Kevin Does Award Season 2011
Each year, award season rings in with a slew of press screenings and courtesy screeners from the studios. As a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Online Film Critic Society and the Central Ohio Film Critics Association, Fat Guy Kevin Carr needs to watch as many as humanly possible. To get a jump on this two-month endeavor, Kevin will be watching one award movie every day or two (excluding the ones he has already seen), leading up to the end-of-the-year voting in his respective critics organizations. He will include his brief thoughts after each viewing as well as a final rating out of five stars.
November 1 – Take Shelter
About 90 percent of this movie is what I’d expect from a typical award season. It shows a lower-class family struggling to survive. They have health care issues (the daughter is hearing impaired, and the father is worried he’s showing signs of schizophrenia). It’s a depressing look at a struggling family that generally has no humor or light-heartedness. Why is it that filmmakers always present average people as dull, drab and humorless? But there’s that 10 percent that makes it stand out from typical award-bait. It’s these scenes – in which star Michael Shannon is having apocalyptic visions – that make the film interesting. But at its heart is a character study, and on that line, it’s very well acted. The movie tends to pitter out at the end with a predictable anticlimax, but obviously I was expecting that. (3 out of 5 stars)
November 2 – Attack the Block
I had heard a lot of great buzz about this movie ever since it made a splash at SXSW earlier this year. I didn’t have a chance to see it until now, and I’m glad I did. For a first-time directorial effort, this is pretty seamless with only a few hiccups in the middle. The alien invasion aspect of the film has a distinct 80s throwback feel to it without sacrificing any of the look and feel of a modern movie. I have described it as a darker, uglier, urban British version of Tremors because both are creature features about a gang of unlikely misfit heroes doing battle with monsters. The characters travel through familiar arcs, especially their change from street punks to heroes of the planet, and the post-climax ending lays things on a bit thick, but that’s all forgivable in this thoroughly enjoying and original tale of alien invasion. Still, I do admit that I watched the film with the subtitles on. Sorry if that bothers anyone. (4 out of 5 stars)
November 4 – Forks Over Knives
This is one of those “no duh” documentaries, like Super Size Me. The basic principle awkwardly demonstrated here is that changing your junk food diet to an uber-healthy whole foods diet will make you healthier. It also presents case studies of people who are wildly unhealthy who want to get off medication for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. The problem is that I don’t know any doctor who would tell someone to eat like shit and just take their meds. All doctors will tell you to change your eating habits too. I’m not knocking a whole-foods, plant-based diet (the new politically correct term for “vegan” so as to not sound like a hippie, I suppose), but Forks Over Knives advocates a complete reversal of animal protein intake. The studies they cite which “prove” that casein (i.e., milk protein) causes cancer don’t wash, or every child in America would be riddled with tumors. I’m all for healthy eating, but this documentary amounts to nothing more than 90 minutes of scare tactics, telling the viewer that you will die a horrible medical death if you don’t stop eating everything with a face. (1 out of 5 stars)
November 6 – The Guard
This is a great example of an award film that I’m thankful for seeing on a screener… otherwise, I probably would have missed it completely. Brendan Gleeson is brilliant in this film as a racist and opinion police office in western Ireland teaming up with a rather square FBI agent to root out the drug trade. Gleeson and his acerbic character hold the movie together, and Cheadle generously plays his foil. There’s plenty of humor with Gleeson speaking his mind, no matter who it offends, and with the villains analyzing their own cliche tactics. The story elements are really nothing new, another fish-out-of-water buddy-cop film. It’s just that the backdrop makes it unique, and the performances make it great. (4 out of 5 stars)
November 7 – A Better Life
Considering that Chris Weitz is coming off of the mopey pop culture eruption known as The Twilight Saga: New Moon, this was a chance for him to grab some lost street cred. With that said, this movie was middling. It has its ups and downs. The opening takes too long, and the characters do some pretty stupid things in order to further the plot. (I mean, who leaves their freaking keys in a new truck???) But once the second act starts and we see some development between the lead and his son, things get more interesting. Unfortunately, like so many of these films, it just piddles out at the end. I will say this, though… it does show both sides of the immigration issue, even if it’s somewhat clunky in doing so. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
November 8 – Bellflower
I don’t want to waste any more time thinking or talking about this movie than I did watching it. This is just more whiny, douchey, angsty, emotional menstruation from an independent filmmaker trying to make sense of his own worthless relationships. Poorly acted, incompetently scripted and thoroughly unoriginal, Bellflower made me wade through 90 minutes of sheer boredom to find a mildly interesting beginning of the end only to be smacked in the face with ultimate cliches. Oh, and Lord Humungous is from The Road Warrior… not Mad Max. Idiots. (0 out of 5 stars)
November 8 – J. Edgar
I don’t want to be redundant, or to repeat myself. Check out my review of the new film right here. (3 out of 5 stars)
November 12 – If a Tree Falls
I’m always skeptical when I begin a movie that has such a potential political angle. While I enjoy nature, I do think that the Earth First and ELF movements are pretty extreme and wacky. The movie begins as a sympathetic look at these movements and the people involved and incarcerated. But that’s mostly set-up. By the time the documentary gets into the thick of things, we see some of the many sides to the story. Whatever your position is on the environment and extreme environmentalism, you can find some interesting things in this film. Sure, there’s a point the movie is trying to make, but it does its job by opening up some issues surrounding the story itself. (3 out of 5 stars)
November 13 – The Other F Word
This is a touching and thought-provoking documentary about punk rockers growing up and becoming fathers. It shows the specific struggles they have with their anti-authority and anarchistic message of the music clashing with the duties of fatherhood. Specifically, it follows Jim Lindberg as the lead singer for Pennywise, who is rebelling against his rebel life. In some ways, I wish the movie focused more on the fathers of teenagers and older children, specifically how they deal with the rebel years of their own kids. Still, it’s a statement of how difficult it is to balance a punk rock lifestyle with being a father and figure of authority, to the point the message is laid out with a line from Lindberg saying he’s become the system he once fought against. While growing up is easier for most people in this world, the extreme example shown here really drives the message home. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
November 14 – Rebirth
This is a unique look back on the effects of 9/11/2001. It follows several people whose lives were torn apart by the terrorist acts, revisiting them every year for almost a decade. Touching and tender, Rebirth refuses to sensationalize the events but rather focuses on the recovery and healing these people go through. The greatest strength of this film is its ability to go down a different road than you’d expect. It exposes the pain in these people’s lives, but at the same time exposes their strengths. Not a perfect documentary, but an authentic one, it’s worth checking out. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
November 15 – Black Death
Easily the best Dark Ages movie to come out in 2011, but I’ll admit that’s not high praise considering its main competition was Season of the Witch. Well acted and sufficiently grim, this flick kept a fine balance between woeful reality and potential fantasy. Neat film and not necessarily predictable. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
November 15 – Happy Feet Two
Check out my review of the new film right here. (1.5 out of 5 stars)
November 19 – The Muppets
Check out my review of the new film right here. (4 out of 5 stars)
November 21 – Hugo
Check out my review of the new film right here. (4 out of 5 stars)
November 25 – The Rum Diary
I had to miss this one when it came out several weeks ago, but it was nice to catch it as a screener. Johnny Depp and the rest of the cast (especially Richard Jenkins and Giovanni Ribisi, who manages to out-Depp Johnny Depp in his scenes) are very solid. Great performances but suffering from an otherwise haphazard script. If you’re looking for classic Hunter S. Thompson, you’d be better served revisiting Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. But hey, you kinda get to see Amber Heard’s boobs, so it’s not a total loss. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
November 26 – The Descendants
This annual George Clooney Oscar-bait film is a far cry from his other annual Oscat-bait film (the superb Ides of march), but it’s still a decent flick. Clooney and costar Shailene Woodley are being heralded for their performances, and while they’re both good in the film, it’s Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer who steal the show for me. I never liked the characters, and I didn’t think Clooney’s sufficiently grew as it should (i.e., he ends the film only slightly less of an asshole than when he started). This is overrated, but it’s not a waste of your time. (3 out of 5 stars)
November 26 – Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen’s latest film, an unabashed love letter to Paris, made a huge splash this summer with the arthouse crowd. While I thought it was decent, it never quite jumped off the screen for me. The actors are decent, but the film betrays itself by idealizing the era it uses to demonstrate that the past is always rose-colored. Plus, the movie smacks you in the face by telling you the message and not giving the viewer the credit to figure things out for itself. Typical modern Woody Allen pacing, cinematography and storytelling, it’s one for Allen fans and those who truly wish they could live in a romanticized version of Paris c. 1920. (3 out of 5 stars)
November 27 – Shame
Michael Fassbender carries this controversial NC-17 rated film about a man dealing with a sex addiction. Director Steve McQueen is unflinching in his portrayal of the humiliation and – pun intended – shame of the addiction. Fassbender manages to be charming, smarmy, sexy and revolting all at the same time. Even though the film stalls a couple times in its almost too-deliberate pacing, it’s the performances that carry it along. (4 out of 5 stars)
November 27 – My Week with Marilyn
Here’s one of the hats the Weinsteins are throwing into the awards ring this year, another period piece with British connections. The movie begins rather charmingly with a look at the annoyances of stardom told in a similar framework of a BBC television production. Michelle Williams is being touted for a great performance, but I was unimpressed. Sure, this is a diversion from her tired and mopey roles from Wendy and Lucy and Blue Valentine, but it doesn’t take a lot of talent to play a ditzy blonde. (Hint: There’s a lot of staring blankly at the camera and various members of the cast.) I’m still not impressed with Williams as an actress, and she is way too skinny to effectively pull of Marilyn Monroe. Eat a freaking sandwich, lady! (2 out of 5 stars)
November 27 – Martha Marcy May Marlene
I purposely avoided information about this movie because I was curious to see it unencumbered by pretext. It has some interesting themes, and it’s edited in a deliberate and fantastic manner, but the movie itself plods along too much, trading gaps in dialogue and action for development. I can appreciate what it’s trying to do, but I was too annoyed with the characters (all of them) to feel any real sympathy. (2 out of 5 stars)
November 28 – Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
A surprising entry into the award films docket, this horror comedy is a send-up of the psycho killer genre. Quite expertly written, this tells the alternate story of what some college kids might encounter on a weekend camping trip in the woods. Lots of laughs and quite a bit of heart, this is a flick that is fun and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s also made with a true love for the horror genre, with plenty of winks and nods to the audience. (4 out of 5 stars)
December 1 – A Dangerous Method
I’ve been a big fan of David Cronenberg for decades, especially his older body horror films. In the past decade or so, he’s been leaning towards more “respectable” storytelling. Both Eastern Promises and A History of Violence were fantastic. And while A Dangerous Method is interesting, it’s not as good. Michael Fassbender gives us another fantastic performance, but Kiera Knightly is a little uneven (though I appreciate her boobs). It’s a neat perspective of the roots of modern psychiatry, but I’d prefer some modern body horror from a master. (3 out of 5 stars)
December 1 – Coriolanus
Not being well-versed in Shakespeare, I’m relatively unfamiliar with much of his work. I had never seen Coriolanus the play, which makes it a lot harder to follow (with the Shakespearean language and all) than his more familiar works like Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet. Dealing with common Shakespeare themes, Coriolanus works in a modern setting. It’s well-acted and socially relevant. Unfortunately, it’s not the most hard-hitting of Shakespeare’s work, which is probably why the overall story isn’t as famous as much of his other works. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
December 2 – Margin Call
Like The Ides of March, I was really skeptical of this film. It’s hard to present a film about the 2008 financial crisis without drenching it in politics. However, also like The Ides of March, Margin Call was a strong, well-plotted film. Rather than vilifying everyone and making them mini-Darth Vaders, the film attempts to show the behind-the-scenes of the roots of the financial crisis. It’s as depressing in its outlook of human nature as The Ides of March is, and that’s where it gets its power. (4 out of 5 stars)
December 2 – Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
In many ways, the story of Roger Corman is far more interesting (and far more dramatic) than many of his films. I love schlock, but it has its place and needs to be taken in small doses. This is a great look at Corman’s history and how he continues to spin his success to make cheesy movies. It’s a real inspiration for indie filmmakers out there, and a fun ride with plenty of nostalgia for his older works. (4 out of 5 stars)
December 3 – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
I really wanted to love this movie because I know how influential Le Carre’s novels are. And there are plenty of things to love about this movie, from it’s fantastic ensemble cast to its set design and period look. It also gives a fantastic, realistic look at the way the spy game is actually played. Especially in the 1974 setting, spying involved a lot of sitting around and listening to things… hardly James Bond fodder. However, the story is a bit hard to follow. The non-chronological narrative makes this even more difficult. So while I respect this movie, it’s not a particularly entertaining one. (3 out of 5 stars)
December 5 – The Art of Getting By
Not exactly a major entry into the 2011/2012 award season, this film fits the style, is released by Fox Searchlight and just had a DVD and Blu-ray release. An angst-filled, whiney mess, The Art of Getting By tries to show the plight of the oh-so-struggling rich kids as they deal with life. Existing as unappealing misanthropes, the characters do whatever the hell they want to with no restrictions. They’re awful, mopey characters that can’t rise above their own idiocy. Poorly acted and ridiculously plotted, there’s a reason this film isn’t receiving an awards push. (1.5 out of 5 stars)
December 6 – We Need to Talk About Kevin
This is quite easily the most disturbing film of 2011. Told out of sequence from the point-of-view of an emotionally detached parent, We Need to Talk About Kevin is partially a cautionary tale to look for warning signs of sociopaths, as much as it is a straightforward thriller. This film disturbed me at my core as a parent in two ways: one by how dangerous ignorance of your children’s problems can be and also by what that can mean to other people’s children. Tilda Swinton does a lot with her role, carrying us along and letting us see her side of the awful situation. (4.5 out of 5 stars)
December 6 – Another Earth
Another not-quite-award-film entry, which came out on DVD and Blu-ray recently, Another Earth is a speculative fiction tale that was produced on a shoestring, had a festival run about a year ago and came out in July. Unfortunately, its science fiction angle is as trite as they come. To make matters worse, the filmmakers in behind-the-scene interviews talk about how unique and brilliant this is. Some performances are decent, but others (particularly the secondary roles) are wickedly bad… I’m talking community theater bad. Existing on a ludicrous pretense and masquerading as a daring piece of fiction, this becomes nothing more than an utterly unbelievable kitchen sink drama. (1 out of 5 stars)
December 6 – I Melt With You
As I watched this film about a group of old college buddies reconnecting for a vacation where they can take a lot of drugs and drink themselves stupid, I wondered if Jeremy Piven was reliving his own experiences on Very Bad Things. This is an aimless, pointless, barely-scripted cavalcade of awful characters. When bad things happened, I could care less. i gave up on this film, and I don’t know if I will even attempt to watch the last 40 minutes of it. After all, I’m not going to vote on this for anything. (0 out of 5 stars)
December 7 – War Horse
When the trailers for War Horse first came out, I rolled my eyes. Fortunately, this film is far, far better than the trailers lead on. Based on a children’s book, this tells the epic story of a horse who crosses paths with multiple characters against the backdrop of World War I. It’s inspiring and beautifully shot. The feeling of the film taps into the earlier Disney films of the 50s and 60s that sweep the viewer along with real-life drama without getting too grim. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. (4 out of 5 stars)
December 7 – W.E.
Even though this isn’t the first movie Madonna directed (she did a smaller, forgotten indie film a couple years ago), it’s being hyped like it is. And while I can respect her for the impact she had on popular music, she’s not found much success in film. This just isn’t her medium, and W.E. proves that. Rather than playing as a compelling film, W.E. plays like someone making a film the way they imagine films should be made. The narrative is all over the place, and it’s clear the focus was the look (including costumes, set design and period pieces) rather than any substance. Weak exposition is carried out with awkward narration, while the movie throws out a smattering of styles that appear to emulate Oliver Stone. It looks good and sounds good, but it’s as vacant of substance as your standard music video. (1 out of 5 stars)
December 12 – Margaret
This film isn’t getting a proper awards push from Fox Searchlight, and I can see why. We got it locally per the request of some of our members. I commend Fox Searchlight for showing it, but I cannot say I liked it at all. It tells the story of a snotty, privileged private school student who is partially responsible for a bus crash that kills a woman. In an attempt to deal with her own grief and guilt, she tries to get the driver of the bus punished, but soon discovers the American legal system doesn’t work the way she wants it. Overlong and needlessly mopey, Margaret does not have a single likable character in the entire film. Everyone is a selfish prick obsessed with their own selves, and they are just wretched and awful people. (1 out of 5 stars)
December 13 – Carnage
Even though I think Roman Polanski is a jerk, I’ve liked his movies of late. Based on a stage play, Carnage tells the story of how civilities can break down in the most civilized people. With a cast of four Oscar winners or nominees, Carnage is fun to watch for any parent who is annoyed with the over-intellectualization of parenting. Here’s an example of a film with horrible people as characters, but it’s still enjoyable to watch because they’re all so deliciously horrible. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
December 14 – The Iron Lady
Earlier this year, I had a chance to review a BBC miniseries about Margaret Thatcher. It was just okay, especially since I’m not well versed in British politics, and it seems to be a lot of meandering around. The Iron Lady played out very much the same. It’s not a great movie, but it’s an impressive performance by Meryl Streep, who manages to not make the role a caricature. Still, it’s an acting spotlight and nothing more. (2 out of 5 stars)
December 15 – The Artist
Each year there seems to be an award film that gets the most buzz. This year, that note goes to The Artist, an homage to the American silent cinema screen. Feel-good, smartly plotted, sharp and fun, this movie is quite charming and enjoyable. It’s well worth the accolades and is a great partner piece with Hugo to honor early cinema. I don’t think it’s the best movie of the year, but I’d be totally fine if it were to win the top rewards due to Hollywood’s narcissism. (4 out of 5 stars)
December 15 – Young Adult
Check out my review of the new film right here. (2 out of 5 stars)
December 16 – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Check out my review of the new film right here. (4.5 out of 5 stars)
December 17 – The Adventures of Tintin
Check out my review of the new film right here. (4 out of 5 stars)
December 21 – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
This is one of those obvious award movies, tugging very deliberately at the heartstrings and directed by a beloved director. I have not read the book, but I’ve heard it’s a hard one to adapt. It’s still touchy to deal with the tragedy of 9/11 from a personal perspective, and for the most part, this movie remains politics-free. However, this story is full of too many modern cliches. First, making a character as a child with Asperger’s is the new black and overdone by a long-shot in modern movies and television. I understand it makes a challenge for the actor and filmmakers, allowing them to also work outside of the norm. But the character in the film is hard to relate to, and ultimately the story fits together too easily and perfect for me to really enjoy it. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
December 22 – Albert Nobbs
I jokingly refer to this film as Upstairs, Downstairs, Wuuuuuut? because at its heart, it feels like a fancy BBC series. On this level, it taps into the restrained drama of the characters. However, there’s the added interest of Glenn Close’s character being a woman dressed as a man offers an edge to the movie that you just wouldn’t see in Upstairs, Downstairs. As a passion project for Close, this comes off as a neat little film. It deals with some tricky issues of identity and sexuality, but it resists being sensational. My only major complaint is the casting of Janet McTeer as another woman-as-a-man. Not that she can’t act the part, but physically, she just doesn’t pull off a convincing man like Close can. (3 out of 5 stars)
December 27 – Pariah
Like Albert Nobbs, Pariah deals with issues of identity and sexuality, though in a vastly different way. Pariah isn’t my go-to type of film, but it was interesting nonetheless. Shot in a very hands-off style, it works as an indie film about a girl in Brooklyn coming to terms with being a lesbian. The film plays heavy handed at times, especially with the bigoted nature of the parents, but it takes a look at some issues Hollywood is still too scared to tackle. (3 out of 5 stars)
December 27 – A Separation
This is one of those foreign films that rises above simple accolades for a foreign film. Intricately written and boldly stated, A Separation is extremely hard to digest from an American perspective. There are so many cultural implications surrounding it that most people from a western culture would either not understand or be overly judgmental about from the get-go. The brilliance of this movie is that it’s Iranian-made for an Iranian audience, giving us westerners a chance to peek into their culture from a relatively unbiased human viewpoint.
December 28 – Angels Crest
I hated this movie. I hated this movie as a citizen of flyover country because it does what every Hollywood movie does with flyover country… it reduces the people to soulless, humorless, boring, bigoted people. I hated this movie as a parent because it excuses bad parenting on all levels in an attempt to “understand” us soulless, humorless, boring, bigoted people in flyover country. I hated this movie as a film lover because it is so derivative of other (read as: better) movies like Winter’s Bone. Idiotic cardboard characters does not make a good movie. Never did. (1 out of 5 stars)
December 28 – Melancholia
I know a lot of people who adored this movie, and I have heard plenty of comparisons of it to the godawful The Tree of Life. At the very least, Melancholia is a better film than Malick’s latest masturbatory effort. There are some interesting elements brought up in Melancholia, but it does run a bit long and gets purposely obtuse at times. Still, it handles the fantastical elements of the rogue planet better than Another Earth does. And you get to see Kirsten Dunst’s nerples, which is nice. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
December 28 – Win Win
Rounding out my award season screener push is Win Win, which I missed in theaters and on DVD release. It’s a nice, unpredictable story of family and true charity. I appreciated the fact that the film didn’t devolve into too many cliches, and while the characters weren’t adorable, they certainly had plenty of things to like about them. Well acted and properly paced, this was a pleasant surprise. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
Follow Kevin on…
I hated Bellflower…but it appears you loathed it more. Didn’t you wait, like I did throughout, for that apocalypse to happen so it would all end? hell it wouldve at least made it interesting.