Starring: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby
Director: Jonathan Levine
Country: USA
Genre: Dramedy
Coming of age isn’t just for teenagers.
The coming-of-age film can usually be riddled with independent film clichés bogging down any semblance of tenderness the story may hold, but if the film is really driven from a personal place and passion it can usually overcome these obstacles. Such is the case with Jonathan Levine’s The Wackness. The cast is as solid as they come, with strong performances from both experienced veterans (Ben Kingsley = greatest actor ever,) as well as newcomers (the underrated Olivia Thirlby, and under seen Josh Peck.) It’s a tale of first love, a journey into manhood, and a huge slice of nostalgia as it takes place in the mid-nineties and boasts a soundtrack of the greatest era of rap music. Like the best independent dramedies, it balances its quirkiness with its darkness really well, and ultimately creates a portrait of what it was like to take the first step toward growing up at age 18 and at age 50.
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart
Director: Christopher Nolan
Country: USA
Genre: Action, Drama
Duh.
What can be said about TDK that hasn’t already been said? Not much. It’s obviously the greatest and best superhero film of all time. So, instead, I’ll just pay homage to it: Remember Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker? That was awesome. Remember the opening bank robbery? That was awesome. Remember the moral choices that Bruce Wayne had to make? Those were awesome. Remember the car chase in the tunnels? That was awesome. Remember when they replaced Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal? That was… a choice. Remember Batman’s voice? … Even the best things aren’t without their flaws…
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Country: USA
Genre: Independent, Drama
“I’m a professional wrestler.”
“That’s probably not a good idea.”
Darren Aronofsky has taken a step away from his usual high stylized films to have an affair with cinema verite in The Wrestler. It’s hyper realistic, all down to the last emotion of which it has plenty. Rourke blazes like a phoenix out of the ashes of his old career in what is certainly going to be the performance of his lifetime, and of most people’s lifetimes, (matched only by maybe De Niro’s LaMotta.) To say the experience of watching this film is ‘tough’ is selling it short, both in that it can get excruciating and that the ‘toughness’ isn’t without merit. It all pays off, even if it’s not in the ways we’d wish it to. The Wrestler can stand with the best of tragedies in all of drama. It’s almost hard to believe that there was a screenwriter behind it. The only non-realistic thing is, and excuse my chauvinism for a moment, that anyone wouldn’t find Marisa Tomei attractive. I’ll save you the George Costanza monologue, but come on.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett
Director: David Fincher
Country: USA
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
He was born under unusual circumstances.
David Fincher has brought us some of the darkest tales over the last two decades, which is what makes this film quite of a surprise. While it is certainly dark, it’s more of an undercurrent to a touching and insightful story of a man’s life who was born old and ages backward. It has been compared to Forrest Gump numerous times, understandably, but the two films couldn’t be more different. It’s more than a documentation of an extraordinary character’s life. It’s a dissecting exploration on old age, youth, death, life, and everything that matters in between. Though it’s obvious why Brad Pitt was cast, he definitely pulls his weight and puts in a terrific performance, but this film is just further proof that Cate Blanchett is disgustingly talented.
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman
Director: Mike Leigh
Country: UK
Genre: Dramedy
She’s kind of like a Disney character. Isn’t she? Yeah.
I feel weird saying it aloud, but this film challenged me in ways I hadn’t thought possible. It focuses on a character so hell-bent on being cheery that it begins to get a little grating. Immediately I was conflicted over having this feeling for such a well intentioned character, but slowly the layers started to peel back and a chasm of depth was revealed. My pessimistic way of thinking immediately started believing that I was being mislead and that this mostly-happy story could only end in death or some cataclysmic event, but I was pleasantly surprised by its outcome and the message it successfully delivered.
Starring: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio
Director: Sam Mendes
Country: USA
Genre: Drama
There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.
There’s an elephant in suburbia’s room that not many people acknowledge. The idea of being trapped in the facade of the American Dream isn’t anything new, but Mendes’s newest descent into the material is even more harrowing than his ‘99 effort American Beauty. Though it’s set in the 50s when women’s rights hadn’t yet been fully recognized, the film still rings completely relevant. DiCaprio and Winslet reunite to completely destroy the fantasy love story they created in Titanic, and they have such a strong chemistry, it’s hard not to believe their troublesome woes. Don’t go into this film lightly, as it’s not even just an attack on domestic life, but on all lives who have allowed their dreams to slip through their fingers. It’s not pretty.
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson
Director: Joel Hopkins
Country: USA, UK
Genre: Romance, Comedy
It’s fun watching two grown adults acting like teenagers in love.
There’s something magical when a quaint formulaic film transcends its expectations and becomes unforgettable. Such is the case with Last Chance Harvey, a familiar love story between two down-and-out characters who have a chance encounter. What really elevates this film is its two stars, Hoffman and Thompson, as they relish in their roles, finding emotions and humor that only seasoned actors like them can. Their chemistry is entirely fun to watch. While the film takes a few stock twists, it really doesn’t matter, because after all, that’s what we’re there to see. Last Chance Harvey is a uplifting and wonderful film that helps fill the void of mid-life romance films.
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby
