Top 5 Films of the Holiday Season

I thought I would try something new here and give my opinion as to what I think are the Top 5 films to see this holiday season. While New Moon and The Blind Side are simple and conventional choices for the modern moviegoer, the greatest thing about the cinema is its ability to transcend beyond the realm of entertainment. Moviegoers are able to build their sense of awareness and heighten their own perception by choosing films that replenish the mind as well as the heart. All the best movies are released during the Christmas season in order to achieve greater Oscar consideration. And for moviegoers yearning for some kind of connection and feeling with the movies they see, it certainly is the most wonderful time of the year. Without further adieu, I present to you the Top 5 films to see this holiday season.

#5 Up in the Air

Up in the Air is the new film from Jason Reitman, the Oscar-nominated director of Thank You for Smoking and Juno. And in case you couldn't tell, it also stars George Clooney. Clooney plays a guy whose job is to fly all over the country and layoff people for top-tier companies. Along the way, he is set up with a partner (played by Anna Kendrick) and also encounters a woman (played by Vera Farmiga) whom he may or may not be interested in. What Reitman explores with this film is the power and necessity of forming close relationships, particularly how we choose to give ourselves to someone both physically and emotionally and how we establish connections in order to ensure a thriving legacy. Sounds like a handful, right? But what makes Reitman a good filmmaker is his ability to balance a heartfelt drama with subtle comedic timing. And in my opinion, Reitman is well on his way to becoming the next Billy Wilder or Frank Capra simply because he is such a great storyteller. This is a film that will play well to audiences and will most likely be recognized come Oscar night.

#4 Invictus

Clint Eastwood's latest film about the 1995 South African rugby team that won the World Cup. Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, Eastwood tells the story of how Nelson Mandela collaborated with Francois Pienaar in order to bring South Africa together after the apartheid era. This probably won't be as dark as some of Eastwood's most recent work but expect strong performances from Freeman (who I think is perfectly cast as Nelson Mandela) and Damon in a film that appears destined for Oscar glory. Eastwood has been the director of the decade. Let's see if his hot streak continues.

#3 The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson's adaptation of the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold. Look for something that is visually stunning and emotionally captivating much in the same way that Jackson's last four efforts have been. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong were certainly four of the best films of the decade visually. But the thing that made those films successful was how there were characters through which the audience could develop a strong emotional attachment with. Look for the same kind of angle with The Lovely Bones. Jackson will not only hope to give us an awe-inspiring visual effort, but will also look to tug at the heartstrings a little bit. Early buzz indicates that there are strong performances from Saoirse Ronan and Stanley Tucci as the film's main protagonists. There are also indications that the film is impressive visually, which doesn't surprise me at all. I expect nothing less than a great piece of entertainment with this film.

#2 Nine

A new musical from Rob Marshall, the Oscar-nominated director of Chicago. A film that pays tribute to the neorealist cinema of the 1960's and Italian director Federico Fellini. Featuring an all-star cast in Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Fergie, and Sophia Loren. I mean, come on now. Need I say more to make you want to see this film? Nine tells the story of Guido Contini, a renowned film director who is having trouble coming up with a story for his latest picture. Contini turns to the many women in his life for inspiration, looking to find a solution to the creative block in his mind and make a film worthy of recognition. The film is actually autobiographical because it is based on the life of Federico Fellini so it is indeed a must-see for any true cinephile. Expect a visually lush film from Rob Marshall; something that will certainly dazzle the eyes if nothing else. And expect many many Oscar nods as well.

#1 Avatar

A sci-fi epic from Oscar-winning director James Cameron, who hasn't made a feature length film in 12 years. Avatar is a film that Cameron has been developing for a very long time. He had the screenplay ready to go before Titanic was released in 1997 and intended to make Avatar as his follow-up film. However, Cameron decided to shelve the project until cinematic technology caught up with his own ambitions. It is now 12 years later, and the world is waiting for what Cameron has come up with. Avatar was shot using 40% live action and 60% CGI, with Cameron inventing new kinds of 3D technology that will apparently revolutionize the film industry forever. That's right, you have to wear the funky glasses if you want to get the most out of Cameron's latest adventure. The key to the film's success will be if the story can match the visual innovations that Cameron has created. On a recent 60 minutes interview, Cameron asserted that the story is still the most important component in creating a film. This of course led him to talking about the 3D technology he developed for Avatar, which leaves me to wonder if indeed the story will be the most important component for this film. There is so much hype and excitement surrounding this film that it's not even funny. And I'm hoping that Cameron delivers once more like he has always done in the past.

So there you have it, my Top 5 films that everyone should see this holiday season. I hope you look for them in a theater near you.

Movie Review: Precious Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

How often do we approach life with perspective? How often do we recognize the truth about the world we live in? We the people are ignorant of the world around us. We see images and hear whispers of pain and suffering every day. But how do we respond to them? How do we learn from them? The answer to both those questions revolves around the idea of empathy. We feel compassion for the suffering and shed tears for the wounded. We curse the violence and bemoan the hatred involved in acts of cruelty. But do we ourselves feel compelled to make a difference? Do we search our hearts for the motivation to change someone's life? There are many of us who do not. But there are some of us who do; relying on their hope, their faith, and their love to somehow impact the world in whatever way they can. Lee Daniels' new film Precious, based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire, is a film that captures the essence of pain and suffering. It is a film that grabs hold of you and smacks you across the face with a bitter sense of reality. But it is also a film of great hope and empathy; a film of raw and intense passion that examines its title character from a unique and totally engrossing perspective.

Daniels forces his audience to see the truth and not look away, daring us to become part of Precious's world and achieve a knowledge of America's wicked societal underbelly. He thrusts his audience into a world that is both cruel and hazardous to the development of a young girl's confidence and self-respect. Precious is an overweight African-American 16 year old living in the slums of Harlem, New York in the 1980's. She was raped by her father on multiple occasions, bore his child who has Downs Syndrome, and is pregnant with his second child when the film begins. She is also living with a mother embittered by jealousy and hatred, both of which she uses against Precious whenever she feels like it. She is the ultimate mother from Hell and there are many sequences in the film where Precious cannot escape her wrath. So the world that Precious is accustomed to is a world of unmerciful and relentless struggle. Her future has already been laid out, with virtually little to no hope of escape. So how does she cope with it? By fantasizing about skinny white models with incredibly sexy boyfriends who strut down that runway believing they're God's gift to humanity. This is what she thinks about when she gets abused by her mother or raped by her father. And for certain periods in the film, it is the only thing she has. What Daniels is commenting on with these fantasy sequences is how America has developed an ideal standard of living, which involves being skinny and being attractive. The fact that Precious dreams of being white is understandable because they still represent the majority of the privileged and elite in this country. These fantasies, combined with the physical and emotional torture of abuse, prevent Precious from seeing the potential in herself as a human being. That is until she encounters Ms. Rain and Mrs. Weiss.

It is in these scenes with Ms. Rain and Mrs. Weiss that the film derives its emotional power punch. For the first time in her life, Precious meets two people who seem to care about her emotionally. She meets two people who go above and beyond their job description in order to save her from herself and from the nightmare that is her life. There are moments in this film where Precious is finally able to see her potential as a human being; where she is able to express herself by writing in her journal and by having relationships that are loving and authentic. Yet the film's strength is showing how those moments are compromised; how Precious's mother is so terrifying and unnatural to her daughter that one wonders how Precious is able to last so long. She lasts because she holds on to the idea that there are people in her life who care about her and love her. And in the end, the story becomes a triumph of the human spirit because Precious is able to transcend beyond the cruelty of her parents and move on with her life.

Precious is a film that is unflinching and uncompromising. It shows you things you may not want to see and is certainly not for the faint at heart. It speaks volumes to us because it is not simply a story of an overweight African-American girl. It is a story that so many Americans, regardless of their skin color, can relate to. Audiences should not merely relegate this as a story of black poverty and differences in social classes. Rather, it must be studied as an examination of a human soul. And on that merit alone, Precious is able to succeed on so many levels. The anchor of the film lies in rich performances from Gabourey Sidibe as Precious and Mo'Nique as Precious's mother. In order for the film to be as powerful as it is, both of these actresses needed to nail their characters out of the park. And both of them do so in a big way. Sidibe is electrifying as Precious, highlighting her character's vulnerability and insecurity while also paving the way for her own self-discovery. It is a daring and dynamic performance that is richly deserving of an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. And Mo'Nique is incendiary as Precious's mother. Through her use of language and body movement, Mo'Nique creates a portrait of a monster eating away at Precious throughout the course of the movie. It is only in the final 30 minutes of the film that Mo'Nique allows us to understand the depth and complexity of her character, begging the audience for sympathy but never receiving it. It is definitely one of the great performances of the year and should be recognized come Oscar night. The performances of Sidibe and Mo'Nique are interchangeable. One cannot work without the other in order for the film to succeed. And because both actresses deliver on all counts, Precious becomes cinema that is truly precious.

Lenny's Grade: A-

Movie Review: A Serious Man

We are all very serious men and women. We contemplate our lives; every choice we make, every decision. And we always wonder what the consequences of making that choice will be down the road. We wonder about what purpose it serves and what meaning it will have in the grand scheme of things. We may all say that we are not serious men and women, but we really are. We want that sense of finality; that sense of resolution and knowing the truth about ourselves. That way, our lives will seem to go by a lot easier because we will have all the answers and know where our lives will go eventually. This part of ourselves is what the Coen Brothers have chosen to explore in their new film A Serious Man, the story of a Jewish professor (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) beset with all kinds of dilemmas both of a personal and professional nature. But by no means is A Serious Man a serious drama. It is indeed the most personal film the Coen Brothers have ever made because for the first time ever, the audience is able to gain insight into the world these famous directors grew up with. And what they present to the audience is not only a black comedic study of what it was like living in a Jewish suburban home during the 1960's, but also a thorough examination of how the Jewish community attempts to interpret the meaning of life and the consequences of making choices.

There are two terrific bookend scenes that start and conclude the film which I think summarize the evolution of Jewish thought regarding the meaning of life, or at least how the Coens interpret said Jewish thought. The beginning of the movie takes place inside a Jewish peasant house and is spoken entirely in Yiddish. The writing in this sequence is almost Tarantino-esque as the dialogue keeps building up towards the arrival of a strange visitor who may or may not be a demonic spirit coming to cause trouble for the Jewish husband and wife. When the visitor arrives, the conversation shifts to the notion of hospitality and how the wife is very suspicious of the visitor being a demonic spirit so much so that she stabs him with a knife. Nothing happens at first, which leads us to believe that the visitor is really a ghost of some sort. But then blood slowly trickles from his chest, to which he then stands up and walks out of the house ranting in Yiddish of how inhospitable the family was so much so that he puts a curse on them. The scene ends with the man and wife concluding that because they had eliminated the evil spirit, their lives would greatly improve from now on. I think this scene represents the kind of ancient Jewish rhetoric that used to be a source of tradition and custom in many Jewish families. It illustrates the idea of how Jewish families believed in the presence of good and evil spirits along with the idea of hospitality and following ritual to the letter of the law. If they did that successfully, then life would be much easier without any reason for worry. And this is what the Coens seem to be mocking throughout the course of the film, which is why it serves as a terrific beginning to what is meant to be both an allegorical and autobiographical film.

Fast forward many years to Larry Gopnik (the Jewish professor) and what we have here is the Coens offering a loose adaptation of the Book of Job. I say loose because it really is an adaptation of the Book of Job with the original sentiments of a Coen screenplay. Gopnik is a man who seems to have everything; a wonderful job, a beautiful family, a nice house. He has everything much like Job did in the Bible. And then one day God, or in this case the Coens, decide to take everything away from poor Mr. Gopnik. It begins when an Asian student seemingly offers Gopnik a bribe in order to get a passing grade. Gopnik calls him out on it, the Asian student says he didn't do it so he sues Gopnik for character defamation. It only gets better for the professor. His wife falls in love with Sy Adleman, the nicest and gentlest man in the neighborhood. As a result, she asks him for a divorce and even asks him to move to a local motel so Sy could move into the house. Not to mention he has the wonderful Uncle Arthur (played by Richard Kind) inventing his explanation for the universe and always taking a little too much time in the bathroom. So basically the Coens have everything unravel for the Jewish professor, which leads him to go searching for answers from various rabbis and always leaving feeling unsatisfied. But with Sy Adleman telling him how everything is going to be fine, Gopnik should really have nothing to worry about.

And in essence, that is the point of the entire film. The Coens are arguing that we cannot possibly know all the answers to everything in life. So what do we do? We look to what God told Job in the Bible. "Who then is he that can stand before me? Who has given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine." A literal translation...we cannot know everything that God knows. Everything that happens happens because God wants it to happen. And therefore, the key to happiness in life is to accept the way God has made things and to not question what it all means or why things are the way they are. The Coens' response to that....still why? And this is what affects the character of Larry Gopnik throughout the course of the film. The performance of Michael Stuhlbarg is one of great tension and fear; so great at highlighting the insecurities of the character to the point where making a choice is very uncomfortable for him. The cinematography of Roger Deakins is full of Dutch angles and slanted high-angle shots that make the film seem like a horror movie. The writing of the Coens is so full of not only comedic intelligence but also a profound understanding of the Jewish lifestyle. In fact, they are keen to point out that the easiest way for Jews to cope with their lives is through their sense of humor, their bluntness, and their vast ability to attempt to find the quickest solution to the most complicated of problems. This is what Gopnik attempts to do throughout the entire film. He tries to find a physical answer to why his life sucks. And the answer is so simple that he cannot see it. He is blinded to it and this is what seems to trouble the Coens immensely not just with this film but within their entire body of work. This film allows for all the nihilism and existentialism in their other films to now be judged from a new perspective, which is one of silent anger and vast confusion. The ending of A Serious Man is so rich and complex but it is also so simple. We want to know what happens to Larry. We want to know what happens when the tornado hits at the end of the film. Yes, there is a tornado! And we want to know these things in the same way we wanted to know if Tony Soprano lived or died. But the twisted joke involved is indicated in the abrupt ending of the film. We always want to know why. But the key to happiness is not knowing why. The Coens seem dissatisfied with this conclusion, as I'm sure most people will be by the ending of the film. But...what can you do? As Sy Adleman says in the film, everything is going to be fine.

Lenny's Grade: A

Movie Review: Disney's A Christmas Carol

For those of you who have read Charles Dickens's classic Christmas fable, did you ever imagine Ebenezer Scrooge soaring through the streets of London at rapid paces; snow assailing his gruff, miserly exterior and shouting "BAA HUMBUG!!!!" at the top of his lungs? Could you envision the Ghost of Christmas Past transforming into a magical rocket and slingshotting Scrooge all the way to the moon? Or how about Scrooge shrinking at the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come and getting chased by a band of fierce demonic stallions? If you did imagine all of this, then you would have something in common with Oscar-winner Robert Zemeckis.

Mr. Zemeckis, lately famous for his 3-D renditions of The Polar Express and Beowulf, has once again dabbled in the 3-D pool to bring you a fascinating adaptation of the Dickens classic. At first, I was hesitant going into Disney's A Christmas Carol because the trailers and ads for the film depicted it as a children's movie, choosing to focus more on the comedic elements of the film and making it seem like an abbreviated caricature of the Dickens tale. I was pleasantly surprised by how serious Zemeckis was taking the story and not shying away from the ignorance and overall malcontent of the Scrooge character. I was also pleasantly surprised by how Jim Carrey doesn't really overplay Scrooge at all in the film. His trademark sense of exaggeration and bodily oomph are rarely seen and Carrey does a fine job of subduing himself a bit in order to provide a capable performance. Yet even though the performance is capable enough, I was not particularly astounded by Carrey's performance either. Certainly we are able to buy Scrooge's hatred for the entire Christmas season along with his greed and reluctance to accept redemption at the hands of the Ghosts. But when it comes time for Scrooge to feel sorrow and fill his heart with a desire to seek redemption, then Carrey's performance and the film in general begin to suffer.

When Zemeckis set out to make this film, I think there were only 2 ways in which he could have successfully brought the Scrooge tale to the screen. He could have chosen to make a film that focused primarily on the themes that inhabit the story, particularly in Scrooge's redemptive struggle for self-discovery through his empathy for the Cratchit family. This would have allowed for a greater emotional connection with the characters and would have provided Zemeckis with a chance at a masterpiece. What he does create though is something that in the end can be argued as the best Scrooge film ever made visually. What Zemeckis manages to accomplish with his experiments in 3-D is something that is on the brink of being masterful. There are scenes in this film that will just take your breath away visually, particularly the Ghost of Christmas Past depicted as an everlasting flame, the use of the long tracking shot for Scrooge's past, and the high angle shots looking into the hardwood floors of Scrooge's apartment that magically transform into the streets of London and a depiction of the present. These scenes allow for the film to take on a dark, melancholic tone that is only perfected by the death of the Ghost of Christmas Present transcending into the appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come, a monstrous shadowy figure that terrifies Scrooge into miniaturization. Zemeckis is oh so close to something with his 3D experiments and still needs to work on character faces before we can say he is a genius. But he is so very close as this Christmas Carol proves to be the most spectacular adaptation of the classic tale ever put to the screen.

But while the film is an accomplished piece of work visually, there just isn't enough of an emotional connection to the story or to the characters. Carrey's performance suffers because in the end, there isn't enough heart that we can recognize in dear old Uncle Scrooge. His redemptive feelings seem forced and disingenuous, and even though Carrey tries to convey a man who has seen the error of his ways, his performance as Ebenezer Scrooge is missing something. It is missing that ferocity, that vivacity. It is missing a kind of empathy and sense of forgiveness. And I think that is what the entire film is missing as well. It just doesn't have that sense of hope and Christmas cheer that so many other Scrooge films seem to have because what Zemeckis has sacrificed in the name of 3D innovation are the parts of the story that are supposed to touch your heart. And while Zemeckis has created something that is so visually enthralling, Disney's A Christmas Carol is perhaps the saddest, most emotionally distant Christmas movie I have ever seen.

Lenny's Grade: B

Movie Review: Where the Wild Things Are

Few screen adaptations of children's books have ever translated so well on screen as Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Spike Jonze, the Oscar-nominated director of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, brings Sendak's delightfully weird world to breathtaking and innovative life, enhancing the themes imperative to the book and expanding on the ideas that make the book so special. For those who are unfamiliar with the book (and I'd be surprised if you weren't), the story involves a young boy named Max, who is filled with all kinds of emotions and appears incapable of stabilizing and controlling them. The world around him is constantly changing with the dating habits of his mother and the maturation of his sister into a young woman. He learns new facts everyday that he finds both shocking and frightening to listen to because they threaten the balance of his daily routines. One night, he snaps at his mother for not paying enough attention to him and consequently, he runs away from home (without any supper of course). Strolling along a local river bank, he finds a boat and torridly sails to the land of the Wild Things. What he finds there are creatures that are similar to himself emotionally and this of course allows him to generate empathy for them. However, when they decide they want to eat him, he takes control and tells them that he traveled there to be their king. As a result, Max is made king of the Wild Things and is expected to make life easier for everyone there. Of course, he runs into trouble and finds that trying to make everyone happy is harder than it looks.

I said before that Jonze is successfully able to enhance the themes of Sendak's book by expanding on the ideas that are hinted at in the book. For instance, Jonze focuses on the idea that the land of the Wild Things is in fact a sad and lonely place. The Wild Things are indeed wild and uncontrollable creatures. They feed off their emotions, desiring to find happiness without ever really finding it. They work together with one another, wanting to love and wanting to believe that Max is indeed the answer to all their problems. One particular Wild Thing named Carol is a firm believer in this idea. He needs Max to be the answer to all his problems because he has no control over his emotions. He wants attention, he wants other people to love him, and yet he is unwilling to compromise to any of the other Wild Things. Carol wants things to be a certain way in his life and he reacts very harshly when he feels that others betray his dream. What I love about this movie is how incredibly well Jonze focuses on the parallels between Carol and Max. Carol is a representation of Max and how much both want things to happen their own way. In fact, Jonze plays with the idea that all of the Wild Things are a representation of the important people in Max's life. K.W., another Wild Thing who is trying to find answers about her own life, and who is seemingly the love interest of Carol in this movie, is meant to represent Max's mother in the land of the Wild Things. And Jonze develops the Freudian idea of how a young's boy first real love interest is in fact their mother. K.W. looks after Max, perhaps keenly aware that he is not really a king and quietly guiding Max throughout his time with the Wild Things. K.W.'s friends, Bob and Terry, represent the love interest of the mother in the film because Carol reacts so harshly when K.W. brings them back. So here you have all of these metaphoric characters just working themselves into Max's world. And slowly but surely, Max is able to realize the important things in his life and how things will not always happen the way he wants them to. And I think what both Max and the Wild Things learn at the end of the movie is to cherish the people who care about you in your life and to love them just as much as they love you. That is how Jonze is able to transcend beyond the words of Sendak's book. He is able to make a serious adult film out of a children's story, which I think is very remarkable.

Jonze utilizes the technical aspects of the story incredibly well. The shaky cinematography brings realism to the story and enhances the uncontrollable emotions that Max is trying to deal with in his life. He takes Max's thoughts and ideas very seriously and never dismisses them as childish, which is what I think makes this film so admirable. The vibrant and energetic musical score works on so many levels and is able to showcase the many different layers of both Max and the Wild Things. When Max is interacting with the Wild Things, the score becomes fast-paced and upbeat, illustrating how life just keeps rolling along without ever seeming to slow down. However, when Max is dealing with the emotions of the Wild Things and is actually forced to be a king, the score slows down and becomes melancholic in nature, illustrating how life can sometimes be frustrating and all the problems we have can seem too overwhelming. There is just so much working in this movie that all you can do is just sit back and appreciate it. It is a film that works because it is able to speak to all audiences and does not undermine the imagination of a child. The final shot between Max and his mother speaks volume to the entire point of the film, which is that we should care about the people who love us and never take them for granted.

Lenny's Grade: A-