A Separation:Recently this family drama from Iran has been sweeping up a ton of awards, having been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards (and won the Golden Globe for that category as well), ranked as number one on Roger Ebert's top movies of 2011, and was featured prominently on many top critics' lists. I have to say, I had fairly high expectations going in; while it wasn't as mind-blowingly spectacular as I would've thought, A Separation is so well made on every level and grabbed my full attention beginning to end despite the fact that it took place in a very different culture, mostly consisted of people talking, and didn't have any big glamourous set pieces or striking visuals.
The film begins with an Iranian couple, Simin and Nader, attempting to file for divorce. Simin wants to leave the country with their 11 year old daughter so she won't have to live in the country's current turmoil-ious state. Nader, however, wants to stay in order to take care of his elderly father struggling with Alzheimer's. They are unable to file the divorce, so Simin moves out with her parents. To take care of his father, Nader hires a staunchly religious woman named Razieh - and from there things slowly start to spiral out of control. I don't want to give anything away, but what results is sort of a side-less conflict where there is no real "protagonist" and makes the film seem very realistic and interesting. Don't be alarmed because of the fact that it takes place in Iran. Although there are many cultural differences between ourselves, the movie plays with a universal experience we all have: the blame game.
Any fans of ethical or family dramas won't want to miss out on seeing this movie (in fact it kind of reminded me of 2008's Doubt). The film is so well written and well directed you'll be engrossed in this plot that may not sound intriguing on paper, but is just as tense as Mission Impossible without people dangling from the world's tallest building.
Rating: A-
Steven Soderbergh originally came up with the idea for this action flick watching Gina Carano in a televised MMA fight; keeping this in mind is important with Haywire, a film which showcases some intense, high-quality action, yet has a stale story. The film basically takes the "Kill Bill" route in which Gina Carano's character, Mallory Kane, plows through a familiar-faced cast of men set out to kill her, including Ewan McGreggor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, and Antonio Banderas. Also featured are Bill Paxton as Carano's father and Michael Douglas as a government agent also seeking the talents of Ms. Kane.
I loved most of the acting in the film, but Carano definitely doesn't seem like an "actor's actor." She kicks ass when it's time to kick ass, but every time she opens her mouth it's just too robotic and awkward. I suppose you could liken her to a female version of Schwarzenegger or Eastwood (neither of whom have shown a wide range of emotions), but I still think it's a bad sign when Channing Tatum is out-acting you in a movie. That being said, the action is amazing and is worth admission. You're not going to get big and flashy "Mission Impossible" level stunt work, but I haven't seen better hand-to-hand combat in a [somewhat] mainstream movie since Kill Bill Vol. 1. The camera doesn't move very much during these sequences and all music is cut out, leaving each punch, kick and jab feeling more brutal than the last. This isn't "fun" action, this is "holy shit she's hurting this guy extremely badly" action.
Haywire definitely has that distinct "Soderbergh flair," and it's nice to see a genre movie handled by such an accomplished dude. The script is lacking which makes some of the slower parts of the film kind of a slog, but the action is badassery at its gloriest (not sure if those are words). What I'm saying is go see it if you'd normally like this kind of thing (plus it has a great soundtrack!).
Rating: B
Shock and awe! Nobody on this side of The Twilight Zone ever thought this would be one of the nominees at this year's Academy Awards, yet here we are. This sentimental story about an autistic child coping with his father's death from 9/11 has been getting some pretty scathing reviews from critics, but that just goes to show the Academy doesn't care about popular opinions! They do what they want, however way it pleases them (like snubbing Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Elizabeth Olsen, and anything having to do with 50/50). Extremely Loud follows Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) on his journey throughout New York City to uncover one last "mission" he believes his father (Tom Hanks) sent him on. While reminiscing about his dad by sniffing his jackets (yup, that was as awkward in the movie as you think), he clumsily breaks a randomly tucked away blue vase. Inside the vase is a key in a small envelope with only the word 'black' written on it. The following movie is his search, against all odds, at finding the meaning behind this key to possibly uncover something about his father (by going to each and every person named 'Black' in the city).
The film does have some great isolated moments, especially coming from Sandra Bullock playing Oskar's mom and Max Von Sydow, playing an old man who eventually accompanies him during his quest. The main problem though is that Oskar, as mean as it may sound, is god damn annoying. I know he's supposed to have a mental disorder but for such an unsympathetic character to try and get my sympathies is asking too much. We're supposed to feel "cutesy" and go along with him but personally I found it taxing how he would treat other people. I was genuinely interested in the film though, and I did in fact want to see how the "key" story resolved. Perhaps if the Oskar character was re-handled or if the overall tone was rehandled...or maybe it's because of Thomas Horne's inexperience with acting (having only been on Jeopardy! before this)....who the hell knows. I just know somewhere, somehow all the cogs aren't turning, but there are glimmers of a much better film in there.
Rating: C+
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