Shrek Forever After (2010, U.S.)

I was kind of surprised how complicated this plot was for a family movie. Shrek is having a mid-life crisis (in itself a rather strange plot for a kid flick). He is constantly surrounded by his his wife, three children, best friend, and best friend's three children. It gets monotonous, and he misses being a real ogre. So he makes a deal with Rumplestilskin to go back to being a real ogre for today. In exchange, he gives Rumplestilskin one day of his past. Rumple is a tricky bugger and he takes the day Shrek was born. This somehow results in the King and Queen signing Far Far Away over to Rumple as well.

In the alternate universe, Fiona was never saved from the tower and she is the leader of an ogre resistance against Rumple. Rumple has a witch army, and they're pretty amusing, as is Rumple. (He has a business wig and an angry wig, for starters.) But the plot was convoluted and hard to follow, and the jokes were few and far between. It was okay, but not nearly as good as the first, second, or third Shreks. The score wasn't too bad, and it reused some themes from the earlier movies, which lent some continuity.

And then we wait for true love's kiss, yadda yadda. Eh. Perhaps it didn't help that I was crammed into a theater full of kids.

Rating: 3.0

Crazy Heart (2009, U.S.)

I went into this film knowing that it wasn't really my thing, but I decided to give it a try because it was critically acclaimed. Well, I will say that the two Oscars it won were probably earned. (I haven't seen all the competition, and something tells me that Morgan Freeman could have beaten Jeff Bridges.) I'm not a big country music fan, but I have to say all of the original songs were pretty good, and Jeff Bridges performed them exactly like a has-been, alcoholic country singer.

So those were two good elements. And I guess the story wasn't terrible, but the writing could have used some work. It was very slow paced, which wouldn't have been so bad except the characters just weren't that sympathetic. It wasn't the acting—it was the writing, Bridges and Gyllenhaal are both talented actors.

I don't know, it was just boring, boring, boring. Not as bad as The Hurt Locker, but still.

Rating: 2.0

The Young Victoria (2009, UK)

I feel like I use the same words a lot, but believe me when I say this film is indescribably beautiful.

To begin with, there were some incredible special effects done with the camera. My favorite was the servants setting up for the king's birthday dinner; as they laid glasses down this long table, the camera's focus shifted from glass to glass seamlessly. There was another scene with an attempted assassination of Victoria, and they zoom in on her mother's arm, where the hairs slowly raise on end at that moment. It was completely unnecessary to the story, but lovely.

The acting in this film was superb. Emily Blunt was perfect as a young and unsure but strong queen. She was so real and vibrant and full of life she practically left of the screen. (I was especially fond of the scene where she proposes to Albert.) Rupert Friend, as Prince Albert, was a perfect contrast. He was silent and steady, Victoria's rock. And between the two of them there was this kind of quiet chemistry. It's hard to explain, but it's almost like you can see their hearts touching and softly warming each other. That sounds incredibly cheesy, but I don't know how else to describe it. Their relationship brought this story alive, and I will never think of Victoria as an old dowager queen ever again.

And on the subject of actors, Jim Broadbent as King William. Wow. He is something else, that Jim Broadbent. I have no idea what King William was like in life, but I will never picture him any other way than the way Broadbent portrayed him. Jolly and kind. Perfect!

Artistically, the film was a visual delight. The costumes were well deserving of their Oscar. especially Victoria's coronation ball gown of gold and scarlet. I thought the settings looked pretty accurate for upper class Victorian England, but something tells me a lot of grime was missing.

I liked the choice at the end to mix shots of Victoria and Albert with end titles about what happened next, because it really emphasized how much they loved and relied upon each other. It suitably concluded the film and left a memorable impression of the ending, always a plus.

One last note on the score, which was heavy on the piano and fit the film perfectly. I'd also be willing to guess that it would stand on its own if you're looking for a soothing piano album.

I really liked this one, and I'd love to see it again. I'll also be on the lookout for more films featuring Emily Blunt.

Rating: 4.0

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009, U.S.)

Dr. Parnassus makes a deal with the devil for immortality, promising the devil his first-born child when he/she reaches 16. A thousand years later, when his daughter Valentina is reaching her 16th birthday, he makes another deal with the devil that he can get five souls first.

Dr. Parnassus has a very unique traveling show, where the audience gets invited behind a mirror where all their dearest dreams and worst nightmares, basically the products of their imagination, await. The land behind the mirror is something you'd have to see—or imagine—to believe. Major CGI work, definitely. Words cannot explain.

The traveling players meet a stranger (Tony) who proves to be a great help in the quest for five souls. When Tony and Valentina spark up a romance, their fellow performer Anton is jealous and suspicious... with good reason.

Of course the major topic of interest regarding this film is the performances of Heath Ledger and his three stand-ins. They did choose a good way to divide the roll. The Tony character takes three trips into the mirror, so they used the three stand-in actors for one trip each. It almost makes sense for Tony to take a different form in his imagination, if you try to force it in your brain. Depp, Farrell, and Law all did brilliantly with their five minutes of on-screen time. I feel like the sketchiest was Ledger. There were gems in his performance, but it was obvious that other parts were unfinished. It gave the film a disjointed feel, but because the plot was so out there anyway, it kind of worked.

It was really an interesting concept and execution, but to be honest I was a bit busy memorizing every part of Ledger's performance and trying to keep up with a confusing plot at once. I need a better viewing for a better review.

Rating: 3.5

The Lovely Bones (2009, U.S.)

The novel that this movie is based on is a beautiful examination of death and life grief as seen in the eyes of a young girl who is raped and murdered by her neighbor. It is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read, and some of the best parts of the film were the passages lifted directly from the novel.

It felt like they tried to cram a bit too much suspense into a story that was supposed to be more thoughtful. On the other hand, Saoirse Ronan is a great young actress (see Atonement for further proof) and played the dead girl with a very nuanced performance.

Peter Jackson's touch was obvious in Susie's CGI heaven. It was beautiful, with a forest in summer blending into mountains in winter, all with a slowly disintegrating gazebo in the center. (The gazebo is a duplicate of one in the mall where she was supposed to meet a boy on her first ever date.) From here, Susie watches her family and friends grieve and her murderer reliving his crime.

It could have been done better, but it was still quite good.

Rating: 3.5

Avatar (2009, U.S.)

This was possibly the most underwhelming movie of the year. (Okay, maybe not fair to this movie. The Hurt Locker was worse.) It was not the biggest epic of all time, as all the hype would have you believe. Something tells me that the main reason for the hype is that it looked amazing on the big screen in 3-D. I do think it deserved its Oscars for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects, but Best Picture nomination? I don't think so.

Avatar is like a combination of the Matrix and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. (Actually, Dances with Wolves might be a better example, since the soldier goes native.) Not a good combo. A bunch of Americans colonize an alien planet in order to get their hands on this valuable rock, but they don't even bother to say why this rock is so valuable. It seems like they were so focused on visuals that they ignored the need for a clear plot. In addition to that, the blue people seem to be a racist mix of Native- and African-Americans. Terrible.

I've always been a fan of James Horner, but this score seemed very recycled. Some of the music sounded reminiscent of Titanic, which I guess isn't a huge surprise. But then there was a repeated strain that sounded identical to one from Troy. I looked it up, and lo and behold, Horner composed that score too. Seems like the well of creativity is dry. Not that it wasn't good, it just didn't seem original.

Overall, this movie was just one big disappointment. Visually beautiful, at least!

Rating: 2.5

Food, Inc. (2008, U.S.)

What a great (though disturbing) documentary! I learned a lot. I kept a lot of notes of fascinating things I learned that I could share, but you just can't get the full effect if I rattle them off. Food, Inc. is a great documentary that looks into the world of the corporate controlled food industry

The one positive thing they showed was a farm in the Shenandoah Valley (near where I live). It is a beautiful farm with beautiful, grass-eating cows. The cows eat, fertilize, and harvest the grass. Other cows, which are raised in terrible conditions, are corn-fed, which requires altering diet and shipping in corn, hauling away manure, etc. Anyway the point is that this farm was beautiful and I wish I could get all my food there, because all the corporate meat plants and genetically modified seed businesses just make me sick.

I've never known many documentaries to have stellar scores, but this one was pretty great. The music was ominous in beef plants, slow and peaceful in the Shenandoah Valley (kind of like the Brokeback Mountain score), creepy (creeping music like a bad guy's coming, sort of) when they're talking about a surveillance team from a genetically modified soybean company persecuting farmers who save, clean, and reuse seeds.

As the Virginian farmer said, the food we eat may seem like cheap food, but it's expensive in terms of environmental, societal, and health costs. True and fascinating!

Rating: 4.0

Coco avant Chanel (2009, France)

A young girl and her sister and left in an orphanage by their father, who never comes back. They grow up, finding work as barmaids and seamstresses. She has an affair with a Baron, giving her entry into society and the opportunity to pursue her gift of designing hats. Then she falls in love with an English businessman, complicating her life further.

A good story, and supposedly based on the real life of Coco Chanel, who I know nothing about. Therefore, I'm unable to judge historical accuracy, which is probably a good thing for me.

Setting and costumes brought the period to life amazingly beautifully. (Definitely deserved the Best Costume nomination for the Oscars.) The writing, music, and everything else was great too. But even if it was awful, Audrey Tautou would have made it a winner. She is a beautiful, fragile, strong, talented actress. She was Coco Chanel.

The film ends right as Coco has gotten a toehold in the fashion world. The title Coco before Chanel is a fitting one. It's a bit unclear at the end how she manages to become so successful and how she deals with her personal tragedies. I loved the file shot of Coco sitting dispassionately, reflected infinitely in full-length mirrors, surrounded by models wearing her fashions. There's nothing like a movie with a memorable final shot. Good stuff.

Rating: 3.5

Inglourious Basterds (2009, U.S.)

What a bizarre film. A French Jewish girl whose family was murdered by Nazis grows up to own a theater where a group of the highest echelon of Nazis is going to the premier of a propaganda film. Meanwhile, a group of Jewish American soldiers is running around sniping Nazi officers. There's also a German actress spying for the Allies. All of these people bump together in a giant plot to assassinate the Nazi high command.

I guess the point here was to have an alternate history, and it was almost believable. However, I have never seen so much over-acting in my life. Again, this is probably what they were going for, but it was just hard to take these people seriously when they were caricatures of characters.

On the bright side, there was not an overwhelming, nauseating amount of violence, which you would expect from Tarantino.

Still, the best I can say for it was that it was okay.

Rating: 3.0

An Education (2009, UK)

In the 1960s, Jenny is a bright, pretty, young school girl whose father pushes her and pushes her to become a perfect candidate for Oxford. She is more interested in cultural things like music and art, and she wants to live in Paris. When she meets David, a man twice her age, he begins to introduce her to these things. Her parents don't see anything improper about it. If anything, her father pushes Jenny at David, thinking he will improve her chances at Oxford.

This film was really subtly done. It was easy to picture this happening in the 1960s, a much different time. It was very well written and performed. Carey Mulligan is a great young actress. She was excellent at portraying a young girl who was coming of age in the midst of a very awkward situation. Even at a tender age, she was more mature than her elders.

This was a very slow-paced, artsy sort of film. If it were a novel, you'd probably call it literary fiction. It probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it was well done.

Rating 3.5