Most Anticipated for the First Third of 2012

I was thinking of writing a "Most Anticipated" List of 2012, but it is still really early to start writing about  movies that come out next autumn and winter.  Its probably best to look at the films coming to us in the next few months.  Thus I decided it was best to split the new year into three categories: the winter and spring first third of the year which usually gets dumped with 2011 holdovers from January to April, the summer blockbuster third that goes from May to August, and the latter awards season of the year where prestige picks from the studios get released ranging from September to December. 

I don't include 2011 films that will be released in 2012 in this list.  Films like Coriolanus, In Darkness, Rampart, The Lady, Flowers of War, and Albert Nobbs all received 2011 limited released in Las Angeles or New York, even though they I won't and general public be able to see them for some time.  I am however including films that were internationally released in 2011, but will not be released in the US until 2012.  I use the US release dates in determining in which year films will place in my top 10s and most anticipated lists.  

2011 was a great year in cinema.  My top twenty will be coming in the next month or so as I catch up on a few films.  But looking forward to 2012, it seems to be a good year as well. The first third presents a good amount of notable films this year, more than usual.  Two films that missed my list of most anticipated for this third include Joseph Cedar's Footnote, which premiered at Cannes last year and will be release by Sony Pictures Classics and Gary Ross' Hunger Games, which has a lot of anticipation among readers of the book series.  The trailer of Hunger Games, however, has failed to really excite me.  Two other films to note that did not make the list are John Madden's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Terrence Davies' The Deep Blue Sea.  Both are by good directors and could be really good films. 

#10 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Lasse Hallstrom's new film appears to be a light comedy starring Ewan McGreggor, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Emily Blunt.  Simon Beaufoy of Slumdog Millionaire and The Full Monty fame has written the screenplay for the film.  Salmon could be the feel good film of the beginning of the year.

Release Date: March 2nd, Limited Release

#9 Mirror Mirror

Tarsem Singh is not really a great filmmaker, but he always has visual flair.  Last years Immortals was example of that.  His new film is one of two that take on the story of Snow White.  The other is released later in the year.  Julia Roberts stars in Singh's film and she appears to be having much fun in the role of the wicked step-mother.

Release Date: March 16th, Wide Release

 #8 John Carter

Disney is banking a lot of money of their new film John Carter.  Directed by Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, A Bug's Life, and Finding Nemo), the film is a sci-fi film about a man who wakes up in a different time on Mars.  Stanton may very well be the best director at Pixar, making three great films and it will be interesting to see how he can transfer himself to life action.  Brad Bird did well with Mission Impossible 4 and we'll see if Stanton can follow.

Release Date: March 9th, Wide

#7 The Pirates! Band of Misfits 

Aardman Animation's last two films have been computer animated (Arthur Christmas and Flushed Away), but in The Pirates! Band of Misfits, they return to their more acclaimed claymation- stop motion animation.  The previews for the movie look great and funny and the movie looks to be all around fun.

Release Date: March 30th, Wide

#6 The Kid With a Bike

The Dardennes Brothers new film premiered at Cannes last year.  I originally had it on my most anticipated of last year's Oscar season, but the film has been pushed to a 2012 US release.  Again, I'm mostly anticipating the film because of the directors and their history.  The film should not disappoint.

Release Date: March 16th, Limited

#5 Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

The new film from Nuri Bilge Ceylan was released last year at Cannes and received a great response.  It tied for the #2 spot at the festival (The Grand Prix award) with none other than The Kid With a Bike.  The film is getting a small US release by a small distributor (The Cinema Guild).  If I don't get a chance to see it in theaters, I will try to see it once it hits DVD.  The film could also be a surprise nominee for the Oscars Best Foreign Film Category this year. 

Release Date: January 4th, Limited

#4 Kill List

I don't know much about Kill List, except that it is a hit-man thriller that turns into a horror film.  The movie was released in 2011 in the UK, but will be getting a 2012 release in the US.  It did very well at the British Independent Film Awards.  It looks pretty cool.  It is getting a video on demand release by IFC on January 4th and I'm not sure if it will be getting a real theatrical release in weeks to follow or not.

Release Date: January 4th, Video on Demand; Limited- TBA?

#3 Wettest County

Wettest County is the newest film from director John Hillcoat (The Proposition, The Road).  The film is written by Nick Cave and stars Jessica Chastain, Tom Hardy, and Shia LaBouf.  The movie is set during the prohibition period as bootlegging gangs are being threatened by the government.  No trailer is currently available for the film.  The talent involved (Hillcoat, Hardy, Cave, and Chastain) is enough for anyone to want to see the movie. 


Release Date: April 20th, Wide


#2 Haywire

Steven Soderbergh has been on a roll lately, putting out film after film.  Haywire is one of his final films before he retires or goes on a sabatical, or whatever you want to call it.  Early word of the film signals it is one of his best and who could expect less with one of cinema's rising acting geniuses of Michael Fassbender playing a supporting role?

Release Date: January 20th, Wide 

#1 The Secret World of Arrietty 

 


Arrietty is the newest film by the greatest animation studio in the world, Studio Ghibli.  The film itself is directed by a new director, Hiromasa Yonebayashi.  The studio has chosen some new directors recently because its two landmark directors, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, are rather old and may not make many more films.   Miyazaki however did write the screenplay for the new film and it has opened to great reviews. 

Release Date: February 17th, Wide

Christmastime Oscar Predictions Updated- 12/27/11

The Weeks leading up to Christmas were full of award nominations by the top critic groups (The New York Film Critics- NYFCC, the Las Angeles Films Critics-LAFCA, the National Board of Review-NBR, and the American Film Institute- AFI).  Also announcing their favorite films of the year were the Broadcast Film Critics (BFCA), the Hollywood Foreign Press/The Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).  All these early awards and nominations have made the Oscar race much clearer and we now see who are the real contenders and which films and performances are dead.  Doing well in the last few weeks as projected were The Artist, Hugo, The Descendants, The Help, and War Horse.  All five seem poised for Best Picture nominations.  Also doing well were Moneyball and Midnight in Paris.  While these two films may not have enough passion in the Academy, they are still strong contenders for the Best Picture spot.  With somewhere between 5 and ten nominees for Best Picture under the new Academy rules, we could see both of them get in.  Alongside them, The Tree of Life, could pop up on Academy day.  Right now I'm just predicting 7 nominees for Best Picture.  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an interesting case.  It hasn't been doing the greatest in nominations with precursor groups, but it was released late and maybe too late for these voting bodies.  Some reviews for the film have been highly negative though.  Maybe it won't get in at all in any categories.  The Ides of March managed to get some help with a Golden Globe nomination, but it seems that that alone will not save it.  Maybe Bridesmaids will surprise up on Oscar nomination morning, but I doubt it.  Lastly, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has failed to get any early recognition, besides from the British Indie Awards.  It seems dead on arrival.    

Upcoming in the next few weeks will be the final major indicators of the awards race, the Writers Guild (WGA), the Directors Guild (DGA), and the Producers Guild (PGA).  Also the Brits will mix things up with the BAFTAs.  Not to be forgotten are the ever becoming less important critics group (to the Oscar season), the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC).
 
Green: Locks
Blue: Strong Bets
Violet: Contenders/Potential Nominees
Red: Longshot

Best Picture 

1. The Artist- NYFCC, NBR Top 10, BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Comedy

2. Hugo- NBR Best Film, BFCA, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

3. The Descendants- NBR Top 10, LAFCA, BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

4. The Help- BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

5. War Horse- NBR Top 10, BFCA, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

6. Moneyball- BFCA, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

7. Midnight in Paris- BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Comedy, AFI Top 10

---

8. The Tree of Life- NBR Top 10, BFCA, AFI Top 10

9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- BFCA

10. The Ides of March- NBR Top 10, GG Drama

11. Bridesmaids- SAG Ensemble, GG Comedy, AFI Top 10

12. Drive- NBR Top 10, BFCA

13. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- NBR Top 10, AFI Top 10

14. J Edgar- NBR Top 10, AFI Top 10

15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II- NBR Top 10

Best Director

1. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)- NYFCC, BFCA, GG

2. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)- NBR, BFCA, GG

3. Alexander Payne (The Descendants)- BFCA , GG

4. Steven Spielberg (War Horse)- BFCA

5. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC

6. Bennett Miller (Moneyball)

7. Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)- BFCA 

8. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)- GG

9. Tate Taylor (The Help)

10. Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive)- BFCA

11. George Clooney (The Ides of March)- GG

12.  David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) 

13. Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar)

14. Thomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

15. Jason Reitman (Young Adult)

Best Actor 

1. Brad Pitt (Moneyball)- NYFCC, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

2. George Clooney (The Descendants)- NBR, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

3. Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)- BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

4. Jean DuJardin (The Artist)- BFCA, SAG, GG Comedy

5.  Demian Bichir (A Better Life)- SAG

6. Michael Fassbender (Shame)- LAFCA, BFCA, GG Drama

7. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

8. Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) 

9. Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March)- GG Drama

10. Ryan Gosling (Drive)- BFCA

11. Woody Harrelson (Rampart)

12. Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50)- GG Comedy

13. Brendan Gleeson (The Guard)- GG Comedy

15. Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris)- GG Comedy

15. Ryan Gosling (Crazy, Stupid, Love)- GG Comedy

Best Actress

1. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)- NYFCC, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

2. Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)- BFCA, SAG, GG Comedy

3. Viola Davis (The Help)- BFCA, SAG, GG Drama
4. Glenn Close (Alfred Nobbs)- SAG, GG Drama

5. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) – NBR, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

6. Charlize Theron (Young Adult)- BFCA, GG Comedy

7. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo)- GG Drama

8. Elizabeth Olson (Martha Marcy May Marlene)- BFCA
9. Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)

10. Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)

11. Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)- GG Comedy
12. Jodie Foster (Carnage)- GG Comedy

13. Kate Winslet (Carnage)- GG Comedy
14. Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)

15. Yun Jung-hee (Poetry)- LAFCA

Best Supporting Actor


1. Christopher Plummer (Beginners) – NBR, LAFCA, BFCA, SAG, GG

2. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)- BFCA, SAG, GG

3. Nick Nolte (Warrior) – BFCA, SAG

4. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)- SAG, GG

5. Albert Brooks (Drive)- NYFCC, BFCA, GG

6. Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)- SAG

7. Ben Kingsley (Hugo)

8. Viggo Mortensen  (A Dangerous Method)- GG

9. Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)- BFCA

10. Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

11. Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC

12. Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)- BFCA

13. Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

14. John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)  

15. Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March)

Supporting Actress 

1. Jessica Chastain (The Help)- LAFCA, BFCA, SAG, GG

2. Octavia Spencer (The Help)- BFCA, SAG, GG

3. Bérénice Bejo (The Artist)- BFCA, SAG, GG

4. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)- SAG, GG

5. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)- BFCA, SAG

6. Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)- NBR, BFCA, GG

7. Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

8. Carey Mulligan (Shame)- BFCA
9. Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC, LAFCA

10. Jodie Foster (Carnage)- GG Comedy

11. Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter)- NYFCC

12. Kate Winslet (Carnage)- GG Comedy
13. Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

14. Judy Greer (The Descendants)
15. Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help)

Oscar Predictions: December 5th Post NYFCC and NBR

The Oscar race began in earnest last week with announcement of many award bodies.  On the mainstream front, the New York Film Critics (NYFCC) and the National Board of Review (NBR) both released their winners in many categories for the best of the year.  On the indie side, the Gotham Awards announced their best of winners for the year, the Indie Spirit Awards announced their nominees, and the British Independent Film Association (BIFA) gave out their awards for the best of the year as well.  Some films that came out extremely well include The Artist and Hugo.  Films that failed miserably so far include Martha Marcy May Marlene and Albert Nobbs, which hinder the potential nominees of Elizabeth Olsen and Glenn Close in the Best Actress category.  Midnight in Paris also needs some help in the upcoming weeks in order to pull off a ever dimming Best Picture nomination.  The supporting categories still very much remain up in the air, but with these awards and nominations of the last week, the dominoes begin falling into place.  And we are still waiting on Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to be screened.  Daldry's film could be the surprise contender of the Oscar season or it could end up being a stinker.  More awards bodies and critics announce their nominees and winners in the upcoming weeks and an update will likely occur after them.
 
Green: Locks
Blue: Strong Bets
Violet: Contenders/Potential Nominees
Red: Longshots

Best Picture 


1. The Artist- NYFCC, NBR Top 10

2. War Horse- NBR Top 10

3. The Descendants- NBR Top 10

4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

5. Hugo- NBR Best Film

6. Moneyball

7. The Help

--- 

8. Midnight in Paris

9. The Tree of Life- NBR Top 10

10. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- NBR Top 10

12. The Ides of March- NBR Top 10

13. J Edgar- NBR Top 10

14. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II- NBR Top 10

15. Drive- NBR Top 10

 

Best Director

  

1. Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

2. Alexander Payne (The Descendants) 

3. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)- NYFCC

4. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)- NBR

5. Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

6. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)

7. Bennett Miller (Moneyball)

8. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

9.  David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) 

10. Tate Taylor (The Help)

11. Thomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

12. George Clooney (The Ides of March)

13. Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar)

14. Jason Reitman (Young Adult)

15. Cameron Crowe (We Bought a Zoo)

 

Best Actor 

1. Brad Pitt (Moneyball)- NYFCC

2. George Clooney (The Descendants)- NBR

3. Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

4. Jean DuJardin (The Artist)

5. Michael Fassbender (Shame)

6. Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) 

7. Woody Harrelson (Rampart)

8. Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March)

9. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

10.  Demian Bichir (A Better Life)

11. Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50)

12. Paul Giamatti (Win Win)

13. Ryan Gosling (Drive)

14. Matt Damon (We Bought a Zoo)

15. Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus)

 

Best Actress

1. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)- NYFCC

2. Viola Davis (The Help)

3. Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)

4. Charlize Theron (Young Adult)
5. Glenn Close (Alfred Nobbs)

6. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) - NBR

7. Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)

8. Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)

9. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

10. Elizabeth Olson (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

11. Michelle Yeoh (The Lady)
12. Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)

13. Kirsten Scott Thomas (Sarah's Key)

14. Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)
15. Ellen Barkin- Another Happy Day

 

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christopher Plummer (Beginners) - NBR

2. Albert Brooks (Drive)- NYFCC

3. Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

4. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)

5. Ben Kingsley (Hugo)

6. Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC

7. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)

8. Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

9. Viggo Mortensen  (A Dangerous Method)

10. Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

11. Nick Nolte (Warrior)

12. John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)  

13. Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March)

14. David Thewlis (The Lady)

15. Niels Arestrup (War Horse)

 

Supporting Actress 

1. Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

2. Octavia Spencer (The Help)
3. Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)- NBR
4. Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) 

5. Jessica Chastain (The Help)

6. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
7. Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC

8. Carey Mulligan (Shame)
9. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
10. Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

11. Judy Greer- The Descendants
12. Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help)

13. Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March)

14. Jodie Foster (Carnage)

15. Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter)- NYFCC

Oscar Predictions- November 10th

Award Season is about to heat up.  The next month brings us the AFI Film Festival and the beginning of the critics awards with the New York Critics and the National Board of Review.  Late screening films such as War Horse, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, We Bought a Zoo, and The Iron Lady are having screenings or will be having them this month.  I will be making more updates in the next few months and weeks to my predictions as the Oscar race will be in full swing.  These predictions are meant to be for fun and no more than that.  I have been predicting since 2004, with more success some years than others.

Color Coding For Strength of Contenders:

Green: Locks
Blue: Strong Bets
Violet: Contenders/Potential Nominees
Red: Longshot


Best Picture 

1. The Artist

2. The Descendants 

3. War Horse

4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

5. The Help

6. Midnight in Paris

7. Moneyball

--- 

8. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

9. The Tree of Life

10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

11. The Ides of March 

12. Hugo- NEW!

13. J Edgar

14. Young Adult

15. We Bought a Zoo

Dropping Out: 
The Iron Lady

Best Director

1. Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

2. Alexander Payne (The Descendants) 

3. Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) 

4. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

5. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)

6. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

7. Bennett Miller (Moneyball)

8. Thomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

9. George Clooney (The Ides of March)

10.  David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) 

11. Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar)

12. Tate Taylor (The Help)

13. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

14. Cameron Crowe (We Bought a Zoo)

15. Jason Reitman (Young Adult)

Dropping Out: 
Simon Curtis (My Week with Mariyln)



Best Actor 

1. Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

2. George Clooney (The Descendants)

3. Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

4. Jean DuJardin (The Artist)

5. Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) 

6. Michael Fassbender (Shame)

7. Woody Harrelson (Rampart)- NEW!

8. Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March)

9. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

10.  Demian Bichir (A Better Life)

11. Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50)

12. Paul Giamatti (Win Win)

13. Ryan Gosling (Drive)
14. Matt Damon (We Bought a Zoo)
15. Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus)- NEW!

Dropping Out:  
Tom Hardy (Warrior)
Christoph Waltz (Carnage)- Moved to great Supporting Category

Best Actress

 

1. Viola Davis (The Help)

2. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

3. Charlize Theron (Young Adult)
4. Glenn Close (Alfred Nobbs)
5. Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)

6. Elizabeth Olson (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

7. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo)
8. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) 

9. Michelle Yeoh (The Lady)
10. Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)

11. Kirsten Scott Thomas (Sarah's Key)

12. Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)- NEW!
13. Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)
14. Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)- NEW!
15. Vera Farmiga (Higher Ground)- NEW!

Dropping Out:
Jodie Foster (Carnage)- Moving to Supporting
Adepero Oduye (Pariah)
Emily Watson (Oranges and Sunshine)




Best Supporting Actor

1. Christopher Plummer (Beginners) 

2. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)

3. Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

4. Albert Brooks (Drive)

5. Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

6. Nick Nolte (Warrior)

7. John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)  
8. Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March)

9. Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life)

10. Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)

11. David Thewlis (The Lady)

12. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)

13. Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

14. Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady)

15. Niels Arestrup (War Horse)

Dropping Out:
Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin)


Supporting Actress 
  

1. Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)
2. Octavia Spencer (The Help)
3. Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
4. Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) 

5. Jessica Chastain (The Help)

6. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
7. Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life)- NEW!

8. Carey Mulligan (Shame)- NEW!
9. Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March)

10. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)

11. Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
12. Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help)
13. Naomi Watts (J. Edgar)

14. Judi Dench (J. Edgar)

15. Jodie Foster (Carnage)- NEW!


Dropping Out:
Vanessa Redgrave (Anonymous)
Kiera Knightly (A Dangerous Method)- Moving to Lead Category
Andrea Riseborough (W.E.)

Review: The Ides of March

The Ides of March (George Clooney- 2011, The United States)

The Ides of March premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a mild reaction.  European critics claimed the film was not surprising and a look at the obvious corruption in politics.  A few weeks ago the movie opened in the United States to more positive reviews and the film's chances of Oscar nominations were reignited.  Overall I agree more with the European critics that The Ides of March is a rather predictable and bland film. 

The performances are strong by all actors in the film.  Ryan Gosling gives another strong show in a year in which he shines in many films (Crazy Stupid Love, Drive).  George Clooney, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, and Paul Giamatti also all give worthwhile performances.  Sadly, they are just strong and nothing more.  None of them are great and none are perfect.  The problem with the movie lies in its subject matter which in turn hurts the actors' ability to excel.  Nothing in the movie becomes electrifying and nothing creates tense situations.  Because of the lack of verbal conflict none of the roles of the actors become particularly noteworthy and their roles seem easy to have mastered.  Conversations between characters all seem boring and rather insignificant.  No tension is made during the movie and the audience feels like spectators to something that is rather insignificant and common.

This feeling of insignificance and predictability is not aided by Clooney's direction.  His lack of style and pizazz made the film feel more bland and more of a chore.  Notably he also shows his lack of knowledge in the American political system.  Maybe it is not a lack of knowledge, but more of a innocence and ignorance.  He overemphasizes corruption in some areas and then underemphasizes it in others.  His innocence also creates a purity in his characters' political ideologies which  do not exist in the American political system.  Many times the progressive presidential candidate of the movie would use lines that a conservative American politician would.  He also makes assumptions about the American political process, such as stating partisans would vote in the other party's primaries, which simply are unfounded or disproved.       

The problem with The Ides of March is its inability to push the envelope.  It doesn't go far enough.  There are too few encounters between characters and the film lacks a dialgoue which could have created great scenes and electrified the film.  Instead the movie wallows in a lack of adrenaline and tension. 

The film's Oscar prospects still seem strong, but nothing for it is set in stone yet.   The academy loves Clooney and he could get a supporting acting nod.  Gosling could get an acting nomination as well.  We will see if the movie holds up in the next few weeks, or if The Descendants, starring Clooney, will take all the air out of the room as the "Clooney" film of the year.   

Grade: C+

Review: Tales from Earthsea

Tales from Earthsea (Goro Miyazaki 2006- Japan, 2010- The United States)

Studio Ghibli is the most renowned animation studio in the world.  Some of the major films of the studio include Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Howl's Moving Castle.  Unlike other animation studios where multiple directors make their own films and there are really no directorial traits (such as in Pixar), Ghibli has two major directors which both have their own significant directorial styles.  These directors, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, started the studio in the 1980s.  While Miyazaki is far more prolific than Takahata, both directors have made great films.  They both are aging and have tried to bring a new director into the studio in order to have someone to leave as the leader of the animation company when they both pass.  They had been unable for some time to find the next generation director for the studio until recently.  This did not come however from the directorial debut of Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki's son.  It instead came from the debut of Hiromasa Yonebayashi with the film Arrietty (which will be released in the US this upcoming January).

But back to Goro Miyazaki.  His directorial debut came in the form of Tales from Earthsea, a bloated overlong homage to the works of his father and Isao Takahata that I managed to finally see recently.  The movie was delayed for years in its US theatrical release because of a dispute with TNT which held US rights to the t.v. mini-series A Legend from Earthsea.  Both are based on the the original novel series by science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin. 

The film itself is bogged down by a bloated plot.  The movie runs too long and there is a long middle stretch of the film which is very boring.  The movie should have been edited better in order to avoid its poor structure and unevenness  Most of the film is rather unoriginal as well.  While homages are fine, there is a difference between one or two homages in a film to nearly copying entire parts of other films.  Two major homages/copies are from the films Horus: Prince of the Sun and The Adventures of Puss in Boots, both early works of Takahata and Miyazaki.  The villian in the movie is also rather unspectacular and one dimensional, something very uncharacteristic in a Ghilbli film in which there are usually no black and white bad guys.  The animation on the other hand is rather gorgeous in parts, thanks to the Ghibli animation staff which is the best in the world.  Too bad the script and the plot don't hold up to the animation.

While overall it is a bad movie, there are sparks of brilliance in this movie from Goro Miyazaki.  He needs to learn more as a filmmaker.  His newest film, Up from Poppy Hill, was released in Japan this past summer.  Its US release may come next year in 2012 or early 2013 (so in order to not conflict with the awards potential of the Arrietty.).  Hopefully Poppy Hill shows an increase in quality from Goro.  Early reviews are much more positive of this new movie and hopefully it is a positive step forward.  

Grade: C

Also, here is a graded list of the Studio Ghibi theatrical films:

A
Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki)
Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata)
Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)
Kiki's Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki)
My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Hayao Miyazaki) *technically released before the official foundation of the studio*
Only Yesterday (Isao Takahata)
Pom Poko (Isao Takahata)
Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki)
Porco Rosso (Hayao Miyazaki)
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki)
Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)

A-
Whisper of the Heart (Yoshifumo Kondo)


B
The Cat Returns (Hiroyuki Morita)

B-
My Neighbors the Yamadas (Isao Takahata)

C
Tales from Earthsea (Goro Miyazaki)

Also, here is the trailer for the upcoming Arrietty

Review: Real Steel

Real Steel (Shawn Levy- 2011, The United States)

I had seen the trailer for Real Steel probably twenty some times in the last six months to a year leading up the the film's US release.  Every time I saw the trailer for the movie I shook my head in disgust.  Every time I thought, don't we have enough robot movies and aren't there too many movies about fighting?  It seemed that Real Steal would be a mix of movies like The Fighter and Transformers, but on a smaller scale.  And that is a good analysis of the movie.  It is not as good as The Fighter and the robots aren't as cool as those in Transformers.    

The movie itself isn't great, but it isn't horrible either.  The movie is a good movie to take kids to, because of its overly cliched plot and stereotypical child actor who plays a kid who is much older than his years.  Since when do kids that are ten act like they are sixteen?  Casting may have been the problem here, or maybe there was a larger problem of writing.  The other main character is played by Hugh Jackman.  His character is nearly as problematic as the know it all child.  Jackman's character is unlikeable and pretty much an ass.  Both characters make for a movie in which the leads are wholly uninspiring and unlikeable.  

Also many supporting characters seem just to have been put into the movie in order to take up screen space.  Most are undeveloped and really pointless to the movie. All the supporting characters attend the final fighting tournament and all seem to be wedded to the plot and tournament, yet they don't actually have any stake in it from what we had seen earlier in the movie.  The lack of development makes the film weak.

A robot of Atom is introduced in the film which fights in a tournament.  Atom is a weak old robot.  Somehow we are supposed to believe he can actually defeat the big and technologically advanced robots.  The movie is not Rocky and robots, unlike Rocky, are not likeable.  To show how a robot, which has not emotions or humanity, can defeat big robots by using humanity, is absurd.  Also, there is the issue to whether Atom can actually understand humans or only mirror them.  This is not explained at all and we are left guessing about this the whole movie.

Overall Real Steel is rather weak, but not a entirely bad film.  Despite all its flaws it is still enjoyable and somewhat likeable.  It has good graphics and and underdog story which help save it from its despair.

Grade: C 

Review: Restless

Restless (Gus Van Sant, 2011- The United States)

In his new film, Restless, Gus Van Sant pays homage to Hal Ashby and his film Harold and Maude but he adds a warm heartfelt twist on the subject matter.  Many of the plot devices are similar in both films.  For instance, in Restless, a young man Enoch, played by Henry Hopper, crashes memorials and funerals.  At those events, he meets Mia Wasikowska who seems at first to be a crasher as well.  The two grow fond of each other and it is revealed that Mia Wasikowska's character has cancer.  The plot lines between the two movies are similar, but Restless seems to be a more complete and serious film.  The movie is also much warmer, compared to Harold and Maude which has a lot of dark comedy.

The critics have overall been negative towards Restless.  I really do not see why.  Maybe they don't like the unoriginality of the film with his homage to Harold and Maude.  The negative opinions of the film led me to be expecting less of the film.  Instead it turned out to be an unexpected delight.

Restless tackles serious themes including suicide, life, death, and love. It has a timeless feel to it and it will probably be a film that will be more liked by young people.  It feels like a fairy tale in this regard.    Also of note, it plays somewhat like a hipster film as both the main characters played by Hopper and Wasikowska seem to be hipster-like.  I definitely recommend this film, and it is one of the better movies in an above average year in film.

Grade: B+/A-

Review: 50/50

50/50 (Jonathan Levine, 2011- The United States)


There isn't much to say about 50/50 besides it is a really good movie.  I came out of the movie with a smile on my face, knowing that I just watched a touching and heartfelt film.  Jason Gordon-Levitt gives a great performance as a young man who is diagnosed with cancer.  I was enamored with his performance and it is one of the best of the year.  Seth Rogen, who is virtually playing himself (the character is based off of him in real life), probably gives his best career performance.  Angelica Huston Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anna Kendrick are also both good in their supporting roles.  Huston actually may give one of the best supporting roles of the year as the mother of Levitt's character who has to deal with a son with cancer and a husband who has Alzheimer's.  Also to note is Philip Baker Hall who gives a good comedic performance in a small role.  

The film successfully blends comedy and drama. It especially feels truthful.  The script is based off a true story experienced by writer Will Reiser.  This is probably why the film really moves viewers.  It is not artificial, it was instead experienced.  Levine, Reiser, Levitt, and Rogen have created a movie about cancer that feels candid while remaining charming and touching.

Grade: A-

Review: Potiche

Potiche (Francois Ozon, 2010-France, 2011- The United States)

Francois Ozon is one of my favorite working directors.  I was unable to see Potiche when it hit theaters earlier this year in late spring, but I was finally able to catch up with it last week.  Ozon is one of the true auteurs working today.  From each of his flims you can point out his style, traits, and themes and tell that the film is his.  He has two distinctive but similar styles that he has used throughout his filmography.  The first is a darker and edgier style with dark themes usually about sexual repression which can be seen in films such as See the Sea, Swimming Pool, Criminal Lovers, Time to Leave and The Refuge.  The second style is one of flamboyant camp which features an art design of bright colors and costumes which is noted in films such as 8 Women, Angel, and Water Burns on Dripping Rocks.  These two styles do cross.  For example, in Criminal Lovers there is a love scene that takes place in the woods when a lot of forest creatures are making love in a campy way.  The rest of that flim though is rather dark.  Potiche falls into the second category as it features camp, bright colors, bright costumes, and some dancing and singing.

The flim itself is fun.  Catherine Deneuve gives a great performance as the matriarch of the Pujol family.  The rest of the cast is star studded as well with famous French figures such as Gerard Depardieu and Jeremie Renier playing major roles in the film.  There are no problems with acting around and like most Ozon the acting is somewhat over the top to create a comical tone.  At the same time the performances are heartfelt in emotional scenes.

Potiche is Ozon's most political film.  The plot centers around a union strike at the Pujol family factory.  Mr. Pujol (played by Fabrice Luchini) is not willing to cooperate with the union and Mrs. Pujol instead steps in.  Besides the obvious union-politics plot, Ozon takes a look at feminism and whether Mrs. Pujol should be the potiche (trophy wife) or if she should take a stronger role in family and run the factory.

Potiche is fun, enjoyable, and light comedy.  Ozon hasn't quite made a masterpiece with Potiche (he might have made one in See the Sea) , but he has a made a strong film that continues upon his directorial style.     


Grade: B+

Review: Dream House

Dream House (Jim Sheridan, 2011- The United States)

Jim Sheridan's career has sure been on a down lately with Get Rich or Die Tryin, the mediocre Brothers, and now the poor Dream House, but his filmography suggests better with The Boxer, My Left Foot, In America, and In the Name of the Father.  To his credit though, Dream House's failure is largely not his fault.  Apparently producer Morgan Creek did not allow him to edit the film and he instead left the project. Sheridan also actively pushed the DGA to remove his name from the film.  Undertstanably, he, nor the stars of the film (Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, or Elias Koteas), promoted the film in the recent weeks before its premeire.  That being said, the film isn't a total failure and it still has many bright spots.

Sheridan was able to create a strong feeling of tension in the first half of the film.  Very little actual occurs and there are no real scary parts of the film.  Yet, I, at the very least, was glued to my seat in anticipation of something to occur.  While nothing ever really does occur, the twist of the film is about halfway through it.  If you had seen the trailer, you know exactly what the twist was.  Maybe without the revealing trailer, the film would be better.  But already, a few days after seeing the movie, the trailer has all but disappeared from my mind, and I am just remembering the film.  The twist though, isn't all original, as its something that Scorsese did much better in Shutter Island.

Even if you can get over the twist, the real flaw of the film is the ending.  Two bad guys are presented in the last ten minutes or so and their character archs are very flat.  I'm pretty sure with better editing, Sheridan would have made this part much better.  Also, there are random parts of the movie which are simliar to The Shining.  The two little girls in the movie are not at all similar to those in The Shining, but there are weird sequences when the girls are shown dead and holding hands with the house crumbling (see the poster for this image).  These sequences do little to the film and are very few.  The film isn't an all out horror film, more of a psychological thriller.  These sequences would have probably been edited about by Sheridan, if he had gotten the chance.


Even if the movie was disavowed by Sheridan, his trademarks show through.  The movie is a family drama and relates to the tensions that build in the family.  The pacing and style are similar to his most recent work in Brothers.  Also, similar to Brothers, the trailer gave away most of that film too.  Maybe he needs better luck, not only with the production companies, but with the material shown in hte trailers.  Importantly, the acting is very strong in the movie too, which allows it to succeed when the editing does not.


Dream House is much better than the 6% on rottentomatoes shows.  It is not a great film and not even a particularly good film, but it is not really a bad film either.  It instead sits in the middle and could have been a much better film if Morgan Creek had let the four time Academy Award nominee and auteur Jim Sheridan fully direct his film.


Grade: C


Here is more on the fall out between Sheridan and Morgan Creek: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/10/jim-sheridan-dream-house-rachel-weisz-daniel-craig-reviews.html

Mini-Reviews: Moneyball, The Dilemma, The Conspirator, and Miral

Moneyball ( Bennett Miller, 2011- The United States)

 

Bennett Miller's sophomore feature is certainly not a slump.  The film is strong all around and Brad Pitt gives a great performance as Billy Beane.  Jonah Hill gives a good supporting performance and in the few minutes of screen time he has, Philip Seymour Hoffman shines.  The script by Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian is strong, but slightly flawed.  The daughter character seems completely unnecessary and annoying.  The character might be a flaw of the screenplay or maybe a product of poor final editing.  Also, the film is overly sentimental, but I'm not sure this is a negative because baseball itself is an overly sentimental sport.  Importantly, while he may not be getting the press of Sorkin or Pitt, Miller directs the heck out of Moneyball and gives us a good notion that he will remain a strong prestige based director.

Grade: B 


The Dilemma (Ron Howard, 2011- The United States)

The Dilemma is an utter and complete disaster and easily the worst film I've seen of 2011.  That being said, it is important to note that the movie may not be a failure for Ron Howard.  Rumor is that he had little say in his direction which is indicative of Vince Vaughan's producing credits.  Howard's recent films have flopped at the box office, with the exception of the Angels and Demons/ The Da Vinci Code franchise, and these failures led Universal to be much more stricter with Howard leading to rise of Vaughan's role in the film's production and direction.

The movie stars Vince Vaughan with Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Wyder, Channing Tatum, and Queen Latifah in supporting roles.  Vaughan, James, and Latifah are absolutely dreadful in their respective roles.  Vaughan is again playing himself as a over-talkative moron.  The editing and screenplay are both rather appalling as well.  Supporting characters seem to pop up mid film and there is little explanation for their role in plot points.  This could have been fixed with better editing.  Also, a subplot of Vince Vaugahn's character going through gambling cold turkey is suddenly thrown into the movie and is rather uninteresting.  The dialogue is a mess as some of it rests on gay jokes and sex.  For example, one quote from the Queen Latifah's character is "I want to have sex with your words. I want to band you brain" and another is "That's why my lady wood is so strong".  These quotes show the inability of the film to rely on actual humor or drama and instead rely on stupid dialogue and completely unlikeable characters.  The movie was not funny at all, even though it tried to be.  It wants to be a bromance at one point, a comedy at another, and a relationship drama the rest of the time.

Ron Howard should have walked out of this movie based.  I'm not sure why he didn't.  If he didn't like the way it was going and the need for Vaughan's cash backing, he should have left.  Ultimately the film only made 48 million dollars in the US, and 69 million dollars worldwide.  It cost 75 million dollars to make.  Yet again Ron Howard has another box office failure.  Maybe he should have stuck to his guns and directed a good movie (or a movie he wanted) instead of caving into studio pressure.

Grade: F

The Conspirator (Robert Redford, 2011- The United States)

Robert Redford's The Conspirator premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2010 to mildly positive reviews.  It picked up a distributor thanks to its cast and director but it was not positioned to run for the Oscars and instead dropped into late Spring.  This maneuvering quieted all of the buzz on the film and most prognosticators quickly wrote the film of its list.  It finally was released earlier this year to again average reviews.  All in all, The Conspirator is just that, average.  Nothing in particular stands out about the film.  It provides some insight into law, politics, and history, but even that isn't much.  Redford, being the activist that he is, tries to compare the situation of Mary Surratt to the Guantanamo Bay precedings.  These comparisons are apt and don't come across as too heavy handed.

The film also features a strong cast including Patricia Clarkson, James McAvoy, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, among others.  All are good in their roles, but none really stand out and none of the performances are too memorable.  If I had to choose one however, Patricia Clarkson does gives some emotional gravitas to her character of Mary Surratt.  The film somewhat reminded me of The Crucible because of its themes and its style, but The Crucible has something which sets it apart from this movie: great acting from Daniel Day-Lewis, Joan Allen, and Paul Scofield.

Grade: C+


Miral (Julian Schnabel, 2010- France, 2011- The United States)


In Miral, Julian Schnabel tries to present an unbiased view of the Palestinian situation in the Middle East.  Ultimately he fails to do so because of poor editing and a bad screenplay.  The plot takes twists and turns interesecting the lives of four women who are all very much connected, most being related to each other or having spent long periods of time with the others.  There is no real main character, even though Miral, play by Frieda Pinto, is the title character.  At the same time, the movie is not an ensemble work either.  It opens with the line "My Name is Miral", but then progresses directly toward the character of Hind.  Two other major charactes are introduced before we meet Miral.  Instead, a flashback structure would have been much more efficient and may have created more emotion investment into the characters.

There are too many plot lines beside the four main women characters.  The character of Miral is introduced about halfway into the film.  After that there are too many random sidetracks and diversions that do no justice to the plot or character development.  Some of these deviations are political or making some social comment.  While they may not be overly offensive to the political situation, they are notably heavy handed and unnecessary to the film.  These many plot lines also make the film overlong.  With proper editing and better writing, Schnabel could have made a better film, but instead followed up The Diving Bell and the Butterfly with a wholly mediocre and poor effort.  


Grade: C-