The Conspirator (**1/2)

I was waiting for a moment in The Conspirator where motives would become clear and the director's vision would suddenly grab hold and pull me into the narrative. That moment never came, and as the film came to a close I came to the unfortunate realization that Robert Redford may simply not be the director he used to be.

Yes, we all know John Wilkes Booth was the assassin of President Lincoln, famously jumping onto the stage and yelling 'sic semper tyrannis,' but did you also know there were more than 8 people involved and plots of murdering more members of government were almost carried out that same night? Did you know that one of these people was a middle-aged woman named Mary Surratt, a woman who would eventually become the first female executed in the United States? Me neither, and as you may imagine, a film about this back story could provide an endless amount of originality and brilliance, but for one reason or another it falls short.

Perhaps it's due to the casting. Robin Wright Penn is perfectly adequate in drawing our sympathies, and Tom Wilkinson is the go-to man for an authorial figure, but James McAvoy's acting barely reaches beyond that of a high school drama. He is surprisingly ill-equipped to face off against so many other more experienced actors, and his attempted American accent is more often than not distracting. Alexis Bledel and Justin Long (yes, they're in this movie) also raise eyebrows, neither sinking into the film or convincing us of their roles as dramatic performers.

The film itself looks like it's photographed through wax paper, with a loss of all color and clarity of image in almost every shot. This is a shame because so many of the film's settings seem authentic or close to it, and how much more effective would it be if we could see these places in all their details?

And then to the plot itself. So little of this information is taught in schools, and I wonder why. The level of sympathy the audience is forced to feel for the 'protagonist' juxtaposed with the amount of hatred we feel for the antagonists should serve as some indication that this story has been slightly altered to serve dramatic purposes more effectively. I would not know, as I am not familiar with this topic, but stories are always much more layered than a film of this caliber can present them. I'll admit I was slightly more involved by the end, but the somber nature of the film coupled with the lack of dedication many involved seemed to feel makes The Conspirator far less grand of a movie than I was expecting.

(Awards potential: no awards potential)

The Help (****)

A feel-good movie about southern racism. This is a tricky task by any standards, but somehow The Help balances that fine line beautifully, albeit a bit too safe at times. Here is a movie where the greatness is entirely thanks to the cast. The large ensemble is perfectly assembled, and each actor makes the most of the script, one that relies too heavily on those 'feel-good' movie cliches.

This was a movie I was not entirely positive I wanted to see. Sure, Viola Davis was unbelievably powerful in her pivotal, Oscar-nominated role in Doubt, but aside from that there wasn't a particularly huge draw for me. Sitting down one night to watch it months after its release date, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself completely involved. By the end I even had a few tears trickling down my face. The movie takes the conventional wisdom employed in The Blind Side: a movie about white people helping less-fortunate black people is a sure-fire way to win at the box office. It's so very true. Yet while The Blind Side completely disregarded its central black character, The Help relishes in making these maids layered and beautiful characters. Is this a racist movie? Arguments could be made for or against it, but I would say no (even if the entire plot is that it takes a white person to help black people solve their own problems).

As previously mentioned, the casting is great. Even Emma Stone, a relatively light comic actress, delivers a powerful turn as a modern woman bent on changing her deeply-racist home town. The stars of the movie, though, are Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. Here are two experienced actors at the very top of their game. Spencer delivers a moving though more humorous role, while Davis has a character deep with backstory and heartbreaking scenes. Her greatness I found is fueled almost exclusively by her eyes, showing an endless range of emotions in the smallest moments. Davis's character is one we love like a mother, and to see the agonies she must go through is absolutely resonant with audiences. During a time when there was so much hatred, here is one woman who is so filled with love.

The movie is not without its flaws, seen mostly in the relatively safe screenplay. Before seeing this movie I would have brushed it off as a small summer movie with no Oscar chances, but with the box office and critical reaction demonstrating enormous support for the film, I am crossing my fingers that some Oscar nominations are on the horizon. (Should they snub everything else, I sincerely hope Viola Davis receives the recognition she deserves for her amazing performance.)

(Awards potential: Best Actress (Davis), Best Supporting Actress (Spencer), Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, Best Original Song - 'The Living Proof')

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)

83rd Academy Awards - Reactions

(The Royal Lineup - Colin Firth and Tom Hooper now have a matching set)

Well, as quickly as they came they have gone again, and the 83rd Academy Awards (as well as this year's awards' season) has passed. One of the shortest Oscar ceremonies in the past 30 years, the show still seemed to drag on if only because of a lack of any upsets. In fact, practically every category went according to plan.

Why did MoJo fail to get a perfect score, then? (We correctly predicted 16 of the winners) For one, the Oscars come at the pinnacle of the season, and here comes the last chance to award the most deserving. If there is a chance for an upset anywhere, the Oscars is the final place for it to occur. Unfortunately, the plethora of predictions, critic's awards, and smaller award shows practically assure you of the final winner, weeks before the Oscars even occur. Why predict Roger Deakins to win his first Oscar for Best Cinematography? Because we believe that 9 nominations is far too long a wait to win, especially when compared to the nominees he was up against. We interpret Oscar as having a heart - when in reality he's ruthless, cold, and calculated.

On the whole, then, the Oscars were fairly enjoyable to watch, if only because we could rest easy on many of the night's bigger awards going according to plan. Anne Hathaway and James Franco will most likely not be asked to host again, especially Franco, who quickly became one of the most bizarre, distanced, and boring Oscar hosts in history (Possibly stoned, too). What a shame for Hathaway too, because while her energy was exuberant, her teaming with Franco was uncomfortable and completely off-putting to say the least.

The night slowly progressed, bogged down by an unnecessary amount of film homages, introductions, and lengthy presentations (But how cute was Kurt Douglas?) For instance, why was it deemed necessary for Anne Hathaway to introduce Hilary Swank who immediately introduced Kathryn Bigelow to present Best Director? I'm assuming Hilary is contractually obligated to participate in the Oscars in some way, and this was the best they could come up with.

As expected, Melissa Leo finally won her Oscar in a corny amount of exuberance and utter shock. Melissa, didn't you know you were the front-runner the entire season? Why so surprised? Not as expected, Leo became the first Oscar winner to utter the 'F' word during an acceptance speech. It seems that the Best Supporting Actress category was not a complete letdown in terms of shocks, then.

Perhaps the most 'up in the air' category of the night was Best Director, which ended in a photo finish with Tom Hooper prevailing over David Fincher. Although Hooper did win the DGA, his lack of other accolades was still enough to put a shred of doubt in my mind as to his Oscar chances. Never again. From now on I know, when DGA speaks, I MUST listen!

While the King's Speech did end up winning 4 of the 'Big 5' awards (Picture, Director, Actor, (Actress), Screenplay), a feat not accomplished since American Beauty over 10 years ago, it still failed to pull off a true 'sweep,' and we were left with Alice In Wonderland, Inception, and The Social Network pulling off many of the night's early wins. Just like this season, though, the King Speech picked up steam in the final stretch and pulled off a well-deserved victory.

Overall, I still enjoyed the Oscars. It's hard not to. Despite the utter lack of shocks, I believe many, if not all of the winners were truly deserving. If there's one thing that Oscar has taught us this year, though, it's that no one likes surprises.... So they just don't allow for any.