From 120 films, I nominated 32 films in 18 categories. These are the first nine categories - and believe it or not, not all the winners are from my Top Ten.
Showing posts with label Rebecca Hall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rebecca Hall. Show all posts
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
This Town is an All Right Town
THE TOWN
Ben Affleck's growing as a director: I appreciated Gone Baby Gone, but I was generally underwhelmed by it. But while The Town isn't a perfect movie, it's certainly better-paced with more consistently satisfying performances. Actually, Affleck's proving himself quite adept at pulling off the latter from his ensemble, and while there's little doubt as to the talents of all those involved, even an all-star cast doesn't always boast across-the-board complex performances. Whether it be Rebecca Hall's leading turn as victim-turned-lover, Chris Cooper's cameo as a cold yet protective father, or the supporting turns from Titus Welliver and Staine as "those other guys" on both sides of the law, every role is textured, layered, and satisfyingly delivered.
Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm in particular shine as the mandatory Psycho Friend and the Determined Cop, respectively. Renner, for one, is clearly having a great time with the role, but manages to keep it grounded. It's probably the second-best iteration of this kind of character, right behind Don Cheadle in Devil in a Blue Dress, but ahead of the somewhat-hammy Pesci in GoodFellas. Hamm infuses his performance with some subtle humor, though there's never a doubt as to how serious he takes this business. This is the performance you wish Christian Bale had given in Public Enemies; the interrogation room monologue alone is pure beauty.
Out of everyone, though, it's Blake Lively who comes out on top. She's got, what, four scenes maximum? But every time she was onscreen, I sat up and took notice. The blonde beauty of television tarts herself up, all teased hair and smudged makeup, as Renner's drug-addled little sister. Her husky, slurred speech complements her almost-somnambulist look, flirting through half-closed lids at any man that sits beside her. It makes her transformation into a screaming, sweating cat all the more outstanding. She makes you feel the history between her and Affleck's character, and it's a pity we don't see more of her. Or maybe it isn't; maybe this is a role that works as well as it does because we see so little of her.
So the performances are great. What else? Well, Affleck's direction is certainly assured, so much so that his next film will probably be the one to knock it out of the park. Otherwise? A mixed bag. Dylan Tichenor's editing keeps the story moving...but two action sequences are too confusingly cut to discern what's taking place. I had no idea who was where during either the car chase or the fist fight. If this was done deliberately to confuse us, then congratulations, I guess. But it brought me out of the movie. The screenplay by Affleck, Aaron Stockard and Peter Craig is also problematic for me, giving Hall and Affleck dialogue that's either philosophizing or making metaphors. That the actors manage to make a lot of this sound natural for the most part is impressive, but the uncomfortable marriage of pulp and realism had me shaking my head at times. The score's uneven, too, sometimes awesome (as in the crime sequences), sometimes irritatingly Eastwood-esque (the romantic sequences).
Where these weaker elements became most obvious was in the ending. Though better executed than the one in Gone Baby Gone, Affleck still has a problem with just letting it go. The pacing seems off, especially considering everything that precedes it. Then, too, the script let me down. I didn't believe any of Hall's actions in the last five minutes, and the tone drove me crazy. Also, and perhaps I'm alone on this, I thought Affleck's character was an asshole. I liked him enough, but I didn't necessarily root for him, and I felt that the ending required you to.
But overall, it was pretty solid. Those performances are to die for, and the sound mix (SO GOOD) has to be heard in a movie theater to get the full effect. It's worth the price of admission, but may I recommend a matinee?
Ben Affleck's growing as a director: I appreciated Gone Baby Gone, but I was generally underwhelmed by it. But while The Town isn't a perfect movie, it's certainly better-paced with more consistently satisfying performances. Actually, Affleck's proving himself quite adept at pulling off the latter from his ensemble, and while there's little doubt as to the talents of all those involved, even an all-star cast doesn't always boast across-the-board complex performances. Whether it be Rebecca Hall's leading turn as victim-turned-lover, Chris Cooper's cameo as a cold yet protective father, or the supporting turns from Titus Welliver and Staine as "those other guys" on both sides of the law, every role is textured, layered, and satisfyingly delivered.
Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm in particular shine as the mandatory Psycho Friend and the Determined Cop, respectively. Renner, for one, is clearly having a great time with the role, but manages to keep it grounded. It's probably the second-best iteration of this kind of character, right behind Don Cheadle in Devil in a Blue Dress, but ahead of the somewhat-hammy Pesci in GoodFellas. Hamm infuses his performance with some subtle humor, though there's never a doubt as to how serious he takes this business. This is the performance you wish Christian Bale had given in Public Enemies; the interrogation room monologue alone is pure beauty.
Out of everyone, though, it's Blake Lively who comes out on top. She's got, what, four scenes maximum? But every time she was onscreen, I sat up and took notice. The blonde beauty of television tarts herself up, all teased hair and smudged makeup, as Renner's drug-addled little sister. Her husky, slurred speech complements her almost-somnambulist look, flirting through half-closed lids at any man that sits beside her. It makes her transformation into a screaming, sweating cat all the more outstanding. She makes you feel the history between her and Affleck's character, and it's a pity we don't see more of her. Or maybe it isn't; maybe this is a role that works as well as it does because we see so little of her.
So the performances are great. What else? Well, Affleck's direction is certainly assured, so much so that his next film will probably be the one to knock it out of the park. Otherwise? A mixed bag. Dylan Tichenor's editing keeps the story moving...but two action sequences are too confusingly cut to discern what's taking place. I had no idea who was where during either the car chase or the fist fight. If this was done deliberately to confuse us, then congratulations, I guess. But it brought me out of the movie. The screenplay by Affleck, Aaron Stockard and Peter Craig is also problematic for me, giving Hall and Affleck dialogue that's either philosophizing or making metaphors. That the actors manage to make a lot of this sound natural for the most part is impressive, but the uncomfortable marriage of pulp and realism had me shaking my head at times. The score's uneven, too, sometimes awesome (as in the crime sequences), sometimes irritatingly Eastwood-esque (the romantic sequences).
Where these weaker elements became most obvious was in the ending. Though better executed than the one in Gone Baby Gone, Affleck still has a problem with just letting it go. The pacing seems off, especially considering everything that precedes it. Then, too, the script let me down. I didn't believe any of Hall's actions in the last five minutes, and the tone drove me crazy. Also, and perhaps I'm alone on this, I thought Affleck's character was an asshole. I liked him enough, but I didn't necessarily root for him, and I felt that the ending required you to.
But overall, it was pretty solid. Those performances are to die for, and the sound mix (SO GOOD) has to be heard in a movie theater to get the full effect. It's worth the price of admission, but may I recommend a matinee?
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Indie Over-Sharing
Cyrus really surprised me. I went in expecting this escalating battle of wits between John C. Reilly and the titular character, played by Jonah Hill, that would only get worse/more hilarious as the film progressed. I thought Cyrus would do everything in his power to drive a wedge between his saintly mother (Marisa Tomei) and her new beau, and new beau John would respond in kind with hilarious tactics of his own. I certainly was not prepared for an honest and vulnerable performance from Hill as a boy fighting against oncoming adulthood. Nor was I ready for a Reilly-Tomei relationship that actually worked, that managed to ring true despite the fact that she's mind-blowingly beautiful and he's, well, Shrek.
Now, it's not always successful. It doesn't quite find that balance between broad comedy and realism, and often you'll find yourself in either one movie or the other. When it goes for a more realistic tone by the end, it's surprising, a little off-putting...but it works somehow. You can thank the actors for that, for Hill and Reilly always manage to keep themselves grounded in reality. Hill, as I've said, is the real surprise here. He can act! Who knew? Reilly is solid, as always, and Tomei's a sweetheart -- though I don't think she always finds her character, you know? Like she's only playing the surface. Maybe there is only surface to her character, since everyone except Cyrus is strangely honest with each other. But again, thanks to the actors, it never comes off as on-the-nose or stilted. That's just how they are.
It was a pretty good time. Oh, sure, the constant and unnecessary zooming irritated the bejeezus out of me, but overall it's a fine movie with some solid performance. Again: Hill. Wow.
PLEASE GIVE
Speaking of honest characters. In Please Give, Nicole Holofcener introduces us to six people who are all very blunt with each other. Sometimes, they're passive-aggressive. Most of the time, they're very aggressive. But the trait that binds them all together is this strange habit of saying whatever mean thoughts come into their heads. Also, over-sharing. This movie is about over-sharing, I think. And youth, and our obsession with it. Also, it's about giving, whether it be monetarily or emotionally, whether it be to charity or at home. Because, really, charity begins at home. I think that sums up the last scene, really.
Anyway, the film follows six people from two families. Catherine Keener and Rebecca Hall are the leads, one a wife and mother with that famous guilt upper-class liberals feel, the other a radiology technician who takes care of her grandmother (Ann Guilbert). Keener's bought the grandmother's apartment next door, and is basically waiting for her to die so that she break through and remodel her apartment. She feels guilty about this, and about her job: buying furniture at estate sells and then selling them at her furniture store for more than she paid. She tries to give to the homeless and volunteer, but something always backfires. Hall's character is just naturally giving and dutiful, and though it's difficult caring for her grandmother, she does so without complaint. Hall's sister, a conceited beautician/masseuse/cosmetologist/I don't know what (Amanda Peet), is openly hostile towards Grandmother. Also in the mix are Keener's dorky husband (Oliver Platt) and their self-conscious daughter (Sarah Steele).
Again, a good movie. Good. Rebecca Hall is the especial stand-out (isn't she always?), though Keener is, of course, magical. Platt seems a little miscast to me, and I can't figure out what would lead Keener to marry and procreate with this man. His playing of the role is a little off, too: my roommate said he thought Platt was the gay best friend for the first fifteen minutes. Steele is great, funny and sad as the awkward 15-year-old. Guilbert has little more to do than be cranky, while Peet has little more to do than be a bitch. Oh, but her self-conscious moments are delicious.
But overall? It's just good. When all is said and done, I don't know why Keener chooses to do something that fills her with as much guilt as it does. And their business doesn't really seem to be doing that well, anyway, so it can't be the money. Like, I just didn't understand these people's motivations. Is that the point? Are they just normal human beings fumbling their way through a strange existence? I don't know, but it's not very fulfilling. I could watch it again, but I wouldn't buy it. Unless it was to savor Rebecca Hall's performance again. She's great.
Now, it's not always successful. It doesn't quite find that balance between broad comedy and realism, and often you'll find yourself in either one movie or the other. When it goes for a more realistic tone by the end, it's surprising, a little off-putting...but it works somehow. You can thank the actors for that, for Hill and Reilly always manage to keep themselves grounded in reality. Hill, as I've said, is the real surprise here. He can act! Who knew? Reilly is solid, as always, and Tomei's a sweetheart -- though I don't think she always finds her character, you know? Like she's only playing the surface. Maybe there is only surface to her character, since everyone except Cyrus is strangely honest with each other. But again, thanks to the actors, it never comes off as on-the-nose or stilted. That's just how they are.
It was a pretty good time. Oh, sure, the constant and unnecessary zooming irritated the bejeezus out of me, but overall it's a fine movie with some solid performance. Again: Hill. Wow.
PLEASE GIVE
Speaking of honest characters. In Please Give, Nicole Holofcener introduces us to six people who are all very blunt with each other. Sometimes, they're passive-aggressive. Most of the time, they're very aggressive. But the trait that binds them all together is this strange habit of saying whatever mean thoughts come into their heads. Also, over-sharing. This movie is about over-sharing, I think. And youth, and our obsession with it. Also, it's about giving, whether it be monetarily or emotionally, whether it be to charity or at home. Because, really, charity begins at home. I think that sums up the last scene, really.
Anyway, the film follows six people from two families. Catherine Keener and Rebecca Hall are the leads, one a wife and mother with that famous guilt upper-class liberals feel, the other a radiology technician who takes care of her grandmother (Ann Guilbert). Keener's bought the grandmother's apartment next door, and is basically waiting for her to die so that she break through and remodel her apartment. She feels guilty about this, and about her job: buying furniture at estate sells and then selling them at her furniture store for more than she paid. She tries to give to the homeless and volunteer, but something always backfires. Hall's character is just naturally giving and dutiful, and though it's difficult caring for her grandmother, she does so without complaint. Hall's sister, a conceited beautician/masseuse/cosmetologist/I don't know what (Amanda Peet), is openly hostile towards Grandmother. Also in the mix are Keener's dorky husband (Oliver Platt) and their self-conscious daughter (Sarah Steele).
Again, a good movie. Good. Rebecca Hall is the especial stand-out (isn't she always?), though Keener is, of course, magical. Platt seems a little miscast to me, and I can't figure out what would lead Keener to marry and procreate with this man. His playing of the role is a little off, too: my roommate said he thought Platt was the gay best friend for the first fifteen minutes. Steele is great, funny and sad as the awkward 15-year-old. Guilbert has little more to do than be cranky, while Peet has little more to do than be a bitch. Oh, but her self-conscious moments are delicious.
But overall? It's just good. When all is said and done, I don't know why Keener chooses to do something that fills her with as much guilt as it does. And their business doesn't really seem to be doing that well, anyway, so it can't be the money. Like, I just didn't understand these people's motivations. Is that the point? Are they just normal human beings fumbling their way through a strange existence? I don't know, but it's not very fulfilling. I could watch it again, but I wouldn't buy it. Unless it was to savor Rebecca Hall's performance again. She's great.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Wonderful, Woody!
Believe everything you've heard: Vicky Cristina Barcelona is Woody Allen's best in years. Great ensemble, beautiful cinematography, a funny and at times bleak script. Brilliant.
Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is a gal with a plan for her life: study in Spain, then return to New York to marry her dependable, milquetoast fiance (Chris Messina), live modestly and happily. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a spontaneous girl who never knows what she wants, just what she doesn't want. What she doesn't want this time around is to miss out on a fascinating life with painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). But life with this master seducer of women (he tries it on both girls) means life with his sexy, unhinged ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). And there's the set-up. Most of which is provided for us by a narrator.
Can I say that this is Woody's best work of the decade? It hits all the right notes without being as suffocatingly depressing as Match Point, and only lightly touches on the screwball aspects of Scoop. His last effort to combine drama and comedy in a love story, Melinda and Melinda was almost unwatchable for me; this, however, is a masterpiece.
Yes, the narrator tells us many things that we could see happen instead. But it worked for me, as it made the film more of an examination of passion and of the choices we make, rather than a straight-up drama about Continental neurotics. This and the menage a trois theme reminded me of Jules et Jim, clearly a large influence on this narrative. We get Juan Antonio/Vicky/Cristina, Juan Antonio/Cristina/Maria Elena, Vicky/Juan Antonio/Doug, and so on.
I was constantly amazed that a 72-year-old man wrote and directed this. There's so much passion, so much virility, so much youth! It's an incredibly sexy story, where a lot of the tension is more erotic than the actual sex. Not to say that the sex is dull or anything (good Lord, no), but just feeling the electricity between two characters is hot.
The acting is great. Scarlett Johansson does her usual bit here. You know, as much as I like her, she really is a limited actress. She does what she needs to do, but it's not as impressive as her co-stars' efforts. Javier Bardem is the most natural, instantly charming as the artiste with a rather fatalistic view of life. Penelope Cruz absolutely sizzles when she's on the screen, and as much as I loved Volver, I think this may be my favorite role of hers to date. Rebecca Hall is a solid Vicky; her arc is perhaps the most interesting, as it is one of sexual awakening. In a roomful of crazies, she's the one with a head on her shoulders, though maybe not quite as secure as she hopes.
And Patricia Clarkson, who only appears in, like, six scenes, manages to give the best performance in the film with one heartbreaking scene halfway through. Those hands, that face - they tell us a whole history, a tale of disappointment, of dreams deferred and hope all but gone. An incredible performance, truly, marking another Clarkson great for 2008.
OK, let me put it this way: my second favorite movie of all time is Everyone Says I Love You, Woody Allen's 1996 musical that also dealt with love, threes, and narrators. And I will go so far as to declare that Vicky Cristina Barcelona is his best film since then. Sure, it has some flaws, but my GOD! that is still one bitchin' final product! ***3/4
Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is a gal with a plan for her life: study in Spain, then return to New York to marry her dependable, milquetoast fiance (Chris Messina), live modestly and happily. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a spontaneous girl who never knows what she wants, just what she doesn't want. What she doesn't want this time around is to miss out on a fascinating life with painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). But life with this master seducer of women (he tries it on both girls) means life with his sexy, unhinged ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). And there's the set-up. Most of which is provided for us by a narrator.
Can I say that this is Woody's best work of the decade? It hits all the right notes without being as suffocatingly depressing as Match Point, and only lightly touches on the screwball aspects of Scoop. His last effort to combine drama and comedy in a love story, Melinda and Melinda was almost unwatchable for me; this, however, is a masterpiece.
Yes, the narrator tells us many things that we could see happen instead. But it worked for me, as it made the film more of an examination of passion and of the choices we make, rather than a straight-up drama about Continental neurotics. This and the menage a trois theme reminded me of Jules et Jim, clearly a large influence on this narrative. We get Juan Antonio/Vicky/Cristina, Juan Antonio/Cristina/Maria Elena, Vicky/Juan Antonio/Doug, and so on.
I was constantly amazed that a 72-year-old man wrote and directed this. There's so much passion, so much virility, so much youth! It's an incredibly sexy story, where a lot of the tension is more erotic than the actual sex. Not to say that the sex is dull or anything (good Lord, no), but just feeling the electricity between two characters is hot.
The acting is great. Scarlett Johansson does her usual bit here. You know, as much as I like her, she really is a limited actress. She does what she needs to do, but it's not as impressive as her co-stars' efforts. Javier Bardem is the most natural, instantly charming as the artiste with a rather fatalistic view of life. Penelope Cruz absolutely sizzles when she's on the screen, and as much as I loved Volver, I think this may be my favorite role of hers to date. Rebecca Hall is a solid Vicky; her arc is perhaps the most interesting, as it is one of sexual awakening. In a roomful of crazies, she's the one with a head on her shoulders, though maybe not quite as secure as she hopes.
And Patricia Clarkson, who only appears in, like, six scenes, manages to give the best performance in the film with one heartbreaking scene halfway through. Those hands, that face - they tell us a whole history, a tale of disappointment, of dreams deferred and hope all but gone. An incredible performance, truly, marking another Clarkson great for 2008.
OK, let me put it this way: my second favorite movie of all time is Everyone Says I Love You, Woody Allen's 1996 musical that also dealt with love, threes, and narrators. And I will go so far as to declare that Vicky Cristina Barcelona is his best film since then. Sure, it has some flaws, but my GOD! that is still one bitchin' final product! ***3/4
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Frost/Nixon Trailers
Finally, a look at Frost/Nixon, based upon the Tony Award-winning play by Peter Morgan. Ron Howard is usually pretty hit-or-miss with me: usually, it helps if Russell Crowe is featured in some way.
But Frank Langella? And Kevin Fucking Bacon? Fuck. Yes.
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