The Official Review Thread of 2013

[anonymous1980]

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2
Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Will Forte, Terry Crews, Andy Samberg, Kristen Schaal, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris (voices).
Dirs: Cody Cameron & Kris Pearn.

I liked the original quite a bit. It had a clever, original concept combined with some funny gags and great animation. The sequel still has great animation and clever, funny gags particularly the ones involving the "Foodimals". But apart from those, the plot is kind of predictable and generic and a lot of the surprises and cleverness of the original is sadly lost. Although I must say, the Foodimals must be this franchise's version of the Minions. Those critters are undeniably fun to watch and like the Minions, it simply highlights how bland the human characters and the actual story of it really is.

Oscar Prospects: Maybe Animated Feature but since the original didn't get in, I doubt this would either.

Grade: C+

[Mister Tee]

The limitations of Nicole Holofcener's movies are pretty much telegraphed by their titles: Lovely and Amazing, Please Give, Enough Said -- all those verbs and adjectives so bland they're almost abstract. Her scripts are similarly lacking in narrative punch: if Hitchcock thought movies were life with the boring parts taken out, Holofcener seems to feel the opposite -- as if creating a major plot event would be a form of cheating. This will never be my favorite sort of film, but it must be said that she's honed her form impressively. I liked a lot of Please Give, and I think Enough Said is her most successful work to date, and a very enjoyable movie.

Again, there's not much plot -- at root, it's boy meets girl etc. -- but Holofcener shows an observant eye throughout for all her characters. And her core subject -- how does one trust that a person one is getting involved with truly rates the leap of faith required? -- is bracing enough to transcend the rom-com set-up. (Or perhaps I'm just personally attuned to the issue right now, after three decades of it not being an issue) The film is never hilarious (its only truly laugh out loud moment involves a baseball), but there are a lot of pleasing chuckles throughout provided by the actors, most especially Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and James Gandolfini. Louis-Dreyfuss has her most expansive screen role by far, and handles it well, even keeping it from veering into sitcom territory where you'd think she'd have that tendency. And Gandolfini reminds us once again what a great talent he was, over and above Tony Soprano. He's funny and touching in a totally new way here. I know some people have been advocating him for a supporting nomination; I'm not sure if that's because it's entirely deserved (though it's close), or because the performance makes everyone realize anew how many years of potentially wonderful work we've lost because of his early demise. In any case, considering some of the pitiful released-after-death performances we've seen over the decades, this would at minimum stand as worthy tribute to a great talent.

[anonymous1980]

METRO MANILA
Cast: Jake Macapagal, Althea Vega, John Arcilla, Ana Abad Santos, Erin Panlilio, Moises Magisa, JM Rodriguez.
Dir: Sean Ellis.

A Filipino family from the rural provinces in hard times try their luck at a better future in the big city of Metro Manila but only finding even MORE hardship, crime and corruption. As someone who's familiar with Filipino cinema, this basic plot has been tackled by Filipino filmmakers in the past, most notably Lino Brocka and Brillante Mendoza. However, British director Sean Ellis somehow was able to add a few fresh twists by adding the crime thriller element. Also, as an outsider shooting a story about another society and culture, the film captures Manila with its sights, sounds and numerous idiosyncracies with a fresh perspective. Though I must say that as a speaker of both languages (and of course as a screenwriter and someone who does this type of thing for a living) some of the dialogue and English subtitles need a bit of fixing but overall, still a solid, excellently crafted thriller.

Oscar Prospects: This is the UK's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category. I don't know if it will make it due to the genre-y elements but I guess it's possible.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

GRAVITY
Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney.
Dir: Alfonso Cuaron.

The film is a visually astonishing thrill ride. But it's one with emotional heft and genuine artistry. I have grown to become jaded with all the CGI special effects these days. Seldom does it wow me. This one actually managed to wow me from the first frame down to the last. I don't remember the last time I went, "OMG. How did they do that?" in an FX-laded film but this one, after seeing, made me felt like that once again. All the while, it really felt like they actually went to space! The 13 minute continuous opening shot and those amazing sequences where the camera goes from a wide shot to a character POV shot is very impressive indeed. I saw this on IMAX 3D, something I very seldom do because the IMAX theaters are twice as expensive and way out of my way and I generally think 3D is a scam but this is one of the very few exceptions. Truly a work of a master filmmaker.

Oscar Prospects: A strong contender for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Visual Effects (front-runner for the win), Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Cinematography and Film Editing. Could get in for Original Screenplay, Production Design and Original Score. Maybe Supporting Actor as well.

Grade: A.

[anonymous1980]

PRISONERS
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Dylan Minnette, Zoe Soul, Erin Gerasimovich, Kyla Drew Simmons.
Dir: Denis Villenueve.

I recently saw Incendies, the director, Denis Villenueve's, previous film and I became an instant fan. The way he fashioned a mystery and let things unfold in a rather deliberate fashion in that film was quite brilliant. He employs more or less the same method here although the results are quite a bit more flawed. That's not to say this is a bad film. Far from it. The performances of the cast are fantastic. Hugh Jackman gives probably one of his career-best performances in this one as father trying to find his daughter and Jake Gyllenhaal matches him as the detective. It's beautifully shot by Roger Deakins. There are lots of interesting ways where the story could go but unfortunately, the third act pretty much becomes rather rote. There was potential for greatness but fell short. It's still overall a very good film and a fine Hollywood debut from Villenueve.

Oscar Prospects: Hugh Jackman would be possible if Best Actor wasn't so crowded this year. Cinematography is also possible but Deakins is gonna lose again.

Grade: B.

[Greg]

By the end of the movie, he at least gets another note to play, but by that point it was pretty clear we had settled into one of my least favorite narratives: what starts as basically a dick-measuring contest is revealed to be the story of two guys who deep down, REALLY respect each other. Barf.

You mean like Top Gun?

[OscarGuy]

I saw the mention of Grace of Monaco, but didn't see the Immigrant one.

Harvey has too much on his plate this year and I'll bet he decided he needed to focus or have another year like last.

[Big Magilla]

Speaking of Oscar hopefuls, cross Grace of Monaco and The Immigrant off your lists. Harvey has decided to move them to 2014.

[The Original BJ]

Another problem with early Oscar predictions is that people put forth INSANE ideas -- like the one that Daniel Brühl in Rush is a Supporting Actor -- and then everyone just jumps on the bandwagon without suggesting that such a classification would be ludicrous. You'd think I would be used to it by now, but somehow it never stops being annoying.

But frankly, I wasn't all that impressed with Brühl's much lauded performance in the movie. The character has pretty much been conceived as "sniveling villain," and that's how the actor plays him, without much charisma or shred of likability for much of the film. By the end of the movie, he at least gets another note to play, but by that point it was pretty clear we had settled into one of my least favorite narratives: what starts as basically a dick-measuring contest is revealed to be the story of two guys who deep down, REALLY respect each other. Barf.

As Italiano says, the movie is almost completely devoid of insight. It's not a terrible sit or anything, but the enthusiasm in some of the reviews strikes me as WAY out of proportion to what's up on screen.

[Eric]

I found A.D.M.'s cinematography repellant, but he might be the movie's best bet for a nod.

[anonymous1980]

RUSH
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino, David Calder, Natalie Dormer, Stephen Mangan, Christian McKay.

I'm no fan of director Ron Howard. As far as I'm concerned, his best contribution to the world of entertainment is executive producing and narrating Arrested Development. It still is but this film manages to be rise above his generally mediocre film output. This is thanks to the combination of a superb performance of Daniel Brühl as Niki Lauda (Chris Hemsworth was good but Brühl was something else) and the cinematography of Anthony Dod Mantel who manages to inject a lot more visual flair than the usually pedestrian Ron Howard visuals. Some credit has to be given also to Peter Morgan's script which managed to make me, someone who knows next to nothing of Formula 1 racing and not really all that interested in it, gripped for a couple of hours. It's not a groundbreaking film but it's still a fine piece if entertainment.

Oscar Prospects: Daniel Brühl is a LEAD. Phooey to those Oscar sites predicting him for Supporting. Wouldn't object to a nom for him. Also a contender for Cinematography, Makeup, Film Editing, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Grade: B+

[ITALIANO]

basically because of a certain real-life even which I won't mention here but which anyone of my age or older will know for sure.

I guess you haven’t seen the trailer. It’s all there, practically every twist and turn of the story, including a clear view of the makeup work you are talking about.

You are right, I hadn't seen it.

And yes, totally dismissable. And SO noisy...

[Uri]

basically because of a certain real-life even which I won't mention here but which anyone of my age or older will know for sure.

I guess you haven’t seen the trailer. It’s all there, practically every twist and turn of the story, including a clear view of the makeup work you are talking about.

And I must say you've just confirmed for me what I got from the trailer (beside the complete plot of the actual film – and the triumph-of-the-will kind of message) and that this must be a totally dismissible piece.

[ITALIANO]

RUSH

One of the downsides of early Oscar predictions is that I must see movies that not only I'd have never cared for otherwise, but also that in the end might even get only minor technical nominations (or none at all). Still, it's of course possible to make even a movie about Formula 1 interesting. And this is what I hoped for when I went to see Rush. The movie, after all, has been conceived by Peter Morgan, the (overrated but professional) writer of Frost/Nixon and The Queen (and the more recent, and quite negligible, 360). But the movie has no depth, and the potential relationship/rivalry between the two main characters is never really intriguing, or maybe it can be intriguing for pure Formula 1-fans, certainly not for those who expect more from a movie - more insight, for example. And Ron Howard shoots like, say, a Carlo Vanzina (if you don't know who Carlo Vanzina is, check the Imdb) - a Carlo Vanzina with a big budget of course, and with expert technicians at his side, but still on that level. Towards the end things get a bit more interesting - basically because of a certain real-life even which I won't mention here but which anyone of my age or older will know for sure. But more interesting doesnt mean more profound - the characters are never really complex. Oh, and Italians are portrayed as little more than over-excitable animals, but this isn't the main problem.
The main problem is, I guess, that while the "official" hero of the movie should be James Hunt, the focus - and, for obvious reasons, the most dramatic events - belong to his cold-blooded antagonist, Niki Lauda, so much that I'm not sure that Daniel Bruhl - if nominated - should be nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category.
But should he be nominated? Bruhl is a likable actor, who since his star-making role ten years ago in Goodby Lenin has been a reliable if not necessarily memorable presence in a number of European and even American movies (he's been especially good in a Spanish film called Santiago a few years ago). A nomination for him wouldnt be absurd - except that it would be completely undeserved for THIS movie (and the - good - make-up job on his face is almost the whole performance).
I like to think that the Academy will agree with me. Still, nominations for those Sound awards and, I'm afraid, Editing (showy but as superficial as the movie itself) are very possible.

[anonymous1980]

THIS IS THE END
Cast: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Michael Cera, Emma Watson.
Dirs: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg.

It is an excellent idea: An end-of-the-world Biblical Apocalypse horror-comedy and have all the characters be celebrities and they play themselves! The results? Well, it's hit and miss. More hits than misses but there are enough misses to knock it a few points off my book. This entire notion of having the actors play a version of themselves wasn't really explored deeply enough to make it a bit more cutting and satirical. There was potential there but I think it wasn't explored enough. But still, there are a lot of really good laughs and I have to say Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have potential as filmmakers. I see genuine talent there.

Oscar Prospects: Doubtful.

Grade: B.

THE WAY, WAY BACK
Cast: Liam James, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Annasophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, River Alexander, Zoe Levin, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Dirs: Nat Faxon & Jim Rash.

This film surprised me. I really didn't expect it to like it this much. The plot is kind of a generic coming-of-age teen dramedy flick that we've seen before in various other reincarnations. The narrative beats and the tropes are familiar. However, with this film, the characters are wonderfully drawn and fleshed out that they really come to life (the mopey, angsty teen in the center manages to be more endearing than annoying, the mom's douchey boyfriend is not a one-dimensional cartoon, etc.). It also helps that the ensemble of actors playing them is quite strong with Sam Rockwell being the stand-out. It's funny, poignant and sweet without being cloying.

Oscar Prospects: Extreme longshot for Original Screenplay and I wouldn't be against a Sam Rockwell Supporting Actor nomination. God knows he's due for a nod!

Grade: B+