Ripley is a beast!

I promised you I'd continue my SciFi fest with the next chapter of the Alien saga and, so, here it is. It was a dark and stormy night...oh, wait, that's not right. Well, actually it was a stormy night as we sat down on the couch to watch the James Cameron film, "Aliens." I had even talked my daughter who is terrified of scary movies into watching it with us. We huddled on the couch as the opening music came on and we see Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Jonesy (the cat) sleeping peacefully as their escape pod is picked up by a salvage ship. They are awakened and Ripley learns that she has been drifting out in space for 57 years. She tells her story of what happened to her ship and the crew but they don't fully believe her and she is horrified to learn that the planet (LV-426) where she and her crew encountered the Alien has been colonized by the "Company." Contact is eventually lost with the colonists on LV-426 and a rescue party is put together that includes Ripley, a representative of the "Company" (Paul Reiser with very '80's hair) and a tough bunch of Marines. From the minute they set foot on the planet, the suspense is palpable and grows with each passing scene. We are trapped in the buildings on the planet right along with the characters, in darkness, not knowing what is around each corner. The Aliens don't show up at first but once they do, they do with stealth and horror. The Marines are sent out to discover what has happened to the people stationed at the colony and are forced to use a tracking device that only shows heat signatures. It's a little bit like "hot, hotter, colder..." only with your life on the line. When the life forms do show up on the device and the Marine holding it tries to steer the other Marines away from it, the tension is unbelievable. You feel as if you are stuck in that hallway or air shaft with "something" baring down on you. You can't see it or hear it until suddenly it's right on top of you. The camera work is brilliant and so evocative of being trapped in darkness and close spaces. The battles between the Marines and the Aliens are horrific and the Aliens seem to just keep coming and coming.

They discover a very young girl, Newt (Carrie Henn), who seems to be the lone survivor at the colony and take her in. Ripley and Newt become very close and eventually it's Ripley's desire to save Newt at all costs that brings about the destruction of the Aliens (until they get resurrected in Alien 3, of course, but we won't talk about that.) Newt knows the station inside and out so she is a very valuable asset for the Marines as they attempt to fight their way out. However, all the Marines gradually give up their lives, except one, Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn, in his first of many rolls like this.) He seems to be the only one who really believes Ripley and when they discover that the "Company" has actually been capturing and studying the Aliens for use as weapons, he bands with her to do whatever they can to make sure that doesn't happen.

The most famous scene is, of course, the last battle between Ripley and the mother "Alien." Both females are furious at the prospect of their young being harmed and they fight it out in an epic confrontation that has Ripley driving a full-body forklift and some how managing to fling the Alien into an airlock. Ripley gets pulled down with it but good trumps evil once more as Ripley pushes the button to open the airlock and out goes Mama Alien. I make it sound a heck of a lot easier than it really is and I highly recommend that you view this film for yourself and watch one of the greatest female heroes of our time. I guarantee you will be screaming "Get away from her, you b*&^%/!" right along with Ripley and cheering as that Alien goes squealing into space.

And then you'll turn on every light in your house and not sleep for a week....

Alice in Weirdoland

Now, don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, as I have always been a fan of Tim Burton, but really, I don't think Lewis Carroll had this in mind when he penned this story. It's dark, even creepy at times, with lots of humor and goofiness thrown in, as only Mr. Burton can do. The story begins with Alice attending a party in the English countryside (the scenery is gorgeous but I felt that the 3d actually made it look flat.) Her friends are introduced to us through conversations and then you start to notice that many of her friends look familiar, such as the two sisters who have on striped dresses like two little characters who show up later in the film. Alice then discovers that the party was actually thrown in her honor and that her suitor, a very stiff and stuffy young redhead named Hamish, was going to propose to her in front of the 100's of guests. When he does, Alice runs off following the White Rabbit she had seen earlier in the garden and falls down the same hole that she had fallen down as a child. That's when the 3d really takes hold and the mayhem begins. The scenes in the house as she's trying to get out are wonderful as she first becomes small, then large and then small again. She finally gets out the little door and continues on her adventure. She meets the Tweedles, who are very odd little people very similar to the very scary (at least to me) Ooompa Loompas, the White Rabbit again, and many other very strange creatures in her new world. We all know this story so I won't go into further detail but I do want to mention the stand out performances. I am very glad that Mr. Burton choose to use a relatively unknown actress (Mia Wasikowska) as Alice. She was delightful, strong, willful, and very funny at times. A perfect casting choice. Johnny Depp was very good as the Mad Hatter and the relationship that develops between he and Alice is very touching and believable. But the show stopper is Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. Go see this film just to see her and the very funny Crispin Glover (remember Back to the Future's George McFly?) as her knight, Stayne. Crispin and Helena steal the movie. There are many other famous voices (Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry) and Anne Hathaway does a fine job as the White Queen, despite her bushy black eyebrows that I couldn't stop staring at. So, I guess I'm recommending this film but if you don't get to see it at the theatre, it's okay. Even without 3d, Weirdoland is still Weirdoland - I sure wish I could hear what Mr. Carroll thought about it.

Fantastic Mr. Fox??

This is hard for me to write because this movie, "Fantastic Mr. Fox", was recommended to me by some very dear friends. I had been looking forward to seeing it for weeks, especially since it was nominated along with "Up" as one of the best Animated Films of the year. When it finally arrived in the mail, I sat my whole family down for a movie night. Now, animated films have come a long way in the past 20 years. The stories are better, funnier, they have a new appeal that reaches across all ages, and the advancements made to the actual animation are astounding. So I was expecting something pretty special. I didn't get it.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is based on the Roald Dahl story of the same name. Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a fox who has a wild past but has now settled down to domestic life and is trying his best to be good. However, when he becomes dissatisfied with living in a hole, his wife (voiced by Meryl Streep) drolly points out that they are foxes, foxes live in holes, that's what they do. This does nothing to alleviate his dissatisfaction and he decides to move the family to a tree house. One of the funniest scenes in the movie actually happens right at the beginning when Mr. Fox is discussing his dissatisfaction with their hole with Mrs. Fox and their son, Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) keeps appearing in the kitchen. The dialogue between the teenager and his parents is spot on (obviously the writers have teenagers at home.)

Mr. Fox takes the family to look at tree houses and another quite funny scene unfolds with the real estate agent and the buying of the house. This house happens to be right across from three of the meanest farmers in town, Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Mr. Fox can't help himself and he decides to pull a raid on the three farmers as his last escapade. From there the film disintegrates into a madcap, ridiculous adventure that, for me, lost all of it's humor and appeal. It was full of cliches, and while some of the dialogue and portrayals were clever, most of it was just silly. Another problem with this film was the style of the animation. It's a stop-action film that reminded me of the old Gumby cartoon at times and had an almost claustrophobic feel to it. I realize that most of the film was acted out underground, but even the scenes set on the farms or around the tree seemed dark and heavy. By the end of the film, I felt relieved to get out. I also felt relieved to stop listening to George Clooney. I admire George as an actor, but he does tend to do roles where he has to talk a lot ("Michael Clayton" "Up in the Air") and this was no exception. I kept drifting off during Mr. Fox's rants and getting confused as to what was happening in the film. His voice just became irritating.

I wish I had read the original story of "Fantastic Mr. Fox" before I saw this film. Maybe it would have helped, or maybe not. Animated films today are held to a higher standard than ever before so it may be that this just didn't live up to those standards for me. I expect a beautiful film, both in the way it looks and in the story, and this fell short in both regards. It's still fun at times and has a good message, but for me, I'm with Mr. Fox - I don't want to be in that hole again either.

Post-Oscar Doldrums

I'm afraid that since the Oscars I haven't been able to get back into my movie-watching. I've been searching for a theme of movies to follow and, well, I may have found my theme after sitting down to watch a classic. I've wanted to share this film with my daughter for months (Netflix must have been wondering what happened to it) and we finally found the time to view it tonight. The classic I'm referring to is:

"Alien"

This Ridley Scott masterpiece was still edge of your seat scary even 30 years later. Although it starts quietly with beautiful shots of space and the cargo ship where the body of the film takes place, as well as glimpses of each character, it then builds to the moment when they discover what seems to be an SOS signal from a nearby planet. The scenes of the planet and the ship in space look rudimentary compared to today's movies but the eerie feeling of foreboding certainly is not. The movie is filmed in darkness and shadows that bring so much tension and suspense that you don't miss or need the fancy special effects of today.

The crew of the Nostromo land on the planet where the SOS originated, send out a search team to explore, and the search team discovers an abandoned space vehicle that has apparently crashed on the planet. The team explores the vehicle and one of the members, Kane (John Hurt) discovers a pod of egg-like things one of which ruptures open and some kind of creature attaches itself to Kane's face. The team rushes Kane back to the Nostromo, whereupon all heck breaks loose. Kane actually seems to recover for a brief period, the creature falls off, and they sit down to dinner. What follows is one of the most horrific and memorable scenes ever filmed in the realm of Sci fi. As Kane is having his dinner, he becomes distressed, starts to convulse and ripping out of his stomach comes the "alien." It screams and scurries away leaving the rest of the crew staring in utter disbelief and horror. From there the film moves into a film about survival. Ultimately, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is left alone (with the ship's cat, Jonesy) to deal with the alien and figure out a way to kill it and live. Her calm determination, skill, intelligence and yes, a little bit of luck, make her one of the most powerful women characters in the history of the cinema. "Alien" is truly a wonderful piece of story-telling and is science fiction at it's best.

Next up: "Aliens" - which I saw in 1986 and couldn't sleep for a week after seeing. It was directed by someone we all know now - James Cameron of Titanic and Avatar fame. I'll let you know if I can sleep after seeing it the second time!

A Tale of Two Films and Two Men

There are two men this year who have been nominated for Best Actor who happen to be two of my favorite actors, Jeff Bridges and Colin Firth. Jeff won my heart back in the 80's when he starred in Starman. I so wanted an extraterrestrial for my own after seeing him in that. Colin is probably best known for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Pride & Prejudice but for me I fell in love with him in Bridget Jones' Diary, where strangely enough he was again a Darcy. Both men have the feel of being real men. While they are both handsome and charming, they also seem like people you'd like to know, or maybe have known, in almost all of their roles.


This past year both men gave virtuoso performances in two very different types of films. Let's start with Colin Firth and his performance in A Single Man. This film is an adaptation of a novel by the same name, written for the screen by the author, Christopher Isherwood, and the clothing designer, Tom Ford, who also directed. It is a period film set in the 1960's and tells the story of George, a man who suddenly loses his longtime companion, Tom (played by Matthew Goode), and how he deals with the aftermath of his very lonely new life. The film is beautifully shot in ever changing colors depending on George's mood and thoughts. At times it's in black and white, then a kind of sepia tone to full color, or sometimes it's black and white with only one significant thing in color. The influence of Tom Ford's design esthetic comes through during the whole film and it plays a large part in the telling of the story and the feel of the film. Colin Firth takes this role and finds a whole new dimension in his acting. He is subtle, using just his face in many scenes to tell us viewers what George is feeling. He moves from a kind of euphoria and rapture as he's thinking about his lost lover to a quiet despair when he realizes it wasn't a dream, Tom really is gone. And he tells us all this using just his expressions. His dealings with his students and his dearest friend and past lover, Charley (played by Julianna Moore) bring some light-hearted moments, especially with Kenny (played by Nicholas Hoult) who almost seems to be in love with George. His relationship with Charley is a very disturbing and ultimately destructive one especially for Charley. She doesn't really know who she is and she is so lonely that she tries to reign George in to wallow in sorrow with her. The ending is one of the most affecting endings I've seen in a film in years. Colin Firth gives the performance of a lifetime and was perfectly cast as a very complex man lost and then almost found.

Now on to Jeff Bridges and his role in the film Crazy Heart. This film is also an adaptation of a novel, this time written for the screen by the author, Thomas Cobb, and Scott Cooper, who also directed. Crazy Heart is the story of Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), a down and almost out country singer. It starts with Bad Blake singing at one of the small town lounges that he has been reduced to playing and we gradually learn just how big Bad Blake once was by the reactions of the few patrons who come to hear him. He drinks too much, smokes too much, and is very low on cash but he keeps playing and singing hoping that his time isn't up quite yet. He meets Jean (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal), a small town reporter, when she requests an interview. A connection is immediate, despite their age difference, and they develop a very loving relationship that includes her son, until a disastrous event precipitated by Bad's drinking ends Jane's trust in him. This scene is absolutely heart-breaking and very scary for anyone with kids and Jeff Bridges plays it brilliantly and with the absolute right tone of an alcoholic who knows he's done wrong but still needs that drink. Bad eventually straightens himself out and gives up the habit, but what he loses along the way will haunt you.

These are obviously two very different films with a very different feeling but they both convey the same basic thing - the heart of a man. And while I love both of these actors and it's very hard for me to choose between them, I'm going to have to give Colin Firth my vote for Best Actor this year. His turn as George was inspired, delicate, and affecting. Jeff will always be my Starman, and I think he will win, but Colin did something so remarkable as George. I'll never forget it.

As always, I'd love to hear your views!

Top Ten

Well, they've done it. Nominated 10 pictures for Best Picture. I'm not sure I really understand the reasoning behind it but it's what we have so let's look at the list:

(Unfortunately I wasn't able to see "Precious" or "A Serious Man" although I sure wanted to. If you have seen them, I'd love to know what you thought.)

Avatar: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and was not in the least bit put off by the length. It sure didn't seem like almost 3 hours while I was in that theatre. The visuals were lovely and captivating, even if the story was one we've seen before. As with Titanic, James Cameron is a master at jumping from one time frame to another (Titanic hunters/humans trying to take over Pandora to Titanic passengers/Pandorans dealing with the Avatars.) This storytelling device works for me and he is adept at weaving stories together to make a cohesive film. This film has also spawned much debate and controversy over the ending of the story (I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.) But in the end, I'm still left with an almost empty feeling when I think of Avatar. There was nothing really original about the story - the originality of this film lies in the special effects. Therefore, Avatar would not get my vote for the Best Picture of 2009.

Up in the Air: As I've already stated in my previous post, this film definitely deserves the nomination as it is original, timely, funny, touching - everything that a movie experience is supposed to be - but it wouldn't get my vote for Best Picture either. It would probably be second on my list though.

District 9: Wow, talk about original. I've never seen anything like this film. I actually had a moment in the beginning when I thought "Is this a documentary??" It seemed so real. It was probably one of the most disturbing films to sit through this year but that isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes to tell a story and to make a point that is as important as this one (Apartheid, extreme prejudice), you have to bombard people with raw images that they can't forget. It's not for the squeamish, that's for sure. But to make a film that seems so real (and half of the actors are dressed as "prawns") is quite an accomplishment. It definitely deserves this nomination and I would argue that everyone should see this film just for the message it conveys. But it would not get my vote for Best Picture of the year either.

The Hurt Locker: This is a film that haunted me long after it was over and one that I had to talk about to try to get the images out of my mind. Finally we have a film that depicts the emptiness and banality of the Iraq war. What those men are doing seems so pointless - find the bombs, disarm and remove them, only to have more bombs put down almost right behind them. There is also a very poignant moment when Jeremy Brenner as William James is finally sent home at the end of his tour and is trying to grocery shop. He is completely unable to decide what cereal to buy. Yet in Iraq, he was able to make the most dangerous life and death decisions in the blink of an eye. And he seemed to be enjoying it. The movie starts with a quote about how War is a drug, an addiction. This film brought that message home with clarity, respect and with lasting images of the horrors of war on so many levels. This film would probably be my second or third choice for Best Picture of 2009.

An Education: In a totally different way, this film was actually very disturbing to me as well. It is the story of a young school girl who becomes romantically involved with an older man who picks her up as she's waiting on a street corner in the rain in England in the 1960's. I had a very hard time watching as her parents were also taken in by the charm of this man (played brilliantly by Peter Sarsgaard who was robbed of a nomination) and as they encouraged her to actively pursue her relationship with him. Even though they had always told Jenny (Carey Mulligan) to study, work hard, go to Cambridge and make something of herself, when this man, who seemed to have money, entered her life, they dropped those plans for her and seemed relieved that she would be taken care of. The fallout for Jenny when she learns the truth about this man is devastating. As the parent of three daughters, this was a very difficult film for me. But it is a beautiful film and it portrays the time very well. It is a wonderful adaptation of a true story but it still would probably be my fourth or fifth choice for Best Picture of the year.

The Blind Side: Now this nomination is puzzling to me. While the story is very touching and Sandra Bullock is dynamite as Leigh Anne Touhy, it is a movie filled with cliches: the funny little brother, the cheerleader sister, the understanding husband, the mean kids at school. I realize it's a true story and it's always refreshing to see a story about courage and fortitude, but in all honesty, the film just isn't that remarkable. If there were only five nominees this year, this would not be one of them. Still, go see it. It will do your heart good.

Up: Now this was a masterpiece. And it's animated! I can still see the looks on Carl's face when he's talking to Russell, and I can still feel how I felt when Carl finally made it to the falls. Oh, and the first 10 minutes of the film when they tell the story of Carl and Ellie - this is a romance for the ages. And it was so funny! Never before have I felt that I knew animated characters as well as I did Carl and Russell. And yet...should it be in this category? It was also nominated as the Best Animated film of the year which it richly deserves. I'm just not sure it should be up against films made with real people - even if Carl and Russell seem so, so real. But please, please let this win Best Animated Film!

Inglorious Basterds: Now we come to my favorite movie of the year. It was like seeing three or four movies all at the same time. From the moment that first scene starts at the farmhouse and Hans Landa comes up the drive, you can't take your eyes off of the screen. The first 20 minutes of this film is a masterpiece on its own. The tension that builds as Hans Landa (the amazing Christoph Waltz) interrogates the farmer is some of the most brilliant acting I've ever seen. And as the farmer realizes that he has to tell this Nazi what he wants to know, the look on his face is truly heartbreaking. Then we jump to the group of men the movie is named for, lead by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt, who is hilarious.) As we're told who they are and what their mission is, we realize that this is not your average war movie. Then we jump to a movie house in France that is run by the girl, Shosanna, who escaped the farmhouse and Hans Landa in the beginning. It goes on and on, interweaving the stories until the final showdown between Hans and Shosanna, and the other most incredible scene I've ever seen in a movie - the burning of the theatre, filled with Nazis, while David Bowie (of all people) sings in the background. You'll never forget it once you see it. This is movie-making at it's best and Quentin Tarantino is a genius. I consider this the Best Picture of 2009.

Let's start with something current...

Let's start with something current: "Up in the Air"

This movie caused quite a lively discussion in my house the other day. I saw it first with my daughter, who's 20, and then I saw it again with a group of women who are all close to my age. I loved this movie and laughed out loud many times. My daughter, on the other hand, sat very quietly and barely cracked a smile. When I asked her about it she said that it was one of the most depressing movies she's ever seen. She thought it was good but way too cynical. I thought it was very funny, very poignant and had some of the best dialogue I'd heard all year. My second viewing with my lady friends brought a much different experience. We all laughed out loud (it was even funnier the second time for me) and everyone came out smiling and talking and doing what people do when they really enjoy an experience. The relevance of the material (loyalty, job security, marital issues, life choices) is exactly what we all face and the interplay between the 40-something man, 30-something woman and the 20-something young girl straight out of college was priceless. The acting is terrific and it has some subtle gags that are hilarious. So why the disparity in the reactions? Because this film speaks volumes about life and some young adults won't able to or want to hear what it has to say. All of this leads me to several conclusions:

1. This film WORKS. It set out to make a statement and it did, whether you find it poignant and humorous, or cynical and depressing.
2. It deserves a Best Picture nomination, several acting nominations and a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Go see it and judge for yourself and report back! Happy film going!!