Part 3/3 of my Annual "Denny Awards" ;-)
(Other Years' Awards)
Part I - Best Films
Part II - Most Compelling Performances / Character Roles (Male)
Part III - Most Compelling Performances / Character Roles (Female)
CHILD (female)
Winners:
Quvenzhané Wallis (P) as the 4 year old girl named Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild [2012] (PG-13 - 3 Stars)
Sarah Silverman (V/CR) as Vanellope the cute-as-a-button tween-girl race car driver in Wreck-It Ralph [2012] (PG / A-II - 4 Stars) who all the other tween-girl race car drivers in her video game call "nothing but a glitch." ;-)
Honorable Mentions:
Jodelle Ferland (V/CR) as Aggie as the little girl burned at the stake as a witch 300 years back, who now has to be "appeased" (read a bedtime story) each year in ParaNorman [2012] ( PG - 3 Stars)
Kelly Macdonald (V/CR) as the little girl Merida who'd like to change/be more in control of her destiny in Brave [2012] (PG / A-II - 4 Stars)
Megan Charpentier (P) / Ave Merson-O'Brian (V/CR) as "the Red Queen" the avatar of the Omnipotent / Artificially Intelligent (but really, really "insecure" 10-year-old) supercomputer in Resident Evil - Retribution [2012] (R / L - 2 Stars).
TEEN (female)
Winner:
Kristen Stewart (P/CR) as the "somewhat klutzy" but ultimately "grounded" Bella who finds the most spectacular life (amidst entire hidden subcultures of "vampires" and "werewolves") even out in the "dreary backwoods of Washington State" in Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars).
Honorable Mentions:
Dulce Maria [IMDb] (CR) as the flighty but life-affirming/miracle working "Lupita" in this IMHO remarkable Mexican contemporary youth oriented take on, yes, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Have you seen Lupita? (orig. ¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?) [2012] (UR would be PG-13/R - Mexico/subtitle 4 Stars)
Anjela Nedyalkova as the Bulgarian teenager Avé who runs away from her dreary home in search of a happier life in Avé [2011] (UR would be R - Bulgaria/subtitled - 4 Stars)
Chloe Grace Moretz (P) as 13 year old Luli McMullen who runs away from her deeply dysfunctional Nebraska home in Hick [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars)
Cierra Ramirez (P) as the teenager named Ansiedad and Raini Rodriquez (P) playing Tativa her best friend in Girl in Progress [2012] (PG-13 - 3 Stars), who seeing little but pain in growing-up just wanted to do so as fast as possible.
Jennifer Lawrence (CR) as the heroine Katniss Everdeen in the teenage dysopian/post-Apocalyptic drama Hunger Games [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 2 1/2 Stars)
Jennifer Lawrence (CR) the still optimistic/idealistic teenager Elissa who sees in the troubled boy-next-door in her new neighborhood as "someone who can be fixed" while mom just sees trouble in House at the End of the Street [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars)
YOUNG ADULT (female)
Winners:
Greta Gerwig (P) as the 20-something grad-student Lola who gets dumped by her similarly aged fiance' three weeks before their wedding in Lola Versus [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars). What now?
Dreama Walker (P) as the utterly "average" fast-food establishment worker Becky in Compliance [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars). Becky's manager gets a phone call from someone introducing himself as a police officer telling her that someone who fits Becky's description had stolen something from a patron a half an hour earlier and asks the manager to investigate. Based on a true story, wow, what a nightmare. Young people PLEASE DEFEND YOURSELVES / KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
Honorable Mentions:
Greta Gerwig (P) and Analeigh Tipton (P) as the leader and the "black-sheep" of a wonderfully "earnest" group of four young women attending a "small liberal arts college" somewhere "out East" in Damsels in Distress [2011] ( PG-13 but should be R - 4 Stars) who were in no way "in distress." Indeed, they were the heart and soul of their school ;-). Honestly, just a lovely, lovely college movie ;-).
Olga Bołądź [IMDb] [FW.pl] (P) as Agata Mróz
the Polish national volleyball star who found herself in a nearly
impossible situation - both pregnant and diagnosed with having cancer
and had to decide what to do in Lose to Win (orig. Nad Życie) [2011] (UR would be R - Poland (subtitled) - 4 Stars).
Kisha Burgos (P) as Solimar a sad and troubled young Hispanic woman, whose name means "sun and sea" but whose horizons are limited by circumstance to the snow/ice covered streets between her home in a tenement building in the Bronx and the nail salon where she works a few blocks away in Under My Nails [2011] (UR would be R - 3 1/2 Stars).
Neelofar Hamid (P) as Asifa a young Kashmiri graduate student who returns to her native land to do some "water quality research" (in the midst of the civil strife going on) in the Valley of Saints [2012] (UR would be PG-13 - subtitled - 4 Stars) and who finds herself becoming friends with a young water-taxi pilot who's her age who helps her take her samples.
Katrina Kaif (P) as the Christian London-based Indian expat Meera whose prayers always involved "hard negotiations/bargains" with God and Anushka Sharma (P) as the enterprising "Discovery Channel intern" Akira Rai who "discovers a love story" that she simply has to investigate/bring to the world in Jab Tak Hai Jaan [2012] (UR would be PG-13 - Hindi (subtitled) - 4 Stars), the last film of legendary Bollywood director Yash Chopra [IMDb] who died soon after the film's release.
Anna Margaret Hollyman (P) as Sarah Sparks in Small, Beautifully Moving Parts [2012] (UR would be R - 3 Stars) a late-20 something young woman living in New York who freely admits that she relates better to technology than to people.
Leighton Meester
(P) as the "wayward" mid-20-something daughter Nina who at the
insistence of her parents comes back home "for Thanksgiving" one year
and, ever smiling, effortlessly wrecks
(smashes/destroys/breaks-in-two...) the marriage/family of her mother's
best friends causing havoc to her own folks in The Oranges (R - 3 Stars). Yes, young people you could probably do this but honestly please don't. :-/
Elizabeth Olsen (P) as the bright-eyed/optimistic 19 year old college lit-major "Zippy" who, bored with the guys her age, briefly falls for an older, 35 year old, former lit-major (now working in a random New York publishing house) in Liberal Arts [2012] (UR would be PG-13/R - 3 Stars). I "get" the story and thought Olsen's character was just great, but I am happy that both "nothing happened" and that she was able to quite rapidly and happily "move on." ;-)
Samantha Barks (P) as Eponine in Les Miserables (musical) [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars). Yes, her parents, the Thenardiers, were really terrible people, but Eponine was a kind young person nonetheless.
Anna Kendrick (P) in the relatively small but perfectly executed role of Janet, the girl-friend/fiance' of Jake Gyllenhaal's character, LAPD officer Brian Taylor, in End of Watch [2012] ( R / O - 4 Stars). I've actually married couples like Janet/Brian ;-).
Katherine Heigl (P) at "the other" (older) edge of young-adulthood ;-) introduced as the early 30-something, recently divorced and out-of-work Stephanie Plum in One for the Money [2012] (R / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars) who crashes at her parents' home in working-class Trenton, NJ and begins to rebuild her life taking a job working for a cousin, Vinny of course, at his bail-bondsman shop. Much, much ensues ... ;-)
ADULT (female)
Winner:
Jessica Chastain (P) as the CIA operative Maya who found/"got" Bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty [2012] (R / L - 4 Stars)
Honorable Mentions:
Eva Mendez (P) as Altagracia, a single mother who both "never grew up" and never really had a childhood in Girl in Progress [2012] (PG-13 - 3 Stars)
Leila Hatami (P) as Leila in Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] (UR would be PG-13 - Iran/Subtitled - 3 1/2 Stars) as the quiet 40-something nurse preparing to get married and trying to get her husband-to-be to "just quit smoking."
Elizabeth Shue (P) as Sarah, a divorced mother who's had therefore some life experience but has had some trouble all her life in asserting herself in House at the End of the Street [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars).
Scarlett Johannson (P) as the actress Janet Leigh in Hitchcock [2012] (R - 2 1/2 Stars)
Anne Hathaway (P) as Fantine, the young widow who had to sell her hair and then herself to support her daughter Cosette in Les Miserables (musical) [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars)
Nicole Kidman (P) as Charlotte Bless a woman who's both had some life experience and yet continues to choose truly the worst possible men to go for in The Paper Boy [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars).
Patricia Arquette (P) as Mrs Armstrong the teacher in Girl in Progress [2012] (PG-13 - 3 Stars) who repeatedly finds that one of her students, Hispanic, though born here and fluent in English repeatedly misunderstands the intent of her lesson plans with increasingly dangerous results.
Naomi Watts (P) as Maria the mother in the film The Impossible [2012] (R - 4 Stars) who both needs to help (and to be helped) by her 10 year old son in the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand.
Abigail Spencer (P) as Brenda, mother with two kids and married to a roofer/surfer, who was the only real adult (and respected as such) in Chasing Mavericks [2012] (PG / A-II - 2 1/2 Stars).
Marisa Tomei (P) as Alice the grown but still somewhat resentful daughter now with her own husband and family in Parental Guidance [2012] (PG / A-I - 3 Stars).
ELDER (female)
Winner:
The elder women, both Christian and Muslim, of a small mountain village in Lebanon in the film Where do we go now? (orig. Et maintenant on va où?) [2011] (PG-13 - Lebanon / subtitled - 4 Stars) who with the blessing of both local priest and imam conspire to prevent their husbands and sons from starting to kill each other again.
Honorable Mentions:
Besedka Johnson (P) the elderly widow named Sadie who befriends an amiable if aimless young woman even if she suspects that she is a hooker of some sort in Starlet [2012] (UR would be R - 3 Stars).
Judi Dench (P) as the motherly "M" head of MI-6 in the James Bond film Skyfall [2007] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars).
Bette Midler (P) as the grandma, who understands both her husband and her grown daughter and is able to bring them to a reconciliation in Parental Guidance [2012] (PG / A-I - 3 Stars).
Barbara Straisand (P) as The Guilt Trip [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars) as the ma' who'll always love you but is not to be underestimated. She's both had a life and knows/can piece together more about you than you'd think (but still loves you anyway ...).
HERO / VILLAIN (female)
Winner:
Kate Beckinsale (P) as Selene, a futuristic "vampire," lurking ever in the dark / sewers dressed in a black rubber suit and armed with 2 AK-47s and a seemingly infinite supply of silver bullets "wasting" untold numbers of "lychens" (basically werewolves) in Underworld: Awakening [2012] (R / A-III - 1 1/2 Stars). Selene is probably the clearest expression of the "Jungian Anima out to play" in cinema today. She is one scary but compelling character, honestly more interesting than either Silvester Stalone or Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Honorable Mentions:
Anne Hatheway (P) as Cat Woman in Dark Knight Rises [2012] (PG-13 - 1 Star) again really, really sexy but definitely her own woman. You'd be pretty stupid to just blindly trust her ;-)
Greta Gerwig (P) as the ever optimistic Violet who conquers by sheer force of Will and "Earnestness" in Damsels in Distress [2011] ( PG-13 but should be R - 4 Stars). Honestly, if you're scared by Kate Beckinsale's character above, Greta Gerwig's character here is fascinating (and kinder) as well.
Leighton Meester
(P) as the ever-smiling but homewrecking Nina from The Oranges (R - 3 Stars). Again, there is power there, but power that really (I'm not kidding) "ought not to be used."
Kristen Stewart
(P/CR) the simple/awkward teen from "nowhere's ville" who nonetheless chooses very, very well Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars).
Kelly Macdonald (V/CR) as the little girl Merida who'd like to change/ her destiny yet softens (grows) during the course of Brave [2012] (PG / A-II - 4 Stars)
Sarah Silverman (V/CR) as Vanellope the cute-as-a-button tween-girl race car driver but called "a glitch" by the other tween-girl race car drivers in Wreck-It Ralph [2012] (PG / A-II - 4 Stars).
Jane Lynch (V/CR) as Sgt Calhoun, one tough woman but "with the saddest back-story in all video-gaming world" in Wreck-It Ralph [2012] (PG / A-II - 4 Stars).
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Reviews of current films written by Fr. Dennis Zdenek Kriz, OSM of St. Philip Benizi Parish, Fullerton, CA
Thursday, January 17, 2013
2012 Denny Awards - Part 2 - Most Compelling Performances (Male)
Part 2/3 of my Annual "Denny Awards" ;-)
(Other Years' Awards)
Part I - Best Films
Part II - Most Compelling Performances / Character Roles (Male)
Part III - Most Compelling Performances / Character Roles (Female)
CHILD (male)
Winner:
Tom Holland (P) as the 10 year old Lucas in The Impossible [2012] (R - 4 Stars) who has to take care of his mother following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
Honorable Mentions:
Charlie Tahan (V/P) and Atticus Shaffer (V/P) as young Victor Frankenstein and Edgar E. Gore in Frankenweenie [2012] (PG / A-I - 3 1/2 Stars).
Kodi Smit-McPhee (V/CR) as Norman and Tucker Albrizzi (V/P) his friend Niel in ParaNorman [2012] ( PG - 3 Stars)
Daniel Huttlestone (P) as the little boy Gavroche who gets killed in Les Miserables (musical) [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars)
TEEN (male)
Winners:
Logan Lerman (P) as Charlie and Ezra Miller (P) as Patrick in the teenage high school drama The Perks of Being a Wall Flower [2012] (PG-13 - 4 Stars). Along with Patrick's step-sister Sam (played by Emma Watson) the three prove the value of friendship in those high school years..
Honorable Mentions:
Dane DeHaan (P), Alex Russell (P) and Michael B. Jordan (P) as the three friends Andrew, Matt and Steve in the more sci-fi-y teenage high school drama Chronicle [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars). Sometimes even "super powers" can't compensate for a tough life in a troubled home.
Taylor Lautner (P) as Jacob Black in Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars). Jacob didn't get the girl in the story but from what I can gather from watching these films in the theaters, he definitely has an adoring fan base of his own ;-).
YOUNG ADULT (male)
Winner:
Zac Efron (P) in the film's title role as a directionless young man who at the beginning of the film had to return home to his parents in 1960s Florida after being expelled from college for some unclear offense in The Paper Boy [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars).
Honorable Mentions:
Karan Soni (P) as the talented but somewhat nerdy college student Arnou who needed to be reminded that he's "not going to be 21 forever" in Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars).
Robert Pattison of "Twilight Saga" fame as a young "corporate vampire" who spends most of his time riding in the back of coffin-like limo while making decisions that "effect millions" in Cosmopolis [2012] (R - 4 Stars).
Wojciech Zielinski [IMDb][FPL][ENG-trans] (P) as Michal who almost "made it" in today's Poland and Tomasz Schuchardt [IMDb][FPL][ENG trans] (P) as his childhood best friend Janek who has to watch him crash in The Christening (orig. Chrzest) [2010] (UR would be R - Poland / subtitled - 3 1/2 Stars)
Bradley Cooper as a struggling young writer who finally got his break by cheating in The Words [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 4 Stars). He comes to regret it, but how to fix things now?
Muhammad Afzal (P) as the 20-something Afzal, a humble water taxi operator in the Kashmir but with many deep thoughts in his mind Valley of Saints [2012] (UR would be PG-13 - subtitled - 4 Stars.
Ovanes Torosian (P) as a young Bulgarian college student traveling to his best friend's funeral in Avé [2011] (UR would be R - Bulgaria/subtitled - 4 Stars) with many questions about what life is all about.
Onur Tukel (P) as the somewhat irreverent (and unemployed) young man living in New York nicknamed "Tuna" heading to his best friend's wedding in Richard's Wedding [2012] (UR would be R - 3 Stars)
Paul Dano as a young writer who's both lonely and suffering from writer's block in Ruby Sparks [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars). Finally, he gets inspired in his writing (about a woman, literally "of his dreams") and BOOM she appears. But now even if she is truly "his creation" wouldn't she be happier/better off if he let her be free?
Jake Johnson (P) at the far end of "young adulthood", this 30-something journalist takes two rudderless interns under his wing in Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars)
ADULT (male/unattached/no kids)
Winners:
Daniel Craig (P) as Agent 007 James Bond in Skyfall [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars). Can there really be anybody else? Well, maybe ... ;-)
Liam Neeson (P) as the rifleman Ottway, stranded with seven others in the wilds of Alaska in The Grey [2012] (R/L - 3 1/2 Stars. Honestly, given the recent tragedies in Neeson's life perhaps, his current "Answer to Job."
Honorable Mentions:
Denzel Washington (P) as veteran airline pilot "Whip" Whitaker in Flight [2012] (R / O - 3 1/2 Stars) in a great Parable about someone who is both very talented and a mess. Can even a "Miracle Worker" be Saved if he doesn't deal with his Demons first?
Adel Yaraghi (P) as Adel, an amiable 40-something Iranian "ad exec" living in Tehran and getting married for the first time who doesn't understand why Leila, his fiancee' would be so insistent on him "quitting smoking" in Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] (UR would be PG-13 - Iran/Subtitled - 3 1/2 Stars)
Tyler Perry (P) as Wesley Deeds, a good son, and a future good husband, who uses his position as a wealthy man to help young mother who comes into his life who is in need in Tyler Perry's Good Deeds [2012] (PG-13 - 3 1/2 Stars). His involvement changes his life but changes it for the better allowing him to become "Good' Deeds.
ADULT (male/married/parent)
Winner:
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, two cops, one single later engaged, the other married with a family in End of Watch [2012] ( R / O - 4 Stars). In a parish with some 100 families of police officers, I can attest, their dialogue is authentic ;-).
Honorable Mentions:
Liam Neeson (P) as the tough guy Brian Mills, a former CIA assassin trying to work his way back into his estranged family in Taken 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars). Okay, he was rarely "there" for his wife and daughter in the past, but did they have any @$%# idea what he went through to "put dinner on their table?" ;-)
Hugh Jackman (P) as Jean Valjean, himself saved by a kindly grandfatherly Bishop, serving as the good adoptive father to Cossette in Les Miserables (musical) [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars)
ELDER (male)
Winner:
Jonithen Jackson (P) as Jacob the grandfatherly patriarch of a family of Marshall Islanders who he had in good part moved from the Marshall Islands to the Big Island of Hawaii during his lifetime in The Land of Eb [2012] (UR would be PG-13 - 3 Stars). Now Jacob was dying (of cancer) and has to come to terms with the fact that he's not going to be able to finish the various projects that he's started.
Honorable Mentions:
Ian McCellen (P) as the Grand Wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] (PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars) who calls the reluctant hobbit Bilbo Baggins on "an Adventure."
Frank Langella (P) as Frank in Robot & Frank [2012] ( PG-13 / 3 1/2 Stars). Okay, he wasn't the best of fathers. Indeed, he spent most of his adult life in jail. Now he's "out" but he's old and alone and his kids live far away. At least his son though bought him "a robot" to take care of him... ;-).
Billy Crystal (P) as Arty in Parental Guidance [2012] (PG / A-I - 3 Stars). During most of his adult life, Arty "ruled" his family. A radio announcer, Arty had dreamed of becoming the "voice" of his beloved (first New York then San Francisco) Giants. Now near the end of his life, even he realizes that this isn't going to happen. But what of his relationships wife, who did not mind traveling around the country as Arty pursued his dream, and now adult daughter with a family of her own, who did?
HERO / VILLAIN (male)
Winner:
Chris Evans (P) as Captain America and Robert Downey, Jr (P) as Tony Stark in The Avengers [2012] ( PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars) two great visions of "America" (The United States) personified.
Honorable Mentions:
Javier Bardem (P) as the Julian Assange-like character Silva in Skyfall [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars)
Liam Neeson (P) as former CIA assassin Brian Mills just trying trying to be accepted by his wife and daughter again in Taken 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars).
Daniel Craig (P) as Agent 007 James Bond in Skyfall [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars)
Ian McCellen (P) as the Grand Wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] (PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars).
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(Other Years' Awards)
Part I - Best Films
Part II - Most Compelling Performances / Character Roles (Male)
Part III - Most Compelling Performances / Character Roles (Female)
CHILD (male)
Winner:
Tom Holland (P) as the 10 year old Lucas in The Impossible [2012] (R - 4 Stars) who has to take care of his mother following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
Honorable Mentions:
Charlie Tahan (V/P) and Atticus Shaffer (V/P) as young Victor Frankenstein and Edgar E. Gore in Frankenweenie [2012] (PG / A-I - 3 1/2 Stars).
Kodi Smit-McPhee (V/CR) as Norman and Tucker Albrizzi (V/P) his friend Niel in ParaNorman [2012] ( PG - 3 Stars)
Daniel Huttlestone (P) as the little boy Gavroche who gets killed in Les Miserables (musical) [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars)
TEEN (male)
Winners:
Logan Lerman (P) as Charlie and Ezra Miller (P) as Patrick in the teenage high school drama The Perks of Being a Wall Flower [2012] (PG-13 - 4 Stars). Along with Patrick's step-sister Sam (played by Emma Watson) the three prove the value of friendship in those high school years..
Honorable Mentions:
Dane DeHaan (P), Alex Russell (P) and Michael B. Jordan (P) as the three friends Andrew, Matt and Steve in the more sci-fi-y teenage high school drama Chronicle [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars). Sometimes even "super powers" can't compensate for a tough life in a troubled home.
Taylor Lautner (P) as Jacob Black in Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars). Jacob didn't get the girl in the story but from what I can gather from watching these films in the theaters, he definitely has an adoring fan base of his own ;-).
YOUNG ADULT (male)
Winner:
Zac Efron (P) in the film's title role as a directionless young man who at the beginning of the film had to return home to his parents in 1960s Florida after being expelled from college for some unclear offense in The Paper Boy [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars).
Honorable Mentions:
Karan Soni (P) as the talented but somewhat nerdy college student Arnou who needed to be reminded that he's "not going to be 21 forever" in Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars).
Robert Pattison of "Twilight Saga" fame as a young "corporate vampire" who spends most of his time riding in the back of coffin-like limo while making decisions that "effect millions" in Cosmopolis [2012] (R - 4 Stars).
Wojciech Zielinski [IMDb][FPL][ENG-trans] (P) as Michal who almost "made it" in today's Poland and Tomasz Schuchardt [IMDb][FPL][ENG trans] (P) as his childhood best friend Janek who has to watch him crash in The Christening (orig. Chrzest) [2010] (UR would be R - Poland / subtitled - 3 1/2 Stars)
Bradley Cooper as a struggling young writer who finally got his break by cheating in The Words [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 4 Stars). He comes to regret it, but how to fix things now?
Muhammad Afzal (P) as the 20-something Afzal, a humble water taxi operator in the Kashmir but with many deep thoughts in his mind Valley of Saints [2012] (UR would be PG-13 - subtitled - 4 Stars.
Ovanes Torosian (P) as a young Bulgarian college student traveling to his best friend's funeral in Avé [2011] (UR would be R - Bulgaria/subtitled - 4 Stars) with many questions about what life is all about.
Onur Tukel (P) as the somewhat irreverent (and unemployed) young man living in New York nicknamed "Tuna" heading to his best friend's wedding in Richard's Wedding [2012] (UR would be R - 3 Stars)
Paul Dano as a young writer who's both lonely and suffering from writer's block in Ruby Sparks [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars). Finally, he gets inspired in his writing (about a woman, literally "of his dreams") and BOOM she appears. But now even if she is truly "his creation" wouldn't she be happier/better off if he let her be free?
Jake Johnson (P) at the far end of "young adulthood", this 30-something journalist takes two rudderless interns under his wing in Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] (R - 3 1/2 Stars)
ADULT (male/unattached/no kids)
Winners:
Daniel Craig (P) as Agent 007 James Bond in Skyfall [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars). Can there really be anybody else? Well, maybe ... ;-)
Liam Neeson (P) as the rifleman Ottway, stranded with seven others in the wilds of Alaska in The Grey [2012] (R/L - 3 1/2 Stars. Honestly, given the recent tragedies in Neeson's life perhaps, his current "Answer to Job."
Honorable Mentions:
Denzel Washington (P) as veteran airline pilot "Whip" Whitaker in Flight [2012] (R / O - 3 1/2 Stars) in a great Parable about someone who is both very talented and a mess. Can even a "Miracle Worker" be Saved if he doesn't deal with his Demons first?
Adel Yaraghi (P) as Adel, an amiable 40-something Iranian "ad exec" living in Tehran and getting married for the first time who doesn't understand why Leila, his fiancee' would be so insistent on him "quitting smoking" in Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] (UR would be PG-13 - Iran/Subtitled - 3 1/2 Stars)
Tyler Perry (P) as Wesley Deeds, a good son, and a future good husband, who uses his position as a wealthy man to help young mother who comes into his life who is in need in Tyler Perry's Good Deeds [2012] (PG-13 - 3 1/2 Stars). His involvement changes his life but changes it for the better allowing him to become "Good' Deeds.
ADULT (male/married/parent)
Winner:
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, two cops, one single later engaged, the other married with a family in End of Watch [2012] ( R / O - 4 Stars). In a parish with some 100 families of police officers, I can attest, their dialogue is authentic ;-).
Honorable Mentions:
Liam Neeson (P) as the tough guy Brian Mills, a former CIA assassin trying to work his way back into his estranged family in Taken 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars). Okay, he was rarely "there" for his wife and daughter in the past, but did they have any @$%# idea what he went through to "put dinner on their table?" ;-)
Hugh Jackman (P) as Jean Valjean, himself saved by a kindly grandfatherly Bishop, serving as the good adoptive father to Cossette in Les Miserables (musical) [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars)
ELDER (male)
Winner:
Jonithen Jackson (P) as Jacob the grandfatherly patriarch of a family of Marshall Islanders who he had in good part moved from the Marshall Islands to the Big Island of Hawaii during his lifetime in The Land of Eb [2012] (UR would be PG-13 - 3 Stars). Now Jacob was dying (of cancer) and has to come to terms with the fact that he's not going to be able to finish the various projects that he's started.
Honorable Mentions:
Ian McCellen (P) as the Grand Wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] (PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars) who calls the reluctant hobbit Bilbo Baggins on "an Adventure."
Frank Langella (P) as Frank in Robot & Frank [2012] ( PG-13 / 3 1/2 Stars). Okay, he wasn't the best of fathers. Indeed, he spent most of his adult life in jail. Now he's "out" but he's old and alone and his kids live far away. At least his son though bought him "a robot" to take care of him... ;-).
Billy Crystal (P) as Arty in Parental Guidance [2012] (PG / A-I - 3 Stars). During most of his adult life, Arty "ruled" his family. A radio announcer, Arty had dreamed of becoming the "voice" of his beloved (first New York then San Francisco) Giants. Now near the end of his life, even he realizes that this isn't going to happen. But what of his relationships wife, who did not mind traveling around the country as Arty pursued his dream, and now adult daughter with a family of her own, who did?
HERO / VILLAIN (male)
Winner:
Chris Evans (P) as Captain America and Robert Downey, Jr (P) as Tony Stark in The Avengers [2012] ( PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars) two great visions of "America" (The United States) personified.
Honorable Mentions:
Javier Bardem (P) as the Julian Assange-like character Silva in Skyfall [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars)
Liam Neeson (P) as former CIA assassin Brian Mills just trying trying to be accepted by his wife and daughter again in Taken 2 [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars).
Daniel Craig (P) as Agent 007 James Bond in Skyfall [2012] (PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars)
Ian McCellen (P) as the Grand Wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] (PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars).
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Monday, January 14, 2013
2012 Denny Awards - Part 1 - Best Films
Part 1/3 of my Annual "Denny Awards" ;-)
(Other Years' Awards)
Part I - Best Films of 2012
Part II - Most Compelling Performances (Male)
Part III - Most Compelling Performances (Female)
BEST FAMILY ORIENTED FILMS
FOR FAMILIES WITH LITTLE CHILDREN -
Winners -
Brave [2012] PG / A-II - 4 Stars - More for families with girls as the lead character is a girl. However, her toddler triplet brothers are hilarious as well.
Frankenweenie [2012] - PG / A-I - 3 1/2 Stars - More for families with boys as except for the mom, there are almost no girls in the story. HOWEVER both lead character little Victor Frankenstein and his best friend/nerdy/and yes "kinda creepy" Edgar E. Gore are just great ;-)
Honorable Mentions -
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax [2012] - G / A-I - 4 Stars - Can't go wrong with Dr. Seuss ;-)
Chimpanzee [2012] - G / A-1 - 3 Stars - Cute nature film about a baby chimpanzee who gets adopted by the clan leader after his mother dies.
Wreck-It Ralph [2012] - PG / A-II - 4 Stars - If Brave is a "mother/daughter" sort of a film, Wreck-It Ralph is a "father/adoptive daughter" sort of one. One of the best original child oriented animated films of recent years.
The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure [2012] - G / A-I - 3 Stars - Okay, it's super-commercial (and made by the makers of the Teletubbies of the past) but it is a brave and original sort of project (for 1 1/2 to 3 year olds) that may interest some parents and IMHO deserves mention here ;-).
FOR FAMILIES WITH PRE-TEEN CHILDREN -
Winners -
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] - PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars - More for families with young boys (as there are almost no women characters in the story). IMHO BETTER than even the first LOTR film as it ends at a natural break in Tolkein's Hobbit story.
Brave [2012] PG / A-II - 4 Stars - More for families with girls as the lead characters are really all women (Merida, her mother, and even the witch). Picked this film also for families with littler girls but older-preteen girls will get even out of it.
Honorable Mentions -
ParaNorman [2012] - PG - 3 Stars - Kinda like Frankenweenie [2012] but more developed / balanced family dynamics (Norman has an older teenage sister) and generally as a whole both boys and girls have significant roles.
Hotel Transylvania [2012] - PG / A-II - 3 1/2 Stars - A father / daughter story that a family with a pre-teen girl or two would appreciate (kids do inevitably ... grow up ...)
FOR FAMILIES WITH TEENS -
Winners -
The Perks of Being a Wall Flower [2012] - PG-13 - 4 Stars - A classic "teenage angst" film, if at times quite sad, probably destined to be this generation's Breakfast Club [1985].
Taken 2 [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars - Are you kinda angry at dad for "not always being around?" Well he may have a "story" of his own about what he's had to go through to put dinner on the table ;-)
Girl in Progress [2012] - PG-13 - 3 Stars - A pretty good Mother/Daughter film particularly for Hispanic families, similar to the film above, only here it's a single mom who's going through a heck of a lot to give her daughter a better chance at life (but it's still hard when she's not always around and one realizes that "ma isn't perfect...")
Honorable Mentions
House at the End of the Street [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars - another Mother/Daughter film. The Daughter sees the boy next-door as "someone to fix", while Ma just sees "trouble."
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] - PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars - see above. Though here I'd underline that this film tells a great "Call story." Yes, child you can "stay at home" and lead a totally predictable life, but you may be Called to do far more than that.
BEST INTERGENERATIONAL FILMS (for Older/Adult Children and their Parents) -
Winner -
People Like Us [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars - Hard film to watch about a post-mortem reconciliation between a Father and Son and then a half-Sister that the Son never knew he had because the Father had two families...
Honorable Mentions -
This Must be the Place [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - Reconciliation between Father and Son (again even after the death of the Father). The Father was "a hero/martyr" in life, while all the Son (who actually had become a celebrated "rock star") felt was "unloved." Late for the Father's funeral, the Son with nothing to do decides to hunt down the (Nazi) who had made his Father into who he was.
Hick [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - No chance for reconciliation here, just sadness. A 13 year old growing-up in a truly dysfunctional family decides to run away from home. Much often terrible and sad ensues ... (Parents, yes your personal behavior does matter ...)
Parental Guidance [2012] - PG / A-I - 3 Stars - When the Daughter was growing-up, Dad dominated the Family. That was okay with Ma' but not okay with the Daughter. Now the Daughter has her own family ...
The Guilt Trip [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - Fun Mother/grown Son film in which the Son has to forgive the Mother for her adoring "motherliness" while also coming to terms with his own limitations.
Robot & Frank [2012] - PG-13 / 3 1/2 Stars - Perhaps he wasn't the best Dad in the world, but now he's old, alone and his two kids have their own lives far away. But at least the Son buys Dad a "Robot" ... much ensues ... ;-)
Starlet [2012] - UR (would be R) - 3 Stars - Great story about two unrelated women, one "young and drifting," the other "old and widowed/alone." They become friends.
BEST TEEN ORIENTED FILM (for boys) -
Winners -
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] - PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars - see above. Obviously, I loved this film. Great film about choices and destiny. Do you want a "small life" in an already half-buried house "at the edge of the shire?" Or are you willing to accept the Call when "Gandalf comes by" to invite you to something new/great? "Will I come back?" the Hobbit Bilbo asks. "I can't guarantee that," answers Gandalf. "And if you do, you won't be the same as when you left." What a GREAT story about Call.
Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] - R (note rating) - 3 1/2 Stars - For older teens. Actually with a same message. Folks, as you grow-up you make choices even if you think you're not. You won't be young forever.
The Perks of Being a Wall Flower [2012] - PG-13 - 4 Stars -Wow, a "three way tie" :-) a film about why making those choices can be hard.
Honorable Mentions -
Avengers [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - The Marvel Comics stories generally have had good messages, this is no exception. In this film, I loved the dialogue between Captain America and Tony Stark, two great embodiments of America (one that had been "frozen in time" from the 1940s, the other of today).
Frankenweenie [2012] - PG / A-I - 3 1/2 Stars. If you find yourself "smart" and in a lot of AP classes here's your chance to tell the "cooler" kids "Be afraid, be very afraid ..." ;-) ;-)
BEST TEEN ORIENTED FILM (for girls) -
Winner -
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - Yes it was a GREAT SERIES about finding a SPECTACULARLY RICH/FULFILLING LIFE even in "the back woods" of dreary/rainy Washington state.
Honorable Mentions -
Hunger Games [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 2 1/2 Stars - Honestly girls, embrace the "super-hero" within you. There is an entire generation of boys (your piers) who will accept you/love you for it. ("Slaying dragons" is a lot cooler when you don't have to do it alone ...)
Girl in Progress [2012] - PG-13 - 3 Stars - Honestly, find the heart to give "Ma" a break. She's almost always on your side.
BEST FILM THAT WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR SCHOOL WORK -
Winner -
Lincoln [2012] - R / A-III - 4 Stars (as well as the more fictionalized Django Unchained [2012] - R / L - 4 Stars and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [2012] - R / L - 3 Stars). Folks, there honestly was no "other side" to Slavery.
Honorable Mentions -
Anna Karenina [2012] - R / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars (based on Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina)
Trishna [2011] - R - UK / India (subtitled at times) - 3 1/2 Stars (based on Thomas Hardy's Tess of D'Urbervilles)
Les Miserables (musical) [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars (based originally on Victor Hugo's Les Miserables)
Wuthering Heights [2011] - R - 3 Stars (based on Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights)
You really should know at least something about all these stories ... ;-)
BEST FILM THAT ASKS THE BIG QUESTIONS -
Winner -
Samsara [2012] - PG-13 / 4 Stars - Nobody knows Sorrow like the Buddhists know Sorrow ;-)
Honorable Mentions -
Cloud Atlas [2012] - R / O - 3 1/2 Stars - Ponderous film taking us from "100 years after the Fall" to "140 years into our future" asking the question "Are we in this world together?" or "Are the Weak simply Meat for the Strong to Eat?"
Band of Sisters [2012] - (UR would be PG-13) - Documentary - 4 Stars - Education has never been particularly respected in either Society or if we're honest, in the Church (think of the history of the Jesuits or even the Knights Templar before them...). This is a documentary about the Catholic nuns in the United States (as a group always among the most educated women in the country ... heck they've always run schools, universities and hospitals) and (in their own words) about what they've been doing since the reforms of Vatican II.
Django Unchained [2012] - R / L - 4 Stars - Why 150 years after the American Civil War are we still trying to find excuses for the South and its legacy of Slavery?
Life of Pi [2012] - PG / A-III - 4 Stars - What would have been the better end to the story?
Russian Reserve (orig. Русский заповедник) [2010] - UR - Documentary - Russia (subtitled) - 4 Stars - I loved this film. A calm, confident, classically Russian Orthodox response to the question of what's really needed to save the global village.
Avé [2011] - UR (would be R) - Bulgaria (subtitled) - 4 Stars - What if life really consists of simply (and more or less randomly) traveling from "point a" to "point b" under a dreary October sky in the rain?
BEST "SMALL" FILM -
Winner
A Late Quartet [2012] - R - 4 Stars - "Nothing is as beautiful or as 'complicated' as ..." Even a group of four professionals who've been playing together forever can still really get on each other's nerves over the smallest things ... ;-)
Honorable Mentions
Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - Iranian (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - If this film wasn't set in Tehran today, it could have starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in L.A. of the 1940s. A film about a lonely 40-something couple living in Tehran preparing to get married. She just wants him to quit smoking, and he doesn't understand why it would matter so much to her.
Lola Versus [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - Three weeks before their wedding, 20-something Lola's similarly aged fiance' breaks up with her and if at least he could give her a reason, ANY reason. What now?
Cosmopolis [2012] - R - 4 Stars - Great "dialogue driven" film about a young "corporate vampire" taking a limo-drive from work to his old neighborhood to get "a hair-cut."
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts [2012] - UR (would be R) - 3 Stars - About a young, 20-something woman of today who freely admits that she generally "relates better to technology than to people" who now finds herself pregnant (and obviously not by her computer ... ;-)
Day of Black (orig. Dia de Preto) [2011] - UR - Brazilian (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A retelling of the story of the first African slave in Brazil to be given his freedom. But okay, he's free, now what?
Footnote (orig. Hearat Shulayim) [2011] - PG - Israel (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A story of two contemporary Scripture scholars, father and son, one successful, the other not particularly, and how "footnotes" matter.
Avé [2011] - UR (would be R) - Bulgaria (subtitled) - 4 Stars - She's about 19 years old and basically running away from home. He's in his 20s and heading to the village of his best friend for his best friend's funeral. What if life just involves traveling in such sad and random ways under a dreary and rainy autumn sky?
The Land of Eb [2012] - 3 Stars - A simple tale about a Marshallese Islander grandfather/patriarch who's in his life-time moved most of his family to Hawaii. Now he's dying (of cancer) and has to come to terms with all the dreams that he's realizing that he's never going to fulfill.
BEST OPENLY RELIGIOUS FILM -
Winner -
Cloud Atlas [2012] - R / O - 3 1/2 Stars - (See above) a truly ponderous film asking about the fundamental nature of our relationships with each other and with the Cosmos.
Honorable Mentions -
Have you seen Lupita? (orig. ¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?) [2012] - UR (would be PG-13/R) - - Mexico (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A brilliant youth oriented "retelling" of the story of Mary envisioned as contemporary and somewhat "flighty" upper middle class teenager named Lupita living in Mexico City today.
Flight [2012] - R / O - 3 1/2 Stars - A well formed / Protestant informed Parable asking the question: Can even a "miracle worker" who has some "issues" be saved without confronting them first?
Band of Sisters [2012] - (UR would be PG-13) - Documentary - 4 Stars - (see above) - again, education often gets dissed.
Life of Pi [2012] - PG / A-III - 4 Stars - Yes, this story may help you see the Fundamental Choice between Believing and Not Believing more clearly.
Samsara [2012] - PG-13 / 4 Stars - Nobody knows Sorrow like the Buddhists know Sorrow...
Footnote (orig. Hearat Shulayim) [2011] - PG - Israel (subtitled) - 4 Stars - Definitely not for everybody, but anyone who's ever seriously studied Scripture (in an academic environment) would appreciate this film.
BEST PRO-LIFE FILM -
Winner -
The Well Digger's Daughter (orig. La Fille du Puisatier) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - France (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - Lovely story from France of the first half of the 20th-century about how an "unplanned/inconvenient pregrancy" can end up being a blessing / answer to the prayers of all.
Honorable Mentions -
Lose to Win (orig. Nad Życie) - (UR would be R) - Poland (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A biopic about Polish volleyball star Agata Mróz-Olszewska who found herself diagnosed of having cancer and pregnant at almost the same time. Against the advice of most of her doctors she brought her child to term and only afterwards began cancer treatment. She died. But she died of an infection that she could have gotten (and died of) anyway even if she had aborted her child. Instead, she left a healthy child to her husband (their only child) and family... A remarkable story that leaves one with much to think about.
October Baby [2011] - PG-13 / A-II - Drama - 3 1/2 Stars - American and perhaps more edgy than the above two films. However it's about an (adopted) teenager who finds-out that she was born while actually being aborted. Yes, it's necessarily going to be an "edgier" / "angrier" story than the others.
BEST (YOUNG ADULT) RELATIONSHIP FILM -
Winner -
Celeste and Jesse Forever [2012] - R - 4 Stars - A film about a young couple Celeste and Jesse that's divorcing and asks all concerned (including the viewers) the very pointed question: "Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?"
Honorable Mentions
Ruby Sparks [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - A young writer previously facing "writer block" starts writing about a young woman who's appearing in his dreams. Suddenly she appears in real life. But even if he created her, if he loved her would he not let her go free?
Valley of Saints [2102] - UR (would be PG-13/R) - India/USA (Subtitled) - 4 Stars - A lovely romance between a poor, 20-something and definitely Muslim Kashmiri water-taxi operator and a young, wealthier, better educated and possibly Hindu graduate student who's returned from the United States to study the water quality of the lake that's been his livelihood. There are so many barriers and this appears to be a Muslim movie so they _don't_ hop into bed. Instead, they smile, they talk. And one gets the sense that they get to know each other quite well. Is it enough? But what difference would it have made if one or the other had 'tried for more'?
Jab Tak Hai Jaan [2012] - UR (would be PG-13) - Hindi (subtitled) - 4 Stars - Another movie from India, this time a true big-time Bollywood production directed by one of its masters. The male protagonist is a legendary "sapper" in today's Indian army. Stationed again in war-torn Kashmir, he diffuses the most complex of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in short order and he never ever wears any protective gear as he does so. Why would someone so recklessly risk his life like that? Well he must have a story... And what a story it is ;-)
Ted [2012] - R / O - 2 Stars - She's wants him to grow-up, but his best friend remains his childhood "teddy bear." Often crude and very "basic" with its symbolism but may help young men realize that their girlfriends have friends and co-workers of their own to whom they have to justify why they are going-out with them. And if one's boyfriend's "best friend" remains "his teddy bear" well, that's kinda embarrassing ... ;-)
BEST FILM FOR FILM LOVERS -
Winner -
Samsara [2012] - PG-13 / 4 Stars - Third film of its kind by the film makers. Each time it is just an awesome visual spectacle to behold.
Honorable Mentions -
Anna Karenina [2012] - R / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - again a visual feast to behold.
Day of Black (orig. Dia de Preto) [2011] - UR - Brazilian (subtitled) - 4 Stars - Set almost entirely in an upscale Brazilian shopping at night, this parable about "becoming free" is once more visually stunning.
The Well Digger's Daughter (orig. La Fille du Puisatier) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - France (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - Fundamentally optimistic and EVERY SINGLE SHOT could be a painting by one of France's late-19th century Impressionist painters.
Cosmopolis [2012] - R - 4 Stars - If the above films were all visually driven, this is a great dialogue driven film set almost entirely in a young "corporate vampire's" coffin-like limo as he takes a ride from his work to his childhood neighborhood to "get a haircut."
A Late Quartet [2012] - R - 4 Stars - just a lovely, perfectly cast, again largely dialogue driven film about the tensions that can exist even in the smallest, tightest knit communities ;-).
Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - Iranian (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - I am free to say that Iran's regime is oppressive bordering on totalitarian. But life for its people does go on, and this is a lovely human story about two lonely 40-somethings preparing to get married and trying to set things straight prior to taking the big plunge.
Avé [2011] - UR (would be R) - Bulgaria (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A simple film about two Bulgarian teenagers/young adults that asks sincere and pointed questions about the meaning of life under a dreary and rainy autumn Bulgarian sky. (I honestly loved this film ;-)
End of Watch [2012] - R / O - 4 Stars - Risky, but IMHO probably the best "shaky cam" film ever made. The use of the hand-held and even clip-on cameras in this police drama made one honestly feel that one was _there_ in the squad car, in the room making the arrest, even being punched during an arrest ;-). Not for everybody, but IMHO a great use of this technology.
Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - A low-budget "science-fiction-y" film that tells a great story AND IT WORKS.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM - (Note this category may still change)
Winner -
The Central Park Five [2012] - UR - 4 Stars - In a very strong year for documentaries I pick this one because it's probably the most challenging to our society now. In the summer of 1989 a horrific crime was committed in New York's Central Park. A 28-year old white woman jogger was raped and left for dead in the Park. But in the frenzy for justice, five young teenagers (all Black or Hispanic) were rounded-up and accused of the crime. And despite having no other evidence other than their own confessions (extracted without the presence of either their parents or a lawyer) they were convicted of the crime. Some years later someone else, a serial rapist, arrested subsequently for other crimes freely confessed to it. What a nightmare...
Honorable Mentions -
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry [2012] - R - 4 Stars - about the avant guard Chinese artist, who helped design Beijing's Olympic stadium only to become later one of China's most prominent dissidents.
Searching for Sugar Man [2012] - UR - 4 Stars- the story of a 60s era Hispanic blues singer from Detroit who went by the name of Rodriguez. So shy that he would sing and play the guitar facing the the opposite direction from the audience, his career quickly fizzled. HOWEVER, one of his albums made it to South Africa, where it became an enormous hit among the 60s era (white) Afrikaner folk/rock community. But no one knew what happened to him... After the Apartheid regime fell, and the internet came to South Africa, someone created a website dedicated to finding out what happened to him. The rest of the story follows ;-)
Band of Sisters [2012] - (UR would be PG-13) - Documentary - 4 Stars - mentioned already several times above, a great documentary giving the American Catholic nuns "side" of what they've been doing since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Always among the most educated women in this country, they've been both spiritual guides and at the edge of defending the most marginalized of society.
The Other Dream Team [2012] - USA/Lithuania (at times subtitled) - UR - 4 Stars - about little Lithuania's 1992 Men's Olympic Basketball team and what it was like previously to be forced to represent another country (the former Soviet Union) prior to regaining independence (four out of five of the starters on former Soviet Union's 1988 gold medal men's Olympic team were actually Lithuanian)
Not yet reviewed in this category (so these may still be included somewhere in the documentaries list)
Invisible War [2012] - about the under-reported epidemic of rape existing today within the U.S. military.
The Gatekeepers [2012] - interviews with the last 5-6 directors of Israel's "Shin Bet" domestic intelligence agency.
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(Other Years' Awards)
Part I - Best Films of 2012
Part II - Most Compelling Performances (Male)
Part III - Most Compelling Performances (Female)
BEST FAMILY ORIENTED FILMS
FOR FAMILIES WITH LITTLE CHILDREN -
Winners -
Brave [2012] PG / A-II - 4 Stars - More for families with girls as the lead character is a girl. However, her toddler triplet brothers are hilarious as well.
Frankenweenie [2012] - PG / A-I - 3 1/2 Stars - More for families with boys as except for the mom, there are almost no girls in the story. HOWEVER both lead character little Victor Frankenstein and his best friend/nerdy/and yes "kinda creepy" Edgar E. Gore are just great ;-)
Honorable Mentions -
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax [2012] - G / A-I - 4 Stars - Can't go wrong with Dr. Seuss ;-)
Chimpanzee [2012] - G / A-1 - 3 Stars - Cute nature film about a baby chimpanzee who gets adopted by the clan leader after his mother dies.
Wreck-It Ralph [2012] - PG / A-II - 4 Stars - If Brave is a "mother/daughter" sort of a film, Wreck-It Ralph is a "father/adoptive daughter" sort of one. One of the best original child oriented animated films of recent years.
The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure [2012] - G / A-I - 3 Stars - Okay, it's super-commercial (and made by the makers of the Teletubbies of the past) but it is a brave and original sort of project (for 1 1/2 to 3 year olds) that may interest some parents and IMHO deserves mention here ;-).
FOR FAMILIES WITH PRE-TEEN CHILDREN -
Winners -
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] - PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars - More for families with young boys (as there are almost no women characters in the story). IMHO BETTER than even the first LOTR film as it ends at a natural break in Tolkein's Hobbit story.
Brave [2012] PG / A-II - 4 Stars - More for families with girls as the lead characters are really all women (Merida, her mother, and even the witch). Picked this film also for families with littler girls but older-preteen girls will get even out of it.
Honorable Mentions -
ParaNorman [2012] - PG - 3 Stars - Kinda like Frankenweenie [2012] but more developed / balanced family dynamics (Norman has an older teenage sister) and generally as a whole both boys and girls have significant roles.
Hotel Transylvania [2012] - PG / A-II - 3 1/2 Stars - A father / daughter story that a family with a pre-teen girl or two would appreciate (kids do inevitably ... grow up ...)
FOR FAMILIES WITH TEENS -
Winners -
The Perks of Being a Wall Flower [2012] - PG-13 - 4 Stars - A classic "teenage angst" film, if at times quite sad, probably destined to be this generation's Breakfast Club [1985].
Taken 2 [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars - Are you kinda angry at dad for "not always being around?" Well he may have a "story" of his own about what he's had to go through to put dinner on the table ;-)
Girl in Progress [2012] - PG-13 - 3 Stars - A pretty good Mother/Daughter film particularly for Hispanic families, similar to the film above, only here it's a single mom who's going through a heck of a lot to give her daughter a better chance at life (but it's still hard when she's not always around and one realizes that "ma isn't perfect...")
Honorable Mentions
House at the End of the Street [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars - another Mother/Daughter film. The Daughter sees the boy next-door as "someone to fix", while Ma just sees "trouble."
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] - PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars - see above. Though here I'd underline that this film tells a great "Call story." Yes, child you can "stay at home" and lead a totally predictable life, but you may be Called to do far more than that.
BEST INTERGENERATIONAL FILMS (for Older/Adult Children and their Parents) -
Winner -
People Like Us [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars - Hard film to watch about a post-mortem reconciliation between a Father and Son and then a half-Sister that the Son never knew he had because the Father had two families...
Honorable Mentions -
This Must be the Place [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - Reconciliation between Father and Son (again even after the death of the Father). The Father was "a hero/martyr" in life, while all the Son (who actually had become a celebrated "rock star") felt was "unloved." Late for the Father's funeral, the Son with nothing to do decides to hunt down the (Nazi) who had made his Father into who he was.
Hick [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - No chance for reconciliation here, just sadness. A 13 year old growing-up in a truly dysfunctional family decides to run away from home. Much often terrible and sad ensues ... (Parents, yes your personal behavior does matter ...)
Parental Guidance [2012] - PG / A-I - 3 Stars - When the Daughter was growing-up, Dad dominated the Family. That was okay with Ma' but not okay with the Daughter. Now the Daughter has her own family ...
The Guilt Trip [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - Fun Mother/grown Son film in which the Son has to forgive the Mother for her adoring "motherliness" while also coming to terms with his own limitations.
Robot & Frank [2012] - PG-13 / 3 1/2 Stars - Perhaps he wasn't the best Dad in the world, but now he's old, alone and his two kids have their own lives far away. But at least the Son buys Dad a "Robot" ... much ensues ... ;-)
Starlet [2012] - UR (would be R) - 3 Stars - Great story about two unrelated women, one "young and drifting," the other "old and widowed/alone." They become friends.
BEST TEEN ORIENTED FILM (for boys) -
Winners -
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] - PG-13 / A-II - 4 Stars - see above. Obviously, I loved this film. Great film about choices and destiny. Do you want a "small life" in an already half-buried house "at the edge of the shire?" Or are you willing to accept the Call when "Gandalf comes by" to invite you to something new/great? "Will I come back?" the Hobbit Bilbo asks. "I can't guarantee that," answers Gandalf. "And if you do, you won't be the same as when you left." What a GREAT story about Call.
Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] - R (note rating) - 3 1/2 Stars - For older teens. Actually with a same message. Folks, as you grow-up you make choices even if you think you're not. You won't be young forever.
The Perks of Being a Wall Flower [2012] - PG-13 - 4 Stars -Wow, a "three way tie" :-) a film about why making those choices can be hard.
Honorable Mentions -
Avengers [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - The Marvel Comics stories generally have had good messages, this is no exception. In this film, I loved the dialogue between Captain America and Tony Stark, two great embodiments of America (one that had been "frozen in time" from the 1940s, the other of today).
Frankenweenie [2012] - PG / A-I - 3 1/2 Stars. If you find yourself "smart" and in a lot of AP classes here's your chance to tell the "cooler" kids "Be afraid, be very afraid ..." ;-) ;-)
BEST TEEN ORIENTED FILM (for girls) -
Winner -
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - Yes it was a GREAT SERIES about finding a SPECTACULARLY RICH/FULFILLING LIFE even in "the back woods" of dreary/rainy Washington state.
Honorable Mentions -
Hunger Games [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 2 1/2 Stars - Honestly girls, embrace the "super-hero" within you. There is an entire generation of boys (your piers) who will accept you/love you for it. ("Slaying dragons" is a lot cooler when you don't have to do it alone ...)
Girl in Progress [2012] - PG-13 - 3 Stars - Honestly, find the heart to give "Ma" a break. She's almost always on your side.
BEST FILM THAT WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR SCHOOL WORK -
Winner -
Lincoln [2012] - R / A-III - 4 Stars (as well as the more fictionalized Django Unchained [2012] - R / L - 4 Stars and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [2012] - R / L - 3 Stars). Folks, there honestly was no "other side" to Slavery.
Honorable Mentions -
Anna Karenina [2012] - R / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars (based on Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina)
Trishna [2011] - R - UK / India (subtitled at times) - 3 1/2 Stars (based on Thomas Hardy's Tess of D'Urbervilles)
Les Miserables (musical) [2012] - PG-13 / A-III - 3 Stars (based originally on Victor Hugo's Les Miserables)
Wuthering Heights [2011] - R - 3 Stars (based on Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights)
You really should know at least something about all these stories ... ;-)
BEST FILM THAT ASKS THE BIG QUESTIONS -
Winner -
Samsara [2012] - PG-13 / 4 Stars - Nobody knows Sorrow like the Buddhists know Sorrow ;-)
Honorable Mentions -
Cloud Atlas [2012] - R / O - 3 1/2 Stars - Ponderous film taking us from "100 years after the Fall" to "140 years into our future" asking the question "Are we in this world together?" or "Are the Weak simply Meat for the Strong to Eat?"
Band of Sisters [2012] - (UR would be PG-13) - Documentary - 4 Stars - Education has never been particularly respected in either Society or if we're honest, in the Church (think of the history of the Jesuits or even the Knights Templar before them...). This is a documentary about the Catholic nuns in the United States (as a group always among the most educated women in the country ... heck they've always run schools, universities and hospitals) and (in their own words) about what they've been doing since the reforms of Vatican II.
Django Unchained [2012] - R / L - 4 Stars - Why 150 years after the American Civil War are we still trying to find excuses for the South and its legacy of Slavery?
Life of Pi [2012] - PG / A-III - 4 Stars - What would have been the better end to the story?
Russian Reserve (orig. Русский заповедник) [2010] - UR - Documentary - Russia (subtitled) - 4 Stars - I loved this film. A calm, confident, classically Russian Orthodox response to the question of what's really needed to save the global village.
Avé [2011] - UR (would be R) - Bulgaria (subtitled) - 4 Stars - What if life really consists of simply (and more or less randomly) traveling from "point a" to "point b" under a dreary October sky in the rain?
BEST "SMALL" FILM -
Winner
A Late Quartet [2012] - R - 4 Stars - "Nothing is as beautiful or as 'complicated' as ..." Even a group of four professionals who've been playing together forever can still really get on each other's nerves over the smallest things ... ;-)
Honorable Mentions
Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - Iranian (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - If this film wasn't set in Tehran today, it could have starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in L.A. of the 1940s. A film about a lonely 40-something couple living in Tehran preparing to get married. She just wants him to quit smoking, and he doesn't understand why it would matter so much to her.
Lola Versus [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - Three weeks before their wedding, 20-something Lola's similarly aged fiance' breaks up with her and if at least he could give her a reason, ANY reason. What now?
Cosmopolis [2012] - R - 4 Stars - Great "dialogue driven" film about a young "corporate vampire" taking a limo-drive from work to his old neighborhood to get "a hair-cut."
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts [2012] - UR (would be R) - 3 Stars - About a young, 20-something woman of today who freely admits that she generally "relates better to technology than to people" who now finds herself pregnant (and obviously not by her computer ... ;-)
Day of Black (orig. Dia de Preto) [2011] - UR - Brazilian (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A retelling of the story of the first African slave in Brazil to be given his freedom. But okay, he's free, now what?
Footnote (orig. Hearat Shulayim) [2011] - PG - Israel (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A story of two contemporary Scripture scholars, father and son, one successful, the other not particularly, and how "footnotes" matter.
Avé [2011] - UR (would be R) - Bulgaria (subtitled) - 4 Stars - She's about 19 years old and basically running away from home. He's in his 20s and heading to the village of his best friend for his best friend's funeral. What if life just involves traveling in such sad and random ways under a dreary and rainy autumn sky?
The Land of Eb [2012] - 3 Stars - A simple tale about a Marshallese Islander grandfather/patriarch who's in his life-time moved most of his family to Hawaii. Now he's dying (of cancer) and has to come to terms with all the dreams that he's realizing that he's never going to fulfill.
BEST OPENLY RELIGIOUS FILM -
Winner -
Cloud Atlas [2012] - R / O - 3 1/2 Stars - (See above) a truly ponderous film asking about the fundamental nature of our relationships with each other and with the Cosmos.
Honorable Mentions -
Have you seen Lupita? (orig. ¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?) [2012] - UR (would be PG-13/R) - - Mexico (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A brilliant youth oriented "retelling" of the story of Mary envisioned as contemporary and somewhat "flighty" upper middle class teenager named Lupita living in Mexico City today.
Flight [2012] - R / O - 3 1/2 Stars - A well formed / Protestant informed Parable asking the question: Can even a "miracle worker" who has some "issues" be saved without confronting them first?
Band of Sisters [2012] - (UR would be PG-13) - Documentary - 4 Stars - (see above) - again, education often gets dissed.
Life of Pi [2012] - PG / A-III - 4 Stars - Yes, this story may help you see the Fundamental Choice between Believing and Not Believing more clearly.
Samsara [2012] - PG-13 / 4 Stars - Nobody knows Sorrow like the Buddhists know Sorrow...
Footnote (orig. Hearat Shulayim) [2011] - PG - Israel (subtitled) - 4 Stars - Definitely not for everybody, but anyone who's ever seriously studied Scripture (in an academic environment) would appreciate this film.
BEST PRO-LIFE FILM -
Winner -
The Well Digger's Daughter (orig. La Fille du Puisatier) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - France (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - Lovely story from France of the first half of the 20th-century about how an "unplanned/inconvenient pregrancy" can end up being a blessing / answer to the prayers of all.
Honorable Mentions -
Lose to Win (orig. Nad Życie) - (UR would be R) - Poland (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A biopic about Polish volleyball star Agata Mróz-Olszewska who found herself diagnosed of having cancer and pregnant at almost the same time. Against the advice of most of her doctors she brought her child to term and only afterwards began cancer treatment. She died. But she died of an infection that she could have gotten (and died of) anyway even if she had aborted her child. Instead, she left a healthy child to her husband (their only child) and family... A remarkable story that leaves one with much to think about.
October Baby [2011] - PG-13 / A-II - Drama - 3 1/2 Stars - American and perhaps more edgy than the above two films. However it's about an (adopted) teenager who finds-out that she was born while actually being aborted. Yes, it's necessarily going to be an "edgier" / "angrier" story than the others.
BEST (YOUNG ADULT) RELATIONSHIP FILM -
Winner -
Celeste and Jesse Forever [2012] - R - 4 Stars - A film about a young couple Celeste and Jesse that's divorcing and asks all concerned (including the viewers) the very pointed question: "Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?"
Honorable Mentions
Ruby Sparks [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - A young writer previously facing "writer block" starts writing about a young woman who's appearing in his dreams. Suddenly she appears in real life. But even if he created her, if he loved her would he not let her go free?
Valley of Saints [2102] - UR (would be PG-13/R) - India/USA (Subtitled) - 4 Stars - A lovely romance between a poor, 20-something and definitely Muslim Kashmiri water-taxi operator and a young, wealthier, better educated and possibly Hindu graduate student who's returned from the United States to study the water quality of the lake that's been his livelihood. There are so many barriers and this appears to be a Muslim movie so they _don't_ hop into bed. Instead, they smile, they talk. And one gets the sense that they get to know each other quite well. Is it enough? But what difference would it have made if one or the other had 'tried for more'?
Jab Tak Hai Jaan [2012] - UR (would be PG-13) - Hindi (subtitled) - 4 Stars - Another movie from India, this time a true big-time Bollywood production directed by one of its masters. The male protagonist is a legendary "sapper" in today's Indian army. Stationed again in war-torn Kashmir, he diffuses the most complex of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in short order and he never ever wears any protective gear as he does so. Why would someone so recklessly risk his life like that? Well he must have a story... And what a story it is ;-)
Ted [2012] - R / O - 2 Stars - She's wants him to grow-up, but his best friend remains his childhood "teddy bear." Often crude and very "basic" with its symbolism but may help young men realize that their girlfriends have friends and co-workers of their own to whom they have to justify why they are going-out with them. And if one's boyfriend's "best friend" remains "his teddy bear" well, that's kinda embarrassing ... ;-)
BEST FILM FOR FILM LOVERS -
Winner -
Samsara [2012] - PG-13 / 4 Stars - Third film of its kind by the film makers. Each time it is just an awesome visual spectacle to behold.
Honorable Mentions -
Anna Karenina [2012] - R / A-III - 3 1/2 Stars - again a visual feast to behold.
Day of Black (orig. Dia de Preto) [2011] - UR - Brazilian (subtitled) - 4 Stars - Set almost entirely in an upscale Brazilian shopping at night, this parable about "becoming free" is once more visually stunning.
The Well Digger's Daughter (orig. La Fille du Puisatier) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - France (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - Fundamentally optimistic and EVERY SINGLE SHOT could be a painting by one of France's late-19th century Impressionist painters.
Cosmopolis [2012] - R - 4 Stars - If the above films were all visually driven, this is a great dialogue driven film set almost entirely in a young "corporate vampire's" coffin-like limo as he takes a ride from his work to his childhood neighborhood to "get a haircut."
A Late Quartet [2012] - R - 4 Stars - just a lovely, perfectly cast, again largely dialogue driven film about the tensions that can exist even in the smallest, tightest knit communities ;-).
Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - Iranian (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars - I am free to say that Iran's regime is oppressive bordering on totalitarian. But life for its people does go on, and this is a lovely human story about two lonely 40-somethings preparing to get married and trying to set things straight prior to taking the big plunge.
Avé [2011] - UR (would be R) - Bulgaria (subtitled) - 4 Stars - A simple film about two Bulgarian teenagers/young adults that asks sincere and pointed questions about the meaning of life under a dreary and rainy autumn Bulgarian sky. (I honestly loved this film ;-)
End of Watch [2012] - R / O - 4 Stars - Risky, but IMHO probably the best "shaky cam" film ever made. The use of the hand-held and even clip-on cameras in this police drama made one honestly feel that one was _there_ in the squad car, in the room making the arrest, even being punched during an arrest ;-). Not for everybody, but IMHO a great use of this technology.
Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] - R - 3 1/2 Stars - A low-budget "science-fiction-y" film that tells a great story AND IT WORKS.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM - (Note this category may still change)
Winner -
The Central Park Five [2012] - UR - 4 Stars - In a very strong year for documentaries I pick this one because it's probably the most challenging to our society now. In the summer of 1989 a horrific crime was committed in New York's Central Park. A 28-year old white woman jogger was raped and left for dead in the Park. But in the frenzy for justice, five young teenagers (all Black or Hispanic) were rounded-up and accused of the crime. And despite having no other evidence other than their own confessions (extracted without the presence of either their parents or a lawyer) they were convicted of the crime. Some years later someone else, a serial rapist, arrested subsequently for other crimes freely confessed to it. What a nightmare...
Honorable Mentions -
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry [2012] - R - 4 Stars - about the avant guard Chinese artist, who helped design Beijing's Olympic stadium only to become later one of China's most prominent dissidents.
Searching for Sugar Man [2012] - UR - 4 Stars- the story of a 60s era Hispanic blues singer from Detroit who went by the name of Rodriguez. So shy that he would sing and play the guitar facing the the opposite direction from the audience, his career quickly fizzled. HOWEVER, one of his albums made it to South Africa, where it became an enormous hit among the 60s era (white) Afrikaner folk/rock community. But no one knew what happened to him... After the Apartheid regime fell, and the internet came to South Africa, someone created a website dedicated to finding out what happened to him. The rest of the story follows ;-)
Band of Sisters [2012] - (UR would be PG-13) - Documentary - 4 Stars - mentioned already several times above, a great documentary giving the American Catholic nuns "side" of what they've been doing since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Always among the most educated women in this country, they've been both spiritual guides and at the edge of defending the most marginalized of society.
The Other Dream Team [2012] - USA/Lithuania (at times subtitled) - UR - 4 Stars - about little Lithuania's 1992 Men's Olympic Basketball team and what it was like previously to be forced to represent another country (the former Soviet Union) prior to regaining independence (four out of five of the starters on former Soviet Union's 1988 gold medal men's Olympic team were actually Lithuanian)
Not yet reviewed in this category (so these may still be included somewhere in the documentaries list)
Invisible War [2012] - about the under-reported epidemic of rape existing today within the U.S. military.
The Gatekeepers [2012] - interviews with the last 5-6 directors of Israel's "Shin Bet" domestic intelligence agency.
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Friday, January 11, 2013
Gangster Squad [2013]
MPAA (R) CNS/USCCB (L) Michael Phillips (2 Stars) AVClub (D+) Fr. Dennis (2 Stars)
IMDb listing
CNS/USCCB review
Michael Phillips' review
AV Club's review
Since America's film industry remains centered around Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, interesting, often scandalous tid-bits of Los Angeles' history inevitably find their way into our films. However, how these "tid bits" from L.A.'s history get incorporated into our films is not exactly straight forward and there have been all kinds of approaches. Consider simply:
(1) the venerable "neo-noir" film Chinatown [1974], directed by Roman Polanski and staring Jack Nicholson inspired by murky water-rights disputes in the early 1900s, the resolution of which making the metropolis of Los Angeles possible;
(2) the screwball comedy 1941 [1979], directed by Steven Spielberg and staring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi conflating two WW II-era Los Angeles stories, that of the hysteria caused by the "phantom raid" on Los Angeles in early 1942 and the "zootsuit" race riots between white sailors/marines and hispanic youths in Los Angeles;
(3) the Disney animated "noirish comedy" Who Framed Roger Rabbit? [1988] about the conspiracy by a consortium lead by General Motor which bought-out Southern California's "Red Car" public transportation service in the early 1950s with the purpose of shutting-it-down to make "pave the way" for automobile expressways and increases in auto-sales, a conspiracy the film called "so stupid that only a 'toon' [a cartoon villian] could come up with it." and finally back to
(4) the neo-noir classic LA Confidential [1997], starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Kim Bassinger and Danny DeVito giving a rather grim answer to the question of why the mob never made a permanent inroad into Los Angeles: the police itself conducted itself like the mob.
All these films tell, often with swagger/exaggeration, some part of Los Angeles' story. It is in the context of this celluloid legacy that Gangster Squad (directed by Ruben Fleischer, screenplay by Will Beall, loosely based on the non-fiction book by the same name by Paul Lieberman) is to be understood.
For it is clear that while some of the characters in Gangster Squad, notably LA Police Chief Bill Parker (played in the film by Nick Nolte), his aide (shown briefly) Daryl Gates (played in the film by Josh Pence) who later also became a similarly legendarily hard-nosed LA Police Chief (and was L.A. Police Chief at the time of the 1992 L.A. Riots) as well as the film's chief villain, gangster Mickey Cohen (played in the film by Sean Penn) and even the film's chief hero, World War II vet turned LAPD Sargent and Parker's special/off-the-books "Gangster Squad" leader John O'Mara (played in the film by Josh Brolin) were all real people, the "stew" that the film-makers put together does _not_ fit the historical record (simply check the wikipedia article on Mickey Cohen).
So what to make of the film? Well, it's a "period piece." It is "inspired by a true story." The "off the books Gangster Squad" apparently really did exist. But the rest is, well, "Hollywood." Does that take away from the performances by Nolte, Penn, Brolin as well as Giovanni Ribisi (who played the "gangster squad's" radio/bug man Sgt Keeler, who again really existed), and of others like Mirielle Enos (who played O'Mara's wife Connie), Ryan Gosling (a squad member) and Emma Stone (girlfriend of Cohen though also involved with Ryan Gosling's character) who's characters become ever "less historical"? No, just don't read too much history into the film? Look above and begin to think again in terms of Disney's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" ("Which 'toon' represented 'General Motors?'" ;-)
However, since Gangster Squad is not altogether "historical" a more important complaint could be made (and especially in light of the recent shooting massacres in Aurora, Colorado and the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT) whether it was wise for the for the film makers to focus on and certainly exaggerate the story's violence. Yes, the creation of the "off the books" squad itself indicated a determined "take Cohen down by any means necessary" approach taken by LA Police Chief Parker. (And this in itself has produces its own problems: Thoughout the 1960s-1980s anti-Communist paramiliary "Death Squads" killed all kinds of people, Communists and non ..., throughout Latin America. Do we really want to give Police, or anyone, unlimited powers with little/no accountability?) Still, if the way Cohen was actually arrested and actually sentenced to Alcatraz was emphatically not the way the film-makers chose to portray his downfall, then why (wildly...) exaggerate the number of deaths/bullets?
So to be honest, I ended up rather disappointed with the film believing that though the individual performances were good, the story cheated both the author of the original (and true) story as well as the audience. We, the book's original author and even the actors deserved better.
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IMDb listing
CNS/USCCB review
Michael Phillips' review
AV Club's review
Since America's film industry remains centered around Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, interesting, often scandalous tid-bits of Los Angeles' history inevitably find their way into our films. However, how these "tid bits" from L.A.'s history get incorporated into our films is not exactly straight forward and there have been all kinds of approaches. Consider simply:
(1) the venerable "neo-noir" film Chinatown [1974], directed by Roman Polanski and staring Jack Nicholson inspired by murky water-rights disputes in the early 1900s, the resolution of which making the metropolis of Los Angeles possible;
(2) the screwball comedy 1941 [1979], directed by Steven Spielberg and staring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi conflating two WW II-era Los Angeles stories, that of the hysteria caused by the "phantom raid" on Los Angeles in early 1942 and the "zootsuit" race riots between white sailors/marines and hispanic youths in Los Angeles;
(3) the Disney animated "noirish comedy" Who Framed Roger Rabbit? [1988] about the conspiracy by a consortium lead by General Motor which bought-out Southern California's "Red Car" public transportation service in the early 1950s with the purpose of shutting-it-down to make "pave the way" for automobile expressways and increases in auto-sales, a conspiracy the film called "so stupid that only a 'toon' [a cartoon villian] could come up with it." and finally back to
(4) the neo-noir classic LA Confidential [1997], starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Kim Bassinger and Danny DeVito giving a rather grim answer to the question of why the mob never made a permanent inroad into Los Angeles: the police itself conducted itself like the mob.
All these films tell, often with swagger/exaggeration, some part of Los Angeles' story. It is in the context of this celluloid legacy that Gangster Squad (directed by Ruben Fleischer, screenplay by Will Beall, loosely based on the non-fiction book by the same name by Paul Lieberman) is to be understood.
For it is clear that while some of the characters in Gangster Squad, notably LA Police Chief Bill Parker (played in the film by Nick Nolte), his aide (shown briefly) Daryl Gates (played in the film by Josh Pence) who later also became a similarly legendarily hard-nosed LA Police Chief (and was L.A. Police Chief at the time of the 1992 L.A. Riots) as well as the film's chief villain, gangster Mickey Cohen (played in the film by Sean Penn) and even the film's chief hero, World War II vet turned LAPD Sargent and Parker's special/off-the-books "Gangster Squad" leader John O'Mara (played in the film by Josh Brolin) were all real people, the "stew" that the film-makers put together does _not_ fit the historical record (simply check the wikipedia article on Mickey Cohen).
So what to make of the film? Well, it's a "period piece." It is "inspired by a true story." The "off the books Gangster Squad" apparently really did exist. But the rest is, well, "Hollywood." Does that take away from the performances by Nolte, Penn, Brolin as well as Giovanni Ribisi (who played the "gangster squad's" radio/bug man Sgt Keeler, who again really existed), and of others like Mirielle Enos (who played O'Mara's wife Connie), Ryan Gosling (a squad member) and Emma Stone (girlfriend of Cohen though also involved with Ryan Gosling's character) who's characters become ever "less historical"? No, just don't read too much history into the film? Look above and begin to think again in terms of Disney's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" ("Which 'toon' represented 'General Motors?'" ;-)
However, since Gangster Squad is not altogether "historical" a more important complaint could be made (and especially in light of the recent shooting massacres in Aurora, Colorado and the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT) whether it was wise for the for the film makers to focus on and certainly exaggerate the story's violence. Yes, the creation of the "off the books" squad itself indicated a determined "take Cohen down by any means necessary" approach taken by LA Police Chief Parker. (And this in itself has produces its own problems: Thoughout the 1960s-1980s anti-Communist paramiliary "Death Squads" killed all kinds of people, Communists and non ..., throughout Latin America. Do we really want to give Police, or anyone, unlimited powers with little/no accountability?) Still, if the way Cohen was actually arrested and actually sentenced to Alcatraz was emphatically not the way the film-makers chose to portray his downfall, then why (wildly...) exaggerate the number of deaths/bullets?
So to be honest, I ended up rather disappointed with the film believing that though the individual performances were good, the story cheated both the author of the original (and true) story as well as the audience. We, the book's original author and even the actors deserved better.
<< NOTE - Do you like what you've been reading here? If you do then consider giving a small donation to this Blog (sugg. $6 _non-recurring_) _every so often_ to continue/further its operation. To donate just CLICK HERE. Thank you! :-) >>
A Haunted House [2013]
MPAA (R) USCCB (O) AVClub (D+) Fr. Dennis (3 Stars with explanation)
IMDb listing
USCCB review
AVClub's review
Wow, you know it's January (after the Oscar deadline) when a crop like this weekend's films including A Haunted House (directed by Michael Tiddes, screenplay by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez) is released and actually stands a good chance of scoring number one in the box office this weekend (I don't know whether to put a :-) or a :-( because both apply ;-).
I went to see the film because I am more or less certain that a fair number of the young people at my parish are going to see it anyway. And I have to say to Parents that, (1) YES, the film is definitely R-rated (drugs, upper female nudity, backside male nudity, and a whole lot of trash talk), and (2) I can't think of any reason why a teenager, especially a young teenager would "need" to see the film. And so I would encourage parents to STAND THEIR GROUND with this film as I can't think of a reason why their 15 year old would need to see something this trashy or stupid. (Let them "grow up" a bit more to see something this trashy/stupid ;-) ... seriously, because then they'll KNOW that it's so).
But that then becomes an interesting dividing line (that of Maturity). For those of upper high-school (17+) and young adult age, hence those who've reached that "wisdom threshold" and especially those young people of that age who know the films (mostly the Paranormal Activity films) being spoofed, I do believe that as a send-up of those movies, A Haunted House is one of the funniest in years (hence why the film simultaneously got only a 6% (!!) favorable rating from critics AND an overwhelming 94% (!!) favorable from audiences on rottentomatoes.com -- part of my amusement being that together they actually equal 100% but that's of course, only by coincidence ;-).
Yes the film is extremely crude, yes it is extremely stupid, but it is also funny. It's based on the oft-said joke by African American comedians like Chris Rock (and even Richard Pryor before him) that most American horror movies are basically "white people movies" because "there's no way that an African American family would stay in a house that is haunted ..."
Well in this case, a young, yes unmarried African American couple, Malcolm (played by Marlon Wayans) and Kisha (played by Essence Atikins) move into a house in suburban Los Angeles (note that the white couple in the Paranormal Activity series was also unmarried...) only to find themselves tormented by a ghost/demon (like the white couple in Paranormal Activity was). And yes, Malcolm's first instinct is just to run. But he can't. Why? Well, just like in last summer's B-movie horror film The Apparition [2012] again featuring a white unmarried couple living in their case at the outskirts of suburban Los Angeles, he can't "run" because he wouldn't be able to sell the house "in this market." So he and Kisha must stay ... Much ensues ...
Part of what ensues is that most of the people they go to for help turn out to be themselves rather creepy: "Chip" a gay psychic (played by Nick Swardson) who seems more intent on hitting-on Malcolm than searching for a ghost; Malcolm's "gangsta" cousin Ray-Ray (played by Affion Crockett) who quickly and sincerely comes with his "posse of homeboys" still "from the hood" to help is "bro" out when he hears that Malcolm in in trouble only to realize that invisible ghosts would probably be rather immune to bullets from "gangsta arms" ...); and a black "priest" who did his "theology" through a six month correspondence course while in prison (played by Cedric the Entertainer). Note here that the USCCB review found the portrayal of the "priest" among the most appalling aspects of the film. Yet most Catholics would know that while there are plenty of "fly by night" mostly Baptist/Pentacostalist-inspired Protestant seminaries that give all kinds of "ministerial degrees" in short orders of time, it takes next-to-for-ever (7-8 years of college/graduate study) for Catholics to get ordained precisely because the Catholic Church takes seminary training so seriously. Yet the "store front churches" (again mostly Baptist/Pentacostalist-inspired) are fixtures throughout the poorer neighborhoods of America's cities. So, okay, while Cedric's character would not be a Catholic priest, he could easily be a somewhat "hucksterish" Protestant minister who's both sincere and, well, kinda/rather flawed. But also, frankly, he's "still out there fighting the good fight" as best as he can.
Anyway, the film is certainly NOT for those who haven't already seen some of the Paranormal Activity series of films (My own reviews of PA 2 and PA 3 are given here) And yes, I would certainly say again to parents that they could insist on their minors sitting this film out until they reach maturity. But for those who've already seen the Paranormal Activity films and are of an age to understand that the film is a "send-up" of those films, then I do believe that this film, if often very raunchy, is also very, very funny.
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IMDb listing
USCCB review
AVClub's review
Wow, you know it's January (after the Oscar deadline) when a crop like this weekend's films including A Haunted House (directed by Michael Tiddes, screenplay by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez) is released and actually stands a good chance of scoring number one in the box office this weekend (I don't know whether to put a :-) or a :-( because both apply ;-).
I went to see the film because I am more or less certain that a fair number of the young people at my parish are going to see it anyway. And I have to say to Parents that, (1) YES, the film is definitely R-rated (drugs, upper female nudity, backside male nudity, and a whole lot of trash talk), and (2) I can't think of any reason why a teenager, especially a young teenager would "need" to see the film. And so I would encourage parents to STAND THEIR GROUND with this film as I can't think of a reason why their 15 year old would need to see something this trashy or stupid. (Let them "grow up" a bit more to see something this trashy/stupid ;-) ... seriously, because then they'll KNOW that it's so).
But that then becomes an interesting dividing line (that of Maturity). For those of upper high-school (17+) and young adult age, hence those who've reached that "wisdom threshold" and especially those young people of that age who know the films (mostly the Paranormal Activity films) being spoofed, I do believe that as a send-up of those movies, A Haunted House is one of the funniest in years (hence why the film simultaneously got only a 6% (!!) favorable rating from critics AND an overwhelming 94% (!!) favorable from audiences on rottentomatoes.com -- part of my amusement being that together they actually equal 100% but that's of course, only by coincidence ;-).
Yes the film is extremely crude, yes it is extremely stupid, but it is also funny. It's based on the oft-said joke by African American comedians like Chris Rock (and even Richard Pryor before him) that most American horror movies are basically "white people movies" because "there's no way that an African American family would stay in a house that is haunted ..."
Well in this case, a young, yes unmarried African American couple, Malcolm (played by Marlon Wayans) and Kisha (played by Essence Atikins) move into a house in suburban Los Angeles (note that the white couple in the Paranormal Activity series was also unmarried...) only to find themselves tormented by a ghost/demon (like the white couple in Paranormal Activity was). And yes, Malcolm's first instinct is just to run. But he can't. Why? Well, just like in last summer's B-movie horror film The Apparition [2012] again featuring a white unmarried couple living in their case at the outskirts of suburban Los Angeles, he can't "run" because he wouldn't be able to sell the house "in this market." So he and Kisha must stay ... Much ensues ...
Part of what ensues is that most of the people they go to for help turn out to be themselves rather creepy: "Chip" a gay psychic (played by Nick Swardson) who seems more intent on hitting-on Malcolm than searching for a ghost; Malcolm's "gangsta" cousin Ray-Ray (played by Affion Crockett) who quickly and sincerely comes with his "posse of homeboys" still "from the hood" to help is "bro" out when he hears that Malcolm in in trouble only to realize that invisible ghosts would probably be rather immune to bullets from "gangsta arms" ...); and a black "priest" who did his "theology" through a six month correspondence course while in prison (played by Cedric the Entertainer). Note here that the USCCB review found the portrayal of the "priest" among the most appalling aspects of the film. Yet most Catholics would know that while there are plenty of "fly by night" mostly Baptist/Pentacostalist-inspired Protestant seminaries that give all kinds of "ministerial degrees" in short orders of time, it takes next-to-for-ever (7-8 years of college/graduate study) for Catholics to get ordained precisely because the Catholic Church takes seminary training so seriously. Yet the "store front churches" (again mostly Baptist/Pentacostalist-inspired) are fixtures throughout the poorer neighborhoods of America's cities. So, okay, while Cedric's character would not be a Catholic priest, he could easily be a somewhat "hucksterish" Protestant minister who's both sincere and, well, kinda/rather flawed. But also, frankly, he's "still out there fighting the good fight" as best as he can.
Anyway, the film is certainly NOT for those who haven't already seen some of the Paranormal Activity series of films (My own reviews of PA 2 and PA 3 are given here) And yes, I would certainly say again to parents that they could insist on their minors sitting this film out until they reach maturity. But for those who've already seen the Paranormal Activity films and are of an age to understand that the film is a "send-up" of those films, then I do believe that this film, if often very raunchy, is also very, very funny.
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Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Price Check [2012]
MPAA (UR) Chicago Tribune (3 stars) Fr. Dennis (3 Stars)
IMDb listing
Chicago Tribune's (Gary Goldstein) review
Price Check (written and directed by Michael Walker) is a small, low budget "indie" picture that I sw recently at Chicago's Facets Multimedia theater a few blocks east on Fullerton from Ashland. As such the story is simple but certainly contemporary.
Pete Cozy (played by Eric Mabius) lived a rather uneventful life with his wife Sara (played by Annie Parisse) and their kindergarten aged daughter in suburban New York, working in the Long Island regional office of a rather middle-of-the-road, arguably boring supermarket chain.
Into these doldrums enters a firebrand named Susan Felders (played by Parker Posey) who for reasons that seem baffling to the staff of this previously sleepy regional office had apparently machinated her way into taking their regional boss' job. Why would anyone want their apparently sacked boss' job? And why would anyone want to come out all the way to "midway-up Long Island" from "Corporate" (located in Los Angeles) to "change things?" Yet she arrives with corny, eye-rolling enthusiasm quickly instituting (without asking) the office's "the first annual Halloween party -- costumes MANDATORY" and then insists that everyone at the party SING at the kareoke mic. What an unbelievable nightmare ... ;-)
She also takes a quick and arguably inappropriate "liking" to Pete who she tries to butter-up and get him to become her "right hand man" to the obvious, eye rolling derision of the rest of the office staff. But hey, she's the new Boss, who makes NO SECRET that she's been sent there by "Corporate" with a blank check and well, when she opens that magic checkbook and at the drop-of-the-hat doubles Pete's salary, that's a kind of "life changing development" for a late 30-something marketing expert who's previously been resigned to essentially sleep at work, all the more so since she insists on coming over to his house and with equal vigor and persistence seeks to befriend his wife.
What the heck is going on? After-all, all this "regional office" does is help the "Corporate's" local grocery stores "stock their shelves." This is not exactly the Apollo or Manhattan project ...
Well much ensues. And probably anyone who's ever worked in the "regional office" of anything will enjoy the ride...
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IMDb listing
Chicago Tribune's (Gary Goldstein) review
Price Check (written and directed by Michael Walker) is a small, low budget "indie" picture that I sw recently at Chicago's Facets Multimedia theater a few blocks east on Fullerton from Ashland. As such the story is simple but certainly contemporary.
Pete Cozy (played by Eric Mabius) lived a rather uneventful life with his wife Sara (played by Annie Parisse) and their kindergarten aged daughter in suburban New York, working in the Long Island regional office of a rather middle-of-the-road, arguably boring supermarket chain.
Into these doldrums enters a firebrand named Susan Felders (played by Parker Posey) who for reasons that seem baffling to the staff of this previously sleepy regional office had apparently machinated her way into taking their regional boss' job. Why would anyone want their apparently sacked boss' job? And why would anyone want to come out all the way to "midway-up Long Island" from "Corporate" (located in Los Angeles) to "change things?" Yet she arrives with corny, eye-rolling enthusiasm quickly instituting (without asking) the office's "the first annual Halloween party -- costumes MANDATORY" and then insists that everyone at the party SING at the kareoke mic. What an unbelievable nightmare ... ;-)
She also takes a quick and arguably inappropriate "liking" to Pete who she tries to butter-up and get him to become her "right hand man" to the obvious, eye rolling derision of the rest of the office staff. But hey, she's the new Boss, who makes NO SECRET that she's been sent there by "Corporate" with a blank check and well, when she opens that magic checkbook and at the drop-of-the-hat doubles Pete's salary, that's a kind of "life changing development" for a late 30-something marketing expert who's previously been resigned to essentially sleep at work, all the more so since she insists on coming over to his house and with equal vigor and persistence seeks to befriend his wife.
What the heck is going on? After-all, all this "regional office" does is help the "Corporate's" local grocery stores "stock their shelves." This is not exactly the Apollo or Manhattan project ...
Well much ensues. And probably anyone who's ever worked in the "regional office" of anything will enjoy the ride...
<< NOTE - Do you like what you've been reading here? If you do then consider giving a small donation to this Blog (sugg. $6 _non-recurring_) _every so often_ to continue/further its operation. To donate just CLICK HERE. Thank you! :-) >>
Any Day Now [2012]
MPAA (R) Michael Philips (2 Stars) AV Club (B) Fr. Dennis (3 Stars)
IMDb listing
Michael Phillips' review
Village Voice's review
AV Club's review
Any Day Now (directed and screenplay adapted by Travis Fine based on the original screenplay by George Arthur Bloom based on a real case which took place in Brooklyn, NY in the 1970s) is a propaganda piece. That said, I don't mean that necessarily in a bad way. There are times to when it is entirely correct to "make a case." And I do believe that this is a story that that people of good will ought to know.
Though Any Day Now is set in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, it's based on a real case that took place in Brooklyn, NY around that time. It's about a gay man, Rudy (played by Alan Cumming) seeking to first get custody and then keep custody of a severely challenged 15-year old boy named Marco (played by Isaac Leyva) with Down Syndrome who lived in the run-down flat next to Rudy's, who due to his family situation (absent father, drug addicted mother, played by Jaime Anne Allman) really had few options other than state sanctioned foster care. Pulling no punches, Rudy is portrayed as being a singer in a West Hollywood "drag club," indication of the film makers' desire to not try to "sanitize" the story by making Rudy artificially "respectable" AND also helping to explain why Rudy would have found himself involved in Marco's case to begin with: If Rudy didn't work as a "drag queen" in a club and live in a run-down apartment somewhere in the Hollywood/West Hollywood district of Los Angeles, he never would have had met Marco the differently-abled son of a down-on-her-luck / drug challenged mother. Yet once one meets such folks in such heart-rending situations, well, what does one do? Rudy does step-up to take care of Marco after Marco's mother doesn't come home one night (after being picked-up by the cops on some charge ...).
Now due to the particular characteristics of the gay-subculture, the "bohemian" (to the drag queen edge) singer Rudy comes to have a friend (who becomes more of a friend) Paul (played by Garret Dillahunt) a recently divorced and now half-out-of-the-closet lawyer/assistant D.A. who's able to help Rudy navigate some of the then overwhelmingly complex legal minefields that he would have to pass in order to hope to get custody of Marco after Marco's mother is locked-up for a sentence of three years. Much certainly plays out ...
Now the Catholic Church in recent years has taken the stance of opposing both gay marriage and gay adoption to the extent that in Illinois from where I write Catholic Charities has withdrawn itself from dealing in adoption services rather than be compelled to grant custody of children to gay couples. So why am I, as a Catholic priest, reviewing a film like this? I am doing so because theology is made with the Scriptures/the whole history/Tradition of interpreting the Scriptures in one hand and our (humanity's) experience in the other. This film is a data point. My own experience both (1) in dealing over the years in my pastoral work with a surprisingly and at times depressingly large number of cases of troubled adults who grew-up in truly horrendous home situations (headed, as a matter of course, by heterosexual but often deeply troubled parents) and (2) actually knowing of a case of a gay (in this case, a lesbian) couple and their experience with adoption (by then, in their case, it was "legal" for them to adopt, but the number of opportunities available to them remained limited to basically the hardest, most troubled children that very, very few prospective adoptive parents would dare to undertake -- troubled, abandoned teens with either severe disabilities or drug problems) tells me that this film rings fundamentally true. And hence I make note of the film here, noting also, as I generally try to do, what other relevant/published reviewers (see above) had to say about the film as well.
<< NOTE - Do you like what you've been reading here? If you do then consider giving a small donation to this Blog (sugg. $6 _non-recurring_) _every so often_ to continue/further its operation. To donate just CLICK HERE. Thank you! :-) >>
IMDb listing
Michael Phillips' review
Village Voice's review
AV Club's review
Any Day Now (directed and screenplay adapted by Travis Fine based on the original screenplay by George Arthur Bloom based on a real case which took place in Brooklyn, NY in the 1970s) is a propaganda piece. That said, I don't mean that necessarily in a bad way. There are times to when it is entirely correct to "make a case." And I do believe that this is a story that that people of good will ought to know.
Though Any Day Now is set in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, it's based on a real case that took place in Brooklyn, NY around that time. It's about a gay man, Rudy (played by Alan Cumming) seeking to first get custody and then keep custody of a severely challenged 15-year old boy named Marco (played by Isaac Leyva) with Down Syndrome who lived in the run-down flat next to Rudy's, who due to his family situation (absent father, drug addicted mother, played by Jaime Anne Allman) really had few options other than state sanctioned foster care. Pulling no punches, Rudy is portrayed as being a singer in a West Hollywood "drag club," indication of the film makers' desire to not try to "sanitize" the story by making Rudy artificially "respectable" AND also helping to explain why Rudy would have found himself involved in Marco's case to begin with: If Rudy didn't work as a "drag queen" in a club and live in a run-down apartment somewhere in the Hollywood/West Hollywood district of Los Angeles, he never would have had met Marco the differently-abled son of a down-on-her-luck / drug challenged mother. Yet once one meets such folks in such heart-rending situations, well, what does one do? Rudy does step-up to take care of Marco after Marco's mother doesn't come home one night (after being picked-up by the cops on some charge ...).
Now due to the particular characteristics of the gay-subculture, the "bohemian" (to the drag queen edge) singer Rudy comes to have a friend (who becomes more of a friend) Paul (played by Garret Dillahunt) a recently divorced and now half-out-of-the-closet lawyer/assistant D.A. who's able to help Rudy navigate some of the then overwhelmingly complex legal minefields that he would have to pass in order to hope to get custody of Marco after Marco's mother is locked-up for a sentence of three years. Much certainly plays out ...
Now the Catholic Church in recent years has taken the stance of opposing both gay marriage and gay adoption to the extent that in Illinois from where I write Catholic Charities has withdrawn itself from dealing in adoption services rather than be compelled to grant custody of children to gay couples. So why am I, as a Catholic priest, reviewing a film like this? I am doing so because theology is made with the Scriptures/the whole history/Tradition of interpreting the Scriptures in one hand and our (humanity's) experience in the other. This film is a data point. My own experience both (1) in dealing over the years in my pastoral work with a surprisingly and at times depressingly large number of cases of troubled adults who grew-up in truly horrendous home situations (headed, as a matter of course, by heterosexual but often deeply troubled parents) and (2) actually knowing of a case of a gay (in this case, a lesbian) couple and their experience with adoption (by then, in their case, it was "legal" for them to adopt, but the number of opportunities available to them remained limited to basically the hardest, most troubled children that very, very few prospective adoptive parents would dare to undertake -- troubled, abandoned teens with either severe disabilities or drug problems) tells me that this film rings fundamentally true. And hence I make note of the film here, noting also, as I generally try to do, what other relevant/published reviewers (see above) had to say about the film as well.
<< NOTE - Do you like what you've been reading here? If you do then consider giving a small donation to this Blog (sugg. $6 _non-recurring_) _every so often_ to continue/further its operation. To donate just CLICK HERE. Thank you! :-) >>
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