Blackfish (***)

Blackfish offers little to the documentary genre, and instead offers viewers a glimpse into a world that we all recognize - or so we think. The enchanting theme parks like Sea World are merely a mask for the horrors experienced by trainers and animals alike, namely the captive Orca whales. 

The narration moves from interview to interview, beginning with the humble origins of marine parks and the brutal capture of the wild animals. We see the means by which these animals are contained, oftentimes in containment no larger than a few trucks. The whales were kept in the dark, isolated, alone, and it is these conditions which the film argues has led to more than one occasion of human attacks. 

One whale in particular, Tilikum, is the focus of the plot. One of the larger male specimens ever captured, Tilikum is a whale kept for breeding purposes and for the more impressive displays in the live shows. 

Dawn Brancheau was one of the trainers paired with Tilikum. One of the top trainers at the park, she was brutally mauled and killed by Tilikum during one of the shows. The blame was tossed around, from Dawn's lack of focus during the show, to her ponytail, to the conditions surrounding the performance. Regardless of the number of attacks, though, and the number of trainer deaths globally, the Orcas are continued to be contained as though there were no problem at all. 

The documentary itself is effective, with a clear opinion of the means to a solution. We feel for these whales, and the trainers. The trainers themselves are bright people, aware of the hazards that come with their line of work, but protective of the animals to the point that leaving their position feels like abandonment. 

On the heels of other docs relating to marine life (I'm thinking heavily of The Cove, for one), Blackfish doesn't carry as powerful of a punch. Yes, I can follow the plot and absorb the details the filmmakers give me, but the film as a 'film' fails to move gracefully from point to point. This is not to discredit the film itself, or the arguments it makes - on the contrary it is definitely a must-see. In terms of documentaries, the world has seen better. 

(Awards potential: Best Documentary (slim))

Prisoners (****1/2)

'Prisoners' is the best movie I hope to not see again for a long while. First brought to my attention with the gripping trailer, the movie has lived up to all expectations and then some, and through the brutality of the plot, here is a great crime thriller. 

The film begins on Thanksgiving. A working-class family headed by Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) arrives at a neighboring family's house for dinner. The Birch family (with Viola Davis & Terrence Howard as the loving parents) enjoy their meals, and the two youngest daughters go off to play outside. They are never seen again. 

What follows is a terrifying series of events. The older son recalls seeing a strange RV parked down the road, but now it is gone. Police find the vehicle parked in a gas station miles away, and it is driven by a man named Alex Jones (played to a shocking perfection by Paul Dano), a man with a low IQ, soft-spoken voice, and an overall 'creepy' demeanor. The case is taken up by Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), and through interrogation and CSI, Jones is ultimately assumed to be not guilty. 

If only Keller Dover could take the decision easily. He, along with Franklin Birch, decide to take matters into their own hands and kidnap Jones in order to ascertain the location of their daughters. Through torture and days of senseless beatings, they come no closer to finding their girls, and Detective Loki is left cold to determine the answer to the increasing riddles and mysteries. 

How much more the plot reveals, right up to the final few minutes. The film clocks in nearly two and a half hours, but the majority of my time in the theater was spent on the edge of my seat. The film moves at a deliberate pace, slow at times, but never with the feel that everything we are seeing isn't absolutely crucial to the overarching  plot of the story. It's masterfully directed and written, and the actors are more than up to the challenge. 

The cold, bleak Pennsylvania winter is captured perfectly through the lensing of the always-great Roger Deakins. Colors are washed out by rain, and dark shadows loom over every scene. Coupled with a menacing and ominous score, the aesthetics are as gripping as the performances. 

And what acting from all. In what could very well be the best cast of the year (so far), we are witness to some of the best performances of the year. Hugh Jackman as the tormented father turned to alcohol and abuse is both appalling and genuine; here is a man who has lost everything, and we never doubt it for a second. He is bested by Jake Gyllenhaal as the tough detective. His hands and neck are sprinkled with tattoos, and his sullen features suggest some sort of dark past to his life. Devoted to work and never once seen in his personal settings, he highlights the film with some of the best acting of his career, and his character is one of the most intriguing I've seen in a crime film in some time. And Paul Dano, what more can be said. He is building a reputation for 'weird' roles (from Little Miss Sunshine to There Will Be Blood), but here he takes his method to the next step. Jones is a character we fear, simply because we don't understand him. Another actor could have taken this role to varying extremes, but Dano is restrained, leaving a haunting demeanor and quiet presence to emote his character. Without a doubt the best work of his career. 

Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Maria Bello, the list continues. There is not a flaw to be found. The success of 'Prisoners' comes from the marriage of each aspect of filmmaking, and from the directing, to the writing, to the acting, to the photography, there isn't a flaw to be found. Yes, this is a dark film that will polarize its audience in regards to subject matter, but this is a film that could very well rival 'Zodiac' as one of the century's best thrillers. 

(Awards potential: Best Actor (Jackman, Gyllenhaal), Best Supporting Actor (Dano, Howard), Best Supporting Actress (Leo, Bello), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing)