Monday, May 31, 2010

What I Liked and Didn't Like About Sex and the City 2


Liked
1. No Children Allowed (for Carrie and Big at least) Even in 2010, there seems to be this stigma that every married couple should want to have children, and, if they don't, they are selfish, horrible people. Not every couple is meant to raise kids nor should they want to, contrary to what the random couple at the wedding tells Carrie and Big. Kudos to the film for not apologizing for this stance and for not making Carrie and Big have a sudden change of heart at the end of the film (which I constantly feared they would).
2. Samantha's Meltdown "CONDOMS!...I HAVE SEX!...FUCK YOU, I'M AMERICAN!" This was quite literally the funniest meltdown I've seen since Cate Blanchett's immortal "HERE. I. AMMMMM!" in Notes on a Scandal.
3. Liza Minnelli The bitch has still got it. And it's crazy how much she sounds like her mother.
4. Inadvertent Humor I don't know which of these is funner: the idea of sex goddess Penélope Cruz as the president of the Bank of Barcelona, Kim Cattrall telling a group of young gay men, "I'm all natural! I've never had work done!" or the fact that both of these moments happen in the film irony-free.
5. Gay This whole film was shitting unicorns and rainbows. Brokeback Mountain seemed less gay than this film. There were so many "gay inhale" moments throughout the film I'm surprised some queen didn't pass out from a lack of oxygen.
6. Women Can Have It All There is one moment which sheds some light on what I presume the grand "point" of Sex and the City has come to be over the years. Miranda and Charlotte decide to have a drink at the bar in their hotel room when Miranda decides to try to get Charlotte to unload her motherhood guilt. To get her to open up, Charlotte says something to the effect of, "Men want women to either choose to be happy in their careers or with their family. They can't have it both because something's got to give." The Sex and the City women have always drawn a lot of unwarranted criticism for being superficial clotheswhores who live in another dimension that doesn't resemble the real world. But this isn't entirely true. Sure, they live in an escapist fantasy version of the real world, much like the world of Top Hat or any number of 1930's films, but they at least acknowledge some of the problems women have to deal with. It's still a man's world, unfortunately, and judging by the male critics' reaction to this film, they refuse to see things differently. Women can have it all, but it's the men who make them feel guilty for wanting to have it all. And, heaven forbid, if they want a few days for themselves away from their responsibilities, they are the worst women and mothers in the world...

Didn't Like
1. But How? ...The main problem with Sex and the City 2 is the fact that it really doesn't discuss this issue as in-depth as it should. I understand that this film is escapist fun, but in a movie with a 2.5 hour runtime, more than 3 minutes could have been devoted to defending themselves from all of the rabid haters.
2. Loss of Characterization I've never seen an episode of the TV series and my only exposure to these women is through the first movie (which I only saw for J. Hud!) so maybe this isn't my place to say, but I felt like even between the first and second films, the characters seemed to have undergone some whitewashing. Sure, Samantha was still a whore, but the other three felt less interesting as women this go-around. Miranda especially, who is my SATC doppelganger, wasn't a character so much as she was an encyclopedia of Middle Eastern knowledge.
3. Puns The phrase "interfuntion" is uttered at one point. Enough said.
4. "Haha, Aren't These Jokes Clever?" The one-liners felt so forced at some points. Not only where they completely artificial, earmarked as clever by the writer, but then the characters all had to laugh after every damn joke like it was the funniest thing ever said. For whatever reason, this irritates me in comedies more than anything else. It's not funny watching characters crack up at their own jokes.
5. The Fashion Listen, I'm all for women of a certain age embracing their sexuality and expressing themselves through designer fashions. But there comes a point when wearing some of the outfits Carrie and Samantha have to endure becomes embarrassing. There is a way to be sexy over 45 without having to dress like Miley Cyrus.

Overall Rating: C

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Britney's Videography: '(You Drive Me) Crazy' (The Stop Remix!)

Britney Spears '(You Drive Me) Crazy' (The Stop Remix) # # # # #
And here is where my main dilemma with Britney's videography comes into play. Having seen most of these videos literally hundreds of times, especially during my formative years, they have become so ingrained in my head, I have a hard time discerning whether they are "good" or "bad." The prime example of this conundrum happens to be '(You Drive Me) Crazy,' the third single off her first album and the one that probably solidified her fame in my (and probably many others') mind. The video's premise--a bunch of people dancing in a stand-alone soundstage--is one I not only despise now but considered lazy even at the tender age of 11 (Backstreet Boys' 'All I Have to Give,' I'm looking at you). Nothing particularly happens in the video nor does it really work to advance or expound her star persona in any meaningful way. So what about this video has me fondly reminiscing about it many years later, often recalling minute details with the precision of an autistic child? Beats the hell out of me. I suspect the fact that I consider '(You Drive Me) Crazy,' on a good day, my favorite Britney recording of all time (on a bad day, top three easily) plays a large roll in it. Other than that, I can only guess. Looking back on this in 2010, what strikes me the most about the video is the ease with which Britney carries the video past its simplistic set-up. Here's a 17-year-old girl, three singles into a music career which has already made her a mega-star and the most talked about teen vixen since Lolita. Already, armed with nothing more than an emerald green top, a silly "boys vs. girls" dance-off and the word "CRAZY" spelled out in bright red neon lights, she knows how to captivate her audience and keep them entertained for 3.5 minutes. Britney is even starting to slowly work the diva side of her, as in the moment where she yells "Stop!" in the middle of the song and everything and everyone around suddenly shuts up. This is something she would learn to nurture as she progressed in her career, but, at that moment in time, it was our first glimpse into what this "down home" girl had to offer besides a complicated sexuality.


Saturday, May 29, 2010

Kubrick Fan, Eh?


Do you reckon Simon's more of a Dr. Strangelove sort of guy, or does he lean towards 2001: A Space Odyssey?

(More Simon Nessman loving here)

Friday, May 28, 2010

2009 Diva Cup Awards: Best Picture and Director

Best Director

Neill Blomkamp
District 9

Tom Ford
A Single Man

Greg Mottola
Adventureland

Oren Moverman
The Messenger

Erick Zonca
Julia

And the Diva Cup Goes to: Neill Blomkamp, District 9

Best Picture/Top 10 Films of the Year

10. (500) Days of Summer
Directed by Marc Webb
The film wears its aspiration to be the new Annie Hall on its sleeve, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more charming or downright fun romantic comedy.











9. Precious
Directed by Lee Daniels
An uncompromising film which presents its ugliness as honestly as a Toni Morrison novel. A few flourishes distract, but Precious is raw, emotional cinema.











8. Jennifer's Body
Directed by Karyn Kusama
The most undervalued film of the year, not only because people didn't want to like it from the start but also because no one--not even the film's marketers--really understood what screenwriter Diablo Cody was aiming for. This isn't a straight horror film like the trailers want you to believe but, rather, a black horror comedy about the fairer sex getting their revenge on male oppressors.








7. [Rec]
Directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza
Released in Spain in 2007, [Rec] made its US debut on DVD this year after the relative success of its American remake Quarantine. I have yet to see the remake, but I can't imagine wanting to be compared to this nightmare of a film. This is how all horror films should be: suspenseful, twisted and horrifically shocking. If that final scene in the locked apartment don't give you nightmares, you are the bravest person in the world.







6. The Brothers Bloom
Directed by Rian Johnson
A delicious con game of a film. Johnson does a masterful job masking his deception, keeping us guessing until the bitter end.












5. Adventureland
Directed by Greg Mottola
What could have been played for cheap laughs is handled with an unexpected maturity. Mottola gets the most out one of the most random ensembles ever assembled as they help turn Adventureland from Superbad Redux to something as smart as Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.









4. A Single Man
Directed by Tom Ford
Where many found empty stylistics and visuals covering up an even emptier core, I found beautiful imagery used to amplify just how lonely and ugly George's, said "single man" of the film, world is. Call me crazy, but it works.










3. Julia
Directed by Erick Zonca
This is one film not afraid of its leading lady and her mammoth performance. Zonca and company matches Ms. Swinton every step of the (batshit crazy) way.











2. The Messenger
Directed by Oren Moverman
A quiet, keenly observed human drama about three regular people dealing with the Iraq War. There are no grand pronouncements nor are any "messages" spelled out as obviously as in this film's generic cousin Up in the Air; this is just a smart movie whose strengths lie in the underplayed.










1. District 9
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
I still think is the best decription for District 9 (from my post honoring my favorite films of the decade): "I wanted to vomit. I wanted to cry. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to hide. I'm pretty sure I felt every possible human emotion throughout the course of District 9. I loved every minute of it."







And the Diva Cup Goes to: District 9



Nomination Tally:

9 Nominations
District 9
A Single Man

8 Nominations
Precious

7 Nominations
The Brothers Bloom
The Messenger

6 Nominations
(500) Days of Summer
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Star Trek

5 Nominations
Adventureland

4 Nominations
An Education
In the Loop
The Informant!
Julia

3 Nominations
Away We Go
The Box
Jennifer's Body
Obsessed
[Rec]
Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself

2 Nominations
17 Again
Antichrist
Avatar
Drag Me to Hell
The Headless Woman
The Lovely Bones
Sunshine Cleaning
Twilight Saga: New Moon
Up

1 Nomination
La Belle Personne
Confessions of a Shopaholic
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Funny People
Grey Gardens
Julie & Julia
Moon
Ponyo

Win Tally:

4 Wins
District 9

3 Wins
The Brothers Bloom
Precious

2 Wins
Jennifer's Body
Obsessed

1 Win
Adventureland
Avatar
Drag Me to Hell
An Education
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Headless Woman
The Informant!
Julia
The Messenger
Nine
[Rec]
Twilight Saga: New Moon

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Britney's Videography: 'Sometimes'

Britney Spears 'Sometimes' # # # # #
Coming on the heels of her controversy-igniting '...Baby One More Time' video, her clip for the second single, 'Sometimes,' almost appears to be a step backwards for her. Whereas '...Baby One More Time' was in-your-face and persistent in its mission to catapult Britney into the limelight, 'Sometimes' is quieter, more subdued and less willing to make any of the bold statements '...Baby One More Time' does. This isn't a direct criticism of the video--in fact, this treatment works better for both the song and as a response to the criticism she received from '...Baby One More Time.' 'Sometimes' is a sweet, simple pop song about the rocky road known as young love, and the video's modest nature matches. She pines from afar, mopes with her girls (whose heads are curiously cut off in the scene where she hangs with them), recalls fond memories with the hot boy who can't quite figure her out and performs a dance of love and devotion on a pier. There's nothing flashy here, no attempt to add unnecessary plot, which, judging by today's GaGa complicated standards, is a complete relief. Even in the video's simplicity, Britney is able to make a sly commentary on her sexuality. Many of her outfits in 'Sometimes' are white, obviously referring to the color's connection with virginity. Again, she's flaunting her innocence in our faces, laughing at our misconceptions about her before winking to (maybe) affirm after all what we've always thought (possibly). Britney, for all her innocence and instant fame, almost remains an enigma who is impossible to truly decipher. And instead of answering those questions, 'Sometimes' merely raises more while maintaining a poker face.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

"Sorry, I cannot hear you I'm kinda bizeh"

Britney's Videography: '...Baby One More Time'

As a child of the TRL Generation, Britney Spears has become a very important figure in my life. Her meteoric rise to fame happened concurrently with my initial immersion in pop culture and the two have become inexplicably intertwined ever since. When, during a particularly strange time in my life, I swore off pop music, Britney also took a break from recording to get married and start a family. After I started college and began openly loving pop music again, she came back in a big way, although not necessarily in a positive way. Ever since the week where her vagina was photographed on three separate occasions, I knew there was no leaving her again. Thankfully, she followed through on my commitment with Blackout and Circus, two of her strongest albums. A couple of months ago, I decided to re-listen to her old albums, some for the first time in many, many years. And, unsurprisingly, I have become obsessed once again with Ms. Spears So now the time has come to pay tribute to our original Pop Princess, but how do I go about this? I tossed a couple of ideas around in my head, but I ultimately decided to go through her music videos one by one and discuss her evolution as a pop star. I figured this was an appropriate way to honor her since she is as much of a visual artist as she is a musical one. She's given us many timeless music video moments that will live on in infamy for many years to come. Britney is a true one-of-a-kind artist, and I'm honored to do my part in honoring her importance in pop culture.

Britney Spears '...Baby One More Time' # # # # #
The video that started it all. From the moment that infamous three-note riff blasts over the soundtrack and Britney appears in that Catholic schoolgirl uniform, in all of her Lolita glory, this woman had us under her spell indefinitely. In terms of concept, the '...Baby One More Time' is not exactly groundbreaking in any discernible way: she does some (admittedly fantastic) dancing on three different set pieces inside a high school. Where the genius lies is in the way the video immediately cues us into the complicated persona Britney is trying to establish. The Catholic schoolgirl fantasy has been widely known as a popular sex fantasy, particularly for older men. So when 17 year old Britney Spears comes sauntering down the hallway with her shirt rolled up and tied in front to reveal her stomach while sporting infantile pigtails with fuzzy pink hair ties, she is blatantly selling this schoolgirl as a sexual image. She almost seems to taunt us with her sexuality, presenting this untouchable young woman who knows she drives the (older) boys crazy but also realizes they can't do anything about it. But it's not as if Britney is exactly blatant about her sexuality either. This is not the same Britney who would later on where nothing but a suit of well-placed diamonds in the 'Toxic' video. There is nothing outright inappropriate about her clothing in the video. Besides her Catholic schoolgirl uniform, she wears what amounts to a sports bra and workout pants; not exactly school appropriate but nothing exactly "slutty" either. Where her sexuality lies is in the juxtaposition between her doe-eyed innocence and her jailbaitiness, and that's what most people had a problem with. '...Baby One More Time' simultaneously introduced a brand new pop star, flaunted her unique brand of sexuality upon the world and started a controversy over Britney's identity that lasts to this day. How many music videos can admit to doing all that in a short 3.5 minute span?

Monday, May 24, 2010

Sex Hair




2009 Diva Cup Awards: The Actors

Best Actor

Matt Damon
The Informant!
Part of the joy of The Informant! is the fact that Damon plays this clueless buffoon without any sense of superiority. He doesn't hate the character and doesn't want the audience to either. He can't help the lies he tells and doesn't understand why people are so aghast. In his mind, he honestly believes he's a hero and standing up for the little man in his takedown of the company he works for. The character is clueless, but Damon is not and delivers laugh after laugh, especially with those nonsensical voiceovers, portraying this very confused man.

Colin Firth
A Single Man
As the hollowed-out core of director Tom Ford's beautiful valentine to a recently departed lover, Firth has the hard task of being emotionally dead while also remaining a vessel interesting enough to base an entire film around. Usually you can only be one thing or the other, but Firth (with the help of Ford's directorial gaze) manages to find the beauty and intrigue in melancholia and suffering. The repression of early 60's America has forced Firth to stay silent about his pain and you can see it slowly eating away at him until his insides are rotting. It's an unexpectedly moving performance Firth and hopefully a sign of great things to come from him.

Ben Foster
The Messenger
I've been quietly waiting for Ben Foster to make his next big move after his impressive supporting work in 3:10 to Yuma, and, with The Messenger, he proved yet again that he's an actor to watch. He has no big Oscar moments, nor does he call needless attention to himself as a performer. His performance here is the very definition of "lived-in." Foster walks on a tightrope throughout most of the film, his rawness either threatening to explode outwards or implode in on himself. His performance here is nothing short of miraculous and makes a grand case for more work for him in the future.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
(500) Days of Summer
This isn't an acting exercise for Gordon-Levitt--come on, this is the kid who did Mysterious Skin a few years back--so much as it is a way for him to explore his star persona and charisma in an atypical project. He's an absolute joy to watch on screen, whether he's falling in love in Ikea, singing a musical number after getting some or trying to move on with his life after losing "the one." JGL makes it all look so easy and effortless, which is often times the hardest thing for an actor to do.

Sam Rockwell
Moon
Poor Sam Rockwell. The man is always game, but it rarely seems like the projects he's involved with have the ability to match him quality-wise. Moon is another one of these films, although I suppose I'm in the minority when I admit I'm not a huge fan. Rockwell, though, has never been better than here as a pair of cloned astronauts trapped in a lunar space station. Playing twins is the perfect way to "prove" how good of an actor you are as they often allow you to play two completely different people in the same film. Moon, however, is more in line something like Dead Ringers based upon the fact that it's not interested in exploring the difference between the two characters. Rockwell is interested in exploring the interaction between them and the ways they can fuck around with each other, building up suspense where the film doesn't. He propels the film forward and keeps you interested long after the film has stopped giving a damn about the central "mystery" (and I do use that term loosely). Rockwell isn't reinventing the wheel here, but he does have a good time making his own.

And the Diva Cup Goes to: Ben Foster, The Messenger

Best Actress

Drew Barrymore
Grey Gardens
While everyone else was talking about a different rom-com queen's star turn which nabbed a certain someone a deserved, if not especially revelatory, Oscar, Drew Barrymore was stuck on the sidelines all seasons, relegated to the less glamorous TV movie categories at all the award shows. Yes, Grey Gardens is in fact a TV movie, but when you have a performance like this that makes you reevaluate the performer's entire career, I think bending the rules is justified. Barrymore has a lot working against her with this character, most notably that infamous Little Edie accent which could trip up even the most gifted vocal imitators, yet she never looks like she is having a difficult time with it. In fact, she seems to be having fun in taking a risk like this, relishing every moment to show us something we haven't seen before. What remains most memorable about Barrymore's performance is the vitality and vivaciousness of her Little Edie and how she plays the character's "strangeness" as endearing quirks; her Little Edie is not someone to be pitied. Bullock may have the Oscar, but Barrymore was the one who truly wowed.

Beyoncé
Obsessed
A bit of a left field pick, I must admit, but just go with me on this. Normally, we judge acting by how well an actor or actress "inhabits" a character, how deep they dig within themselves to become the character they are portraying; actors such as Cate Blanchett have earned many accolades and fans for doing this over the years. Sometimes, however, a film doesn't require this level of cerebral thought. Sometimes, all an actor needs to do is simply be alive in the film and willing to do whatever it takes to make the film successful. A film such as Obsessed, a lame Fatal Attraction rip-off, needs all the help it could get and thankfully, Beyoncé was there to lend a hand. She knew the film was in trouble as soon as read the script and new it was up to her to spice it up. She doesn't portray a character so much as she's a walking, hulking presence throughout most of the film. Beyoncé doesn't approach the role in an actorly way and, frankly, that was the smartest thing she could have done. Any attempt at making this story look like serious drama would have made the film look even more ridiculous. B crafts her own unique spin in the role by using her in-bred diva and natural proclivity towards camp aesthetic. If this is Razzie-worthy acting, well, I'd like to see another actress tackle this role and come out shining like Beyoncé.

Taraji P. Henson
Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself
From my review of the film and Henson's performance: "The film and April's progression as a character often takes the expected path--let's just say that the ending doesn't exactly need a spoiler warning--but Taraji P. Henson plays every scene like it's all brand new. It is often astonishing watching her doing something countless other actresses before her have done and make it really come alive for us in the audience. Her entrance alone, fro-ed out, sashaying to the rhythm of Aretha Franklin's 'Rock Steady' and propelling herself into the opening frames of the film like an unstoppable force of nature, speaks volumes about the direction Henson is taking with this character. She's going to be fierce, loud, in your face and if you don't like it, well you can suck it...It's at this point that Henson recites this beautifully gin-soaked monologue about her own past with sexual abuse. She goes on about how men can't be trusted, especially ones that like to be around children. Then, the monologue takes a sharp turn as she starts aiming her dagger of hatred and suspicion toward the hot Latino who, at this point, has been the sole source of support for the children since their grandmother vanished. She questions his motives for spending so much time with them before, loudly, outright accusing him of molesting the children. April has been so damaged and jaded by all of the men in her life she becomes suspicious of anyone gets close to her; eventually they're just going to turn on her, so why bother? Henson does this monologue and scene a world of justice, sharply navigating the turnabout from one subject to another and making it all go together coherently."

Maya Rudolph
Away We Go
We all know and love Maya Rudolph as the sketch comedian who once made SNL a can't-miss show every week. In Away We Go, however, Rudolph is forced to challenge herself as one-half of a couple hoping to find themselves and the perfect place to raise their child. She nails the comedy bits perfectly, using a dry wit to match Mendes' subdued handling of the material. What's even more surprising is the fact that she's even more interesting during the emotional sections of the movie. Rudolph doesn't do a whole lot, but her warm face betrays a lot of the confusion and deep soul-searching she is forced to do in reevaluating her life. The final scene, when Rudolph and her on-screen husband John Krasinski finally choose their new home, works all because of her. By the end, she has become the heart and soul of the film, and seeing her so happy in her decision is the perfect reward for watching the film.

Tilda Swinton
Julia
Wow. How does one go about describing this performance in mere words? Even something as simple as "Drunken whore helps deranged neighbor kidnap her own child, gets in over her head, takes kid to Mexico only to have him kidnapped by someone else, starts to care for the kid but not in the pussy way you would expect in a Hollywood film" sounds nutty beyond belief. I suppose that's inescapable since Julia oscillates like an out of control ceiling fan on the verge of collapsing. Swinton obviously relishes this unpredictably and rises to the challenge of shouldering the film so it doesn't collapse around her. What's even more unpredictable are Swinton's acting choices as this normally cerebral actress opens up more than I've ever seen in my admittedly limited exposure to her work. You can almost feel the sweat dripping from her pores when things start (and continue) to go wrong. And her outward reactions to the characters surrounding her are priceless, especially the moment when her neighbor who launches the kidnapping plan goes completely off the deep end and Swinton shoots her this look like "Bitch, what the fuck are you doing?" The entire two and a half hour runtime is filled with moments like this that enrich both Swinton's monumental performance and the film as a whole. Swinton is a living legend and it's good to see her continue to challenge herself when many other actresses in her position have all but abandoned their indie spirit.

And the Diva Cup Goes to: Tilda Swinton, Julia

Best Supporting Actor

Adam Brody
Jennifer's Body
A gleefully underrated star turn by the one and only Seth Cohen in a film no one seemed to pay much attention to after savagely tearing it apart upon release. That's such a shame since Brody is obviously having a ball playing the villainous, opportunistic lead singer of an indie rock band willing to sell someone else's soul for fame and fortune. Just like Ellen Page, Brody is a perfect match for Diablo Cody's gloriously overwritten dialogue. In the wrong hands, her vernacular could sound forced and unconvincing, but Brody kills the one-liners he is given; I was literally cracking up at every line during his big scene with Megan Fox. He invented the dorkalicious persona that Michael Cera and Jesse Eisenberg now use as their stock-in-trade, so why isn't he being used up to his full potential?

Peter Capaldi
In the Loop
Capaldi's performance in the political satire In the Loop can basically be summarized as a symphony of cuss words. While it's true that there is no other actor on the planet who swears as well as he does (see also his hilarious work on Skins as Sid's father), he also uses the profanity as a device for understanding the character and his importance in the film. His character is the loudest in the film and his cursing is the way he gets his message across. It doesn't matter what he is saying--as long as he's the loudest, he'll always get his way. And he does, scarily, by the end of the film.

Woody Harrelson
The Messenger
I suppose it's the reason he got a much deserved Oscar nomination, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that that breakdown scene at the very end of the film was what completely convinced me of Harrelson's worth here. Seeing that tiny crack in his foundation only proved how well Harrelson had set up the character's (and our) belief that everything was really okay.

Mark Ruffalo
The Brothers Bloom
Ruffalo, right from his big breakthrough in You Can Count On Me, has always had this roguish sort of charm about him. He's never exactly a bad guy, yet he always gives the impression that there's a little naughtiness just underneath the surface. As a con man trying to lure his brother into doing one last con, Ruffalo gets to explore this facet of his personality. He takes obvious pleasure in constructing this game for both his brother and their target, but it's almost as if the reasons he does this don't even register with him anymore. He's so lost in his own little fantasy con world he can't quite assimilate with real people in the real world anymore.

Christoph Waltz
Inglourious Basterds
Everything one could possibly say about Waltz and his Oscar-winning performance in Inglourious Basterds has been said. The role of a charming psychopath killer is not exactly new, but Waltz makes it feel completely fresh. He's a sadistic son of a bitch who toys with people emotions, yet he can be a regular Cary Grant, chatting you up with a friendly grin on his face and completely charming the pants off you. You never know which Waltz you're going to get and the surprise is half the fun. That's a bingo.

And the Diva Cup Goes to: Adam Brody, Jennifer's Body

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt
Sunshine Cleaning
When Emily Blunt earned mad critical love for her work in The Devil Wears Prada, I must admit I was a little surprised. Not that she's bad by any means, it's just that she isn't given very much to do in the film. She says a couple of bitchy lines, gets a few guffaws and that's it; there's no meat for Blunt to really sink her teeth into. With Sunshine Cleaning, Blunt is given an opportunity to mine the dark, edgy side of her personality. She's given ample opportunity to be funny as the loser sister who can't seem to get her act together, but she also excels in the film's darker moments. A typical monologue about the death of her mother becomes in her hands an uncomfortable, blabbering breakdown worthy of Ronee Blakley in Nashville. Vivid work from a young woman with huge potential.

Rinko Kikuchi
The Brothers Bloom
The character Kikuchi plays in The Brothers Bloom, Bang Bang, is nothing more than a plot device, an easy joke to get certain scenes moving. Kikuchi, her second time playing a mute character after her Oscar-nominated work in Babel, rises above the shallowness of the role to make something interesting out of it. Taking from silent films, Japanese anime and action blockbusters as her inspiration, she creates her own unique spin on the "munitions expert" every film of this sort needs. Much like Beyoncé, she's vivid and alive in every scene she's in. Kikuchi doesn't let the handicaps of the role carry her--she works to remain a constant pleasure whenever she pops up.

Mo'Nique
Precious
With a character as dominant and tyrannical as Mary Jones, an actress wouldn't really have to push themselves to earn acclaim. And, at first, it appeared like Mo'Nique would fall into this trap as Lee Daniels kowtowed to the role and Mo'Nique unquestionable presence as an actress. Then, suddenly, something clicked and Daniels seemed to be pushing her to do more than just be intimidating. Mo'Nique's Mary became unpredictable, almost unreadable, an altogether more frightening creature than her already horrific traits suggest. Her complete emotional meltdown at the end of the film is the final nail in the coffin for Mo'Nique's immersion in the role. Instead of focusing on the pity her monologue could elicit, she highlights Mary's ignorance to further show just how lucky Precious is for getting out of that situation. With a bunch of smart choices, Mo'Nique more than lived up to the hype her performance here generated.

Samantha Morton
The Messenger
The appeal of Samantha Morton is often lost on me. She's pleasant enough to watch, but I'd hardly seek out a film just because she was in it. So the fact that her characteristically subdued and lived-in performance in The Messenger worked so well for me this go-around was a pleasant surprise. Morton works immaculately, often almost unrecognizably, within the confines of The Messenger's iceberg of emotions--90% of the emotion is buried underneath the surface. She's a wizard at using just her face to portray a wide variety of emotions, and it's often the haunting contortions of her face that stick out the most when I think back on this movie. How she was passed over for an Oscar nom in favor of Penélope Cruz slutting it up in Nine will remain a complete mystery.

Olivia Williams
An Education
From my post for the 2009 Supporting Actress Blog-a-thon: "Williams' Miss Stubbs, with her hair pulled straight back into a too-tight ponytail and thick, horn-rimmed glasses, is presented as the traditional, straight-laced British teacher we have seen in films for decades. She's not supposed to care about her students, their feelings or their personal lives outside of class; her job is to teach and that's that. At first, Miss Stubbs seems to follow that archetype quite well, but as the film progresses, we see her shed that image layer by layer. Miss Stubbs constantly struggles with the idea of seeing her students as actual people and has to resist interjecting herself in their situations...Williams says so much about her character while not doing much. Her face stays stoic throughout the entire scene, yet her eyes betray a deeply resonant sense of sorrow and pity when Jenny shoots her and her profession down in an angry response to Miss Stubbs's plea. But she isn't sad that Jenny has insulted her, or at least not completely. What really upsets her is that she hasn't gotten through to Jenny, her desperate pleas have fallen on deaf ears...She doesn't have a typical 'Oscar scene' to lean on or what you would call a fully-explored character arc, yet she still gives probably the most realized and complete performance in the entire film."

And the Diva Cup Goes to: Olivia Williams, An Education

Sunday, May 23, 2010

A Defense of Kristen Stewart's BAFTA Rising Star Award...About Three Months Later

I wrote this piece for a project that never got off the ground soon after the BAFTA Awards this year. I was tempted to just toss it out for its irrelevancy, but I think I say some things in here that need to be said. As a lifelong Kristen Stewart lover, I am a bit tired of having to defend her every time I open my mouth when there are so many other actors in her position that seem to get a free pass. Anyways, just ignore the fact this is old news and focus on my defense.

Kristen Stewart’s (admittedly unsurprising) win at the BAFTAs last weekend a couple months ago caused a major ruckus among “serious” film buffs, bloggers and critics. Well, I am here (also unsurprisingly) to stand up for Ms. Stewart and her win, a well-deserved one at that. First of all, let’s get one major thing out of the way: the Orange Rising Star Award is a major load of bollocks. In all honestly, if you’re going to get so upset about an award that basically amounts to the same thing as a People’s Choice Award, congratulations, you are officially the saddest person on the planet. I, for one, have better things to save my irrational hatred for (for instance, American Idol results or the Oscars).

Secondly, looking at Stewart’s competition in the category, as stiff as it was, she still deserved the damn award. No offense to Tahar Rahim, who I’m sure is wonderful in A Prophet, but in all seriousness, what does this award matter to him? As a French Arab, he has about a 5% chance of ever being in a film that receives international distribution again (let alone one with the acclaim of A Prophet). He may be fantastic in the film, but a breakthrough artist award seems a bit silly. I like Jesse Eisenberg. I adore his awkward shtick, plus he gets on my nerves less than Michael Cera does these days. But, honestly, an award for it seems too much at the moment. Give him a couple of films and let’s see if he is able to expand upon his persona in any significant way. You all know that Nicholas Hoult is my new boo. I’m truly thrilled that he is finally getting international exposure after being on the brink for oh-so-long. With that being said, however, A Single Man is seriously the least interesting performance I’ve seen from him. He is not bad in the role; rather, the role requires very little of him besides to get naked (oh how glorious that is!) and to be a lusty object of affection for both Colin Firth’s George and Tom Ford himself. If he was nominated in 2007 when series one of Skins was on the air, then I could see giving him the award for that staggering, volatile performance. And now we come to Carey Mulligan, everyone’s favorite “It Girl’ for 2009. I’ve gotten a lot of flack for not being absolutely smitten with her and her performance in An Education. I keep insisting that, yes, I do think she’s rather good in An Education and can see a bright future for her. What I don’t think, however, is that she Revolutionized Screen Acting As We Know It as many of her supporters seem to think. My God, she’s not Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire. Mulligan offers a nice, pleasant, occasionally grating, performance but nothing more. Besides, wasn’t her Best Actress win enough of a compensation for not winning this silly award? Oh no. She must win every award under the sun because she is the greatest British actor around since Sir Laurence Olivier.


So what about Kristen Stewart? How about I start off with my usual list of reasons why I love her: She’s refreshingly awkward and unpolished. She couldn’t craft a sound byte to save her life. Her “Stewart-isms” are soothing for me. Her performances, Twilight aside, are risky and unexpected. Unlike most 19-year old actresses slumming it in cheap high school romantic comedies and horror movies, she revels in dark, moody works that allow her to wallow in wordless distress. I could probably go on and on, but I will stop right there. I find it ridiculous that, over and over again, I find myself defending her from Stewart-haters who can’t seem to get over the fact that she stars in Twilight, which, by golly, is consistently pretty bad but also made a shit-ton of money. As if she’s the first actress to act in a shitty, high-grossing film series solely for a nice paycheck and career exposure. “But,” I’m sure you’re arguing, “she won this award for those movies!” Yes, she did; I can’t argue with that. But, Shia LaBeouf also won this very same award two years ago after the mega success of a little film called Transformers, and no one seemed to give a shit then. Why? Because he’s a “serious” actor who is “serious” about his craft. Yeah. Everything he’s done since then--Indiana Jones, Eagle Eye, Transformers 2--has been solely for the advancement of the art form. If you’re going to discredit an actor solely on what they won for, at least do it consistently (But Shia constantly gets a free pass from everyone, for God knows whatever reason. If Kristen Stewart had done half the shit he has, she would have been crucified by now. But I digress). But, if anyone had bothered watching New Moon before they started bitching about anything and everything about it, they might have noticed that Stewart was noticeably better this go-around, much breezier and smoother than she was in the first installment. She’s not earth-shattering by any means, but, then again, she’s hardly a commercial actress meant for blockbusters. In a way, I imagine she’ll have a career much like Nicole Kidman’s once this Twilight business ends: every couple of years she’ll pop out a commercial film that will most likely not do very well at the box office, but in between she’ll flourish with risky, dark, uncommercial indies. With the potential for this, how can you not support Stewart and her Rising Star Award? She appears to be going places, but even if she crashes and burns, it will be damn interesting watching her doing it.

"If you love me, trust in me. The way that I trust in you."

Friday, May 21, 2010

The Tragedy of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

The 1938 version of Marie Antoinette, starring the eternal Queen of MGM, Norma Shearer, is far from what you might call "historically accurate." According to the film, Marie and her husband King Louis XVI (Robert Morley) were completely innocent from blame for their part in the French Revolution. It was all some silly misunderstanding involving an expensive necklace that set off the blood thirsty French citizens and (wrongly) sent Marie and company to the guillotine. The film often portrays Marie as this savior of sorts who tries her damnedest to do the right thing but always ends up with the short end of the stick. If anything, this version of Marie Antoinette tries to avoid at all costs associating Shearer with the same woman who famously quipped, "Let them eat cake" when accosted with the rampant starvation in her kingdom. So, as a history lesson, Marie Antoinette fails miserably. But as a tragedy about a helpless woman who sees her beautiful world swiftly crumbling around her, few films then or now can match Marie Antoinette.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Marie Antoinette is how her relationships with her husband and her Swedish lover (Tyrone Power) are developed in a completely atypical manner from both the time it was made and now. When she arrives in Paris after the arrangements for her to marry Louis, Dauphin of France at this point, are made, she is excited about the prospect of marriage. However, she soon discovers that her husband-to-be is a social retard more interested in tinkering with locks than being king. Norma's Marie is disappointed, but she heeds her mother's advice and does her best to find common ground and encourage him like a good wife should. On their second wedding anniversary, he makes Marie a spinning wheel by hand. She marvels at it and acts as if it is the greatest gift she has ever received. When Louis' cousin laughs at the gift and she sees Louis' crushed face, she too is wounded by the insult. There is a bond between these two misfits of the court that continuously grows through the years. They become intimate in a way that is much different than the passionate intimacy that erupts between Marie and the Tyrone Power character. This is intimacy that comes from raising kids and making important decisions that effect a great number of people together. Tyrone Power may be, as the film tries to make him, the one true love of her life, but Louis was the one she could always depend on. It is probably not until their final scene together when Louis has announced his beheading the next morning that Marie finally realizes just how much he has meant to her over the years. "We've been together quite a few years, haven't we?" he asks while trying to comfort her, "You've been very good to me." "It's easy to be good to those we love," she responds back, sobbing into his hand. In a movie which appears to be stuffed to the brim full of artificiality, it is moments like these that prove Marie Antoinette has a heart beating loud and clear underneath all the bustle of giant sets, even larger dresses and a larger than life actress in Norma Shearer.

But even Norma Shearer, an actress I love for always going for broke whenever she's onscreen yet who remains fascinating in both her good and bad performances, knows when to dial it down in Marie Antoinette. Sure, she occasionally lapses into one of her usual "Shearerisms," as when she runs down a flight of stairs with her outstretched arms to meet her lover, but these blips rarely distract from the magic she creates onscreen. This is especially true in the second half when the film gives her some true meat to sink into. There are moments such as the scene where Louis becomes king and Marie, having just returned from leaving her lover, is unresponsive to the news when Shearer is--and I never thought I'd say this about one of her performances--completely natural and without pretense. Her morose mask of a face betrays every feeling she is going through. It's a quietly devastating moment and something unlike I've ever seen Shearer do before. Of course, however, there are scenes when Norma is at her go-for-broke best, highlighting her character's tense state of mind while locked in the Bastille. Not once does she give into her in-bred artificiality. I don't know if becoming a mother had anything to do with this, but any of the later scenes involving her children are excruciating to watch in their vividness. At one point, right after Louis is guillotined, the guards come for Marie's son. She completely loses it and snaps, protecting her child with all her every bone and limb in her . When she is finally convinced to release him, it's like they have pulled the child right from her womb. The moment is difficult to watch but only adds to the richness of Shearer's performance. And instead of becoming a hindrance to the film's emotional core, she becomes the film's heart and soul. Not bad for an actress who supposedly fucked her way to the top. B+

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

2009 Diva Cup Awards: The Oscar Categories

Next up in my Diva Cup Awards are the traditional Oscar categories. I've decided to forgo explanations for my picks because, quite simply, I'm ready to move on from 2009 and can't be bothered to write a little quip about the makeup in Drag Me to Hell. If you're curious, though, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail. I always appreciate a friendly conversation with my (seven) readers.

Best Original Screenplay

(500) Days of Summer
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber














Adventureland
Greg Mottola














The Brothers Bloom
Rian Johnson













Jennifer's Body
Diablo Cody













The Messenger
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman












And the Diva Cup Goes to: Jennifer's Body


Best Adapted Screenplay


District 9
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell













In the Loop
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche














The Informant!
Scott Z. Burns













Julie & Julia
Nora Ephron














Precious
Geoffrey Fletcher












And the Diva Cup Goes to: Precious


Best Cinematography


Antichrist
Anthony Dod Mantle


District 9
Trent Opaloch


The Headless Woman
Bárbara Álvarez


[Rec]
Pablo Rosso


A Single Man
Eduard Grau


And the Diva Cup Goes to: [Rec]


Best Editing


District 9
Julian Clarke


Inglourious Basterds
Sally Menke


[Rec]
David Gallart


A Single Man
Joan Sobel


Sunshine Cleaning
Heather Persons

And the Diva Cup Goes to: District 9


Best Score



The Box
Win Butler, Régine Chassagne and Owen Pallett

The Informant!
Marvin Hamlisch



Ponyo

Joe Hisaishi



Star Trek

Michael Giacchino



Up

Michael Giacchino

And the Diva Cup Goes to: The Informant!


Best Song



La Belle Personne
'Comme la Pluie'
Music and lyrics by Alex Beaupain
Performed by Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet




Nine

'Cinema Italiano'
Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
Performed by Kate Hudson



Nine

'Take It All'
Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
Performed by Marion Cotillard


And the Diva Cup Goes to: Nine ('Take It All')


Best Art Direction


The Box
Priscilla Elliott


The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Francesca Maxwell


Precious
Matteo De Cosmo


A Single Man
Ian Phillips


Up

And the Diva Cup Goes to: The Fantastic Mr. Fox


Best Costume Design


(500) Days of Summer
Hope Hanafin


The Brothers Bloom
Beatrix Aruna Pasztor


Confessions of a Shopaholic
Patricia Field


Inglourious Basterds
Anna B. Sheppard


A Single Man
Arianne Phillips

And the Diva Cup Goes to: The Brothers Bloom


Best Sound

Avatar

The Box

District 9

Drag Me to Hell

Star Trek

And the Diva Cup Goes to:
Drag Me to Hell


Best Makeup

District 9

Drag Me to Hell

Star Trek

And the Diva Cup Goes to: District 9


Best Visual Effects

Avatar

District 9

Star Trek

And the Diva Cup Goes to: Avatar