Saturday, January 23, 2016

The Revenant - 10 stars out of 10

The Revenant - 10 stars out of 10

"What will it take for Leonardo DiCaprio to win an Oscar?"  This is a question that we have been asking for decades and we finally have our answer.  "The Revenant" is an all-around stunning film, but nothing is more stunning than DiCaprio's performance at the center of this survival story.  He blurs the line between acting and actual suffering.  Eating a raw bison liver?  Moving in and out of frozen rivers?  Leo did it all for this role.  15-20 crew members quit or were fired because they couldn't handle the extreme conditions of this film, but Leo braved the elements on-screen.  The anguish and pain on his face show the actual physical and mental sacrifices that DiCaprio endured to recreate the historic suffering of Hugh Glass.  Even if the Academy feels like Michael Fassbender has earned an Oscar over the years, there is no way that DiCaprio will lose this one.  While we all expected a stunning performance from Leo, I don't think that anybody expected Tom Hardy to be so sinister.  The story’s conflict is man vs. nature but the driving force of the film (Glass's desire to survive) is fueled by the effectiveness of Hardy's heartless performance.  He has the most dialogue of any character in the film and his rustic accent continually enhances the setting.  It may seem like this film is all about the acting but there is so much more.  “The Revenant” also received Oscar nominations for Cinematography, Editing, Direction, Visual Effects, Production Design, Costume Design, Make-Up and the sound categories.  While there are other films that are more deserving of winning categories like Visual Effects, Costume Design, and Make-Up, I’m glad that the crew’s impressive creation of the bear attack, Native American costuming, and realistic lacerations all over DiCaprio’s body are acknowledged through these nominations.  I’m typically not a fan of westerns but this film breaks the mold.  The story is continually moving and Emmanuel Lubezki's panoramic shots of the desolate snow-covered land and the vivid Native American attacks transport us into the American wilderness.  The extended stylized shots of nature give us the feeling of a western but enhance the story instead of interrupting it.  His visual depiction of the landscape is breathtaking and he has a shot at a historic three-peat for Best Cinematography.  There are some other great candidates but if he doesn’t win, the voting was probably heavily influenced by his wins the past two years.  My favorite scene of the entire film was in the church ruins where the score aligns with the imagery of Glass and his son to create a strong emotional moment.  Even with the ever-present natural beauty of this film whose every frame was shot in completely natural light, it is as brutally violent as advertised.  If you cannot handle seeing fingers get chopped off or detailed lacerations across the back, you will find yourself looking away more than looking at the screen.  It would be difficult to make this film historically accurate because so much of Glass’s journey is undocumented and you should approach it knowing that there are creative liberties taken with his story (especially some added characters and the ending); however, this film is intended to pay tribute to the impossible redemption of a man whose will was greater than his circumstances and in that way, the film succeeds.   “The Revenant” is not for everybody but, if you can stomach the violence, blood, and suffering, you will be rewarded with Leonardo DiCaprio’s most dedicated performance and some of the most beautiful landscape shots of this generation.

[Pictured: There comes a point where Leo barely even looks like Leo anymore]

Monday, January 18, 2016

Room (2015) - 10 stars out of 10

Room (2015) - 10 stars out of 10

“Room” is one of the most vivid movies that you will ever see.  The concept is fascinating: A woman is inexplicably trapped in a room with her five-year-old son.  That’s all.  As the story unfolds, we learn details of how long they have been there and where their food comes from; however, the mystery continues to be preserved as we are left to fill in the rest with our imaginations.  There are so many things that I would love to say but I want everybody to be just as surprised and on the edge of your seat as I was.  In fact, this film contains ten of the most intense minutes that you will ever see in any movie.  I swear, there came a point where I had to remind myself to breath.  The story is an endless series of emotional highs and lows that create a deep connection between the characters and the audience.  These emotional moments are enhance by a powerful musical score by Stephen Rennicks.  Its absence reinforces the hopelessness and isolation of being trapped in the room, but then the score soars when it needs to enhance the joyous and devastating moments.  I find that the most poetic piece of the film stems from one of the darkest psychological implications:  The mental well-being of this young boy is completely dependent upon his mother but, when everything turns, he suddenly needs to become her strength in a time of need.  Again, I’m doing my best to avoid any spoilers so you will just have to see it for yourself.  The acting is astounding.  Brie Larson will take home an Oscar for the endless number of emotions that she vividly portrays throughout the film.  Her character is simply known as “Ma,” a constant reminder that she has been stripped of her identity and her entire world is her son.  She doesn’t need a cape to turn her character into a hero.  Jacob Tremblay was equally amazing.  It is rare that I believe that a child performance deserved an Oscar nomination but his acting is highly refined and brings out a lot of our emotions.  He holds his own against Larson’s Oscar-nominated performance and isn’t merely along for the ride.  The realism of this story is further enhanced by its supporting cast.  Joan Allen has been out of vogue for awhile but she delivers her best performance in years.  It took a lot to steal the spotlight from Larson and Tremblay, but she definitely had her moment.  Also, the very presence of William H. Macy adds a brief but necessary complication to this story.  There comes a point where you start dreading that the ending will spoil the entire story.  Dreading that, no matter what the ending, it won't live up to the rest of the film.  But Emma Donoghue creates the perfect conclusion that allows this story to come full circle.  One of the best pieces of advice that I can give is that you should NOT watch the trailer!  Just take my word for it and blindly walk into this film.  “Room” will keep you intrigued, emotional, and on the edge of your seat from start until finish.  More importantly, you will walk away from the film a changed person.

[Pictured: Two of the greatest performances that you will ever see]

Sunday, January 17, 2016

45 Years - 5 stars out of 10

45 Years - 5 stars out of 10

"45 Years" is a slow-moving drama that paints a picture of marriage after 45 years.  The film is notable for Charlotte Rampling's Oscar-nominated performance that comes off as realistic and subtle.  It is a perfect manifestation of the film's themes of forgiveness and letting go of conflict, though I was hoping for an iconic freak-out.  Tom Courtenay offers an equally subtle yet effective performance. I could have done without the senior citizen sex scene, but I suppose that it was important to the plot.  But... I really could have done without the senior citizen sex scene.  The story is a bit dull, though this is definitely meant to be a slice of realism instead of a melodrama.  The film is highly rated by the critics but it just moved too slow for my taste.  Even with a short 90-minute runtime, it seemed to drag on forever.  I can generally appreciate slow-moving stories as long as something big happens but the effect was lost on me.  I wouldn’t recommend this on unless the style is your thing.  "45 Years" is a character-focused story that delivers one good twist but spends the remainder of the movie trying to figure out if anything should actually happen.

[Pictured: This is a typical scene from the uneventful "45 Years"]