Truly 'Precious'

Films about young people growing up in difficult situations are numerous. One of the reasons this "genre" is so popular is because of the way it crosses all sorts of boundaries: economic, social, racial, class, time period, etc. Anyway you look at it, young people have had problems, be it with family, drugs, school, friends, or depression. We've seen this from the beginning of movies: from "Rebel Without a Cause" to "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" to "Kids" and so on. And the most recent film with a whole mishmash of such problems would be "Precious", the multi-Oscar nominated film that stormed the ceremony, including Mo'Nique (rightfully so) winning Best Supporting Actress. The official title is "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" but I'll be referring to it as simply "Precious."

Clareece 'Precious' Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is a black, overweight 16-year-old in 1987 Harlem. She's pregnant with her second child, lives with an abusive, self-absorbed mother, goes to a rough school, and is literally friendless. She has it bad, and that much is made evident in the first few minutes of the film, including her frequent fantasies of a handsome boyfriend who walks her down the red carpet at big events. Her daydreaming is clearly an escape for her, but it also shows her creativity and imagination, which has been throttled by the conditions she lives in.

On the recommendations of the principal, Precious ends up attending an alternative school with other wayward young women. Her life is transformed as a charismatic teacher, Blu Rain (Paula Patton), realizes her potential and helps her learn to read, write, and explore academia, something that has been forbidden by her mother, who is crazed at trying to continue to exploit the welfare system. Approximately a year of Precious' life is shown in this great, but sometimes depressing, film.

I've now seen eight of the 10 nominees for Best Picture (I'm missing "The Blind Side" and "An Education", both of which I plan on seeing), but this may have been my favorite (though it's tough to pick!). It's extremely real, and made more so by the fact that Sidibe had NO prior acting experience prior to her role as Precious, and she is phenomenal. As is her mother from hell, Mo'Nique, who blew me away with her performance as a heartless, demeaning woman who continually surprises with how low she will go. Small roles by musicians Mariah Carey as social worker Miss Weiss and Lenny Kravitz as nurse John McFadden are played brilliantly by both, and add a nice, small touch to the film. Most of the performances are pretty impressive, and the directing is well done too. This is a pretty basic film with a fairly basic premise, but one that works to its fullest extent. I highly recommend this film, but don't go in expecting a laugh fest by any means.

A first for me: 9 out of 10 stars

"Precious" is rated R for strong language, some violence, some sexual content and general mood of despair.

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

It seems winter won't end so enjoy some good movies in your warm house! Unfortunately there are only two that came out today, but there are other good ones out there. The two releases today are "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," which stars Nick Cage and looks.....interesting, and "The Collector," which is a horror film in a similar vein to "Saw." Needless to say, I didn't go with either, but if someone sees it and likes it, lemme know.

I went with "Precious", the multi-Oscar nominated film from 2009. It came out a few weeks ago but I've been wanting to see it, so I'll try to get a review up soon. Enjoy the week and any films you may watch.

Sly 'Mr. Fox'

I haven't watched many animated films while writing this blog, save for "Up", which was excellent, and the unique "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which was actually filmed in "stop-action" animation. Stop-action moves the figures frame by frame, and in this case, are animated characters, with the frames sped up. It's an awesome visual, and makes the film a stand-out among the 2009 releases. The fact that it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Film (losing to "Up") and that many thought it should have been nominated for Best Picture is just more of a testament to its impact on viewers. Add to the fact that it's directed by Wes Anderson ("Rushmore", "The Royal Tenenbaums") and he brings along the voices of some of his usual crew: Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. And don't forget the voices of Academy Award winners George Clooney and Meryl Streep. Wow, that's a lot of talent.

The film begins with Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) getting caught in a trap while stealing birds from a farmer. Mrs. Fox encourages them to find a new line of work (if the escape) because of the danger and she tells him she's pregnant. Two years later (they escape), the foxes are living in a hole, with Mrs. Fox staying home and Mr. Fox working as a newspaperman (of course!). He clearly misses the thrill of stealing, and is resigned to his life as a suburban father. He decides to move the family to a tree house, which his lawyer, Clive Badger (Bill Murray) warns him against, saying it is too dangerous. Fox disagrees and moves the family.

Once they move, long-lost cousin Kristofferson Silverfox (Eric Chase Anderson) comes to live with the family because his father is sick with "double pneumonia." Immediately Mr. Fox takes a shining to cousin Kris, who seems to be good at everything while his forlorn son Ash Fox (Schwartzman) is more of a "wet rag" type.

Soon after moving, Fox can't resist his life of stealing any longer, and decides to target the farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who have turkey, apples, alcoholic cider and chickens. Fox recruits the hilarious Kylie Sven Opossum (Wallace Wolodarsky) to be his side kick, and the game is on. But once the farmers get wise to the plot, things get pretty wild for the animal kingdom, and they need to find a way to survive...

The story isn't terribly complex, but what really makes the film is the excellent animation and stop-action and the wonderful, funny animal characters. Humans can hear the animals talk, and the interactions between them and their fellow animals is pretty funny. The animals have an interesting society that is just like humans, from lawyers to real estate agents to schools and gym class. Though rated PG, this isn't a film for children. It has adult themes and they use the word "cuss" as an all around curse word (like when they refer to something as a potential "cluster cuss" or "he's a cuss of an athlete") which is actually a pretty funny running joke throughout the film. It's fun and really enjoyable movie that I hope most people like as much as I did.

8 out of 10 stars

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is rated PG for some mild animated violence, smoking (?) and sayign the word "cuss." Like I said, it's definitely an animated film for adults.

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

Is anyone else as surprised by the recent (last few years) resurgence of Robert Downey Jr.? The man's everywhere, and he has TWO movie franchises under his thumb: "Iron Man" and a new DVD release today, "Sherlock Holmes." I mean, he gets to play two of the coolest characters around; lucky duck. I saw "Sherlock" when it was at the Polson Showboat Theater; read my review here.

Also out today is "An Education," which looks pretty good, and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," which doesn't. I went with the animated "Fantastic Mr. Fox," which has drawn rave reviews; I'll get a review up soon.

At the Polson Showboat, currently playing is "Green Zone," which I saw and will review. On Friday, Polson will show "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", while Ronan will show "Clash of the Titans," which I'll be interested to see. Enjoy the rest of the week!

'Brothers': A Family Affair

2009 may have been the year of Iraq/Aghanistan war movies, at least good ones. "The Hurt Locker" showed what some say is a realistic view of the Iraq war circa 2004, and "Brothers" shows the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, and what war does to the people left behind while a family member is off to war. "Brothers" is almost a misnomer; the film could almost be called "Family" or something, but as I understand it, it is a remake of a Danish film, "Broders." Regardless of the title, the film creates a unique story that offers a different perspective on America's current war-undertakings, blending home life and actual war scenes into a compelling, dramatic movie that completes other similar war-genre films of the past decade.

The juxtaposition of the two brothers, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is immediately made obvious. Sam, the military family man with a wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and two young daughters, and Tommy, the younger brother Sam picks up from prison in one of the opening scenes. Not to mention the men's father, Hank (Sam Shepard) who is a Vietnam vet himself, and clearly proud of Sam while equally disappointed and disproving of Tommy's lifestyle. Grace is similarly disproving of Tommy, who drinks a lot and does not get along well with any of the family.

When Sam is sent on another tour of Afghanistan, his family life is torn apart, but he seems ready to get back into battle. His helicopter is shot down, and all people are assumed dead. The news, obviously, devastates Grace, and furthers the rift between Tommy and his father, as well as Grace. But a kitchen project Tommy undertakes at Grace's house helps both with their grief, and the children take a shining to Tommy as well. The new family seems happy, until they get the news that Sam may not be dead. But what he had to endure while captured by Afghan rebels may have changed his mental state....

The synopsis I just gave tells a lot about the plot does not give anything away. The important aspect of the movie is the human interactions, and the effects war has on soldiers and their families. I enjoyed this film, which develops the story well and creates a good plot. The acting is solid, as can be expected from this strong cast, and though slow at times, it never really lost me. A good, different war story that make for an enjoyable watch.

7 out of 10 stars

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

Bunch of good ones today, so I had a hard time choosing. Biggest one is probably "The Blind Side" for which Sandra Bullock nabbed the best actress Oscar. It looks pretty good and is a true story about a guy currently playing in the NFL on the Baltimore Ravens. Also out is "The Men Who Stare At Goats" starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor and which looked pretty good as well. "Fantastic Mr. Fox", an animated film which got pretty good reviews and that I'd be interested to see is out today.

I went with "Brothers" which looks pretty intense. It stars Jake Gyllenhal and Tobey McGuire as brothers fighting over one woman (Natalie Portman). I'll get it watched and have a review up soon. Enjoy all the great new releases!

An 'Island' of Insanity

Whenever Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio hook up, the result is an instant classic, right? Those who have seen either "Gangs of New York" or "The Departed" may certainly think so. Those who have only seen "Shutter Island" might think you were crazy -- cause everything about the film itself seems to be. Born out of a great book by Dennis Lehane, author of "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone," the film version is a seeming flop, certainly not worthy of the cast, the budget, or the constantly revised release date.

DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshall in 1954 sent to Shutter Island, a mental institution off the coast of Boston (Bahhston), to investigate the disappearance of an inmate who has seemingly "disappeared into thin air." Along for the ferry ride is Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), Daniels new partner who is equally skeptical of the whole ordeal.

Once on the island, things begin to get a little kooky. A massive storm/hurricane hits the island, keeping the marshalls on the rock, despite assuming the investigation is over. The men assumed the escapee has died if she had gotten out of the compound and that there isn't much more to learn. But Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and the Warden (Ted Levine) seem pretty intent on keeping the men around. And then there's the whole issue of what happened to Daniels wife, and the man committed to the island for his role in her death...

This isn't a bad movie and it is pretty well made and acted. I just had really high expectations because I'd read the book, and there was a lot of hype leading up to its release. Also, the twist isn't as out of left field as they'd make you believe. It is interesting, but at times drags; the film runs about two and a half hours, so I found myself drifting occasionally.

"Shutter Island"" is rated R for bad language (including bad accents), violence, and generally creepy scenes.

6 out of 10 stars

Here's the trailer: