Best Actor 2017

05. Kumail Nanjiani in The Big Sick - Endearing, lovable, and hilarious. It's easy to see why anyone would fall in love with Nanjiani, whose character is as likable as this sweet movie. Just like Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird, he has chemistry with every actor in the movie - from his girlfriend played by Zoe Kazan, to her parents played by Holly Hunter and Ray Romano, to every comedian and secondary character. The delivery on that 9/11 joke alone should earn him an Oscar nomination.

04. Harris Dickinson in Beach Rats - I'm not saying that Dickinson is super hot or anything, but the camera absolutely loves him and I could legit stare at close ups of his face forever. Talk about making a splash in your first movie! This modern take on masculinity is the perfect vehicle for Dickinson and he perfectly embodies the loneliness and aimlessness of discovering yourself as a teenager.

03. Robert Pattinson in Good Time - I've never seen Twilight, so I never got the hype of Pattinson, but I'm beginning to understand why a million teenage girls fell in love with him. He is absolutely mesmerizing to watch, electrifying from start to finish. This is what it feels like to watch a movie star at the top of their game. Like his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart (who will be on tomorrow's Best Actress list), he is reinventing his career by choosing edgy, challenging roles and it is working for him. This is the best he's ever been, and I can't wait to see more.

02. James McAvoy in Split - I didn't love the movie Split, but the failure or success of this movie lives or dies with McAvoy, and because he is so stellar in this (these??) role(s), the movie mostly succeeds. This has got to be the most challenging performance of the year and McAvoy truly disappears into each and every different character, their mannerisms and vocal patterns changing at the drop of a hat. This is a gutsy and ballsy performance, and McAvoy pulls it off, and makes it look easy.

01. Jake Gyllenhaal in Stronger - Another year, another amazing Jake Gyllenhaal performance that will get absolutely no recognition from anyone besides me and probably some people on Twitter. (For real, who does he have to sleep with to get that Oscar he deserves???). He started reinventing his career with End of Watch and he has put out amazing performance after amazing performance ever since (I still think his performance in Nightcrawler is the single greatest acting performance in the last twenty or thirty years, easy). His performance in Stronger (as a real life Boston marathon bombing survivor) is sometimes funny, sometimes difficult to watch, and always emotionally devastating. It's impressive from start to finish and it proves AGAIN why he is the finest actor of his generation. I mean, he even nails that Boston accent.

Mini Reviews

About Last Night
Stars: Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart
Plot: A remake of the iconic 80's movie about Chicago singletons (although the remake moves them to Los Angeles) navigating friendships and romantic relationships.
Thoughts: This is just so unnecessary. The remake has the same great rapid fire opening as the original and I thought, hey, maybe this will manage to keep the charm of the iconic 80's film starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. But I was wrong. The opening is pretty much the only thing that has that same feel. Remaking this movie was just a waste of time. Michael Ealy, though.
Grade: D

The Hundred-Foot Journey
Stars: Helen Mirren
Plot: A French restaurant is threatened when an Indian family moves in across the street and opens a brand new restaurant.
Thoughts: This movie is super cute, and nice. It's just, really, it gets a little old watching people taste food and say "yum" every five minutes or so. Still, a nice movie.
Grade: C+

Enemy
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal
Plot: A man goes into a tail spin when he watches a locally made independent film and sees a man that looks exactly like him.
Thoughts: This is the sort of movie where, if you don't like it, people will say things like, "Well, I guess you just didn't get it." Oh, I got it all right. That doesn't mean it was good. Like, at all good. This movie is so bad (with an ending so TERRIBLE) that I just wanted to scream in frustration and throw things at my TV.
Grade: F

Locke
Stars: Tom Hardy
Plot: Tom Hardy drives to London and makes phone calls in his car along the way. Shot almost entirely in one take.
Thoughts: Honestly, you had me at Tom Hardy. I know this movie may seem gimmicky, and I guess it kind of is, but if any actor has enough charisma to pull off being stuck in a car talking on a phone for 90 minutes it's Hardy. This movie is actually super compelling and intense.
Grade: B+

The Giver
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes
Plot: In the future, in a picture perfect society where no one knows pain, a young man must become the new receiver of memories and experience everything that was wiped from the human experience.
Thoughts: When I first left the movie, I was sort of impressed that the movie managed to stay so close to the book while somehow making huge changes. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it could stay close to the book all it wants. It managed to lose one very big thing - the heart of the book. It's like everyone who was involved with this movie read the book and understood the plot but didn't really get it, you know what I mean? Overall, this movie is just too basic for 2014. It's a dated story for our times.
Grade: D

Filth
Stars: James McAvoy
Plot: A corrupt Scottish cop does a lot of drugs while trying to win a promotion that he thinks will impress his wife and daughter.
Thoughts: First of all, I don't know how anyone in Scotland gets anything done because I don't know how they understand anything anyone is saying. Second of all, James McAvoy is so goddamn good in this movie that it actually makes me angry that this movie was so bad. I want it to be better, just for him. He is balls out, out of this world amazing. Like, the best performance I've seen this year by miles. He is so, so, so good and I don't even understand how the movie around him can be so bad.
Grade: D+

Halfway Point of 2014

At the mid-point of 2014, I must say that, overall, I am pretty disappointed with the movies released this year. I have only seen a few things that I thought were good, and nothing that has really wowed me. Usually around this time of year, I release a Best of the Year so far sort of list, the actors and movies that deserve recognition, but probably won't make it to my end of the year list. So, here it is, but keep in mind that this year is sort of below par, at least so far.

Best Actor
01. James McAvoy in X-Men: Days of Future Past
02. Jason Bateman in Bad Words
03. Kevin Costner in Draft Day
04. Oscar Isaac in In Secret
05. Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow

Best Actress
01. Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow
02. Rose Byrne in Neighbors
03. Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars
04. Elizabeth Olsen in In Secret
05. Shailene Woodley in Divergent

Best Supporting Actor
01. Bryan Cranston in Godzilla
02. Nat Wolff in The Fault in Our Stars
03. Dane DeHaan in The Amazing Spider-man 2
04. Michael Fassbender in X-Men: Days of Future Past
05. Jai Courtney in Divergent

Best Supporting Actress
01. Jessica Lange in In Secret
02. Scarlett Johansson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
03. Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-man 2

Best Film
01. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
02. Edge of Tomorrow
03. Godzilla
04. Bad Words
05. 22 Jump Street

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Here is a confession: I've never been a big fan of the X-Men movies, with the exception of First Class. It's strange because all the people I know who are big comic fans are mostly big X-Men fans, but I just don't get it. And you think I would since I've always felt like I never fit in anywhere or with anyone; so you would think mutants would be right up my alley. Maybe the filmmakers just aren't doing a good job transferring from page to screen? Or maybe it's the fact that the X-Men's biggest star - Hugh Jackman as Wolverine - just does nothing for me. I get that this character is wildly popular and they want to make him the star of everything, but he's just not compelling to me, as a character or an actor. The best thing First Class did is reboot the whole franchise. It succeeded in hiring some truly great and exciting actors to play younger versions of these characters - Michael Fassbender as Magneto and James McAvoy as Xavier. These guys are great fun to watch, and Days of Future Past is a success when it's following them.

The film opens in the future when robots named the Sentinels are threatening to eliminate the mutants totally. The film opens with a fun, but sort of confusing fight scene in which mutants we don't know (if you haven't read the comic books) use powers we are unaware of and that are mostly unexplained to us to fight these Sentinels. Eventually, they escape the danger for the moment and someone has the brilliant idea that Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) should use her time travel power (or whatever; because science!!) and send back the consciousness of Wolverine to the 1970's so they could stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from murdering the scientist creator of the Sentinels (Peter Dinklage). In the 1970' is the first time Mystique kills, which not only sends her on a dangerous path, but also gets her captured and tested and its her blood that is eventually used to create the Sentinels. We have to keep in mind that, although Rebecca Romaijn's Mystique was sort of exposible, now she is played by Jennifer Lawrence, everyone's favorite silly girl next door who can even make rape jokes and no one so much as raises an eyebrow, so now Mystique is THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. Anyway, Wolverine goes back to the 1970's where he finds McAvoy's Professor X with long hair and a small drug habit. He takes some convincing, but the hard part is breaking Magneto out of a prison 100 feet under the Pentagon. They do this with the help of Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who all but steals the movie with his single scene. He is joyous as the super quick mutant who can break into anything and has a hell of a lot of fun doing so. It's the movies best scene, and unfortunately, Quicksilver is gone in a flash.

It's not that Days of Future Past is bad per se, because it's not. It's a fun movie, albeit, sort of confusing and repetitive. It feels like the script gets bogged down at some parts, trying to keep track of all these mutants (also: too many mutants!) and trying to stay cohesive. The movie is far better when it stays in the past, and I found the jumping back and forth a bit jarring. It could have easily opened and closed in the future - nice tidy bookends - while keeping the entire middle in the past. To me, that would have been a more compelling storytelling device, and one that would stick with the strengths of the film. I'm not saying that it isn't nice to see the original X-Men, but most of the cool X-Men appear only super briefly, and I won't try to spoil anything but I honestly love that Anna Paquin got higher billing than Ellen Page for something like 17 seconds of screen time. I could honestly do without ever seeing Halle Berry as Storm ever again. This series doesn't know what to do with her; it never did. Reboot the character, cast Lupita Nyong'o. The internet will be happy. It's just that it's all the same - how many times can we watch Xavier try to convince Mystique not to kill the scientist? And the movie ends with absolutely no resolution. It just ends, almost completely obliterating the X-Men canon while doing so, which is a nice way to press re-start on a series, but also sort of infuriating as an audience member who loves a movie with a good ending.

But, like I said, the movie isn't bad. And if First Class belonged to Fassbender and his magnetic (pun intended) Erik (which it did), then Days of Future Past belongs to McAvoy and his troubled Professor Xavier. He is an absolute thrill to watch while playing Charles in his darkest days. His performance brings this movie to a whole other level and if it was possible to get an Oscar nomination for a superhero movie (Heath Ledger excluded; he's the exception, not the rule), I would start a campaign for McAvoy right this moment. So with the exception of McAvoy's brilliant performance, Quicksilver's amazing scene, and Michael Fassbender's all around perfectness / sexiness, Days of Future Past, for me, was sort of lackluster. In another year, I might have given it a higher grade. In another year, I might have been able to let go of the flaws and just have a good time. But this is the year of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the bar has been raised. And lackluster, confusing, jumbled story telling isn't going to cut it with me this summer!

Grade: C+
(B- if I'm feeling nice, which I'm currently not!) (Also, more shirtless Fassbender scenes would have gotten you a B+, FYI) (Just kidding) (Or not)

DVD Mini Reviews

During the year, I like to try to watch as many movies released during that year as possible. I won't go pay to see a bad movie in theaters but I have no qualms about watching bad movies via Netflix. This is so I can make my best possible best and worst lists at the end of the year, making sure I see as many options as possible. The movies I've been watching lately from Netflix from this year were sort of on the disappointing side for the most part.

Mud
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon (!!)
Plot: Two young boys set out to find an island where a boat has been washed into a tree. They also happen to find a mysterious man named Mud and they become entangled in his personal life. Drama and danger ensue.
Thoughts: This was the only good movie I've seen via Netflix in the last few weeks. It's a pretty simple story, but the script is so well written and all the performances are out of this world, that it just elevates the material. Tye Sheridan is a great find, a young actor who can completely command attention from more famous co-stars. And McConaughey?!? Man, he is on a role. His career is so hot right now that I am always anticipating new work from him which is something I never, ever thought I would think. But, seriously, how many award worthy performances can he give in a row???
Grade: B+

Dead Man Down
Stars: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard
Plot: A lonely disfigured woman witnesses the man across the street kill another man in his apartment and decides to blackmail him into murdering the man who disfigured her.
Thoughts: The best part of this movie was when it was over. I think I may have fallen asleep at one point, but it really didn't matter because you can see the "plot twists" coming a mile away. I love Farrell and Rapace and think they did a great job with the material, but this movie ultimately fails to deliver but succeeds at boring you into submission.
Grade: D+

A Good Day to Die Hard
Stars: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney
Plot: John McClane heads to Russia, where his wayward son is in trouble with the law. Or is he?? Turns out his hottie son is working for the CIA and the two sexy bald McClane men team up to fight Russian bad guys. Smashing through ceilings, gun fights and helicopter chases ensue.
Thoughts: Obviously not as good as the original Die Hard. Or Die Hard 2. Or even Live Free or Die Hard from a few years ago. It's basically Die Hard paint by numbers and if you like action and sexy bald men, then it's not a terrible way to spend an hour and a half. This would have gotten a higher grade had Jai Courtney been shirtless for more than ten seconds. (What?? I'm totally a girl sometimes.)
Grade: C

Magic Magic
Stars: Juno Temple, Emily Browning, Michael Cera
Plot: A bunch of college friends go to a secluded farm to drink and hang out. One of their cousin's tags along. She goes cray.
Thoughts: Allow me to justify why I got this movie from the Red Box to begin with: I had a coupon, okay?? It was for a free movie and it expired that particular day. Neither my boyfriend nor I had ever heard of this movie. I have a pretty major girl crush on Juno Temple and he has a thing for Emily Browning. Plus, Michael Cera is awesome, so we decided to go for it. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER. This is, quite possibly, one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life. I don't even know why we watched the whole thing instead of just turning it off and calling it a day. Still, it's better than Lords of Salem, so that's a plus, I guess.
Grade: F

The Host
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, Diane Kruger, William Hurt
Plot: Aliens begin taking over the bodies of humans, erasing their memories, and living a peaceful existence. One young woman fights back against the force to hold onto her love and protect her brother.
Thoughts: Positives first - William Hurt is awesome in this movie. Also, I'll never complain about a movie featuring not one (Irons) but TWO (Abel) cute boys. But, mostly, this movie is ridiculous. There are no high stakes. There is no drama, really, except for a minute here and a minute there. Plus, this movie features the absolute strangest love triangle I have ever seen.
Grade: D+

Welcome to the Punch
Stars: James McAvoy, Mark Strong, David Morrissey
Plot: It's your basic cops and bad guy movie complete with dirty cops and complicated plot lines that don't entirely make sense until the end.
Thoughts: Like I said, pretty basic. There is nothing bad about this movie, but there isn't really much to say about it that's good either. This movie is basically entirely carried by the charms and charisma of McAvoy, so if you like McAvoy like I do, then you probably won't mind watching a mediocre movie.
Grade: C+


And finally, the movie COMPLIANCE was released last year instead of this year, but I finally got around to watching it and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's the true story of a man who poses as a police officer and calls fast food restaurants to see how far he can push managers in taking advantage of employees. For example, he tells the manager of Chickwich that one of her employees is a thief which leads to a strip search and so much more. This is an entirely true story and according to Wikipedia, happened at least 70 times around the country. I can't really believe one group of people were stupid enough to fall for this hoax, let alone 70! It's a pretty uncomfortable movie to watch but i also find it highly effective. It's as tense as a movie that takes almost entirely in one small room can be. So, anyway, I'm still not sure what to make of it so if anyone watches it, I'm really interested to hear another take on it.

Take Me Home Tonight, Fright Night, The Conspirator

Take Me Home Tonight - Super fun 80s movie? Not so much. Actually, Take Me Home Tonight is a boring drag of a movie that isn't the least bit funny. It stars Topher Grace as a recent college grad who tries to impress an old high school classmate (Teresa Palmer, who is a blonde Kristen Stewart). Also wastes the talents of Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, Michael Ian Black and more! The only, and I mean ONLY, good thing about this awful movie is the killer 80s music soundtrack. Don't waste your time!
Grade: D-

Fright Night - A remake of the 80s movie, Fright Night is a hell of a lot better than it has to be. I'm not saying this movie is going to change the world, but it's fun and sexy and a good time at the movies. The ever adorable Anton Yelchin stars as a slightly nerdy high schooler who blows off his more nerdy ex-best friend (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) when he tries to convince him that his brand new neighbor (Colin Farrell, having the time of his life) is a vampire. Turns out, Ed is right! The film takes place in a suburb of Las Vegas, which is the PERFECT place for a vampire to live, using the excuse of working nights on the strip and sleeping all day. The plot is pretty basic: Yelchin must fight to save his mom (Toni Collette) and hottie girlfriend (Imogen Poots) with the help of a drunken illusionist (scene stealer David Tennant). Farrell is fantastic. I've been a fan of his for a long time but never thought he really lived up to his potential. I don't know what has happened to him the last few years but it seems like he stopped taking himself so seriously, realized that he's funny as hell and is now having the time of his life! First he was AMAZING in In Bruges a few years back. Now he is stealing scenes in Horrible Bosses and being delightfully campy in Fright Night. Yelchin is great too, but isn't that always the case with him? Of course, like I said, Tennant steals the show. He is hilarious and all around fantastic. All in all, Fright Night is a fun time and worth checking out.
Grade: B-

The Conspirator - First off, this movie probably has the best cast of the year. I'm not even kidding. Not only are there really quality, amazing actors involved in large roles (James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, Evan Rachel Wood), but also so many actors that I personally ADORE show up in small roles (Norman Reedus, Shea Whigham, Johnny Simmons, Jonathan Groff). Director Robert Redford sure did a great job casting this movie. The Conspirator is a beautifully filmed, well written, well acted period piece about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the people who may or may not have conspired with John Wilkes Booth. Sure, the film drags now and then, but over all it's a great film and I'm shocked that it didn't get more attention when it was released in theaters. It's definitely one of the better films this year, plus it has such a stellar cast. McAvoy and Wright are amazing in their roles as a conflicted lawyer and a stubborn convict, respectively. But the acting is great all around and the story is compelling and interesting.
Grade: B

Mini Reviews: The Hangover Part 2, The Dilemma, X-Men: First Class

The Hangover Part 2 - In the sequel to the super hilarious The Hangover, the wolf pack is back and this time in Thailand. It starts out much the same - a terrible phone call - and then flashes back to a few days earlier and shows you how things play out. This time around, Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Allen (Zach Galifianakis) attend Stu's (Ed Helms) wedding in Thailand. Stu is still a bit stunned from the events of the first film, so he doesn't want a bachelor party. Still, things get crazy and the three guys wake up in a dive motel one morning and can't find Stu's fiancee's little brother. Then they must retrace their steps and try to figure out what happens. Much like the first, they find the brother in the eleventh hour and relive their crazy night via pictures at the end. That's just the thing. It's sooo much like the original. And, I mean, to a certain extent that's great. Don't fix it, if it's not broken, right? But this is pretty much just a shot for shot remake in a different city with slightly different events. Is it funny? Sure. But it's nowhere near as laugh out loud crazy as the original. It's got it's moments but sequels can never really live up to their predecessors. They are inferior films by definition alone. The Hangover Part 2, unfortunately, is no different.
Grade: C+

The Dilemma - What the hell was Ron Howard thinking? He's made some pretty great films but this is sooo not one of them. Vince Vaughn and Kevin James star as besties. Vaughn is dating Jennifer Connelly and James has somehow manages to snag himself Winona Ryder. One day, Vaughn's Ronny discovers that Ryder's Geneva is cheating with a hottie named Zip (Channing Tatum). Hence, the dilemma. Should he tell his best friend? Should he wait a few days until the stress of a big work project passes? Who gives a crap? You don't care about these awful, hateful, unlikeable characters. They are all liars and cheaters. Plus, the movie is not funny at all. I didn't laugh once. And Vauhgn is someone I generally find funny. Also, I'm sorry, but if Kevin James manages to marry someone as hot and out of his league as Winona Ryder then I'm pretty sure he should allow her to cheat on him with Channing Tatum. (Just kidding!). Still, I don't have a single good thing to say about this movie and I clearly found my first possibility for Worst Movie of the Year.
Grade: F

X-Men: First Class - By no means am I a huge X-Men fan. I saw the previous trilogy. I guess I can say, overall, I enjoyed them. They had their positives and their negatives. Still, I wasn't hopping out of my seat to see this prequel. Let's just say - I was pleasantly surprised. X-Men: First Class is fun and exciting. It's got a ridiculously talented and hot young cast (James McAvoy as Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Zoe Kravitz as Angel). The story line was a bit confusing but interesting. It seems Erik / Magneto was raised and tested by a Nazi doctor and he's now all grown up and seeking revenge. Turns out the Nazi doctor is also a mutant named Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) who is hell bent on starting World War III. Erik teams up with Charles who is now helping out Rose Byrne and the CIA. They start finding a bunch of young mutants and train them to stop Shaw and the Bay of Pigs AND the potential World War III. The movie meanders a bit, and could have lost about 20 minutes or so on the editing floor, but overall I can't say too many bad things about it. It's fun and enjoyable and what else do you want out of a comic book summer movie? Fassbender is a total bad ass as Erik / Magneto. Remember his name because he is going to be HUGE. Bacon gives a great performance as the villain of the film. There are also two really great, well done cameos in the film. All in all, X-Men: First Class is surprisingly and refreshingly damn good.
Grade: B

...And now back to your regularly scheduled program

Now that my experiment is over, it's back to regular blogging. Let's begin with the best (and worst) of the summer of 2008. It was actually a surprisingly good summer for movies. That - or I managed to avoid most of the really bad movies. Either way, here's the best and worst from Memorial Day to Labor Day...

The Best

The Dark Knight (A) - Brilliant in every major way. Solid directing. Witty and intelligent writing. Spectacular special effects. Great performances (Eckhart, Oldman, Bale, Caine, Freeman). One amazing out of this world performance (Ledger). The best of the summer, for sure. The best of the year, possibly.

Sex and the City (B+) - A fun way to spend two and a half hours. If you are a fan of the show, there is no way the movie could disappoint. It's everything you wanted from a Sex and the City movie and more! These women are not fictional characters. They are friends and it's good to have them back.

Pineapple Express (B+) - Sticks and stones and weed and bombs. First of all, what a great usage of Paper Planes. Second of all, we all know that Seth Rogen is funny but holy shit James Franco! What a hilarious scene stealing performance.

Tropic Thunder (B+/B) - I can't decide if it's the movie I love or just the fact that Jay Baruchel is finally on screen again. He's my current celebrity crush and he's as adorable as ever. Also, kudos to Robert Downey Jr. and his hilarious / controversial / brilliant performance.

The Good

Wall E (B) - Adorable, sure. Clever, sure. Cute, of course. There are certain scenes which are unforgettable (the first twenty minutes or so, the fire extinguisher dance scene) but ultimately it might be a little TOO cutesy.

Wanted (B-) - Off the wall craziness. Is it realistic? Absolutely not. Is it fun as hell to watch James McAvoy be an all around bad ass? Hell yeah! There may be a little too much plot actually. It gets in the way of Angelina Jolie throwing cars at buses and what not.

The Decent

Step Brothers (C+) - It's not the smartest or funniest comedy of the summer but it's still funny in a stupid kind of way. Also, the whole Boats and Hoes thing is ridiculously funny.

Hancock (C) - Hancock is sort of hit or miss. It's half of a good movie. The first half is funny and charming and original. Then it takes a turn and becomes a huge cliched mess. Still, Will Smith is the most charming man in all of Hollywood and Jason Bateman has the most perfect comic timing.

The Disappointing

Mamma Mia (C-) - Mamma Mia sure was fun at times. Seeing Meryl Streep jump around on a bed singing Dancing Queen was a hoot! There were moments of pure joy in this movie. Too bad it was spastic and messy overall.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (C-) - Shia was hot. Harrison can still kick ass. But aliens, really? Plus, it was kind of a rip off of National Treasure which was kind of a rip off of the original Indiana Jones movies. Just give it up.

The Strangers (C-) - A less edgy and inferior version of Funny Games, this movie is not scary in any way shape or form. In fact, it sort of grates on your nerves after a while. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman sure make a pretty couple but could they be any stupider in this movie?

The Bad

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (D+) - Honestly, it was so bad I fell asleep during it. Boring, boring and then when you think it can't get any more boring, guess what? It gets more boring. I forget why I gave it such a generous grade actually? Maybe it was because of my girl crush on Selma Blair.

The Love Guru (D-) - The only decent thing about this stupid, stupid, stupid movie is Justin Timberlake and his ridiculous French Canadian accent walking around in a speedo. That and the Morgan Freeman voice over joke because I not-so-secretly which Morgan Freeman would narrate my life.

The Worst

You Don't Mess With the Zohan (F) - Not even close to being funny. Close to offensive, actually. Adam Sandler is not funny. I repeat, Adam Sandler is NOT funny. Stop making movies, please. You have enough money. Just leave me alone.

Best of 2007 - Top 10 Best Performances

Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men
I'm doing this list in alphabetical order to be fair. However, if I was going to start with the best performance of the year, Bardem would still be first. [Granted I haven't had the chance to see Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood.] Bardem gives a truly deliciously evil performance. He is a pleasure to watch. Every time he enters the scene, you are excited and sort of terrified to see what he'll do next. From the opening scene right up until his last, he's just simply perfect.

Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Again, I'm doing this alphabetically. Still, Cate would be second. She disappears into the character of Jude Quinn (Bob Dylan) and all the ticks and stutters. It's actually almost a little creepy to see this gorgeous Australian woman become a man and make it look so effortless. I'm not one of those people who are in love with everything Blanchett does. But I am in love with this performance.

Josh Brolin in No Country For Old Men
If Javier Bardem didn't steal this movie in every single way imaginable, you would definitely leave the theater talking about how great Brolin is. Brolin is essentially carrying the bulk of the film on his shoulders and he's more than up for the challenge. This year he's finally been given roles that let his talent shine through.

Julie Christie in Away From Her
Is it wrong to say that Christie's performance is just unforgettable? It's been months and months and everything about her performance is still burned firmly into my mind. Christie gives a performance even better than her Oscar winning role in Afterglow. She has the vibrancy of a young woman and is sexier than most women half her age. Her performance is perfect and I, for one, will be very disappointed if she loses the Oscar.

Emile Hirsch in Into the Wild
Hirsch's career is one I've been following for a while now. Watch films like Imaginary Heroes and The Mudge Boy and you'll see what a great actor he really is. Still, Into the Wild is the sort of movie that lets his real talent come out in full force. Hirsch has charm to spare and uses tha to help build this supertramp character who doesn't think he needs human contact for happiness. Plus, his final moments on screen are guaranteed to break your heart.

Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men and In the Valley of Elah
Jones is doing better work this year, at the age of 50-something, than ever before. His performances this year were both spot-on. His performance in In the Valley of Elah would fall to number three on this list if it was from very best to still great. What kills me most? He's not even getting a lot of attention for these great roles! Sure, he's not used a lot in No Country For Old Men and he's showed up a bit by Bardem who has the flashier role. But there's something to be said about restraint and reserve. There's something to say about being the strong, silent type. Jones is just doing better work now than ever before.

James McAvoy in Atonement
There's a lot of great women in this film but McAvoy steals the show. His performance is really a masterclass in the act of subtlety. He makes sure Robbie keeps his basic goodness and never resorts to histronics. There is a particular scene between Robbie and Briony as a teenager, that is just perfection.

Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
I just have to respect and admire anyone who has the guts to film a scene that includes a naked knife fight. I mean, come on. He manages to make Nikolai both enigmatic and mesmerizing. He is seemingly rough and tough and yet we are somehow drawn to the goodness in him even as we are not quite sure we should be. It's a skillful and understated performance that quietly but effectively blows you away.

Ellen Page in Juno
I think it's safe to say this: Ellen Page is the best actress under 25 working today. First there was her acting masterclass of a performance in Hard Candy. Now with Juno she even bests that. She does something I think Diablo Cody should be grateful for: makes her highly / overly WRITTEN dialogue just flow and come off the page beautifully (which must have been a DIFFICULT challenge). Thanks to Page's perfection of a performance, it becomes almost impossible to not love this movie and especially the main character.

Michael Shannon in Bug
This movie is definitely not for everyone. Still, months and months later, it's Shannon's intense work that sticks so firmly in my mind. He takes this outlandish performance and is really just fearless. His chemistry with Ashley Judd (who slipped to number 11 on this list) is so intense that these two actors carry this film. Shannon, especially, is perfect and draws you in to this strange, psychological little story.

Juno, Atonement

Juno - The first 15 minutes or so of Juno are actually quite atrocious. I was almost ready to walk out of the theater, to be honest. Rainn Wilson, in a small cameo role, gives the most ridiculous performance saying the most ridiculous words. Olivia Thirbly as Juno's cheerleader best friend (I'm sorry but why would Juno be best friends with a cheerleader?) is quite possibly the most annoying character ever written in the history of movies. (No, no. There's that annoying guy in a wheelchair in Texas Chainsaw Massacre...). But, she's still uber annoying. Honest to blog. (Shoot me now!). Then there is the ultra hipster language. Screenwriter Diablo Cody has not seemingly written a cool movie. She is trying her absolute hardest to be perceived as cool. And the dialogue is a bit much at first. After 15 minutes, I thought I might be the only person on the planet who disliked Juno. Everyone seems to love it. But it was beginning to look like maybe I was on a different plain than everyone else. Maybe it was like a secret that only I understood. I was the only person in the planet smart enough to not fall under Juno's little spell. But guess what? All the kinks in the movie work themselves out and the other hour and fifteen minutes are hilarious, sweet and just plain great. (Although, I still could have done without the creepy Jason Bateman story line... but whatever). Juno is hilarious. Ellen Page is just perfect. The reason the movie suceeds is mostly because she works magic with the sometimes insane dialogue she is forced to say. But Page makes it work. She should be nominated for an Oscar, hands down. (Right now she is my runner up to win as well... after Julie Christie, of course). Michael Cera makes the world go round. He's responsible for all that is good and pure in the world. I just adore him. He is the teen king of the awkward pause. The best and funniest comic actor of his generation, bar none. Jason Bateman is hilarious as well although, again, he's too bogged down in a weird story line. Still, I love Jason Bateman and so I don't blame him. (I blame Diablo Cody who's script I most certainly did NOT love... although the great actors make it work). Jennifer Garner gives a shockingly beautiful performance. It wouldn't be upset if she somehow slipped into the Best Supporting Actress race (although I doubt it). She's seriously great in this movie. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney should officially be in every movie. That's how pleasurable it is to watch them. The ending is just perfect as well. It's sweet but not cheesy or corny in the least. So, in the end, Juno is every bit as funny and loveable as everyone says it it. It's definitely worth checking out.

Grade: B+

Atonement - There is a scene in Atonement in which the movie goes from being solid and good to becoming a beautiful masterpiece. It is a single shot - no cuts, no edits - that lasts about 5 minutes and follows solider Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) and his two cohorts across a beach full of soldiers and ships and horses and amusement rides. It entertwines between the three and shows the desperation and hopefulness of the scene. More importantly, it shows that this movie is just simply wonderful. It is a love story of the most epic variety. It starts at a very rich house where a young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) reads a letter and sees something between her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie that she doesn't quite understand. She think she does, but she doesn't. She soon tells a lie that completely devastates the lives of all around her. Robbie gets sent to jail and eventually war. Cecilia spends her time as a sort of frozen version of herself, sad and angry. Four years later, Briony (now played by Romola Garai) is busy nursing wounded soldiers instead of serving her time at Oxford to be the writer she was always meant to be. It's her way of repentence. (There is a particularly telling scene with a dying French soldier who is so delirious, he insists that he knows her and she lies again. This time to comfort him.) Years and years later, Briony grows up to be a successful writer (this time Vanessa Redgrave steps in to do fill the role) and who still regrets the lies she tells. I'm not sure the ending is cohesive with the feel of the rest of the movie (I don't want to ruin anything but I will say that it probably works better on the page than the screen). But, except for the odd-feeling ending, Atonement is a masterpiece of filmmaking. It has exceptionally beautiful shots (like the one mentioned before, James McAvoy trekking through a field of red flowers, McAvoy stopping suddenly as the camera pulls back to reveal rows and rows of dead bodies). The images are like artwork, unforgettable and beautiful in its sadness. Is the movie depressing? Absolutely and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've only read about a third of the book so far (ha!) but as far as I can tell the adaptation is just excellent. Then there is the acting. It's just amazing. Knightley is an odd actress. She comes across wooden and frigid in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. She proved she can really act in Pride and Prejudice and here she even bests that performance. The Briony's are all superb. It's almost difficult to pick a best Briony. The character is vital and so well written and so central to the story. Ronan is a young actress who delivers a performance that is chilling and brilliant. Redgrave is superb even if she only has about 5 minutes of screentime. My personal favorite Briony performance came from Garai. I found it interesting to see the characters transformation from lively, lying young woman to regretful, silent teenager. It may not be as memorable as Ronan's performance (her performance is crucial to the plot development) but I personally find it more effective. Then there is the single stand out of the film. James McAvoy is just excellent. I'm not just saying that because I love him and because his sadly overlooked performance in The Last King of Scotland still sticks firmly in my mind. His performance here is breathtaking. His performance on the beach in Dunkirk is riveting - and he doesn't even have any lines! His character is restrained yet passionate. The scene at Cecilia's flat between Robbie and Briony (Garai) is simply Oscar worthy. McAvoy succeeds in his making his character unambiguously heroic. He conveys his character's basic decency, achieving the difficult task of making him good without making him dull. It's the perfect blend and a simply wonderful performance. Overall, Atonement is just plain wonderful - the script, the storyline, the direction, the cinematography, the score (pianos mixed with the sound of a typewriter) and especially all of those performances.

Grade: A

Coming This Week - Best and Worst Performances, Moments, and Movies!

Superbad, Becoming Jane

Superbad - Superbad is pretty much one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my entire life. It is definitely the funniest movie of the year. I can't remember when I laughed harder. The plot is quite simple: Three high school friends (the brilliant Michael Cera plays Evan, Jonah Hill plays Seth and Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays McLovin) are on a quest, during one of the last weekends before graduation, to get alcohol and sex. In that order. While the plot is quite simple, naturaly, nothing really works out as planned. I don't want to divulge too much and take away from the wonderfully concocted craziness of the script but let's just say that two slacker cops (SNL's Bill Hader and co-screenwriter and Knocked Up star Seth Rogen) show up to portray the best/worst cops in the history of film. Apparently Rogen and his pal Evan Goldberg wrote the script together when they were actually in high school. You can tell. These kids talk like they are in high school. These kids act like they are in high school. Nothing is watered down at all. And it's wonderful. This movie takes the raunchiness of Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin and wears the vulgarity proudly. This is bound to become a cult classic. It's the Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Dazed and Confused of the myspace generation. This movie captures the sometimes hellish existence of adolescence perfectly. Hill and Cera have amazing chemistry together. Hill is manic and crazy, rocking a Richard Pryor t-shirt and a Jew fro. He finally gets to showcase just how funny he truly is. His overexuberance plays perfectly off of Cera's pitch perfect awkward, dead pan. He's the well-meaning, respectful nerd. He is the king of the awkward pause and uncomfortable silence. They play best friends the way only two people who have actually hung out together can play best friends. Their chemistry is wonderful. Hader and Rogen are a joy to watch as two outlandish cops. They try to steal the show but the script and performances are just so tight that no one really steals anything. The entire cast works together beautifully. But, it is probably new actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse that you'll remember in twenty years. This is his first acting role EVER! He is the coolest geek since "Terry the Toad" in American Graffiti. Mintz-Plasse plays Fogell - or McLovin which is the name he choses for his fake ID. He's more than memorable as he gets into one crazy situation after another with the crazy cops. If you want to laugh from beginning to end, then you absolutely have to see Superbad. In fact, see it twice since you'll probably be laughing so hard you'll miss some of the funny parts. This movie is definitely bonafide badass.

Grade: A-

Becoming Jane - So, I've tried to write this review three times now and it won't let me so here is the shortened version: Becoming Jane is more or less Pride and Prejudice: Redux. James McAvoy is brilliant, sexy, charming, vibrant, sexy, electrifying, sexy. Maggie Smith and James Cromwell are underused. Anne Hathaway just can't carry a movie by herself. Sorry. Someone explain to me why people keep refering to her as 'pretty'? The script is mediocre. The ending is great. James McAvoy skinny dips which is worth the price of admission alone. The cinematography is solid. The editing could have been better. There is some humor, some good points but the movie is mostly boring. Oh, and if James McAvoy ever says the words "Run away with me" to me. I'm going. Don't expect a note or a letter or a goodbye. I'm going. I don't care if he's poor. Those blue eyes alone are enough to keep me satisfied. This has been your shortened review.
Grade: C-

The Last King of Scotland and The Painted Veil (DVD)

The Last King of Scotland - If I had to pick one word to describe this movie, it would be 'engrossing.' This is a modern day masterpiece of a film and it absolutely holds your attention from beginning to end. The movie follows the life of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) a young Scottish man who graduates med school and decides, instead of following in Dad's footsteps and working in family medicine, to take off to Uganda to have an adventure and maybe do some good for the African people. At first, he does do some good, working at a small mission and helping sick children. Then he meets the new president of the country (who just overthrew the former president), Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). The two form an unlikely friendship and Garrigan becomes Amin's personal doctor and, reluctantly, one of his closest advisors. The story of their complicated friendship is wonderful. Once Garrigan's conscience gets in his way (and after he has an affair with the Amin's wife played by Kerry Washington), Garrigan is more or less stuck in a very tough situation. The screenplay and directing are both great. The quick cutting editing is perfect and helps to make the film feel fast paced and helps to keep it from ever getting boring. But the performances are what's really worth talking about. Out of last year's Best Actor nominees, Whitaker definitely deserved the Oscar for his mecurial performance. I've always thought he came across as such a soft-spoken and sweet guy. It's amazing to his transformation into Amin. He's at times absolutely charming and likeable. His people admire and respect him. But then that admiration turns to fear. At the drop of a hat, he can become an angry, rageful and downright scary man. Then, he switches back to being so charming so quickly. His performance is really a pleasure to watch. However, not only does McAvoy hold his own against Whitaker, but also, in my opinion, he steals the entire movie from him. McAvoy is a revelation. I never heard of the guy until last year at Oscar time and he absolutely blew me away. Had he been nominated for an Oscar, I would be singing a different tune about who deserved to win. He's got this childlike innocence mixed with a sort of world-weariness that is a weird mixture but it works for him. Overall, this is a great movie that you absolutely need to see. Right now.

Grade: A

The Painted Veil - This movie is a glamorous sort of throw back to Old Hollywood romance movies. It boasts excellent cinematography, a solid script and great performances. It follows Walter (Edward Norton) and Kitty (Naomi Watts), a couple who meet in London and marry, eventhough Kitty goes into the marriage in order to get away from her mother. They soon move to China where Walter works and Kitty enters into an affair with the married Charlie (Liev Schrieber). When Walter finds out, he threatens to divorce Kitty and tarnish her name unless she goes with him to a small village with an outbreak of cholera. After Kitty realizes that Charlie never intended to leave his wife for her, she reluctantly goes with her husband. What initially starts out as punishment for her, soon turns into redemption as she learns how to love her husband eventhough it may be too late. This movie is a sprawling, beautifully filmed epic. There are so many wonderful shots of nature. Watts and Norton have amazing chemistry and play off each other very well. Norton inhabits his quiet yet firm and somewhat cocky doctor perfectly. No matter how popular he gets, he'll always be the epitome of a character actor. Watts is wonderful as well as the once spunky girl who is unwilling to stay shackled in a loveless, unhappy marriage. The emotional turmoil she portrays near the end of the film is really, really great and if last year wasn't such a strong year for female performances, she would have been a lock at Oscar time. Toby Jones and (the absolutely amazing) Diana Rigg lend some much needed support. The main problem I had with the movie was how it just drags on and on and on. It could have been about 3o minutes shorter. Plus, you could tell they cut some scenes a bit confusing at first (but if they hadn't cut scenes, it would have been painfully long). All in all, it's not a great movie but it does boast great performances and beautiful cinematography so it's well worth checking out.

Grade: B+