Blue Valentine

  I'm so glad that all these indie movies are playing at the bigger theaters. I know its because of the Oscar hype, but it gives a lot of my friends a chance to see movies they normally wouldn't. I guess the opportunity is always there with at least five independent movie theaters in the Boston area. But for some it wouldn't even occur to them that any of these movies are worth seeing. And to be honest, I enjoy the comfy seats, and large screens at the bigger cinemaplex.

"Blue Valentine" is a dark drama about a couple who have come to a point in their relationship where they are broken-hearted, empty shells going through the motions of life, doing what they must to survive in the same house. While Dean and Cindy go about their day, looking for their dog, fixing breakfast for their daughter, Frankie, and going to work, it seems they are living in separate worlds. Dean, hoping to go back to the time where he and his wife were still connected, makes plans for the two of them to spend the night at a sleazy theme hotel. It is there that the couple's exhausted emotions surface into a cold abyss of hurt feelings and resentment.

Throughout the night, as Dean tries to break away his wife's surface and force some type of intimacy between them and Cindy tries avoid Dean's touch, we are shown flashbacks of when the couple first met. The scenes are so beautiful and romantic that it makes the flash-forward that much more painful. How could they have lost so much in just a few years? It's like looking at a wedding photo album right after a divorce, which is exactly why I don't recommend seeing this film on a first date or if you're recovering from a break-up or divorce.

"Blue Valentine" is really amazing. It was real - not over dramatized. I loved their night in the "The Future Room."  It was so cold, like the inside of one of those 50's movie space crafts... everything tinted blue. The lighting reminded me of when the lights are turned on in a club.  After a night of drinking and sweating, things don't look so good anymore.  Well, there were no exceptions for these two beautiful young actors. It's nice to know they were willing to sacrifice vanity for good art. But this was just a small factor in the magnitude of the performances by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. I can't imagine how difficult some of these scenes would have been to film. They were difficult to watch.

I believe Michelle Williams and the writer/director, Derek Cianfrance, are both very worthy of Oscar nominations. However, I think there were bits of the dialogue that made me feel like it wasn't original enough to win for best screenplay.  As far as best actress and best director, well, I think the competition was just too tough this year. I don't think there have ever been so many best picture nominees in one year before. It should be an exciting show!

Winter's Bone

A young girl in search of her meth cooking deadbeat father is faced with some pretty tough obstacles at a pretty young age. Seventeen year old Ree must figure out how to save her home from foreclosure, feed her young siblings and track down her father in this dramatic mystery nior which takes place in the seedy sticks of the Ozark Mountain country in winter. When she discovers she'll lose her home if her father doesn't appear in court on drug distribution charges, Ree begins asking folks around town where she can find him. But things get tough when no one wants to talk. For a girl who feels so strongly about deserving the help she seeks, she sure doesn't get very far. And along the journey she learns that the obligations which have been handed to her by fait will mean a long term commitment. Winter's Bone is a sad story of social circumstance filled with wild characters true to the setting. These people continue to rely on hunting and fishing as its earliest settlers did. Country music, family and survival are all they live for. And they are surrounded by miles of dark, thick, invading woods. And out of these cold bitter woods are born cold-hearted bitter people.

I wasn't as crazy about this film as I was told I should be. Everything leading up to the climax was a little scary, however I felt the climax itself was intended for shock value. Have I just seen too many movies that I have been desensitized to the gruesome challenges of the hero? To be truthful, I think I simply didn't like the lead character. She was tough because of her situation, but not strong the way I would have liked her to be. She showed no real vulnerability, only demanding expectations. Ree was angry with her friend when she wouldn't lend her her husband's truck, but when the friend changed her mind, she replied something to the effect of, “I knew I could count on you, Sweetpea.” I suppose it was important to show how she learned to do what she needed to in order to survive. But that type of personality doesn't ask for a whole lot of sympathy, if you know what I mean. Overall, this was a pretty good movie, but not necessarily worth paying to see it in the theater.

The Kids Are All Right

There were a lot of good films this past year, and this was one of them. However, because there were so many really good films, I feel that this one will be forgotten by the next year, similar to some other films in its niche like “Lovely and Amazing,” “Junebug,” or “Savages.” These are all really good films with great performances. I might even go as far as to say they positively influence future filmmakers, a little. But they're not really profound or unforgettable. They're not the kind of films that someone would actually call their favorite. This story, like others in its category, found humor in everyday drama and tried to normalize the unconventional lifestyle, which is tiresome.

Now let me talk about what I loved about the film: Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. These women are beautiful, smart, and spirited, and they melded together perfectly. Their performance matched with the direction of the film made it seem these two women had known each other and loved each other for years. When Annette Bening's character, Nic, makes a discovery about her wife, every little emotion, expressed privately, is read with a look in her eye. Her pain has placed her inside a lonely bubble. Her ears have filled with silence and she's removed from her setting regardless of who surrounds her. This great little cinematic moment is thanks to great direction and great acting. And there are a few other moments like this one that made me appreciate the film and believe it is Oscar nomination worthy. Unfortunately, I think its competition is a little too tough this year to win best film. Not that this is what matters in the making of good movies, but I did title this little piece “Countdown to Oscars,” and so... there you have it!

Black Swan

Natalie Portman takes method acting to a whole new level in 2010's last minute Oscar push, "Black Swan". She's quite the actor, I must say. The role is brilliantly calculated, technical, psychological, primal and passionate, and Natalie unfolds and plucks out its layers one feather at a time. This is guaranteed to be one psychological thriller you have not seen before. And I wouldn't be surprised if horror fans welcome it into their favorite genre because what could be scarier than digging deep into your soul and pulling out something so strange and dark you're not sure who you are anymore?

Natalie Portman plays Nina, a ballerina who has dedicated her life to being just that, and finally wins the lead in an original interpretation of “Swan Lake.” Nina preforms the part of the white swan perfectly. However, as her teacher and another ballerina, Lily, help her get in touch with her darker side in order to preform the part of the black swan, Nina is torn apart. From the first scene when she seems to misinterpret her own reflection in the subway window, to a later scene when Lily doesn't seem to have the same memory of their night together, we are feeling pretty disturbed inside Nina's twisted sense of reality. With no help from her overbearing mother, played by Barbara Hershey, we see how perhaps trying too hard to play a role perfectly has some serious repercussions. It makes me wonder what Natalie went through to play this character... and this role within a role.

“Black Swan” was hands down my favorite film of 2010. I will never forget how I felt at the end of the last scene. I think some viewers might have a hard time with the film only because some viewers want something that makes them feel good rather than something that makes them feel nervous or icky. Its not a far cry from one of Darren Aronofsky's earlier films, “Requiem for a Dream.” If you'll remember, some of the scenes were so brilliantly shot, you actually felt you were in the moment. Its the reason we're so passionate about film, being able to experience things we normally wouldn't or couldn't. However, I loved this movie so much more, and I hope everyone will see it. I recommend seeing it with someone you love: you can discuss its meaning and the powerful performance by Natalie Portman over a cup of Jo as I did, and then you can give each other a hug so you wont have depressing dreams at night.