DREAM: January 2011

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Monday, January 31, 2011

THE ILLUSIONIST

Written by Jacques Tati

Adapted and Directed by Sylvain Chomet

Voices by Jean-Claude Donda and Eilidh Rankin

The Illusionist (written on a card): Magicians do not exist.

It can’t be easy to be an aging magician, especially one who has to work so tirelessly just to get by. The title character in French director, Sylvain Chomet’s latest work of pure artistry, THE ILLUSIONIST, can fit his entire life into a few, tiny pieces of luggage, which he carts from one dilapidated theatre to the next, so that he can play to near empty houses whenever possible and at least afford lodging and a little to eat. Night after night, he performs the same tired tricks he’s been peddling for years, still trying to trick the world into thinking that magic can happen, when its clear from his sullen expression that he stopped believing in magic long before. It’s no wonder really that the curtain doesn’t even open for him when we first catch his act.

One day, a gig brings the illusionist (voiced by Jean-Claude Donda) to Scotland, where he meets Alice (Eilidh Rankin), a young girl who works at a local inn. She catches his act and then catches him backstage for a private encore and with that, she is convinced. Suddenly, there is someone standing in front of him who believes he is actually magical. From this point on, he becomes an illusionist of a different sort, trying to maintain her beliefs and mask his own true reasons for wanting her in his life. It isn’t clear whether he has ever had a daughter but it is clear from the way he takes care of Alice, that love has been absent for some time. Together, they get a small place at the Little Joe Hotel, which houses a variety of starving artists, from a suicidal clown to an alcoholic ventriloquist. For Alice, the whole situation is bigger than anything she’s ever known and cannot see how truly hard it is to keep up with. For her, nickels really can be found behind her ear whenever she needs them.

THE ILLUSIONIST is based on an unproduced script by French mime and comedy legend, Jacques Tati. It is said to be a letter to his daughter but there is some disagreement amongst admirers of his work, as to whether it was written for the daughter he barely saw or the daughter he never knew. Chomet certainly fills his adaptation with plenty of parental woe and disappointment but also rounds it out with complex issues like mixing art and commerce and the evolution of taste as it descends the generations. Like his last great accomplishment, LES TRIPLETTES DE BELLEVILLE, Chomet works a little magic of his own, creating mostly two-dimensional art that comes to life without having to rely on effects or even silly dialogue as the film is mostly silent. So without having to resort to its own form of trickery, THE ILLUSIONIST is a truly unique and enchanting experience, which should have all who see it believing in magic by the time the curtain closes.

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

DHOBI GHAT

Written and Directed by Kiran Rao

Starring Prateik, Monica Dogra and Aamir Khan

I learned a new word the other day – “hindie”. Basically, this is an amalgamation of “Hindi” and “indie”, the former being an Indian language and the latter being the term we have come to associate with films made outside the studio system. You will have to pardon my ignorance on the subject; I don’t see a lot of Indian film. In an effort to change that, albeit a very small one, I caught film festival favourite, DHOBI GHAT, by first time director, Kiran Rao, starring up and coming actors, Prateik and Monica Dogra, as well as veteran Indian actor, Aamir Khan (Rao's husband to boot). It may have taken me a few minutes to adjust to some of the iffier acting and questionable shot choices but once I did, I was taken in by its great sensitivity and compassion.

The “Dhobi Ghat” is a well-known place in Mumbai where “dhobis” wash clothing in the street for hotels, hospitals and rich folk. The film both takes its name and stems from this place. Munna (Prateik), is a young “dhobi” with aspirations of becoming an actor. He certainly has the face for it but, instead of getting him the notice of a famous film producer, his face grabs the attention of a young, unemployed amateur photographer, named Shai (Monica Dogra). Shai comes from a great deal of money and therefore cannot really entertain the idea of falling for a “dhobi”. She also has unresolved issues for a former flame, Arun (Aamir Khan), who also happens to have his laundry done by Munna. Arun himself, a reclusive painter, is finding new inspiration and life in a series of videos a former resident of his new apartment left behind. The window to this girl’s life, and all of its complex trappings, is curious and fascinating but also unexpectedly heartbreaking.

In some ways, DHOBI GHAT relies too heavily on overly simplified conventions to sturdy its foundation. While I’m sure class separation is still very real in Mumbai, the spoiled little rich girl falling for the poor handsome boy from the streets has been done. Rao infuses her delicately woven web between her three characters with great care though, enough so that they are all able to show sides of themselves that are contrasting and compelling. They are all bound by obligation, status and history but they are also all moving towards something altogether new in their lives and they know it. Perhaps some fresh clothing and perspective will allow them to stop fighting the change and just give in.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tis the Season: The Academy Award Nominations

(Scroll over any film title for the full Black Sheep review.)

I know it's late but I just got in not too long ago from that meeting. I have now seen the nominations for the 83rd edition of the Academy Awards, which I recorded so I could pretend like I saw them live. This actually worked. I was tense as Mo'Nique called out the nominations and thrilled to hear that many of my secret hopefuls made the final cut. Shall we break it down then?

THE KING'S SPEECH leads the Oscar tally with 12 nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Direction of course, as well as one for each of the principal cast members. TRUE GRIT follows closely in second place with 10 nominations, thanks to an unexpected direction nod for Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. THE SOCIAL NETWORK and INCEPTION, then come in third place with 8 nominations between them. I was expecting a stronger showing for these two films and slightly less for the Coen Brothers picture to be honest, but in general, I am very happy with the direction the Academy went in this year with their nominees. There were a number of surprises and snubs, which is inevitable, but for the most part, I think Oscar got it right. Shall we break it down even further then?

Most of the Best Picture nominees were considered locks this year. Really, it seemed as though three films were fighting for the ninth and tenth slot when it came down to it. Those three films would be 127 HOURS, WINTER'S BONE and THE TOWN. Ultimately, it was THE TOWN, Ben Affleck's critically acclaimed dramatic thriller, that missed out. It actually only garnered one nomination, in the Supporting Actor category for Jeremy Renner, when it was considered a strong contender in the Best Picture race, as well as the Adapted Screenplay category. Both 127 HOURS and WINTER'S BONE fared much better than expected and will certainly benefit from these nominations. 127 HOURS, which scored nods for its screenplay as well as the lead performance by Oscar host, James Franco, rolls into 600 theatres this weekend and could use the boost at the box office. WINTER'S BONE meanwhile, is already available to rent or own. This fantastic indie picked up well deserved nominations for it's star, Jennifer Lawrence, and supporting actor, John Hawkes, as well as a nod for its screenplay.

The lead acting categories played out exactly as I wanted them to. The most triumphant success amongst them may be Javier Bardem's seemingly miraculous nomination for his incredible performance in BIUTIFUL, a Mexican film that has not been seen by many at this point. The Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu directed picture, also nabbed a Best Foreign Language spot. Michelle Williams scored her second career nod for her performance in BLUE VALENTINE. This was also not a lock so I am thrilled to see her get this well deserved accolade, as it will also drive more people to see this bleak film. Her co-star, Ryan Gosling, did not make the cut finally.

The supporting acting categories provided some of this morning's biggest surprises. The biggest of those would certainly have to be Jacki Weaver, nominated for her performance in the little seen, ANIMAL KINGDOM. She was always a contender but there was a great deal of confusion in this category this year. Ultimately, Hailee Steinfeld, scored her nomination for TRUE GRIT in the supporting category, when there was much debate over whether she would end up in the lead actress race. Lesley Manville, in ANOTHER YEAR, had a similar confusion and ended up not being recognized in either category, not that she was a shoe-in for either really. A notable absence here would have to be Mila Kunis, in BLACK SWAN. I never saw her performance as award worthy but it was certainly being talked up quite a bit in recent weeks and I thought she would end up on the list. On the men's side, it was the aforementioned nod for Hawkes in WINTER'S BONE that blocked out another young hopeful, Andrew Garfield, in THE SOCIAL NETWORK.

Perhaps the biggest snub amidst this morning's nominations is Christopher Nolan being locked out of the Best Director race once again. He did earn his second nomination for writing INCEPTION today but he was considered a sure thing is the directing category. He has been nominated three times by the Director's Guild of America, including this year, but is consistently shut out here. Instead, the fifth slot went to the Coen Brothers, as mentioned before. Aside from THE SOCIAL NETWORK director, David Fincherm and the Coens, the remaining three nominees are all here for the first time. They are Darren Aronofsky for BLACK SWAN, Tom Hooper for THE KING'S SPEECH and David O. Russell for THE FIGHTER.

The rest of my shocks and disappointments are as follows. While I am thrilled to see Mike Leigh score a nomination for the beautiful original screenplay, ANOTHER YEAR, I am surprised not to see BLACK SWAN there. In fact, I am a little surprised that BLACK SWAN only managed 5 nominations in total the way that film's momentum has been building. I didn't truly expect Daft Punk to score a Best Original Score nomination for TRON: LEGACY but it would have been a hoot if they did. I was very happy to see the progressive Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score for THE SOCIAL NETWORK make the list though. Oh, and I know BURLESQUE was bad but you could have found at least one song from that the film to round up the Original Song nominees to five. There was another glaring INCEPTION snub in the editing category. I thought for sure that was a lock. I'm very pleased to see great films like Banksy documentary, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP and Pixar animated short, DAY & NIGHT, earn their spots in their respective categories. Speaking of Pixar, TOY STORY 3, picked up five nominations of its own, including Best Picture and Original Screenplay. And finally, represent Canada! Denis Villeneuve's INCENDIES scored Canada a nomination in the Best Foreign Language race.

I've done the math and I was 87% accurate in my predictions. I got all the lead acting nods right (even Bardem!) and suffered one wrong answer in each of the other categories I made predictions for. Look for reviews of many of the nominated films to come in the weeks ahead on Black Sheep Reviews and I invite you to share your opinions on the Oscar nominations below.

The 83rd annual Academy Awards will be presented on February 27, and hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway. This is the full list of nominations:

BEST PICTURE

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem in BIUTIFUL

Jeff Bridges in TRUE GRIT

Jesse Eisenberg in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Colin Firth in THE KING'S SPEECH

James Franco in 127 HOURS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Nicole Kidman in RABBIT HOLE

Jennifer Lawrence in WINTER'S BONE

Natalie Portman in BLACK SWAN

Michelle Williams in BLUE VALENTINE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale in THE FIGHTER

John Hawkes in WINTER'S BONE

Jeremy Renner in THE TOWN

Mark Ruffalo in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Geoffrey Rush in THE KING'S SPEECH

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams in THE FIGHTER

Helena Bonham Carter in THE KING'S SPEECH

Melissa Leo in THE FIGHTER

Hailee Steinfeld in TRUE GRIT

Jacki Weaver in ANIMAL KINGDOM

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Darren Aronofsky for BLACK SWAN

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for TRUE GRIT

David Fincher for THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Tom Hooper for THE KING'S SPEECH

David O. Russell for THE FIGHTER

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

ANOTHER YEAR

THE FIGHTER

INCEPTION

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

THE KING'S SPEECH

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

THE ILLUSIONIST

TOY STORY 3

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

BIUTIFUL

DOGTOOTH

IN A BETTER WORLD

INCENDIES

OUTSIDE THE LAW

CINEMATOGRAPHY

EDITING

ART DIRECTION

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1

INCEPTION

THE KING'S SPEECH

TRUE GRIT

COSTUME DESIGN

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

I AM LOVE

THE TEMPEST

MAKEUP

THE WAY BACK

ORIGINAL SCORE

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

INCEPTION

THE KING'S SPEECH

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

ORIGINAL SONG

"If I Rise" from 127 HOURS

"Coming Home" from COUNTRY STRONG

"I See the Light" from TANGLED

"We Belong Together" from TOY STORY 3

SOUND MIXING

SOUND EDITING

UNSTOPPABLE

VISUAL EFFECTS

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1

HEREAFTER

INCEPTION

IRON MAN 2

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

GASLAND

INSIDE JOB

RETREPO

WASTE LAND

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

KILLING IN THE NAME

POSTER GIRL

STRANGERS NO MORE

SUN COME UP

THE WARRIORS OF QUIGANG

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

DAY & NIGHT

THE GRUFFALO

LET'S POLLUTE

THE LOST THING

MADAGASCAR, A JOURNEY DIARY

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

THE CONFESSION

THE CRUSH

GOD WE LOVE

NA WEWE

WISH 143

For more information on the Academy Awards, please visit their website at Oscars.org.

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Monday, January 24, 2011

Tis the Season: Black Sheep's 2010 Oscar predictions

So my boss just called me and told me that I have to attend a business breakfast meeting tomorrow at 8:30 AM. I'm sure he didn't notice but it was almost like he was canceling Christmas for me because, as I'm sure you must already know, the Academy Award nominations are being announced at, you guessed it, 8:30 AM (EST) tomorrow. At the very least, it now feels like I have to go to church first before I can open my presents on Christmas morning. Oh well. I'm a big boy. And I'm a professional. Also, I have an iPhone so when the breakfast meeting gets boring ... and trust me, it will ... I can sneak a peak.

This means my reporting on the Oscar nominations will be delayed until the afternoon or the later morning. Thank you for your understanding. In the meantime, it is time for my Oscar predictions. Let's see how well I do this year! Of course, you will know that before I do.

(Scroll over any film title for the full Black Sheep review.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTIAN BALE in THE FIGHTER

ANDREW GARFIELD in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

JEREMY RENNER in THE TOWN

MARK RUFFALO in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

GEOFFREY RUSH in THE KING'S SPEECH

(Black Sheep's dark horse: Armie Hammer in THE SOCIAL NETWORK)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS in THE FIGHTER

HELENA BONHAM CARTER in THE KING'S SPEECH

MILA KUNIS in BLACK SWAN

MELISSA LEO in THE FIGHTER

HAILEE STEINFELD in TRUE GRIT

(Black Sheep's dark horses: Lesley Manville in ANOTHER YEAR, Dianne Weist in RABBIT HOLE.)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

BLACK SWAN

THE FIGHTER

INCEPTION

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

THE KING'S SPEECH

(Black Sheep's dark horse: ANOTHER YEAR)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

(Black Sheep's dark horse: RABBIT HOLE)

BEST ACTOR

JAVIER BARDEM in BIUTIFUL

JEFF BRIDGES in TRUE GRIT

JESSE EISENBERG in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

COLIN FIRTH in THE KING'S SPEECH

JAMES FRANCO in 127 HOURS

(Black Sheep's dark horse: None. Bardem is already dark enough.)

BEST ACTRESS

ANNETTE BENING in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

JENNIFER LAWRENCE in WINTER'S BONE

NICOLE KIDMAN in RABBIT HOLE

NATALIE PORTMAN in BLACK SWAN

MICHELLE WILLIAMS in BLUE VALENTINE

(Black Sheep's dark horse: None. Everyone I want to see there is already there. Back off Hailee Steinfeld ... Get back into the supporting category where you belong. And you barely even belong there as far as I'm concerned.)

BEST DIRECTOR

DARREN ARONOFSKY for BLACK SWAN

DAVID FINCHER for THE SOCIAL NETWORK

TOM HOOPER for THE KING'S SPEECH

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN for INCEPTION

DAVID O. RUSSLL for THE FIGHTER

(Black Sheep's dark horse: None. I like that bunch.)

BEST PICTURE

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

(Black Sheep's dark horse: WINTER'S BONE easily deserves to be there more than 127 HOURS, THE TOWN, TRUE GRIT and even THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. I seriously hope it makes this list. And the only reason I gave the advantage to 127 HOURS is because Franco is hosting the show.)

Even as I type those choices up, I am saddened to think I will not get to hear Mo'Nique tell me herself how well I did with them. Anyway, it will be late but check back tomorrow to see how many I got right and for a full list of the nominations.

(Go Canada, Denis Villeneuve and INCENDIES in the Foreign Language Film category!)

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Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Next Three Days (2010)

Genre: Crime/Drama

Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Ty Simpkins

The life of a happily married couple gets disrupted when Lara (Banks) gets arrested for the murder of her boss which she apparently did in a fit of rage. John (Crowe) is convinced that his wife was not responsible for the murder and is finding it hard to live with the truth that she has been sentenced for a life term in prison. He decides to break into prison, free his wife and escape from the country, however, breaking into and getting out of prison prison is not as easy as John thinks it is. The movie tries a decent concept but it gets too slow and boring. Some unnecessary parts were over-stretched and the lack of good thrills and suspense completely killed the show for this movie. The only good part was the last half an hour and probably if the entire movie was like the last bit, it would have been so much better to watch. Being a Russell Crowe movie, I tried hard to appreciate and understand it, but it seems the movie doesn't take too kindly to people liking it.

Thumbs up: Last half an hour

Thumbs down: Slow and boring plot, Russell Crowe's presence didn't help the movie too much

Rating: 5.8/10

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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Black Sheep presents The 2010 Mouton d'Or Awards

It is my pleasure today to announce to you the 2010 Mouton d'Or Award nominations. This is the sixth year Black Sheep Reviews has produced this list and this year's nominees are some of the strongest contenders we've ever had. Leading this year's charge is David Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK, with a total of eight nominations, including of course Best Picture and Best Director. Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN is second in the tally standings, with seven nominations, also including Best Picture. The rest of the Best Picture race is rounded out by multiple nominees, THE FIGHTER (6 nods), THE KING'S SPEECH (6) and TOY STORY 3 (5). This year's Best Picture nominees are all masterful films, each a personal best in its own right. It will be difficult to pick a winner but worth it if it means getting to watch all these fantastic works one more time.

I am also very happy with this year's Reader's Choice nominations. Once again, the Black Sheep readers have voiced their love for some great films and this year's five nominees include some wonderful surprises, including an Italian art film and a dark horse movie about the maddening world of ballet. Thanks to all who participated by submitting lists of their favourite films from 2010. Voting is now open to decide the winner of the category. Just cast your vote in the poll at the top of the sidebar. Voting will remain open until midnight on Thursday, February 17.

The winners of the 2010 Mouton d'Or Awards will be announced on Saturday, February 19. And so, without any further delay, here are the 2010 Mouton d'Or Award nominations ...

(Scroll over any film title for the full Black Sheep review.)

BEST BIG MOVIE

EASY A

INCEPTION

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

SHUTTER ISLAND

TOY STORY 3

BEST LITTLE MOVIE

ANOTHER YEAR

CATFISH

I AM LOVE

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

WINTER'S BONE

THE WORST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR

CLASH OF THE TITANS

GREEN ZONE

JACK GOES BOATING

SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL

WILD GRASS

THE BLACK SHEEP READERS CHOICE AWARD

I AM LOVE

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

THE ILLUSIONIST

TOY STORY 3

BEST LOOKING MOVIE

BIUTIFUL

BLACK SWAN

I AM LOVE

INCEPTION

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST MUSIC IN A MOVIE

I AM LOVE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTIAN BALE in THE FIGHTER

ARMIE HAMMER in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

JOHN HAWKES in WINTER'S BONE

MARK RUFALLO in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

GEOFFREY RUSH in THE KING'S SPEECH

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS in THE FIGHTER

HELENA BONHAM CARTER in THE KING'S SPEECH

MELISSA LEO in THE FIGHTER

LESLEY MANVILLE in ANOTHER YEAR

DIANNE WEIST in RABBIT HOLE

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

ANOTHER YEAR written by Mike Leigh

BLACK SWAN written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin

THE FIGHTER written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blomberg

THE KING'S SPEECH written by David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

RABBIT HOLE written by David Lindsay-Abaire

SHUTTER ISLAND written by Laete Kalogridis

THE SOCIAL NETWORK written by Aaron Sorkin

TOY STORY 3 written by Michael Arndt

WINTER'S BONE written by Debra Granick and Anne Rosellini

BEST ACTOR

JAVIER BARDEM in BIUTIFUL

JEFF BRIDGES in TRUE GRIT

JESSE EISENBERG in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

COLIN FIRTH in THE KING'S SPEECH

JAMES FRANCO in 127 HOURS

BEST ACTRESS

ANNETTE BENING in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

JENNIFER LAWRENCE in WINTER'S BONE

NICOLE KIDMAN in RABBIT HOLE

NATALIE PORTMAN in BLACK SWAN

MICHELLE WILLIAMS in BLUE VALENTINE

BEST DIRECTOR

DARREN ARONOFSKY for BLACK SWAN

DAVID FINCHER for THE SOCIAL NETWORK

TOM HOOPER for THE KING'S SPEECH

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN for INCEPTION

DAVID O. RUSSELL for THE FIGHTER

BEST PICTURE

There they are folks. It didn't look too promising at first but 2010 ended up being a great year!

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Friday, January 21, 2011

Henry's Crime (2010)

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance/Comedy

Starring: Keanu Reaves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Peter Stormare

What happens when you go to jail for a crime you never committed? Henry (Reaves) found himself in that position when he became unintentionally the getaway driver for a bank robbery he never knew he was a part of. After getting out on parole, he thought he might as well rob the bank, now that he has already served the prison sentence for it. He learns of an underground passage which leads from the bank vault to a theatre on the other side. He manages to convince his prison friend Max (Caan) to get out on parole and aid him in the job. In order to have regular access to the theatre, Henry gets friendly with Julie (Farmiga) the lead actress of a play whom he first meets when she ran him down on the streets and later during the play rehearsals. He later manages to secure himself a role in the play which allowed him to dig up the tunnel and get to the bank vault. What he doesn't realise is that the harmless friendship soon blossomed into something he never wanted to happen. The movie is a very typical open and shut romance movie with the most obvious ending. In spite of flaunting a decent star cast, the performances were no good which made for quite a boring watch. The humour aspect of the movie is almost non-existent and manages to throw up less than a handful of small snickers. Wait for the DVD if you really want to watch it.

Thumbs up: Nothing

Thumbs down: Plot and performances

Rating: 5.8/10

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

THE COMPANY MEN

Written and Directed by John Wells

Starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Rosemarie DeWitt and Kevin Costner

Phil Woodward: You know what's the worst part? The world didn't stop. I mean, my life ended and nobody noticed.

I’m not sure if you were aware of this but the world’s financial markets crashed hard in the later part of 2008. Thousands upon thousands of people lost their jobs, their homes and their lives as they knew them. Two years later, the situation is on a reasonable mend but many are still without work and still losing their livelihoods. I don’t mean to make light of these difficult times; obviously, you were already aware of everything I just wrote. John Wells, one of the men behind the long-running television series, “E.R.” and the director of THE COMPANY MEN, however, seems to just be joining the table with his first feature. The ensemble drama attempts to tackle the fallout from this economic crisis but only ends up playing out like a whiney reluctance to let go of America’s overinflated financial hay day.

THE COMPANY MEN opens on Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck), strutting into his fancy office after playing a few rounds of golf before coming in. Little does he know, he is about to get canned. The company Bobby has worked for for 12 years, where he earns a salary of more than $120K plus incentives and bonuses, is downsizing in light of the crash. What follows this, is one overwrought termination cliché after another. Will Bobby be able to make his next mortgage payment? Will Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) be able send his child to an Ivy League university in the fall? Will that other random unemployed guy be able to find another job in his field or will he have to lower his expectations in order to make ends meet? And it doesn’t stop there either. Before the movie ends, some executives will feel great guilt over sacrificing people at the hands of the shareholders, while others will collect their bonuses despite massive layoffs. All that was missing was some suit caving under the pressure and killing himself. Oh wait, it has that too.

Wells clearly believes he is telling an important story and the men of THE COMPANY MEN (also including Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and Craig T. Nelson) do their best to make the plights feel real, but the truth of it is that the problems they face are those of people who were already privileged to begin with. No one here has to face homelessness or hunger. No, everyone here has their savings to fall back on. Everyone here had a great job to start with, which gives them an advantage over all the other people who were already struggling to begin with, when they lost their jobs. All spending time in the company of these men accomplishes, as they lament the good old days when they used money for toilet paper, is the highly unsympathetic reminder that they were living way too large to begin with.

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No One Killed Jessica (2011)

Genre: Biography/Drama/Crime

Starring: Vidya Balan, Rani Mukerji, Myra Karn, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub

The sensational Jessica Lal murder case rocked the Indian society back in 1999 and put a question mark on the countries judiciary, political and law enforcement system. Jessica (Karn) was an average Delhi girl who aspired to be a model. One night, Jessica was working in a bar and gets shot by Manish Bhardwaj (Ayub) simply because she refused to give him a drink. There were over 300 people who witnessed the cold-blooded murder and Manish along with his two friends, were subsequently arrested for the murder of Jessica Lall. Manish's father was an influential politician who used his power and money to bribe each and every witness to retract his/her statement and manipulate every possible evidence to point that Manish is innocent. Sabrina (Balan) Jessica's younger sister, aggressively pursues the case for seven long years when ultimately in Winter of 2006, the court lets Manish walk away. The decision shook the foundations of society and left the entire nation aghast. Meera (Mukerji) a renowned journalist was amazed by the outcome of the case and she too, like the million other Indians, knew that Manish was innocent and what was happening is not justice. The movie has managed to recreate the events quite nicely but Bollywood still needs to learn some lessons from Hollywood on portraying real life stories. Many names and incidents were changed or altered in order to be politically correct but it is an aspect that destroys good cinema. The movie is powerful with some good performances by Vidya Balan and Rani Mukerji. The soundtrack too helps in keeping the powerful and aggressive spirit of the movie alive and would leave you with a good feeling after its over. A good watch which sends out a clear message to the audience to never give up and stand up against injustice and wrong-doing.

Thumbs up: Good performances and a nice aggressive feeling

Thumbs down: Stretched movie with some slow bits

Rating: 8.1/10

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Best of Black Sheep: Black Sheep interviews Ryan Reynolds

Good and Buried

An interview with Ryan Reynolds

(with Rodrigo Cortes)

If you want to get to know who Ryan Reynolds is as an actor, you will have to dig a little deeper past his title role in VAN WILDER, even though it made him an underground goofball god.And you will have to go deeper still past his turn opposite Sandra Bullock in THE PROPOSAL, a role that catapulted him to international stardom and the top of every housewife’s “Celebrities they can cheat with” list. You have to dig deep but you needn’t look any further because Reynolds career-changing performance in Rodrigo Cortes’s BURIED, will show everyone what was behind that killer guy-next-door smile the entire time.

In BURIED, Reynolds plays Paul Conroy. The only thing we know about Paul when we meet him is that he is trapped in a wooden box, buried alive somewhere in Iraq. For the next ninety-five minutes or so, we learn that he is an American contractor working in Iraq, that he loves his wife deeply and that it is just as infuriating to navigate through automated voice systems when you’re buried alive as when you’re standing in your kitchen. And while that might be a slight exaggeration, Paul’s situation is not. He is being held hostage by a terrorist group looking for money that Paul just doesn’t have. He is running out of air and the only tools he has at his disposal are a cell phone and a Zippo lighter. If it sounds terrifying, it’s because it is.

“This is one of those movies where that’s a good thing,” Reynolds quips about BURIED’s distinct resemblance to a horrible nightmare, when we meet at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. BURIED director, Cortes joins him for the interview and joins in with, “There was no room in there for Sandra Bullock.” Without missing a beat, Reynolds adds, “Yeah, I was trying to make room.”

If you want to get to know Reynolds as a person though, you don’t actually have to dig very deep at all. He is about as genuine as they come, or at least that’s how he came off to me. When he entered the hotel room where our roundtable interview was to be held, he was introduced, one by one, to the handful of other journalists. I stood and admired his unassuming stance, his dressed down look and what seemed like actual interest in meeting the people he was shaking hands with. When he was introduced to me last, he took my hand, shook it firmly and said, “Hi Joseph. I’m Ryan,” while looking me directly in the eye, as if I wouldn’t know the name of the man who adorns the majority of the magazines on my coffee table. Fortunately, I did not swoon and pass out on the spot.

BURIED marks a drastic departure for Reynolds. Not only is it a far cry from his more accessible fare, but he also has to carry the entire project on his own shoulders as the camera never leaves him. Reynolds has headlined before but never to this extent, so how did he know he could do it? A vote of confidence from the man behind the lens certainly helped.

“Who else could I think of?” Cortes says of his star. “He never acts; he always sees. And when you’re doing a movie that has just three elements, you have to be very aware of pace, of rhythm and of music.”

It may sound poetic but Reynolds was not convinced at first. “I did say no at first but only because it was impossible.” He says this as if he has forgotten that he and Cortes found a way to make the impossible very possible. “The movie had an incredible narrative challenge with the one actor and then an incredible technical challenge.” Cortes had some tricks up his sleeve though and after forty minutes of chatting up his inventive shooting plans for the film, Reynolds was in.

Before long Reynolds was in Barcelona for a 17-day shoot that would prove to be much more difficult than he ever expected. “I lost a lot of weight,” Reynolds jokes. “It’s a great diet, coffins.” He had trouble sleeping; he had trouble eating. He even developed a bit of a bald spot on the back his head by the time it was all done. “Wood and sand are tremendous exfoliants.” Fortunately, the box didn’t kill his sense of humour.

Reynolds insisted on not having any rehearsal time before the shoot. “I wanted to have all those moments that you see on film be firsts – the first moments he wakes up in there, the first sounds that come out of him.” The approach paid off. The first moments of BURIED are extremely jarring, not only because they are horrifying but because we are not used to seeing such a likable face in such a dire and confined situation. The tight framing and Reynolds’s very real reactions make you feel like you’re right there, trapped in the box with him. That said, I can think of worse people to be buried alive with.

Still, there is a big difference between preparing yourself mentally to get into that box and actually getting in the damn box. “I’m not a huge fan of actors overly romanticizing their process. It is usually self-aggrandizement masquerading as story telling,” Reynolds says, as if excusing himself for answering the question asked. “But I had a tough time on this movie. I will definitely say that.” Tough is perhaps too easy a word to describe a set where paramedics were present for the last days of shooting. They didn’t have to do anything but the fact that they were there nonetheless says plenty about what was at risk. “I was a little out of control when I was in there and it was nice to be done.”

Reynolds swears he will never complain about his job again after BURIED. And while it may have been rough, he could not be happier with the way it turned out.

“I love that the beginning of this film is in total darkness, that we don’t know who this person is but, by the end of the movie, there is a whole universe in that coffin. That is what Rodrigo saw from the very beginning and that is what I fell in love with.” His pride in both the director and the picture is clear. “Rodrigo made it a big movie not in spite of its limitations but because of them.”

One other thing is clear too. When Reynolds emerges from BURIED’s coffin, he too will be bigger because of it.

For the BURIED Black Sheep review, click the title of the film anywhere in this interview. BURIED is now available to rent or own on DVD and Blu-ray.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tis the Season: The BAFTA's

(Scroll over any film title for the full Black Sheep review.)

THE KING'S SPEECH may have lost the Golden Globe this weekend to THE SOCIAL NETWORK but thanks to its strong showing across the pond at the BAFTA's, the British Academy Award if you will, it is now back on track for a big splash at the Oscars. THE KING'S SPEECH leads the BAFTA nominations with 14 nods, 2 more than the second nomination leader, BLACK SWAN. Both films are nominated for Best Picture, alongside INCEPTION, THE SOCIAL NETWORK and TRUE GRIT. The BAFTA's threw a few wrenches into the awards season mix, primarily in its Best Actress category. Both Julianne Moore and Noomi Rapace are considered long shots for Oscar nods but both appear here for their films, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, respectively. The latter actually earned two other nominations, including Foreign Language Film and Adapted Screenplay. Meanwhile, the BAFTA's cleared up a couple of confusions by placing Hailee Steinfeld in the lead category for her turn in TRUE GRIT and Lesley Manville in the supporting category for her role in ANOTHER YEAR. The BAFTA's are not tripping over THE FIGHTER like they are stateside either. The David O. Russell film only managed three nods, one for supporting actors, Christian Bale and Amy Adams, and one for the screenplay. Even Golden Globe winner, Melissa Leo, an Oscar favorite, was left off the ballot.