Movie Review: Brothers

Brothers is an adaptation of a Dutch film by the same name. Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal & Natalie Portman all deliver fantastic performances, supported by Sam Shepard & Mare Winningham. Tobey's ordeal in Afghanistan including some gruesome torture scenes, followed by his return home, and trouble in returning to a home where he was presumed dead, is torture on the souls watching.

Tommy, played by Jake, is the bad boy everyone loves, and watching he and Natalie Portman together is actually very enjoyable and believable. The trouble starts when the presumed-dead Sam (Maguire) returns home 4 months later.

The untold sleeper hit in this movie is not any of the principal actors, but Bailee Madison who played Isabelle Cahill. For a child actor of her age (9 at film time) to display such a range of emotion and depth, it's un-nverving. She more than any of the dramatic performances in the move, steals every scene for me. Here's hoping we get to see more of her in future dramas!

Loved the movie, and this after I was genuinely afraid it might just be a Lifetime-movie put on the big screen. But the powerful performances by every actor in the movie, good script, and able direction by Jim Sheridan proved me wrong and left me wanting more.

Movie Review: The Road

Warning to the faint-hearted, beware when you see The Road, it's not for sissies.

Viggo Mortensen is his usual, commanding self as a loving father willing to do anything for his son. John Hillcoat & crew do a fan-freaking-tastic job of painting the most realistic, post-apocalypse landscape I've ever seen in any recent movie. This is no bubble gum, post-war movie. The Road makes you sit-up and pay attention, because you have a scary, deep-gut feeling that you are getting a glimpse of one very-possible future of our planet...and it's terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time.

What I love most about the Road's intense scenes has nothing to do with what it actually shown to you, but what you think, what you know, is just above the horizon, out the window, lurking in a shadow, or waiting around the corner...fascinating and deeply terrifying.

The breakthrough here is Kodi Smit-McPhee, who is a scene-stealer with his big eyes and all-to-human touch in a bleak world.

This movie may be the reverse of most, it makes me want to go buy the book and read it!

2009 Awards Predictions

For me the Golden Globes are usually Round 1 leading up to the Oscars. Here's my early predictions for what I think are likely and not so likely nominations:

Best Supporting Actor:

Jake Gyllenhaal - Brothers

Matt Damon - Invictus

Woody Harralson - The Messenger

Steve Martin - It's Complicated

Rupert Friend - Young Victoria

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams - Julie & Julia

Penelope Cruz - Nine

Natalie Portman - Brothers

Mo'Nique - Precious

Julianne Moore - A Single Man

Best Cinematography:

The Road

Red Cliff

Best Special Effects:

District 9

Avatar

Best Animated:

Up

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

The Princess & The Frog

Planet 51

A Christmas Carol

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Documentary (Long):

Michael Jackson's This Is It

Capitalism: A Love Story

Best Original Screenplay:

Quentin Tarantino - Inglorious Bastards

Jon Lucas & Scott Moore - The Hangover

Judd Apatow - Funny People

Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - A Serious Man

Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman - The Messenger

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Julie & Julia

The Lovely Bones

The Road

The Blind Side

Precious

Best Costume:

Nine

Coco Before Chanel

Best Foreign Language Film:

Red Cliff

The White Ribbon

Best Actor:

Colin Firth - A Single Man

George Clooney - Up In The Air

Johnny Depp - Public Enemies

Morgan Freeman - Invictus

Vigo Mortensen - The Road

Brad Pitt - Inglorious Bastards

Best Actress:

Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious

Emily Blunt - Young Victoria

Very Famiga - Up In the Air

Best Director:

Clint Eastwood - Invictus

Tom Ford - A Simple Man

Best Picture: *note that the Oscars are upping the number of nominees to 10 for Best Picture, the way they used to do it back in the day*

Invictus

Star Trek

Nine

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Avatar

The Messenger

The Blind Side

The Hangover

Movie Review: The Station Agent

The Station Agent is a nice portrait kind of picture. A moment in time - Peter Dinklage is forced into a change of scenery by a sudden death and inherits a unique piece of property - a train station. Patricia Clarkson has lost her son to a tragic accident and can't pull herself out of depressions, Bobby Cannavale is dealing with a dying father and desperately wants new friends in this small town he's been drug back into, Michelle Williams is the local librarian who seems a bit doomed to only meet backwoods rednecks and love them...

Good performances all around, all four main characters definitely put their best foot forward on this one. Simple story, good acting, nice settings make for a good movie.

4 of 5 peaches

Movie Review: New Moon

aka The Twilight Saga: New Moon

New Moon builds on the previous strengths I mentioned from Twilight and adds a couple of things.

1. Taylor Lautner's buffness. The audible gasps from the girls (and guys!) in the audience i was in was amusing and telling.

2. Dakota Fanning & Michael Sheen - as the "elder" vampires these two make you sit up and take notice - the movie just got serious. I'm definitely hoping the franchise keeps these two characters involved and in the important scenes.

Although I'm way too distracted by Taylor's hawtness, I'm happy with the better direction by Chris Weitz, and again the cinematography and the music selections, like the first twilight movie, are great.

4 of 5 peaches.

Movie Review: Twilight

So in advance of New Moon, and I refuse to miss out on Taylor Lautner in the near buff, I needed to watch Twilight and get up to speed on the story lines.

I will say it's a well done movie, the cinematography is quite beautiful even if it is set in the very rainy Northwest. Edward and Bella provide plenty of Teen angst and romantic awkwardness. The lines are smart enough and quick enough to be believable. The special effects are well done if not long-paced out.

Two things I think Twilight has going for it: Teen angst pretty accurately portrayed by hot stars, and the strength of it's auxiliary characters.

There can be no doubt that the young stars of Twilight have plenty in the looks and hotness department. The stars definitely have the knack for the longing stares, the inexperienced kiss turning pro, etc., and it is entertaining to watch.

The supporting characters in Billy Burke, Gil Birmingham and Peter Facinelli pull in the movie significantly with wit and maturity.

To me Twilight isn't one major thing like that ONE actor that pulls the movie forward, it's not solely a beautiful movie, it's not solely the expert direction. To me, it a level push of a lot of things that put this movie forward and why the cult following has legs for a franchise.

3 of 5 peaches

Movie - Little Women: Still stands the test

Little Women - I happened upon this movie again during a bout of insomnia. Except for the somewhat overwraught performance from Wynona Ryder, the actors in this film to me are still top rate.

No matter how many times i see it, the ending seen of Beth's life is still very touching, and Susan Sarandon is her normal steady self throughout.

Some early glimpses here of Kirsten Dunst and Christian Bale who are about to come into their own.

4 of 5 peaches for me