I still haven't seen Black Swan but I'd argue that The Social Network is a very worthy contender that will most likely lead the Oscar's around this year. The King's Speech and Winter's Bone both look like they stand a chance but Fincher's film is about as worthy and praised a film that has come out.

I'm Still Here - 7/10

Joaquin Phoenix quit his multi gazillion dollar gig to become a rap singer. We watch as his life unravels.

The big question is whether it's real or fake?

I don't really care. This was sad and fascinating. To watch a real talent self destruct before your eyes with vultures circling. To see a man journey from huge self confidence to complete turmoil.

This may have been the hardest fim to rate this year as at many times it's painful and JP comes over as a complete ass. But that's not the point.

The film raises questions for us the viewer. Acting is not important. JP is not important. Yet watching someone implode is fascinating. It's why we stare at car wrecks.

Ridley Scott, james Mangold and M. Night Shyamalan must be watching this in fear.

I hope he can turn round this free fall and rediscover his love of himself and his talent. I fear that one day I will wake up and discover that someone else died alone and depressed.

I hope I'm wrong. As the credits rolled, I just felt sad.
Rob

This has been publicly announced as a hoax, so cheer up

Wanted

A Christmas gift that I had seen before. Overall, its a well made action film, that somehow seems smarter then it is due to the constant talk about "fate" vs. "choice". But really, the philosophical issues the film "addresses" amount to little more than window dressing. This is a hardcore action flick through and through.

3 stars out of 4



Inglourious Bastards

What can I say that hasn't been said? It's brilliant and every scene loaded with a brand of energy you don't usually find in movie theaters these days.

I particularly liked how the Nazis are portrayed as amoral and "evil" but, surprisingly, also with flashes of humanity, particularly the scene with the captured General that the Bastards were interrogating.

An unquestionable 4 star movie.

-Jeremy

(2009) The White Ribbon (*** out of ****) - Another strong effort from one of the most unique film-makers on the scene right now, in which WWI is about to break and a small village located in the north of Germany experiences events that no one can explain. Director Michael Haneke's cleverness can sometimes be confused as smugness (some believe Funny Games (US Version) to be an annoying wag of the finger at the audience, I found it to be an enamoring, emotionally draining viewing experience), but whether you love or hate him, you can not deny that the guy is original. The master of ambiguity strikes yet again here, as he shows various on-goings in his character's lives, without really ever resolving the dilemma at hand. Some will find this to be cruel and potentially an act of betrayal, but it actually works fairly well here. It is not as big a rug-puller and disappointment as Cache (his most celebrated work, which I find to be massively over-rated, mostly due to how it concludes), and it is not as scarring as the ending to Funny Games.

Although this piece suffers from overpopulation, the tortured looks on the children's faces do enough damage to one's memory that this movie should haunt you just a bit. And that's all Hanake wants really, in addition to providing a point of view on the start of the young generation that was brainwashed by one Adolf Hitler some 20 years later.

Where? I had not seen anything.
Thanks if this is true. I am now happy
Rob

I absolutely loathe this film.

But it's because of the ending that Cache is so good.

Disagree. I'm in the camp that finds it annoyingly incomplete. Not only does Hanake not answer the question, he teases us. It pissed me off at least. But after watching 'Ribbon' tonight for the first time, I want to get a copy of Cache again and just see if I was in a bad mood or something, seeing that mostly everybody cherishes that movie.

Leaves of Grass

Ed Norton turns in two impressive performances, as if he could do any less. This movie has its moments, by turns romantic, violent, and funny, and they in themselves have their resonance. However, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. I don't know if it's because it ultimately fails to achieve any kind of thematic coherence or if it's because a few thin slices of strength get lost in the general mishmash of everything else, but the film just feels hollow in the end. I wish it could have found its focus, because there are bits here and there--the rain at the end, the wackiness in the climactic scene, the greenhouse that looks like a supervillain's lair, et cetera--that are well worth appreciation.

Not to be condescending, but it was pretty widely and publicly announced. Here, for instance, is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia page:

I'm Still Here is a 2010 mockumentary[2] film directed by Casey Affleck, and written by Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix. The film purports to follow the life of Phoenix, from the announcement of his retirement from acting, through his transition into a career as a hip hop artist.[3] Filming officially began on January 16, 2009 at a Las Vegas nightclub.[4] Throughout the filming period, Phoenix remained in character for public appearances, giving many the impression that he was genuinely pursuing a new career.

Hi James

No worries, I appreciate the steer. I generally avoid celebrity "news"
I guess part of the roles was adding all that weight as well
Very odd though, why would a successful and admired actor do this?

Rob

Cleopatra (1963) **1/2

Despite the 4:03 hour running length, the major issues with Netflix Instant yesterday, and the long-winded speeches, I have finished this movie. And you know what? It's not bad. The first half (Caesar and Cleopatra) is superior, with an engaging performance by Rex Harrison in the lead. The second half (Antony and Cleopatra) gets too long-winded and mopey, and drags the movie down when audiences most need some excitement. I'm glad I've now seen this historical, notorious even, Hollywood film, though it's hard not to think that I could have watched 2-3 better movies in the time I spent on this one.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/09 ... _here.html

Ebert's blog about the film, post-"reveal." Some interesting ideas, although in the end he's left with the same question you are.

Still, though, what a performance. Obviously the Academy cannot and should not take into account the breadth of the performance over time, but I'd still love to see him sneak a nomination in somehow. He won't because the Academy doesn't like being snookered, but I'm not convinced that he doesn't deserve it.

Inglorious Basterds - fantastic movie

Flash Gordon (again) - fantastic campy movie

Ahh, the "for honour" scene? One of my favourite scenes in a movie that has a lot of great scenes.



I believe both the lack of coherence and the "general mishmash" are by design. The film seems to be based on some philosophical theory about conflict and duality. This is why it ventures back and forth between tragedy and comedy, why there's a clash between the intellect and the, um, lack of intellect, a clash between city and country and why the leads are twins.

I agree with you very much, Ed. I feel like those who saw the film as a Coens-esque knockoff are missing the point entirely. I think it's a genuine masterwork of real depth. My favorite film of year so far.

Whether or not a mistake is intentional does nothing for or against the fact that it's a mistake, and deliberate tonal shifts must still be adroit. It is possible for a movie's style and thematic content to be unified without sacrificing cohesion.

Agree totally with this statement, but obviously I disagree with its application on Leaves of Grass.

I won't speak for Ed, but I don't concede any mistake with the tonal shifts or anything else. I realize we're arguing interpretation and that become futile eventually, but I found the film incredibly cohesive in spirit and philosophy, and I found the contrasting styles and themes intentional and correct (it seems you'd agree with the intentionality but not with the rightness of it). It's the sort of film that suffers greatly in trailer-form or in snippets, because many lines and plot elements can come across as very off apart from the whole picture. Watching it for the first time, I loved it immensely and knew that many would disagree with me. I'll stand by its greatness, but again, I understand dissenting views.