Best Picture:
Congrats to The Tree of Life for getting a nomination here! I was really sure this would get overlooked but I’m glad it didn’t because I haven’t seen any of the others. Should make for a fun 3rd Annual Chrisfilm Awards since I have a completely different list than the Academy.

Best Actor:
Seen zippo.

Best Actress:
Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn is an obvious choice but I’m still glad to see it. She’s the best actress working today. And though I’m not surprised, the Tilda Swinton snub is annoying (though I haven’t seen We Need to Talk About Kevin yet, so I guess I should reserve judgement).

Best Supporting Actor:
Albert Brooks was snubbed for his performance in Drive (which only received a pity nod in sound editing; nice work Academy).

Best Supporting Actress:
Don’t know much about these nominations

Best Director:
Malick!

Best Cinematography:
The last of the The Tree of Life nods. Can it pull off the win? I honestly think it might. *fingers crossed*

Phew, this was a bleak and exhausting watch. I have to file this under the category of movies that I respect and admire for what they do, but won’t ever be able to re-watch because the content is too harsh. This was a bit more of a fulfilling watch than some others in the same boat because I appreciate Considine’s examination of real Christian faith (based on love), and the way we can affect those around us with it. The depth at which the characters are developed is outstanding. There are no clichés or agendas; each character is written as a person, with individual problems, fears, and doubts.

The film’s main relationship is started as a result of genuine, undeserved love given from a woman who, once we learn of her appalling situation, is clearly calling on her faith to make it through each day. Her authenticity is never in question, but also never more obvious when we see her lash out at God in frustration. You can’t feel abandoned by someone you don’t walk with. And while the ending is still vicious, and the man whose life she touched isn’t dramatically changed, there is an obvious sense of hope and change in both of their lives as their friendship continues, and I have to believe that God is healing them both.  8.25/10

As a man who has fallen in love with westerns over the last couple of years, this movie helped prove to me that I’m not just a sucker for the genre. Westerns can still be as average as any other film if not done right, and Blackthorn is a perfect example of that. Outside of being rich in cinematography, it offers nothing. This is an unfocused ‘what if’ tale of Butch Cassidy had he lived past the Bolivia shootout. It begins well as a poetic observation of a lonely and secluded old man, but not long after it abandons that approach for an unfocused barrage of several different and unrelated plot lines, and poorly used flashbacks. None of this offered much insight into Cassidy and who he had become. The film is then punctuated by a small twist which leads to laughable re-watches of previous scenes while Cassidy looks on in anguish at the revelation of what he now knows to be misdeeds. Oh the horror. But check out how pretty this was.  6.25/10

Another Earth (Mike Cahill, 2011)

Easily the most haunting and lingering ending to a film I’ve seen in a while. To have so much hope pushed to the forefront only to have it shattered in the matter of a split second before the film cuts to credits is gut-wrenching. It reminds us that sometimes all the hope in the world doesn’t always equal a happy ending. Perhaps the most tragic part, though, is that if these characters really thought through the situation, they could have realized that even the happy ending they were seeking isn’t all that positive. (If his family is alive on Earth 2, is he even going to be able to be involved in their lives?)

But putting the ending aside, even the film up to that point is very good. I wouldn’t call this the redemption tale that most are calling it. There’s attempted redemption (twice actually), but things actually become worse the more the protagonist tries to make them better. Shot mostly in a realistic, hand-held style, this science fiction film is more of a drama than anything. We become much more involved in watching this girl try so hard to rid herself of guilt than we do the lingering sci-fi element that has more of a hovering effect than anything. (It’s almost scary how similar this is to Melancholia in style and way it mixes genres.) With a better lead male actor and a slightly more careful plot, this is one of the best 3 of the year.  8.75/10

Marilyn Monroe sneaks Colin Clark into her car and what follows is a day of autumn sunlight, authentic charisma, and small revelation. He is left believing he’s dug beneath a surface no one else has, and she continues her bubbly and woefully oblivious approach towards relationships.  As expected, Monroe’s story is told tragically, but not in the way I expected. There’s barely any emphasis on drugs and alcohol, and instead takes the approach of the dangers of a fragile and ignorant state of mind. Michelle Williams is perfect in this role. She does more than an impression but instead becomes her own Marilyn Monroe and it didn’t take long before I felt like I was actually watching none other than.

But the film falls short in too many areas. The first 30 minutes set a false tone, coming across as a whimsical, fast-paced boyhood fantasy. I guess one could say it matches the ‘aw shucks’ persona of Colin Clark before he get as deeply involved as he does, but it almost caused me to tune out early. Luckily, we see a more poetic and gritty tone throughout much of the rest. Additionally, Curtis did a poor job overseeing the editing of the film – both in the style (the aforementioned whimsical beginning is weak in part because of this), and in leaving too much in. Certain scenes and even characters feel extremely mis-placed and unnecessary. Though a lot of it does stand out, more so than I usually am able to accept in a film, Williams performance does such a job of overshadowing it that ultimately I had to be forgiving.  7.75/10

A really well acted ‘Hallmark movie of the week’ film – that’s basically what this boils down to. Tragedy has befallen almost every character in this film, but only on rare occasion do we get to explore just how damaged that has left any of them. It was strange watching pros like Marcia Gay Harden and Ellen Burstyn, along with lesser known performers like Alison Elliott give great performances using such a sub-par screenplay. None of these characters are really given time with each other to form the bonds that we’re expected to believe they have. (Well, they do spend time together, but it’s mostly spent moving the plot as opposed to having real emotions and truths come forward.) Because of this, most of the moments meant to be tender and sympathetic come across as shallow. I will say that I do like a small-town drama, especially one set up north, so I have to give credit to the setting and the calmness it brought to the table especially considering the bleak events.  6.75/10

I Fidanzati (Ermanno Olmi, 1963)

This movie was much more quiet, slow, and romantic than I could have ever expected, and it was fantastic. The meat of the film is told mostly in flashbacks as the present-time storyline is somewhat unimportant. (Well, from a plot standpoint. It’s actually very important in the way it illustrates the main character’s loneliness.) The flashbacks show us how the man comes to be where he is, as well as what he left behind, and it’s all done in a way I’ve rarely seen before. It almost reminded me of The New World in the way it treats its romantic relationship with its use of unconventional sound and image editing, and interwoven timelines. The present timeline, though I mentioned it was somewhat unimportant, was still amazingly poetic and photographed. I loved watching this man stumble upon many different interesting, calming places. Heck, even the dirty old plant he works at is made to be beautiful. I don’t really have any complaints about this movie except that I wish it were longer.  10/10

I’ve now typed three different reviews of this film and have deleted every one of them. I’m finding it almost impossible to accurately represent all of Trier’s genius and failures that is Melancholia through my words. There are scenes that haunted me, annoyed me, moved me. Trouble, fear, anger, drama, tears, shame, ignorance, peace - a wide spectrum of human experience and emotion on display. And to top it all off, one of the most intriguing and restrained science fiction plots I’ve seen. Often bogged down with unnecessary and over-ambitious symbolism, though, the bad accompanies the good.

Shot with a mix of in-your-face handheld realism, and surreal operatic cgi fantasy, Trier brings the end of the world into our lives in intimate and subdued fashion. All uncertainties plaguing the film’s characters have already been answered for the viewer in the chilling introduction, letting us focus on the people over the plot. Thank heavens, because this batch of characters require undivided attention if the big event is going to mean anything to you.  8.5/10

Typical romantic comedy fluff, which is unfortunate. With a cast like what is featured here, I thought this might be a little more than what it was. It starts funny. In fact, it starts hilarious. Steven Carell and Ryan Gosling’s introduction and ‘mentoring’ process is delightful. Gosling’s character is distant and secretive, and in this way he works. As the movie continues and he becomes more transparent, it becomes obvious that we were experiencing a rare case where the character should have been used only as a plot device – a mysterious figure whose sole purpose is to point someone in a different direction. Instead, the grand plan starts to come together and that is when the movie falls apart. Things become overly sentimental and predictable, creating a truly awful last 15 minutes featuring every romantic comedy cliché in the book.  5.75/10

There’s potential all over the place here but, in the end, the flaws weigh it down. Littered with stilted dialogue, entirely too many musical cues, and wooden performances, I actually wanted to dis-like this more than I did. But fantastic cinematography and an extremely intriguing plot execution are the film’s saving graces. First of all, I can always appreciate when a film uses long takes with movement. Establishing a shot, then maneuvering the camera to create a new point-of-view, or to follow always moving characters helps to feel as if you are actually there. And Lewis does that several times, helping to keep viewers involved in what could have easily become a very uninvolving film.

The eerie nature of the plot helps mask some of the issues as well. After a disagreement that causes a father and son to part ways, the son disappears and is present only through his acts of threatening vandalism towards his father (who, by the way, is not a good man). It’s not often in westerns that you get this ghostly tone. Usually the adversaries face each other man to man, and while there is some of that towards the end, I like the approach the middle portion takes. Overall, though, the flaws are heavy enough to be distracting, and it becomes too much to forgive.  7.25/10