Henry Saw: Les Sept Jours du Talion

Called "7 Days" in English...this film is the dark doppelganger of Law Abiding Citizen...



A brief word on this French-Canadian revenge film that's getting some buzz on the festival circuit.

This film is a about a doctor (played by Claude Legault) whose daughter is raped and killed while walking to school one morning. Not satisfied with the idea of the prime suspect (Martin Dubreuil) getting only 25 years in prison, the Doctor plans and executes a plan to capture and torture his daughter's murderer over a span of 7 days.

The only other characters of note is an investigator (Rémy Girard) who can sympathize with what the Doctor is doing and the Doctor's wife who can't help but blame her husband for their daughter's murder.

The most notable thing about this movie is how gruesome it is. I wouldn't call it torture porn, it's trying to achieve more than that, but there are a lot of "avert your eyes" moments. The Doctor clubs his "victim" in the knee and then makes him walk on it. He tortures him with a shotgun. In the films most gruesome moment (outside of a shot of the murdered girl) the Doctor uses his surgical skills to torment the pedophile.



The film, I suppose, is attempting to be about the cost of revenge, and make us question our (or at least my) desire to see the pedophile tortured. The investigator, who says he's not trying to save the killer but the Doctor, is the conscience of the film. Unfortunately, because the film is so cold and methodical, and the actors are not compelling, I never connected to anything or anyone in the picture. I didn't care if the pedophile died, I didn't care if the Doctor "lost" his soul, I just didn't care.

While it wouldn't be fair to describe this film as the first third of The Lovely Bones, the middle of Law Abiding Citizen, and the entirety of the Saw series...it wouldn't be that far off. Les Sept Jours du Talion is a bit more thought out than that. But not much. I just think the message is so hackneyed, and the drama is so dull (despite the scenes of horrific violence), that I can't really recommend this film to anyone.

Grade: D+

Best Scene: When the pedophile tries to goad the Doctor into killing him...

Henry Saw: Shutter Island

At the very least this is among the top five films I've seen in theaters in the last year...and that doesn't begin to describe how much fun I had this past Friday...


Firstly, quickly, let's get some of the back-story out of the way. Shutter Island is the first feature film from Scorsese since 2006's Oscar winning The Departed. Based on a Dennis Lehane novel, Shutter Island was supposed to come out in October of 2009. Whether it was because of re-shoots, quarterly statements, or a lack of faith, the studio pushed back its release date to February 2010. The plot centers around a Massachusetts State Marshall named Teddy Daniels (Leonardo Dicaprio) who travels to a isolated mental institution for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of one of the "patients". Joined by his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), Teddy encounters a wide range of characters including the head physician Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), the warden (Ted Levine), and a tormented patient (Jackie Earle Haley). Through all this Teddy keeps seeing visions of the concentration camp at Dachau and his dead wife (Michelle Willaims).



Very rarely do you see a film and know you are in the hands of a master. Every Kurosawa film has his hand-print. You can't watch a Hitchcock film without being aware of his skill and control of the camera. With Shutter Island I feel that Scorsese has entered this elite class of signature filmmakers. That's not to say that Shutter Island is his best film, far from it, but it's the film where I could most see Scorsese at work.

When's the last time you just had fun at the movies? Perhaps Avatar is your answer...it wasn't for me...but Shutter Island is. From the first scene on the ferry to the last moment on the hospital grounds...I was completely invested in the film. Every decision Scorsese made feels deliberate and appropriate. He's not afraid to show off a little bit, or make it obvious who he is referencing, but I thought that was part of the fun of the film.

It's very important that you go into Shutter Island not expecting high art. This is Scorsese having a good time. There are scenes that strive for, and achieve, greatness but the film is more concerned with simply entertaining the audience. Remember that when Hitchcock made North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds, he was not trying to make films worthy of study; he was trying to make movies that everyone would enjoy. In short, Scorsese has made a film that works both as a popping Friday night flick and a movie worthy of analysis in a classroom. Also standing out was the film's music, especially the use of Symphony No. 3: Passacaglia, which was another nice nod to the thrillers of the 40s and 50s.

Leonardo DiCaprio does a good job carrying Shutter Island. I think he might have been better in The Departed, but it's close, and I can't think of many other actors who could have anchored this film the way he does. Mark Ruffalo is perfectly cast as someone who is supposed to not be noticed. It's nice to see Ben Kingsly actually acting after a decade of work-for-hire appearances in Uwe Bole movies. Max von Sydow is incredibly entertaining (and Scorsese gives him a hell of an entrance) and Ted Levine is a part of the best exchange of the movie. Michelle Williams, given a tough and limited part, is riveting every moment she is on screen. Her final sequence, and it would be spoiling things to say more than that, is one of the most chilling I've ever seen. She is haunting.



I'm trying to think of negatives to say about the movie but I'm struggling. I suppose it's a bit long...and at a certain point you get a little tired of the build-up and just want the climax and denouement...but only barely. I loved Shutter Island. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's just so refreshing to watch a movie made by a director who knows what he's doing. Shutter Island knows exactly what kind of movie it should be and then exceeds its boundaries. I'll be surprised if I have a better time at the movies this year.

Grade: A

Best Scene: The last flashback...

Henry Saw: The 2009 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts

Not a lot of joy to be found in this year's crop...


First up was:



Kavi - India: This tells the story of a young Indian boy and his family who are forced to work off an debt to the owner of a brick kiln. The boy, who is coerced into working harder by the owner's promise to play cricket with him, eventually comes to realize just how dire his situation is. Kavi is the most complete of the films on the program. You connect with each character and invest in their story more than any of the other films. While the camera work isn't perfect, it's distinct, and some of the shots were very well framed. In my mind Kavi will probably win the Oscar. It's topical (it's essentially about modern day slavery), has a compelling little plot, and is anchored by a charming and distraught child. Sounds like Oscar gold. Grade: A-




The New Tenants - Denmark: A gay couple find that their new apartment was a the center of a drug related crime. This was, to me, the oddest of the films. I'm still not entirely sure how I felt about it. It was kind of funny...and kind of suspenseful...and kind of surprising...but it never came together for me. Perhaps the most surprising part of the film was that it was in English and that Vincent D'Onofrio and Kevin Corrigan show up in small parts. This was Elena's favorite, and I see why she liked it, but it stuck me as an inferior version (at least tonally) of Martin McDonagh's Oscar winning short Six Shooter. Grade: B




Miracle Fish - Australia: A young boy falls asleep in the school nurse's office and when he wakes up he finds the school completely abandoned. This was my favorite of the live action films. For some reason every part of this movie worked for me. Whether it was the clever use of the fortune telling "Miracle Fish" toy, the child-like and realistic way the boy reacts to an empty school, or where the film goes towards the end. This movie moved me the most and while I don't think there's quite as much skill on hand as with Kavi, or that it is nearly as likely to win the Oscar, this is what I'll be rooting for come March 7th. Grade: A




The Door - Irish: A man can only watch as his daughter dies of radiation poising following a Chernobyl-like disaster. This was by far the worst of the live action shorts. By far. This film was boring, had poor acting (especially from the little girl), and had absolutely nothing to say. Just a plodding, badly shot, sappy waste of time. I bet this f***ing wins. Grade: D-



Instead of Abracadabra - Sweden: A 25 year old man dreams of becoming a magician, while his exasperated father wishes he would find himself a job. This was the only light-hearted film on the docket, so I probably liked it more than it deserved, but I have to admit I laughed quite a lot. I'm starting to think I might have to more closely follow Swedish film as every time I watch one I either like it (such as this film) or love it (Together and Let the Right One In). This film doesn't really have anything profound to say but that's part of why I liked it. This was a perfect subject for a short film as the main character would have gotten irritating over a full length movie but won me over for the 22 minute run time of the short. Just a quirky little gem. Grade: B+

So...in the end...

Will Win: Kavi

Should Win: Miracle Fish

Seek Out: Miracle Fish, Instead of Abracadabra

Avoid: The Door


So that's it for this year...we'll have to wait until March 7th to see what wins...

Henry Saw: The 2009 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

A fairly strong batch this year...




Recently saw the 10 nominated shorts with Sam and Elena at the IFC Center.

In retrospect last year's group of animated shorts was superior. We had the fantastic "Presto", the awesome "Oktapodi", and the very cool "This Way Up". Also included in the show was the quirky and crowd-pleasing "John and Karen" which wasn't nominated but should have been.

This year we had some fairly entertaining films, and one absolute stunner, but the overall block was somewhat unsatisfying...I've included links to the movies I could find online (I don't know how long they will be up so watch them while you can)



French Roast - France: A businessman drinking coffee in a Parisian café discovers that he has lost his wallet. The worst of the nominated films. I've said it before but there is nothing worse than an unfunny comedy. This was a wholly unattractive and dull film. There was potential in this idea but the filmmakers completely fumbled the execution. Horrible. Grade: D




The Lady and the Reaper - Spain: The Grim Reaper and a self-satisfied doctor battle over the life of an elderly woman. This was a great little comedic short. It had some of the manic energy of last year's "This Way Up" and a similarly dark sense of humor. I loved how this felt like a modern day Tex Avery cartoon. This was Elena's favorite film and I can see why. It really was funny and charming. Grade: A-




A Matter of Loaf and Death - England: As a serial killer threatens the city's bakers, Wallace and Gromit, now bakery owners, meet a mysterious woman and her poodle. If you don't know about Wallace and Gromit than I pity you. Nick Park's famous duo have been the stars of two previous films to win the Oscar in this category and you have to assume that "A Matter of Loaf and Death" is the favorite this year. This installment has a lot more pop-culture references than I can remember in the previous films. I caught nods to all the Indiana Jones films, Psycho, and an explicit homage to Aliens. Look, Nick Park knows how to do these movies, they're all great, but I really hope this one doesn't win. Not only is it the least memorable of the Wallace and Gromit films but there was a superior film nominated this year. Still, I can't deny the quality of this short, and it deserves it's due. Grade: B+



Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty - Ireland: An old woman tells her own, biased, version of the Sleeping Beauty story to her terrified granddaughter. This was the shortest of the films (6 minutes) and almost really worked. While my laugh-to-running time ratio was high...the whole thing felt a bit soulless...and I'm not sure why that is. It didn't need to have a different running time. Any shorter and it wouldn't have fit and any longer and it would have gotten tired. It just didn't tie together perfectly at the end. It was a stronger idea than actual film. Grade: B-




Logorama - France: In a world made up entirely of trademarks and brand names, Michelin Man cops pursue a criminal Ronald McDonald. There really is no way to summarize or describe this film. It has to be seen to be believed. It's just about the most stunning 16 minutes of film I've ever seen. The script isn't the strongest...though there are some really funny moments and sight-gags...but it's the most amazing visual experience I can remember. I'd rather re-watch Logorama 100 times then ever see Avatar again. I am not going to say more than that...I didn't know anything going in and neither should you...but I will say that if this doesn't win the Oscar then it will be a travesty. Grade: A+

Here's a clip:


I'll just quickly add that in order to make the running time of the show approach 2 hours they included 3 additional honorable mentions for our viewing pleasure. Two of these shorts, "Runaway" and "The Kinematograph", were the very worst things we watched the whole day. What a horrible pair of "films". The other was "Partly Cloudy", the Pixar short which I already praised in my review for Up, and which should have been nominated instead of French Roast.


So in the end:

Will Win: ugh...A Matter of Loaf and Death

Should Win X 1000: Logorama

Seek out: Logorama, The Lady and the Reaper, Partly Cloudy

Avoid like the plague: French Roast, Runaway, The Kinematograph


I'll post my thoughts on the Live-Action Shorts soon...

Ben saw: The Wolfman

The trailer made it look like a stinkbomb. Will this long-pushed back remake be a pleasant surprise?



......no. Not a pleasant surprise at all. What I expected was funny bad and I got more or less what I expected. I've watched a lot of bad movies and when I see a strikingly bad one there's always a temptation to look agape at the screen and mutter the words of so many movie nerds: 'Worst....movie....ever.' That's obviously hyperbole. In practice, a lot of really bad movies are workman-like in their badness; tone deaf exercises in trying to massage uninspired or incoherent footage in to passable hotel and airline fodder and a cut-your-losses theatrical flop as opposed to an outright bomb. This describes The Wolfman to a T. It is not a coincidence that this ostensibly scary monster movie was not even given the dignity of a Halloween release and was instead quietly disposed of in the Hollywood dumping ground that is February.

That being said, I had a really good time with this movie because, as an exercise in mocking the crap on the screen with a friend (and enraging the people around us), it provides rich and varied sources of material.


So what's there to mock? The script is a good place to start. The dialogue is a steady stream of cliches and cold readings of fortune cookies said back and forth from actor to actor, often with little or no concern for whether or not a given line actually deals with thoughts raised in prior lines.The plotting is a shambling mess of arbitrary decisions, grimly determined to drag us from one set-piece to another for more hot man-wolf action...but not in the bestiality sense. Benicio del Toro comes home because his brother is dead (via werewolf as we learn from the intro scene), gets bitten while investigating said death, becomes a werewolf and must spend the rest of the movie dealing the consequences of his uncontrollable new bloodlust. Hugo Weaving's investigator......investigates this curious whodunnit (and the subsequent 'whatdunnit' when about 50 people get killed in a few rampages later in the movie). Anthony Hopkins is his eccentric jerk of a dad. Emily Blunt wears a lot of ruffle collars in the process of serving as a walking plot device. Characterizations are vague at best: why does Weaving believe that silver bullets will do anything? Why does Hopkins allow his gigantic house to fall to pieces (and why does his perfectly nice-seeming servant stay with him)? Why does Blunt fall for del Toro? Why does anyone like Blunt (when her character could scarcely have less personality). Why does everyone always know where the other characters are going to be? And on it goes. The plot is predictable in its broad strokes (you will know whom the real villain is within 15 minutes if you've not recently had a lobotomy) and yet manages to make unexpected and ineffective decisions whenever possible to trip itself up.

In light of such a poor script, the actors had their hands tied but the whole exercise seems like a forced march for del Toro, Blunt and Weaving. Hopkins isn't much good either, but he comes from that delightful school of UK actors that will try their damnedest, even in utterly crap projects (see: Christopher Lee). In bad movies I usually expect the leads to stink but the supporting cast will at least gamely try; in this case the main four actors really aren't that bad (well...del Toro's pretty bad) but supporting cast is laughable, consisting mainly of the kinds of crap performances and broad stereotypes that I'd expect from those historical villages we'd sometimes go to on elementary school trips.



The effects look cheap and are at their best, ironically, when used to make del Toro look younger. As my friend pointed out, the surface of the moon has more even texture than del Toro's real skin so the amount of make-up and digital post-production dedicated to make him look not decrepit must have been substantial. My friend and I disagreed on the cinematography, but I found it hokey and broad, if well-framed. Where the hell was the light coming from in most of those scenes?

The move compares well to the opening ceremony of the Olympics that I watched the same night: not scary, designed by committee and filled with inexplicable and thoughtless artistic decisions. It's a barely functional movie and, outside of outright mockery, there's no reason to see it. Woof.

Grade: D-

Henry Saw: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I think I really would have liked this movie when I was 10...a perfectly good children's film


This film hasn't been getting the best reviews. It has a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and a lot of critics have called it out for being too derivative of Harry Potter. The film, based on a book by Rick Riordan that he first wrote in 1994 but wasn't published until 2005, does share some similarities to the Harry Potter series. It stars a young man who finds out he has a mystical heritage (he is the son of Poseidon), goes to a magical school that is populated with other young demi-gods to hone his abilities, and ends up on a quest to find Zeus' lightning bolt in which he is joined by a funny sidekick/best friend and a highly competent girl. Oh, and this film and the first two Harry Potter movies share the same director: Chris Columbus (who also did Home Alone and Adventures in Babysitting).

Now all this is true...it's hard not to think of JK Rowling's characters and stories while watching Percy Jackson...but this is still a pretty fun movie. Perhaps I'm biased because I've always loved Greek mythology but I found Percy Jackson to be clever and exciting entertainment for any kid over seven years old.



Part of the fun of the movie, at least for me, was seeing how they reinterpreted mythical characters to the modern age. Medusa owns a statue garden, the Lotus Eaters run a casino, etc. Like the Harry Potter films Percy Jackson is filled with famous actors in the supporting roles. Uma Thurman plays a Medusa who isn't all that dissimilar from her Poison Ivy. Steve Coogan plays Hades as a facsimile of Lou Reed. Rosario Dawson looks great and adds some energy as Hades' "wife" Persephone. Also appearing, however briefly, are Kevin McKidd and Sean Bean as Poseidon and Zeus. There's a bit more "Oh that's _____" than in the Harry Potter films but I thought the cast was good overall and clearly having fun.

The three leads, Logan Lerman as Percy, Brandon T. Jackson as the satyr Grover, and Alexandra Daddario as Athena's daughter Annabeth, are at the very least competent. They're asked to deliver some pretty cheesy lines (especially Jackson who is asked to be the wacky black sidekick a little too often) but all seem invested in their roles.

One of the things that surprised me about the movie was how competent the action scenes were. We get training sequences where the students fight with swords and shields, a battle against Medusa that hinges on an iPod, and a solid concluding conflict using Hermes' wings and other powers of the gods. Columbus did not impress me with the action beats in either of the first two Harry Potters but he shows a lot of improvement with Percy Jackson.



There are quite a few flaws with the film. At times it tries to be too cool in its dialogue and attitude. The soundtrack is horrendous (Do we need "Highway to Hell" when the kids are trying to get to Hades? Or "Poker Face" when they walk into a casino? Really?). Columbus also never gets across the sense of awe or wonder that the characters, and the audience, felt in the Harry Potter films. Still, this is a by no means a bad movie, and is a fine way to spend 100 minutes in the theater with your little boy or girl.

Grade: B

Best Scene: The Medusa scene, despite Uma Thurman's slightly hammy performance, is effectively creepy

Henry's Top 100 Performances of All Time: #71 - Robert Deniro in The Deer Hunter

"Stanley, see this? This is this. This ain't something else. This is this. From now on, you're on your own."


This is the only Deniro performance on this list. Yeah, I know...how could I not put Raging Bull and/or Taxi Driver on the list...I just don't see it. I think Raging Bull is kind of an unwatchable movie and Taxi Driver just doesn't interest me (I've seen it...I just didn't "get it" I guess).

But I do think that Deniro is brilliant in the Deer Hunter. He's the backbone of the film despite the fact that other actors in the movie have more "showy" performances. Deniro is so inward and haunted after returning from Vietnam that I find him a more tragic figure than his friends who are more outwardly scarred.

I think this is Deniro's best work, and, as hard is might be to believe when you're dealing with an actor as respected as he is, it is one of the more under-rated performances of all time.

Best Scene:

The Scene quoted above...

Henry Saw: The Damned United

One of the best sports movies I've seen in a long time...


This is a little English film which was written by Peter Morgan (who previously wrote The Queen and Frost/Nixon) and stars Michael Sheen (who previously starred in The Queen and Frost/Nixon). Sheen, who has made a nice career for himself by playing real and famous people, is at it again as Brian Clough. Clough was already a world renowned football manager when he took over England's top football team Leads United in 1974. Clough, who was obsessed with out-doing Leads' previous manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney), finds his new job difficult as he challenges his new team to play a different, and cleaner, brand of football. The film jumps between showing us Clough's rise at Derby County, much of which was due to the hard work of his assistant manager Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall), and his failure with Leads.

You do not need to be an English Football fan to appreciate this movie. While it doesn't hurt to be somewhat familiar with the way the different leagues work, I don't think it's essential, and this is much more of a character study than an examination of football in the 70s. Sheen is great as Brian Clough. He's appropriately charming and grating. He's so arrogant, and so cock-sure, that you know you would hate the guy if he wasn't running your club. Still, Clough makes for a compelling protagonist, and a lot of that is because of how great Sheen is.



The script is classically structured. The film is properly bookended by riveting television interviews with Clough and the flash-backs are interspersed effectively. Timothy Spall, playing Clough's right-hand-man Peter Taylor, is a standout in these flashback scenes. I also loved one scene showing how Clough was unable to watch one match between Derby and Leads and the particular ways he follows the game...

I don't recommend this film for everyone, this really feels like a movie for guys for one thing, but this is a very strong movie about ambition and arrogance. This deserved wider recognition, even in this country that doesn't care about soccer, and I hope it finds an audience on DVD. The Damned United is definitely worth 2 hours of your time and is one my favorite "hidden gems" of 2009.

Grade: A-

Best Scene: The aforementioned Derby versus Leads scene (the third match-up between the two clubs that we see on screen)

Henry Saw: The Red Riding Trilogy

If you don't know...now you know...


The Red Riding trilogy is an English series of films (originally produced for television in Britain) loosely based around two different serial murder cases in Yorkshire (one real and one fictional). They take place in 1974, 1980, and 1983, and follow three different protagonists. Each film, which were made for Channel 4 in England, was made by three different directors but use largely the same cast (outside of the leads). They are currently playing in a 5+ hour block at the IFC theater here in New York. They are also available On Demand on most digital cable providers.



1974 is featured around a reported for the Yorkshire Post named Eddie Dunford (played by relative newcomer Andrew Garfield). It is focused on the disappearance of a series of young girls and Eddie's efforts to discover who is responsible. 1974 is the most outwardly noir of the films. Eddie stands in for the classic detective up against villains and a corrupt police force. He has his dame (played by Vicky Christina Barcelona's Rebecca Hall), his rival investigator (Happy-Go-Lucky's Eddie Marsan), and his shady business man (Sean Bean).

I found Garfield to be an uncompelling lead but the rest of the movie is excellent. The central concept of a killer who sows swan wings onto his young victims is incredibly creepy. The world of the film, based around Yorkshire in the 1970's, is well constructed and the whole film just feels right. 1974 has a very satisfying conclusion and is probably the best stand-alone film of the bunch.

1974 was directed by Julian Jarrold, who previously did Brideshead Revisited and Becoming Jane, and he directs the movie in a fairly straight, but effective, manner. 1974 is a strong film, it's not amazing, but it's a very tight and complete work. There are a lot of scenes that felt like filler (lots of unneeded sex scenes), and the subsequent films did not make them feel any more necessary, but they did not detract too much from the movie.

I recommend 1974...if you were out to just watch one of the Red Riding films...this would be the one.

Best Scene: Sean Bean's first meeting with Andrew Garfield.

Grade: B+




1980: Actually my favorite of the trilogy. This one more closely follows the investigation of the famous (and real) Yorkshire Ripper case. Paddy Constantine (Dead Man's Shoes and The Bourne Ultimatum) plays a detective brought in to clean up the Yorkshire police force and to solve the case. A lot of the supporting cast from 1974 pop-up, some in surprisingly big roles, but Constantine is the focus of the film.

I thought this whole film worked marvelously. The steps of a police operation circa 1980 are depicted splendidly, the slimy and corrupt police officers are much more fully painted than in 1974, and the movie is splendidly directed.

The director is James Marsh, who did helmed the brilliant Man on Wire in 2008, and he brings a subtle and deft touch to the film. It's just a well constructed police film. While the last third is a bit of a let down, I didn't like where the plot or acting went, I still think this is the strongest of the 3 Red Riding films. It has the best lead performance (Constantine is fantastic), the best integration of time, place, and plot, and the best scene of any of the three films.

Highly recomended. This is a great movie.

Grade: A-

Best Scene: The Confession...



1983: This was very disappointing. After the fairly brilliant first two entries of the trilogy...this is horrible in comparison. The film follows three different main characters including a new character named John Piggott (played by Mark Addy from A Knight's Tale) who plays a lawyer who inserts himself into the investigation. The other two featured characters are actually supporting characters in the first two films. We have Maurice Jabson (played very well by State of Play's David Morrissey) who is a cop conflicted about his department's methods. There is also BJ, played by Robert Sheehan, a gay hustler who finds himself in the middle of multiple cases.

1983 is a mess. We have a "medium" giving our heroes answers, a jumping time-line that only confuses, and a predictable and unsatisfying conclusion. 1983, directed by Anand Tucker (who I can blame for Hilary and Jackie as well...), is a fiasco of a film. I could barely stay interested in the movie, and this was after investing 4 hours into the storyline, and it's really a shame that a strong trilogy has to end on this kind of note.

Best Scene: David Morriseey's meeting with Daniel Mays, who plays the man arrested for the crimes in the first film, who produces a shockingly tender scene.


Grade: D+


So what did I think of the Red Riding Trilogy? I think it's a very interesting project. I'd love to see more things like this from HBO....but I don't think Red Riding totally worked. The films are so different, and so let down by the third film, that I can't help but feel dissapointed. Theoretically, the films all tie-in together quite well...the first film sets up a mystery that is only fully answered in the third film...but "1983" is such a failure that it actively hurts the series.

There's a lot to like here. Great scripting, fantastic acting, and superb editing. Still, I can't fully recommend the Red Riding Experience due to the running time and the lame third film. This is a very worthy trilogy but don't believe the hype.

You've seen better.

Overall grade: B

Ben Saw: Whip It, Pontypool, The Red Shoes

A random-as-heck grab bag of movies that I happened to see in rapid succession. Let's break them down quickly.

Whip It

I have a crush on Ellen Page. There. I said it. And she's actually been good in some movies (Hard Candy, Juno) but she's also been in some stinkbombs (Smart People, X-Men 3) where she didn't exactly distinguish herself. Whip It sounded like it was going to be a quirkfest Juno retread but, given that I liked Juno, that alone wasn't going to keep me from seeing this movie. What did keep me from seeing this movie until now was some truly toxic casting in the supporting roles: Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon (!!!). Ick. It's Barrymore's movie so I can kind of deal with her (she can be annoying), but the rest of them are serial killers of all material that could be amusing. Lewis is just a harpy and Wiig and Fallon continue the astounding SNL tradition of making modest stars out of aggressively unfunny people. Some people think Wiig is a stitch. Whatever. As a comedienne she's a dog's breakfast of unlikeable neurotic tics and glib smarm and Fallon........Jimmy Fallon has never been intentionally funny in his life. Not once. That he receives any public attention, much less that he has starred in feature films, is a mystery that will baffle future generations. 'Why did that unprofessional loser in the back of the 'More Cowbell' skit keep getting work?", they'll ask. And there will be no answers.

Anyway, I broke down and saw Whip It at home when I could rent it for 4 bucks. I was at peace with the decision. How was it though?

Meh. The plot is more or less exactly what you'd expect: indie chick rebels against beauty pageant-loving mom and becomes a roller derby star in secret, falls in love with the culture and finds her calling. Mom objects and Page is underage. Complications ensue. Will she get to play? Get the guy? Win the championship? Pursue her dreams? I didn't mind idea of a formula movie as long as it was fun and winning. The charm of this movie was alway going to be from the script and the script falls pretty flat. More than that, it seems to want to focus more on off-court drama that struck me as tangential rather than roller derby and witty banter. Huh?

Page (may I call you Ellen?) can be a winning screen presence, but she's not nearly so charismatic that she can't get lost on screen, as is the case here. The supporting cast was not as poisonous as I feared: I always forget how game Barrymore is to own some very silly characters and Wiig, who never made me crack a smile in the movie, actually has an oddly compelling dramatic beat that made both Henry and me do a double-take. Why isn't she doing more of that? The young characters: friend, loser guy friend, love interest are all forgettable and run the gamut between amusing and annoying. The real standout is actual Andrew Wilson as the roller derby coach. He absolutely kills in virtually every scene he's in.

Drew Barrymore helmed this exercise. I wish she was more interested in taking us in to the fun-seeming world of roller derby rather than her uncompelling world of quirky teenage girldom and roller derby sisterhood. Not poisonous, but not a lot to recommend.

Best scene: Anything where Andrew Wilson features prominently.



Pontypool

I hadn't heard of this little Canadian horror movie from 2008 and went in to it expecting nothing except that it probably could get slotted in to the zombie genre.

Holy crap, the first half of this movie is so good. A+ good. Seriously, I was watching Pontypool just blown away that more people weren't singing its praises and mentioning it as a cult gem. Strong performances, a well-done script, lean, confident direction. Then the whole things goes off the rails as the movie labors to develop its central conceit in to a full-blown intellectual concept instead of just telling a zombie tale.

A big name, controversy-courting radio host (Mazzy) has been kicked out of his high-visibility gig and taken a position in isolated Pontypool, Ontario since they're willing to hire him after one too many controversies left him unemployable at home. Calls start coming in about violent attacks and strange behavior that seems to be spreading among the people of Pontypool and no other media outlets are mentioning it, so Mazzy and his crew run with the story as the violence comes closer and closer to them. There's basically only four actors in the whole film and virtually all of the action takes place within the radio station, but the movie does a great job of making you feel involved in the growing events. Withholding information from the audience can be a great way of raising tension and that's used to great effect for a while but, when the movie tries to explain itself, the whole thing unravels quickly and turns in to a tendentious and badly done meditation on the philosophy of language. I am not the first person to observe that the zombie movie has been used as a vehicle for intellectual critiques since the birth of the sub-genre, but this attempt is really a dud and badly undermines the genuinely amazing work of the first half.

Well worth seeing, but the lesson here is that explaining an intriguing concept can absolutely kill a small movie.

Best Scene: The first time that Mazzy comes face to face (through glass) with the infection.



The Red Shoes

I'd never seen this before and, oh my gosh is it ever good. A masterpiece of British post-war cinema. Based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale, The Red Shoes follows a ballerina, her rise impelled by a tyrant of a director, that has to choose between an incredibly promising career in dance and the man she loves. I mean, that's the plot synopsis at least. What the movie's really about is a series of fantastic dance sequences and what has to be the most affecting use of Technicolor I've ever seen. It's hard to describe without you seeing the film, but it felt like watching an animated painting made with a gorgeous palette of over-saturated colors.

Dance is not something I'm usually that moved by, but the camerawork is innovative and the soundtrack keeps you in the sweep of the ballet. It's not flawless for a modern viewer though. Expect period writing and acting that can seem false, but gives the right movies a fairy tale quality (The Wizard of Oz comes to mind). It's hard to consider this a perfect movie since the viewer doesn't care much about the characters and the pace will feel stately unless you watch a lot of old cinema, but I'd watch this movie again for the color alone and the brilliant dance sequences are just a bonus. You don't get many dreamy spectacles like this today.

Best Scene: When Lermontov 'replaces' his star in a final performance of the ballet. Deeply moving.


Final Grades:

Whip It: C
Pontypool: B-
The Red Shoes: A

Henry Saw: Fish Tank

It's kind of the "real" version of An Education...and similarly fantastic...


If not better.

Fish Tank is a film about the poorer side of England. I know...it's hard to believe it exists outside of Dickens' novels...but its real. I'm not talking about Guy Richie's Pikies but actual, honest to God, poor English folk.



As my friend Chae put it...this movie is about English trailer trash. Which is not to demean the film, or its characters, but to give you a sense of the film's world. Fish Tank follows a 15 year old girl named Mia who falls for her young mother's 30-something year old boyfriend Connor.

Mia is played by Katie Jarvis and Connor is played by Michael Fassbender. They both knock it out of the park. Fassbender (who you might know from 300, Inglourious Basterds, or Hunger) is especially good in a very hard role. Jarvis is strong, always believable, and she sells the last ten minutes of the film especially well.



I don't want to go too deep into the plot...Fish Tank really plays with you in some fascinating ways...so I think I'll wait until the film has been out on DVD for a few weeks and I know you've gotten a chance to see it. Without spoiling anything: Fish Tank will leave you upset, and disappointed, but there is something poignant and hopeful about how the movie ends. It's not a flawless film...there are a few overly arty moments, Mia's mom is never fully developed, and the last moment between Mia and Connor felt like it was from a different kind of movie. Still, I was very impressed and moved by Fish Tank. Highly recommended...

Grade: A-

Best Scene: The last scene between Mia and her mother towards the end...

Henry Saw: Edge of Darkness

Meh...The BBC series must be better...


Mel Gibson is back! And guess what? He's out for revenge! He's Mad, he has Lethal Weapons, and a Brave Heart. He's no Hamlet, he knows exactly what he has to do, and that's get some Payback. He deals with some Conspiracy Theories, goes through some Patriots, and something something something Ransom. I could keep going but I think you probably get the idea. This isn't new ground for Mel Gibson, who is staring in a film for the first time in eight years, but there is something entertaining and comforting in seeing Mel dole out justice in the name of a dead family member.

In Edge of Darkness that would be his 24 year old daughter who is shot outside his home while visiting for the weekend. Because he's a cop with the Boston Police Department, it is assumed by his fellow officers that he was the target and his daughter was collateral damage. That doesn't add up for Mel and he starts investigating the company his daughter was working for and how it might be connected to her murder. That company, the ominous Northmoor International, is run by Bennet (Danny Huston) who is clearly a villain of the highest order. Along the way Mel also meets Jedburgh (played by the reliable Ray Winstone) who is a fixer of sorts for the government. We're not sure where Jedburgh's allegiances truly lie as he seems to be playing both sides and helping Mel get the truth about his daughter and Northmoor.



Edge of Darkness is directed by Martin Campbell (Who directed the original 1980's miniseries and 2006's Casino Royale) and it is a finely put together thriller. The problem is that there is nothing new here. Almost all the beats are easy to predict (except for anything with Jedburgh who is a wild card) and it's surprisingly dull. At one point Mel is meeting one of his daughter's friends and something semi-surprising and exciting happens and my cousin, who I saw the movie with, muttered "Oh, it's finally a movie." He had a point...for a great deal of its running time Edge of Darkness feels like it is just trying to get to the ending (if that makes sense). Maybe Martin Campbell was bored remaking his superior mini-series but a lot of the film feels like it is going through the motions.

The cast is fine...Mel is Mel and Winstone is Winstone. Danny Huston is not a compelling baddie (he peaked in The Constant Gardener and The Proposition and has been replaying those two roles ever since) and the rest of the cast is a bunch of "that guys". The writing is a bit into itself (it's by William Monahan who also wrote The Departed) and doesn't have the sharpness of Monahan's previous work.



This really is a bland and boring film. The direction is perfunctory, the script is blah, and the acting is fairly paint by numbers. I cannot think of a reason to recommend this movie but I can't slam it either. It's all okay...but for some reason Edge of Darkness never comes together. Skip it.

Grade: C

Best Scene: Mel versus a speeding car...

And the nominees are...

Click the link to find out...




Best Picture

* “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
* “The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined
* “District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
* “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
* “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
* “Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
* “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
* “Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
* “Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

* Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
* George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
* Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
* Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
* Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

* Matt Damon in “Invictus”
* Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
* Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
* Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
* Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role

* Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
* Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
* Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
* Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
* Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role

* Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
* Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
* Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
* Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film

* “Coraline” Henry Selick
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
* “The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
* “The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
* “Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction

* “Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* “Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* “Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* “The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

* “Avatar” Mauro Fiore
* “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
* “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
* “Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
* “The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

* “Bright Star” Janet Patterson
* “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
* “Nine” Colleen Atwood
* “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

* “Avatar” James Cameron
* “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
* “Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
* “Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)

* “Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
* “The Cove” Nominees to be determined
* “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* “Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)

* “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
* “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* “Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* “Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing

* “Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* “District 9” Julian Clarke
* “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* “Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film

* “Ajami” Israel
* “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
* “The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
* “Un Prophète” France
* “The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup

* “Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
* “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
* “The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)

* “Avatar” James Horner
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
* “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* “Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
* “Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)

* “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
* “Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Short Film (Animated)

* “French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
* “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
* “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
* “Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
* “A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)

* “The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
* “Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
* “Kavi” Gregg Helvey
* “Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
* “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
* “Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
* “Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
* “Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
* “Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
* “Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
* “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects

* “Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
* “District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
* “Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

* “District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
* “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
* “In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
* “Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)

* “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
* “Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
* “The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
* “A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* “Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Henry Saw: La Fille du RER

Called The Girl on the Train here in the States...even though that's not quite the right translation...



This is a French film about a young woman named Jeanne (Émilie Dequenne) living outside Paris who while skating into Paris one day to look for a job, meets a fellow roller-blader named Franck. A romance soon starts but once she moves in with him it is revealed that he is involved with drug trafficking. After he is caught and arrested, Jeanne is inspired by a recent rise in antisemitism in Paris and stages an attack on herself (she is not Jewish). The rest of the film follows Jeanne's mother (Catherine Deneuve) as she goes to an old friend of hers named Samuel Bleistein (Michel Blanc) for help with her daughter.

La Fille du RER is a rather languid and meandering film. While the plot is easy enough to describe, and told linearly, there are a lot of little scenes with supporting characters that don't add to the overall narrative. This produces a film that despite having a interesting trio at its core (Dequenne, Deneuve and Blanc) has one too many scenes that either don't hold your interest or don't add to the story.



The best moments of the film are all rather understated and yet oddly compelling. The way Jeanne first meets her boyfriend, a moment between Samuel's grandson and Jeanne when they first meet, or a conversation over lunch between Jeanne, her mother, and all of Samuel's family...these little moments, the kind of naturalistic scenes that are quite rare in American cinema, most stood out of me.

The undercurrent about antisemitism in modern France is never played too heavily and I thought that the theme was very nicely handled. The film is based on a play, which was based on a true story, and I liked how the main incident of the film (Jeanne faking her attack) is handled in a minimalist and blunt way.



The acting from the main three actors is all strong. As Jeanne, Dequenne (who I recognized from Brotherhood of the Wolf) is beautiful and hard to fully understand. We get why she does what she does...but she never really lets us know who she is inside. Seeing as she's always supposed to be a bit of a mystery to those around her I thought her performance worked well. Deneuve is sympathetic and realistic. Blanc is especially good as a lawyer who is quite content with his life. He has a quiet presence that carries every scene he's in.



The movie is a bit dull, and I don't actually think it has anything profound to say (but I think the filmmakers think they do), and there were too many moments that just didn't work for me. I don't really recommend the film but I'm always happy to see what kind of cinema is being made around the world. La Fille du RER has some interesting aspects...but not enough.

Grade: C+

Best Scene: The lunch scene at Samuel's summer house...