Over this break I have had the opportunity to see several films, and I thought I would post a two to three sentence review of each film I've seen. Here they are in no particular order:
With three powerfully honest performances at the heart of this independent gem,
Beginners is one of the better independent films in the last few years. Christopher Plummer deserves the awards he will likely receive for his performance, and Ewan McGregor gives his most nuanced performance to date. The quirky feel brings out the character in writer/director Mike Mills, and I certainly look forward to his next film.
The Descendants, a unique and surprising study of grief, is a courageous glimpse into the slow reconstruction of a family after the husband (Clooney) discovers that his wife, comatose and soon to die from a boating accident, has had an affair. There were times when watching this film that I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry or be outraged - I think this is the films greatest draw and, perhaps, draw back. With one of Clooney's best performances (I'm still partial to
Michael Clayton), and a strong addition to
Sideways for Payne,
Descendants is sure to be a strong contender for best picture.
Given that I am a big Mission Impossible fan, I can say that
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol hit every mark as far as I'm concerned: beautiful locations, ferocious action, familiar theme music, cool gagets, humor, and Tom Cruise being his usual self with bravado to spare. Brad Bird, of Pixar fame, does a fine job directing this big budget installment into the franchise, and I think it's fair to say the Mission Impossible world is safe in the hands of Jeremy Renner.
Martin Scorcese, with his first family friendly film, delivers a magical story of a young boy's search for a message from his father, which unfolds into a small piece of Cinema history in
Hugo. Scorcese blends childlike adventure and history together beautifully, helped as per usual by perhaps the greatest living editor, Thelma Schoonmaker.
Hugo is certainly the must-see family movie of the break.
Well...I could spend a long time on this one. If you haven't seen it yet, do. I'd be happy to talk about it with you!
Wow. One of the most unique films I have seen. Painter turned filmmaker Steve McQueen is adept at building and releasing tension, almost effortlessly.
Hunger felt like a dance, and that is saying quite a lot for a film about prison inmates organizing a hunger strike. Very dark, very graphic, yet nothing here feels gratuitous. Also, keep an eye on Michael Fassbender - he is slowly becoming one of the best actors in film today. His performance here is arresting.
With Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen has crafted his most crowd-pleasing film of recent years (as the numbers would indicate). From the fairly straight forward but interesting plot, to the game of spot the reference/historical character, this film has something for everyone.
OK, so I saw this one last break, but I just had to finish off the list with The Muppets! Very funny and very fun, this one is definitely worth a (very pricy) night at the cinema.
