I Love You Phillip Morris

In between the cavalcade of summer blockbuster movies earning millions by the minute (Iron Man 2) and films that make critics cry uncle (Nightmare on Elm Street), there is a beacon of hope for the independent film to thrive this summer. Case in point, I Love You, Phillip Morris, the new comedy starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. You might be thinking, "Is this guy out of his mind praising a Jim Carrey movie over a film like Robin Hood?" Call me crazy, but I am.

I Love You, Phillip Morris is based on the surreal stranger-than-fiction story of Texas con-artist Steven Jay Russell; an all-around family man who comes out of the closet and into the prison cell due to credit card fraud. In prison, he meets Phillip Morris, and both fall madly in love with each other. The prison-cell courtship between Russell and Morris is not as erotic as Midnight Express, yet not as provocative as Brokeback Mountain. Mind you, there is a great tracking shot of Phillip chasing after Stephen as he gets on the bus that pays homage to Casablanca and Almost Famous. As soon as Steven gets out of jail, he reunites with Phillip and plans to have him live the high life through embezzlement, fraud, and lying his way out of everything.


At first, I was under the assumption that a big star like Carrey would degrade himself in the same style Adam Sandler did with I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry by playing a gay stereotype, but I was dead wrong after the first five minutes. Carrey is not just a comedic dynamo with his slapstick shtick that put him on the map back in the Nineties, he is a true actor by delving into such powerful roles like Truman Burbank and Andy Kaufman. His portrayal of Steven Russell is deeply funny and painful, as he redefines identity crisis with the great lengths he takes to escape the law, his loved ones, and himself. I put my hand to my heart by saying that this is Jim Carrey at his best.

Next to Carrey, Ewan McGregor gives a solid performance Phillip; the doe-eyed southern gentleman who becomes Steven's equal. McGregor doesn't come on strong with his American accent like in The Men Who Stare At Goats, nor does he subject himself to being a caricature versus character; its just right. Along with McGregor, Leslie Mann gives an adorable performance as Carrey's ex-wife, who stands by her man despite his conniving acts.

This crime/comedy/romance/drama/insert genre here film is a wild and hilarious ride mixed with the dark comedy of two people living through the AIDS epidemic of the Eighties and the narcissistic Nineties. Mixed with the satirical edge of Thank You For Smoking and con-artist fun of Catch Me If You Can, Phillip Morris may have be heavy-handed at times with a few cutaways, but it is the performance of Jim Carrey that makes this film hold up as one of the most surprising comedies since Superbad.

***1/2 out of 4 stars

Oscar Picks

The Awards Season is like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, its exciting, there's tension over choosing which film, and you just want to have a few drinks and hope the damn season is over with. This year's Oscars is Topsy-Turvy with 10 nominations for Best Picture instead of the usual 5. Some say its good to shed light on the films that should have been nominated, while others, like me, think that its a sympathy vote for the films that grossed over hundreds of millions of dollars. Anyway, here are my picks for Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.

Best Supporting Actress:
Penélope Cruz-Nine
Vera Farmiga-Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal-Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick-Up in the Air
Mo'Nique-Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

There's no contest for Best Supporting Actress since it will definitely go do comedienne, Mo'Nique, and her horrific performance as the physically and mentally abusive mother of Precious. At first, I had my reservations seeing Mo'Nique in a serious film; the last film I saw her in was the forgettable Beerfest and some reality show. But, I'm willing to wash all of that crap away and embrace this once-in-a-lifetime performance she gives.

Runner up: Maggie Gyllenhaal gave such a brilliant performance in Crazy Heart. Her role was not a supporting role per se as it was in The Dark Knight or World Trade Center. Her strength and beauty as a single mother in love with a has-been country musician surprised me, as well as her chemistry with Jeff Bridges.
Best Supporting Actor:
Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

The popular vote is that Christoph Waltz and his portrayal as a Nazi in the Tarantino kill-ride Inglorious Basterds will get the gold. The performance that bowled me over last year was Woody Harrelson in The Messenger. His portrayal of an officer who notifies the families of soldiers who died in Iraq was moving, funny, and intense. Next to Natural Born Killers and The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger is Woody's finest hour. Oscar committee, take another look at The Messenger before you decide!

P.S. this is coming from a critic, not a producer looking to be banned from an awards show.

Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Sandra Bullock has picked up most of the Best Actress awards this season and will probably win, but I'm putting my money on Gabourey Sidibe for Precious. This 23-year-old Psychology major, who never had any acting work in the past, delivers an amazing performance as a pregnant, illiterate, HIV-positive teenager living in Harlem. At first, I thought Precious was a movie for the sake of getting sympathy, but my prejudices went out the window from the first five minutes of this movie as I was amazed by the raw energy and power Sidibe delivered on screen.

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

Like Mo'nique, there's one other actor that is a sure thing at this year's Oscars; Jeff Bridges for his role as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart. To all those cynics who think that Bridges is being awarded the Oscar just for his career, screw you! Bridges gives a heartfelt performance as a boozed out musician trying to turn his career around. Bridges combines his alcohol-laded depression from The Fisher King with his laid back fuck-it attitude from The Big Lebowski in his portrayal of a man who lives his life like a country song. Bridges has scooped up every major award so far and he has room for a richly-deserved Oscar.

Best Director:
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Beyond the recent controversy over the The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow deserves the Academy Award. If Sofia Coppola couldn't break the glass-roof by being the first woman to win an Oscar, Bigelow should. The guerrilla-styled camera work, heart-pounding suspense, and apolitical plot line blew me away. The Hurt Locker is a shot of fresh air from the parade of Iraq war films that preceded it (Stop-Loss, Redacted, Lions For Lambs). Not since Full Metal Jacket has their been a war movie that has me gripped to the edge of my seat and profoundly moved me at the same time.

Okay, it all comes down to this!

Best Picture:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

It's been a David and Goliath match between Avatar and The Hurt Locker, but my gut is going for The Hurt Locker. Although Avatar is a visually enticing film, The Hurt Locker is a stripped down look at young men risking their lives for the sake of their fellow man, and for that extra rush of adrenaline. It's not as political as Platoon, nor is it as operatic as Apocalypse Now, which is what makes the film stand out from other films that delve into the difficult subject matter of warfare.

Runner up: There might be a Crash moment and in case there is, I'm going with the Coen Brothers A Serious Man. This darkly funny and stunning portrait of faith and fate is the best film the Brothers Coen have done since No Country for Old Men. If one film can outweigh Avatar and The Hurt Locker, it's A Serious Man.

Well, tune in on Sunday and see if these picks are worth the blog its printed on.

Shutter Island

Shutter Island is the latest film by cinema’s “GoodFella” Martin Scorsese. Set in the middle of the Cold War, federal agents Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are sent to the Ashcliffe Mental Institution on Shutter Island, a remote island beyond the reach of Boston, to investigate in the disappearance of a patient, who murdered her children. Their search conflicts with Teddy’s dreams about his dead wife (Michelle Williams) and the horrors of what he witnessed during World War II. Based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel, this complex thriller will keep you in suspense until the final frame.

Scorsese has always taken a chance on different film genres; comedy (The King of Comedy) suspense (Cape Fear) and musical (the forgettable New York, New York). In the case of Shutter Island, it doesn’t rank at the top of Scorsese’s greatest accomplishments; it falls in between Bringing out the Dead and The Aviator. The film complements Lehane’s novel with accurate detail; especially, with Scorsese at the helm and Robert Richardson’s haunting cinematography.

The drawback to adapting Shutter Island is that the performances seem constricted. Leonardo DiCaprio has his moments of tapping the nerves, but mostly repeats his performance from The Departed. Mark Ruffalo gave his best performance as Inspector Dave Toschi in David Fincher’s Zodiac, and one would assume that he would repeat his suave, yet flamboyant, performance in Shutter Island. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Ben Kingsley delivers a solid performance as Dr. John Cawly as his calm presence infuses with a sadistic tone in his voice, but its nothing compared to his wild performance in Sexy Beast. The irony is that it’s the supporting cast, comprised of Max von Sydow, Patricia Clarkson, and Jackie Earle Haley that compensate for the so-so performances by the leading cast.

On the plus side, Shutter Island is a film-geek’s film; the shot of the agents being driven up the slopes of the island mirrors that of the opening shot of Jack Nicholson’s car driving through the mountain pass in The Shining. Also, the mix of dreams and reality within the mental institution strike similar chords to Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor and David Lynch’s Eraserhead. Shutter Island is an impressive visual thrill ride, yet is not in the same league as Scorsese’s epics like Taxi Driver or GoodFellas.

3 out of 4 stars

V-Day

Okay, all I've been hearing about this week are Valentine's Day films people "should" and "shouldn't" see. In all seriousness, I can't stand romantic films. Sometimes they work, but most of the time, they just make me want to grab the nearest bucket to throw up in. I might as well join the club and compile the list of films I would sit down with my loved one and watch on National Hallmark Day.

Play It Again, Sam/Annie Hall

Although he is not my favorite director, Woody Allen really shined in the Seventies with his cinematic love letters to Diane Keaton. Directed by Herbert Ross, Play It Again, Sam is the 1972 classic that satirizes the Playboy magazine bachelor life as Woody tries to channel the suaveness of Humphrey Bogart while trying to fill the romantic void. It's a fine mix of reality vs. imagination. One of the best scenes is the morning after Allen and Diane Keaton have sex and Keaton asked what Woody was thinking about during sex, and he replies "Willie Mays."

Annie Hall is Allen at his best when he questions and reminisces about his past flames (Carol Kane, Shelley Duvall and, most importantly, Diane Keaton). Allen and Keaton are like a house on fire as they both stimulate each other with weird conversations, cabaret singing, and debating over the joy of sex with or without marijuana. It makes you wonder if your girlfriend is having an out of body experience while you're trying to satisfy her.

High Fidelity

Based on Nick Hornby's bestselling novel, the film follows John Cusack and his conflicting love affair between his obsession with music and his ex-girlfriend, who he tries to get back. For Cusack, it doesn't sound like a stretch, since he made of name for himself as the desperate lover in the 80s flicks, Better Off Dead and Say Anything, but this is totally different. With Stephen Frears directing and Cusack having to deal with "the musical moron twins" (Todd Louiso and Jack Black, who gives a stellar performance of a Marvin Gaye classic), the film is not in the "chick flick" pile since any guy can sympathize and channel his codependency frustration with a mix tape and a stack of vinyl.

Lost in Translation

The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree with Sofia Coppola carrying her family name with her 2003 film, Lost in Translation. While in Japan filming a whiskey commercial, Bill Murray tries to grab a hold of his life as an actor and husband 5,000 miles away from home, but his vacation takes a turn when he befriends Scarlett Johansson, a young woman questioning her rush into marriage, and they both journey out into the hectic streets of Tokyo. A bittersweet story blended with a sublime cast and awesome soundtrack (turn it up when you hear The Jesus and Mary Chain) , Translation is a brilliant film that gives you hope in finding an equal in a world where you feel out of place.

Friends

Before you start thinking about Jennifer Aniston and that cheesy show....it's not, I repeat, "NOT" the "Friends" you're thinking about. Friends is a 1971 gem by Lewis Gilbert that follows two confused and lovestruck teenagers that run away from their troubled families and live in seclusion in the south of France. Despite its controversial depiction of teenage sex, its softcore compared to the films that followed this one (Last Tango in Paris, La Luna, Kids). With Elton John's music mixed with the road-trip cinematography that mirrors that of Harold and Maude, Friends is a beautiful and rare film that throws away the conventional standards of romantic films with something unique and pure.

The Best Films of the Decade

Well, it's finally the end of the first ten years of the new century. A new decade approaches, and there are hopes for a brighter future for all. Especially, when it comes to films. I had to sit down and think hard to myself, "What were the films that defined this decade?" Well, I whittled it down and I have decided on what were the Ten Best Films of the last decade from 2000 to 2009.

10. Superbad - Directed by Greg Mottola

It was the film that redefined the high school sex comedy genre, and ended it with a bang. This uncontrollable whirlwind of sophomoric humor with an homage to American Graffiti came from the warped minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and spatted out by the ultimate spaz trio; Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) as three high school friends try to get booze and get laid before branching off towards a world that every 18 year old dreads; responsibility. American Pie was a titillating tiddler and Porky's amounted to glory-hole humor, but Superbad has a prose and style that is so perverse and insane that it would make David Mamet blush.

9. Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire - Directed by Lee Daniels

Precious is an intense and shocking look at the female equivalent of Job; an HIV-positive, obese, illiterate, raped teenager that tries to excel in her remedial studies and leave the world of abuse and neglect that she has grown up in. Gabourey Sidibe's breathtaking performance as Precious will be talked about in years to come; bruised and battered, she comes out strong and willing to take on anything standing in her way.

8. WALL-E- Directed by Andrew Stanton

Out of all the Pixar classics. WALL-E is a timeless animated film that explores a world in disarray and how a walking garbage disposal, with the nuances of Keaton and Chaplin, can help a dying planet. Prophetic, funny, and touching, the creative juices of Andrew Stanton mixed with an illustrious score by Thomas Newman make this film a visual and aural feast that stands on the shoulders with Brazil and 2001.

7. Venus- Directed by Roger Michell and 500 Days of Summer - Directed by Marc Webb

After being dragged by friend to see Hitch back in 2005, I walked out of the theater renouncing all romantic films. As soon as I saw Peter O'Toole and Jodie Whittaker onscreen in Venus, a legend with an aspiring actress, the sparks and emotions started to fly. O'Toole gives a stellar performance as an aging, impotent actor who falls in love with a young woman. At first, I thought I was watching Lolita: Redux, but as the story evolves, the film becomes a testament to the passage of time that we all must come across.

500 Days of Summer is another romantic comedy that caught my eye. Joseph Gorden-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel revive the humor and romance of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton with this modern take on falling in and out of love. The unique element of this fell-good flick is that it is non-linear; you don't see the typical beginning, middle, and end of a love story, which makes the film more funny and heartfelt.

6. The Wrestler - Directed by Darren Aronofsky

As the 2008 film season came to a close, the film that made me stand up and cheer, as well as cry, was The Wrestler. Mickey Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, an aging wrestler trying to adapt to the modern world, despite being stuck in the 1980s. The myth of Icarus is displayed with grace and blood by Rourke as well as Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood as the women in his life he tries to connect to. Aronofsky adds another notch to his belt of celebrated films with this intense character study that mirrors Scorsese's Raging Bull and Lindsay Anderson's This Sporting Life.

5. Mystic River - Directed by Clint Eastwood

Based on the best-selling novel by Dennis Lehane, Mystic River is a powerful and provocative look at the aging friendship of three men, who are connected to a traumatizing moment in their past and are reunited with the death of one of their children. Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon ignite the screen thanks to Eastwood lighting the fuse with his ominous cinematography and haunting music. The ensemble cast that includes Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney work like a string ensemble; you don't know who's playing next, but it each actors plays beautifully on screen.

4. The Hurt Locker - Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

This decade has delivered war films that have had no substance, or spark. I'm not talking about The Pianist, or Letters from Iwo Jima, I'm referring to the Iraq War films that don't add up to snuff (Lions for Lambs, The Kingdom, Redacted). After watching The Hurt Locker, I felt a sigh of relief mixed with war fatigue as I had just witnessed the greatest war film since Full Metal Jacket. The film follows an Army bomb squad led by Jeremy Renner as he, along with his platoon, teeter on the edge of the proverbial knife as they dismantle bombs around Baghdad and try to regain their sanity throughout their tours of duty. Kathryn Bigelow's intense eyes and Mark Boal's dark script cast aside the politics of the conflict in Iraq, it shows the daily routine of men trying to live and breathe another day.

3. Milk - Directed by Gus Van Sant

Sean Penn has always impressed me with any role he comes across; a mentally-challenged father in I Am Sam, A coke addicted lawyer opposite Al Pacino in Carlito's Way, and a criminal paying for his sins in Mystic River. His performance as Harvey Milk really takes the cake, and we all get a slice of it. Set in San Fransisco in the 1970s, Milk chronicles the life and death of camera shop owner and former Wall Street businessman, Harvey Milk, as he becomes America's first openly gay politician until his tragic death in 1978. The film is a beacon of hope for any oppressed minority; regardless of sexual orientation or skin color as Van Sant captures the spirit of the Seventies with a flamboyant eye that matches Dustin Lance Black's incredible script. Over thirty years after Milk's death, his life is preserved through this film like many other icons of the last century.

2. There Will Be Blood - Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

This haunting and powerful epic from 2007 revolves around greed, religion, violence, redemption, and father-son relationships. Daniel Day-Lewis gives an iconic performance as Daniel Plainview; an oil prospecter who redefines the word "greed" as he clashes with Paul Dano as the founder of a new religion during the turn of the century. Paul Thomas Anderson's intense and provocative eye focuses on this hell on earth that is Southern California circa 1900. Robert Elswit's haunting and stunning cinematography mixed with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood's score leaves you visually and aurally stunned. Plus, you leave the film with a strong appreciation for milkshakes.

1. The Departed - Directed by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese has reinvented the crime genre again and again from Mean Streets to Goodfellas. In 2006, he returned to the crime genre with his adaptation of the 2002 Chinese thriller, Infernal Affairs, blended with William Monahan's wild screenplay set against the backdrop of the South Boston Irish Mob. The result, one of Scorsese's best pictures throughout his 40 year career. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon play cat-and-mouse as they both infiltrate the Boston Special Crimes Unit and the Irish Mob led by Frank Costello, a devilishly fun and insane Jack Nicholson (Forget The Shining, this performance takes the cake).

Scorsese's panache for violence and Thelma Schoonmaker's fast-paced editing amounts to an homage of the crime classics of the 1930s (Scarface, Public Enemy, and Angels With Dirty Faces). Also thrown into the mix is Scorsese's eclectic soundtrack that adds another shot of adrenaline to the ears; Dropkick Murphys, The Rolling Stones (as usual), Badfinger, and Pink Floyd. Scorsese's eye is as sharp and meticulous as he sends the audience into the bowels of South Boston filled with rats and the dead. The crime genre may seem like an unusual choice for being the best film of the decade; sometimes, their merely cult films. But with Scorsese at the helm and a stunning ensemble cast giving the best performances of their careers, it is hard not to mention that the best film of the last ten years was The Departed.

I realize that I will be bombarded with questions like "Where was this film?" I tip my hat off to the following in my own little award categories.

Auteurs of the 00s:
Sofia Coppola, Jason Reitman, and Wes Anderson

Old Dogs With New Tricks:
The Coen Brothers, "A Serious Man"

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

There are very few films that have me in tears from beginning to end; Precious is one of those films. If you're still complaining about the economy and not being able to go on that holiday vacation, try taking a walk in Precious Jones' shoes. Set in Harlem in the late-Eighties, the film explores the life of Precious Jones, an illiterate, pregnant teenager trying to survive. Physically and emotionally battered by her deadbeat mother, raped by her father, and still in junior high, the sixteen-year old finds solace in her daydreams and at the alternative school she gets reassigned to. Intense and difficult to watch for the first hour, the film shows the bight side of life for a girl living in her own Hell.

Only his second film, Lee Daniels (Shadowboxer) is a marvel behind the camera. Not since Midnight Cowboy has anyone looked at desolation and dreams with such an unflinching eye and carry on a story that echoes the ominous passages of Hubert Selby Jr. One name that is sure to pop up during Oscar time is Gabourey Sidibe. A 26-year-old Psychology major with no experience behind the camera, Sidibe's raw and naked performance as Precious will leave you speechless. Take Joan Crawford, Ike Turner, and Frank Booth and roll it into one role and you have Mo'Nique giving a once-in-a-lifetime performance as Precious' psychotic mother. Mariah Carey not only can break the sound barrier, but give a stunning performance onscreen as Precious' social worker. Finally, the blood of Glitter can be wiped clean off her hands!

If I were to make a list of the best films of this year, Precious would definitely be up there. If you want to feel inspired and have hope, run (Don't Walk!) to Precious.

4 out of 4 stars: ****

Scorsese Recieves Cecil B. DeMille Award

It’s pretty early in the award season to place your bets on any winners, but there’s one person who is already a winner at the 2010 Golden Globes; Martin Scorsese. The Oscar-Award Winning auteur will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his 40 year contribution to the world of cinema. Ironically, Scorsese presented last year’s DeMille Award to Steven Spielberg. Scorsese has been honored twice for Best Director at the Golden Globes for Gangs of New York and The Departed, which earned him the Academy Award for directing.

I am a true Scorsese fan; watching his films always leaves me speechless and mesmerized. I remember seeing him finally receive the Oscar in 2007 and shouting with joy as if the Red Sox won the World Series. Now that I got that off my chest, I’m overjoyed that Scorsese is being honored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. A few months ago, I was eagerly waiting to see Scorsese’s new film, Shutter Island. Unfortunately, Paramount pushed the film back to February 2010. Needless to say, I was livid and my hopes of seeing the film and its filmmaker get nominated were dashed. After hearing today’s news, I exhaled a breath of relief.

In the Sixties, Scorsese channeled the French New Wave filmmakers, mixed with the grit of New York City, with Who's That Knocking at My Door ?, It’s Not Just You, Murray!, and The Big Shave. In 1973, Scorsese looked at the criminal underworld of Little Italy with Mean Streets. Stripping away the operatic structure of organized crime that made The Godfather a success, Scorsese’s tale of street thugs through the guerilla-styled filmmaking became a hit at the New York Film Festival. Scorsese raised the bar on the crime genre with GoodFellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, and The Departed.

Scorsese is synonymous within the world of music with his celebrated documentaries like The Last Waltz, Bob Dylan: No Direction Home, and Shine A Light. As a film historian and lover, he has made it a mission to preserve film and restore it to a new audience. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Scorsese premiered the restoration of Powell/Pressburger’s 1948 classic, The Red Shoes.

Forty years of film and many more, Scorsese rightly deserves the honor of being a recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award.