Miss Bala (2011)

Director: Gerardo Naranjo. Cast: Stephanie Sigman, Noe Hernandez, Irene Azuela. 113 min. Rated R. Mexico. Drama.

A teenager in Mexico is excited about the prospects of entering the "Miss Baja California" beauty pageant, but ends up dealing with some brutal drug cartels. A depressing movie throughout, mainly because there's no chance one could survive as a hero in such a world. And there's full use of a famous movie cliche: the TV is always telling news exactly about the movie's story. So the only reason to watch this is to check out the protagonist's (Sigman's) acting, as her haunting stare should give her a shot at stardom. Future would tell.

Mo says:

Carnage (2011)

Director: Roman Polanski. Cast: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz. 80 min. Rated R. France/Germany/Poland/Spain. Comedy/Drama.

A boy brutalizes his classmate, and their well-educated parents gather at the victim's apartment to make amends in a "civilized" way. Lo and behold, these people are no better than cavemen. The message is loud and clear, and the most despicable character in the beginning (Waltz) turns out to be the most logical one, as we realize the other parents were actually hypocrites who believed in what he publicly practiced. I felt an element of overacting, especially in Foster's performance, as though these actors didn't believe in their lines, and were trying to compensate by abusing their superb acting skills.

Mo says:

The Hunger Games (2012)

Director: Gary Ross. Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland. 142 min. Rated PG-13. Action/Sci-fi.

Twelve districts of a future America, who years ago revolted against the Capitol, are annually forced to submit teen participants in gladiator-like games, till the last man/woman stands. Story has numerable sociopolitical correlates to our own world, where reality-TV-hungry audiences cherish watching the most despicable acts on TV, as long as it's live. But then again, we as viewers are good examples, as the latter half showing the deadly games is the more entertaining. The novel is narrated in first person, and the filmmakers wisely shoot the majority in close-up to translate that to film. Can't wait for the sequels.

PS: I'm delighted that this young adult franchise will be replacing Harry Potter.

Update (3/29/2012): I found myself thinking about the movie for several days. That means my first movie of 2012 deserves an upgrade to a MoMagic status.

Mo says:

MoMagic!

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Director: Sean Durkin. Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes. 102 min. Rated R. Drama.

A female teenager escapes an abusive Jonestown-like cult to live with her sister and brother-in-law, but can't escape her past with the cult, as she's afflicted by "Stockholm syndrome": the hostage falling in love with her captor. Elizabeth Olsen (sister of the Olsen twins) gives a haunting performance in a role that blurs the boundaries between reality, hallucination, and psychosis - even for the viewer. Reminds of the Steven Weinberg quote:

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

Mo says:

The Interrupters (2011)

Director: Steve James. 125 min. Unrated. Documentary.

A group of courageous Chicago suburb locals try to crack down on the uncontrolled crime rate by simply talking gangs into calming down, thereby interrupting the vicious crime cycle. I was expecting more from a documentary that got a 99% on the Tomatometer, which some have labelled as the best documentary of 2011, made by the famed documentary filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams). Don't get me wrong: this is a very inspiring film, but I believe it would have benefited from a shorter duration, as the concepts in some scenes are repetitious. Check it out for yourself.

Mo says:

Quest for Fire (1981)

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud. Cast: Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nicholas Kadi, Rae Dawn Chong. 100 min. Rated R. Canada/France/USA. Adventure.

Eighty-thousand years ago, cavemen honor fire as the basis for survival, and the lack of knowledge on how to create it forces clans to clash among one another to keep it in their own possession. So we have a movie which cleverly maintains an entire story without the benefit of any discernible dialogue - which in itself is quite of feat. Strangely, you believe this is how cavemen must have lived. Some wise casting choices, especially embodied in Ron Perlman, whom I always thought looks like a Neanderthal, even without makeup.

PS: Another impressive recommendation by Toast. Thanks.

Mo says:

City Island (2009)

Director: Raymond De Felitta. Cast: Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Emily Mortimer, Alan Arkin. 104 min. Rated PG-13. Comedy/Drama.

Watching this, I could almost swear it was written by the writers of Little Miss Sunshine, as the structure is exactly the same: through comedic quarrels and coincidences, a super-dysfunctional family headed by Andy Garcia, slowly get to know each other better, and realize they have more in common then their differences portray. To make it more Sunshine, even Alan Arkin is in there. But then the ending suddenly becomes so contrived and tacked on, everything falls apart, and you lose confidence in a great movie opportunity that was just lost.

Mo says:

A Better Life (2011)

Director: Chris Weitz. Cast: Demián Bichir, José Julián. 98 min. Rated PG-13. Drama.

Mexican illegal immigrant father and son struggle to make ends meet in LA. The reason I saw this movie was Bichir's Oscar nomination for Best Actor (the nominee that kicked DiCaprio in J. Edgar or Fassbender in Shame out of this year's race); but boy, was this mediocre acting in a mediocre melodramatic movie. Maybe Bichir's performance stood out just because the son makes such a pathetic effort at acting. After all, everything's relative. In any case, the experience was nothing special.

Mo says:

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Director: George Nolfi. Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp. 106 min. Rated PG-13. Sci-fi/Thriller.

Chance, or choice? Right down to the villains in hats and black raincoats, this Philip K. Dick adaptation is actually a simplified version of the great philosophical 1998 sci-fi flick, Dark City, where aliens manipulated our daily lives to see the results and use it to their own benefit. As opposed to that deep movie, where the hero contemplates the fate of humanity and the world, this one is obsessed with a couple's love affair. So if you've already seen Dark City, you'll hardly be impressed by this. Except that the chemistry between Damon and Blunt is perfect. Just perfect.

Mo says:

My 2012 Oscars Predictions

Tomorrow's Oscar night, so let's cut to the chase. Here are my predictions for the 84th Annual Academy Awards:


Best Picture:

(The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse)

During the past weeks, the hype around The Artist has shown significant increase. But my personal favorite among these was The Descendants.

Should win: The Descendants

Will win: The Artist


Best Director:

(Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist, Alexander Payne for The Descendants, Martin Scorsese for Hugo, Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris, Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life)

Same reasoning as above for The Artist, and add to that the fact that Best Picture and Best Director usually go hand in hand. But how could one ignore Scorsese's brilliance in Hugo?

Should win: Martin Scorsese

Will win: Michel Hazanavicius


Best Actor:

(Demian Bichir in A Better Life, George Clooney in The Descendants, Jean Dujardin in The Artist Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Brad Pitt in Moneyball)

Even though Clooney already has a screenwriting Oscar win for Good Night and Good Luck (2005), his comedic/tragic turnout in The Descendants is still preferred to Pitt's somewhat repetitious act in Moneyball. But for crying out loud, Dujardin got nominated for playing in a silent movie!

Should win: Jean Dujardin

Will win: George Clooney


Best Actress:

(Viola Davis in The Help, Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs, Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn)

Stiff competition here. Mara has the least chance of all, the other four showing equal possibilities. Davis has recently been gathering Oscar buzz, and my personal favorite is Streep as Margaret Thatcher, but I'm willing to bet on Williams' performance as Marilyn Monroe to win. When it comes to Best Actress, the Academy always loves a fresh young face.

Should win: Meryl Streep

Will win: Michelle Williams


Best Supporting Actor:

(Kenneth Branagh in My Week With Marilyn, Jonah Hill in Moneyball, Nick Nolte in Warrior, Christopher Plummer in Beginners, Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)

No doubt Plummer will win. But although he showed a strong presence in Beginners, I believe his win will be a sympathetic vote for an old-timer who's never won an Oscar. Instead, the Academy should go for Jonah Hill and his subtle but pivotal performance in Moneyball.

Seems like I'm going against the flow on every category this year.

Should win: Jonah Hill

Will win: Christopher Plummer


Best Supporting Actress:

(Berenice Bejo in The Artist, Jessica Chastain in The Help, Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs, Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids, Octavio Spencer in The Help)

Spencer in The Help fits the formula for Oscar-winning supporting roles: her presence is as strong as the leading role (in this case, played by Viola Davis). Bejo was quite enchanting in The Artist, and remembering McCarthy in Bridesmaids still makes me laugh, but still ...

Should win: Octavio Spencer

Will win: Octavio Spencer


Best Original Screenplay:

(The Artist, Bridesmaids, Margin Call, Midnight in Paris, A Separation)

Obviously I would love A Separation to win, but let's be realistic.

Should win: A Separation

Will win: Midnight in Paris


Best Adapted Screenplay:

(The Descendants, Hugo, The Ides of March, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy )

Despite all its strengths, I believe Moneyball will be tomorrow night's biggest loser.

Should win: The Descendants

Will win: The Descendants


Best Foreign Language Film:

(Bullhead - Belgium, Footnote - Israel, In Darkness - Poland, Monsieur Lazhar - Canada, A Separation - Iran)

A Separation has won almost every award under the sun. But there is still a conceivable risk involved here: In Darkness, from the famous Polish director Agnieszka Holland, is a Holocaust story, an ever-favorite Academy subject.

Should win: A Separation

Will win: A Separation


And predictions in other categories:

- Best Animated Feature Film: Rango

- Best Animated Short Film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

- Best Documentary Feature Film: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

- Best Documentary Short Film: Saving Face

- Best Live Action Short Film: The Shore

- Best Editing: The Artist

- Best Art Direction: Hugo

- Best Cinematography: The Tree of Life

- Best Makeup: The Iron Lady

- Best Original Score: The Artist (the soundtrack was the dialogue of the silent film)

- Best Original Song: The Muppets ("Man or Muppet")

- Best Costume: The Artist

- Best Sound Editing: Hugo

- Best Sound Mixing: Hugo

- Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (who's gonna beat the effects on those monkeys?)

Take Shelter (2011)

Director: Jeff Nichols. Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham. Cast: 120 min. Rated R. Drama.

Among 2011's end-of-the-world movies (Melancholia, Tree of Life), this was probably the strangest. A Midwestern rural construction worker has bizarre nightmares of an imminent storm, and decides to expand and equip the tornado shelter the family already has. So the film's climactic question would be: will the storm really happen, or has the man inherited his mother's paranoid schizophrenia? Similar to Melancholia, the answer to that question pales in comparison to how beautifully the screenplay portrays social interactions revolving around such a premonition. That said, the ending is a kicker.

Mo says:

In Time (2011)

Director: Andrew Niccol. Cast: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde. 109 min. Sci-fi/Thriller.

The great sci-fi filmmaker Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, S1m0ne) tells a Logan's Run-like tale of a world where people only age up to 25 years, and instead of money, trade and work for extra time to lengthen their lives. The story possibilities here are endless, and Niccol takes great advantage of the "ticking time-bomb" device in numerous sequences to make this a worthy thriller; on the side using his Robin Hood character to create ingenious allegories of greed and power in a future world (some would call this a Commie film). Amazingly, when it comes to acting, Justin Timberlake always delivers.

Mo says: