Alice In Wonderland

Going into this movie, I had high hopes to be riveted by striking, psychedelic visuals and to see "Alice in Wonderland" which I thought was the name of the film I had bought a ticket to. However, although the visuals were striking, this is not Alice in Wonderland but rather Alice in Wonderland Part II or Alice Returns to Wonderland. For some reason, Tim Burton or Disney decided to completely create a new plot with a 19 year old Alice so that they could have an ordinary plot structure that actually makes sense. This is its failure because it completely goes against any previous Alice in Wonderland story and for it to call itself by the same name as the Lewis Carrol novel is  disrespectful travesty. The plot more closely resembles Lord of the Rings or any standard fantasy plot as Alice is somehow destined to slay a dragon at the end of the movie. It is utterly ridiculous.  If you go to see this movie, do not expect to see Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum or any of the scenes that you remember from the original because Disney believes that they can rewrite classics: and that is BULLSHIT!
     With plot concerns aside, from a visual standpoint, the 3D graphics were impressive and this continues to be a medium that will transform the movie industry. I just hope that studios recognize that just because a movie is in 3D does not mean it has to be shitty and they could make a quality film with a well-written plot in 3D. So far every film in 3D has been impressive solely because of the graphics and this doesn't have to be the case.

Overall- 5/10 Bottom Line- Rewriting a classic is not ok, go solely for the visuals.

Oscar Predictions

First of all, I was shocked to see that there were 10 movies nominated for Best Picture instead of the typical 5 which was a tradition maintained since 1943. I really didn't think it was necessary for them to nomincate all these 10 especially with movies like District 9 and Up on the list (these are good films, but I don't see them as having any real chance at winning). So now for my predictions:

Best Picture:
What will win: Avatar-- when it comes down to it, as much as the Academy would like to claim that they are about artistic expression, their main goal is box office sales and revenue. In an age where it is getting harder and harder to convince people out of their living rooms and from their flat screen televisions and into the theaters, Avatar and the 3d technology it has pioneered represents a shining beacon of hope for those in the film industry who feared blockbusters were extinct. Although this movie is plot wise and acting wise not the best film of the year: the Academy has no choice but to reward its defibrillator that has revived the industry

What could win: Jason Reitman's comedic social commentary Up In The Air.

Best Director:

Who will win: James Cameron for Avatar
Who could win: Katheryn Bigelow for the Hurt Locker
Who should win: Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Bastards

Best Actor:
Who will win: George Clooney: The Academy loves him and never before has he deserved to win an award more than for Up in the Air

Best Actress:
Who will win: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (and not completely undeservedly)
Who should win: Carey Mulligan for An Education-- excellent performance in an underpublicized, but nonetheless great film
Please don't win: Gabourey Sidibe for Precious-- mediocre performance in an overpublicized and mediocre (at best) film

Best Supporting Actor:
Who will and should win: Christoph Waltz for his remarkable performance and ability to bring evil to life in Inglorious Basterds.

Best Supporting Actress:
Who will win: Mo'Nique (unfortunately)

Best Foreign Film
Who will win: The White Ribbon

Best Animated Film:
Who will and should win: Up for being one of the greatest animated films that subtly integrates large adult themes in an entertaining Disney feature.

Shutter Island

Scorcese strikes again!

    In Martin Scorcese's latest film, Shutter Island, he again does what he does best and what is a common theme in all of his movies: exploring the human psyche. This time, however, it is from a much different perspective and genre. In Shutter Island, Ted Daniels (Leonardo Di Caprio) is a US Marshall set on the task of investigating a missing inmate on the mental institution, Shutter Island. Throughout the film, Di Caprio is faced with horrid nightmares and flashbacks of his wife (Michelle Williams) and the memories of her death. These scenes artfully capture both the anguish that Di Caprio experiences and are cinematographically impeccable. Di Caprio's acting throughout the film is to a tee and he maintains his status as one of the most talented actors that Hollywood has ever seen.  This film also has an ending that is both riveting and surprising.

Bottom Line: Psychological suspense doesn't get much better than this. Rating: 9/10
If you like this: See Identity

Moon

Tragically this is one film you most likely haven't heard of and probably won't this award season. However, this film which premiered at Sundance Film Festival last January and was only in theatres in limited release this summer should definitely be atop everyone's Netflix queue.

Sam Rockwell stars as Sam Bell who in this futuristic scenario is the sole man who is in charge of the company LUNAR's base on the moon which powers nearly all of Earth's energy. He is at the end of his 3 year contract when he discovers after an accident that he is not alone and is being duped by his employers. The film is a riveting psychological thriller and is definitely worth a look. Rockwell gives an unbelievable performance.

Overall- 9.5/10

The Blind Side

Another film that teaches the viewers about the importance of family but in a much different way is The Blind Side which is the story of the now professional offensive lineman Michael Orr and the southern family who adopted and transformed his life. The film is well acted and well done and is both entertaining and heartwarming. As Sandra Bullock put it in her Golden Globe acceptance speech last night, the film "reminded everyone that family is not who you are born to or what color you are but its who's got your back". Again, this film is one that is nearly impossible to dislike. As someone who went into the movie skeptical because of a dislike of Sandra Bullock, this movie impressed and surprised me on all fronts.

Overall- 8.5/10 Bottom Line- Best sports movie of the past ten years

Up in the Air

Perhaps the reason why Up in the Air works is because when it could have become cliche and gone in the direction of a typical, formulaic plot (ex. guy gets girl) in multiple parts of the film- it did not and therefore instead of being a forgettable date movie it is refreshing and original. This film in its depiction of a traveling business mercenary (George Clooney) who lives in the first class lounge in airports around the country and who strives to be the 7th man to gain 10 million frequent flyer miles ultimately reflects on the importance of family and what it means to both have and support those who care for you. In its less than optimistic ending it also serves as a warning for viewers to not take life and love for granted.

Overall 8.5/10 Bottom Line- Well done overall. This film is hard to criticize.

Broken Embraces

This film which follows the chronicles of a blind screenwriter and his recounting of an affair he has with his financier's wife (Penelope Cruz) is a brilliant and complicated story of lust, greed, romance, and the art of film that if absorbed can both disturb and engage the audience. The film is at times hard to follow because of its complicated plot and its subtitles, but it is worth delving into because it is as suspenseful as it is heartbreaking as it is able to capture its main character's past love and his true love which is the love of film which unites every character in the end.

Overall- 8/10 Bottom Line- Truly excellent work by Almodovar.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes directed by Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. was a movie that had most of the elements that it needed to be excellent but its lack of a focused plot dragged the movie down to a pretty good movie. Downey Jr. acted a fanatical Holmes quite well and this was noticed by the Hollywood Foreign press last night as he won the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy. By the way he had one of the best acceptance speeches I've ever seen. The film also had great style and cinematography. It is sad that the film was basically ruined by a poor screenplay and if it had been given a more coherent and less fantastical plot it would be one of the best and entertaining movies of the year on par with Pirates of the Caribean a similar sort of adventure/comedy type movie.

Overall 6/10 Bottom Line- Had everything it needed to have to be great except the fundamental element of a decent plot.