2010 Review Roundup II

Last time I managed to knock out a good number of reviews for movies from 2010 now that there’s time and it’s a natural season for annual retrospection. Here are a whole new group of short reviews for stuff released last year, dipping a little earlier in the year as well. I still have one more set of reviews to do for foreign films released in America in 2010 (despite having been released elsewhere earlier), although I haven’t actually started watching those yet…

I’d like to give special thanks to the incomparable Megan Lung of Megans Book Reviews for contributing to my first ever guest review for The Tourist.

-THE TOURIST- (2010)

Dir-Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; Star-Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany
Review by Megan Lung:
Sexy and love-struck Jolie is tailed by police in scenic places across Europe in hopes of her leading them to a boyfriend who stole $700 million from a gangster. Like all Jolie movies, the premise is all too familiar- an unlikely situation of beautiful Jolie outsmarting both police and gangsters in irrelevant and unbelievable ways. Most scenes consist of camera close ups on Jolie as she continuously changes into and out of extravagant outfits and flaunts her money as she glides through beautiful places in Venice, as if we already didn’t know that Jolie is beautiful and that Venice is gorgeous. As she dupes and seduces clueless Johnny Depp who is “the tourist” to trick gangsters and police into believing that he is the sought-after boyfriend, she predictably falls for love-struck Depp. Depending on whether you’re looking for a quality movie or if you’re there just to enjoy the action scenes and ogle Jolie, The Tourist can be either another vapid distraction from reality or just the right thing for you.

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-THE FIGHTER- (2010)

Dir-David O Russell; Star-Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Marisa Leo
Mark Wahlberg plays real life boxer Mickey Ward whose boxing career is only being held back by his family and small Massachusetts town, who dislike the flashy outsiders that want to control his training. The key character is his older brother (Bale) who wants Mickey to have the boxing career that he failed to achieve. Christian Bale, who I normally can’t stand, is absolutely remarkable here in a role that is so different from his previous work; he completely embodies the troubled brother and plays it perfectly. He is really only one of the many very exuberant, locally flavored characters here, but the screenplay becomes wearying because it relies solely on characters “being colorful” to establish any connection between Wahlberg and his family, rather than utilizing devices with more substance. Since this tie is central to the story, it begins to lose dramatic ground by the end, which consists of, you guessed it, a boxing match. It’s still somewhat worthwhile to see for its well-developed sense of place and Bale’s stand-out work.

-I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS- (2010)

Dir-Glenn Ficarra, John Requa; Star-Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor
Quirky, offbeat comedy about a real life con man who falls in love with his prison cell mate and then spends his time trying to start a successful life despite his legal troubles. Jim Carrey is great in this role that seems tailor made to fit both his dramatic and flamboyantly comedic skill sets. The fact that this is a true story makes its remarkable turns seem all the more incredible, as prisons are broken out of and money is made and lost. It’s a small-scale and very amusing, yet emotionally grounded film.

-SOMEWHERE – (2010)

Dir-Sofia Coppola; Star-Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning
A big time Hollywood actor begins to feel without direction in his life and career, but his spunky daughter (Fanning) provides some animation to his life. Coppola is great at letting you peek into someone’s life for a brief moment, which in say, Lost In Translation, provided a great sense of mutual connection and hope. This film is very similar thematically, and almost identical aesthetically, but without the humor or unmatched chemistry that made Lost in Translation so good. If you take a step back from the film’s plain examination of the loneliness of being famous, you realize that what it boils down to is a series of extended sequences in which mostly nothing happens, which would be fine if it were to actually lead “Somewhere,” but it doesn’t.

-NEVER LET ME GO- (2010)

Dir-Mark Romanek; Star-Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield
Alternate history in which special schools are set up for special children who are reared solely for the benefit of society at their own expense, following three characters who grow up, learn and react to the reality of their ultimate fate. Whether or not you enjoy this will depend on if you can fully accept the premise and reconcile your frustration over their passive acceptance. Fortunately I did, and the film grew into a somber and touching examination of the value of human life and the fleeting nature of being alive.

-THE AMERICAN- (2010)

Dir-Anton Corbijn; Star-George Clooney, Violante Placido
An American weapons builder hides out in a small Italian town where he’s tasked with custom building an assassination weapon for a client. We learn that he’s never been able to really connect with anyone due to the nature of his work, and his solitary career has made him lonely. Corbijn’s moody atmosphere creates a tangible sense of melancholy that’s more compelling than many contemporary action movies, which this certainly isn’t. There is also some impressive use of ambient sound to create some moments of great tension. The American is a somber movie about a lonely man living a dangerous life and a nuanced character study of isolation. A very good film.

-CATFISH- (2010)

Dir-Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Two friends with hand-held video cameras in search of material to film begin to document their 20-something friend’s new correspondence with an 8 year old girl on Facebook, where she posts pictures of her artwork, of which he becomes a supporter. Eventually things take a turn for the unexpected. A great example of Do-It-Yourself documentary that also functions surprisingly as a cautionary tale and a moving insight into a life that would otherwise go unnoticed. Some have argued that the sequence of events in the movie are too good to be true, but the filmmakers stand by its reality, but it really doesn’t affect the message. A good companion to The Social Network in showing the powers of social media, and a victory for people everywhere with video cameras.

-EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP- (2010)

Dir-Banksy
The infamous and anonymous British street artist Banksy directs this documentary that is initially a privileged glimpse into an artistic community that I never even realized existed before, and then a somewhat ingenious, provocative, and self-aware depiction of the hypothetical fall of street art via the timely arrival of the loathed, cliched, and decidedly popular artist Mr. Brainwash. If this sounds excitingly exotic and unique it’s because it is; I don’t want to speak too much about the full reality presented here, but I will say the movie itself is the message, which then could itself be part of a much larger conspiratorial plan, or perhaps just an opportunity for a statement that’s comically seized. Regardless, Exit Through The Gift Shop is wildly entertaining and often very funny, with a clear and relevant message about the value and perception of art as an ever changing aspect of our culture.

- CITY ISLAND – (2010)

Dir-Raymond De Felitta; Star-Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Dominik Garcia-Lorido
Dysfunctional Italian family living in the Bronx featuring a prison guard father who takes acting lessons without his family knowing and brings home his ex-convict son from a previous girlfriend to live with his family. De Felitta also wrote the screenplay for this often farcical comedy, with antics than can be perfectly described as “outrageous.” Each character in this colorful family has secrets that they don’t share with everyone else, and when it all comes together is a truly great moment. Its deeper message is obscured by its fresh sense of humor, but the characters are so empathetic and distinct that it hardly even matters. It may not be a provoker of any great truths, but this may be the best a movie has made me feel all year.

-WINTER’S BONE- (2010)

Dir-Debra Granik; Star-Jennifer Lawrence
A girl in the rural Ozarks goes looking for her father so she can coerce him to go to a court date lest they lose their house, along the way she gets a little too involved with the local crime ring. A dreary, plodding, movie that plays like a 1990′s point and click adventure game. I.e., walk here, talk to X, walk there, talk to Y, etc. It grows tiresome very fast and commits the ultimate sin of never really getting you to care. It’s all overcast, all the time. A critical favorite, though!

-LIFE DURING WARTIME – (2010)

Dir-Todd Solondz; Star-Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney, Paul Reubens, Dylan Riley Snyder
Various friends and family struggle to find happiness in this dark rumination on forgiveness, but it’s not without a sense of humor, poignant deadpan delivery, and a surreal world view. A film that pulls you in with amusingly bizarre moments and offbeat characters, then turns you off with its depressing outlook, only to make you ponder its comforts by the end. It is probably better on repeat viewings and after seeing Solondz’ first film with the same characters, Hapiness, which I haven’t gotten around to yet. 

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