One Floo Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I watched One Floo over the Cuckoo's Nest in my film and literature class today. I walked out of the classroom stunned. How have I not seen such a masterpiece yet in my life? This movie solidly cements Jack Nicholson as one of the greatest American actors in cinema. Milos Forman directs this perfect blend of comedy and drama. Having said that, this movie is not a comedy. It is a very dark portrayal of a mental hospital. Yet Forman chooses to balance the dreariness with pitch-perfect humor in the form of banter between the eccentric inhabitants of the institution. Nicholson shines as a criminal transferred to the hospital from prison who is literally one floo over the cuckoo's nest. His performance is nuanced and absolutely mesmerizing. Louise Fletcher stands opposite him in a harrowing role as Nurse Ratched. The only aspect of this movie that I did not enjoy was the score. It just wasn't my type of music. The first time I appreciated it was the final montage at the end. Maybe when I watch it again it will grow on me; I don't really know what music I would have used- it just didnt sit right. Other than the music, the direction was flawless, perfectly balanced and moving. The conclusion to the film is shocking and thought provoking. This movie is a masterpiece of American cinema that will stay with me for a long time to come.

The Hurt Locker

This is my favorite movie of the Year- that I have seen. I will say that I am seeing Crazy Heart tomorrow, and I am expecting good things. But as of now The Hurt Locker is the Best Picture of the year. Kathryn Bigelow puts an incredible tour de force on the screen with this Iraq War drama. The movie eschews the traditional political statements made by most contemporary war movies and instead deals entirely with the reality troops face on the ground in the midst of the conflict. Sure, this is political, but the reality of troops is simply that. They are fighting for their lives and for each other. That is all that matters. Mark Boal's script is a well thought-out and developed character study of a bomb tech who leads an explosive ordinance disposal crew in Iraq. Boal was originally an embedded reporter with an EOD team in Iraq and his insights from this are flawlessly transferred to the script. While Boal's plot may seem a little overboard to some military folk, the essence of a ground unit and team and the dynamics of the military chain of command are definitely preserved and well represented. The score is so well intertwined with the sound mixing that the mood is well manipulated, and the viewer is kept on the edge of his seat. Another great aspect of this movie is the acting. Jeremy Renner gives a stunning performance as an almost inexplicably courageous bomb tech and all the supporting roles are absolutely spell-binding. Enjoy this thoughtful, suspenseful and intelligent war pic.

Look for it to perfom well in these Oscar categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and possibly Best Editing and Score.

Up in the Air

I have seen this one twice in theatres and will probably rent it when it comes out. Let me say up front I do not think this is the best picture of the year. Many people have been saying that it is flawless. I completely disagree. It has a lot of editing flaw, hence why it has not recieved a nomination for editing at the Academy Awards. Having said that, it is a great story with a convincingly real life feel. George Clooney does well, but is absolutely overshadowed by the performances of Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. I think the direction was good but no where near my top five directors this year. It was definitely a thinking movie that mixes comedy and drama well and convincingly to portray real life accurately. The movie is well done and deserves a best pic nomination, but only because of ten spots this year. It was a good story that had great insight in the writing and dialogue. Vera Farmiga is the strongest part of the entire movie. Its worth a watch.

LOVE

So now in my second post, I'm actually looking forward to a movie that I anticipate the release of. I am really looking forward to the new feature film LOVE. It will be directed by William Eubank and it is based on the music of Angels and Airwaves. Their new album, of the same name, was released today. The music is good, but the movie looks great. The trailer is on Apple.com/trailers and the story looks incredibly original, with great visuals and inspiring music. The cinematography should definitely be a major contendor at next years Academy Awards. I also personaly think that the direction and use of such striking visuals in the trailer forshadow a possible Direction nomination and even a possible best picture nomination, especially if the Academy stays with ten spots in that category. It is rumored to be released in April. Check out the trailer at http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/love/

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

First review.

Just finished watching this movie and the emotions are still lingering very strongly. This is one of those movies that you notice yourself exhale at the end of. I think the most emotionally trying part of it is Mo'Nique's performance as the abusive mother. Her turn at the end of the movie was absolutely devastating. It really made the movie more about her than even Precious. The direction was extremely deliberate. In most cases, critics use that as a ngative term, but for this movie, Lee Daniels' direction is extremely well placed and I thought that the movie excelled at causing the viewer to empathize with Precious. The score/soundtrack was very unique, and was an obvious tool used by the director to show how Precious's life kept moving. Throughout her struggles she had to keep living. I thought the use of music emphasized her pace through everyday life extremely well. In all, I'm extremely happy that this movie made the cut into the top ten for best pic at the academy this year, as it was a heavy duty film approached with great humility in its production and direction. Precious also dealt very frankly with the issue of sexual abuse, but it did not dwell upon it. Daniels spent great care to show the impact the abuse had on everyone involved's life, yet did not let the tone become too devastating. Some will disagree with me, but I did not think it was too heavy-handed. Nor did I feel as though it hit the viewer over the head with a moral or too much of a narrow focus. Well balanced, superbly acted, and thoughtfully shot, this is definitely one of the best pictures of the year.

My Movie Review

So I have been getting pestered by Ralph Miller and John Thai to start this blog since I watch so many movies and TV shows and talk so critically about them. I finally took this advice and started this blog. It will be simple; I will blog about individual movies, TV Series, TV seasons, individual TV episodes, and of course the awards season as each one progresses. Thematically, I am most interested in direction, editing, score and acting. Those will probably be the focus of my posts in which I review movies and shows. I especially like to talk about editing for TV shows since this is a topic largely overlooked by most critics and bloggers. OK, hope everyone enjoys. Throughout the year, I will try to keep this updated and as current as possible with movies and awards gouge.