Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" is a movie about movies. It's also about acceptance, perseverance, and finding your place in the world, but these larger universal themes are set against a backdrop of appreciation for the art of film, particularly the early silent era. Though this story-within-a-story approach causes the film to become a bit thematically conflicted, it's still a solid outing from one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers.
Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, "Hugo" is the story of Hugo Cabret (relative newcomer Asa Butterfield), an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station and keeps the clocks running on time. Hugo's most prized possession is an automaton, a mechanical man that his father (Jude Law) found in a museum and rebuilt, though he and Hugo were never able to get the robot to work. Hugo draws the ire of the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) and a toyshop owner (Ben Kingsley), but finds friendship with the toy seller's daughter Isabelle (Chloe Moretz). The two of them embark on an adventure to activate the automaton, which leads to increasingly fascinating discoveries for them both.
Based on that plot description, you may wonder where this film becomes "a movie about movies," as I termed it in my opening. I don't want to give that aspect away as the manner in which it happens is a rather major spoiler. Suffice to say that it does, and it is very much the focus of the film's last half. Unfortunately this is when it comes off the rails a bit, as Scorsese's love of film comes through very obviously. I absolutely love the art of film; that's why I started this blog, to share my love of the art of film with anyone who wants to read my articles. And I admire directors like Scorsese who have such an appreciation of the history of this art form and all the filmmakers who have come before them and helped them to have the opportunities they have now. That being said, I think Scorsese's "love letter to the silent era" as some have put it, comes off as just a bit preachy. This second half of the film, when the story becomes more about movies and less about Hugo, isn't as strong simply because Hugo's story is so emotionally resonant. This is largely due to Asa Butterfield, who gives an absolutely outstanding performance. Hugo is an orphan who is lonely, hungry, and dirty and Butterfield absolutely captures the despair that this young boy is feeling. All the performances are quite good in fact as even Cohen gets an emotional moment near the film's end.
All flaws aside, this film is a technical wonder. I find it a bit ironic that Scorsese chose to make a film about the importance of early silent films...and shoot it in digital 3D. I refuse to see films in 3D, for reasons which I have discussed ad nauseum elsewhere, but which may deserve their own post here. So I saw this film in 2D and, as always, I don't think anything was lost in the experience. The production values are utterly immaculate, and though this is unlike any film Scorsese has ever made, both in terms of plot, audience appeal, and technology, his visual style is clearly present here. The cinematography is gorgeous, though a good bit of it is CGI. There are, however, at least two long tracking shots that were not CGI, and lead cameraman Robert Richardson absolutely deserves an Oscar nomination for his work. The sound design is immaculate as well, with ticking clocks and idling steam engines having a virtually constant presence; an Oscar nomination for sound editing is absolutely deserved.
"Hugo" is definitely a film I would recommend, but you should know the type of film you are in for. The main character is a child, but this is not a children's film at all...not because of dark themes, but because the themes are simply above the heads of children. Cinephiles may love the homages to the silent era, but they may also see a flawed film, as I did. But as a piece of experimentation by one of the greatest filmmakers working today, "Hugo" is certainly a success, though not an astounding one.
"Hugo" is rated PG for mild thematic material, some action / peril, and smoking.
Running time: 127 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by Paramount Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Film Review: "The Muppets"
"The Muppets" is a very happy film. That's the way some of my friends described it, and I think that really puts it best. Disney's update / reboot of Jim Henson's Muppets franchise is not very complex, and it certainly contains no dark or somber themes that sometimes appear in films made for children. And while that may hold it back a bit, and keep it from being a truly great children's film, writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (the duo behind the R-rated relationship comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") have absolutely captured the tone, essence, and spirit of the Muppets.
At the center of this film is a character named Walter, a young man who has grown up among normal, flesh-and-blood humans despite being a fuzzy, felt creature who feels like he has a lot in common with all those loveable critters on "The Muppet Show." When Walter's brother Gary (Segel) invites him on a trip to Los Angeles to see the Muppet Studios and the famed Muppet Theatre, Walter can't contain his excitement. Gary is planning to use the trip to propose to his girlfriend of ten years, Mary (Amy Adams), but the three of them discover that the Muppet Studios are in disarray, the Muppets have all gone their separate ways, and an oil baron named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to buy and raze the famed theatre to drill for oil underneath it. In order to save the theatre, the trio must unite the Muppets and put on a telethon to exercise a clause in the sale contract for the studios that will allow them to keep it.
From this point on, the film really is just a get-the-band-back-together exercise, but it works really because it plays into the reality of the Muppets lack of popularity over the last decade. The film fully embraces this fact, and the characters' trademark self-referential humor is very much present. Almost all the major characters are appear...Kermit the Frog is living in retired luxury in Beverly Hills, Fozzie Bear is playing in a Muppets tribute band in Reno called "The Moopets," Gonzo is a plumbing magnate, Animal is taking anger management classes, and Miss Piggy is a Vogue fashion editor in Paris. The only major absentee I noticed was Rizzo the Rat. Musical numbers abound, as do celebrity cameos. The film peaks its final act, as Walter tries to decide whether he truly belongs with the Muppets, and Gary has to decide what lengths he will go to in his devotion to Mary...all of this set against the telethon, which is what amounts to a new episode of "The Muppet Show."
All in all this film is simply a return to the characters that many of us remember from our childhood. It's really like getting a visit from an old friend and having a long, wonderful catch-up. It's nowhere near the best film of the year, but it's a very good one, especially for those of us who are fond of these characters.
"The Muppets" is rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Running time: 98 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by Walt Disney Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
At the center of this film is a character named Walter, a young man who has grown up among normal, flesh-and-blood humans despite being a fuzzy, felt creature who feels like he has a lot in common with all those loveable critters on "The Muppet Show." When Walter's brother Gary (Segel) invites him on a trip to Los Angeles to see the Muppet Studios and the famed Muppet Theatre, Walter can't contain his excitement. Gary is planning to use the trip to propose to his girlfriend of ten years, Mary (Amy Adams), but the three of them discover that the Muppet Studios are in disarray, the Muppets have all gone their separate ways, and an oil baron named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to buy and raze the famed theatre to drill for oil underneath it. In order to save the theatre, the trio must unite the Muppets and put on a telethon to exercise a clause in the sale contract for the studios that will allow them to keep it.
From this point on, the film really is just a get-the-band-back-together exercise, but it works really because it plays into the reality of the Muppets lack of popularity over the last decade. The film fully embraces this fact, and the characters' trademark self-referential humor is very much present. Almost all the major characters are appear...Kermit the Frog is living in retired luxury in Beverly Hills, Fozzie Bear is playing in a Muppets tribute band in Reno called "The Moopets," Gonzo is a plumbing magnate, Animal is taking anger management classes, and Miss Piggy is a Vogue fashion editor in Paris. The only major absentee I noticed was Rizzo the Rat. Musical numbers abound, as do celebrity cameos. The film peaks its final act, as Walter tries to decide whether he truly belongs with the Muppets, and Gary has to decide what lengths he will go to in his devotion to Mary...all of this set against the telethon, which is what amounts to a new episode of "The Muppet Show."
All in all this film is simply a return to the characters that many of us remember from our childhood. It's really like getting a visit from an old friend and having a long, wonderful catch-up. It's nowhere near the best film of the year, but it's a very good one, especially for those of us who are fond of these characters.
"The Muppets" is rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Running time: 98 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by Walt Disney Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Film Review: "Anonymous"
"Anonymous" is an interesting piece of historical fiction, and should be viewed as such. Most of the negative comments directed at this film attack it for daring to pose the theory that William Shakespeare was a fraud. And while director / producer Roland Emmerich and writer John Orloff are on the record as supporting the theory they present here, I chose to view the film simply as a "what if" scenario, a fictional story told against the backdrop of true events. And to that end, it is an immensely enjoyable film, though certainly not without flaws.
The film opens in the late sixteenth century, in the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's (Vanessa Redgrave) reign. The once powerful queen is becoming increasingly senile, and virtually all of the power in her court seems to be held by the Cecil family, William (David Thewlis) and his son, Robert (Edward Hogg). Elizabeth has no recognized heirs, and the Cecils and others have arranged that King James of Scotland (James Clyde) will be her successor. This does not sit will with many other members of the court (due to James being a Scotsman and a Catholic), particularly the Earls of Essex (Sam Reid) and of Southampton (Xavier Samuel), who begin to develop a plan to seize the throne. Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) sympathizes with their cause, but rather than hope for victory in a military struggle, he believes in the power of art and words to win the minds of the people, and of Elizabeth herself. De Vere has written numerous plays with deep political subtext, though he has refrained from having them published or performed, because a man in his position simply cannot indulge in something that Robert Cecil refers to as "a cesspool of plague and heresy." So, hoping to have his political message--hidden in the guise of his plays--presented, De Vere commissions playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to have the plays performed under his name. But when Jonson refuses under fear that his life will be threatened because of the plays' political subtext, an actor named William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) takes on the task himself.
As you can tell from that lengthy plot setup, "Anonymous" is not a simple film. It is not even a linear narrative film as the events surrounding the theatre and the Elizabethan Court are intercut with the story of the younger Edward De Vere (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his relationship with the Cecils and the younger Queen Elizabeth (Joely Richardson). There is no shortage of characters, each with his or her own political, personal, and financial motives, and there is certainly no shortage of political intrigue. Orloff manages to pack a very dense story into a film of a little over two hours, so much so that I almost found myself having to play catchup, particularly at the beginning of the film as all the characters and their motivations are introduced. The film's biggest flaw is something that essentially indicates that it is nothing more than a piece of fiction; that being the idea that De Vere has been penning all of these plays over the course of his life, most of which just happen to have political subtext that causes "the mob" to rise up in what ultimately becomes the Essex Rebellion...an actual, historical attempt by the Earl of Essex to seize the throne that occurred in 1601. I suppose it could all be happy coincidence, but I found it to be pretty far-fetched. The idea that De Vere could simply scribble out Richard III at the drop of a hat is also unlikely, though is makes for great drama as the film nears its climax.
But while the fundamental premise behind this film is flawed, the execution is top-notch. Emmerich is the disaster movie director behind such films as "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "2012," and while I will always have a soft spot for "ID4" as it was so cheesily labeled, this is easily Emmerich's best film. Regardless of the content of his previous efforts, he has always had a keen visual style, and this is no exception. The art direction, costumes, and cinematography are all simply gorgeous as the film captures both the highest glamour and the dirtiest grime of Elizabethan London. There are a couple of questionable uses of CGI, one of which stands out like a sore thumb, the other of which however, while perhaps looking slightly too stylized, is also one of the film's most spectacular shots. The script is rich as I mentioned, packing an astounding amount of drama and intrigue into 130 minutes. The acting is quite good, and Ifans as De Vere gives an absolutely titanic performance. He is known mostly as a character actor--generally in comedies in fact--but he is utterly scene-stealing here in an absolutely Oscar nomination-worthy performance. Redgrave is also Oscar-worthy as Elizabeth; Bower is quite good as the younger De Vere, as is Armesto as Jonson. Spall plays the unlettered Shakespeare as a bit of a clueless buffoon, but one who very quickly realizes how powerful he has become.
Overall, "Anonymous" is definitely a film worth seeing. English literature and Shakespeare enthusiasts will ridicule it most likely, but even though the theory presented here can easily be proven false, it's a fascinating piece of historical fiction. And for film lovers, it's a very well-made, sumptuous period drama filled with colorful characters and a dense and compelling story...not unlike one of the bard's plays in fact.
"Anonymous" is rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content
Running time: 130 minutes
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Columbia Pictures
3 stars out of 4
The film opens in the late sixteenth century, in the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's (Vanessa Redgrave) reign. The once powerful queen is becoming increasingly senile, and virtually all of the power in her court seems to be held by the Cecil family, William (David Thewlis) and his son, Robert (Edward Hogg). Elizabeth has no recognized heirs, and the Cecils and others have arranged that King James of Scotland (James Clyde) will be her successor. This does not sit will with many other members of the court (due to James being a Scotsman and a Catholic), particularly the Earls of Essex (Sam Reid) and of Southampton (Xavier Samuel), who begin to develop a plan to seize the throne. Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) sympathizes with their cause, but rather than hope for victory in a military struggle, he believes in the power of art and words to win the minds of the people, and of Elizabeth herself. De Vere has written numerous plays with deep political subtext, though he has refrained from having them published or performed, because a man in his position simply cannot indulge in something that Robert Cecil refers to as "a cesspool of plague and heresy." So, hoping to have his political message--hidden in the guise of his plays--presented, De Vere commissions playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to have the plays performed under his name. But when Jonson refuses under fear that his life will be threatened because of the plays' political subtext, an actor named William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) takes on the task himself.
As you can tell from that lengthy plot setup, "Anonymous" is not a simple film. It is not even a linear narrative film as the events surrounding the theatre and the Elizabethan Court are intercut with the story of the younger Edward De Vere (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his relationship with the Cecils and the younger Queen Elizabeth (Joely Richardson). There is no shortage of characters, each with his or her own political, personal, and financial motives, and there is certainly no shortage of political intrigue. Orloff manages to pack a very dense story into a film of a little over two hours, so much so that I almost found myself having to play catchup, particularly at the beginning of the film as all the characters and their motivations are introduced. The film's biggest flaw is something that essentially indicates that it is nothing more than a piece of fiction; that being the idea that De Vere has been penning all of these plays over the course of his life, most of which just happen to have political subtext that causes "the mob" to rise up in what ultimately becomes the Essex Rebellion...an actual, historical attempt by the Earl of Essex to seize the throne that occurred in 1601. I suppose it could all be happy coincidence, but I found it to be pretty far-fetched. The idea that De Vere could simply scribble out Richard III at the drop of a hat is also unlikely, though is makes for great drama as the film nears its climax.
But while the fundamental premise behind this film is flawed, the execution is top-notch. Emmerich is the disaster movie director behind such films as "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "2012," and while I will always have a soft spot for "ID4" as it was so cheesily labeled, this is easily Emmerich's best film. Regardless of the content of his previous efforts, he has always had a keen visual style, and this is no exception. The art direction, costumes, and cinematography are all simply gorgeous as the film captures both the highest glamour and the dirtiest grime of Elizabethan London. There are a couple of questionable uses of CGI, one of which stands out like a sore thumb, the other of which however, while perhaps looking slightly too stylized, is also one of the film's most spectacular shots. The script is rich as I mentioned, packing an astounding amount of drama and intrigue into 130 minutes. The acting is quite good, and Ifans as De Vere gives an absolutely titanic performance. He is known mostly as a character actor--generally in comedies in fact--but he is utterly scene-stealing here in an absolutely Oscar nomination-worthy performance. Redgrave is also Oscar-worthy as Elizabeth; Bower is quite good as the younger De Vere, as is Armesto as Jonson. Spall plays the unlettered Shakespeare as a bit of a clueless buffoon, but one who very quickly realizes how powerful he has become.
Overall, "Anonymous" is definitely a film worth seeing. English literature and Shakespeare enthusiasts will ridicule it most likely, but even though the theory presented here can easily be proven false, it's a fascinating piece of historical fiction. And for film lovers, it's a very well-made, sumptuous period drama filled with colorful characters and a dense and compelling story...not unlike one of the bard's plays in fact.
"Anonymous" is rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content
Running time: 130 minutes
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Columbia Pictures
3 stars out of 4
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
My Most Anticipated Films of the Holiday 2011 Movie Season
The Holiday 2011 Movie Season is upon us, and as the best time of the year for movie-going gets into high gear I thought I'd write up a list of my most anticipated films for the remainder of the year. There are a few big budget tentpoles mixed in, but this is largely a list of more art house-type films that are expected to be big awards contenders. I've gone ahead and thrown in a couple films that are already playing in limited release, but which I haven't been able to see yet. I haven't included any films from earlier in the year that are no longer in theatres that I still have to catch up on, though there are still quite a few of those. Right now my list of the top films of the year is pretty short, and hopefully lots of these films can change it up a bit.
So here we go with eighteen films in total, from the bottom up:
18. The Adventures of Tintin (December 21, wide)
Steven Spielberg's motion-capture adaptation of Herge's beloved boy reporter stories has already opened in Europe, where it's gotten decent reviews. I'm not a fan of motion capture and especially 3D, and the trailers don't make it look like this film has really captured the spirit of the stories that I loved growing up. But because I loved those stories so much, I'll be keeping an eye on this and will be seeing it unless the reviews take a turn for the worse.
17. Melancholia (November 11, limited)
Lars Von Trier's latest film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to mixed reviews, though Kirsten Dunst was highly praised for her performance as a woman who gets married as a rogue planet called Melancholia threatens to collide with Earth, winning the festival's Best Actress award.
16. The Muppets (November 23, wide)
Disney is attempting to reinvigorate Jim Henson's beloved Muppets franchise after more than a decade of dormancy. The marketing has consisted mostly of "parody trailers" with the fuzzy critters aping everything from "Green Lantern" to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." The actual story revolves around the Muppets trying to save their old theatre from a greey Texas oil baron. Recent comments by some of the original Muppet performers haven't been too kind to the new film, but I loved this characters when I was younger and The Muppet Christmas Carol is still a holiday tradition for me most years, so I'll likely check this new film out.
15. Hugo (November 23, wide)
Director Martin Scorsese ventures into family territory with this story of an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. I wasn't enamored with the first trailer, which gave off too much of a generic kiddie adventure a la "Alice in Wonderland" in my opinion. The second trailer was much better I thought, and reviews out of a "working print" premiere at the New York Film Festival last month indicated that the Scorsese is very much in touch with the history of cinema with this film; one reviewer called it "a love letter to the silent film era."
14. Young Adult (December 9, limited, December 16, wide)
This film wasn't very high on my radar until today, when early reviews came out praising the performances of Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, as well as the script from "Juno" scripe Diablo Cody. The film is the story of a woman (Theron) who goes back to her high school town with the hopes of winning back her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson). Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air") directs.
13. The Artist (November 23, limited)
This silent film from director Michel Hazanavicius premiered to solid reviews at Cannes, and has been the darling of the festival circuit ever since; I consider it to be the Oscar Best Picture frontrunner right now. It tells the story of a silent film actor who sees his career decline with the arrival of "talkies."
12. J. Edgar (November 9, limited, November 11, wide)
Clint Eastwood's biopic of controversial FBI directror J. Edgar Hoover has only had one screening and reviews were decidedly mixed. But the material and the talent involved (Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover, along with Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, and Armie Hammer of "The Social Network") make this a film that's impossible to ignore.
11. War Horse (December 25, wide)
Steven Spielberg's second film of the holiday season is much higher than "Tintin" on most awards prognosticators' lists, though I'm not as high on it. Based on a Tony Award-winning play, it tells the story of a horse who is pressed into service in World War I, and how he affects the lives of the people who come into contact with him. The premise is still shaky to me, but the second trailer has won me over somewhat with some spectacular imagery and poignant music from the always reliable John Williams.
10. Carnage (December 16, limited)
Roman Polanski's latest film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews, but the talent involved and a solid trailer have me hooked. Based on the play "God of Carnage," the film tells the story of two sets of parents (Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz), who meet to discuss the aftermath of one of their children harming the other at a playground, with the meeting becoming increasingly less civil as time progresses. Waltz's performance has already been singled out as a bright spot, and I think Winslet looks great in it as well.
9. Shame (December 2, limited)
The second film from director Steve McQueen ("Hunger") has earned rave reviews for Michael Fassbender's performance as a man who struggles with sex addiction. Distributor Fox Searchlight is moving forward with the film even though it carries an NC-17 rating, so I'm unsure how many theatres will actually show it.
8. Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol (December 16, limited / IMAX only, December 21, wide)
The fourth cinematic outing of this franchise sees the entire IMF disavowed after the organization is framed for a terrorist attack, and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and company are forced to go rogue to clear their names. That doesn't sound particularly original to me, but two great trailers and a spectacular stunt set piece featuring the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, have me hooked. Acclaimed Pixar helmer Brad Bird ("The Incredibles," Ratatouille") directs in his first live-action effort; he shot several scenes with IMAX cameras.
7. Anonymous (currently in limited release, November 4, limited expansion)
This film from director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Patriot," "The Day After Tomorrow," "2012") posits the theory that it was in fact Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays; the film is set against the backdrop of the end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign. It has received mixed reviews, though most seem to attack the film for presenting itself as true history. However, some of the people whose film opinions I most trust have all loved it, saying that it should be viewed as historical fiction, not fact. British character actor Rhys Ifans has received near unanimous praise for his performance as de Vere.
6. My Week With Marilyn (November 23, limited)
This film tells the story of one week in the life of Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), during her first visit to England. It has one of the year's best trailers and Williams and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier are receiving high praise for their performances from early screenings.
5. A Dangerous Method (November 23, limited)
David Cronenberg's latest film tells of the relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) as they both treat a particularly difficult patient (Keira Knightley). The film has received mixed reviews out of the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, though Knightley's performance has been highly praised.
4. The Descendents (November 18, limited)
The first film in seven years from writer / director Alexander Payne stars George Clooney as a man living in Hawaii who is forced to confront painful truths when his wife is injured in a boating accident and falls into a coma. Early reviews have been highly positive, with one critic calling Clooney's performance "the best dramatic performance of [his] career." Newcomer Shailene Woodley has also been praised as Clooney's character's daughter.
3. Martha Marcy May Marlene (currently in limited release)
This debut film from writer / director Sean Durkin stars Elizabeth Olsen as a damaged young woman who has just escaped from being a prisoner of a cult. The film is said to alternate between her experiences living under the terrifying cult leader (John Hawkes) and the effects this has had on her as she tries to readjust to a normal life living with her sister. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to great reviews, and Olsen's performance has earned raves with many considering her a likely Oscar nominee.
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (December 9, wide)
Another film that has already opened to great reviews in Europe, this adaptation of the John LeCarre novel stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a retired MI6 agent who is called back into the fold to expose a Soviet mole within the organization's ranks. The supporting cast is a veritable who's who of British talent (Colin Firth, John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Mark Strong) and the trailer is one of the best I've ever seen.
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21, wide)
Director David Fincher offers up the second adaptation in as many years of the first novel in Steig Larsson's acclaimed trilogy. Rooney Mara stars as Lisbeth Salander, a genius computer hacker who is enlisted by disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to help him solve the decades-old case of a disappearing young woman. The book is at the top of my reading list for the next couple months, though I've already seen the original Swedish film. I don't consider it to be a masterpiece by any means, though Noomi Rapace's performance as Lisbeth will be awfully hard for Mara to top. I think there's room for the original adaptation to be improved upon, and judging from two gorgeous-looking trailers--not to mention his other work on films from "Seven" to "Fight Club"--Fincher is the man for the job.
So here we go with eighteen films in total, from the bottom up:
18. The Adventures of Tintin (December 21, wide)
Steven Spielberg's motion-capture adaptation of Herge's beloved boy reporter stories has already opened in Europe, where it's gotten decent reviews. I'm not a fan of motion capture and especially 3D, and the trailers don't make it look like this film has really captured the spirit of the stories that I loved growing up. But because I loved those stories so much, I'll be keeping an eye on this and will be seeing it unless the reviews take a turn for the worse.
17. Melancholia (November 11, limited)
Lars Von Trier's latest film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to mixed reviews, though Kirsten Dunst was highly praised for her performance as a woman who gets married as a rogue planet called Melancholia threatens to collide with Earth, winning the festival's Best Actress award.
16. The Muppets (November 23, wide)
Disney is attempting to reinvigorate Jim Henson's beloved Muppets franchise after more than a decade of dormancy. The marketing has consisted mostly of "parody trailers" with the fuzzy critters aping everything from "Green Lantern" to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." The actual story revolves around the Muppets trying to save their old theatre from a greey Texas oil baron. Recent comments by some of the original Muppet performers haven't been too kind to the new film, but I loved this characters when I was younger and The Muppet Christmas Carol is still a holiday tradition for me most years, so I'll likely check this new film out.
15. Hugo (November 23, wide)
Director Martin Scorsese ventures into family territory with this story of an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. I wasn't enamored with the first trailer, which gave off too much of a generic kiddie adventure a la "Alice in Wonderland" in my opinion. The second trailer was much better I thought, and reviews out of a "working print" premiere at the New York Film Festival last month indicated that the Scorsese is very much in touch with the history of cinema with this film; one reviewer called it "a love letter to the silent film era."
14. Young Adult (December 9, limited, December 16, wide)
This film wasn't very high on my radar until today, when early reviews came out praising the performances of Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, as well as the script from "Juno" scripe Diablo Cody. The film is the story of a woman (Theron) who goes back to her high school town with the hopes of winning back her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson). Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air") directs.
13. The Artist (November 23, limited)
This silent film from director Michel Hazanavicius premiered to solid reviews at Cannes, and has been the darling of the festival circuit ever since; I consider it to be the Oscar Best Picture frontrunner right now. It tells the story of a silent film actor who sees his career decline with the arrival of "talkies."
12. J. Edgar (November 9, limited, November 11, wide)
Clint Eastwood's biopic of controversial FBI directror J. Edgar Hoover has only had one screening and reviews were decidedly mixed. But the material and the talent involved (Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover, along with Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, and Armie Hammer of "The Social Network") make this a film that's impossible to ignore.
11. War Horse (December 25, wide)
Steven Spielberg's second film of the holiday season is much higher than "Tintin" on most awards prognosticators' lists, though I'm not as high on it. Based on a Tony Award-winning play, it tells the story of a horse who is pressed into service in World War I, and how he affects the lives of the people who come into contact with him. The premise is still shaky to me, but the second trailer has won me over somewhat with some spectacular imagery and poignant music from the always reliable John Williams.
10. Carnage (December 16, limited)
Roman Polanski's latest film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews, but the talent involved and a solid trailer have me hooked. Based on the play "God of Carnage," the film tells the story of two sets of parents (Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz), who meet to discuss the aftermath of one of their children harming the other at a playground, with the meeting becoming increasingly less civil as time progresses. Waltz's performance has already been singled out as a bright spot, and I think Winslet looks great in it as well.
9. Shame (December 2, limited)
The second film from director Steve McQueen ("Hunger") has earned rave reviews for Michael Fassbender's performance as a man who struggles with sex addiction. Distributor Fox Searchlight is moving forward with the film even though it carries an NC-17 rating, so I'm unsure how many theatres will actually show it.
8. Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol (December 16, limited / IMAX only, December 21, wide)
The fourth cinematic outing of this franchise sees the entire IMF disavowed after the organization is framed for a terrorist attack, and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and company are forced to go rogue to clear their names. That doesn't sound particularly original to me, but two great trailers and a spectacular stunt set piece featuring the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, have me hooked. Acclaimed Pixar helmer Brad Bird ("The Incredibles," Ratatouille") directs in his first live-action effort; he shot several scenes with IMAX cameras.
7. Anonymous (currently in limited release, November 4, limited expansion)
This film from director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Patriot," "The Day After Tomorrow," "2012") posits the theory that it was in fact Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays; the film is set against the backdrop of the end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign. It has received mixed reviews, though most seem to attack the film for presenting itself as true history. However, some of the people whose film opinions I most trust have all loved it, saying that it should be viewed as historical fiction, not fact. British character actor Rhys Ifans has received near unanimous praise for his performance as de Vere.
6. My Week With Marilyn (November 23, limited)
This film tells the story of one week in the life of Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), during her first visit to England. It has one of the year's best trailers and Williams and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier are receiving high praise for their performances from early screenings.
5. A Dangerous Method (November 23, limited)
David Cronenberg's latest film tells of the relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) as they both treat a particularly difficult patient (Keira Knightley). The film has received mixed reviews out of the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, though Knightley's performance has been highly praised.
4. The Descendents (November 18, limited)
The first film in seven years from writer / director Alexander Payne stars George Clooney as a man living in Hawaii who is forced to confront painful truths when his wife is injured in a boating accident and falls into a coma. Early reviews have been highly positive, with one critic calling Clooney's performance "the best dramatic performance of [his] career." Newcomer Shailene Woodley has also been praised as Clooney's character's daughter.
3. Martha Marcy May Marlene (currently in limited release)
This debut film from writer / director Sean Durkin stars Elizabeth Olsen as a damaged young woman who has just escaped from being a prisoner of a cult. The film is said to alternate between her experiences living under the terrifying cult leader (John Hawkes) and the effects this has had on her as she tries to readjust to a normal life living with her sister. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to great reviews, and Olsen's performance has earned raves with many considering her a likely Oscar nominee.
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (December 9, wide)
Another film that has already opened to great reviews in Europe, this adaptation of the John LeCarre novel stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a retired MI6 agent who is called back into the fold to expose a Soviet mole within the organization's ranks. The supporting cast is a veritable who's who of British talent (Colin Firth, John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Mark Strong) and the trailer is one of the best I've ever seen.
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21, wide)
Director David Fincher offers up the second adaptation in as many years of the first novel in Steig Larsson's acclaimed trilogy. Rooney Mara stars as Lisbeth Salander, a genius computer hacker who is enlisted by disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to help him solve the decades-old case of a disappearing young woman. The book is at the top of my reading list for the next couple months, though I've already seen the original Swedish film. I don't consider it to be a masterpiece by any means, though Noomi Rapace's performance as Lisbeth will be awfully hard for Mara to top. I think there's room for the original adaptation to be improved upon, and judging from two gorgeous-looking trailers--not to mention his other work on films from "Seven" to "Fight Club"--Fincher is the man for the job.
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