And while I'm at it, well done Jeff!

It's not that I haven't watched other movies since my last post, but why not stick with a theme? I gave Sandra her due, so now it's Jeff Bridges' turn.

I never miss the Oscars. I look forward to them really (and I know very few people share that opinion), and for me, Oscar night is a party! But I am often disappointed in them. Seldom in the nominations (though don't even get me started on the whole, 10 nominations for best picture thing!), but often in the wins. It has all become very political hasn't it? No. I suppose not. It has always been very political, I simply didn't notice when I was younger. At any rate, while the performances that win best actor or best actress are often exceptional, I too frequently find myself left with the feeling that the performance had considerably less to do with the award than other factors. Having now seen both of the films that led to these awards this year (Way to late--I know. I'm very ashamed.), I am left feeling refreshed, and with some of my lost faith in the Academy renewed!

Crazy Heart is a fantastic film. It's a better film than The Blind Side, really. That alone is reason enough to go see it.

I think it tells a common story: a man loses his way in life, only to find that it's never to late to start living right again. It's just that sometimes it's done so much better than others. That's where a performance like Jeff Bridges' comes in. I felt that I had been there for his entire life, and not just the little part of it that the film was showing me. Without tedious flashbacks, or out of place monologues, I knew everything that I needed to know about Bad Blake's (the main character) relationship with Tommy (played very well by Colin Ferrell)--a relationship that is central to the audience's grasp of who exactly Bad is, and how he got where he is.

The film's pacing is a little different from the standard Hollywood film. I think it follows the standard 3 act layout, but it takes its time. Those of you who need action and suspense, consider yourself warned. This film is a character study of the highest caliber, and it is in no hurry. This of course, is not say that it is slow. I felt riveted throughout.

I think that we enjoy these stories, because even if we haven't screwed up quite that badly, we see pieces of ourselves in these characters. No matter how young or old we are, it's nice to be reminded every now and again that life never stops being worth living just because we've fallen off the tracks. Crazy Heart in its entirety, and Jeff Bridges with his exquisite performance, remind you of these things. Maybe I'm speaking with the sentimentality of a person going through a rough patch, but I think that even those of you relaxing on easy street will find something to relate to in this film, because none of us sits there all the time. Anyway, it's not my job to get preachy, so I'd better end it there. Go see this film, whoever you are. You won't regret it.

...

And if I can just add a quick P.S. Maggie Gyllenhaal? Awesome.

Oh Sandra, you deserved it after all.

Don't let the title of this post fool you. I'm not ragging on Sandra Bullock. You see, I've always rather liked Sandra Bullock. As a comedic actress, I think that she is impeccable. Sure she's made some crappy movies. I sometimes think that it just comes with the territory of being a comedic actor or actress that people want to pay more attention to your bad roles than your good ones. My theory is that it's because people expect more out of a comedy. They tend to attract wider audiences, and if they disappoint, more people will be talking about it. And comedies are not easy. Especially romantic comedies, (which Sandra Bullock seems to specialize in) because let's be honest: the formula for those is older than any of us (think It Happened One Night). But I digress. The romantic comedy issue is one to be addressed on another day.

No. Today I am not writing about a romantic comedy. I am writing about The Blind Side. Have you ever watched a movie, and just known that you were being manipulated? To be more specific, consider films like Message in a Bottle, or City of Angels (which is a bad example until you get to the end). I mean, did the director or writer or whoever even have a goal other than to make you cry? Did they sit there and tell themselves that they are talented simply because they could do that? I think about that sometimes when I'm watching a movie. Anyway, that's what happened during The Blind Side. I knew I was being manipulated. They designed that movie to make girls like me sit there, get all choked up and say "Aw..." And while the film was very effective at this (The number of times I said "Aw..." is embarrassing, and we won't discuss it here), I still felt just a little manipulated. I mean I guess that's what a "feel good" film is supposed to do, and certainly the real life story is inspiring, but in this case it could have been way over the top.

So why wasn't it? I mean, if I had to rate it I think I would give this film an enthusiastic 4 out of 5 stars. The answer is simple: it was Sandra Bullock. And before I launch in to a paragraph to sing her praises, let me say first that she didn't save a bad film. It had many other qualities to recommend it. It was well paced, and well acted all around. The story was good, and the delivery coherent. The film would have stood without her. But man, did she make it shine.

I must admit, in spite of the fact that I am fond of Sandra Bullock and her work, I was a bit skeptical when she one the Oscar (Because to my undying shame, I had not seen the movie yet. Gotta pin the blame for that one on Law School). I suspected we had, what I would like to title, another "Julia Roberts incident." Oh come on. You know what I'm talking about. I saw Erin Brockovich. She won that Oscar because somehow, and America's Sweetheart type of hype got built up around her, very Obama style (Not a reflection on my political viewpoints, fyi). It wasn't a bad movie, and she wasn't bad in it, but the Oscar was better deserved elsewhere.

Perhaps in my skepticism I overlooked the crucial contribution that Sandra Bullock offered to one of my all time favorite films, Crash. I mean, clearly the woman's talent is not limited to her comedic efforts. But still, based on the previews, I couldn't help but be suspcious. I was very wrong. Sandra Bullock delivered a performance that was so stunning, I didn't even care that I was being manipulated. The vigor that she infused into the character she played could not possibly have duplicated. When you sit to watch The Blind Side, you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are watching a film that would not be the same with a different actress. I don't know how else to describe it, though I wish I could. I think it's something that you just have to witness for yourself. To say that she "lit up the screen" sounds trite, (and I hate sounding trite) but it's accurate. You simply did not want to take your eyes off of her. I was so in love with her character by the end of that film, that it almost didn't even matter what the rest of the film was about.

So there it is--my brief but very sincere ode to Sandra Bullock. Watch The Blind Side because it's a good film, and not just because she's fantastic in it. But if there are other critics out there besides myself who were suspicious of her well earned award, take the time to find out how wrong you are. It is well worth your time.

It seems rather absurd to me that I feel the need to write in defense of what has already become one of the highest grossing films of all time. (Though don't try to tell me that it has nothing to do with the extra $3 charge for a cheap, plastic pair of 3D glasses.) Still, we fantasy lovers walk a lonely path of persecution by our far cooler (or far more lame, depending on who you ask) friends. And perhaps before I continue with this line of thought, I should go ahead and make you all aware of a crucial element of my fascination with film: I am a special effects junkie.

The first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem, and I think that a lot of people would describe my paying to see disasters such as The Day After Tomorrow, as a problem. Still there is nothing like the thrill I feel when a few brilliant computer nerds manage to convince me that Los Angeles has be destroyed by tornadoes, or the white house has been destroyed by aliens, or that a dinosaur has escaped in San Francisco. The beauty of cinema is not found in special effects alone, but you gotta love the men and women that make our suspension of disbelief that much easier.

That being said, you can consider yourself warned if you want to disregard what I say. I wouldn't blame you. Avatar is a feast for the eyes, and a miracle for those who love special effects. But I hope you trust me enough to know that it's more than that for me. I would not advise you that a film was amazing just for the special effects ( I would only advise myself!)

So let's talk about Avatar. My roommate says its "an old story." To that I say: "Find me one that is not." All stories are the same. Why? Because human emotion is the same. A special movie--an important movie--is one that knows that and portrays it right. You don't sympathize with the characters in Avatar because you've been there (When were you a 10ft tall blue person)--you sympathize because you understand the story. It just makes sense. If you were those tall blue people, you would feel the same.

I have more to say, and I will. But let me just make you understand that this film is beautiful. Don't be that person who saw Titanic 4 times and said you hated it one year later. Own up to how you feel. Love it because it deserves it! Sure there were better films this year--artistically speaking of course--but that's not why you go to see this one is it? Enjoy the film, and take the lesson as it comes (perhaps hidden). I love film enough to be very sure, that you will be better for it!

The Transformers and A Few Good Reasons to Read my Posts

It is difficult to decide whether it is a great injustice that I had class at 9am this morning, or whether my complaint is merely a product of being badly spoiled by my undergraduate experience. Whatever conclusions you may choose to draw on that account, the birth of this blog is undoubtedly the product of years spent forgetting that Friday is in fact a weekday, and not a part of the weekend. However compelling the temptation to turn off the alarm and roll back over may have been this morning, the fact is that skipping Friday morning classes the second week after they have started is never a good idea. And so, (somewhat tragically, in my opinion) I found myself sitting in my Property class this morning faced with an interesting dilemma. Should I, in an effort to make the most of my law school experience, attempt to pay meaningful attention to the lecture while running a rather extreme risk of my professor seeing me fall asleep in his class (maybe that last beer last night was a bad idea after all...), or should I forsake my growth as an individual in favor of appearing to be the attentive and studious individual I most assuredly was not this morning?

And out of this decision, my blog was born.

As I sat surfing the web, in an effort to look like I was taking notes, I made my usual Friday morning rounds to Fandango.com and Rottentomatoes.com. This is of course an essential activity on Fridays as the weekly release of new movies is also typically accompanied by an array of articles about the doings of the film industry that are the fuel of anticipation for any avid film buff. As I sat chuckling (Internally of course. This was all in an effort to appear studious, remember) at the comments of various critics about what they felt were the worst films of 2009, I couldn't help but think about how foolish it was that some of the highest grossing films of the year repeatedly made it onto these lists.

Don't get me wrong. I would never dream of arguing for the artistic merit of mindless blockbuster like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but let's be honest--you know you went to see it! (Alright so I went to see it twice--but in my defense I have a thirteen year old sister who wanted to watch it in Imax!).

And ultimately, that is what this blog will be about. I love the movies. It's not a crush. It's not a fling. It is a deep abiding love--a romance that has been and will remain one of the great loves of my life! I love everything about the movies. From the introspective to the sociually aware, from the profound to the mindless, there is something in almost every movie to love. And the truth of the matter is, a movie that receives bad reviews from the critics sometimes will, and should, be hugely popular with the rest of the world. So why not write about it? Why not be honest about it. So The Transformers is utterly lacking substance--the special effects are fantastic, Megan Fox is hot (if you're in to that sort of thing), Shia LaBoeuf is cute as a button, and the movie is crazy, stupid, fun. Would I reccommend it my mother? Not so much. Would I reccommend to other students whose brains need a break? Absolutely.

I'm no film scholar, and I'm certainly no critic. Sure I've got an undergrad minor in film, but all that really means is that I've seen a lot of obscure older films. I am a law student. My life is given to books, class, and stress. So for a little while each week, I am going to indulge in my passion. As the grades start rolling in, and I watch my fellow students collapse under the weight of their crumbling expectations (or float away with the expanding size of their heads, depending on the individual), I will be here, reminding myself that school is school, and a career is a career, (and these things can be wonderful and important), but there is a big world outside of it.

There are a lot of reasons to escape into the movies. Maybe you need a good laugh. Maybe you need a good cry. Maybe you need some eye candy. Maybe you just need to turn your brain off for awhile. Maybe you need to turn it on. If you want to see cinema through the eyes of one of its most passionate advocates, then give me a read every now and then. You won't be disappointed!