The Ghost Writer ***1/2

Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer is a deliberately paced thriller set against the political climate of the Iraq War. The film’s primary plotline follows Ewan McGregor (known as The Ghost) as he accepts a position to finish ghost writing the memoirs of the former Prime Minister of Great Britain. Pierce Brosnan portrays fictional Prime Minister Adam Lang as an intelligent man, often frustrated and sometimes ill tempered. He was close to his first ghost writer, a man the authorities claim got drunk and either fell or jumped off the ferry between mainland Massachusetts and the Prime Minister’s residence on Cape Cod. The current ghost comes to suspect foul play. Lang and the deceased writer had a row before his death, after all.

But suddenly Lang is accused of committing torture because of the tactics he approved to interrogate terrorists in the Middle East, and his own government is supporting an investigation by the International Criminal Court. The Ghost is thrust into a position of politicking on behalf of Lang’s career and reputation. He can’t escape. He wrote a statement for Lang denying the allegations. “You’re an accomplice now,” he’s told matter-of-factly, words that both ring of truth and irony.

Before long, the stories start to converge and we begin to learn more about the Prime Minister’s early career, his wife, the dead ghost writer’s discovery, and the current ghost’s investigatory skills. It’s pretty clear from the beginning that Lang committed the acts he’s accused of, but he believes he’s done nothing wrong. He has a wife that stands by him, and an assistant he’s apparently been sleeping with. Surely two can play that game.

The third act is rife with mystery and intrigue and a fitting climax before the resolute dénouement is turned to mush with the film’s last frames. We finally learn what’s really been going on, and while many will no doubt like the unveiling, some will cringe at the big finish. Polanski has been a notable director for forty years, and while he may be just as famous for his real-life dramas, his films are never boring, always unique, and sometimes brilliant. The Ghost Writer is no exception, and it’s on par with his better work, if not his most outstanding.

Most Anticipated Films of 2010

It’s already March, but most of the movies I’m excited for in 2010 won’t be released until Summer. Only two movies have already been released that I was really looking forward. Those were Shutter Island and The Wolfman, both of which were released in February after lengthy delays, and neither of which disappointed. As for the rest of the year? Check it:

1. Tron: Legacy:  The original Tron was released in 1982, and if you saw this movie when you were a kid (or in 1982), you were probably blown away. That film follows computer hacker and arcade-gamer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) as he is transported inside of a computer and is made to compete in real-life computer games. The sequel, due out this December in IMAX 3D, looks like an updated version of the same, with Flynn’s son following in his father’s footsteps. Buzz is abounding on this sequel thirty years in the making, so let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint.

2. Inception:  Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to The Dark Knight stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page in what looks like a psychological sci-fi noir. “Your Mind is the Scene of the Crime” is the tag line, and the trailers have piqued interest in many people who just want to know what the hell is going on. I’m no exception. Due out in July, also in IMAX.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I:  After a decade of Harry Potter films we’re finally on the homestretch. The seventh book is being split into two parts, with Part I being released in November of this year and Part II set to debut the following summer. Us Harry Potter fans are already arguing over how the changes made in the sixth movie will affect the seventh and where Deathly Hallows will be split up. It’s directed by David Yates, who helmed both The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince previously. The studio has also decided to convert the film to 3D, an unnecessary move.

4. Iron Man 2:  Iron Man was the surprise success of the summer of 2008, making a sequel inevitable. The first film ended so brilliantly that many fans wanted another go around, making Iron Man the most successful comic book film based on a lesser-known superhero. Most of the major players from the first film are back for Iron Man 2, including Robert Downey, Jr. , Gwyneth Paltrow, and director Jon Favreau. Terrence Howard is replaced by Don Cheadle as Rhodey, which is an upgrade. Look for it in IMAX in May.

5. The Green Hornet:  This film could turn out to be brilliant or a complete mistake, but everybody’s hoping the former. Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is directing this comic book film, starring Seth Rogen as the titular superhero. The film should be a new take on the traditional superhero film, with the imagination of Gondry and the comedy of Rogen. Kevin Smith was originally going to make his own version of The Green Hornet a few years back before dropping out due to lack of confidence. I’d much rather see this version anyway. It’s to be released in late December, directly competing with Tron: Legacy.

6. The Social Network:  David Fincher is directing this adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s novel about Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland, Zombieland) as Zuckerberg as well as Justin Timberlake and Rashida Jones. I was a little leery of this project at first, but I have confidence in Fincher to deliver a solid movie that’s a little outside of his comfort zone. Due out in October.

7. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps:  The original Wall Street was released back in 1987 and was topical for the time period. With the rampant greed on Wall Street and the current economic crisis, Oliver Stone decided to go back to the well to bring us Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The sequel takes place just as Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) is being released from prison (spoiler alert!), and follows Jacob Moore (Shia LaBeouf), whose engaged to his daughter, as he tries to enter Gekko’s world. Also starring Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, and Frank Langella, the film has just been pushed from its April release date back to September.

8. True Grit:  A remake of the 1969 John Wayne picture, True Grit stars Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Jeff Bridges. The film is a long way off and it’s only just started shooting, but with the Coen Brothers at the helm, there are high expectations. Set to be released on Christmas Day.

9. Predators:  Robert Rodriguez is producing this revamp of the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Topher Grace and Adrien Brody star in the new version, with Nimród Antal directing. Antal has yet to prove himself (Vacancy was terrible), but with Rodriguez overseeing the project, it will hopefully exceed expectations. It’s set to be released in July.

10. Toy Story 3:  I saw the first Toy Story in theaters when it was released in 1995, and even as a kid I knew it was different. Animated films haven’t been the same since. It’s been fifteen years since the original, and after a hugely successful sequel, Pixar decided to go for the threepeat. Due out in June, Toy Story 3 should be another great film from Pixar.



I'm not expecting this list to replicate (or necessarily resemble) what will ultimately be my Top Ten Films of 2010, but these are the films I'm most excited to see this year.  Not until much later in the year does the general public become aware of many of the really good films that will sneak into release before the end of December.  All of the films listed on my list are major releases for this reason.  But I'm just as excited for the films I haven't even heard of yet.

Top Ten Films of 2009

The Oscars were last night, so I thought I’d finally put together a list of my favorite films of the past year. These are the top ten films I’ve seen, mind you, and there are a lot from last year I’ve yet to see. For example, I haven’t seen Crazy Heart, An Education, A Single Man, Precious, or Fantastic Mr. Fox, to name a few.

Here’s the list.

1. Inglourious Basterds:  Inglourious Basterds was the best film of 2009 and it should have cleaned up at the Oscars. I think that sometimes people forget what movies are, and man, this is a fucking movie. It’s got Nazi-killing, badass people saying badass things, and stuff getting blowed up real good. Tarantino is the man and he knows it.

2. Avatar:  Avatar has become the highest grossing movie of all time, eclipsing Cameron’s own Titanic. Because of this distinction, many people have already begun to hate on it, and in ten years it may become the joke in many people minds that Titanic has become. Best movie ever made? Of course not. Great cinema? Absolutely.

3. (500) Days of Summer:  Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are excellent in this chronologically confused love story. A great script+ fine acting+ hilarity+ Hall & Oats dance number=third best movie of the year. There’s more to this movie than many have given it credit for, and it’s a crime it wasn’t nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the Academy.

4. Watchmen:  Remember the awesome trailer that was attached to The Dark Knight? It turned out to be an awesome movie too, though many wouldn’t know it because it failed to turn any heads at the box office. What a darkly comic, 21st century noir. Zak Snyder did the graphic novel justice and then some, turning in a movie far superior to his previous graphic novel adaptation, 300.

5. The Hurt Locker:  The big winner on Oscar night, The Hurt Locker has the distinction of being the only good movie that takes place during the current Iraq war. Though it starts to drag near the end, it is nevertheless an emotional look into man’s addiction to war.

6. Drag Me to Hell:  So, there was a salute to horror films during last night’s ceremony. You have to give props to the Academy for its intentions, even if they failed to execute. It went like this: Kristen Stewart reads from the teleprompter, admitting that the Academy often fails to recognize horror films, stating that not since The Exorcist has a horror film been nominated for Best Picture. And then one of the first clips is from The Silence of the Lambs, which won Best Picture in 1991. And then there’s a clip from New Moon? Seriously? The irony is that Drag Me to Hell kicked so much ass it should have been nominated for Best Picture this year. Sam Raimi, welcome back. But Spiderman 3 still sucks.

7. Star Trek:  Star Trek exceeded everyone’s expectations, save for maybe Star Trek fans. J.J. Abrams delivered an updated version of the classic series pumped full of special effects and an end-of-the-world scenario in every other scene. Awesome.

8. A Serious Man:  The Coen Brothers always throw something a little different into the mix, and this film’s no exception. It’s funny and absurd. I still don’t know what it means.
9. Sin Nombre:  Nobody really saw this movie, but I had the good fortune of catching a screening when I was attending the University of Chicago. One of the studio execs from Focus Features introduced the film, touting first-time director Cary Fukunaga as the next best thing. It tells the story of Central American immigrants riding on the tops of trains, desperately trying to get to the U.S. Based on the quality of the film, expectations are high for Fukunaga’s next film, an adaptation of Jane Eyre.

10. Moon:  It’s crazy Sam Rockwell wasn’t nominated for Best Actor, considering he carries the movie by himself and plays more than one version of his character. He is Astronaut Sam Bell, who's finishing up a tour of duty for a fuel company stationed on the moon. He only talks to his computer Gerty, voiced by Kevin Spacey with more than an homage to Hal in 2001. It’s 2001 meets Soderbergh’s Solaris. Check it out.



Well, that wraps up the list. It was a pretty good year at the movies, but not a great one. There were only a handful of truly great films. It’s time to start looking forward to 2010, so pretty soon I’m going to make a list of my most anticipated films for 2010. Stay tuned.

Cop Out *

Oh, Kevin Smith! From indie-God to wannabe Judd Apatow to studio whore. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved Kevin Smith for years. Clerks remains one of the best examples of mid-nineties B&W indie angst; Chasing Amy gave Ben Affleck and acting career (to the dismay of some—not me); and Dogma was one of the most original screenplays ever written. I was even fond of Clerks II and laughed through the retread that was Zack & Miri Make a Porno. No more. With Cop Out, Smith took on a script that wasn’t his, cast a couple of big names, and shat out one of the worst films of the year.

Cop Out follows buddy cops Jimmy Monroe (Bruce Willis) and Paul Hodges (Tracy Morgan) as they attempt to retrieve a rare and expensive baseball card that was stolen from Jimmy. Jimmy’s plans were to sell the card to pay for his daughter’s wedding. He doesn’t really have to—he just doesn’t want her rich stepfather to pay up instead, effectively embarrassing and emasculating poor policeman Monroe. As he and his better half Paul investigate the crime, they learn that the card has found its way into the hands of Brooklyn’s own Mexican drug lord Poh Boy (Guillermo Diaz).

An unfunny and boring sequence of events ensue. Paul and Jimmy try to get as much information as they can out of Dave (Seann William Scott), the man who originally stole the card and sold it to Poh Boy for drugs. Seann William Scott plays Dave as if he’s the comic relief in a comedy. It’s senseless. They also find the former mistress to a drug dealer in Mexico in the trunk of a car. She was kidnapped by Poh Boy for some information she has, and she improbably becomes the love interest of Paul, who throughout the movie fears that his wife Debbie (Rashida Jones) is cheating on him.

Everything comes together in the end, I guess. The plot is contrived, there are too many characters, and we don’t really care what happens to the baseball card because there is no legitimate danger in the balance. Poor editing and terrible music doesn’t help the film, not to mention Smith’s inability to direct even the simplest of action scenes. They should have seriously considered subtitling Tracy Morgan—it would have been both practical and cleverly self-aware. To be fair to Bruce Willis, he gives his best effort.

I hope Kevin Smith records a commentary track because it will surely be funnier than the movie. Cop Out is his worst film by far.

Shutter Island ****

Martin Scorsese’s follow-up to his popular and critical juggernaut The Departed is different than any other film in his oeuvre. Shutter Island is a taut and suspenseful thriller set in a mental institution housed on a Boston Harbor island in 1954. It is film noir and psychological thriller, it is horror and mystery—a whodunit and a fish out of water. Scorcese’s most comparable picture in the past is his lesser remake of Cape Fear, an overall forgettable film.

Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, the film opens with U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) vomiting aboard a boat taking him and his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a patient. They meet Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), the head doctor at the mental institution who explains that the missing patient, Rachel Solando, escaped her locked cell “as if she evaporated straight through the walls.” So Teddy and Chuck investigate in typical 1950’s police fashion. They find clues and interview the other patients, many of whom are afraid to talk. But they feel they’re being given the runaround.

Throughout the film we are shown flashbacks of Teddy’s life. He was a soldier in World War II and was present at the liberation of Dachau. “I’ve seen what human beings are capable of doing to each other,” he says, persisting that the institution on Shutter Island holds sinister secrets. His wife had been killed in a fire in their apartment building and he’s constantly dealing with migraines. Teddy’s flashbacks often seem valid, but they also appear to be partly delusional. Are the walls of Ashcliffe mental hospital closing in around Teddy or is he closer to learning the truth behind Rachel’s disappearance and the real intentions of Shutter Island?

Martin Scorsese is one of the best American directors of our time, and with Shutter Island he is in complete control of the material. DiCaprio delivers another Oscar-worthy performance and Mark Ruffalo is a great complement, proving once again he needs a proper leading role in a major motion picture. The film has one of those endings you’ll be talking about the minute the credits roll, much like the last film adaption of a Lehane novel, Gone Baby Gone. With ten nominees, I’d be surprised if Shutter Island isn’t nominated for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards. It’s like Jurassic Park meets Schindler’s List meets The Shining, done Scorsese-style. What’s not to love?

My Addiction to Documentaries. Part 2.

You know the recent trend to include “documentaries” (I include scare quotes, though they do in fact document) on DVD’s about the making-of the movie you just watched? With the abundance of “Special Features” or “Extras” or “Bonus Features” or whatever you want to call them, DVD’s ushered in a new era of full-disclosure filmmaking that film geeks have come to relish. Personally, my favorite special feature is the commentary track. They were first included on Criterion laserdiscs, and they have become ubiquitous in the DVD era. Some of my favorite commentaries include Roger Ebert’s track on Casablanca, and the commentary by Kirk Douglas, Peter Ustinov, and restoration expert Robert Harris on the Criterion Collection release of Spartacus. Robert Rodriguez has to be one of the more user-friendly commentators because he always makes it so enjoyable and informative. Kevin Smith, too, solely for entertainment purposes.

But back to the documentaries. To be blunt: most suck. But some are actually quite good, and I will briefly discuss one in particular.

One of the best made-for-DVD documentaries is Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. The film takes us from George Lucas’s original vision through the release of Return of the Jedi and beyond. Told chronologically, the film includes some of the best archival footage one would hope for, especially for a movie released a few decades before the documentary was pieced together for the trilogy’s DVD release. It’s great for fans to see how the films were made. From major setbacks to major success, Star Wars invented a new way of filmmaking that continues to influence Hollywood to this day.

As for the “improvements” to the movies themselves? Digitally re-mastered? That’s fine. New digital effects? That’s fine. Hayden Christensen in Jedi? That’s bullshit.

Bullshit.

The Wolfman ***1/2

There is something about nineteenth-century gothic horror—dark, foggy, small village, big manor, candle and gaslight—all around ominous and supernatural, that feels like an old-school, big movie scare fest. And I like it. The Wolfman has had its share of bad publicity with reports of unhappy studio execs and numerous re-edits. It definitely shows to an extent. The film is imbalanced in terms of story and it’s as if several of the actors think they’re in different movies. But in the end, special effects master Joe Johnston delivers a movie that almost makes me forget about Jurassic Park III.

Based on the original 1941 film, The Wolfman begins with Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro) returning to his English home in Blackmoor after the vicious murder of his brother. Lawrence was raised in America with his aunt and had not seen his brother in years. Upon his arrival, he is welcomed by his father John (Anthony Hopkins), and his brother’s fiancée, Gwen (Emily Blunt). As Lawrence begins to investigate, he learns that many of the villagers believe that the gypsies who've set up camp outside of the town are to blame for the attack. They have a big bear, anyway.

So when he travels to the gypsies’ camp, he expects to find some answers. But before long, a beast attacks, decapitating and killing anyone in sight. The scene is a relatively well-done mash of special effects and over-the-top gore. When Lawrence chases after the beast, he is attacked and bitten.  We learn what happened to Lawrence’s mother, why he grew up in America, and most intriguing, why he spent some of his youth in an insane asylum. Are his delusions conflicting with real supernatural occurrences? Or is his fear of the full moon justified? It’s pretty clear what’s actually going on, and the film gives us some more great action sequences, one in London and another old-school showdown at Talbot Manor.

All together, The Wolfman is a fun ride with some great set pieces stringed together with an adequate plot. I enjoyed the special effects. They were well-done and in some instances over-the-top, which is exactly what you want in a supernatural horror film. I loved the contrast between the traditional cinematography and art design of nineteenth-century England with the modern effects and visuals. My suggestion? Go bold.  Go black and white.

Edge of Darkness **1/2

Mini-Review

In Mel Gibson’s first starring role since 2002’s Signs, he takes on his usual persona of a wronged man seeking vengeance. In this particular movie, his daughter is gunned down on his front porch in what appears to be a hit meant for him. The audience knows better. As Boston detective Thomas Craven, Gibson begins to uncover a plot involving the government and weapons manufacturing. But where does the conspiracy end? He meets Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), a mysterious Englishman who claims he’s usually the person that stops other people from “connecting A to B.” What’s his job, and as Craven astutely asks: whose side is he on? We don’t know the full story until the film’s end, and it’s not much more than we could have imagined. All together, Edge of Darkness is a stylish thriller with nothing new to say.

When in Rome ***

Mini-Review

For a typical romantic comedy, When in Rome is atypically funny. It probably feels fresher than most rom-coms because it does a better job of walking the fine line between seriousness and goofiness. When Beth (Kristen Bell) flies to Rome to attend her sister’s wedding, she meets charming and handsome Nick (Josh Duhamel). They hit it off at the wedding, but after Beth takes coins from the plaza’s Fountain of Love and the men who threw them in start falling in love with her, she thinks Nick might be under a spell as well. The film eventually takes the classic route, but not before we see a few other men essentially stalk and sexually harass Beth. A thought: what if she had picked up a woman’s coin? Methinks the writers missed a beat.

The Book of Eli ***

Mini-Review

Yet another film that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, The Book of Eli is I Am Legend for adults, so it only makes sense that Denzel Washington steps in for Will Smith. Washington plays Eli, a man whose mission is to carry a book out west, though he’s been walking for thirty years and hasn’t yet made it. When he stops in what resembles a town, he meets Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man obsessed with reading and wants only find a Bible. We soon learn that a Bible is exactly what Eli has, but he wants nothing to do with Carnegie. He escapes the town, followed by Solara (Mila Kunis). She’s curious about the book and about Eli. He is so determined to finish his mission that he can’t see what’s right in front of him, though it appears he learns a few lessons along the way. The film is slow with short bursts of action, and it works well overall. With a bit of a twist and a fitting ending, The Book of Eli is a solid movie.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus ***

Mini-Review

This film has become somewhat famous because Heath Ledger was filming it when he died. Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell took over for Ledger, all of them playing the same role. It actually works in the context of the movie. Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his troupe travel the streets of London putting on street shows, but nobody really cares. We learn that Parnassus is very old, and that he’s made a deal with the devil to hand over his daughter on her rapidly approaching sixteenth birthday, a decision he regrets. But the devil gives him one last deal: if Parnassus can get 5 souls, he’ll let his daughter stay. The troupe finds Tony (Ledger) hanging beneath a bridge, and he proceeds to help them win souls. Yes, it’s all very convoluted. The magic of the film is Terry Gilliam’s fantastical direction. Within the mind of Parnassus (I think) is a fantasy world. It’s a confusing film, but it’s fun to try to figure it all out, and it has some great visuals. Though not on par with Gilliam’s best work (that would be Brazil, The Fisher King, and 12 Monkeys), The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is his most enjoyable in the last ten years.

Youth In Revolt *1/2

Mini-Review

Youth in Revolt is slow and quirky and often misguided. Though I watched the movie, I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to take away from it. Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) is an intelligent high school student who likes foreign films and Frank Sinatra. He, his mom, and her boyfriend Jerry (Zach Galifianakis) move out of Oakland for a while to take some heat off Jerry. While away, Nick meets Sheeni (Portia Doubleday), a beautiful girl who likes everything he does. They fall for each other. Then Nick invents an alter-ego named Francois Dillinger, whose intention is to get Nick kicked out off the house (after they move back to Oakland) so that he can live with his dad to be closer to Sheeni. To be honest, it’s been a while since I watched this movie and can’t remember exactly why any of this is necessary. Youth in Revolt is an unremarkable film.

It’s Complicated **

It’s Complicated is essentially a romantic comedy for middle-aged women looking to have a laugh. Jane (Meryl Streep) is a divorcee with three grown children. The oldest daughter is engaged to the witty and charming Harley (John Krasinski), whose presence is manufactured to lend the film some credence with younger audiences. The children’s father Jake (Alec Baldwin) has remarried the younger woman with whom he cheated on his wife. Jake and Jane have been divorced ten years. So what’s so complicated? When they both go to New York to attend their youngest son’s graduation, they rekindle their former love and start an affair that lasts the better part of the movie.

Jane is going through a mid-life crisis. The last of her children is moving out, and she’s about to be living in an empty nest. A baker by trade, she’s remodeling her kitchen to accommodate her growing business. She goes to a plastic surgeon to see if she can raise her drooping eyelid. In sum, she’s lonely and bored. So when Jake comes along all handsome and fun, she goes with the flow. As for Jake, he claims that he really loves her and wants her back. But he’s already cheated on her once and now he’s cheating on his new wife. You just want to shout at the screen, “Jane, don’t be so dense!” I can’t see how anyone in the audience would want this ill-advised and ill-fated affair to work out.

Things are complicated some more when Jane’s new architect Adam (Steve Martin) enters the picture. It begins as a simple working relationship. Adam has been divorced for two years, and it’s clear he’s still having a tough time being alone. He’s quiet and understated; he’s a perfect foil to Jake. Some of the film’s best scenes are between Adam and Jane. They are both at the same point in their life, and it seems like they’re the perfect fit for one another. As he’s proven in the past, Steve Martin does a fine job playing the straight man. Adam is the safe decision. Jake is the exciting one.

The film’s primary flaw is that its execution feels unnatural and unbelievable. First, there’s the unnecessary Harley character. Second, the film is miscast. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin are meant to be the same age, but Meryl looks about ten years older. Why? Because she is ten years older. Then there’s a scene with the three grown children crying in bed together. I never really believed them as a family, so I never really invested much interest in the outcome. And the scene where Steve Martin and Meryl Streep smoke pot? No thanks. All together, It’s Complicated tries to take itself more seriously than it needs to, and it tries to do too much with a weak story.

Sherlock Holmes ***

In Guy Ritchie’s version of London’s most famous sleuth, Sherlock Holmes is just as keen, witty, and brilliant as ever, and quite a lot more physical. Robert Downey, Jr. plays him as dry and anti-social, but we like him nonetheless. As the film opens Holmes is en route to breaking a case, aided by his trusty sidekick and physician, Dr. Watson John Watson (Jude Law). They make it on time, preventing Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) from sacrificing a woman in the dark bowels of nineteenth-century London. A few months later, Watson attends Blackwood’s execution. After the hanging, he checks his pulse. Blackwood’s dead. Holmes hasn’t had a case since.

But a few days later, Blackwood’s tomb is broken open and the groundskeeper of the cemetery swears he sees him walking out. Has he risen from the dead? Holmes is on the case. The film is a classic mystery and detective story with a lot of action thrown about. In one scene, Holmes boxes bare-fisted and bare-chested. As he plans his attack, Ritchie shows each blow in slow motion before unleashing the scene full-speed. It’s quite a lot of fun and effective in showing that the beloved detective is not only brains, though it does help him fight.

As the mystery unravels, we meet Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), an American woman Holmes has been involved with in the past. She’s in on the plot somehow, but she also seems to want to help him. He tries to reconcile his feelings for her with the case at hand as logically as possible. As Holmes and Watson dig deeper, they continue to discover darker secrets to what exactly is going on and who could be behind it all. Blackwood claimed he was only taking orders, anyway. By the film’s end most of the questions have been answered but not all of the mysteries have been solved. There will no doubt be a sequel.

Sherlock Holmes is Guy Ritchie’s most accessible film by far. He takes a familiar character in a familiar setting with a familiar story, but he also puts his own spin on the tradition. With a stubborn but likeable Downey, Jr. in the titular role and Law playing the affable straight man, the film showcases what’s best about casting good actors in large movies. For the urban historian in me, seeing nineteenth-century London brought to life is always a joy. Sword fight on top of the half-constructed Tower Bridge? Bring it on.

My Addiction to Documentaries. Part 1.

I’ve always loved documentaries. There is a texture to them, a reality that isn’t present in dramatized films for obvious reasons. Everybody watches them from time to time, but why aren’t there more blockbusting documentaries? Are people too turned off by talking heads and cut footage? Sure, you have your Michael Moore films, which are great entertainment, but they are also controversial, which is why they’re successful. The first documentary I saw in theaters was probably Bowling for Columbine (2002). Before the show started, the theater staff came in and put another row of folding chairs up front to accommodate more people. I also watched Spellbound (2003) and Super Size Me (2004)at the same theater. Both entertaining. I watched March of the Penguins (2005), which is one of the most successful documentaries ever. It’s also incredibly boring.

As of late, though, I’ve become addicted to documentaries. There’s something about watching a story unfold with recreations, talking heads, still photographs, and voiceover that’s really intriguing. I feel like the historian, but I didn’t have to do any of the research.

Which brings me to the number 1, no-holds-barred, all or nothing, most addictive film I’ve seen in the last five years: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007). This movie is just great fun. It quickly summarizes the climate of competitive classic arcade gaming before discovering that the real story is about a science teacher trying to break the record on Donkey Kong. The rub is that the current record holder is beloved Billy Mitchell, a staple in the gaming world who also happens to be something of a hot sauce mogul, a self-promoter, a patriot, and a jackass. On the other hand, Steve Wiebe is a soft-spoken, all around nice fellow just looking for his piece of the prize. We know who to root for. So when Steve Wiebe is robbed of his record score, he sets out to prove he’s the best. He’s like Mario trying to jump and climb his way to the top, only to have Billy Mitchell (aka Donkey Kong) throw barrels and fireballs and springs at him. Let’s hope Mario makes it.

Which brings me to another documentary, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008). Hunter Thompson, the writer who covered sports, politics, the Hell’s Angel, and the American Dream, was the face of journalism in the 1960’s and 70’s. His drug-addled mind eventually cooled off his genius, but the piece he wrote after the attacks of September 11 remains the best, most truthful, and ultimately most prophetic take of that horrific event. Thompson was a patriot and a gun nut, a drug addict and a wild man. Johnny Depp portrayed Thompson’s alter-ego Raoul Duke in Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. With Depp reading from his friend’s writings, the documentary strings together his most important works. Fascinating stuff.

Speaking of Depp and Gilliam, whatever happened to Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote? The documentary Lost in La Mancha (2002) reveals how the ill-fated production fell apart amidst lack of funds, storms, and a sick Don Quixote. It’s great to see a snippet of what Depp filmed for this movie, and it appears he would have delivered a great performance. Oh well. He was to play Toby Grisoni, an advertising executive who travels back to the time of Don Quixote. That was in 2000. But as of 2009, it appears Gilliam is at it again, this time with Robert Duvall as the titular character. As for Depp? That remains to be seen.

Like I said, I’m addicted. More to come.

Up in the Air ***1/2

Up in the Air is a topical look into the world of corporate downsizing. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a fire-for-hire professional whose job it is to fly from company to company terminating employees. He hates being at home and he’s obsessed with ranking up as many frequent flyer miles as possible. It’s tough to say what he likes about his job. When his firm brings in recent college grad Natalie (Anna Kendrick) to revolutionize the way they do business, Ryan tries to convince his boss that firing people over the internet is crazy. Does Ryan really have compassion for the people he’s firing? Or does he just want to stay out on the road? I suppose it’s a little of both.

He gets to stay out on the road for a while longer, as he now must show the newcomer how to actually perform the job properly. As Ryan and Natalie travel from city to city, the film unfolds as a mature buddy comedy with all the fixings of real-life drama. Natalie is dumped by her boyfriend via text message (irony abound), Ryan starts a relationship with beautiful fellow road warrior Alex (Vera Farmiga) while trying to appease his sister’s request to take pictures for his other sister’s upcoming wedding. They crash parties and breakdown emotionally. And fire a lot of people.

The scenes where Ryan and Natalie must inform employees that they no longer have a job can be exhausting. These are people who have worked for their companies for ten, twenty, or thirty years, and their bosses don’t even have the courtesy to fire them themselves. In one particular scene, we see how Ryan addresses an employee portrayed by J.K. Simmons, and we see how he’s perfected his technique to allow these people to continue their lives. “This is a wake-up call,” he says, “a rebirth.”

Up in the Air is director Jason Reitman’s third film, his previous two being Thank You For Smoking and Juno. Reitman is always in command of his story, and it’s clear that his passion is for character. In the film’s best scene, Ryan takes a trip to Chicago. In no more than a few minutes, we learn so much about the characters. In total, Up in the Air is what many films aspire to be. It mixes comedy and drama into a relatively well-balanced story. Jason Reitman is one of Hollywood’s gifted young directors, and I look forward to seeing truly great films from him in the future.

1. 25th Hour (Best of the Decade)

25th Hour (2002)

Spike Lee’s 25th Hour is both a searing look into the last day of freedom for a convicted felon and an endearing look at a shattered and heartbroken city coming to terms with the terrorist attacks of September 11. David Benioff adapted his own novel about Monty Brogan, a drug dealer who loses everything when the Feds raid his apartment. The film’s primary action takes place over a single day in New York City, revealing in flashbacks how Monty got into this mess in the first place. Edward Norton plays him as an amiable man. He’s smart and loyal. He loves his girlfriend, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson). In the opening flashback, he rescues a beaten dog left for dead on the side of the road. On this last morning before he leaves for prison, he walks his dog through the streets of the city. It is calm.

The film looks and feels much like Monty does, like the mourning yet recuperating city does. It is often dark but at the same time serene. Terence Blanchard’s score is one of the most affective musical pieces in the last ten years, movie or no movie. Though it is a realistic look into the life and last day of a man, the film is also a fantasy. In one sequence, Monty enters a bathroom at his father’s bar and looks at the mirror. The words “Fuck You” are written on the mirror, which unleashes a torrent of anger and emotion from Monty, who proceeds to chastise everything and everybody in New York City, to curse Jesus, and to ultimately relent and accept the truth. “No, fuck you Monty Brogan,” he says, “you had everything and you threw it all away, you dumb fuck.”

He is to live seven years in Otisville Correctional Facility, but to him and his friends it might as well be a lifetime. He spends the last night of freedom by having dinner with his father (Brian Cox) and then meeting up with Naturelle as well as his two best friends, Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Frank (Barry Pepper). Should he skip town, avoiding his sentence to become a fugitive? His father would lose his bar, which he put up as bail. But his father doesn’t care. In the film’s final sequence, his father encourages him to run. This time Brian Cox delivers a powerful voiceover as we see the life that Monty could have if he were to avoid prison. It might as well be a lifetime.  25th Hour is the best film of the last decade.

2. Kill Bill (Best of the Decade)

Kill Bill: Vol.I (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Kill Bill was Quentin Tarantino’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to 1997’s Jackie Brown and his first original story since he burst into the mainstream with 1994’s Pulp Fiction. What he delivered was nothing short of expectation. A two-part saga that begins with its protagonist getting shot in the head, the film gives us pure Tarantino: the cinephile, the artist, the auteur.

Kill Bill: Vol I introduces us to The Bride (Uma Thurman), who is shot in the head and left for dead by her former boss and lover, Bill. Only she wasn’t dead. She lay in a coma for four years before awakening and seeking her revenge on those who were responsible for the massacre of her fiancée and friends and of the unborn child she carried. The Bride was a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, so she can handle herself. But so can them.

 
                                                   She makes a death list:
                                                               
                                                1. O-Ren Ishii
                                                2. Vernita Green
                                                3. Elle Driver
                                                4. Budd
                                                5. BILL.

Told in five chapters, Vol. I climaxes with The Bride’s showdown with O-Ren (Lucy Liu) and her bodyguards, The Crazy 88. It is a grand action sequence. The film is largely influenced by Japanese Samurai movies, and it does not disappoint. When the credits roll, all we want is more.

And we get more. Vol. 2 is part Kung-Fu, part Spaghetti Western, with a whole heap of Tarantino. With more dialogue and less action, Vol. 2 is a slower and more nuanced film, and it is the better half. Bill (David Carradine) is now a primary character (we never see his face in Vol. I), and in this one The Bride must go through Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) and Bill’s brother Budd (Michael Madsen) before reaching numero 5. When she does, it’s more satisfying than we could have imagined. That Uma Thurman wasn’t nominated for an Oscar is beyond me. She carries the films, and it is one of the best female roles in the history of American cinema.

Much has been written about Tarantino’s willingness to derive so much material from other films. So be it. When he delivers, he delivers.

3. Almost Famous (Best of the Decade)

Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe’s pseudo-autobiographical tale of a young rock writer in the early 1970s is a poignant look at a time and place, a nostalgic nod to the false gods he idolized growing up. Patrick Fugit plays William Miller, the young Crowe if you will, a 15 year-old kid who falls into a job writing for Rolling Stone. Miller finds himself on the road with Stillwater, a fictional band with all the trademarks. Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) is the front man and lead singer, contentious and optimistic about the power of music. Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) is the lead guitarist, the best musician in the band who often overshadows Bebe. William is “the enemy,”—a rock writer. But as the band finds out, he’s also a fan. And a kid. He desperately needs to get his story, but city by city, week by week, he’s still out on the road, to the chagrin of his mother (Frances McDormand). William often turns to Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) for advice, a rock writer who turns into his mentor.

And then there’s Penny Lane (Kate Hudson, who has nominated by the Academy for her performance). Penny is a Band-Aid (groupie), who has a relationship with Russell, who also happens to have another girlfriend. William is in love with Penny. And her? She’s in love with music. Like your favorite album, Almost Famous has the ability to change depending on your mood, and it means something different each time you watch it. It’s all happening.

4. Slumdog Millionaire (Best of the Decade)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Slumdog Millionaire was 2008’s runaway hit for a reason. First of all, it’s uplifting. Second, it’s awesome. Danny Boyle directed this fast-paced history lesson of Mumbai through the eyes of Jamal (Dev Patel), a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” He seems to know all the answers, but he’s just a kid from the slums. He must be cheating. The story is told in flashbacks as the police interrogate Jamal, and in the flashbacks we see how he learned the answers to each of the question. Contrived? You bet. But the story is not about the game show or the money. It’s about the rapid transformation of a city and how a handful of children who grew up with no family and no money survived. It is also, of course, like so many movies, a love story. Winner of 8 Academy Awards, Slumdog Millionaire deserved each and every one of them.

5. Punch-Drunk Love (Best of the Decade)

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Punch-Drunk Love is a mysterious movie, tough to categorize in anyway except to say it is a brilliant love story. If Juno is quirky and Eternal Sunshine is eccentric, then Punch-Drunk Love is flat-out deranged. Adam Sandler plays Barry Egan, a small business owner who specializes in selling plungers. One day, a truck conspicuously drops a harmonium (like a piano, only not) on the side of the road, and Barry snags it up. He is a loner with seven sisters, a family situation which must have driven him to insanity and back. Nobody really understands him until one day a woman, a coworker of one of his sister’s, drops by to meet him. Barry is smitten right away. Scored with the harmonium and Shelley Duvall’s singing of “He Needs Me” from Popeye (1980), Punch-Drunk Love is at once comically daring, part Hitchcockian thriller, and bizarrely sweet.

6. High Fidelity (Best of the Decade)

High Fidelity (2000)

For a movie obsessed with making lists, it’s appropriate that High Fidelity would make mine, though it didn’t quite make the top 5. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, the film follows Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a Chicago record store owner who’s dumped by his girlfriend in the opening scene. Rob’s goal is to win her back. He tracks down former girlfriends, trying to figure out what consistently goes wrong in his relationships. Why is he always left heartbroken? He frequently addresses the camera, which works well as a character trait and stylistically. It’s as if we’re his best friend, his confidant in broken heartedness. The film also features Jack Black in his best role. Directed by Stephen Frears (who also directed The Grifters and The Queen, among others), High Fidelity is the best comedy of the last decade.

7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Best of the Decade)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is straight from the imagination of Charlie Kaufman, who won an Oscar for his screenplay. Jim Carrey plays Joel Barish, a bit of a loner and anxious person who happens to find love in an eccentric extrovert, Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet). When the relationship sours, Clementine rashly decides to have Joel erased from her memory. Literally. Joel retaliates in kind. But the night Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood) are ridding Clementine of Joel’s memory, Joel changes his mind and attempts to save her, if only in his memory. The story unfolds primarily in Joel’s mind, so the viewer must be alert. An inventive and funny movie, it often challenges our conception of love and happiness, of what’s important to hold on to in life and in memory.

8. Inglourious Basterds (Best of the Decade)

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

The best film of 2009, Inglourious Basterds is the result of Quentin Tarantino beating World War II to death with a baseball bat. The film is violent, funny, and suspenseful, and it is ultimately a grand example that any story, in the right hands, is filmic. With three great primary characters, Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), Col. Hans “The Jew Hunter” Landa (Christoph Waltz), and Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), Inglourious Basterds is an actor’s delight. Unlike so many movies based on historical events, in this case, the basterdization of history is admittedly obvious and not only accepted, but encouraged. It is just a movie, after all.

9. The Lord of the Rings (Best of the Decade)

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003)

Peter Jackson’s determination to shoot The Lord of the Rings movies was nothing if not the riskiest, boldest, and ultimately smartest cinematic decision of the decade. He wasn’t the first to shoot movie sequels back-to-back, but he was the first to do it on such a grand scale whilst ushering in a new age of technical breakthrough, making loads of money, and garnering critical and popular acclaim.

The first film in the series was released in 2001, and it is also the best. The Fellowship of the Ring introduces the audience to Middle Earth, a legendary ring, and merry little beings called hobbits. It’s such a wonder entering the world for the first time, meeting Gandalf the wizard (Ian McKellen) and the hobbit Bilbo (Ian Holm), whose nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) is the protagonist of the story. It’s his job to carry the One Ring to Mordor and cast it into the fires of Mount Doom.

The Two Towers has the dubious distinction of being the middle chapter, and as a result it is the weakest of the three. This film introduces Gollum (Andy Serkis) as a major character. A motion-captured, computer-generated character, Gollum is what convinced James Cameron that the technology had advanced enough to make Avatar. Furthermore, the battle at Helm’s Deep near the end of the film is a grand set piece, and Jackson did a fine job filming a large action sequence while focusing on several primary characters.

                                               

The Return of the King is the final chapter, and it is the largest of the three in terms of story, action, and length. While Frodo inches closer to Mount Doom, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) tries to keep the forces of evil at bay in hopes of providing Frodo enough time to finish the deed. The heir to the throne of Gondor, Aragorn does fulfill the title’s promise. Upon its release, the film became infamous because it had several fade-outs and “end” scenes.

Each film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in their respective year, with The Return of the King taking home the top prize and 11 Oscars total.