Reviews by Matt

It takes a lot for me to see something new when I go to the movies. I have seen more than my share of movies so I have seen damn near everything there is to see when it comes to characters, plots, twists and so on. Normally the previous sentences would lead into me writing that the movie I am about to review was something new and exciting. Not this time. “Battle: LA” crams every war movie cliché into its relative short run time. For some reason, I found it entertaining.

Aliens attack Earth. This movie takes place in Los Angeles. How’s that for a plot synopsis?

Let’s run through the clichés that “Battle: LA” provides.

The hero is about to retire but is pulled back in for one last mission.

He is also well known for a botched mission.

One of the soldiers is an expecting father.

One just lost his brother in the hero’s botched mission.

One is going to be married.

They just happen to come across a solider that is an expert in the very thing that they need to bring down the bad guys.

It has speeches about honor and duty.

It has civilians being told to be brave in the face of insurmountable odds.

It was so predictable that I was actually shocked that the hero did not give his life in the end to save his men.

I should have hated this movie. I did not love it, but I actually enjoyed it. It was mindless fun. Sometimes, that is all I need from a movie.

5 out of 10

Rated PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language.

116 min

This past week it was announced that Jennifer Lawrence, a best actress nominee for “Winters Bone,” was going to play Katniss Everdeen in the movie adaptation of “The Hunger Games.” And some fans were outraged. They said that they could not see Lawrence playing the Katniss because she is too old, her body type is not right and she does not really fit the physical description.

I call shenanigans on those people.

I recently tore my way through the three books in the trilogy and they are awesome. They are ripe for the silver screen and I look forward to the films.

The one thing that these people are missing is that it does not matter if the person in question is to old, to blond, or to tall. All that matters—and I mean ALL that matters—is can they act. Everything else is just details.

This happens every time there is a casting announcement. People hear a name that they do not think immediately fits with whatever idea they had in their head and they go crazy about how the movie is going to be bad because of the casting. They really need to calm down at times like this. The movie has not been shot yet and people loose their minds.

They say she is too curvy to play Katniss, who is skinny because to starvation. Have they not seen Christian Bale in “The Fighter” or “The Mechanic.” The human body can undergo changes like that. As for Katniss’ straight dark hair, grey eyes and olive skin…its call makeup people! Dye some hair, throw on some contacts and all of a sudden you have Katniss.

The only issue I really have is the age thing. Some of the power in the book is that this 16-year-old girl has so much strength. She is a role model to young girls everywhere. It is important that she be young, but not the end of the world.

Lawrence proved that she could not only act, but also carry a movie and get nominated for it. I am completely fine with her in the role. She is a phenomenal actress. Just watch “Winters Bone.” So much was required of her as Rea. She had to be strong, smart, brave, and vulnerable. Katniss has to be all these things and more, so I think Lawrence will do a pretty damn good job.

That being said, my pick for the role would have been the actress who SHOULD have won Best Supporting Actress this past year— Hallie Steinfeld. She can easily do everything that is required of Katniss. Since they cast Jennifer Lawrence I will be intrigued and look forward to see how she pulls it off. If they cast my pick of Hallie Steinfeld, I will be overjoyed and be more excited for the movie.

In the grand scheme of things none of it matters. Jennifer Lawrence could be terrible and the movie could be the worst thing put on film in the history of Hollywood. In the end fans will still have the books that they love. I know that regardless of how the movie ends up, the books I have are going nowhere and nothing could ruin them for me.

So lighten up people.

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