Jane Eyre (****)

A classically crafted retelling of a timeless story, Jane Eyre does not disappoint. Though it takes itself very seriously, with wonderful performances and memorable embellishments, this faithful adaptation is a pleasure to watch.

The performances are the real strength of the film, as they should be. Mia Wasikowska - a new but increasingly recognizable face (Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are All Right) - is an excellent fit in the title role. The part by no means showcases her beauty, but Jane is not supposed to be beautiful. Wasikowska manages to portray Jane's soul and spirit to near-perfection and with surprising depth for her age. But the real scene-stealer here is Michael Fassbender as Rochester. Fassbender gives Rochester a nearly tangible charisma and endless layers of character; a performance worthy of and actually fairly likely to receive recognition. He and Wasikowska also have terrific chemistry, their scenes together always tense and riveting. And of course, Judi Dench is immaculate as always as the kind Mrs. Fairfax.

Other good things about the film are most notably the score, costuming, and cinematography. Dark, creepy, and memorable, the beautiful sets and grim lighting set the serious tone  from the opening scene. The flashback-style setup of the screenplay is effective and different. The costuming, though perhaps not award-worthy, is very appropriate and does not try too hard. Something that may very well be award-worthy, however, is Dario Marianelli's (of Atonement fame) heartbreakingly beautiful score. I personally found it to be on par with his work for Atonement, which won the Oscar... Don't be surprised to see Marianelli's name a contender for one of the top five spots this year as well.

Though this may be one of the best adaptations of Charlotte Brontë's novel, it's certainly not a perfect film. A bit slow, dragging, and honestly dull at times... humor and wit are largely sacrificed to maintain the most faithful adaptation of the book possible.

Jane Eyre is a good fit for serious, art-loving moviegoers who can appreciate a classic story and old fashioned great acting. The classic genre addressed here is tastefully done and a breath of fresh air in the shoot-em-up, effects-based entertainment industry today. Certainly worth seeing at least once.

(Awards potential: Best Actor (Fassbender), Best Original Score)

The Beaver (**)

The Beaver looked to be one of the first great movies of 2011, possibly a film that would kick off the award season earlier than normal. Sure, the plot seemed ridiculous, but Mel Gibson appeared to be back at the top of his game with Jodie Foster returning to the director's chair. I regret to say then that The Beaver is none of those things. It is simply a misguided, disjointed, rough assembly of a film that MAYBE had the potential to be good had several things changed.

The film opens on Mel Gibson's character Walter Black, a depressed, tired man - the problem is the audience has no idea why he is like this to begin with. He has a great family and a seemingly high-paying job. Shortly after the film begins, he moves out, finds a puppet in a dumpster, then moves right back in to rekindle his broken family. Are problem marriages really that easily solved?

His son, Porter, is a student who makes hundreds of dollars at a time forging papers and speeches for lazy students at his school. Then he falls in love with the Valedictorian, and for the life of her she can't write her own graduation speech. Hmmm. Walter's youngest son, Henry, is ignored and bullied at school, but why? There is never any resolve for his character, and we are left to assume that after this whole ordeal, he was bullied even more for being that kid with the 'crazy dad.'

The film seems to function solely as one that is striving for awards glory, but it tragically falls short. There is no way that two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster is doing her best directing work here. The film lacks a solid tone, switching from comedy to drama with a sprinkling of thriller near the end. For me, audiences didn't know when to laugh or when to be serious, and that is actually a problem. They ended up giggling at parts that we all knew were meant to be serious, and didn't laugh at parts that were.

Unfortunately, Mel Gibson won't be receiving his first acting Oscar nomination for this film, and Jodie won't receive her first directing. The wait is back on for quality films to reveal themselves for the 2011 season. Happy hunting.

(Awards potential: No awards potential)