Pbenjay's Blog

BEST?  BEST?? – Oh what have we come to?  To what depths of mediocrity have we sunk?  TEN!!!  There haven’t been 10 BEST MOVIE possibilities since the 70’s and even then, not all in one year!!!  WHY? WHAT FOR?  What’s this all about?  politics? lobbyists for the producers? $$$???

1. INCEPTION:  I already reviewed this movie way back when it was released.  I think it belongs in the list of nominees if only for its bizarro concept.  It was confusing at times and you didn’t know what was the dream-like altered state of mind and what was real.  MMMmm who knew INCEPTION’s fantasy versus reality would only be the beginning of a movie season filled with UN-reality!  See prior blog INCEPTION-What’s All the Twitter About? .
2. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT: Warmly received at Sundance , Ms. Cholodenko’s third feature has the same narrative motor as Laurel Canyon and High Art – sexual attraction! The first two were obliquely personal but this one draws more directly on Ms. Cholodenko’s life.  She co-wrote the movie with Stuart Blumberg, who interestingly enough had been a sperm donor in his youth – “art imitating life”??
3. THE FIGHTER: David Russell’s Best Picture nominated film is NOT another Rocky or Cinderella Man.  It is the true life story of Mickey Ward,  a welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts.  Most movies about athletic conquest lend themselves to the dramatic side of cinema but The Fighter is more like a dark comedy about the delusions and realities of fame, fortune and success in America. Definitely “a contender”.
4. SOCIAL NETWORK: Another film I previously reviewed, see prior blog, The Social Network .  You know,  this was a very entertaining movie.  In this day and age who under the age of _____ wouldn’t want a peek into the founder of Facebook’s life.  I know I was interested and I am most surely a woman of a certain age.  Facebook is everywhere and that buzz alone could usher it into first place.   I love the movie and the story and I love Jesse Eisenberg but Best Picture?  It was my understanding that the Best Movie winner should really be a BEST movie, not just a popular one.
5. BLACK SWAN: Even the director  says the movie is weird!  A dark fantasy about a ballerina whose pursuit of perfection takes her to the edge of madness, death and perfectly choreographed oblivion.  The louder the score, the more intense the craziness – definitely the love-it hate-it movie of the year.
6. THE KING’S SPEECH: It’s a good film, it doesn’t take you as far as it should, that’s my main problem with it.  The performances are brilliant and convincing and that alone may be enough to win the big prize.  Read my review in a prior blog post. The King’s Speech or Rather the Lack Thereof.
7. TRUE GRIT: Joel and Ethan Coen; that says A LOT.  Let’s face it – they wouldn’t have made it if they didn’t think they could do it differently and maybe better.  Casting is great, the story is great, and as far as the acting; Hailee Steinfeld makes an impressive debut, Matt Damon didn’t get the nod for his part and Jeff Bridges, while always a favorite, might have taken this role over the top sometimes.  It’s in the top four as far as I’m concerned.
8. TOY STORY 3: The third installment of what has become the Toy Story Trilogy, spaced out over 15 years.  Pixar is genius and in this movie, many more technological innovations are at play (no pun intended).  The movie is warm, touching and sweet yet it’s about plastic and polyester doo dads, stamped and molded.  There’s the genius; about our consumer economy, the ups and downs of our materialistic way of life as told through the eyes and mouths of the commodities themselves.  Genius YES, Best Picture NO.
9. 127 HOURS: Between a rock and a hard place was never so true.  I only watched this movie because it was nominated, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I love watching movies and ALWAYS get caught up in the story, I NEVER remember “it’s only a movie”, although Peter does remind me sometimes when I am freaking out in my seat over some horror. Sooooo after covering my eyes during the big scene, my take on the film is this:  If I didn’t know it was a true story, I would find it hard to believe. Aron Ralston was a warrior, a young man in incredibly great shape and of a strong mind. Note that I didn’t say sound mind.  I found Danny Boyle‘s split and triplex screens a little overdone and although I understood why he kept shooting this inside of the water bottle, I think we could have gotten the message with less footage.  James Franco performed the equivalent of several Shakespearean soliloquies.  I wonder if it is harder to act alone? This is not a BEST Picture but Franco is very very good and although I don’t think he can beat out Colin Firth, you never know…..
   
10. WINTER’S BONE: I wish I had been able to see this movie before I wrote this blog but as life would have it, I didn’t-Thursday came and I wanted to put the TEN nominated films in my Thursday’s Top Ten and sooooooo I will try to catch before we get into Oscar countdown and my predictions.
    


Good but not Best

Related Articles

• Who’ll get nominated, snubbed by the Oscars? (today.msnbc.msn.com)
• 2011 OscarTM Nominees: the scores and the bores (mrmovietimes.com)

Read Full Post »