2008) A paradox of a film, this animated documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the 1980's is a marvel in every sense of the word. It will at once tug and tear at your insides forcing you to want to look away in anguish, only to fail because the animation draws you in and doesn't let you escape its otherworldly allure. 17. Antichrist (2009) Costars Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe give their entire selves and then some unto director Lars von Trier's bare-as-bones, uncompromisingly bleak view of human nature. The self-proclaimed "best director in the world" admitted to having suffered from chronic depression during the filming of the movie, and the film undoubtedly benefits from it, as it crosses into rare territory of being truly affecting art. Art that at once will terrify his audience, abandon it, but ultimately, attest to the true visceral power of film, and its ability to not only unnerve but to leave permanent scars. 16. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) Touching on everything from Thomas Hobbes to the relationship between music and nature, Bela Tarr's unapproachable but unforgettable philosophical drama is one of the greatest hidden gems of the decade. It feels like a classic even as you watch it for the first time, and despite the difficulty in discerning the film's meaning, or even its plot really, it's a few heart-stopping moments, shots suspended in time and washed in nearly unequaled grace that make this film truly worth the trip. 15. Borat (2006) Call it what you will—crude, distasteful, offensive, downright disgusting—but for all of the naked wrestling and drunken Pamela Anderson-ogling, Sacha Baron Cohen's exercise in social criticism veiled as a comedy is pure brilliance. Whether that brilliance was intentional or just stumbled upon is the big question, but to paint a picture of what Cohen has managed to do here, the Soviet Union exhausted billions of dollars and countless resources in an effort to paint America as a stupid, racist, hypocritical farce of a country, but failed. In two hours of relentless stupidity that'll have you literally crying from laughter, Sacha Baron Cohen has succeeded at what a once superpower could not. 14. The Lives of Others (2006) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck not only impresses, but amazes with his first feature length film. It stole the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar from right under "Pan's Labyrinth's" nose and rightfully so, as this story of a couple under the surveillance of the Stasi during the final hours of East Germany's existence is a pitch-perfect thriller that at once will bring you aback and hate its main character, the Stasi man tasked with the surveillance (Ulrich Muhe in a perfect, and I mean perfect, performance), and then feel for him, and instead hate the system as he begins to turn against it. 13. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) The lavish and oftentimes unruly Jean-Dominique Bauby, former editor-in-chief of French "Elle," is the subject of Julian Schnabel's aesthetically wonderful, masterfully shot film about the late editor's life after being diagnosed with "locked-in" syndrome. Paralyzed from head-to-toe by a stroke and able only to use one eye, Bauby underwent a tremendous journey of self-discovery and overcame his condition to the point that he dictated an entire book that shares the title of this film. He was a truly inspiring person and through his one eye, we see the world from his perspective, unable to go our own way or do anything but blink and stare, but through that one eye, we see a world filled with breathtaking beauty. 12. The Wrestler (2008) An awe-inspiring Tour de Force of a film, Darren Aronofsky's masterpiece is so deeply penetrating, that it becomes a sort of beautiful requiem. Mickey Rourke's performance as an over-the-hill wrestler trying to hold onto the false hope that he can mount a comeback is iconic at the least and deserves placement alongside the great screen performances of all time. 11. Memento (2000) A supremely crafted get-in-your-head-and-stay-there psychological thriller with a killer twist to boot, Christopher Nolan's most critically celebrated film is audacious in everything from its structure to its gritty pacing. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff that ranks up there with the most meticulous films of our time, or any time for that matter. Really, it's nothing short of a truly captivating and mentally stimulating experience, and a rare one at that, because unlike most films of its ilk, it manages to completely tie together every loose end with painstaking precision.

An 'Epic' That Doesn't Quite Make the Cut

By The Observer · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

I could gush over the special effects and write all starry-eyed about the mesmerizing world that is James Cameron's stunningly rendered, decade-in-the-making brainchild, "Avatar." I could do that and almost coincidentally forget all about the film's overly clichéd plot, rather overlong runtime and amateurishly blatant attempt at social commentary. But I won't. Because while Cameron's latest epic is groundbreaking in an aesthetic sense, it falls short of the lofty bar it sets for itself in nearly every other way. I'm not going to rain on the "Avatar" parade, which has seemingly gone on without an end in sight for many a month now, by trashing the film, because frankly, I have a nice spot reserved for it in this year's top 10 list. That being said, and I don't think that this should shock or even so much as surprise anyone, "Avatar" is no "Titanic." Yes, "Avatar" is "epic" in scale and in a purely visual sense, but at the same time, the word "epic" and all of the connotations it carries is something I'm unwilling to attach to this film. Light years away from Earth, the film is set on Pandora, a life-harboring planet where an all-powerful corporation is mining an extremely valuable mineral that is being used as the solution to Earth's energy crisis. For numerous reasons, the company has created the Avatar program, where genetically engineered copies of the natives are used as surrogates for human scientists and military men alike. Jake Sully, a once dedicated marine bound to a wheelchair for life, is sent with a team of scientists and secretly tasked with the all-important mission of infiltrating the native Na'vi and gaining their trust so that the company can move in and exploit the land for the abundance of minerals located right on the native's land. Able to not only gain their trust but also become one of the Na'vi, Jake collaborates with the evil, shoot-first-ask-questions-later military, only to later grow an affection and close attachment to the Na'vi and the land. Faced with the decision of protecting the interests of his employer and the only thing he has ever known, the military, and siding with the helpless Na'vi and his newfound love, Neytiri, the princess of the Na'vi, Jake follows his heart and decides to fight against the tyranny of the company and side with the Na'vi. That's the basic summary, so sitting in the theater, 3-D glasses on, and popcorn at hand, I couldn't for the life of me shrug off the feeling that I had seen "Avatar" before — or at least that I had seen "Avatar's" plotline before. That's because "Avatar" is, and I know that some will cringe and feel umbrage when reading this, a generic film if there ever was one. It's a cliché love story, as are about 90 percent of love stories, and the only reason why that stands out here is because it's Cameron at the helm of this project, and as the director of "Titanic," he is and rightfully should be held up to a higher standard than most directors. It's a shame too, because the single greatest flaw holding back "Avatar" from being a truly amazing film is the unavoidable fact that anyone with 10 brain cells can map out the film's story from beginning to end 30 seconds into the previews. Cameron's name being inescapably attached to the film as though it's a part of the title, one can't help to compare "Avatar," his latest film, to "Titanic," his greatest film. Both being love stories with enormous budgets that have achieved not only commercial but critical success, the two films are inherently similar but inevitably different. That difference being that for all of "Avatar's" flash and special effects, "Titanic" and all of it's passionately shot, and unforgettable still images such as the hitting of the iceberg and most famously, the image of Rose at the head of the ship, arms wide open, is what makes "Titanic" superior to "Avatar" even in an aesthetic sense. And then there's the failure that is "Avatar's" pitiful attempt at saying, "Hey everybody, we exploit not only other cultures but the environment for our own betterment, and that's bad." Actually, add an exclamation point or maybe five after that quote, and then repeat it about 10 times, wait a few minutes, and then start the process all over again and you'll have "Avatar" minus the special effects and the cast. Only — and really try to do this — try to make it subtle as best you can, but at the same time, subconsciously be as obvious and repetitive about it as possible. Then you'll truly be "Avatar" as a social commentary. So for every one of the film's successes that inspires ogling and jaw-dropping, there are about five failures that have the exact opposite effect. Usually, that makes for a terrible film, but in the rare case that is "Avatar," what's left is still an attractive experience at the movies that is what very few films are: memorable.

Firth Turns in a Stunning Performance in 'A Single Man'

By The Observer · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

Beautifully crafted, fashion designer-turned-movie director Tom Ford's "A Single Man," based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood and starring Colin Firth, is a stunning story and a tribute to Ford's eye as a director. The film features Firth as George, an English professor living in 1962 Los Angeles, going through one single day, Nov. 30. George has recently suffered the loss of his partner of 16 years, Jim ("Leap Year's" Matthew Goode), in a car accident and plans to kill himself on this day. What follows is a haunting story of one man, searching for meaning and purpose through a few chance encounters, faced with the ultimate decision: whether to live or die.

Firth Turns in a Stunning Performance in 'A Single Man'

By The Observer · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

Beautifully crafted, fashion designer-turned-movie director Tom Ford's "A Single Man," based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood and starring Colin Firth, is a stunning story and a tribute to Ford's eye as a director. The film features Firth as George, an English professor living in 1962 Los Angeles, going through one single day, Nov. 30. George has recently suffered the loss of his partner of 16 years, Jim ("Leap Year's" Matthew Goode), in a car accident and plans to kill himself on this day. What follows is a haunting story of one man, searching for meaning and purpose through a few chance encounters, faced with the ultimate decision: whether to live or die.

An 'Epic' That Doesn't Quite Make the Cut

By The Observer · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

I could gush over the special effects and write all starry-eyed about the mesmerizing world that is James Cameron's stunningly rendered, decade-in-the-making brainchild, "Avatar." I could do that and almost coincidentally forget all about the film's overly clichéd plot, rather overlong runtime and amateurishly blatant attempt at social commentary. But I won't. Because while Cameron's latest epic is groundbreaking in an aesthetic sense, it falls short of the lofty bar it sets for itself in nearly every other way. I'm not going to rain on the "Avatar" parade, which has seemingly gone on without an end in sight for many a month now, by trashing the film, because frankly, I have a nice spot reserved for it in this year's top 10 list. That being said, and I don't think that this should shock or even so much as surprise anyone, "Avatar" is no "Titanic." Yes, "Avatar" is "epic" in scale and in a purely visual sense, but at the same time, the word "epic" and all of the connotations it carries is something I'm unwilling to attach to this film. Light years away from Earth, the film is set on Pandora, a life-harboring planet where an all-powerful corporation is mining an extremely valuable mineral that is being used as the solution to Earth's energy crisis. For numerous reasons, the company has created the Avatar program, where genetically engineered copies of the natives are used as surrogates for human scientists and military men alike. Jake Sully, a once dedicated marine bound to a wheelchair for life, is sent with a team of scientists and secretly tasked with the all-important mission of infiltrating the native Na'vi and gaining their trust so that the company can move in and exploit the land for the abundance of minerals located right on the native's land. Able to not only gain their trust but also become one of the Na'vi, Jake collaborates with the evil, shoot-first-ask-questions-later military, only to later grow an affection and close attachment to the Na'vi and the land. Faced with the decision of protecting the interests of his employer and the only thing he has ever known, the military, and siding with the helpless Na'vi and his newfound love, Neytiri, the princess of the Na'vi, Jake follows his heart and decides to fight against the tyranny of the company and side with the Na'vi. That's the basic summary, so sitting in the theater, 3-D glasses on, and popcorn at hand, I couldn't for the life of me shrug off the feeling that I had seen "Avatar" before — or at least that I had seen "Avatar's" plotline before. That's because "Avatar" is, and I know that some will cringe and feel umbrage when reading this, a generic film if there ever was one. It's a cliché love story, as are about 90 percent of love stories, and the only reason why that stands out here is because it's Cameron at the helm of this project, and as the director of "Titanic," he is and rightfully should be held up to a higher standard than most directors. It's a shame too, because the single greatest flaw holding back "Avatar" from being a truly amazing film is the unavoidable fact that anyone with 10 brain cells can map out the film's story from beginning to end 30 seconds into the previews. Cameron's name being inescapably attached to the film as though it's a part of the title, one can't help to compare "Avatar," his latest film, to "Titanic," his greatest film. Both being love stories with enormous budgets that have achieved not only commercial but critical success, the two films are inherently similar but inevitably different. That difference being that for all of "Avatar's" flash and special effects, "Titanic" and all of it's passionately shot, and unforgettable still images such as the hitting of the iceberg and most famously, the image of Rose at the head of the ship, arms wide open, is what makes "Titanic" superior to "Avatar" even in an aesthetic sense. And then there's the failure that is "Avatar's" pitiful attempt at saying, "Hey everybody, we exploit not only other cultures but the environment for our own betterment, and that's bad." Actually, add an exclamation point or maybe five after that quote, and then repeat it about 10 times, wait a few minutes, and then start the process all over again and you'll have "Avatar" minus the special effects and the cast. Only — and really try to do this — try to make it subtle as best you can, but at the same time, subconsciously be as obvious and repetitive about it as possible. Then you'll truly be "Avatar" as a social commentary. So for every one of the film's successes that inspires ogling and jaw-dropping, there are about five failures that have the exact opposite effect. Usually, that makes for a terrible film, but in the rare case that is "Avatar," what's left is still an attractive experience at the movies that is what very few films are: memorable.