Rewind Series - 2010 Edition

     So, you may have noticed that TheMovieFrog has not had quite the output in May that I wrote in the several months previous...at least not yet.  Part of this has been due to some general housekeeping and catching up on my part.  Part of this has been due, however, to a lack of new films coming out on DVD that I planned to review.  I've decided to use this as an excuse to catch up on some of the films that I never managed to see in previous years beginning with 2010, the year before I started publishing TheMovieFrog.  I had, however already begun viewing a bevy of the year's most important films and grading them in preparation to write it.  As such, there are only a handful that I have not already seen.  There are some years that I caught a pitiful few of the really innovative and essential pictures. Rewinding through those years (this means YOU, 2007) will be epic by comparison.  As of now, my 2010 rewind agenda includes:

  1. Aftershocks - A Chinese disaster movie about one family's recovery after a real life earthquake during the seventies.
  2. Angel of Evil - Italian crime thriller about the notorious outlaw Renato Vallanzasca.
  3. Barney's Version - This best make-up nominee at the Oscars didn't get the most glowing write-ups but it does star Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman.  Even when actors of this caliber stumble, it is worth watching to note that we are all mortal...and who knows, I might LOVE it.
  4. Children of Invention - This Chinese language feature sounds heartwarming in a way that doesn't make me feel nauseous so it's in.
  5. Daddy Longlegs - This itty bitty almost unknown flick got JUST enough attention from the Gotham and Independent Spirit awards to make this list.
  6. The Edge - Russia's 2010-2011 Oscar submission may have failed to garner a nomination but it certainly sounds like a unique film...
  7. Enemies of the People - This tale of a man seeking revenge against the Khmer Rouge sounds like the (highly) rare documentary that plays like a thriller.
  8. Film Socialisme - French living legend Jean-Luc Godard is always worth checking out, even when his directorial efforts sound as potentially convoluted as this one.
  9. I Love You Phillip Morris - I wonder what sort of muggy expression Jim Carrey has come up with to represent "Gay Lust".  This film may have gay themes, but I expect the Human Rights Campaign appreciates the light it shone on these issues in much the same way that PETA valued Ace Ventura.  If Downey, Jr. caught hell over Tropic Thunder, how is Carrey not criticized for doing this film in "gay face".
  10. Idiots and Angels - This feature from cult classic French animator Bill Plympton is an allegorical tale of how a man can change.
  11. Lebanon - This Hebrew language piece is easily one of the most universally acclaimed films I missed in 2010, it has been called the Das Boot of tank movies, which sounds far less ludicrous than "the Citizen Kane of talking pig movies" which Babe actually was.
  12. Life During Wartime - Director Todd Solondz's long awaited quasi-sequel to his much beloved 1998 film Happiness.
  13. Outside the Law - This one was an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language film, I believe representing Algeria.  It tells of three brothers caught up in that country's fight for independence.
  14. Passion Play - Writer/director Mitch Glazer did not get the BEST of reviews for this piece, but I can't resist a story about a gangster, an angel, and a trumpet player...especially with Bill Murray in the cast.
  15. Plan B - This Argentinian Spanish language film with Gay themes tells the story of a man who tries to come in between his ex-girlfriend and her new man.
  16. Post Mortem - Before he directed the Oscar nominated No, Pablo Larrain directed this other tale of Chile in the 1970's.
  17. Prodigal Sons - Kimberly Reed's documentary tells of the first time the transsexual film-maker returned home...as a woman.
  18. The Tempest - Director Julie Taymor's reworking of Shakespeare's final play with Helen Mirren playing the lead as the wizard Prospera (re-named from Prospero to fit her gender).
  19. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Woody Allen's yearly offering focuses on a recently divorced woman who seeks spiritual guidance from a psychic.

     Of course, I am open to adding films if readers request them, but I am trying not to go back over films I've already seen (although if I get several requests to re-watch something and review it, of course I will).  The list of 2010 productions that I have already watched (which as I mentioned, is extensive), and the grades that I gave them (for practice since I wasn't up and Frogging QUITE yet), are as follows:

     5 star films:
  127 Hours
  Animal Kingdom
  Biuitiful
  Black Swan
  Exit Through the Gift Shop
  Gasland
  How To Train Your Dragon
  In a Better World
  Incendies
  Inception
  Madeo
  Mary and Max
  Micmacs
  The Social Network
  Winter's Bone

     4 1/2 star films:
  Another Year
  Blue Valentine
  Carlos
  Day and Night (short)
  The Ghost Writer
  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
  Inside Job
  Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
  The Kids Are All Right
  The King's Speech
  The Oath
  True Grit
  Undertow
  Waiting For Superman
  Waste Land
  White Material

     4 star films:
  The American
  Catfish
  Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky
  Despicable Me
  Easy A
  Enter the Void
  Fair Game
  The Fighter
  Four Lions
  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One
  Heartbreaker
  Jack Goes Boating
  Let Me In
  Let's Pollute (short)
  The Lottery
  Love and Other Drugs
  Mesrine: Public Enemy
  Monsters
  My Name is Khan
  My Name is Maria (short)
  Never Let Me Go
  Nowhere Boy
  Of Gods and Men
  Ondine
  Peepli Live
  Please Give
  Precious Life
  Rabbit Hole
  Restrepo
  Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
  Shutter Island
  Splice
  The Tillman Story
  The Town
  Toy Story 3
  Wild Grass

     3 1/2 star films:
  44-Inch Chest
  8: The Mormon Proposition
  Animated History of Poland (short)
  Around a Small Mountain
  Blood Done Sign My Name
  Book of Eli
  Cemetery Junction
  City Island
  Devil
  Dinner For Schmucks
  Eat, Pray, Love
  The Eclipse
  Everyone Else
  Flipped
  Get Low
  The Girl Who Played With Fire
  The Gruffalo (short)
  Harry Brown
  Hereafter
  The Karate Kid
  Kick-Ass
  Lovely, Still
  Morning Glory
  Night Catches Us
  One Thousand Pictures (short)
  R.E.D.
  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  Stone
  Tiny Furniture
  Vincere
  Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
  The Way Back
  Welcome To the Rileys
  Women Without Men

     3 star films:
  Alamar
  Blue Beard
  Burlesque
  Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer
  Confession (short)
  Countdown to Zero
  The Crazies
  The Disappearance of Alice Creed
  Dust Kid (short)
  Everything Strange and New
  The Experiment
  Fish Tank
  For Colored Girls
  Going the Distance
  The Greatest
  Greenberg
  Holy Rollers
  Howl
  Iron Man 2
  The Killer Inside Me
  The Last Exorcism
  Leaves of Grass
  Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
  Letters To Juliet
  Love Ranch
  Made in Dagenham
  Mademoiselle Chambon
  Megamind
  Monica and David
  Mother and Child
  My Own Love Song
  Oceans
  Shrek Forever After
  A Solitary Man
  Somewhere
  The Sorcerer's Apprentice
  Tamara Drew
  The Twilight Saga: The Eclipse
  Unstoppable
  William Kuntsler: Destroying the Universe

     2 1/2 star films:
  After.life
  The Art of the Steal
  Barking Island (short)
  Cairo Time
  Casino Jack and the United States of Money
  Chloe
  Clash of the Titans
  The Company Men
  Conviction
  Coyote Falls (short)
  Daybreakers
  The Exploding Girl
  Green Zone
  La Mission
  Percy Jackson and the New Olympians
  Prince of Persia
  Salt
  Secretariat
  Smash His Camera
  Tron: Legacy
  Valentine's Day

     The lists get shorter from here on out.  I try to avoid films of less than two and a half star quality whenever possible, but a few always sneak through (and one is usually up for an Oscar).  Two star films:
  Agora
  Alice in Wonderland
  All Good Things
  Death at a Funeral
  Eccentricities of a Blond Haired Girl
  The Expendables
  Extraordinary Measures
  It's Kind of a Funny Story
  The Last Airbender
  Robin Hood
  Sensology
  Sweetgrass
  Tangled
  The Tourist
  Why Did I Get Married Too

     One and a half star films:
  Babies
  Cique du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
  The Extra Man
  Jelly
  Runaways
  The Temptation of St. Tony

     One star films:
  Charlie St. Cloud
  Jonah Hex
  Legion
  The Lost Thing (short)
  Sex and the City 2
  Skyline
   
     Whew!!!  I'm going to do my utmost to try and see you back here tomorrow for the first three in the rewind.
                                                              Froggy

The Five-Day Fade

     Today's at home viewing reviews include a musical rewind to the sixties, a travesty of justice from the seventies, and another of the same from the eighties. Let's hop some decades...

  The Central Park Five - Documentarian Ken Burns is famous mostly for his work on PBS series and specials that have illuminated various topics and times from the history of America.  Apparently, the calling is to be a family affair, because with this film his daughter Sarah joins him as co-director.  The picture tells the story of five black and Latino youths who were convicted (on the flimsiest of evidence) of raping a woman in New York's Central Park in 1989.
     While the story IS heart breaking and thoroughly told, I'm afraid that the movie comes across as a little dry.  Told mostly in straightforward interviews interspersed with vintage footage, there are few of the cinematic flourishes we have come to expect in recent years from feature documentary films.  Also working against the picture are the inevitable comparisons to the Paradise Lost series, which told a similar story in a much more dramatic fashion.  While "Central" does address racial issues not inherent to the West Memphis case, otherwise it mostly covers the same thematic ground...3 1/2 of 5 stars.

  Any Day Now - In this movie, writer/director Travis Fine takes on the issue of gay adoption through the true life story of a 1970's couple who tried to legally adopt a teen-age boy with Down Syndrome after being granted temporary custody by his negligent mother.  It's not a pretty story, but it is one that is well told.  It does become a tad melodramatic in the final act, but the facts of the case are a true American melodrama.
     The film hinges upon the performances of Alan Cumming and Garrett Dillahunt, who play the lovers Rudy and Paul.  I am most familiar with Alan Cumming in the role of Nightcrawler in the first X-Men film franchise, but his work here is excellent and nuanced.  Rudy is a drag queen and easily the more flamboyant of the two.  Whereas most actors would approach a character like this (complete with over the top cabaret numbers) with broad strokes, Cumming fills Rudy with details and delicate touches that allow him to easily avoid creating a mere caricature.
     Most of you are probably familiar with actor Garrett Dillahunt as the star of the TV show Raising Hope, although he has certainly played a number of smaller roles on the big screen as well. In this film he plays Paul, the closeted assistant DA who gives up everything to be with Rudy and raise Marco with him.  He plays the character with great calm determination, creating a dynamic in which each member of the couple lends their relative strengths to each other.  The viewer never doubts the love between the two, nor the love that they have available for Marco.
     While the complaint could be made that most of the other characters are played as unrepentant villains, this is not so much a flaw in characterization as a reflection upon how far we have come as a society.  During the time in which the action of the film takes place, their attitudes and opinions would easily have been touted as ethically sound.  Looking at them through modern eyes, they seem hopelessly insensitive to both the feelings of the couple and the needs of the child.  Perhaps in another thirty years, the entire issue will seem ridiculous...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

  Not Fade Away - Writer/director David Chase is probably best known as the creator of The Sopranos television series.  In Not Fade Away he presents us with a different vision of New Jersey as we follow the adventures of several teen-age boys in the 1960's who try to start a rock band.  As a period piece it works quite well with lots of historical milestones filling in the background of the boys' world to keep us rooted in the era.
     The film is also tied to the television show by the presence of James Gandolfini, who plays the main character's father.  His interaction with lead John Maguro forms the basis for most of the film's dramatic highpoints and the two have excellent onscreen chemistry.  In fact, Maguro is quite excellent throughout and the main reason for seeing the picture.  His rendition of "Time is On My Side" is actually a little inspired.
     My biggest complaint with the movie is that the narration is delivered by Maguro's character's younger sister, who is largely uninvolved in the action of the film, and would have in fact been unaware of most of the story as it was happening.  One can assume that her brother filled her in later, but that of course skews the whole story to his perceptions.  A small complaint, but one that bothered me nonetheless...4 of 5 stars.
     

Froggy's 13 Day Memorial Day Film Festival

     I'm a day late on this one but it is time for another of my Holiday Film Festivals, this time celebrating Memorial Day.  While it's easy for many of us to think of this holiday as merely an excuse for a long week-end, it was intended to honor those who have lost lives or been gravely injured in service to our country.  I have picked thirteen films with this intention in mind.  They DO tend to be centered a little more on films from the last few decades than my previous festivals.  I'm not sure why this is, but this is the list I came up with:

  1. Paths of Glory (1957) - One of director Stanley Kubrick's earliest films, this film tells the story of soldiers who refuse a suicide mission in World War I.  Needless to say, their superiors were not amused.  Besides being an important entry in the Kubrick canon, this is considered one of living legend Kirk Douglas's seminal performances.

  2. Forrest Gump (1994) - It is only during the early part of director Robert Zemeckis's epic of late twentieth century America that we see Forrest as a soldier, but the loss of his friend Bubba during Vietnam influences the events of the rest of his life.  The picture also presents a pretty vivid picture of how the war affected all Americans.  Besides that, Tom Hanks gives a power house (and Oscar winning) performance, alongside such luminaries as Sally Field, Robyn Wright & Gary Sinise.

  3. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - And of course, you can't discuss Tom Hanks and war movies without mentioning this modern classic which reset the bar for realism in combat sequences.  Steven Spielberg proves once again that he can handle ANY genre with an amazing cast that also includes Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti and Dennis Farina.

  4. The Thin Red Line (1998) - Saving Private Ryan wasn't the only film about soldiers in World War II that was up for Best Picture in 1998.  It went head to head with this Terrence Malick production.  A very different sort of movie about war, "Line" is very introspective, with limited dialogue.  It DOES, however, boast a tremendous cast that includes Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jim Caviezel, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, John Travolta, George Clooney & Nick Stahl.  I promise it's a little more accessible than Tree of Life.

  5. Private Benjamin (1980) - This picture from director Howard Zieff isn't so much about soldiers falling in battle, as it is about women in the armed forces finally rising to their feet, but this list desperately needed some comedic relief.  This little gem from the early eighties should fit the bill nicely.  It was up for three Oscars (impressive for ANY comedy) including a Best Actress nod for producer/star Goldie Hawn whose career was thusly made.

  6. Restrepo (2010) - And we snap right back to the dark realities of warfare with perhaps the most well known documentary on the subject so far in the twenty first century.  Made famous by the "death in the line of duty" suffered by documentarian Tim Hetherington not long after the film's release, it tells the story of a platoon of soldier's in one of the most dangerous valleys in Afghanistan.  They have named their outpost "Restrepo" in honor of a fallen comrade.  Hetherington himself died on location with more soldiers, making his next documentary.

  7. Born on the Fourth of July (1989) - This film tells the true story of Ron Kovic, who (after being paralyzed fighting in Vietnam) becomes an anti-war activist.  The picture was up for eight Oscars, winning two (Director & Editing) and marked a high point in the careers of director Oliver Stone and star Tom Cruise.

  8. The Messenger (2009) - Writer Oren Moverman's directorial debut is not only one of the most criminally under-appreciated movies of 2009, it is also perhaps the MOST perfect choice on this entire list.  It tells the story of two soldiers (Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson) whose assignment is to alert the families of soldiers who have fallen on the field of battle.  Foster's character falls in love with one of the widows (played with typical brilliance by Samantha Morten) and we all take a hard look at grief and coping.  The Messenger should have been up for Best Picture.  It got nods for Screenplay and Supporting Actor (Harrelson)...sigh...

  9. MASH (1970) - Before the TV series broke all kinds of Emmy records, it was inspired by this movie by one of my all time favorite directors: the late, great Robert Altman.  As dark as the show's humor was for television of the time, this reflection of the Korean Conflict was even darker (but still funny).  Boasts a cast including: Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall & Rene Auberjonois.

  10. Inglorious Basterds (2009) - Quentin Tarantino's more than slightly cracked vision of World War Two is far from historically accurate, but it is a hell of a lot of irreverent and violent fun.  It is also one of the greatest revenge fantasies ever made, as a platoon of highly skilled Jewish soldiers assassinate Nazis left and right.  The film stars Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender & Daniel Bruhl.  It was up for eight Oscars (including Best Picture) winning Waltz his first Best Supporting Actor trophy.

  11. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Director Francis Ford Coppola's OTHER masterwork, this loose adaptation of the Joseph Conrad novel Heart of Darkness moves the tale of man and his inner demons to the timely location of Vietnam.  Widely considered one of the best War films ever made, its cast includes such notable talents as Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper & Scott Glenn.  This is the flick that the line: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." comes from!

  12. The Hurt Locker (2008) - If I were asked to pick THE modern master of the war movie, you might be surprised that I would quite likely choose a woman.  You won't be surprised if you check out the works of director Katherine Bigelow when teamed with writer Mark Boal.  This first collaboration is the most thoughtful meditation about how the war on terror affects our soldiers psychologically that I have ever seen, and is the little indie flick that kicked Avatar's ass at the Oscars.  It is also the picture that launched Jeremy Renner's career.

 ...and...

  13. Full Metal Jacket (1987) - There's just no way to top off a list that starts with Stanley Kubrick than with the master director's last great film.  This iconic story of the Vietnam War just MIGHT be my favorite war movie ever.  Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio & R. Lee Ermey lead the cast.  The picture is at times touching, funny, and horrifying.  If you have never seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out.

     And that is that.  Keep those flags waving, and I'll try and step up production of new articles here in the tail end of the month...Froggy. 

A Price Beyond This Time

     Place Beyond the Pines is a film I have been looking forward to pretty much since I heard it was being made.  I quite enjoyed writer/director Derek Cianfrance's 2010 critical break out Blue Valentine, and the news that he would be re-teaming with "Valentine" star Ryan Gosling in the follow up was just icing on the cake.  I wasn't really sure what to expect out of "Pines".  It seemed from the early buzz and promotionals to have some heavy action elements involved, which seems a pretty far cry from the turgid love story of Blue Valentine.  I shouldn't have worried.  Cianfrance is proving to be a director who is capable of handling a variety of genres and tones with equal ease.
     If I had to pick one signature marker of the man's directing style thus far, it would be his pacing. Cianfrance takes his time to tell a story, creating films that unfurl at a speed much more akin to European dramas than most of their domestic counterparts.  He makes sure to show us more than he tells us, allowing us to draw our own conclusions about the characters lives, similar to the way in which we learn about our own.  This helps to create characters that seem less like mere functionaries of the plot, and more like fully realized human beings whose complex choices shape and guide the story.
     Speaking of pacing, editing team Jim Helton and Ron Patane (who return from Blue Valentine) do an exceptional job with this picture.  The story might be a tad slow for the average attention span, but (save for a SLIGHT lag in Act II), it suited me just fine.  Their true triumph, however, lies in the specific cuts they chose to use from scene to scene.  Often the transitional images enhanced each other's impact, or helped to tie the two scenes they bridged together thematically in ways that were notable without being obvious or cheesy.
     I fell in love with the work of cinematographer Sean Bobbitt when I saw Shame, giving him sixth place in my Best of 2011 series for the film (and it was a COMPETITIVE year for cinematographers).  He was an excellent choice for this film.  The images in "Pines" tell us just as much as the words that are spoken, consistent with a storytelling style that values demonstration over exposition.  The cross-country motorcycle ride vistas have set the bar very high for 2013's cinematographers.  Bobbitt's fine lensing will also be visible this year in Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave.  I have no doubt that film will be beautiful to behold as well.
     Place Beyond the Pines is a story told in three acts, with each act focusing on a different actor.  Act One belongs entirely to Ryan Gosling, who is both a great rising movie star and a superbly talented actor.  What makes him a great movie star is partially his good looks, which are astounding.  His "star power" is more rooted, however, in that intangible "X" factor that just makes him infinitely interesting to watch and listen to.  Call it "screen presence", or just "charisma", he has it in spades and it can't be quantified.  It makes you feel consoled by the fact that you got to watch him even when he's in a film of less than stellar quality.  He is a great actor, because he is gifted and obviously serious about his trade.  He has enormous range of characters that he is capable of playing and commits to each role completely.  Here he plays a much more inept role than the uber-capable types he has mostly played of late, a man who tries very hard, but completely in vain.
     Act Two is the story of Bradley Cooper's character.  I regret to inform that this was the weakest of the three parts, in my opinion, the only time in the movie that I wanted the pace to pick up just a hair.  This is very minor complaint, however, as it was still MOSTLY riveting viewing.  Cooper continues to show that he has acting chops which extend FAR beyond broad comedy.  Not only does he demonstrate the ability to handle more serious material in way that is far more understated and naturalistic that what he was asked to do in Silver Linings Playbook, he has NO comedic elements to fall back on.  The actor does an excellent job, even if Gosling has already stolen the show a bit.
     Act Three is set several years after the first two and focuses upon a character played by Dane DeHaan, who first caught my attention last year in Lawless.  In Place Beyond the Pines, he plays a far stronger and independent character immediately impressing upon me that, like the film's other two stars, this young actor has the range and ability to surprise us.  He's a new talent to keep an eye on.
     Of course, the movie also features a whole host of supporting work.  Rose Byrne and Eva Mendes portray the two main women in the story.  Both give respectable turns in somewhat limited roles.  Emory Cohen (best known from TV's Smash) shows signs of possible crossover potential.  Ben Mendelsohn, as usual, proves himself an immensely gifted character actor, and Ray Liotta continues to carve out a niche as the go-to supporting heavy we don't root for.
     I have tried very hard not to give away too much about Place Beyond the Pines' plot, but I would like to say that (like Blue Valentine) it is a story that is rooted very much in showing the changes that are wrought in life over time.  In it, not only are the sins of the fathers revisited on the sons, but they rebound back on the fathers as well.  Derek Cianfrance shows us once again how the choices we make and the things we don't take note of can change our destiny in countless unforeseen and undesired ways...4 1/2 of 5 stars.


  Related Articles:  Innkeepers of Blood and Shame (Shame review), Dark Clouds Beautify "Silver Linings", Elena's Brave Law (Lawless review)

40 Sparkly Artists

     Today's viewing list includes a comedic quasi-sequel, a cheesy remake & a documentary about the "grandmother of performance art"...two out of three ain't bad...

  Sparkle - Remember that magical moment in Dream Girls when Jennifer Hudson sang "I Am Telling You" and just for a second you thought that maybe history would prove American Idol to be a great star maker after all?  Let's all just bask in the joy of that moment for a second...and then let's talk about Sparkle.
     I'm sorry to report that director Salim Akil has taken a serious step backwards from his debut feature Jumping the Broom.  This remake of the 1976 camp classic is yet another example of why some films don't need to be remade, even if it is a good excuse to help fill the admittedly shameful vacuum of significant roles available in Hollywood for black actresses.  This kind of career assistance they don't need.
     As for the acting, it might still be too soon to speak ill of the dead, so let's talk about Jordin Sparks.  The poor girl just looked lost.  She either seemed to be making a face: "angry", "happy", "intrigued", "frightened", or vapidly staring off into space trying to remember which face her acting coach had said to make in the particular scene.
     The rest of the cast is either under-utilized, burdened by bad dialogue or just underwhelming in general.  Even a cameo by Cee-Lo Green (who usually makes me smile no matter how he is utilized) failed to muster much enthusiasm on my part.  The only member of the ensemble to stand out in a positive way is Carmen Ejogo in the role of Sister.  While her performance definitely stands high above the rest, it is sadly not enough to salvage the production as a whole...1 1/2 of 5 stars.

  This Is 40 - I'm not sure how many reviews I've prefaced with the confession that I am pretty tough on comedy.  I don't know why, but I'm a hard egg to crack in this regard and it is the rare film that gets me to actually laugh out loud with much gusto.  I'm happy to report that This Is 40 did. Repeatedly. I shouldn't really be all that surprised.  Writer/director Judd Apatow has been carving a real niche for himself making films with a superb blend of humor, heart, and intelligence, and that is exactly the sort of movie that he has created here.
     This is 40 is a quasi-sequel, focusing on the lives of supporting characters from his previous film, Knocked Up.  Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann return in the roles that they created and both do exceptional work.  If I have one complaint it is that the caustic humor that is central to the characterization of both members of the couple becomes a LITTLE excessive at times, pushing the boundaries of character likability.  In one scene, Ms. Mann's character Debbie chastises a boy who has insulted her daughter on-line so viciously that I actually became a bit uncomfortable.
     Overall, though, this is a very small complaint about a very funny movie.  Melissa McCarthy made me absolutely GUFFAW and I will NEVER get the image of young Iris Apatow shouting "No Technology" into her smart phone out of my head.  I highly recommend watching this picture, and insist that you stick around for the out takes with Ms. McCarthy during the credits...4 of 5 stars.

  Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present - You know, I vaguely remember a paragraph or so about Marina Abrimovic's work from Art History when I was in college but I never really got the point of performance art.  However, seeing her prepare for an exhibit and hearing her speak in this biographical documentary, I think I begin to get it.  I can only imagine what the experience of seeing one of her exhibits live would be like.  There is a presence and an energy about the woman (even over video) that simply defies explanation with mere words.
     Director Matthew Akers does not go in for a lot of flair in his storytelling style or structure, wisely allowing the charisma of his subject to speak for itself.  Which it does marvellously.  The Artist is Present is an insightful and entertaining meditation on art, love, the passage of time, and humanity.  Highly recommended viewing...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

The Great Gay Film Festival of 2011

     There were also several films with gay themes of note that I failed to catch back in 2011, so I put three of them together to make this post.  Why the hell not?
     Today's "colors in the homo rainbow" include a teen transsexual, a man so far in the closet he's in Narnia, and a sci-fi thriller about sexual coming of age.  I am happy to report that this batch of movies was MUCH better than the 2012 version of the festival.  Less snark, more recommended viewing!

    Gun Hill Road - Believe it or not, this one was already on my viewing list and it JUST released on DVD earlier this month.  I believe it first came within range of my radar due to young star Harmony Santana's Gotham Award nomination for the Breakthrough Award which the young transsexual actress deserved in spades.  As Michael/Vanessa she gives a performance that is nuanced and pained, yet demonstrates a confidence and understanding of exactly who the character is.  No doubt many points in the film mirror experiences and feelings in her own life, but she creates a character that is far more than a stock personality.
     I also have to take a moment to compliment actress Judy Reyes, who plays Michael/Vanessa's mother.  Rarely has a performance captured such unconditional love of a parent for a child, or such yearning for a closeness to one's husband that seems just beyond the character's grasp.  The actress certainly proves that she has dramatic chops that go far beyond the comedic stylings of SCRUBS.
     Unfortunately, actor Esai Morales's performance seems slightly forced by comparison as the conflicted father.  We definitely get his frustration and confusion, and they ring true for the most part.  However, some of his scenes seem to degenerate into a stereotypical, macho "But he's my boy" litany that could have been played with a little more variety.
     This is the first feature for writer/director Rashaad Ernesto Green, and I hope that the limited commercial success of Gun Hill Road does not hinder his ability to make another.  The script is written with intelligence and sensitivity to ALL of the parties involved and his direction indicates an ability to draw truth from the performances of his actors.  I definitely recommend this film, especially for the parents and families of children whose sexual identity may fall outside of the norm...4 of 5 stars.

  Beauty - Winner of the 2011 Queer Palme at Cannes, Beauty is a South African film that tells the story of Francois van Heerden, a man in his mid-40's who enjoys sex with men (unknown to his wife and family), but hates "faggots" (which should be clear to anyone around him).  Francois is played brilliantly by actor Deon Lotz, who manages to make the character both horrifying and oddly sympathetic.  Excellent supporting turns are provided by actors Charlie Keegan (as the young man he develops feelings for) and Michelle Scott (as the unsuspecting wife), but make no mistake, this is largely a one-man show.
     Writers Oliver Hermanus and Didier Costet were previously unknown to me, but they have crafted a tale that lends real irony to the film's title.  Francois's inability to accept his own attraction to "beauty" leads him to live a life full of bitterness and ugliness.  It is a marvelous example of how living in the closet (or in any other form of denial) can turn a man into a monster.  Hermanus also directs, and he pulls together a tightly knit and expertly handled production.  Beauty is not an easy film to watch, but it is well worth the effort and discomfort...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

  Kaboom - In my experience, the work of writer/director Gregg Araki (The Doom Generation) is always trippy and surreal, but I don't think I've ever seen him have so much fun with a film.  Kaboom is one part sexual awakening tale, one part sci-fi thriller, and one part farce.  Somehow all of these disparate parts stew together into a wholly unique movie that is improbably cohesive in tone.
     The ensemble cast as a whole is great, but the film belongs (acting wise) to Thomas Dekker, who plays Smith.  It took me most of the film to remember where I had seen the young actor before I remembered that he played John Conner in TV's Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles.  This is a very different role, one that enables Mr. Dekker to show an acting range that lies well outside the previous one.  He does so marvelously, aided by one of the most hypnotic [pairs of eyes ever put on the big screen.
     Mr. Araki wisely understands the confusion and alienation experienced by college age kids who are just beginning to understand themselves and their bodies.  Smith's feeling that he is "alien" in some way and caught up in forces beyond his control is something of a metaphor for how everyone feels as a young adult.  This is the "serious" thematic core of the piece.  The fact that, in his case, there are external forces to justify said feelings only adds to the general hilarity and mystery. The ending is a LITTLE disappointing, but I can largely forgive the film maker because I had so much fun getting there...4 of 5 stars.

     Related Articles: The Great Gay Film Festival of 2012

2013 Awards Preview - Postscript: Predictions

     Of course, nobody knows anything yet, but I can't resist doing this just for fun.  I haven't even started tracking 86th Oscar Buzz in any significant way yet.  This is just going with my gut. That being said, five of the eventual Best Picture nominees from last year were in my preview series predictions top ten and I made those a couple of weeks earlier.  Three of the other four were in my alternates.  Amour is the only possibility that seemed to really escape me, but how often does a non-English language film actually crack the Best Picture category?  Let's see if I can do any better this year.  Bear in mind, the last couple of alternate slots in any category are usually going to be things I would LIKE to see happen.  Some are a little wild...

  Best Picture
1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Twelve Years a Slave
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. Nebraska
5. Fruitvale Station
6. The Monuments Men
7. Elysium
8. Before Midnight (ala Toy Story 3 and the expanded field effect)
9. The Butler
10. The Counselor

11. American Hustle
12. The Zero Theorem
13. The Immigrant
14. The Great Gatsby
15. Labor Day
16. The Rover
17. The Young and Prodigious Spivet
18. To The Wonder
19. Ain't Them Bodies Saints
20. The East
  But don't rule out: All Is Lost, August: Osage County, Captain Phillips, The Fifth Estate, Foxcatcher, Grace of Monico, Gravity, Her, Kill Your Darlings, Midnight's Children, Mud, Only God Forgives, The Place Beyond the Pines, Serena, Snowpiercer, Trance, World War Z

  Best Director
1. Steve McQueen - Twelve Years a Slave
2. Martin Scorcese - The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Alexander Payne - Nebraska
4. Ryan Coogler - Fruitvale Station'
5. The Coen Brothers - Inside Llewyn Davis

6. Neil Blomkamp - Elysium
7. Lee Daniels - The Butler
8. George Clooney - The Monuments Men
9. Richard Linklater - Before Midnight
10. Terence Malick - To The Wonder
  Other possibilities: David O Russell - American Hustle, Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips, Ridley Scott - The Couselor, Bill Condon - The Fifth Estate, Bennett Miller - Foxcatcher, Baz Luhrman - The Great Gatsby, James Grey - The Immigrant, Jason Reitman - Labor Day, Deepa Mehta - Midnight's Children, Jeff Nichols - Mud, Nicholas Winding Refn - Only God Forgives, David Michod - The Rover, Susanne Bier - Serena, Jean-Pierre Juenet - The Young and Prodigious Spivet, Terry Gillem - The Zero Theorem

  Best Actor
1. Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale Station
2. Michael Fassbender - The Counselor
3. Chiawatel Ejiofor - Twelve Years a Slave
4. Robert Redford - All Is Lost
5. Bruce Dern - Nebraska

6. Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
7. Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis
8. Forest Whitaker - The Butler
9. Matthew MacConaughey - Mud
10. Christoph Waltz - The Zero Theorem
  Or...Casey Affleck - Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Bradley Cooper - American Hustle, Dennis Quaid - At Any Price, Ethan Hawke - Before Midnight, Toby Jones - Berberian Sound Studio, Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips, Matt Damon - Elysium, Bradley Cooper - The Fifth Estate, Mads Mickelson - The Hunt, Jeremy Renner - The Immigrant, Daniel Radcliffe - Kill Your Darlings, Ryan Gosling - Only God Forgives, Leonardo DiCaprio - The Great Gatsby, Joaquin Phoenix - Her, Idris Elba - Mandela: TheLong Walk To Freedom, Ryan Gosling - The Place Beyond the Pines, Christian Bale - Out of the Furnace, Colin Firth - The Railway Man, Guy Pearce - The Rover, Tom Hanks - Saving Mr. Banks

  Best Actress
1. Nicole Kidman - Grace of Monaco
2. Jessica Chastain - The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers
3. Oprah Winfrey - The Butler
4. Carey Mulligan - The Great Gatsby
5. Rooney Mara - Ain't Them Bodies Saints

6. Naomie Watts - Diana
7. Sandra Bullock - Gravity
8. Marion Cotillard - The Immigrant
9. Julie Delpy - Before Midnight
10. Susan Sarandan - The Company You Keep
     I also thought about: Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle, Meryl Streep - August: Osage County, Rooney Mara - Her, Saoirse Ronan - How I Live Now, Mia Wasikowska - Madame Bovary, Naomi Harris - Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, Shaillene Woodley - The Spectacular Now

  Best Supporting Actor
1. John Goodman - Inside Llewyn Davis
2. Robert DeNiro - American Hustle
3. Brad Pitt - The Counselor
4. Steve Carrell - Foxcatcher
5. Ewan McGregor - August: Osage County

6. Michael Fassbender - Twelve Years a Slave
7. Robin Williams - The Butler
8. Matthew MacConaughey - The Wolf of Wall Street
9. Will Forte - Nebraska
10. Ezra Miller - Madame Bovary
  Also: Ben Foster - Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Jeremy Renner - American Hustle, Chris Cooper - August: Osage County, Benedict Cumberbatch - August: Osage County, John Cusack - The Butler, Michael Fassbender - Frank, Tim Roth - Grace of Monaco, Tobey McGuire - The Great Gatsby, Joachin Phoenix - The Immigrant, Justin Timberlake - Inside Llewyn Davis, Matt Damon - The Monuments Men, Jean Dujardin - The Monuments Men, John Goodman - The Monuments Men, Casey Affleck - Out of the Furnace, Bradley Cooper - The Place Beyond the Pines, Scoot McNairy - The Rover, Robert Pattinson - The Rover, Paul Giamatti - Twelve Years a Slave, Brad Pitt - Twelve Years a Slave, Ben Whishaw - The Zero Theorem

  Best Supporting Actress
1. Jane Fonda - The Butler
2. Viola Davis - The Disappearence of Eleanor Rigby: Hers or His, not sure which
3. Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
4. Cate Blanchett - The Monuments Men
5. Alfre Woodard - Twelve Years a Slave

6. Amy Adams - American Hustle
7. Octavia Spencer - Fruitvale Station
8. Catherine Keener - Captain Phillips
9. Carey Mulligan - Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Ellen Page - The East
  And then you have: Juliette Lewis - August: Osage County, Melissa Leo - The Butler, Parker Posey - Grace of Monaco, Samantha Morten - Her, Michelle Pfeiffer - Malavita, Kristen Scott Thomas - Only God Forgives, Zoe Saldana - Out of the Furnace, Quvenzhane Wallis - Twelve Years a Slave, Judy Davis - The Young and Prodigious Spivet

  Adapted Screenplay
1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Before Midnight
3. The Butler
4. The Monuments Men
5. Much Ado About Nothing

6. The Great Gatsby
7. Prince Avalanche
8. Midnight's Children
9. Snowpiercer
10. Man of Steel
  In the running: The Fifth Estate, The Spectacular Now, Two Faces of January

  Original Screenplay
1. Inside Llewyn Davis
2. Twelve Years a Slave
3. Fruitvale Station
4. Nebraska
5. The Immigrant

6. The Counselor
7. Elysium
8. American Hustler
9. The Zero Theorem
10. Ain't Them Bodies Saints
  Also keeping an eye on: All Is Lost, Captain Phillips, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His and/or Hers, The East, Foxcatcher, Frank, Grace of Monaco, Kill Your Darlings, Mud, Only God Forgives, Her, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Rover, Trance, The Young and Prodigious Spivet, World War Z

  Best Cinematography
1. The Monuments Men
2. The Great Gatsby
3. Ain't Them Bodies Saints
4. Nebraska
5. To The Wonder

6. Elysium
7. The Zero Theorem
8. The Wolf of Wall Street
9. All Is Lost
10. Only God Forgives

  Best Editing
1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Twelve Years a Slave
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. Elysium
5. The Monuments Men

6. Fruitvale Station
7. The Butler
8. Man of Steel
9. The East
10. The Counselor

  Best Production Design
1. The Monuments Men
2. The Great Gatsby
3. Elysium
4. Twelve Years a Slave
5. The Butler

6. Oblivion
7. Grace of Monaco
8. Kill Your Darlings
9. The Young and Prodigious Spivet
10. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

  Best Costume Design
1. The Great Gatsby
2. Grace of Monaco
3. The Butler
4. Oz the Great and Powerful
5. The Immigrant

6. Diana
7. Inside Llewyn Davis
8. Twelve Years a Slave
9. The Monuments Men
10. The Rover

  Best Make-Up and Hairstyling
1. The Butler
2. Oz the Great and Powerful
3. World War Z

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
5. Grace of Monaco
6. Only God Forgives

  Best Original Score
1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Man of Steel
3. The Monuments Men
4. World War Z
5. Oldboy

6. Oz the Great and Powerful
7. Snowpiercer
8. The Young and Prodigious Spivet
9. Elysium
10. The Zero Theorem

  Best Original Song
1. Was there an Original Song in Sapphires?
2. Planes
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. Oz the Great and Powerful
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

  Best Sound Editing
1. Elysium
2. Man of Steel
3. The Monuments Men
4. All is Lost
5. Only God Forgives

6. World War Z
7. Oz the Great and Powerful
8. Snowpiercer
9. Twelve Years a Slave
10. Captain Phillips

  Best Sound Mixing
1. The Monuments Men
2. Man of Steel
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. Elysium
5. World War Z

6. Only God Forgives
7. All is Lost
8. Twelve Years a Slave
9. The Wolf of Wall Street
10. Captain Phillips

  Best Visual Effects
1. Elysium
2. Man of Steel
3. World War Z
4. Snowpiercer
5. The Europa Report

6. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
7. Gravity
8. The Great Gatsby
9. All is Lost
10. Oblivion

  Best Documentary Feature
1. Stories We Tell
2. The Act of Killing
3. Blood Brother
4. We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
5. Room 237

  Best Foreign Language Film
1. Child's Pose
2. The Hunt
3. Gloria
4. The Past
5. Le Grande Bellazza

6. Closed Curtain
7. Venus in Fur
8. Goodbye to Language
9. Attilla Marcel
10. Mood Indigo

  Best Animated Feature
1. Frozen
2. Planes
3. The Wind Rises
4. Monsters University
5. Hell and Back

6. Epic
7. Ernest and Celestine
8. Leo the Lion
9. Despicable Me Too
10. The Croods

     Related Articles:  Upcoming 2013 Award Season Preview: Part One: Pulpy Players, Part Two: Specialties That Might Spellbind, Part Three: Little Pics That Might Could, Part Four: The Usual Suspects, Part 5 - Because I Said So, 2012 Preview Postscript - Predictions

The Great Gay Film Festival of 2012

     So, my associate here at TheMovieFrog...who gets a kick out of me calling him The Social Media Salamander...recently chastised me for not covering more films with gay themes since I have this forum in which to give them exposure.  I took it to heart and (with the help of a recently published list on one of my favorite sites: Awards Daily) decided to do just that.  I've got a few more films that I added into my list from 2012 that will be scattered in among my normal reviews, but I figured I might as well lump the first three in together.
     Oh, and about the Salamander...if you discovered this site through Google+, Pinterest, Discus, TheMovieFrog Facebook fanpage, or just about anywhere else on the web, you have him to thank for it.  His participation in TheMovieFrog has increased my readership exponentially, and I would just like to take a moment to thank him myself.  He has been my partner in many things for many years now, but I had no idea when I started this blog a year and a half ago that he would end up playing such an integral role.  Thanks baby.
     Now, without further ado....

  Gayby - This film actually got a little bit of critical attention culminating in an Independent Spirit Best First Screenplay nomination for writer/director Jonathen Lisecki.  Unfortunately, I can't say that I quite agree with the hype.  I myself found the screenplay, and the movie, fairly unexceptional.  It tells the story of two best friends, a gay man and a straight woman, who decide to have a baby together.  Hence the title.  The rest of the film is just as much of a groaner.
     The whole thing plays sort of like a lost season of Will & Grace.  The main character (Matt) is sort of a neutered version of a gay man, a lot like Will on the show.  He is dating, but he only wants to cuddle.  I felt like his whole existence as a sexual being was diluted into something palatable for a straight audience, which might be why it got more mainstream attention than gay themed films often do.  He even has a flaming buffoon of a gay best friend, much like Jack on the television show.  The only thing missing from the Will & Grace formula was a Karen, who was the only character from the show that I found engaging.
     The acting stand out was actually the straight best friend, played by Jenn Harris.  In fact, rather than a film that raised awareness of the gay lifestyle, this film seemed to relegate gay men into the same old two stereotypical groups: lisping sissies straights can feel superior to and asexual butch guys who would be happier if they just realized that they were in love with their (female) best friends all along.  Just like Will & Grace, except in this movie he actually has sex with her...2 of 5 stars.

  Farewell, My Queen - This is my first exposure to the work of writer/director Benoit Jacquot (A Single Girl).  I found the movie to be a stylish period piece that was a little lacking in substance.  It tells the story of Sidonie (Lea Seydoux), the official reader to Marie Antoinette (Dianne Kruger) and the questionably sapphic devotion she holds for her regent.  The Queen herself is in love with the newly appointed Duchess (Virginie Ledoyen).  The French Revolution begins and that is pretty much the storyline.
     Despite the lack of much narrative structure, the picture is elevated immensely by two strong lead performances from international stars Seydoux and Kruger.  Kruger (who American audiences probably know best from Inglorious Basterds) is equally charming and detestable as the Regent: spoiled, stylish, and slightly sinister.  Seydoux (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) has her own unique screen charisma, and her performance makes Sidonie completely accessible to the audience as she slowly comes to see her monarch for what she truly is.
     I should take a moment to commend the production team, as this was a very well crafted costume drama.    This is of course the perfect segue to start off with the work of costume designers Christian Gasc and Valerie Ranchoux who created some truly sumptuous outfits.  They played nicely against the ornate production design of Katie Wyszkop.  Cinematographer Romain Winding also did a very nice job of capturing the palace in all of its opulent excess.
     I enjoyed Farewell, My Queen, but found it a little lacking in substance or thrills to justify a second viewing.  However, it was a well made and well performed film...3 1/2 of 5 stars.

  A Perfect Ending - So, when I was in my teens and twenties I remember that one of the main stereotypes used by Conservatives (what an ironic name when the last Republican to do anything about conservation was Teddy Roosevelt) to try and demonize homosexuals was that we were always trying to recruit poor innocent heterosexuals into our lives of debauchery.  We used to laugh about that.  So when I see a film, like A Perfect Ending, that seems to be a lesbian propaganda film aimed at recruitment, it bothers me a little bit.  Okay, one part recruitment propaganda, one part soft porn.
      Now, don't get me wrong.  It was a well written and very well acted movie.  Star Barbara Niven, in particular, is really pretty fantastic.  The chemistry between her and young co-star Jessica Clark is electric and their love scenes definitely convey the passion that can exist between two women.  I just wish that film maker Nicole Conn didn't seem to feel that she had to portray all men as either philandering and neglectful (the husband) or vapid, inept, and comparably undeserving (the sons) to drive the point home.  I don't know where this stereotype of man-haters comes from...2 1/2 of 5 stars.

     Well, unfortunately, the Great Gay Film Festival of 2012 was not so great.  I am happy to report that the Great Gay Film Festival of 2011 (coming shortly) bore much more impressive fruit.  Look for it soon...
                                                                                    Froggy

     Related Articles: Muppet Impossible: Life or Deat Protocol (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol review)

2013 Awards Season Preview - Part 5: Because I Said So

     Below is my fifth and final set of films for the 2013-2014 Awards season, titled Because I Said So.  Each article in this series has presented a group of upcoming releases that are currently on my watch list.  I divided the articles up to each represent the strengths found in cinema in one of the last four years (with 2013 as an unknown wild card for this fifth post). We have no idea what 2013 will bring.  In its honor, I present this set of films that don't fit any of the other four categories that Oscar usually draws from (and a few that I just forgot in those categories).  This category can contain any genre, but comedies, super hero fare and fantasy form the majority.
     On a side note, no awards season will ever be mostly about these kinds of films.  Generally speaking, the Academy ignores them almost entirely.  Maybe an odd tech, acting or screenplay nod, but that's it.  It is almost certain that none of these films will make the Best Picture list.  However, that doesn't mean that there are no films in this group that SHOULD.
      The movies that already have release dates are presented in chronological order.  The films that have not received such dates are listed alphabetically afterward.  The fifteen films (that have not already been released) that I am most excited about seeing appear in bold with short descriptions of why.  Do not be surprised if we see some of these get pushed back until 2014.  I will be surprised if we don't.  Still, for now, the films I'm covering in 2013 just Because I Said So are...

  01/11 - Gangster Squad (yeah, rough reviews, but Gosling & Penn keep it in my DVD que anyway)
               Struck By Lightning (Glee's Chris Colfer wrote and stars in this high school comedy)
  01/25 - Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
  02/01 - Warm Bodies (zombie in love story from writer/director Jonathen Levine)
  02/14 - Beautiful Creatures (Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis & teen witches)
  03/01 - Jack the Giant Slayer (directed by Bryan Singer)
  03/08 - Oz, the Great and Powerful (James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz & Michelle Williams)
  03/15 - The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Magicians #1: Carrell, Buscemi, Carrey, Arkin, Gandolfini...)
  04/05 - Upstream Color
  04/12 - The Angel's Share (directed by Ken Loach)
  05/03 - Iron Man 3
  06/07 - Much Ado About Nothing: Joss Whedon follows up Marvel's Avengers with...a Shakespeare adaptation?  No, seriously, and the trailer looks fantastic.  Stars Whedon mainstays Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof.
               Now You See Me: Director Louis Letterier brings us magicians #2 (and this one looks much better).  Stars Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Dave Franco & Melanie Laurent
  06/14 - Man of Steel: Zack Snyder may be directing, but Christopher Nolan is producing and contributing on the story, so I'm hoping it's going to do for Superman what The Dark Knight trilogy did for Batman. Early promotionals are VERY promising.  Even the casting of Kevin Costner as Pa Kent couldn't chase me away from this.  Also stars Henry Cavill (Clark), Amy Adams (Lois), Russel Crowe (Jor-El), Dianne Lane (Martha Kent), Michael Shannon (Zod) & Laurence Fishburne (Perry White).
               This Is The End:  Fourth wall bending apocalypse comedy about a party at James Franco's house from directors Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg.  If that isn't bizarre enough to get your attention, the film stars the three gentlemen listed above as well as Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Paul Rudd, Emma Watson, Jason Segal, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, and Kevin Hart.
  06/21 - World War Z: What can be done with zombie flicks that hasn't already been done?  THIS!!!  Marc Forster (Finding Neverland) directs, Brad Pitt stars, and the effects team is probably going to the Oscars!!!
  06/28 - White House Down (stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx & Maggie Gyllenhall)
  07/05 - The Way, Way Back (written & directed by Nat Faxon & Jim Rash with Carell & Collette)
  07/19 - R.I.P.D. (undead cops starring Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon & Mary Louise Parker)
  07/26 - Wolverine (Hugh Jackman returns, hopefully the second time is the charm)
  08/02 - The Spectacular Now: Director James Ponsoldt's follow up to Smashed is an off-beat high school romance about living in the present versus living in the future.  Stars Shaillene Woodley, Miles Teller, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Brie Larson, Bob Odenkirk, Jennifer Jason Leigh & Kyle Chandler.
  08/16 - Kick-Ass 2 (the first chapter survived Cage, can this one survive Carey?)
               Thanks For Sharing (stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo & Tim Robbins)
  08/23 - The Grandmaster (directed by Kar Wai Wong)
               Mortal Instruments: The City of Bone: This might be terrible, but the trailer looks like GREAT fun.  Director Harold Zwart DID manage to exceed my expectations roundly with the Karate Kid remake, so who knows how he'll handle a movie about teen-age demon hunters?  Stars Lena Headey, Lily Collins & Aiden Turner with Jonathen Rhys-Meyers and Jean-Pierre Jeunet mainstay Robert Maillet in supporting.
               World's End (Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright with Martin Freeman & Rosamund Pike)
  10/04 - Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For (would be highlighted if it weren't a sequel)
  10/18 - Don Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut)
              Seventh Son (Family fantasy starring Julianne Moore and Jeff Bridges)
  11/08 - Thor: The Dark World (no Branagh direction, but Hemsworth and Portman return)
  11/22 - Hunger Games: Catching Fire
  11/27 - Black Nativity: Ok, so an all black musical version of the Christmas story sounds like it could be uber-cheesy, BUT...the film stars Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassette, Jennifer Hudson & Mary J. Blige...so it could also be brilliant...or at least have some brilliant acting.
  TBA -   Almost Christmas (comedy starring Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti & Sally Hawkins)
               Big Wedding: Ok, so a comedy of errors about two families coming together for a wedding has been done to DEATH as a story concept, I admit.  Debut director Justin Zackham is completely untried, I grant you.  However, I WILL be watching any film that stars Susan Sarandan, Dianne Keaton, Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams, Amanda Seyfried, Katherine Heigl & Topher Grace.  This one does.
               Drinking Buddies (with Anna Kendrick & Olivia Wilde)
               Filth (crime drama with McAvoy, Bell & Poots)
               Frank: Michael Fassbender plays a mysterious band leader in a comedy that also features Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, & Scoot McNairy.
               The Harvest (horror flick with Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton & Peter Fonda)
               The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman: This debut feature from director Fredrik Bond is a twisted tale of love and crime.  It stars Shia LaBeouf, Mads Mickelson, Melissa Leo, John Hurt, Rupert Grint, Evan Rachel Wood & Vincent D'Onofrio.
               Prince Avalanche: The latest comedy from director David Gordon Green tells a story of two highway workers played by Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch.
               The Rover: Animal Kingdom director David Michod brings us a Western with an Australian accent starring Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson & Scoot McNairy.  Michod co-wrote the script with Joel Edgerton.
                Tar (James Franco, Mila Kunis, Henry Hopper, Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, Bruce Campbell...)
                Third Person: Paul Haggis directs a tale of three interlocking love stories starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wilde, Kim Bassinger, Maria Bello, Adrien Brody & Liam Neeson.
                 Two Mothers (reviews from the festival circuit were not great, but I can't resist)
                 Untitled Nicole Holofcener Project
                 Winter's Tale: Director Akiva Goldsman bring high concept fantasy starring Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jennifer Connelly, Colin Farrell & William Hurt.
                 Zulu (Orlando Bloom & Forrest Whitaker)

     And that concludes The Movie Frog's viewing agenda (as of now) for 2013 releases.  I can't resist doing a post script edition where I make some totally unsubstantiated stabs in the dark about possible Oscar nominations.  Look for it in a couple of days.  Until then...
                                                               Froggy

     Related Articles: Upcoming 2013 Award Season Preview: Part One: Pulpy Players, Part Two: Specialties That Might Spellbind, Part Three: Little Pics That Might Could, Part Four: The Usual Suspects, The Dark Knight Transcends
  

A Late Rise of the Intouchables

     Today's wave of at home viewing options washes ashore a drama about string players, the French film that had the highest non-English language box office in the U.S. and worldwide in 2012, and an animated film about protecting childhood.  Let's sift through the sand....

  The Intouchables - This is not the first feature that Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano have written and directed together, but it is the first to break out internationally on this scale.  The Intouchables did great box office and was also picked as France's official submission to the Oscars last year, although it failed to make the final five.  Many criticized France for choosing this film over Jaques Audiard's Rust and Bone.  I can understand their resistance, this film is not nearly the equal of that masterpiece.  However, The Intouchables is a very good film on its own: touching, poignant, and fun to watch.
     The Intouchables' greatest strength lies in its two lead acting performances from Francois Cluzet (Little White Lies) and Omar Sy (Micmacs).  On the surface it would appear that Cluzet has the more difficult role. It undoubtedly has its challenges.  His character is stuck in a wheelchair and he is limited to what he can express on his face.  He meets every limitation inherent to his performance head on and does a tremendous job in this movie.  Omar Sy, however, may actually outshine him.  Omar has to be ALL of the movement in what basically amounts to a two man show and his physicality never lets you get bored.  He is also gifted with this amazing, shining on-screen charisma that comes across brilliantly in ANY language.
     The story itself has certainly been told before: unconventional caregiver brings new life to invalid patient.  It has rarely been told with this much heart, however.  The script could perhaps have been a little more innovative, but the directors chose to focus on the characters.  Judging by the performances of the leads, this was probably the correct decision...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

  Rise of the Guardians - Early on in 2012, I had a hunch that this film might wind up being the one to beat for Animated Feature at the Oscars this year.  I wound up being really wrong, as it didn't even secure a nomination.  Chock it up to the Academy's aversion to films with a holiday theme.  This bias kept Arthur Christmas out of the running the year before and it was FAR superior to most of the 2011 animated fare.  I personally found rise of the Guardians to be a very good movie, taking a topic loaded with cheese potential and crafting a tale that was full of adventure, excitement, and a childlike sense of wonder, hope, and fun.
     This film is a far cry from Rabbit Hole (even though it has a rabbit), screen writer David Lindsay-Abaire's most well known previous work, but its not his first animated film (he also wrote Robots).  I have not read the source material, but from that position of ignorance, this story seems fresh and very well told.  This was the first directorial effort from successful Art Director Peter Ramsey, but he handles the job like a seasoned professional.
     The cast is full of great voice talent.  Alec Baldwin's voice is unrecognizable under a flawless Russian accent as Santa.  Hugh Jackman is alternately sternly disapproving and, well, warm and fuzzy as The Easter Bunny.  Isla Fischler makes an adorable tooth fairy.  Chris Pine would actually steal the show as Jack Frost if not for the villainous delight with which Jude Law portrays the Boogey Man.  The animators should also be congratulated for giving the silent Sandman as much personality as any of them.
     If you have REALLY little ones, some parts MIGHT be a little scary.  Otherwise, whether you have kids yourself, or just like to indulge your own inner child every now and then, this one is well worth a couple of hours of viewing time...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

  A Late Quartet - This is the debut narrative feature from writer/director Yaron Zilberman who had previously directed the documentary Water Marks.  He seems to handle the job fairly deftly.  There is nothing all that ground breaking about the story itself or the composition of the film, but he does manage to pull the acting ensemble together in perfect harmony.
     Of course, we may have to wait until Mr. Zilberman's next film to discover how much of the credit he deserves, and how much of the finished product resulted from the excellent casting.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Christopher Walken all function like the peerless professionals that they are. Working alongside these three it would be easy to get lost in the mix, but Mark Ivanir holds his own with style and confidence.  Imogen Poots and the always delightful Wallace Shawn lend able support.
     In many ways, A Late Quartet is a pretty standard indie drama.  It IS a well told and believable one, however, with an outstanding acting ensemble that works together flawlessly.  If you are a fan of classical music you are in for a real treat as the film is replete with beautifully performed pieces...4 of 5 stars.

     Related Articles: Down With Sinister Lies! (Little White Lies review)

2013 Awards Preview - Part 4: The Usual Suspects

    Below is my fourth set of films for the 2013-2014 Awards season, titled The Usual Suspects.  Each article in this series will present a group of upcoming releases that are currently on my watch list.  I divided the articles up to each represent the strengths found in cinema in one of the last four years (with 2013 as an unknown wild card for the fifth post). This post is in honor of the year 2012, when the movies that were SUPPOSED to be the big awards players mostly lived up to the hype.  In its honor, I present this set of films that due to their director, stars and/or subject matter, can truly be termed pure Oscar Bait.  This category can contain many genres, but epics, costume dramas, and war films often make up the bulk.
     On a side note, any year can turn out to be a year in which The Usual Suspects shine through.  It all depends on how satisfactorily the talent involved lives up to the high expectations that come with their names.  A year like 2013, that has new films from Scorcese, Soderburgh, Payne, Miller, Reitman, Howard, Cianfrance, Daniels, McQueen, and Russell on the horizon (just to name a few, honestly) is rife with opportunity to do just that.  However things pan out, expect at least five of your Best Picture nominees to come from this bunch of choices.
      The movies that already have release dates are presented in chronological order.  The films that have not received such dates are listed alphabetically afterward.  The twenty films (that have not already been released, and that I did not cover last year, ahem, Gatsby and Gravity, ahem) that I am most excited about seeing appear in bold with short descriptions of why.  Do not be surprised if we see some of these get pushed back until 2014.  I will be surprised if we don't.  Still, for now, the Usual Suspects of 2013 are...

  01/07 - Great Expectations (Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham!!!)
  02/08 - Side Effects (Soderburgh's final film? With Mara, Law, Zeta-Jones & Tatum)
  03/29 - The Place Beyond the Pines (Dir: Derek Cianfrance, starring Gosling, Cooper & Mendes)
  04/05 - The Company You Keep (Dir: Robert Redford, starring Redford, Marling, Sarandan, LaBouf...)
               Trance (this might be too trippy for Oscar, but Slumdog and 127 Hours leave Boyle 2 for 2)
  04/12 - 42 (now holds the honor of having the top Box Office premiere ever for a baseball flick)
               To The Wonder (Dir: Terence Malick, stars Ben Affleck, Benecio del Toro & Rachel McAdams)
  04/26 - At Any Price (with Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron)
              Midnight's Children (Directed by Deepa Mehta)
  05/10 - The Great Gatsby (Luhrman in 3D!!! Stars DiCaprio, Mulligan, McGuire & Edgerton)
  05/24 - Before Midnight: I normally avoid threequels at all costs but this is director Richard Linklater's next episode in the Before series (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset) and the quality didn't slide from Part 1 to Part 2, so...stars Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke.
  08/30 - Diana: The latest from director Oliver Hirschbiegel (who's been too busy with TV's the Borgias to come out with a new film for the last couple of years) chronicles the last two years in the life of Princess Diana.  Oscar loves biopics about the British royals and Naomi Watts (in the title role) seems well primed to be a Best Actress contender.
  09/20 - Rush (car racing drama from Ron Howard starring Chris Hemsworth)
  09/27 - Serena: Susanne Bier (director of the Foreign Language Film Oscar winner In a Better World) tries her hand at English language cinema with this depression era drama about a barren woman.  Stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (deja vu part 1).
  10/04 - Gravity (I covered this in last year's preview. Cuaron directs Bullock in one woman spacewalk.)
               Out of the Furnace: Director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Get Low) returns with a crime drama about two brothers.  Stars Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, Forrest Whitaker, Casey Affleck & Sam Shepard.
  10/18 - The Butler: Lee Daniels (Precious) directs this true story of a White House butler who served under every administration from Kennedy to Reagan!  Stars (prepare yourself) Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Robin Williams, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Melissa Leo, Alex Petyfer, James Marsden, Alan Rickman, Liev Shrieber, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Vanessa Redrave, Lenny Kravitz & Mariah Carey.
              Her: The always creative Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich) returns with this story of man and machine starring Olivia Wilde, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix and Samantha Morten.
  11/08 - August: Osage County: It's hard to go wrong with a cast starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard & Margo Martindale.  The picture is adapted by Tracy Letts from her own play and directed by John Wells (The Company Men).
              Inside Llewyn Davis: NEVER discount the Coen Brothers.  This tale of the 1960's New York music scene stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and F. Murray Abraham.
  11/15 - The Fifth Estate: Bill Condon goes from directing teen-age vampires to the story of the founding of WikiLeaks.  Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Stanley Tucci, Anthony Mackie, Carice van Houten, Daniel Bruhl, Laura Linney, David Thewliss & Alicia Vikander.
               The Wolf of Wall Street: The legendary Martin Scorcese reteams with star Leonardo DiCaprio for this tale of stock market intrigue.  Also stars Matthew MacConaughey, Jonah Hill, John Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Kyle Chandler, Julie Andrews, Rob Reiner & Jean Dujardin.
  11/29 - A Most Wanted Man: Director Anton Corbjin (The American) directs this tale of an innocent Muslim who gets caught up in the War on Terror.  The cast includes Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Willem Dafoe & Daniel Bruhl.
  12/13 - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
  12/18 - The Monuments Men: George Clooney wrote, directed and stars in this film of art historians trying to save timeless works from the Nazis.  Maybe the most Oscar-baity film of the year also stars Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman & Jean Dujardin.
  12/20 - Saving Mr. Banks (The Blind Side's John Lee Hancock directs Hanks, Thompson, Giamatti...)
  12/25 - Untitled David O Russell Abscam Project: It may not have a title yet, but it surely has buzz.  Can Russell make it three Picture and Director nominations in a row (after The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook)?  The cast reunites Cooper, Lawrence & DeNiro (deja vu part 2) and also includes Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Louis CK & Michael Pena.
  12/27 - Grace of Monaco: Director Olivier Dahan's La Vie en Rose won Marion Cotillard an Oscar and it wasn't even in English.  Can the Academy possibly ignore him directing Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly during her transition from movie star to royalty?  I have my doubts.  The movie also stars Milo Ventimiglia (Peter from TV's Heroes), Tim Roth, Parker Posey, Frank Langella & Derek Jacobi.
               Twelve Years a Slave: Shame was a true masterpiece but a little too edgy for Oscar.  Writer/director Steve McQueen's follow up should be a little more palatable to the AMPAS.  Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Scoot McNairy, Paul Dano, Quvenzhane Wallis, Sarah Paulson, Alfre Woodard & Dwight Henry.
  TBA - All is Lost (writer/director JC Chandor's follow up to Margin Call stars Redford in one man show)
             Foxcatcher: Moneyball got Bennett Miller into the Best Picture race last time at bat.  Can he repeat with this true story of a paranoid schizophrenic starring Channing Tatum, Steve Carrell, Sienna Miller, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Michael Hall & Vanessa Redgrave?  At this point, I'm not going to bet AGAINST it.
             Hedda Gabler
             How I Live Now: Director Kevin MacDonald (Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void) tells a story of young girl caught up in war.  Stars Saoirse Ronan and The Impossible's Tom Holland.
             Labor Day: Jason Reitman has a great track record with the Academy and he adapted and directed this picture which should show the film maker's more serious side.  It stars Josh Brolin, Kate Winslet & Tobey Maguire.
             Last of Robin Hood (probably 2014, but this could pull a Hitchcock)
             Maps to the Stars (ditto)
             Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Director Stephen Frears brings you the story of the epic Supreme Court case.  Starring Christopher Plummer, Danny Glover, Frank Langella, Barry Levinson, Bob Balaban & Ed Begley, Jr.
             Nebraska: It seems appropriate to wind down an article on the year's Oscar bait with a film from Alexandre Payne who is usually quirkier than one should be when trying to catch the Academy's eye but does so anyway.  Could this year be the Scorcese/Payne show down that The Artist prevented from happening in 2011?  Bruce Dern and Will Forte star in a father/son cross country road trip.
             Untitled Terence Malick Project (2013?  I'll believe it when I see it.)


     Related Articles: Upcoming 2013 Award Season Preview: Part One: Pulpy Players, Part Two: Specialties That Might Spellbind, Part Three: Little Pics That Might Could, Dark Clouds Beautify "Silver Linings", Innkeepers of Blood and Shame (Shame review), "Impossible"y Well Crafted

Side Smashed by Bully

     In today's clump of at home viewing options we cover a film about film (and video), an addiction drama, and a documentary about mean kids.  And with a flick of my distended tongue...

  Side By Side - This documentary delves into the debate among film makers over the digital revolution in film making.  As movies are being shot more and more often using digital technology, the industry has faced a backlash from film makers who believe that the photochemical process of recording images on film will always result in a superior product.  Meanwhile, camera makers have stopped development of new film cameras, signalling that the day is quickly approaching when video may become the ONLY medium upon which movies are shot.
     Even to a film buff like me, it sounds a little bit dry.  Surprisingly, it wasn't at all.  This blend of informative back story, clips of extraordinary camera work in both mediums and interviews with master film makers and cinematographers actually moved at a perfect pace to keep Side By Side engaging throughout.  Even narrator Keanu Reeves did a great job of stepping back just enough to keep the piece from ever becoming about him.  He wisely allowed the footage and responses of the interviewees to tell the story for him.
     If you have NO interest in the work that goes into film making behind the scenes, then this documentary is probably NOT for you.  This is the only reason that I do not give this debut effort from director Christopher Kenneally a perfect score.  If you DO have ANY interest in such subjects, then I would highly recommend giving the picture a try.  It's almost impossible for any real cinephile to feel disappointed by an opportunity to hear opinions on the craft from masters such as Martin Scorcese, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, David Lynch, The Wachowski siblings, Danny Boyle, James Cameron, George Lucas, Wally Pfister, Steven Soderburgh, Lars von Trier...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

  Smashed - I have not seen writer/director James Ponsoldt's one previous feature, Off the Black, and I'm sorry to say that viewing Smashed is not going to send me scrambling to correct this.  This relationship/addiction drama was a little too pat in storyline and a little too lackluster in general execution.  I WILL give the director credit, however, for pulling some FANTASTIC acting out of the superb cast.
     Praise for the acting must begin and end with star Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  In a film whose tone is seriously subdued, she manages to pull multiple extremes out of her character (Kate) without ever coming across as too much or ever breaking said tone.  We have seen MANY actresses play the role of a good woman who is also an alcoholic, but rarely have we seen an actress capture the multiple personalities that a person with addiction begins to develop with quite so much insight.  If you know someone with addiction, there is a point of rising intoxication in which they just flip (and a corresponding point on the way down, when the third persona comes out).  You can see the second that the change happens in their eyes.  I saw that moment in Ms. Winstead's. Every time.
     The supporting cast is also unanimously strong.  Aaron Paul has the most sizable role as Kate's husband.  The part is not that far of a cry from his character in Breaking Bad in many ways, but he plays it deftly.  Nick Offerman, Octavia Spencer, Megan Mulally, and Mary Kay Place also shine in smaller roles.  These performers keep the film more than watchable, even if it does fail somewhat to say anything new about its topic...3 1/2 of 5 stars.

  Bully - High school bullying seems to be the new college hazing in American culture.  It has become a major topic of concern among educators and parents and has come to be regarded as one of the major causes of teen-age suicide attempts.  Many, of course, scoff at all the hoopla, saying kids will be kids, and that is just a part of growing up.  However you feel about the subject of bullying, I dare you to watch this documentary and not feel something for the kids affected by it.
     It has been almost ten years since Amandla!, the first and last previous documentary from film maker Lee Hirsch, but his skills don't seem to have gotten too rusty.  While there is nothing extraordinary about the structure or style of this piece, it does tell some touching and horrifying stories.  In viewing the film, I certainly was moved to empathy for the victims.  You expect when watching such a movie to remember times when you felt bullied.  The triumph of Bully, however is that the perspective it provides is well rounded enough to lead the viewer to remember themselves in the opposite role as well, and confront the Bully within themselves.  There is some degree of course language, but this is still a great one to watch WITH your kids and talk about afterwards...4 of 5 stars. 

2013 Awards Preview - Part 3: Little Pics That Might Could

    Below is my third list of films for the 2013-2014 Awards season, titled Little Pics That Might Could.  Each article in this series will present a group of upcoming releases that are currently on my watch list.  I divided the articles up to each represent the strengths found in cinema in one of the last four years (with 2013 as an unknown wild card for the fifth post). This post is in honor of the year 2011, when the little art house film (most too small for Oscar to notice) ruled the day.  In its honor, I present this set of films destined for limited release and crossed fingers.  This category can contain many genres, but it is mainly the stomping ground of dramas and dramedies.
     On a side note, 2013 is showing early signs of a strong art house year already.  Films like Mud, Fruitvale & Ain't Them Bodies Saints are already tearing up the festival circuit and we still have films from Jeunet and Gillam coming down the pike.
      The movies that already have release dates are presented in chronological order.  The films that have not received such dates are listed alphabetically afterward.  The fifteen films (that have not already been released) that I am most excited about seeing appear in bold with short descriptions of why.  Do not be surprised if we see some of these get pushed back until 2014.  I will be surprised if we don't.  Still, for now, the Little Pics That Might Could in 2013 are...

  01/11 - Quartet (stars Maggie Smith)
  03/15 - Better Mus Come
              Ginger & Rosa (Elle Fanning is supposed to be amazing)
  03/22 - My Brother the Devil (gay themes and Islam collide in Great Britain)
               The Sapphires (the 2012 festival sensation finally makes it stateside)
  04/26 - Mud: So, director Jeff Nichols blew me away with Take Shelter in 2011 and Michael Shannon (my #1 lead male performance of 2011 for Shelter) is reunited with the film maker for this picture.  This film has received almost universal praise on the festival circuit.  Oh, and for those who feel Matthew McConaughey was unduly snubbed for his work in Magic Mike last year, this is supposedly the best work of his career.  Also features Reese Witherspoon.
               The Reluctant Fundamentalist
  05/03 - What Maisie Knew (Julianne Moore & Alexander Skarsgard & the trailer looks GREAT)
  05/17 - The English Teacher (Julianne Moore again)
  05/31 - Shadow Dancer (Andrea Riseborough's lead performance has received near universal acclaim)
  06/07 - Passion (Brian De Palma directs a sapphic thriller starring Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams)
  06/14 - Bling Ring (director Sophia Coppola's follow up to Somewhere looks far less drowsy)
  06/21 - Unfinished Song (Terrence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave)
  07/19 - Girl Most Likely (Kristen Wiig and Matt Damon)
  07/26 - Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen's latest)
               Fruitvale: This film already won writer/director Ryan Coogler both the Grand Jury Prize and an Audience Award at Sundance before being picked up for distribution by The Weinstein Co.  I don't know how your math adds up, but that sounds like a potential awards player to me.  Star Michael B. Jordan is also generating buzz.  Octavia Spencer supports.
  08/16 - Ain't Them Bodies Saints: This one won the Cinematography award at Sundance and David Lowery won the Directors To Watch award at the Palm Springs Film Festival.  With a cast that includes Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, and Ben Foster, this one could also be a major player.
  TBA -   Austenland
               Berberian Sound Studio: This little horror film cleaned up at last year's British Independent Film Awards as well as with the London Film Critics Circle last year.  Lead actor Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) has also won a lot of acclaim. Now if it would just get a U.S. release date...
               Bluebird
               Breathe In (writer/director Drake Doremus's follow up to Martha Marcy Mae Marlene)
               Calvary (writer/director John Michael McDonaugh's follow up to The Guard)
               Concussion
               Dallas Buyer's Club: Matthew McConaughey may have the best year ever in 2013.  He stars in this tale of a homophobic man infected with HIV in the mid-80's who founds a smuggling ring to get unapproved meds into this country.  Jean-Marc Vallee (The Young Victoria, Cafe de Flore) directs and Jennifer Garner co-stars.
               The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers
                                             and
               The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His: Two films that tell the same story from two different perspectives.  This will be the debut feature from writer/director Ned Benson but he managed to attract a cast that includes Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Ciaran Hinds, William Hurt and Viola Davis.
               Effie:  Emma Thompson penned this one and has a meaty supporting turn.  Oh, and it stars Dakota Fanning.
               Francis Ha (Noah Brumbaugh and Greta Gerwig's follow up to Greenberg)
               Gambit (script by the Coen Brothers)
               Jayne Mansfield's Car (written & directed by Billy Bob Thornton)
               Kill Your Darlings: Writer/director John Krokidas's debut feature is a thriller set in the world of the beat generation.  The film stars (get ready) Daniel Radcliffe, Michael C. Hall, Elizabeth Olsen, Ben Foster, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyra Sedgewick & Dane Dehaan.  Krokidas was cited as a director to watch at the Palm Springs film festival.
               Laurence Anyways: Winner of the Queer Palme at 2012 Cannes, this film from director Xavier Dolan (I Killed My Mother) follows a transexual's relationship with her lover as she changes.  Actress Suzanne Clement also was awarded Un Certain Regard.
               The Look of Love (from Michael Winterbottom, director of 24 Hour Party People)
               Madame Bovary: This latest adaptation from director Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls) is being kept fairly quiet at the moment.  However, any film that stars Ezra Miller, Mia Wasikowska & Paul Giamatti has my interest.
               Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom: The Weinstein Company has already picked up this latest from director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl), which always boosts a film's chances at recognition. The film stars Idris Elba and Naomie Harris as the Mandelas.
                Mother of George
                Night Moves (Jesse Eisenberg & Dakota Fanning)
                Nightingale
                Nymphomaniac: Writer/director Lars von Trier is both a genius and a madman, his films both amazing and disturbing.  This follow up to the masterpiece Melancholia stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Christian Slater, and Willem Dafoe.
                Parkland (Zac Efron, Paul Giamatti, Tom Welling, Billy Bob Thornton, Jackie Earle Hayley...)
                The Railway Man: Oscar loves movies tied to World War II and true stories and this is both.  More than that it stars Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, and War Horse star Jeremy Irvine.
                Sunlight, Jr. (Naomi Watts & Matt Dillon)
                Touchy Feely
                You Can't Win
                The Young and Prodigious Spivet: Writer/director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's work (Amelie, City of Lost Children, Micmacs) is always creative, playful, dark and wondrous simultaneously.  This time he's working in English with Helena Bonham Carter, Rober Maillet (a usual suspect), Callum Keith Rennie and Judy Davis.
                Zero Theorem: Terry Gillam has got to be one of the most pivotal directors of the last several decades to have never received a Best Director nomination (although he did get a screenwriting nod for Brazil).  Granted, his work is usually VERY bizarre, but surely the Academy has to recognize what a unique cinematic voice the man has.  Oh, well, they'll probably ignore this one too, and I'll probably love it.  The cast features Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, Ben Whishaw, Tilda Swinton, David Thewliss & Melanie Thierry.
             
        And that does it for the Little Pics That Might Could in the coming year.  Two more sets of films remain.  Next up: "The Usual Suspects" covers the true Oscar Bait.  Hop aboard my lily pad and take a look.
                                                                                             Froggy

  Related Articles: Upcoming 2013 Award Season Preview: Part One: Pulpy Players, Part Two: Specialties That Might Spellbind, Senna, Take 13 (Take Shelter review), Where Did the Magic Spider Go? (Magic Mike review), Martha's Certified Method (Martha Marcy Mae Marlene review), WE Guard Rum (The
Guard review), Beautiful Melancholy Conspirator (Melancholia review)