Philomena

The story of Philomena is so unbelievable that if it weren't a true story, no one would believe it because it's just so outrageous and coincidental. It also errs on the side of melodrama, and if it weren't true, it would most certainly air on Lifetime and people would watch it and think, "wow, what imagination!"

But Philomena is the true story of an Irish woman (Judi Dench), who admits after 50 years that as a young teenager, she had gotten pregnant. Her widower father dropped her off at a convent where the nuns eventually delivered her baby, forced her into four years of more-or-less slavery and then sold her baby to an American couple while she was at choir practice. Fifty years later, she teams up with a disgraced British journalist (Steve Coogan) to find her son and find out the truth of what really happened all those years ago. And the trailer for this movie is quite misleading, because what follows are twists and turns and coincidences, some more crazy than others. And all of it is true.

On one hand, this movie is much more than I expected it to be. It's very subtle and actually quite funny. I was expecting some kind of snooze fest which would only appeal to a certain demographic (old, white, female), but that's definitely not the case. This is the sort of feel-good movie of the year in a lot of ways. Most of this is because of Dench, who is just extraordinary in every way as Philomena. She's adorable and lovable. You just want to hug her, and then when you leave the theater, you want to be a better person because of her. (Editors note: That doesn't last long, especially when you hit crazy holiday traffic on your way home!). Coogan isn't necessarily a great actor. There were two specific times watching the movie where I thought, "Hey, this guy is a lousy actor." However, he is mostly solid as the cocky journalist. But the thing that truly drives this film is the odd couple chemistry between the two actors. It is absolutely delightful to watch them banter back and forth and their performances, along with a great script (which Coogan also co-wrote) is definitely the highlight of the film.

So, on one hand you have this really interesting story (and it's all true!) that is compelling and fascinating. You've got really excellent performances (one of which will surely be Oscar nominated in the next few weeks). You've got this movie that manages to be feel-good while still also sort of breaking your heart. You've got a movie that expertly balances the tone, being laugh out loud funny one moment and serious the next. And then, on the other hand, you have a movie that still feels like a Lifetime movie. Watching a movie in a movie theater should never feel like it's something you can watch on your couch on a Saturday morning when it's snowing and too cold to leave your house. But that's what Philomena feels like at times, and that's not a feeling I could easily escape. I'm also not saying that's a bad thing. I love a Lifetime movie as much as the next person (and I won't admit to watching a delightful little holiday movie called The 12 Dates of Christmas starring Mark-Paul Gosslear on Lifetime not once, but twice this year). Still, as charming as this movie is 80% of the time, I just can't get past the extreme sentimentality of the other 20%. Philomena is a sweet old lady, but this movie is too-sweet at times and, at least for me, that's sort of a bad thing.

Grade: B

DVD Mini Reviews

Starting Monday, I will be revealing my Top Ten Best and Worst of 2012 lists. For now, here are the last of the DVD's I've watched for movies released this year.

Safety Not Guaranteed
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Mark Duplass
Plot: A group of journalists investigate a newspaper ad looking for a time travel partner.
Thoughts: Some parts of this comedy are really cute and Plaza is a great indie leading lady. However, for every sweet, funny moment, there are just as many cliches.
Grade: C

Bernie
Starring: Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Shirley McClaine
Plot: A seemingly sweet funeral director may have a very surprising dark side.
Thoughts: Every one seemed to love this movie as it's made it's way onto Top Ten lists and received award nominations. I found it to be impressive only because they managed to get Jack Black to not act like an idiot for an hour and forty minutes. McConaughey is having some kind of year, though.
Grade: C-

Sound of My Voice
Starring: Brit Marling
Plot: Two investigative journalists infiltrate a cult where the members worship a woman who claims to be from the future.
Thoughts: I absolutely loved this movie and find Marling to be stunning. It's almost impossible to take your eyes off of her. A star is born.
Grade: B

Seeking a Friend For the End of the World
Starring: Steve Carrell, Keira Knightley
Plot: Two strangers who have zero chemistry take a road trip to find the man's long lost love before the world ends.
Thoughts: Like I said, Carrell and Knightley have zero chemistry. Still, parts of this are really cute. But the ending ultimately ruined it for me. If it had ended a few moments earlier, I would have given this a much better grade.
Grade: D

The Deep Blue Sea
Starring: Rachel Weisz
Plot: A woman struggles with suicide and depression after leaving her rich husband for another man.
Thoughts: I tried to watch this once before, months ago, and I couldn't make it past twenty minutes. Still, it does get better. Some of it is visually stunning and Weisz is perfection. Still, kinda boring.
Grade: C

Damsels in Distress
Starring: Greta Gerwig
Plot: A group of college students try to prevent suicide and also dance.
Thoughts: Seriously, painful and unwatchable.
Grade: F

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy
Plot: A group of older people move to India to live at a once thriving hotel.
Thoughts: This movie is quite charming and sweet. Of course, Maggie Smith is the queen bitch of the world. Love her. (That's a compliment)
Grade: B-

Your Sister's Sister
Starring: Emily Blunt, RoseMarie Dewitt, Mark Duplass
Plot: A down on his luck guy manages to become involved in a love triangle with his best friend and her lesbian sister while spending a weekend at a secluded cabin.
Thoughts: A really winning, cute movie with a very likeable cast.
Grade: B

Arbitrage
Starring: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Nate Parker, Tim Roth, Brit Marling
Plot: A super rich man becomes involved in a hit and run case while dealing with a failing business / fraud.
Thoughts: A really taut, exceptional thriller / drama. Performances by Gere and Parker are electrifying and worth the rental alone.
Grade: B

Pitch Perfect
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin
Plot: A freshman in college becomes involved in an accapella singing group.
Thoughts: When this movie is at it's best, it's campy, wonderful fun, reminiscent of Bring It On. When it's at its worst, it's cheesy and silly. Still, the fun wins out in the end.
Grade: B

Skyfall

Allow me to state, for the record, that I have never seen a James Bond movie that didn't star Daniel Craig. So, right off the bat you know I'm not the biggest Bond fan in the world. I'd sort of like to go back and watch every one in order but also part of me thinks they are basically all the same. Hot women, fast cars, suits, exotic locations. They just change basic plot points so if you've seen one then you've seen them all.

That being said, Skyfall was pretty damn good. The plot follows Bond (Craig) as he tries to track down a bad guy (Javier Bardem, with his bad guy ridiculous hair) who attacked the MI6 building and hijacked a list of undercover agents. Said bad guy, Silva, also has a special interest in M (Judi Dench) and so this time it's all a little personal. And, so, Bond treks from England to Shanghai to deserted islands to Scotland in hopes of bringing down Silva before it's too late. Enter the car chases, train derailments, women in backless gowns, yachts, Tom Ford suits and whatever else stylishness director Sam Mendes can throw at you.

I know I sound blase about the whole thing (and I guess I kind of am) but, for me, Bond is way more style over substance. According to reviews I've read, Skyfall is supposed to be the best of the best as far as Bond movies go, and it was really fun and very good, but I feel like it holds up well against super blockbuster movies like Spider-Man but not necessarily against brilliant fall thinkpieces like Looper. Skyfall is a fun ride, but a ride is really all it is. It's exciting and it gets your adrenaline pumping, but it's not really the kind of movie that is going to stay with you for a long time.

The performances are great, though. Craig makes for a rebellious bad ass Bond was swag. Dench is joyfully great as M. Ralph Fiennes shows up as a sort beaurocratic bad ass named Gareth Mallory. Ben Whishaw is adorable as ever as Q. But, the real stand out here is Javier Bardem. Anyone who has seen No Country for Old Men knows how good he is at playing a chilling villain. Here, with equally awful hair (seriously, is it in his contract that when he plays a villain they have to give him the worst hair of all time??? or is it just producers way of trying to make him less attractive??), Bardem is having a blast playing a Bond baddie. He's easily the best thing about the movie although I didn't entirely buy his motivations. Without giving anything away, it just seemed completely out of character for him to be doing what he was doing in this movie.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Skyfall. It makes me a believer in the pure fun you can have at a Bond movie. However, as far as substance goes, I think I'll probably forget all about this movie by the end of the year. And for the solid performances and great action sequences, that's a shame.

Grade: B

My Week With Marilyn

Let's be honest, My Week with Marilyn is a good movie, not great or spectacular by any means. It keeps your attention, it's interesting in the kind of way that any story about fascinating people is interesting: it doesn't have to be any better than it is. But the bigger picture here is its star: Michelle Williams, who turns in the sort of fierce, star making performance that no wonder she has been getting nominated for every single award so far this season.
My Week with Marilyn is a story about the most famous actress of all time, Marilyn Monroe. But it is also a story about Colin Clark, a 23 year old boy from an overachieving family who dreams of becoming a filmmaker. So the movie, based on his memoir, follows the young man as he gets his very first job working on what looks to be a ghastly musical comedy eventually entitled The Prince and the Showgirl. He is the third assistant director, which is really just a gopher. However, the position puts him into the thick of the film. He is practically the assistant to the great Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), who is the star and director of the film. Colin's story chronicles the difficult relationship between Olivier and Monroe. Despite being married to Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond), Olivier is at times jealous of her super stardom (he is a great actor who wants to be a superstar and she is a superstar who wants to be a great actor, madly in love with her, and short tempered with her difficulties.
Colin not only is privy to the inside track of the film, but also he becomes one of Marilyn's only friends during filming. The notorious actress hated to be alone and when her new husband of less than a month, Arthur Miller, leaves London, she clings to the young boy, who quickly falls in love with her, despite a budding romance with Emma Watson's Lucy, a wardrobe girl. And so, Colin gets to spend a week or so with Marilyn, and what follows is a sometime riveting, sometime frivolous look at young love, rejection, heartache, and of course, the portrait of a troubled and sad young woman.
The film itself is good at times, but lacking. It's inconsistent when it could have been something great. All the right pieces were in position, they just somehow weren't utilized properly. But the performances save the movie, for sure. Judi Dench, who seems to be everywhere this year, lighting up films that could definitely use it, is a hoot as the sweet natured actress who lends a helping hand to the scared Marilyn. Eddie Redmayne is sweet and charming as the young Colin Clark who falls in love despite everyone telling him not to and ends up getting his heart broken "a little." (Emma Watson's perfect response? "Good."). Kenneth Branagh is just fantastic as the mercurial Olivier, the greatest actor of his generation who both hated and loved Marilyn. But it's Michelle Williams, who I have long admired and is becoming a genuine favorite of mine, who is the crowning jewel here. She doesn't simply play Marilyn Monroe here. She becomes her. She so easily and simply transforms before our eyes into this sexy, charming, deeply trouble superstar, the icon who still endures all these years later. Her Monroe is all things at once: so simply turning from sexy and charming and flirtatious to scared and timid, paranoid and insecure. She's this sexy, sensual woman and also just a little girl who ultimately wants to be loved, not like the goddess she was but also like the normal girl she so desperately wanted to be. There is a fantastic scene between Marilyn and Colin in her bedroom where she tells him about her childhood and her plans to settle down and leave it all behind. She tells him that people want to love her as Marilyn Monroe but when they find out that not who she is they leave her and run away. It will break your heart, as does Williams' devastating beauty as the icon that you just can't take your eyes off of. Is an Oscar win in her near future? I think so.
Grade: B

Take Shelter, J. Edgar, Hugo

Take Shelter - Michael Shannon stars as a man who may be psychic or may be a little bit crazy. Either way, it's Michael Shannon, probably the best actor under 50 working today, so you know the acting is going to be damn good. Shannon's character has a family history of schizophrenia so when he starts having very realistic nightmares that a storm is coming, he turns all of his attention on fixing up and expanding the storm shelter in his back yard. His wife (Jessica Chastain) has a lot on her plate also - dealing with a potentially mentally ill husband and a newly deaf child. Slowly, the nightmares become more and more realistic and everyone in the small town starts to think he is losing his mind. The movie is a little bit slow burning but it's also intense. The dream sequences are all a big tease. However, Shannon's amazing performance more than makes up for any small problems I had with the plot. He is Oscar worthy, for sure. In fact, at this point I think he should win Best Actor for his intense, slow burning, dramatic performance. Chastain, who has been in about forty movies this year is also quite good and goes toe-to-toe with Shannon very well. Take Shelter is not for everyone, but it's a damn good film.
Grade: B+

J. Edgar - While we are talking about Oscar caliber performances, it's important to discuss Leonardo DiCaprio and his completely engrossing performance as the one time most powerful man in the world - J. Edgar Hoover, the founder of the FBI. Clint Eastwood's film follows Hoover from a young man with mommy issues to an overzealous nerdy agent and eventually to a deeply confident and powerful head of the bureau. The film encapsulates his career - showing him catching the kidnapper of the Lindbergh baby and discussing how the FBI brought down Dillinger. It also speculates on the never married man's personal life. Was he really a cross dresser? Was he really gay and in love with his closest confidante (Armie Hammer)? Or was he just too busy to find a wife? J. Edgar itself disappoints as a movie. It's slow and it's boring, and it's not good for a movie about such an interesting man to be boring. However, the performances are the saving grace. Hammer may be a better actor with old man make up. Naomi Watts is great in a small role. Judi Dench dazzles, OF COURSE. But it's DiCaprio's transformation that is truly remarkable. Perhaps he will finally win that Oscar he's been due for so long.
Grade: C+

Hugo - It should be no surprise that the greatest living director should be able to switch so easily from gritty, dirty, violent films to charmingly beautiful children's tales with no effort. And it's true. Martin Scorsese, so well known as the director of some of the greatest adult movies of all time, has turned his limitless talents to children's films with Hugo, a beautiful, charming, sweet tale of young friendship and a celebration of film making. Based on a kids book, Hugo tells the story of a young boy who lives in a train station and knows the inside of the walls like the back of his hand. After his father's (Jude Law) death, he goes to live with his clock winder uncle and becomes responsible for the winding of the clocks at a Paris train station. Asa Butterfield is a revelation as the young Hugo, intent on fixing up the last remaining piece of his father's life. This takes him on a wild adventure that includes Isabelle (Chloe Mortez) and a shocking good Ben Kingsley as a mean, mean toy shop owner. This is a love song to film making, a beautiful, sweeping, charmer of a movie that will remind you why you love movies so damn much. As far as I'm concerned, we've found our Best Picture Oscar winner already.
Grade: A

Little Children and Notes on a Scandal (DVD)

Little Children - Little Children is wonderful and intricate drama that focuses on suburban America and the lives of people who are completely unfulfilled. Unhappy marriages. Unsatisfied lives. There is nothing more depressing than living a boring life. Sarah (Kate Winslet) is a brilliant woman who somehow finds herself in a marriage with a dull man addicted to an internet fetish website. She busies herself with her daughter who she seems at times highly disinterested in. She spends her days psychoanalyzing the local Moms at the park and her nights walking with an older woman. That is until she meets Brad (Patrick Wilson) - or The Prom King, as the park Moms call him. He is equally unsatisfied with his life. While his wife is busy making documentary films, he spends his days with his son at parks and the pool. The two become friends first. They talk and chat while their children play at the park and the pool. Sarah becomes entranced with their innocent flirations. That is, until a stormy afternoon sends them indoors. Winslet and Wilson play their characters with an understated melancholy - unearthing their mutual attraction, not in a fit of passion but in the natural course of daily events. Simply stated, the fill each other's voids. As an underscore to all this sex and passion, there is Ronnie (a wonderful, terrific, amazing Jackie Earle Haley), a man recently released from prison after exposing himself to a child. His complex role, played with such a creepy sensitivity (if that makes sense) is the absolute best thing about the movie. There is a particularly memorable scene after a date with a woman he meets through a personal ad where he oh-so-quickly destroys a trust that had been building throughout the evening. Ronnie becomes the talk and the menace of the town. The Moms and Dads hate him and make it known that he is not welcome in their town. The only one on his side is his loving and sweet mom, May. As someone who read the book and loved it, I was expecting to hate the little changes I knew they would make... but I didn't. There was a lot of backstory, supporting characters and fleshing out of story lines that was missing but it's really impossible to include everything unless you want a seven hour movie. I found the narration was bothersome but I'll let it pass since I did enjoy the movie so much (but not quite as much as Todd Field's other masterpiece In the Bedroom). Haley is brilliant. Winslet and Wilson are wonderful. The script and the direction are top notch. This is not a brilliant or perfect film, but it does have moments of brilliance and perfection.

Grade: A-

Notes On A Scadal - The only thing that seperates Notes on a Scandal from a Lifetime movie is the fact that Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett star. That's not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy it (I love Lifetime movies!). Dench plays Barbara, a "battle axe" high school teacher. She is fiercely intelligent and utterly unloved and alone. The new year brings Sheba (Blanchett), a beautiful young art teacher with a husband and two children. Barbara slowly works her way into Sheba's life only to learn that she is carrying on an affair with a 15 year old pupil. Instead of telling the powers that be at the school, Barbara uses this knowledge to become closer and closer to Sheba. Then, of course, the secret gets out (as most secrets do). On paper, it's a trite plot and is suitable only for Lifetime. But, when you add Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Patrick Marber's acidic script, the movie manages to become rather interesting and well done. Blanchett plays her teacher as a week character, caught up in her emotions and that is the perfect foil for Dench and her steely determination and ruthless pursuit for companionship. Another thing that keeps this from becoming a Lifetime movie is that it manages to steer clear of sensationalism to present present the sad inner lives of two women. The middle section of the film falls apart a bit at times - it's not nearly as gripping as the beginning and the conclusion (that wonderful dark humored ending), but Notes on a Scandal is still an engaging and emotionally intense film.

Grade: B+

Sidenote: I have begun watching the Horrorfest: 8 Movies To Die For (eventhough there are only 7... wtf?) films. I will save my reviews until I see all of them but I would just like to say that in the film Penny Dreadful, the keyword is Dreadful.