Up in the Air

I would love to write a one word review of this movie. That review would look a lot like this: meh.

I sat and enjoyed this film while watching it. I left the theatre and immediately forgot why. The three leads did a great job and did indeed make it look easy. This film really didn't do anything wrong per se. I just find it hard to find many things that it did at all. The story is basic enough. George's character is happy in his life and likes his philosophy. Some women come along and make him feel some things. His life is shook around a bit. He reaches his ultimate goal and doesn't react the way he expected. He changes. That is the movie. Quite lovely and predictable. Some of the most beautiful moments were just shuffled around and moved passed too quickly to be enjoyed. I just feel like the film was a little too long and not quite as tight as it could have been. I don't really see how this movie is a contender in this year's 'Best Motion Picture' category. I certainly wouldn't call this a bad movie. There was just too little meat there for me. I did not really expect myself writing such a meh review of this highly reviewed film. I guess of all the other nominees this year, the one's that don't mean something important have at least really beautiful stories that make me love or hate life profoundly (for the most part). This movie didn't mean anything and didn't make me feel anything. If that is what it was going for, I guess it won. Maybe someday George will be a serious film that doesn't automatically get nominations just because he is a part of it.

Shutter Island

This film was simultaneously exactly what I predicted and nothing like what I expected. Somehow I got it in my head that this movie was meant to scare me silly. It didn't. The suspense was good and suspenseful, but not scary one bit. Which is a good thing. It is possible though to predict what this movie is actually about from the trailers. I do want you to go see this movie and enjoy it, so I will not give anything away. The film does a great job of telling this story. It is clear by the way the narrative is told, what might be happening though. That is all I will say. There are still plenty of twists and interesting moments that one wouldn't predict. Those I liked.

Let's talk acting. Leo was superb, as always. He gives a very intense performance. It is very visceral and quite believable that this such man would behave in this such way in these such circumstances. This was certainly my fave role for Mark Ruffalo. He was pretty solid in 'The Brothers Bloom,' but he nailed this character quite well. Sir Ben was Sir Ben. There certainly was not an actor out of place. That is something that one can expect from Mr. Scorsese. The strongest performance, by far, was played by the most persistent bandage every made. I'm serious, this thing could not have been man-made. It held its own alongside Leo with great strength. You will never find a bandage that can withstand what this had to in real life, I can tell you that much. It was never given too much attention, but it was always there. Brilliant.

Martin did some very interesting things with reality and movie magic. I enjoyed the smoke entering the cigarette in one scene, and the magical glass of water in another. If you see this film, please pay attention to this glass of water. I would like to be sure I was not the crazy one when I saw the lady patient drink from an invisible glass and then set it down empty only for it to refill itself immediately. I have no idea how I am supposed to interpret this image. I cannot believe that it was a mistake. It must have meant something. There were other images like this. Maybe I am looking too closely.

I really enjoyed this movie. The suspense was fun and the acting was tops. There were some fantastical bits of unbelievability and hamming, but I suppose if I analyzed them more closely, I could explain them away with what I know now. Also, someday I will learn to always expect Nazis when I don't expect them at all.

A Single Man

It has been ages and ages since my last post. I have certainly seen dozens of films since October and most have been worthy of posts, but none have inspired me to break the writing rut like Tom Ford's 'A Single Man.' Be warned, this post contains SPOILERS. For a beautiful, spoiler-free, piece on this film check out: http://feast4thought.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/movie-a-single-man Please read that, go see the film, and then read on.

I can't decide what to do with this movie. It was beautiful and stunning. It made my heart race and sing. Colin Firth was brilliant and his supporting cast played quite perfectly. Tom Ford made some very interesting decisions with close-ups, color changes, flashbacks, and silence. The construction of the film and the acting that went into it were certainly elements that made it quite a cinematic treat. The uneasy feeling I am left with comes from the story. I find myself extremely unsure how I am supposed to deal with George's death in the last scene of the film. Early we are introduced to the possibility that this man means to kill himself on this day. The film drags us along his day preparing for his own end. We sit back and watch and hope that these glimpses of color and life will bring George back from the ledge and he will truly be able to survive the passing of his lover. We journey through this day and finally reach the moment we have been hoping for in the last scene only to immediately suffer with George a tragic heart attack. I felt robbed.

This film is so full of beauty and depth that there is way more to say than I have words for, but I felt compelled to share my pain. I loved the movie, but I can't help but feel very confused at my own emotions. Maybe someday I will understand exactly what I am supposed to feel...