Beginners (****1/2)

Beginners is a movie that caught me off guard. From the brief things I had heard about it prior to seeing it, I understood it to be the story of an elderly man finally coming out of the closet. While that is most true, the film is instead about his son, played by Ewan McGregor, and the effects of his relationship with his parents and his own personal relationships. Told through a non-linear narrative, the film is brilliantly executed and one of the more unique movies of the year.

Ewan McGregor is a graphic designer collecting his life after his father's sudden death from lung cancer. He leads a solitary life, adopting his father's dog and talking to him as though he's a human. At times, the dog's thoughts are even subtitled. The film is in no means a representation of reality, rather the flawed perspective of McGregor. One scene in particular shows the son remembering his father coming out as gay, wearing a purple sweater. However, he soon remembers he was wearing a bathrobe instead. We see flashbacks of his eccentric mother, though what can we believe is true and what are simple fabrications?

Christopher Plummer, fresh off his first Oscar nomination for The Last Station is in top form. After a marriage of 40 years, we see a man finally grasp the self he has long hid away. We see him finding a young boyfriend, joining gay groups and making friends, even learning what 'house music' is. It is not necessarily a 'showy' performance, but Plummer captures every nuance perfectly. I would expect him to garner his second consecutive Supporting Actor nomination, and it would be completely deserved.

Plummer fills a small part of the film, with the rest focusing on McGregor and a choppy relationship with the quirky and dark Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds). I believe the film could have only been stronger had it focused more time on this unique father & son relationship as opposed to a more generic romance. This is not to discredit such a unique screenplay, merely suggest a small flaw.

Yes, Beginners is a film you have probably not heard of, but is is certainly a film that deserves a larger audience. Now out on DVD, I would recommend going out and buying your own. Brilliant movie, brilliant story, brilliant acting.

(Awards potential: Best Supporting Actor (Plummer), Best Original Screenplay)

The Ides of March (***1/2)

George Clooney continues to prove himself as an able filmmaker behind the camera. His attention to pacing is subtle and the performances he is able to draw out of his actors (not to mention his own) are astonishing. Yet all the while while watching The Ides of March, I couldn't help but think that maybe this film just barely missed the mark.

George Clooney plays Mike Morris, a Democratic presidential candidate who is battling out a close race for the Ohio primaries. Stephen Meyers is his Junior Campaign Manager, played by Ryan Gosling. Meyers is a determined and unwavering young man who's work is instilled with a sense of pride. Both Morris and the rival candidate are seeking endorsements from an Ohio Senator. Whoever wins the endorsement would essentially win the nomination.

Paul Giamatti, a campaign manager for the other nominee, offers Meyers a job in their campaign, which Meyers insistently refuses. Not wanting to give away much more of the plot, the lead up to the climax is one of complete chaos and misery, for both Meyers as well as his boss, Mike Morris.

The film opens and closes with a concise bookend feel, and the ending note is one of loss and corruption, but the film has a wonderful pull that keeps the audience engaged, even though the majority of the film is simply that of a discussion of politics. The performances are all wonderful, with notable praise going to Ryan Gosling, who explores more darker material than he has in the past. The screenplay is cleverly written and the film is edited fine. But that's just it, it's simply just a 'fine' movie. There is definitely the chance for a few nominations, but to me, this film feels more like a thriller suited for an early Spring release. There, movies don't feel the need to compete to win awards, they simply exist to prove filmmaking can be solid all year round. The Ides of March doesn't strike me as a film that is bound to win a plethora of awards, but that doesn't mean it's any less of a good movie.

(Awards potential: Best Director, Best Actor (Gosling), Best Supporting Actor (Hoffman, Giamatti, Clooney), Best Adapted Screenplay)

J Edgar (****1/2)

Clint Eastwood has been trudging down a questionable road in his recent filmmaking, as such I was hesitant to see J Edgar, his latest film about the late Director of the FBI, but coming out of the theater, I was enthralled and astonished. Here is perhaps not Eastwood's finest achievement behind the camera, but it can surely be ranked right up there with his best.

The film is told in flashbacks, flash forwards, voice over, memories, and other such filmic devices, all working to create the world J Edgar Hoover himself envisioned. Spanning upwards of 6 decades, we see the time from Hoover's initial hiring at the Bureau right up to his sudden death. Written by Dustin Lance Black, Oscar-winning screenwriter of Milk, the film has a slow but meticulous pacing, even though it stretches over 2 hours in length.

Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the world's most accomplished actors, is unsurprisingly excellent in the role. Aside from the shocking makeup work used on all the main actors, DiCaprio disappears in the performance, with his accent and nuances very much thought out and crafted. At times I was distracted by his acting, perhaps it comes across as a bit melodramatic, or even a bit too Oscar-friendly. As we know, Clint Eastwood has a very good friendship with the Academy Awards - this film looks to be no exception.

The stand out performance of the film, though, is Armie Hammer, fresh off last year's The Social Network. Here he plays Clyde Tolson, first-hand man for Hoover and eventual lover. His elegant poise and charm elevate the scenes he is in, and though his aging makeup is potentially overdone, his mannerisms in old age are uncanny and wholly believable. Naomi Watts also gives a beautiful, albeit limited, performance as Hoover's personal secretary. Were she given more screen time, I believe her performance could have been astonishing.

Much controversy surrounded the film's depiction of Hoover's homosexuality. Afterall, it was commonly known that he and Tolson were together, not to mention unspeculated rumors of cross-dressing. The film remains un exploitative and is tasteful in its presentation of their relationship. No more than a kiss or two is shared between the two men on screen, and yet their love is never doubted. Dustin Lance Black has obviously had experience dealing with historically gay men, but this time sexual orientation is not the film's concern. Rather, it is the portrayal of J Edgar Hoover as a power-hungry and flawed individual, slipping closer and closer to the edge in his later years.

Can DiCaprio finally win his long-awaited Oscar for this film? It certainly seems like a possibility. After all, if there's anything Oscar loves it's historical performances of gay individuals with personality flaws and unusual accents. The film stretches on with an epic feel yet is poignant in its subject matter. While the reviews this far have been polarizing, I found J Edgar to be a cinematic marvel.

(Awards potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actor (Hammer), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup)

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')