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The Review: Golden Globe Nominees for Best Motion Picture, Drama
Posted by Abby on January 14th, 2011 - 1 Comment
Happy Friday!
I hope that everyone will be joining me and my huge bag of buttery popcorn at the box office this weekend. Oh, so many flicks to see!! It has been years since I have been this excited for the films contending in the Golden Globe erm… “pre-Oscar” award circuit. The dreaming, boxing, ballerinas, stammering, and social networking have inspired me, confused me, and in some cases, just creeped me out (yes, Black Swan I’m lookin’ at you).
Much like anything Hollywood, it is no surprise that campaigning and marketing efforts surrounding the films often overshadow the film itself. That being said, I have no interest in making predictions for which film will take home the prize. But rather, I will review each film from the standpoint of a theatre going and popcorn enthusiast. Let’s begin, shall we?
Golden Globe nominees for best motion picture, drama
Black Swan
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis
Summary: “A ballet dancer wins the lead in “Swan Lake” and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan, but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like the evil twin sister of the White Swan, the Black Swan.”
Review: This is not your pretty pink ballerina fantasy. It is quite a depressing nightmare if I’m totally honest. Much like the art of ballet, Black Swan is graceful, elegant, stunningly styled (costumes designed by Rodarte), but painful. This film takes the concept of suffering for art to a whole new level, as Natalie Portman’s focused and intense portrayal of Nina Sayers leaves you gasping for air. Please, someone get the poor girl a shrink! Absolutely riveting both visually and in it’s storytelling, it is also a worthy contender for best original screenplay. The play within a play and life imitates art cliches are repackaged and retold with an entirely new direction, it is chillingly unique.
The Fighter
Starring: Mark wahlberg, Christian bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams
Summary: A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.
Review: If I were a betting kinda gal I would put big bucks on any film listing this star cast, and I would’ve doubled my money. The acting chops elevates this film from Rocky remake territory to a complex family drama about a professional boxer. Christian bale’s Dicky Eklund ‘pride of Lowell’ left me squirming in my seat, seething and holding back from throwing my popcorn at his gaunt character. And believe me, I am a huge batman fan and of Mr.Bale himself and in The Fighter, his acting is unmatched even in a ring of heavyweights. Dicky’s heart-wrenching rendition of “I started a joke” by the bee gees hits the very pulse of the movie, as it is ultimately about family.The fighter is surprisingly uninterested in satisfying box office crowds and for a movie titled “The Fighter” doesn’t show much in-ring action. Nonetheless, the film has something for all audiences, a bit of racy sexy scenes (thank you wardrobe and Amy Adams), workout montages, girl fights, and a little bit of domestic violence. Unlike most Oscar worthy films this movie left me feeling triumphant and ready to fist pump up a set of stairs.
Inception
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page
Summary: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception.
Review: Get the DVD of this movie asap. Just do it. Anything I write about this movie will not adequately capture my love for it. Equal parts riddle and action, Inception suspends reality. The genius Christopher Nolan conceptualizes an unbreakable logic behind the creation of a parallel hyper-reality. Haven’t you always wondered if dreams were real on some level? This film has you finding details in every frame even after numerous viewings (my count: 7 times tbc).
The King’s Speech
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Summary: The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.
Review: l-l-l-l-l-loved iiiittttt. If someone told me that I would enjoy a film about a stuttering king my response would likely have been an eye roll. What a shame if I had closed my eyes in prejudice! The King’s Speech is a moving film about friendship, trust, fear and bravery. Don’t let the stuttering fool you, The Kings Speech has lots to say, and a whole lot of heart. Colin Firth had me trembling and tense from nervousness at every public address, and Geoffrey Rush’s portrayl of Lionel leaves you rooting for his every enunciated word. A feel good movie about small victories in the struggle of the reluctant king as he leads his country in a time of war. Firth deserves every appaulse, much like his brilliant acting in last season’s A Single Man, he says so much without ever stuttering a word.
The Social Network
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield
Summary: A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.
Review: If you love witty banter this film is for you. Unlike its fellow best picture nominees, The Social Network moves at top speed, jumping from past to present, as if attempting to capture Mark Zuckerberg’s quick thinking. Much like Time’s Man of the Year, writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher find an incredibly efficient way of unloading an incredible amount of information and dialogue in a clear manner. Funny, memorable, and a remarkably keen observation of modern society, this movie is bigger than “a movie about Facebook”, it is about our generation.
The Social Network delivers plot at every turn, bouncing from litigation to rowing matches, yet managing to stay a focused narrative about ambition, creativity, and friendship. Andrew Garfield, who plays Eduardo Saverin immediately captures your attention, as the heart of the movie, while the blank stares of Jesse Eisenberg, as Mark Zuckerberg make this movie chillingly dramatic and suspenseful. Aside from the major casting hiccup, also known as Justin Timberlake, this movie would have been near flawless. Sorry, but was it just me or was Timberlake’s Sean Parker overdone, overacted, and cheeeesssy? Anyway, the Social Network manages to polarize our current digi-landscape and our relationship with relationships, cleverly and entertainingly.
Happy viewing everyone.
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I’ve seen all of these except Black Swan, and they were FANTASTIC films!
Although, I loved True Grit a bit more than Inception…
Crossing my fingers for The King’s Speech!
-Lindy from FabulousSavings.ca