The Help - 10 stars out of 10

The Help - 10 stars out of 10

'We livin' in Hell, trapped.  Our kids trapped."  "The Help" capitalizes on the strong emotions felt toward the racist injustices done toward African Americans in our country, even after slavery came to an end.  We often read about discrimination and segregation in history books but this film brings life to the unfair treatment of African Americans in the recent past.  Although the plot doesn't actually begin until an hour has passed, the first section of this film facilitates the necessity of vividly developing the characters so that their stories become a reality.  It is hard to believe that this is not a true story, since the details of each character's life gives them a historical feel.  The key to this film is its strong ensemble cast.  Aside from Aibileen Clark, no character has enough screen time to qualify as a lead (in my opinion) and the film thrives because every supporting character is brought to life by a talented actress.  From a role as significant as Minny (played by Octavia Spencer) to a role as small as the publishing company editor (played by Mary Steenburgen who is on screen for less than 5 minutes), every actress brings a set of convictions and unspoken past experiences to their character that create great depth.  The acting of the actresses is acknowledged through its three Academy Award nominations in Best Actress categories, as well as its nomination for Best Picture.  The film also should have been nominated for best costumes, but I digress.  Even though I am always in Merryl Streep's corner when it comes to the Oscars, I may be throwing my hat in the ring for Viola Davis this year.  It is difficult to believe that this is the same woman who played Abby Black in "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" in the same year, not to mention the mayor in "Law Abiding Citizen" and many other modern films.  In the role of Aibileen, she is thrust into the racism of 1960's Mississippi and delivers a perfect southern accent.  The real highlight of her performance comes in the form of her facial expressions, which are among some of the most genuine that I have ever seen in any film.  Emma Stone takes on this serious role but her accent falters at times and I believe that she is better suited for comedic roles.  Someday she could make the transition ' she even has a few strong serious moments in this role - but she hasn't proved herself to me with this performance.  Octavia Spencer is great in this film, often serving as the comic relief at unexpected times, but I don't know that she deserves the Oscar nomination.  The surprise of this film was definitely Jessica Chastain who earned her Oscar nod with her tearful moment after the bathroom scene.  Every film needs an unfortunate character that you find yourself rooting for and I never expected her to fulfill that function with such a beautiful smile.  She also creates the most heartwarming moment of the film and is one of those characters that you couldn't forget, even in you tried.  I would love to go on about every actress in this film but you get the idea.  All of this great acting is woven throughout this interesting story, brave and intriguing as it creates a harsh atmosphere that should not be ignored.  "The Help" isn't just another slice of historical American culture - it transforms the two-dimensional history-book African Americans facing persecution into deep, relatable characters who garner your empathy on every level.

Glen or Glenda? - 1 star out of 10

Glen or Glenda? - 1 star out of 10

Wow, you can't even consider this to be a movie!  With a practically non-existent plot, Glen or Glenda is a twisted montage of cross-dressing males, random stock footage, horrible acting, 10 minutes of women being tied up, and an occasional monologue from Bela Lugosi, all crudely thrown together.  The entire thing is just SO WEIRD and obviously written by a transvestite in defense of his desire to dress as a woman.  After seeing "Ed Wood," I had to see this.  It was necessary to see "Ed Wood" first so that the randomness of this film would make some sort of sense.  But even that couldn't prepare me for this random display.

Antwone Fisher - 8 stars out of 10

Antwone Fisher - 8 stars out of 10

This movie uses the great technique of slowly revealing details of the main character's life to allow the audience to progressively understand what motivates this character's actions.  This story adds a bonus - after we begin to understand the character's actions, he then goes on a personal journey to find his roots in a great exploration of "Man vs. Himself".  I love that this is a true story and anybody that went to Grove City College should be interested to know that in real life, Antwone Fisher graduated from George Junior Republic School.  Denzel Washington is incredible, as always.  Joy Bryant was absolutely charming and was probably the most vivid character in the entire movie.  Antwone offers a very moving speech at the end, and it was worth watching the entire movie just for this incredible movie moment.  Good acting, realistic characters, and a well-written screen play make this an enjoyable film for anybody in a dramatic mood.

Traitor - 4 stars out of 10

Traitor - 4 stars out of 10

Traitor is an average action movie with a few explosions and a couple of twists, but it did not deliver as much entertainment as I expected.  Unlike Tarantino's genius when it comes to giving characters a purpose to speak their foreign dialogue in English, the characters in Traitor switch in and out of English too often and give no reason.  Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce act their roles very well but in the end, Traitor proves to be less-than-memorable.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - 10 stars out of 10

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - 10 stars out of 10

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Heartbreaking is one of the most emotionally charged films of the past ten years.  There are no words to describe this incredible performance by young teen Thomas Horn in his film debut.  He is on-screen for nearly every minute of the film and never falters in his characterization, bringing home the mental anguish of a boy who has tragically lost his father and cannot comprehend why.  I am shocked that a lot of people have criticized his performance, saying that it is difficult to like this character.  We aren't supposed to fall in love with his character - we are supposed to begin to understand the agony that was experienced by the families that lost a loved one in 9/11.  This film really was a perspective-changer for me.  Whenever I hear someone mention "the victims of the 9/11 attacks," I immediately think of the 2977 innocent people who lost their lives on that day.  But unlike other films that have used 9/11 as its backdrop, this movie explores the long-lasting effects on the people who lost their husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, or daughters during the attack.  And even more, this is only one story.  There are 2976 other stories out there, one for each family.  "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" brings the humanity back to this tragedy, instead of letting it become one more event in the history books.  I can attest to its effectiveness as the moviegoers exited the theater in a stunned silence that I have never experienced before.  Even during the peak emotional moments, there was not a cough, the crunch of popcorn, or even the squeak of a theater seat - just an energetic silence and the sound of tears rolling down everyone's cheeks.  The musical score by Alexandre Desplat beautifully enhances the film, both through its tragic, subtle piano nuances and also through his treatment of silence at poignant emotional moments.  Emotional impact aside, Max von Sydow is incredible as The Renter as he brings incredible expression to this character without a single word (and though his twist is predictable, realizing the twist for most of the film before it is revealed is a clever way to keep you guessing the same things as Oskar).  Also, Sandra Bullock has some impressive cry moments and the twist in the story involving her in the end is incredibly moving.  Tom Hanks is barely in the film but it doesn't matter - the chemistry between him and Horn in the first 10 minutes creates all meaning in this film.  The story is very well written, simultaneously producing emotional suffering with a heartwarming theme.  This film is not for the faint of heart, particularly with the 9/11 attacks still fresh on our society's mind, but it will certainly leave you speechless with a sympathetic heart toward the families who are still suffering from these attacks today.