A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove) - 10 stars out of 10

A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove) - 10 stars out of 10

I never imagined that “A Man Called Ove” would be one of my top four movies for 2016.  I resigned myself to seeing it due to its Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling but immediately became entranced by its perfect blend of comedy and drama.  Ove (pronounced “Oo-veh”) is one of the grumpiest men that you will ever meet and his story shows that it is never too late in life for a change of heart.  It is an incredible example of patient storytelling that discloses small details of a larger story to develop the characters until the big reveal toward the end of the film.  Rolf Lassgård commands the screen with his deep bass voice and old man posture.  He manages to be dislikable, intimidating, endearing, and humorous all at the same time.  He also shows an amazing transition as he forms an unlikely bond with his new neighbor, played by Bahar Pars.  Filip Berg is believable as a younger version of Ove and Ida Engvoll turns in a charming performance as Sonja.  All of the acting hits on the realism and humor that is needed for the film’s dichotomy.  The makeup/hairstyling team of Eva von Bahr and Love Larson deserve the Oscar for their work on this film.  Lassgård is a youthful-looking man with a full head of hair and their ability to physically transform him into an elderly bald man is remarkable.  This film was shot using a lot of close-ups and the make-up looks great from every angle.  You may wonder why they didn’t just cast an actual old man in this role but you will understand once you see the emotionally charged performance by Lassgård.  I don’t know if this film can win the Best Hairstyling and Makeup Oscar because it is difficult for foreign films to compete with American franchises like Star Trek, but I would love to see it acknowledged for their excellent work.  While I enjoy foreign films, it is rare for me to rank them higher than an American equivalent.  Ove is one of those films.  I hope that they never adapt this with English speakers because nothing can ever top the original Swedish version (sound familiar, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”?)  Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score, even Best Picture – I would have nominated Ove for all them.  “A Man Called Ove” is a must-see for every movie fan.  You will laugh its dark humor, shed many more tears than you expect (at several times throughout the film), and be left with one of the most perfect endings of any film that you will ever see.

[Pictured: The combination of Lassgård's appearance and acting creates one of the most dynamic performances of 2016]

Elizabeth (1998) - 8 stars out of 10

Elizabeth (1998) - 8 stars out of 10

“Elizabeth” explores the rise to power of Queen Elizabeth I.  The history is a bit creative at times but it does an amazing job of bringing the character and demeanor of this monarch to life.  They certainly don't shy away from blood and violence, which helps to keep the film from becoming a boring textbook biopic as it somehow manages to blend political drama with a historic epic.  Cate Blanchett is perfect in this role (as indicated by her Oscar nomination) and likely could have won in a year that didn’t feature another period film (“Shakespeare in Love”) that cleaned up because the critics preferred it.  I’m still trying to figure out how Joseph Fiennes managed to get cast as the romantic male lead in both English Renaissance era films of 1998.  What are the chances?  The cast is rounded out by Geoffrey Rush and Richard Attenborough, but it really is all about Blanchett and the growing assertiveness of her character.  The dramatic choral score gives the entire film a dark, disturbing tone.  Some of its best moments are when it incorporates famous pieces of classical music into its key moments.  I loved the intense contrast created between the beauty of Elgar's "Nimrod" and a series of assassinations, as well as Mozart's "Requiem" being played as she takes control of the throne.  The film is notable for its visual aspects including Oscar nominations for Art Direction, Costume Design, Cinematography, and a win for Makeup.  But once again, it lost out to the other period film that the critics deemed to be better.  “Elizabeth” is often overlooked because of the other Renaissance film of 1998 but it is absolutely worth your time for an interesting look at the 17th century English monarchy and Queen Elizabeth I’s rise to power.

[Pictured; This film is all about the amazing performance by Cate Blanchett]

La La Land - 10 stars out of 10

La La Land - 10 stars out of 10

After months of anticipation, "La La Land" has proven itself to be everything that I had hoped!  About 2 minutes into the opening tracking shot, I was obsessed.  The stunning introduction perfectly sets the mood of the story and introduces us to the Los Angeles setting.  This scene is easily my second favorite tracking shot of all time (next to “Atonement”).  The film pays tribute to classic musicals of the 40’s with its lengthy single-take dance sequences like the six-minute tap scene as they search for Stone's Prius.  As the film progresses, each scene is more ambitious than the last and the execution is consistently perfect.  Dancing among the stars in the planetarium, moving in regular motion among bodies in slow motion, an entire scene fading to black as a spotlight illuminates one character in the center of it - you can't even measure the production value of this well-conceived tribute to the Hollywood musical.  Though a lot of stylized films miss the mark, this one hits the bullseye.  I often grow frustrated with modern movie musicals whose songs are forgotten before even walking out of the theater.  Days after seeing this film, I can clearly recall Justin Hurwitz’s simple musical themes that stick with you far beyond the closing credits.   "La La Land" is a true musical triumph, and the genre of choice is jazz.  Much like in 2014’s “Whiplash,” director Damien Chazelle has found a way to make jazz accessible to modern audiences.  Ryan Gosling's monologue about jazz pinpoints the experience of hearing it live and reflects the passion of true jazz fans; meanwhile the jazz-infused musical theater songs keep the thematic genre at the center of the film.  In a weak Oscar class, "La La Land" soars beyond the competition and is a shoe-in for Best Picture (unless the culturally relevant statements of "Moonlight" manage to steal it away).  While many of the technical aspects make the film shine, its heart lies in its believable characters.  Emma Stone delivers her most impassioned performance since "Birdman" with her phone audition and I believe that she has the Oscar in the bag.  Her singing has a soft, light quality that properly suits her character and her chemistry with Gosling drives the film from musical number to musical number.  I also appreciate that Gosling did all of his own piano playing for this film, which adds to the realism of his character.  The casting of John Legend was really clever in that it incorporated a pop culture icon who sings with excellent vocal technique.  I believe that the screenplay will win an Oscar, though I would have enjoyed a little more humor.  I can also see it winning Oscars for Director, Cinematography, Film Editing, and Score.  My main complaint about the film is its ending, which reflects Hollywood ideals over what we would expect to happen.  I’m still worked up about it, though this emotional response is a testament to its effectiveness.  “La La Land” is the complete package.  It is destined to win several of the technical Oscar categories and is the only film that will leave me shocked if it does not win Best Picture.  If you haven’t seen this one yet, you need to.  Now.

[Pictured: La La Land is full of cute romantic moments and classic Hollywood imagery]

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi - 6 stars out of 10

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi - 6 stars out of 10

“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” is an incredible true story of heroism by the soldiers located overseas in order to keep us safe at home.  The film dramatizes the events in Libya that resulted in six of our men being severely outnumbered and fighting for their lives, as well as the lives of the noncombatant workers trapped inside of the facility.  It remains surprisingly neutral from a political standpoint, though you can't help but think about the Congressional hearings as you watch.  I think that it’s an important film for both sides of the political fence as it humanizes the names that were debated at these hearings and helps to remind us that these were people with families.  And yet, this is also the film’s biggest failure as we don’t get to know the characters very well.  Over the course of two and a half hours, we learn some background information about the soldiers but their interactions amongst themselves are so limited that we barely even know their names.  The end credits give the standard "where are they now" summary and I spent most of the time trying to figure out which guy was which.  It also doesn’t help that the cast is made up of John Krasinski and a bunch of guys with beards that all look the same.  Speaking of Krasinski, he has an amazing emotional moment that shows that he is capable of more than the comedy that he perfected on “The Office.”  The film reads more like a documentary than as an action drama and that’s probably why I was left feeling undereducated about the men at the center of this conflict.  It does do a good job about helping us to understand the rationale behind their tactics like shutting off interior lights and preventing the enemy from flanking.  I'm glad that this film was acknowledged with an Oscar nomination for Best Sound Mixing.  The extensive battle sequences are tied together by the realistic explosions and gunshots but we can still easily comprehend the dialogue.  The visuals get so chaotic at points that this truly is a story told through sound.  “13 Hours” isn’t the best war film that I’ve seen in the past few years but it properly pays tribute to the men that put their lives on the line every day and helps us to better understand what they endure in a hostile environment.

[Pictured: Krasinski taps into some powerful emotions in order to be the driving force of this film]

Silence (2016) - 5 stars out of 10

Silence (2016) - 5 stars out of 10

"Silence" is a lengthy look at the persecution of Christians in Japan during the 17th century.  This adaptation of the 1966 novel by Shusaku Endol is inspirational in the convictions of these Christians to stand up for their beliefs, heart wrenching as they are tortured and put to death for refusing to renounce their religion, and frustrating as we see the psychological attack on the priests who must watch others put to death unless they renounce themselves. The latter example creates an interesting dynamic as the priests must weigh the consequences of being an example to others by holding true to their beliefs (resulting in Christians being killed) versus publicly renouncing their beliefs to save a few lives (but destroying their message of following Christ).  This story sounds amazing, so how can the film be so emotionally bland?  I blame the lengthy runtime.  I understand that you don't want to leave out any details when you adapt a book into a film but a 160-minute film has to have more than 15 minutes of action to hold most peoples' attention. It gets to the point that when we finally meet Liam Neeson's character and learn the mystery of this film, we don't care nearly as much as we did in the beginning.  The overall tone is depressing and the lack of hope in a story of this length becomes exhausting.  This was director Martin Scorsese's passion project for over 25 years and he wanted to make it right but this sweeping epic became too big.  The performances by Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Neeson all have their impressive emotional moments at their most important turning points.  Unfortunately, these moments are too few and far between. Garfield's soft spoken narration does a better job of soothing you to sleep than engaging your emotions over the course of nearly three hours.  I will also say that it is a bit odd to see Kylo Ren sitting next to The Amazing Spider-Man in their first scene, but the typecast quickly fades away after that.  The acting isn't bad, it is just the nature of the meek characters that keep their emotions subdued for 90% of the film.  I would much rather watch Garfield in "Hacksaw Ridge" twice than see him in each film once.  "Silence" didn't do well at the box office due to its lengthy runtime and lack of Oscar representation but I think that the Academy got it right.  Scorsese deserved some sort of acknowledgement for bringing this career-spanning project to life and the nomination for Best Cinematography is justified by the epic nature of the Japanese setting.  It is one of those films that we just love to look at (though maybe not for two and a half hours).  At the same time, I don't feel that the slow paced storytelling can compete with dramas like "Lion" and "Arrival," making the lack of nominations a warning to moviegoers who don't have the patience to wait for the next part of the story to happen.  "Silence" isn't the type of movie that you will enjoy watching but its significance to Scorsese's career has made it a movie that film fans must watch and one that average viewers shouldn't.

[Pictured: "Silence" has its moments but the other two hours of the film makes it difficult to endure]

Lion (2016) - 9 stars out of 10

Lion (2016) - 9 stars out of 10
1500th Review

“Lion” is an ode to accomplishing the impossible.  This unconventional journey is so unbelievable that if it wasn’t a true story, it would be way too farfetched for audiences.  It is an amazing example of how the Internet has created endless possibilities for communication and research in a way that changes lives.  From the moment that I first saw the trailer, this became one of my most anticipated films of the year.  It actually did not meet my expectations, but my frustration with this year’s weak Oscar class has led me to approach many of the films with high hope-filled expectations that this will be “the one” to redeem 2016.  The storytelling grew a bit muddled at the start of Saroo and Lucy’s relationship, shifting focus away from the adoption and search for his family.  Still, the film hits all of the right emotional notes to bring this story to life.  The train sequence and crowded train station in West Bengal are a heart wrenching introduction to Saroo's turbulent journey.  The sad piano score by Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka highlights each dramatic moment throughout the film, especially the ending scene which I consider to be the most beautiful moment in cinema for 2016.  The score was nominated for an Oscar, as were the performances by Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman.  Their acting drives the second half of the film through the strong emotions of sadness and pain, but the real standout is 8-year-old Sunny Pawar.  At first glance, it seems odd that Patel’s nomination is for Supporting Actor but it makes sense as Pawar carries the entire first half of the film on his shoulders.  His chemistry with Abhishek Bharate (who plays his older brother Guddu) and ability to advance the story through his mannerisms (since a 5-year-old character in a country that doesn’t speak his language leads to limited dialogue) is as good as many veteran actors.  I understand Rooney Mara’s presence in the film because this is a true story, but Saroo’s disconnect from his mother AND his girlfriend is redundant in shaping his character.  The Oscar-nominated cinematography does a brilliant job of capturing the landscape of India, the grim areas of Calcutta, and the beauty of Tasmania, but my favorite part of the entire film may be the title.  I spent a good deal of time wondering why the film is called "Lion," and saving the explanation for the final moment of the film enhances its poignancy tenfold.  It was an amazing final thought at the end of the film.  “Lion” is not a flawless film but it is a film that families can enjoy together, its incredible true story must be seen to believed, and the final result is an amazing buildup to the most beautiful moment in cinema for 2016.

[Pictured: Dev Patel may be the name attached to the film, but the real star is Sunny Pawar as he acts far beyond his age and experience]