The Hurt Locker by Kathryn Bigelow

The Hurt Locker should for all intensive purposes will win Best Picture this year in the Oscars race. Why though I'm still trying to fathom, it seems to be the year for the underdog in terms of the films nominated.

To me it is more a compelling document than a well constructed film, much like The Changeling was. The film doesn't work as a whole. There are too many why would they do that for my liking?

That being said Kathryn Bigelow deserves to be Best Director. While at points I absolutely hated the hand held style she invoked, she is a master at creating suspense. Not surprising as this is the director that brought us recent action classics like Point Break, Near Dark and Strange Days. And when she finally lets the camera rest, she really hits her stride. That being said of the hand held, the opening of the film is a tour de force using everything in her power, it grabs a hold of you and never lets go.

The casting is perfect and the three leads are all fantastic in conveying the thrill and drug like hold war has over them. Jeremy Renner is fantastic as the lone wolf, Anthony Mackie conveys the profound effect that war can have on a persons psyche beautifully. The scene between Renner and Mackie as they contemplate the effect that war has had on them is heartbreaking for the audience as we see two men transform before I very eyes due to what they have seen. And Brian Geraghty plays the virgin to war as if his life depended on it.

My biggest problem with the film is it's script by Mark Boal and this most likely comes down to the editing as well as there seems to be a lot left out to fit the film into a certain running time. So we only get glimpses of the how these soldiers bond and it seems only perfunctory rather than necessary to furthering the story. My other two complaints are minor things, that I don't want to say for fear of giving the film away for all of those who may be reading this. However it is a breath of fresh air to see a writer taking on challenging material, he is also the writer that brought us the much overlooked but sensational none the less In The Valley Of Elah, and doing it in a refreshing way that doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator.

And when it all comes down to it, that is what is so wonderful about The Hurt Locker and why it deserves all the kudos it is getting. Here is a film that takes us on a ride into a world that is know to us but shown to us in a new and distinct light and does it with out sermonising and treating the audience as if we were idiots. Wonderful. Electrifying. And important.

Thank you to everyone who was involved.

Crazy Heart by Scott Cooper

Crazy Heart belongs to Jeff Bridges. The oscar for best actor in 2010 belongs to Jeff Bridges.

There is nothing new story wise going on in Crazy Heart, you could really call it The Wrestler but for country music. But like Up In The Air it is so assured of its rythemns with in the film that it makes it so soothing and easy to watch but also heart breaking much like a great country song works.

This film succeeds due to its commanding performances by all involved. The only exception is that Maggie Gyllenhaal seems slightly miscast. Not because of her performance because she is exceptional, well wrought and emotionally honest. But the character feels like her time with Bad Blake should be her last gasp at finding a healthy relationship but when your character is 32 it's hard to think that way.

Colin Farrell who seems to be excluded from all form of marketing for the film puts in a very touching portrayal of friend who has passed his teacher. Farrell and Bridges scene in the restaurant I found to be breathtaking. You could feel Farrell overwhelmed at being in the presence of a hero of his in Bridges and it makes the scene that more remarkable.

Robert Duvall as Bad Blakes only friend gives an energetic performance. A great counter balance to Jeff Bridges. Full of energy and a new view on the world that a recovered alcoholic would encounter on passing through rehabilitation.

But the film belongs to Jeff Bridges. He really is a miraculous actor. From The Last Picture Show, to The Dude in The Big Lebowski and Fearless, I have always found him to be pitch perfect but an actor who doesn't seem to go for the easy way out. His final scenes between Maggie Gyllenhaal are some of the most moving I have seen in the cinema this year. His portrait of a man finally grabbing out for that last bit of fading light is a sight to behold. Sure it's not the transformative work that we have seen nab the best actor gong in the past two years with Daniel Day Lewis and Sean Penn but it is raw, with an emotional directness like a bullet to the the heart that makes it compelling. So a big thank you Mr Bridges and to you Scott Cooper for getting him to sign on to your film.

Shutter Island By Martin Scorsese

I'm still at a loss as to what I truly think of 'Shutter Island', having waited so long for this film, it was never going to live up to the anticipation to what Scorsese would do now that he had won an oscar.

Shutter Island is a film of two halves. The first half is Scorsese at full tilt. Not so much with intricate shots like in goodfellas or the fantastic dialogue of the departed, or the operatic in Casino and Gangs Of New York but with sound and lighting. His use of sound in the first half of the film is overwhelming. Sound effects are all off kilter and the score hammers you over the head. It allows you to get disoriented just like Teddy, played by the wonderful DiCaprio, who has finally traded in the idea of being intense all the time equals great acting. Here he shows lightness and love in his wonderful surreal dreams with Michelle Williams at the beginning.

But the second half falls flat, having to try and give an answer to everything that came in the first half, some things are best left unanswered, giving an explanation only cheats us off the horror that is going on in the film.

Much will be written off its setting, just after World War II and Macarthiasm is in the air but to me the film really isn't about any of that. I found the film most intriguing when it delves into the notion of self and whether we can offer up counter argument anymore to the appalling corruption in the world without being hunted down when we get too close to the bone.

I loved this film and I can't wait to watch it again, if just for the thrill of being in the power of a master who is still exploring, still searching and still trying radically new things in main stream cinema at least for the first hour or so anyway.

The Hangover by Todd Phillips

So I re-watched 'The Hangover' today. What an utterly brilliant film, that just so happens to be a comedy. It certainly seems to be one of the most overlooked films for the academy awards. It really does seems now that comedies are put bellow any other type of film. As if their is less 'art' and more commerce involved in making, which is just absolute bullshit.

'The Hangover' really is a special film. It's no holds barred, anything can happen, anything can be said, which really is a breath of fresh air. Todd Phillips who has been responsible for other films such as 'Starsky and Hutch' and 'Old School' seems to have broken free of being the director for hire for the new frat pack and it really is glorious to see. I compare this film a lot to 'After Hours' by Martin Scorsese, and I mean that as a great big compliment as I love 'After Hours' because it's a joy to watch these filmakers at their best, using every trick they have at their disposal and it just working.

Todd Phillips is helped by an extraordinary cast. Bradley Cooper is really coming into his own now, as a leading man who is willing to subvert what that means at every chance he gets. He is never trying to wrestle a scene from another actor, he gives, and gives and gives and is willing to look like a prick. Ed Helms, the everyman of the group allows us into the shenanigans with glee. But Zach Galifianakis really does steal the show. He is non-stop hilarious and never shies away from looking the buffoon.

I can't rate this film highly enough and still can't believe it wasn't nominated as one of the ten best films of the year. It seemed to me that the reason for pushing the nominees out to ten was so films like 'The Hangover' would get nominated and what seems to have happened is that lesser dramatic works are being seen as more 'important'. How else can you explain the reasoning behind a film like 'An Education' being nominated for best film. (Which I liked mind you but certainly wouldn't have put it in a list of the ten best films of the year).

If you are one of the few people that haven't seen 'The Hangover', do so immediately.

The Brothers Bloom by Rian Johnson

So today I watched ‘The Brothers Bloom’. The new film from Rian Johnson who brought us ‘Brick’. What do both these films have in common aside from both having Joseph Gordon Levitt in them, although he is just an extra in ‘Bloom’. What they have in common is a grand new voice in independant cinema. While I must admit that neither of his two films have completely succedded they do offer a interesting and single view on the world and of cinema.

‘Bloom’ is billed as a caper film but really it’s strength lies in it’s romantic comedy that is played out between the sublime Rachel Weisz and Adrien Brody. That being said the dynamic interplay between Mark Ruffalo and Kinko skjsbfbsf is also fantastic.

The strength of ‘Brick’ was it’s script. Having taken 7 years to get the film made the script was as tight as that time would involve. Now with ‘Bloom’ the script is probably the weakest link. It doesn’t seem to be the sum of it’s parts. Funny at times, heart breaking at others all the while there is a lot of dead moments. And while I hate saying how long a film should be this one felt too long or to put it in another way, the script felt under done at points. That being said Johnson should be applauded for deciding to take on an old genre and putting a very personal spin on it.

I believe this may very well be a film in years to come, much like Richard Kelly’s ‘Southland Tales’ that is loved because of its many faults. Because in between all of the faults is brilliance and really it’s is far more interesting seeing someone try and fail than to see another bland retread CG extravaganza.