Amelia (2009)

No, not Amelie. It's Amelia as in Earhart. The story is familiar enough, so there's no use in recounting it. Amelia is a historical drama that simply illustrates Amelia Earhart's rise to fame, her love life, and her famous final flight. There's no twist, no passion, nothing remotely interesting at all. I would rather it had sacrificed historical accuracy - having Amelia run into a pack of ninjas riding pterodactyls, for example - and made a better movie. Seriously, it's boring. It seems as if the whole movie is supposed to ride off on Hilary Swank's acting chops, but she's so awkward in this movie. And manly. Which is good for when she plays manly characters (Boys Don't Cry, Million Dollar Baby) but Amelia is supposed to be not only a determined, independent role model for girls, she's also supposed to be the romantic interest of Richard Gere. It doesn't play out well. Her emotional range is somehow directly tied to her bad Kansas accent. I don't believe any of it.

Months and months ago, I saw Amelia on several lists for possible Oscar nominations. That was obviously before anyone had watched it. It wasn't nominated for any Oscars. I think a lot of people are suckers for historical dramas because they're based on true stories, so the drama seems more real. This movie takes what, I guess, could have been a powerful, inspirational story and turns it into a bad documentary with history channel actors.

Writing: 2/10
Acting: 2/10
Plot: 1/10
Visuals: 8/10

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

I'm pretty sure no one sits down to watch this movie expecting cinematic excellence. It's one of those crime drama action thriller things...with Jamie Foxx! Foxx plays a lawyer who prosecutes these dudes who killed some guy's (Gerard Butler) family. A plea bargain is reached and while one of the killers gets the death sentence, the other gets 3 years in prison. You can imagine that this wouldn't sit well with Gerard (yes, I will refer to the actor's name, not the character). Mr. Butler decides that the justice system is faulty (IS IT REALLY!?!) and takes matters into his own hands.

Yeah, so, there's this whole mystery about how Gerard is manipulating the system and killing people while he's imprisoned. The answer is not only not that shocking, but completely implausible. Law Abiding Citizen is rife with cliche dialogue and plot devices. It, like, totally tries to be Shawshank Redemption or something. But it's not. There are very few surprises here, so if you're looking for an action crime thriller thing that will keep you on the edge of your seat, move along.

There is some blood and stuff, though, if you're into that kind of thing.

Writing: 2/10
Acting: 4/10
Plot: 1/10
Visuals: 4/10

Network (1976)

The first movie from the AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list that I posted a few days ago, Network is a 1976 drama directed by Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, The Appointment, Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict) and staring Faye Dunaway (Bonnie & Clyde, Chinatown). The script for Network may as well just be the guidebook for any current major news network, but more apparently, it's prophetic of our current state of affairs regarding entertainment and corporatocracy. Or maybe it's just always been that way. In Network, the fictional television network UBC has recently been bought by the conglomerate CCA. With a new, stronger incentive to make profit and boost ratings, UBC's programming director, Diana(Faye Dunaway), becomes desperate to create hit show; there is no line she won't cross.

Howard Beale (Peter Finch) in a evening news anchorman with journalistic credibility and a historic career, but awful ratings. When he is fired from the network, he has a mental break down and threatens to kill himself on air. The threat brings the channel enormous ratings and, even though Beale is clearly out of his mind, the network executives decided to give him his own nightly show as a modern, angry prophet. The show is an astronomical success until his mad rantings begin to target UBC and CCA. Beale's nightly newscasts don't have power, anger, or mass appeal anymore and his ratings plummet. Unable to just get rid of Beale, the network decides to obliterate him in an unimaginable way.

The current resonance of Network is astonishing. Glenn Beck might as well be reading directly from Howard Beale's script. The question, then, is when will Beck have to be suppressed by his puppet masters?! Anyway, it's a rather unique story. Not many movies are made about the inner workings of network TV, especially ones that are so socially relevant. The plot is engaging and Faye plays flat characters really well. Some of the dialogue is awfully corny, though. Especially regarding the relationship that develops between Max (UBS News president, played by William Holden) and Diana. This is probably intentional, though, as Max repeatedly reflects that their relationship merely follows one of Diana's TV scripts. Still, the dialogue during these scenes is laughable, which is a nice relief during such an intense drama. Overall, Network is a well constructed story with many ripples of influence. It's a movie that will be referred to and remain relevant for years to come.

Writing: 9/10
Acting: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
Visuals: 7/10

Invictus (2009)

Invictus is Latin for "unconquered" and is also the name of the poem by William Ernest Henley that Nelson Mandela turned to in times when he needed inspiration. Invictus the movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, centers around the beginning of the Nelson Mandela presidency. Mandela (Morgan Freeman) knows he has to unite post-apartheid country before tackling major issues like poverty, crime, and education. He decides to focus on using the South African rugby team, the Springboks, as a political tool; they must win the 1995 Rugby World Cup and bring the South African whites and blacks together. François Pienaar, the Springbok's captain played by Matt Damon, forms a relationship with Mandela based on their mutual leadership roles and need for inspiration.

Like all movies based on rather famous true stories, we already know how Invictus ends. It's how the movie gets to its end that becomes the focus. Clint Eastwood seems to be very good at manipulating emotions. He picks just the right stories that will tug at your heart strings and films them in a way that makes the sentiment of the film impossible to ignore. At times, this is just cheesy (i.e. showing the crowd cheering in slow motion up to the Springbok's game winning score). At other times, the cheesiness is outweighed by reality; this is not just a movie, this really happened. One such moment is when Pienaar is shows Mandela's cell when he was in prison. He looks down and sees the thin blankets on the floor that were his bed. He spreads his arms out while in the cell to see how small it is. He imagines Mandela sitting in the single chair, reading and never giving up hope. The scene is filmed in Mandela's actual cell, so even though it seems a bit gratuitous and the transparent Mandela sitting in the chair juxtaposed over Pienaar seems a bit too much, it doesn't matter.

I'm really a stickler for a movie being good only on the grounds of its production, its form. The movie in and of itself is not great. Sure, the acting is good (both Freeman and Damon were nominated for acting Oscars), but the story, the filming, and the writing are the same as just about every other sports movie ever made. The underdog always comes out on top and the same story is retold once again. However, what most sports movies don't have is the incredibly charismatic character of Mandela and the historical significance of something as monumental as the apartheid. Even if Invictus does follow the same old formula, it's a shining example of what the formula should be.

Writing: 7/10
Acting: 9/10
Plot: 6/10
Visuals: 6/10

Julie & Julia (2009)

Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of our generation. That alone is enough to see Julie & Julia. The premise, however, probably deters even some of her most ardent fans. A movie about cooking? Hardly. Julie & Julia interweaves the story of how Julia Child becomes the most famous American cook and the story of a blogger named Julie (Amy Adams) who, at a time where she's turning 30 feels she's not good at anything, decides to start a blog about completing every recipe in Julia Child's 734-page Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I concede that it doesn't sound all that interesting, but add a dash of romance, drama, and politics, and the story becomes remarkable.

The acting is brilliant on Meryl Streep (surprise, surprise), Amy Adams and Stanly Tucci's part. Playing a public figure with distinct mannerisms and an over the top personality is difficult. Meryl Streep does it effortlessly; she is Julia Child. Even those, like me, who are too young to be familiar with Julia Child's work and television shows know who she is and you'll recognize how dead on Streep's performance is. Amy Adams' Julie is incredibly sincere, somewhat naive, and beautifully diffident. I must admit that the character of Julie was partially the inspiration for starting this very blog. Stanley Tucci is an incredibly likable actor and there is no exception for his role as Julia Child's incredibly loving and sanguine diplomat husband.

I think Julie & Julia is a lovely film in the truest sense of the word. I don't care if you give a shit about cooking or blogging or history, it's well made. The acting and dialogue are consistently interesting. The stories are woven together masterfully. I think if you're looking for a well crafted, moving film, Julie & Julia is worth your time.

There are no explosions in this film.

Writing: 9/10
Acting: 10/10
Plot: 7/10
Visuals: 7/10

The Blind Side (2009)

So I watched Oscars last night, like so many people, I WTFed Sandra Bullock winning Best Actress in a Leading Role, but I did that without having actually seen The Blind Side . Until today, that is. It's a nice movie. Heartwarming, interesting, but also incredibly predictable and standard for its genre. Though it is based on a true story (they all are), it has a very distinct Lifetime movie quality to it. It's the story of a neglected (and large) black teenager (Quinton Aaron) with no where to go, who finds passion and purpose in football. He is taken in by the brazen and forceful Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) who helps him discover that he isn't as stupid as most adults and teachers think. He eventually becomes part of her family and goes on to do very well with that football thing. That said, Sandra Bullock's performance definitely fits the genre. Her Southern drawl is obnoxious and far from authentic sounding. Her delivery is nothing different from any other film she's made (maybe without the charming snort of Miss Congeniality). At the Oscars, Sandra seemed to realize that this performance was nothing amazing and would never have beaten out such power players as Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren. She even said during her acceptance speech, "Did I really earn this, or did I just wear you all down?"

In any case, The Blind Side is definitely a film you can pass up, but if you're looking for something heartwarming and family friendly and Blockbuster is all out of copies of Up, go ahead and watch The Blind Side. Just know what you're getting.

Writing: 7/10
Acting: 6/10
Plot: 6/10
Visuals: 6/10