FEATURE COLUMN

Movie Talk with Greg Malmborg

An Entertainment Column

Welcome to Movie Talk, my new bi-weekly column. I want to thank all of you again who took the time to e-mail me your thoughts, comments, and ideas. It was very insightful. I also want to encourage more of you to e-mail me any comments on the topics I discuss or any ideas for the column. And as I said before, I will post some reader comments when I feel it is appropriate and I will run contests from time to time (no prizes, just recognition).

Oscar Outlook

I’m going to start off every column now with a discussion on the upcoming Oscars, as well as my prediction table. The table will only include films that are out and that I’ve seen. My table is currently shaping up like this:

OSCAR PREDICTION TABLE

As you can tell, this is a work in progress. Many names were added or deleted from the last column. In the Best Picture category, I added both 21 Grams and Master and Commander and took out Lost in Translation and Open Range. 21 Grams is reviewed below in this column. Basically, 21 Grams is an actor’s showcase, allowing the three main actors to delve deep into these troubled characters, but it is also a brilliant meditation on loss, grief, guilt, and redemption. The story is harrowing and tough but it sticks with you. Master and Commander is also reviewed in this column. Peter Weir is an absolute genius at transporting the viewer into another time, another world, and another reality. And in the film he not only continues this glorious trend, but also deepens it and fully captures what life was like on a British war ship during the Napoleonic War. The film is about the bonds of friendship, honor, and loyalty among men put in horrible conditions and the beauty of life that shines through regardless of the situation. Weir makes you feel like you are part of this crew of sailors, part of this rough, high-seas lifestyle. I knocked Lost in Translation and Open Range out only because they were just not quite as strong as the remaining films in the category, but they are both brilliant films and deserve recognition as such.

Academy Award Prediction for Best Picture - Mystic River

In the Best Actor category, I added Sean Penn for 21 Grams, Billy Bob Thornton for Bad Santa and Russell Crowe for Master and Commander. Unless a lead performance in the remaining handful of films is just spectacular, the two best performances of the year (possibly the past 5 years or so) by any actor in any category, comes from the same guy. I don’t know if that has ever happened. If it has, please e-mail me. Sean Penn has turned in two blistering, deeply moving performances in two amazing, memorable films. I still believe the Mystic River performance is the best (I believe it is one of the best performances in film history), but the 21 Grams performance is not far off. Penn has come a long way from Jeff Spicolli! He will win the Oscar come February; I’ll just state it flat out.

Billy Bob Thornton’s performance is in a totally different arena than Penn’s, but this is one of the funniest performances I’ve ever seen. Thornton plays the ugliest, nastiest character ever displayed in a Christmas film (possibly in any film) and he completely dives into the role. He never lets up. In fact, he is completely fearless with it, and he generates more laughs than all of Adam Sandlers’ films combined. Comedy is hardly ever rewarded but it is among the hardest mediums for an actor to pull off. Thornton pulls it off perfectly.

I also added Russell Crowe, who is just brilliant as Captain Jack Aubrey. As I stated earlier, the film makes you feel like you truly are part of this crew and Crowe makes you believe that the crew would follow him to the depths of hell if necessary. I transferred Tim Robbins to Best Supporting Actor, as this seems to be the direction the Academy is going with his performance, even though he shares just as much screen time as Penn (strange). I took off Tobey Maguire (Seabiscuit) and Paul Giamatti (American Splendor) who both were terrific but just not in the same league as the other nominees.

Academy Award Prediction for Best Actor - Sean Penn in "Mystic River"

In the Best Actress category, I added Cate Blanchett for The Missing and Naomi Watts for 21 Grams. Cate Blanchett is nothing short of magnificent in The Missing, but isn’t she always? I can’t for the life of me think of any movie she has ever been in where her performance was anything but terrific. And in The Missing, she plays an emotionally wounded, frontier woman who needs to be dirt tough for her family to survive. And through the film, you see her hurt and heartache breaking through her tough façade. It is a beautiful performance in a dark and searing Western.

Naomi Watts has the Best Actress Oscar locked up. She gives a searing, harrowing performance as a woman overcome with grief and sorrow. It is an extremely hard performance to watch, she gives it all she has and leaves it all on the table. The emotional range she shows is shocking; it is a surprising and wonderful performance.  I took out Uma Thurman because it was just filler (not anywhere near the quality of the other performances). I also took out Audrey Tautou in Dirty Pretty Things because I couldn’t think of anyone else to put in there for the last column. 

Academy Award Prediction for Best Actress – Naomi Watts in "21 Grams"

In the Best Supporting Actor category, I added Benicio Del Toro for 21 Grams. He does the best work of his career as a reformed criminal who finds and then abandons Jesus, and, remember, he won an Oscar for Traffic. His performance truly stayed with me, it is deeply sad and moving. This category is tight between him and Tim Robbins who I moved here from the Best Actor category. I had to take out Kevin Bacon for Mystic River, due mostly to very low screen time compared to the rest of the nominees.

Academy Award Prediction for Best Supporting Actor – Tim Robbins in "Mystic River"

In the Best Supporting Actress category, I added Emma Thompson for Love Actually and I took out Lucy Lui for Kill Bill Volume One. Lucy Lui was mostly filler, although her performance was unique and funny. Emma Thompson was superb in Love Actually; she provided the reality and emotional heart of this sugar coated, but enjoyable romantic comedy. The scene where she learns who her husband really bought the necklace for may win her the Oscar in itself. Brilliant work.

Academy Award Prediction for Best Supporting Actress – Emma Thompson in "Love Actually"

In the Best Directing category, I added Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu for 21 Grams, Peter Weir for Master and Commander, and Jon Favreau for Elf. I took out Nikki Caro for Whale Rider, Kevin Costner for Open Range, and Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation. Iñárritu is a wonderful young director who is obviously good at working with actors. He brought out three of the best performances of the year and he managed to wrap it all in a concise and interesting format, without taking anything away from the performances. I’ve already expressed my reasons for Peter Weir. I added Jon Favreau because of the tremendous job he did in combining a Christmas tale, an adult fish-out-of-water comedy, and a kids movie and somehow making it all work to become the hit film of the year. The way he filmed the North Pole scenes was hilarious and he also managed to bring in nostalgic images from classic Christmas films without being overbearing or cheesy. I know he won’t be nominated but I think it was an amazing piece of directing. The three I took out were a tough decision because they are all deserving and they may be brought back in the mix before all is said and done.

Academy Award Prediction for Best Director– Clint Eastwood for "Mystic River"

Now remember, there are still quite a few films coming out in December that will probably change my table and some of these predictions. Most notably being The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, The Last Samurai, Cold Mountain, Big Fish, and The House of Sand and Fog. Many are saying that Return of the King is a lock for a Best Picture win and a Best Director win just on the strength of the trilogy as a whole. Return of the King should be weighed on its own not with the other two films. I’ll have a whole lot more to say on this after I see it (December 17). I’m hearing that The House of Sand and Fog is absolutely terrific and may gain some serious Oscar steam at the very end of the year (it comes out in limited release on December 26, so it won’t be available to most of the public until around the time nominees are announced). I am very eagerly anticipating The Last Samurai, and I expect it to be on my top 5 of the year. Big Fish and Cold Mountain do not look as good as they are hyped to be based on the previews (but we shall see). 

Feedback, Questions and Nonsense

“My Top 5 of this year so far are:

1)     The Last Samurai – saw a sneak peak, it will blow you away! Incredible!

2)     Mystic River – agree with you 100% on this, just wait till Samurai though

3)     Bad Santa – funniest movie I’ve ever seen!

4)     Kill Bill Volume 1 – eagerly anticipating Volume 2

5)     Lost in Translation – Bill Murray is a comedic genius, end of story!

I don’t agree with you on Whale Rider or Open Range. I’m not a western fan, so that’s probably the only reason I didn’t think all that much of Open Range and Whale Rider was dull and I couldn’t get into the story. But mostly, I agree with your choices. Great job, keep it up, later!”

-Heath (Very Bad Santa) in Louisville

Yeah, Open Range is only for Western fans, I’ll admit, but for Western fans it is perfect. As far as Whale Rider goes, I thought the story was timeless and uplifting. It got to me, but to each his own. And, yes, I am dying to see The Last Samurai. I’ll let you know what I think.

“Great column, keep up the “to the freaking point reviews”

-Jen in Missouri

Thanks Jen, maybe I should call it that from now on. To The Freaking Point Reviews!

Contest Winner: Joe G. in Trenton!

He was the first to answer correctly; the mask worn by Michael Myers in the Halloween films was actually a William Shatner mask.

Film Quickies at the Movie Theater

Elf

This is an absolutely hilarious and simply wonderful little Christmas film. This is one of those rare family films where the adults will honestly (not just because the ad says so) have just as good a time as the kids (maybe even better). Will Ferrell gives a phenomenally hilarious, warm, and engaging performance as Buddy, the only human elf in the North Pole who makes a trek to New York City to meet his real father. The North Pole scenes are imaginative and whimsical, but the film really takes off once Buddy makes it to New York. From the moment he arrives, the film is a non-stop, laugh-a-minute riot with Ferrell masterfully hitting all the right comedic notes. The ending is a bit sappy, but even that portion of the film has a distinct charm to it. I would find it extremely hard to believe anyone not enjoying oneself through this wonderful little gem. A new Christmas classic (up there with A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation). 4 out of 5

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

It’s a nicely done remake of the classic horror film. Chilling, gruesome, and relentless, it truly keeps you on the edge of your seat and the creepiness stays with you for a while. The performances are surprisingly effective, not grating or annoying as in most slasher films. And the direction is very effective, masterfully capturing the suspense and horror of these kids running for their lives from these demented maniacs. It was a great decision to keep the focus on just one main character (Jessica Biel) and view the film from her perspective. Not to get into the motivations or back-story on the hicks (which is not important, it would not add to the horror or suspense), and to just focus on her fight for survival. And Biel is intensely watchable, probably for only obvious, superficial reasons (but hey… it works!). 3 out of 5

The Matrix Revolutions

Well, one of the most anticipated finales in film history is, well… history. It was widely panned by most critics and a lot of the general public stayed away due to the scathing reviews. Well, I’m here to say that this trilogy will still go down as a science fiction classic. Critics seem to have forgotten that the Matrix trilogy is a sci-fi trilogy, meaning “Not for everybody”. These are not movies for the masses, just like Blade Runner, 2001, and Dark City are not for everyone. I thought that Revolutions took the trilogy to exactly where it was headed in the beginning (what was it all the critics were watching in the original?) and then expanded upon it and deepened the whole experience. The first is the original, groundbreaking classic; the second is the special effects masterpiece; the third is the deepest and richest in story and theme. I could care less what critics think of these films now; they are destined to be classics (for me, they already are). 4 out of 5

Love Actually

For romantic comedy fanatics, it just doesn’t get any better (or sweeter) than this. It’s a funny, charming, and heart-warming film about love in many of its forms and the fact that love is all around us. There are many stories going on at once and many types of relationships and longings working themselves out, so there is something in it for everyone (although maybe too much of everything for others). The performances are almost all first-rate and a couple award-worthy (Emma Thompson and Bill Nighy), and the dialogue rings true and feels genuine. There are wonderful scenes throughout and not too many cringe-inducing scenes as in many other romantic comedies. If you usually cringe just hearing the words “romantic comedy”, you should probably see another movie. I enjoy well-made, smartly written, and sharply acted romantic comedies. I truly enjoyed Love Actually. 3 ½ out of 5

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Successful adventure films depend on how well the audience gets sucked up into the world that is created for them. They need to buy into this new reality and feel that shared sense of adventure. The best adventure films took this concept to whole new levels, and Master and Commander is no exception. Peter Weir is a genius at creating new and exciting worlds and realities and fully immersing his audience into them. And Master and Commander is his biggest success. After seeing this the first time, you will feel that shared sense of adventure and truly come out of it with a sense of what life was like for these brave and loyal sailors. The charming and brilliant work of Russell Crowe anchors this movie. The film hinges on the loyalty and respect shown to him by his crew, and Crowe makes you believe that these men would follow him to the depths of hell if necessary. He is simply magnificent, as is this grand adventure set on the high seas. 4 out of 5

Bad Santa

This is an utterly nasty, completely over the top, blazingly sarcastic, and probably the funniest film of the past five years or so. Let me forewarn everyone, this is only for adults and only for adults with a certain sense of humor; a very sarcastic, dark sense of humor. Billy Bob Thornton turns in a no-holds barred, fearless, nasty performance as the title character. It is the funniest single performance I have seen in years. He is really that hilarious, and this film is really that funny. Thornton’s complete buy-in to this guy’s utter nastiness and distaste for all things nice is what makes the film so funny. I laughed out loud for almost the entire film (and that never happens). The script is brilliant, the supporting cast is great, and the score is perfect, but Thornton steals the movie and makes Bad Santa a comedic classic. But remember, not for everyone (I mean that!). 4 out of 5

The Haunted Mansion

It’s a harmless, fairly entertaining, and somewhat funny. There is one truly scary and original scene that I loved (in the crypt, which may be too scary for little kids) and there were a few funny lines delivered by Eddie Murphy (that do not make up for his complete lack of career control), and that is really about it. The script is very generic and the supporting cast is not very good (everyone is collecting a paycheck), but this isn’t the worst film ever made or anything. It is just unoriginal and made mostly for 12 year olds (who probably won’t even like it all that much). Eddie Murphy needs some serious career counseling (unless all he cares about is the cash, which he should keep doing what he’s doing then). 2 out of 5

21 Grams

Deeply felt, powerful drama with three amazing, Oscar-worthy performances, 21 Grams is a brilliant meditation on loss, grief, guilt, and redemption. It’s phenomenal independent filmmaking. Sean Penn turns in another outstanding, powerful performance and Benicio Del Toro is just riveting in the best role of his stellar career. Naomi Watts steals the film with her searing, soul-stirring turn as a woman overcome with grief and sorrow. This is her star-making, breakout performance that will be rewarded come award season. Her desperation and sadness are simply wrenching, and is almost too hard to watch at times. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, highlighting the overall themes, masterfully puts the film together. 4 out of 5

The Missing

This is an engrossing and emotionally resonant Western with two outstanding performances and strong, masterful direction from Ron Howard. The Missing has a very dark and dramatic tone to go along with the dark and dramatic script, also with areas of mysticism, religion, and riveting action. Howard does a terrific job at capturing this tone and maintaining a tight pacing, interspersing the film with potent family drama, exciting action scenes, and frightening scenes with the kidnapper and his victims. Cate Blanchett is amazing and award-worthy (you will see her up there as a nominee) and Tommy Lee Jones gives another terrific performance. Jones plays the same type of character he always plays, but it works so well in this setting, it feels like his best work.

The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Rachel Evan Wood (Thirteen) who plays the kidnapped child. The only problem with the film is the very end (I mean the very end, the last three minutes), which feels unnecessary and takes a bit away from the film as a whole. Some critics are ripping the whole film based on these last three minutes, which is just ridiculous. It is a bit of a let down, but the previous two hours are so magnificent that they don’t diminish the film much. If you enjoy darker, dramatic stories and happen to be a fan of the Western genre, you will absolutely love this film. Even if this isn’t your cup of tea, see it for the great performances from two of the best out there. 4 out of 5

Film Quickies at the Video Store

Equilibrium is an entertaining science fiction, action film with an interesting (if not wholly original) premise and an intensely strong performance by Christian Bale.  Bale’s transformation from a man without emotion to one overcome by it is simply riveting. Interspersed throughout, are some of the best and innovative action scenes since The Matrix. There is a piece of the plot that must be bought into to truly enjoy the film, that even though everyone’s emotions are suppressed, they still have emotions, just not the extreme lows and highs (you will understand this after you see it). 3 ½ out of 5

My Rating –

City of Ghosts is a strong directorial debut from Matt Dillon, with some very good supporting performances and a very suspenseful story. It is extremely atmospheric and a rich film with beautiful locales and an intoxicating, exotic mood. The only major problem I had with the film is the casting of Dillon himself as the lead. If he had given the lead to a stronger dramatic actor, this could have been one of the best of the year. 3 out of 5

Eight Crazy Nights – I want my $4 back! Maybe I should go find Adam Sandler and ask for it back. This is the worst animated film ever made (it just has to be). I can’t imagine what Sandler and his buddies were thinking with this load of garbage. Please do not rent this, in fact, if you see it in the rental store, knock it over. 0 out of 5

Blue Car is a disturbing, creepy, and original independent film about the vulnerability and ignorance of youth and the adults who want that back. It also features very strong performances by the two leads and an outstanding script highlight this disturbing tale. One of the best independent films of the year. 3 ½ out of 5

Winged Migration is a riveting documentary with some of the most beautiful images of nature ever captured on film. Who would have thought a film with almost no dialogue and completely based on migrating birds could be so captivating and stirring. The filmmakers actually flew right along with the birds inside gliders and other contraptions to capture these astonishing scenes. And they truly spanned the globe to tell their story. This is really a film for nature lovers, but I think anyone who gives this film a shot will be fascinated. 4 out of 5

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd – OK, I am a huge, huge fan of the original, it is one of the best comedies of all time. And this is just sacrilege. This is one horrid wretch of a comedy; there are maybe two or three ‘sort-of-funny’ moments (only because they recall the original). Do not waste your time or money on this smelly garbage. 1 ½ out of 5

The Santa Claus 2 is a completely harmless, somewhat brainless, and sometimes heart-warming sequel to an average but entertaining original. Tim Allen reprises his only live action role that has ever been successful; I mean can you blame him? Most of the story is generic and obvious, but Allen has a certain charm that wins over.  The one thing that bugged me was the fake Santa, which is strangely creepy and out of place (it looks like it should be in a Cronenberg movie or something). 2 ½ out of 5

My recommendation for today:

X2 – For fans of comic based films, it doesn’t get much better than this. This action-packed, character oriented sequel is even better than its already superb predecessor. X2 expands upon the main characters of the first film and brings out some interesting and exciting new characters. Hugh Jackman is fantastic again as the tough and charming Wolverine and Ian McKellen is again perfectly suited for Magneto. I am one of many eagerly awaiting the third entry in this fantastic series.

Talk to you again soon,

Greg Malmborg

gregm99@hotmail.com

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