Reviews by Matt

I am really looking forward to the Oscars on Sunday purely because I have seen a lot of the movies that were nominated. When it comes to the Oscars and picking the winners, there is a lot that one has to keep in mind. The movies/performances that you love, what the popular opinion is and what the Academy is likely to pick (and that opens up a different thought process that is more and more complicated the deeper you go.) I kept things simple this year and just picked the major categories-though it should be noted that I believe “The Social Network” will win every writing Oscar it is nominated for.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Amy Adams in “The Fighter,” Melissa Leo in “The Fighter,” Haliee Steinfeld in “True Grit,” Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom,” Helena Bonham Carter in “The Kings Speech.”

Favorite: Everything I have heard tells me that Melissa Leo will win for “The Fighter”

Who Should Win: Haliee Steinfeld in “True Grit.” I honestly think that she is the best part of the movie. I was so impressed with her performance. She holds her own on the screen opposite Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, two amazing actors.

My Pick: I am going to go out on a limb and pick Steinfeld. Of the performances I saw this past year, hers was the most demanding and most impressive.


Best Supporting Actor

Nominees:
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”

Favorite: This would appear to be Christian Bale’s year to finally take home the little golden man.

Who Should Win: This is a toss up between Bale and Geoffrey Rush. Both deliver amazing performances and are deserving the win.

My Pick: I have to go with Christian Bale. As awesome as Rush was, Bale’s performance was even more so. He transformed himself into Dicky and I would be shocked to see him not win.


Best Actress

Nominees: 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.”

Favorite: Natalie Portman is going to win.

Who Should Win: Have I not made my point—Natalie Portman WILL WIN

My Pick: It is pretty clear who my pick it.


Best Actor

Nominees: 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”

Favorite: Colin Firth is getting all the praise and rightfully so.

Who Should Win: I really think James Franco gave the better performance. He had to carry “127 Hours” and it could have been a really bad movie if he had not delivered.

My Pick: I have to go with Firth. His performance is the kind that the Academy loves and the award is all but his at this point.

Best Animated Picture

Nominees: “How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Illusionist,” “Toy Story 3”

Favorite: “Toy Story 3” will continue Pixar’s winning streak.

Who Should Win: My love for “How To Train Your Dragon” is very well known. I have professed it to everyone who will listen—family, friends, strangers on the street.

My Pick: It kills me to say so, but “Toy Story 3” will win. I re-watched it recently and that last scene is powerful stuff to watch. Though I hope I get this one wrong and “How To Train Your Dragon” knocks Pixar down a peg.

Best Director

Nominees: Darren Aronofsky for “Black Swan,” David O. Russell for “The Fighter,” Tom Hooper for “The King's Speech,” David Fincher for “The Social Network,” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “True Grit”

Favorite: History says that the winner of best picture will be the movie that wins best director. It would have to be between Hooper and Fincher.

Who Should Win: Since Christopher Nolan was robbed of a nomination, Darren Aronofsky deserves to win instead.

My Pick: David Fincher, hands down. The directing of “Kings Speech” was not as good as “Social Network.” Fincher has a style and he lends that to make this the second best directed movie behind “Inception”

Best Picture

Nominees: “Black Swan,” “The Fighter,” “Inception,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The King's Speech,” “127 Hours,” “The Social Network,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” “Winter's Bone”

Favorite: It is really a two horse race between “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech.” What it will come down to is does the Academy want to go with the same old movie they do every year like “The Kings Speech” or do they want to go for the “hip” movie that the younger audience is watching and gain some shred of credibility with that crowd and pick “The Social Network.”

Who Should Win: “Black Swan” was the best movie I saw out of the bunch—just look at my rankings located right below this post. “Inception” was also a masterful piece of filmmaking. It does not stand a chance of winning because the Academy is not ready to give the biggest award of the year to that type of movie.

My Pick: It is a toss up really between “The Kings Speech” and “The Social Network.” Gun to my head I would have to say “The Kings Speech.” It is a safer pick for the Academy to make.

On Sunday it will be one week until the Oscars. I was super lucky this year and was able to see all 10 of the best picture contenders. Going into Oscar Sunday I will be watching the Oscars better educated on the major contenders than ever. I have been trying to figure out how to rank the Oscar hopefuls, yet stick with my Top 10 list for 2010. Instead of putting all the movies I missed in 2010 into an updated list, I figured it would be easier to rank the 10 nominees in a completely new list. I should mention that this list is not indicative of my predictions because what I wish and what the Academy chooses rarely intersects.

10) I put this at the No. 10 spot because I was not as impressed with it as everyone else seems to be. When I left the theater I was left wishing that it was something more. Even now, 6 months later I cannot figure out what it was. I am hoping that a second viewing will help me make more sense of it, but I still feel like this movie should have had something more to it than what it provided.


9) This will win best picture, despite the fact that “How To Train Your Dragon” was a much better movie. If you have not see that one yet, do so. It is stunning. Anyway, “Toy Story 3” is a great way to wind up one of the best movie trilogies ever. The way the movie ended was a perfect way to wrap up the story of Woody, Buzz and the gang. If you did not cry at that last scene, check your pulse.


8) This is another one I did not feel as I should have when I left the theater. I should have been blown away, but I was not. I really liked the movie, but I did not love it. I passed up an opportunity to see it again earlier this week because I was just luke-warm about it. With the exception of “The Kids Are Alright” I would race to see anyone of them again, but for me “True Grit” did its job and I am set until it comes out on DVD. The performance, while strong, are were not enough to get me into the theater for a second time.

7) This movie lives and dies on the performance of its lead, Jennifer Lawrence. This is her first big role and she was rightfully nominated for an Oscar, though she is a long shot to win. It is not an uplifting movie by any stretch. It is bleak and depressing and a lot of bad things happen. Lawrence’s Ree goes through a lot to make sure her family is taken care of and that they can keep living in the home her father built. I have a feeling this movie will get shut out on Oscar night, and while it is a sad thing to think of, it deserves the recognition.

6) Great performances, but not great movie. That is the 6-word memoir I would use for this movie. Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Melissa Leto are awesome in the movie, but the movie would not be as good without them. It is these three strong performances that is getting the movie noticed and they are worth the price of admission.



5) Here is where is gets tough. I love all the movies in the top five. On any given day, these five could go anywhere. Today “Inception” lands at No.5. There is so much I love about this movie. The story and its complexities are top among them. The movie is not that hard to follow if you pay attention to the color palette of each dream level. The performances are strong, but the story is stronger—it is the anti-“Fighter.” Vary rarely does a movie truly blow my mind and this one has with every viewing—and that is tough to do.

4)A movie about the founding of Facebook should not be this good, but “The Social Network” is. It the most well rounded movie I saw this year—great writing, great directing and great acting. So why is it No. 4? Simply because I enjoyed the movies at No. 1-3 more. There is nothing wrong with it per-se, I am just not chomping at the bit to re-watch it. I would do so willingly, but I am not going out of my way to get a second viewing in.


3) So, my No.1 movie of the 2010 actually should have been my No.3 had I seen all 10 before I did my list. I know this may sound like a broken record but, without the performance and the directing, this movie would have sucked. James Franco, who is pulling double duty as Oscar host and Oscar nominee, is stunning as Aaron Ralston. The movie is about him and him alone. There is no one else to help carry the load of the emotions and power of this movie. Franco will not win, though he is my sentimental pick, but his performance is one that would win if the competition were not so tough.

Let me rephrase-This is where is gets tough. I can easily go either way with what one I put at No. 1.

2) I think that this will win best picture. There is just something about “Black Swan” that makes it No. 1. “The Kings Speech” is an awesome movie with stellar performances. The sign of a truly good movie is what happens on that second viewing. I was glued to the screen just as much as I was on the first. I was worried that seeing this again, I would be bored, but Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth are fantastic and riveting to watch on screen. If I had to pick one movie to recommend before next week’s big ceremony, this would be it.

1) No movie effected me more than this one. Sometimes as I sit through the credits, I get antsy because I think of all the other things I have to do that day or what work I need to finish for school. After the final shot of “Black Swan,” my mind was still on the movie. It still is from time to time. If someone said, “Let’s go see ‘Black Swan’” I would be there in a heartbeat. This might be one of those movies I buy on the day it comes out. I love this movie and I love all that it did to me while I watched it. I have never been so glad to be so unnerved and confused while watching a movie. It may not be or everyone and that’s what I love about it.

I have had a very lucky year (or at least a lucky few months) in terms of movies. When the Oscar nominations were announced last week, I had seen seven of the 10 best picture contenders. My roommate had “Winter’s Bone” so I watched that, bringing my total to eight. That Thursday I made it nine by going to see “The Fighter.” That left one movie on my list-“Black Swan.” So instead of watching the snooze-fest that is the NFL Pro Bowl, I decided to bring my total to 100 percent and cross “Black Swan” off my list.

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina who strives for perfection. She lives with her overbearing mother (Barbra Hershey) who does all she can to control her daughter. When Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) casts her as the swan queen in his new version of Swan Lake, Nina starts to spiral down into madness. As she tries to embody both the white and back swan, she becomes paranoid that Lilly (Mila Kunis) is vying for her spot in the ballet company and begins to lose sense to reality.

I was tired when this movie was over. Physically and mentally tired. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and pray this movie did not make its way into my dreams. As much as I loved this movie and want to see it again, I was tired when those credits rolled. The key to this movie is not just the amazing performance from Portman, but that the movie keeps you as unbalanced as Nina is. There are times when you have no idea what is real and what is in Nina’s head. The way things are shot and edited, keeps the viewer off kilter for 95 percent of the movie.

If Portman does not win the best actress Oscar for this role, it will be a travesty. She has, by far, the most difficult role. Nina is weak. Leroy tells her she is perfect for the white swan, but lacks the seduction and passion required to dance the black swan. She pushes herself to become the back swan, but is so closed off and afraid to open up that she never really dances it to his liking. As she tries to become the black swan, she descends further and further into madness. This is where Portman really shines. Nina is not out and out crazy, she has these moments where her reality is skewed. As the movie progresses, she becomes more and more unsure of herself and if what she is experiencing is real.

I must warn you that this movie is not for everybody. When I saw “Rabbit Hole,” the theater next to us was playing “Black Swan” and they both got out at the same time. A college student coming out of that theater said to one of her friends “That was so weird.” I think this is how most who see it will think of it. Yes, there are some weird points, but it is supposed to be and that is why it works so well. If you see it, be prepared and do not write it off because it is “weird.”

9 out of 10
Rated R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use
108 min

The best two words to describe The Motion Picture Association of America, the organization in charge of rating movies, is consistently inconsistent. If you watch the documentary “This Film is Not Yet Rated” explores their double standards and odd choices, and I highly recommend it for any movie fan. The most recent victim of their crazy logic is “Blue Valentine.” The film was given an NC-17 rating, but was eventually moved to an R when the studio appealed the decision.

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) are going through a rough patch in their marriage. The movie cuts between their courtship leading up to their marriage and the breaking down of their relationship.

One reason why I love movies like this is that the plot synopsis is so much easier to write than other movies with a myriad of characters and plots that are hard to distill into a single coherent paragraph.

My true love of this movie is the performances. Williams and Gosling make these two performances real. There are times when it feels like you are watching a real marriage fall apart. They fight and argue almost as much as they show any affection.

Dean is a “jack of all trades, master of none.” In one scene Cindy tells him that he is so talented, but as settled for being just a painter. He tells her that all he wants is to be her husband and their daughter’s father. Gosling plays Dean a man who may want to believe that, but his actions tell a different story. If this were true, he would do things much differently. Things he says and does are counter to what he claims.

Cindy is a woman who is afraid of love. She has seen what happened to her parents, and is not one to believe that love makes everything better. Even as her marriage is falling apart, she is still trying to love Dean. She is willing to go away for the night to rekindle the romance, even though she has to work early in the morning. Williams plays this perfectly. She is probably the strongest character in the movie because of all she is forced to go through.

The beauty of this movie is how it is cut together. There are two stories going on. One is Cindy and Dean meeting and dating, the other is them falling out of love. We get to see the series of events that lead up to their marriage, but we never see what started them down the road they are on at the beginning of the movie. It is something that we do not need to see because, in the grand scheme, it is not important.

These are two amazing performances by two actors who shine in independent movies like these. They could (and should) have main stream success, but the fact that they stick to smaller movies is a sign of good judgment. These movies let them showcase their talents and find the best material.

9 out of 10
Rated R for strong graphic sexual content, language, and a beating.
112 min

Every now and then a movie slips past my radar. I know it is hard to believe, but I do not know about every movie that comes out each and every week. Most of the time it is because it is a crappy movie that appeals to the lowest common denominator. Then there are movies like “Rabbit Hole” which is right up my ally and yet, I just don’t seem to catch them before the hype begins.

Based on a play of the same name, “Rabbit Hole” looks at how people deal with grief and find closure. When their young son dies in an accident, Becca (Nichole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) find themselves trying to cope and figure out what to do now.

I am not sure how much more to say than that. These two people find ways to cope and their own sort of closure in very different ways.

Kidman and Eckhart are stunning. The only proof I need to show is the scene where they fight over changes Becca has made. Howie is furious that she is slowly removing any part of their son from the house. At the height of the fight, they go through the “what ifs” of the accident. The both feel a huge responsibility for the death and it comes out in this scene. This scene is by far the strongest in the film, but it is also the turning point in the movie. It is where they truly go their separate ways in grief. This scene alone is worth the price of admission.

I was so moved by this movie. It deals with grief and loss in such a real way. No one finds closure in the same way. Becca goes one way and Howie goes another. These are two people who experienced the same loss and grieve in their own way.

9 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, some drug use and language
91 min

(I hate myself for writing that headline, but after writing six reviews in two days, cheesy is all I have left)

I can remember a few years ago, in 2005, when Mark Wahlberg was attached to play the lead in “The Fighter” he said that if he were going to make this movie, he needed to do it soon. He was not getting any younger and the role was going to be very physical. Well now he has made it and recently got an Oscar nomination for his troubles.

Micky Ward (Wahlberg) is a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts who is in the twilight of his career. He is known more as a stepping stone for other boxers than a genuine championship contender. His mother, Alice (Melissa Leto,) is his manager and his half-bother, Dicky (Christan Bale,) is his trainer. Dicky is a local legend because he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, but has become addicted to crack. Micky deals with his mother ignoring Dicky’s addiction and not being able to rely on Dicky.

This is movie has probably the strongest cast of any movie this year. Wahlberg, Bale, Let, and Amy Adams, who plays Micky’s girlfriend, deliver some great performances. The boxing scenes are shot in such a way that it looks and feels like watching a fight on HBO.

I have a strong feeling that Bale will win the Oscar for his role in this movie. Dicky is a drug addict. HBO has come to document his addiction, but he claims they are there to watch is return to the ring. He is a man who is stuck in the past. He had one shining moment years ago and he has thrived on that fame for years. This is another role that Bale threw himself into--he lost weight to get the drug addict look. Bale plays Dicky as the delusional, burned out, former boxer incredibly well. He steals the spotlight from Wahlberg in many scenes, but it works because Dicky is the one who gets the most attention. He asks for it by being a drug addict, loud and funny.

I could go on about Adams, Leto and Wahlberg and their strong performances, but that would make for a really long review. It is best to look at their relationship to one another. Charlene (Adams) and Alice want what they think is best for Micky and his loyalties are torn. On one hand he has his mother who he loves and has been his manager for his entire career. On the other hand there is the woman he loves who has shown him that his mother does not always know what is best. This is a greater conflict in this then Micky faces in the ring. Those moments, when the tension comes to a head, is where the power in their performances comes from.

After the movie I texted my mom and told her that despite the cursing, I think she would like it. It is a great movie and I can honestly say that it is easy to recommend to everyone. Some movies I cannot recommend to everyone (see my review of Black Swan), but this has such a wide appeal that you cannot go wrong.

8 out of 10
Rated R for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality
115 min

“The Kings Speech” follows the rise of King George VI before and leading up to England’s involvement in World War II. Prince Albert (Colin Firth) speaks with a stutter and is terrified to make speeches. In an effort to cure him of his stutter, his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) meets with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) a speech therapist and gets him to agree to treat her husband.

I was blown away by this movie. I went in not really interested in it, but left shocked at how much I loved it. I knew very little about it going in and had managed to avoid much of the hype. It is everything you have heard. It is a stunningly made and amazingly acted.

Of the two lead actors, I was most impressed with Rush. Lionel has a respect for the future king, but demands the same back. He treats Prince Albert as an equal and even calls him “Bertie,” a nickname reserved for use only by those in the royal family. Prince Albert allows Lionel these liberties and the two of them form a tenuous friendship. The relationship is tested at many points. Things are said and done that cross a line when dealing with a prince. Rush gives an Oscar worthy performance by making Lionel someone who is not afraid to do what is best for his patient. He is steadfast in his convictions and does not relent even in the face of a king.

Firth also deserves the nomination he recently received. Albert is a man looking to find his voice. He is not the most strong-willed member of the family. His doubts about his ability to give a speech lead to his fear of becoming the king. There is a power in his transformation we see in the two bookends of the film. In the beginning we see him struggle to give a speech at the closing of the 1925 Empire Exhibition to reading the declaration of war that brought Britain into World War II. I was impressed at what a convincing stutter Firth had and part of me thinks that this is why he was nominated.

Come Oscar night, I expect to see this win many of its 12 possible Oscars. The performances alone are reason enough to see this. Rush and Firth are stunning to watch and make these two characters powerful to watch in screen.

9 out of 10
Rated R for some language
118 min

There have been a plethora of superhero movies for close to a decade now, but this coming year may be the biggest offering of comic book/super hero movies ever. This summer there are three of them coming out within a few weeks of one another. But that is six months away--right now we have “The Green Hornet.”

When his father dies, Britt Reid (Seth Rogan) abandons his playboy ways and sets out to clean up the city. He enlists the help of his father’s friend Kato (Jay Chou) and dons the mantel of the Green Hornet. Where Batman and his ilk fight crime by standing for good, Reid’s Hornet fights crime by being the bad guy.

One man has a problem with this, Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) a gangster who has a stranglehold on the crime in the city. He sets out to take out the would-be crime lord before his empire crumbles.

Rogan does a good job and is pretty funny, but his character is not even remotely likable. He is a rich, spoiled, jerk who does not earn any of the character moments the movie tries to give him.

Jay Chou is known to in Taiwan as a pop singer and movie star. In the past few years a few of his movies have been released here in the States. This is his first big movie role and he does a pretty good job. He is the sidekick in the partnership, but is really the one who does all the heavy lifting. He is a skilled fighter and designed the Black Beauty that the Hornet and Kato drive around in.

My biggest grip with the movie is Cameron Diaz. She adds nothing to the movie. All she is there for is to add tension between Britt and Kato. Even then it is forced and only hurts the movie.

Long story short, this movie is only worth it only if you catch it on cable on a lazy afternoon. Other than that, don’t worry about it. You are not missing much.

7 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content
119 min