Actor Spotlight: King of New York

Two criminals are engaged in a drug deal with a Hispanic kingpin. They verify the cocaine’s potency, and even agree to a hike in the price. They nonchalantly hand him the payment. He opens the briefcase to discover dozens of Tampons. Perplexed, the boss exclaims, “What’s this?” One of the hoods, still smiling, replies, “It’s for the bullet holes, man.” Then they gun him and his bodyguards down.

Green Zone

Thanks to the success of The Hurt Locker, I had a lot of anticipation for the newest Iraq War film, Green Zone. The pedigree of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass didn’t hurt either, not to mention a four-star review from Roger Ebert. What I got was a much more preachy action film than I’m used to, and I’m still not sure how I totally feel about it.  Just go with me here.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Up in The Air

This is a tough time in America’s history. Recession means bankruptcy, and unemployment runs rampant as factories close and their roles are filled overseas. Unlike anyone else in the country, for Ryan Bingham, these are the glory days. His job is traveling to and fro between just about every city or town on the map, and giving loyal workers the professional boot. Many stories concern those who walk “the road less traveled”; Bingham takes that road, along with several thousand more. He doesn’t relish this task; he’s like the garbageman, only the garbage asks him how he sleeps at night. What he does relish is the act of flying itself, as he feels more at home in the airport terminal than the address on his driver’s license (which I suspect he doesn’t have or need). This is a one-of-a-kind character, in a one-of-a-kind movie. The movie is Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, and it’s one trip well worth undertaking.

1st Annual Lucifer Awards

The Devil’s Advocates present the first annual Lucifer Awards, celebrating what we believe to be the best of film in 2009. Here are the results:

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Where The Wild Things Are

What a magical movie this is. Hardly a surprise, considering the pedigree of the people involved (the director of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.), but it’s a rare things when a literary masterpiece the likes of this is adapted in such a way that nothing is dumbed down or cut through corners. Going above and beyond its source material, Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are is as fantastically entertaining as it is moody and emotionally draining, the results of the director’s unrelenting vision of a boy dealing with his inner demons in the company of some bigger ones.

Shutter Island

In Martin Scorsese’s new flick, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule arrive at Shutter Island, Massachusetts to investigate the disappearance of a patient at Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? Then you don’t know Scorsese. Adapted very faithfully from the novel by Boston crime aficionado Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams, is one part neo-noir, one part psychodrama, with an extra helping of suspense. It’s also chock-full of fantastic actors working very hard to up the creepiness factor in any way they can. All in all, I was very happy with Shutter Island and while it contains a flaw or two, it sustains the tension throughout the picture and keeps you guessing until the very end.

The Lucifers Nominations

Here at the Devil’s Advocates, I’ve been busy polling my fellow film critics to determine the very best of 2009. Many of them responded (one reviewer who shall remain nameless refrained out of protest over The Blind Side’s Oscar recognition), and I’ve compiled a list of the top choices for each of the eight major categories. By the end of the month, we will have voted again and decided on the winners of the first annual Lucifer Awards, or the Lucies for short. Here are the nominees:

Director Spotlight: 8 1/2

Many would say that the best stories are true stories. Therefore, some of the greatest films have been autobiographical in nature. 8 1/2 is one of these films, and is the brainchild of this month’s Director Spotlight, Federico Fellini. It follows an Italian film director who must deal with his various romantic entanglements while trying to decide on his next picture. Fellini himself was having director’s block before he developed this script; the title is because he had already directed six full-length films and three shorter ones (1/2 each), adding up to 7 1/2 before this one. It was clear from the get-go that this is a passion project unlike any of his others, and I dare anyone not to become thoroughly engrossed.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: A Serious Man

When attempting to categorize comedy, there are roughly three types that come to mind. One is the normal kind of comedy, full of ironic jokes and punch lines. Another is slapstick, overly dramatic falls to the ground and what-not. The third is black comedy, where the audience doesn’t laugh so much as wince at the misfortune that befalls those in the film. Joel and Ethan Coen have become the masters of such a realm (primarily for Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and most recently, Burn After Reading).

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Whip It

It’s tough to be original in Hollywood these days. Sure, you can occasionally find a unique idea or two, but if it’s too new, producers won’t want to back it. Instead, they’d prefer tried and true ideas that have proven themselves capable of making money. Whip It, the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore and starring Ellen Page, does not cover any new ground in the area of coming-of-age tales, except maybe the concept of roller derby as a means of belonging. Instead, it embraces the classics and reminds its audience of the ability to imbue oneself with initiative and pride and to fulfill anything one desires.

Actor Spotlight: Serpico

As a change of pace, we will begin 2010 and this year’s Spotlights focusing on an actor instead of a director, and to start us off is one of the greats from the New Hollywood era: Al Pacino. Now we all know his big break in the film industry (after the lead in The Panic in Needle Park, a warning against heroin addiction) was Coppola casting him in The Godfather over several more established actors such as Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. But it was 1973′s Serpico, directed by Sidney Lumet and with Pacino in the titular role, that proved he wasn’t a one-trick pony and could play a character outside of the criminal element.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Big Fan

Before you read this article, I want you to know that Big Fan is in no way a comedy. Forget the fact that the movie stars my favorite comedian for the last 5 years or so, Patton Oswalt, or that it was written/directed by Robert Siegel, the former editor-in-chief of The Onion. It is a dramatic character study, through and through. So instead, try to keep in mind that Oswalt has done serious work recently in Dollhouse and United States of Tara, and Siegel wrote The Wrestler last year, another film in the same vein of a sports movie without sappy messages. Also featuring Kevin Corrigan and Michael Rapaport, Big Fan paints a sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes frustrating, but always sincere portrait of a man so dominated by his love of football that even a personal trauma exacted by his hero may not be enough to set him free. But while it may not lift your heart, it will absolutely win you over with its inspired acting and passionate direction; believe me, this one is GOOD! 

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Moon

With the rise of CGI and its effect of making standard action movies huge blockbusters, there’s been a real lack in a favorite genre of mine: thought-provoking sci-fi. Some of my most treasured films fall into this category: The Matrix, Blade Runner and Minority Report. Finally, the industry has been blessed with another: Moon, starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Duncan Jones.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: 9

Animated films these days basically fall into one of two categories: Disney or Pixar films of high quality, and features made by other studios that are usually of much lower quality. The success of Pixar also helped propel CGI into wide production, which now has a slew of films to its credit that are despised by critics but still rake in plenty of dough to make a profit (including Bee Movie, TMNT, and Aliens in the Attic). Occasionally, an animated feature comes along by an outside studio that is both critically and commercially successful; among them are Shrek, Howl’s Moving Castle and Kung Fu Panda.

Up in the Air (Lil Devil)

This is a tough time in America’s history. Recession means bankruptcy, and unemployment runs rampant as factories close and their roles are filled overseas. Unlike anyone else in the country, for Ryan Bingham, these are the glory days. His job is traveling to and fro between just about every city or town on the map, and giving loyal workers the professional boot. Many stories concern those who walk “the road less traveled”; Bingham takes that road, along with several thousand more. He doesn’t relish this task; he’s like the garbageman, only the garbage asks him how he sleeps at night. What he does relish is the act of flying itself, as he feels more at home in the airport terminal than the address on his driver’s license (which I suspect he doesn’t have or need). This is a one-of-a-kind character, in a one-of-a-kind movie. The movie is Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, and it’s one trip well worth undertaking.

Awards and Award Season: Golden Globes 2009

Most people usually see the Golden Globes as the pre-cursors and foreshadowers of the Academy Awards, but there’s one big difference: Best Picture is divided into Drama and Musical/Comedy. This allows for a lot of variety, plus two winners in each of the biggest categories: Picture, Actor, and Actress. The Director, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor/Actress awards are lumped together, so it becomes a bit more prophetic of the Oscar race than the others (for example, the winners of Best Actor were Sean Penn (the eventual winner) and..ahem…Colin Farrell). This year’s three front-runners for Best Picture-Drama (and the coveted Best Picture Oscar) are Up in the Air (likely for Screenplay), The Hurt Locker (likely for Director, unless the “King of the World” has any say about it) and Precious (which is more actor-driven than production), with blockbusters Avatar and Inglourious Basterds weak competition. The Best Picture-Musical or Comedy section has the same variety: indie darling (see my piece on the Spirit Awards) vs. big-budget musical (the most viable candidate) vs. silly comedies (The Hangover? way to defy expectations, you snooty critics). Here’s the full list:
http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/

Awards and Award Season: Independent Spirit Awards 2009

Well, awards season is upon us again. Moviefone has been doing a non-stop onslaught of “The Race So Far” and “Oscar Buzz Goes To…”, and now the nominees for the Oscars of independent film have been announced: the Independent Spirit Awards. I greatly enjoy these awards, and this year is no exception. There are a ton of surprise choices on the ballot (Adventureland for Best Screenplay? Jemaine from “Flight of the Conchords” for Best Supporting Male? Paranormal Activity for Best First Feature???), but few of them stand to the juggernauts of this year’s festivals. (For the full list of nominees, check here:
http://spiritawards.com/nominees
)

Brothers (Lil Devil Review)

An Education (Lil Devil Review)

Sometimes, the simplest stories are the most effective. There doesn’t need to be any surprising plot twists or flashbacks-within-flashbacks; the key to a great movie (especially in the coming-of-age genre) is to just be as genuine and believable as possible. Thus is the case with An Education, a new British film directed by Danish-born Lone Scherfig and adapted by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity).  It’s a lovely period piece with an excellent newcomer in the lead, and a very strong supporting cast by her side. It’s the kind of movie where you have a strong feeling of knowing where it’s going, and yet you enjoy every mile on the road there.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Devil’s Advocate Review)

Mr. Fox (George Clooney) gave up his life of chicken-thievery when his wife (Meryl Streep) told him she was pregnant. Two years later (that’s twelve fox-years), he impulsively moves his family into the base of a tree bordering on the three meanest farmers around: Boggis, Bunce and Bean (Michael Gambon). He also starts stealing again, triggering a slowly mounting feud with the farmers that becomes the major crisis of the film. But equally important are the family dynamics present: Fox has become reckless, endangering those around him as he tries to relive the thrills of his past and causing a schism in his marriage. His son Ash (Jason Schwartzman), who wears a cape and has no athletic ability whatsoever, also has an ongoing rivalry with his visiting cousin Kristofferson, a “golden child” in terms of physical prowess but with a sadness that comes to those with a firm moral compass in an immoral environment.

Director’s Spotlight: Miracle at St. Anna

We end this month’s Director’s Spotlight on controversial director Spike Lee with his most recent picture, 2008′s Miracle at St. Anna. After viewing Clint Eastwood’s 2006 war pictures Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, Spike Lee stated at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival that Eastwood should have included black Marines in his movies. Eastwood responded that they were specifically about the Japanese soldiers and the Americans who raised the flag, that there were black soldiers at Iwo Jima but they were segregated and therefore not directly involved, and that Lee should “shut his face”. Lee countered that Eastwood was acting like an “angry old man” and that he should have included them anyway. Thus, Miracle at St. Anna was born.

The Men Who Stare At Goats (Devil’s Advocate)

In the 70′s and 80′s, the U.S. Army did research into the paranormal as part of a possible program to train psychic spies to beat the Ruskies. It was largely unsuccessful, but some elements did reach the American public, such as the use of the theme to Barney the Dinosaur in torture methods. This is the story of one man’s search for those behind this movement, and where they are now. At least, this is the premise of The Men Who Stare at Goats, directed by Grant Heslov and starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. It’s not the sharpest of comedies, especially when it attempts to satirize the war in Iraq, but when it utilizes its own absurdity and the deadpan seriousness of its performances, it definitely has its moments.

(300) Days of 2009: Our Oscar Picks So Far

The Oscars are upon us already! Just yesterday they announced the hosts, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. To get prepared for the upcoming season, I asked each member of the staff (if they could find the time, which is difficult these days) to make a list of their 5 favorite films so far and two picks each for the other major categories (although they didn’t have to use all the spots). Here are the full lists for those who were able to participate:

A Serious Man

When attempting to categorize comedy, there are roughly three types that come to mind. One is the normal kind of comedy, full of ironic jokes and punch lines. Another is slapstick, overly dramatic falls to the ground and what-not. The third is black comedy, where the audience doesn’t laugh so much as wince at the misfortune that befalls those in the film. Joel and Ethan Coen have become the masters of such a realm (primarily for Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and most recently, Burn After Reading).

Director’s Spotlight: Amistad

This month we are skipping along through the long and vivid career of Steven Spielberg. This time we come along to 1997′s historical courtroom epic Amistad, starring Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman and Djimon Hounsou. By this time, Steven had become one of the most popular directors in Hollywood, thanks to the success of Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Jurassic Park, and his last big film Schindler’s List, winning the Best Picture Oscar four years prior. He had taken some time off to be with his family and start his studio DreamWorks, and was finally ready to get back into the game. However, he wasn’t sure he was the man for the job, being Jewish instead of African-American and having felt awkward on this issue while directing The Color Purple. To fix this, Spielberg helmed The Lost World: Jurassic Park first to ease his comfort, then Amistad was released later in the year.

Big Fan

Before you read this article, I want you to know that Big Fan is in no way a comedy. Forget the fact that the movie stars my favorite comedian for the last 5 years or so, Patton Oswalt, or that it was written/directed by Robert Siegel, the former editor-in-chief of The Onion. It is a dramatic character study, through and through. So instead, try to keep in mind that Oswalt has done serious work recently in Dollhouse and United States of Tara, and Siegel wrote The Wrestler last year, another film in the same vein of a sports movie without sappy messages. Also featuring Kevin Corrigan and Michael Rapaport, Big Fan paints a sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes frustrating, but always sincere portrait of a man so dominated by his love of football that even a personal trauma exacted by his hero may not be enough to set him free. But while it may not lift your heart, it will absolutely win you over with its inspired acting and passionate direction; believe me, this one is GOOD!

Where the Wild Things Are

What a magical movie this is. Hardly a surprise, considering the pedigree of the people involved (the director of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.), but it’s a rare things when a literary masterpiece the likes of this is adapted in such a way that nothing is dumbed down or cut through corners. Going above and beyond its source material, Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are is as fantastically entertaining as it is moody and emotionally draining, the results of the director’s unrelenting vision of a boy dealing with his inner demons in the company of some bigger ones.

Whip It

It’s tough to be original in Hollywood these days. Sure, you can occasionally find a unique idea or two, but if it’s too new, producers won’t want to back it. Instead, they’d prefer tried and true ideas that have proven themselves capable of making money. Whip It, the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore and starring Ellen Page, does not cover any new ground in the area of coming-of-age tales, except maybe the concept of roller derby as a means of belonging. Instead, it embraces the classics and reminds its audience of the ability to imbue oneself with initiative and pride and to fulfill anything one desires.

Scream 4 or More? I’m a Little Screamed Out, But Thanks (A Mad As Hell Op-Ed Piece)

So the word is in. Scream 4 is officially in production, with Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette all officially signed on. Wes Craven is also in talks to direct; the whole gang is back on board! The whole gang minus, of course, my favorite actors in the series: Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber. They died in that order, and they were great characters who each added some subtle humor and charm to actors like Skeet Ulrich and Emily Mortimer who would belong more in a serious horror film. Don’t get me wrong, I think both of them are terrific actors (and I can’t say the same for some of the characters who have survived), but it stops being a spoof when you take yourself seriously.

9

Animated films these days basically fall into one of two categories: Disney or Pixar films of high quality, and features made by other studios that are usually of much lower quality. The success of Pixar also helped propel CGI into wide production, which now has a slew of films to its credit that are despised by critics but still rake in plenty of dough to make a profit (including Bee Movie, TMNT, and Aliens in the Attic). Occasionally, an animated feature comes along by an outside studio that is both critically and commercially successful; among them are Shrek, Howl’s Moving Castle and Kung Fu Panda.