Starring: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster
Director: James Mangold
Country: USA
Genre: Western
3:10 to Awesometown.
This remake of the 1957 classic lives up to its predecessor while also providing a fun homage to the genre in general. While it doesn’t delve into the psychology as much as the original, it’s still fun to watch these two ferocious actors go head to head. James Mangold instills the roots of the gun slinging spaghetti western through beautiful cinematography (albeit not as patient or immersive, as say Sergio Leone,) and Marco Beltrami’s pitch-perfect score. Crowe and Bale have a surprising chemistry that works really well together. Bale plays his all-too-serious character and Crowe plays his cocky wry sense of humor character, and they create a really kind of fun dynamic to watch. For those who are won over by the film, it brings in a sweet reward in the form of one hell of a ending shoot out. Plus there’s a cameo/small role by Luke Wilson that to this day I’m still trying to understand.
Starring: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden
Director: Kevin Lima
Country: USA
Genre: Family
Enchanted is targeted toward twelve-year-old girls and this guy over here.
Why does this film work? For all intents and purposes, it should be obnoxious as hell, but there’s something about its complete and utter lack of shame at being so innocent and sentimental that allow it to succeed. Amy Adams, no doubt, is the reason this film flourishes. It’s one of the best bits of casting in the entire decade, as she looks like a cartoon character and plays her naivety at a perfect volume. James Marsden provides quite a few laughs, that should be cheesy, but if you’re buying into the film by the time he arrives it’s not hard to find yourself chuckling. Enchanted straddles a line between Disney parodying itself and paying homage to the films that made it famous. If you’re open to the possibility that a family film could be entertaining, you might actually find a lot of pleasure in this film. If you’re a bitter cynic, stay away, stay far far away.
Starring: (voices) Patton Oswalt, Brian Dennehy, Janeane Garofalo
Director: Brad Bird
Country: USA
Genre: Animation
Leave it to Pixar to make French cuisine appealing to children.
Ratatouille is probably Pixar’s most adult film, both in execution and content. The film follows a rat who has an impeccable palate for culinary delicacies who befriends a bumbling chef that wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s not exactly The Brave Little Toaster. But if we’re being honest, Ratatouille wasn’t made for children so much as it was to be ‘family acceptable,’ meaning, opposite of most animated films, it’s fun for adults and kids might get something out of it too. Perhaps it’s Brad Bird’s excuse to fully explore a fascination for French dishes such as the film’s title, but that’s not to discredit Ratatouille by any means. In fact, it further demonstrate’s Pixar’s unrivaled ability to turn any subject into a successful and touching story.
Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová
Director: John Carney
Country: Ireland
Genre: Musical
Everything works together in perfect harmony.
It’s hard to classify this as a musical when thinking of the genre as a whole. The term springs to mind images of corsets and top hats, so there’s an inclination to say this film is about music more than it is a musical. However, each song progresses the story and characters further down their path, and without them there would be no movie. Musicians Glen Hansard (The Frames) and Markéta Irglová head up this wonderful tale of, well, musicians who find each other by chance and inspire each others work. What is striking about this film is its candor. It’s almost like seeing the chunk of events that happen that inspire an album to be written. And the music is some of the most beautiful ever put on screen. Everything works together in perfect harmony to create a very special film.
Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, David Strathairn
Director: Paul Greengrass
Country: USA
Genre: Action
Ultimatum (noun) – a final demand or statement of terms, the rejection of which will result in retaliation or a breakdown in relations.
What’s surprising about the third film in the franchise is its timeline. It overlaps quite a bit with The Bourne Supremacy, though watching the previous film in the series you’d never know it. It takes a bit to catch up, but luckily Ultimatum doesn’t play to the lowest common denominator. It’s jam packed with the stuff we’ve come to love from Bourne, fist fights (he punches a book into someone’s face!), car chases (even one on a motorcycle!), and good ol’ fashion treason. Strathairn brings a wonderful intensity to the mix, while Allen becomes a very appealing ally. It’s an incredibly thrilling film, certainly equal to its predecessors. The scene at Waterloo Station with Paddy Considine = pure adrenaline. And when all is said and done, the film leaves open the possibility of another sequel, but doesn’t fail to give closure to the trilogy.
Starring: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: Tamara Jenkins
Country: USA
Genre: Independent, Dramedy
The Savages is the Citizen Kane of independent old age home dramedies.
Films that follow pseudo intellectual types are generally too high brow for their own good. There is something special about The Savages in that it shows two characters of high academia in a very realistic situation. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman (in a pair of pitch-perfect performances,) play siblings dealing with the trials and tribulations of their mediocre lives who are forced to take care of their estranged father as he slips into dementia. The themes are ripe for a heavy-handed drama, but Jenkins manages to weave a thread of light comedy through the film, reminding us that no matter how bad things get, we need to be able to laugh at ourselves and situations otherwise we’d go insane. It has a wonderful perspective of old age and what we choose to prioritize in our lives.
Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swindon
Director: Tony Gilroy
Country: USA
Genre: Thriller
This film excels in every aspect of filmmaking.
Legal thrillers aren’t necessarily a genre that include movies one would want to watch over and over again, at least not normally. Michael Clayton is an exception to that rule as Tony Gilroy has crafted one of the most brilliant thrillers in the last decade. It’s really anything new, however every.single.aspect of the film is the best it could possibly be. From the outstanding performances by Clooney, Swindon, and particularly Wilkinson, to the highly intelligent, but never condescending script, to the precise direction, everything works together so well to tell this story of corporate corruption and how different people deal with ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.
Starring: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster
