Carlos

Drew's Thoughts:

Carlos is an ambitious portrait of the international terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas. The 5 1/2 hour film was screened at Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year and was later broadcast on French television in 3 installments and also as an edited 2 1/2 hour theatrical cut. I watched the original 5 1/2 cut and enjoyed the film pretty thoroughly.

The film is anchored by an equally charasmatic and repugnant performance by Edgar Ramirez as Carlos, a man who views himself as a revolutionary but when it comes down to it he's all about the ego. 5 1/2 hours is a long time but the film stays pretty energetic throughout and I was never bored. Considering the large scope of the film though, its length doesn't seem so crazy. My favorite part was the hour or so covering the raid on the 1975 OPEC meeting in the middle of the film.

The film is among the best I've seen this year and Edgar Ramirez is worth considering in the Best Actor category for his empassioned, dedicated performance.

Conviction

Drew's Thoughts:

Conviction is a pretty remarkable true story and manages to avoid feeling cliched. Last year's Best Actor winner Sam Rockwell was very impressive in his role and I don't see why he won't get his third Dolphin nom in a row. Though I was worried by the trailer that she might be hammy, Hilary Swank also gave a good performance. Juliette Lewis contributes a very good one-scene performance as well.

Director Tony Goldwyn and screenwriter Pamela Gray did a good job with the material not trying to make the story seem more amazing than it already is. It was definitely an emotional story, seeing the bond between the two siblings that lasts throughout their lives. I can't tell if the film will have much replay value or not but I definitely enjoyed my first viewing.

The Killer Inside Me

Drew's Thoughts:

Michael Winterbottom's mostly botched adaptation of Jim Thompson's classic pulp novel was a disappointment. The technical aspects were on point but Winterbottom and screenwriter John Curran had difficulties capturing the feel of the novel which gets deep inside a twisted, criminal mind using extensive first person narration. As a fan of the novel, a number of key points were totally flubbed but I also feel I may have enjoyed the film more than the average viewer since I could fill in the gaps.

That said though, casting Casey Affleck as Lou Ford (no relation to Bob Ford) is absolutely perfect. He gives a very good performance as the sinister sheriff but, I can't help but think his performance could have been the best of the year (instead of just one of them) if he was working with a higher caliber filmmaker. Along with Best Actor, the film deserves consideration in the sound and makeup categories for some brutal, unflinching scenes.

The American

Drew's Thoughts:

The American is a spy movie made the way spy movies should be made. George Clooney is an assassin who spends most of his time alone, in silence, as a spy would. Unlike James Bond or the Bourne movies where the main is character is always on the move, jumping from explosion to explosion, director Anton Corbijn is very selective with his instances of violence making them highly effective.

Drawing inspiration from foreign filmmakers such as Jean-Pierre Melville, a lot of American audiences were confused when the film came out wondering why they didn't get a Bourne style movie. The film certainly has its flaws (mostly due to Rowan Joffe's screenplay) but Corbijn delivers enough memorable scenes, such as the film opener, and a well co-ordinated overall aesthetic to make it a winner in my opinion.

Animal Kingdom

Drew's Thoughts:

Animal Kingdom is an exceedingly dark Australian crime drama from David Michod. Jacki Weavers's performance has been the big story here in the states as she's won a few critics awards. She doesn't have a ton of screen time, but she definitely made my skin crawl when she was onscreen and deserves some Dolphin consideration in my opinion. Otherwise, I'd say Michod talents as a director outweigh his as a screenwriter. He creates a singular, grim atmosphere incorporating excellent cinematography and an unusual but highly effective score.

I don't see the film racking up piles of Dolphin nominations, but there's a few key categories in which it should not be forgotten.

Centurion

Drew's Thoughts:

I liked the approach to Neil Marshall's "sword and sandals" picture; it's very grimey, gritty and gorey. Unfortunately the screenplay isn't really up to the challenge as its pretty ho hum, failing to provide interesting content to match the aesthetics.

Still, the cast featuring Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank, Hunger) and Dominic West (The Wire) is decent and the movie as a whole makes for a fun, swiftly paced adventure. Just don't expect anything amazing.

Probably not many Dolphin hopes except the technical categories, it should definitely be considered in the Makeup category though.

Casino Jack

Drew's Thoughts:

I thought that Casino Jack could be a turning point for Kevin Spacey, who hasn't done anything worthwhile since 1999's American Beauty, but I was wrong. The film isn't much more than an excuse for Spacey to share his inexhaustible supply of celebrity impressions. Considering how much interesting material they had to work with the filmmakers did roughly zero interesting things with the film.

Skip this and watch Alex Gibney's documentary Casino Jack and the United States of Money instead.

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

Drew's Thoughts:

Infinitely more fascinating than the Kevin Spacey biopic Casino Jack, Dolphin-winner Alex Gibney (Gonzo) weaves the bizarre and sometimes depressing portrait of super lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his various activities with US Congress. Tracing his small beginnings as a College Republican, including an unsuccessful detour into the movie business, to becoming the top lobbyist in the D.C., scheming and screwing over people around the world to the tune of millions of dollars.

Abramoff makes for an interesting if sickening subject, particularly if you don't know much about him (like me). The sheer breadth and weirdness of his life makes for perfect documentary material.

The Trotsky

Drew's Thoughts:
Rounding out the trio of surprises this year (Easy A and The Social Network being the others) is The Trotsky a brilliantly witty and hilarious comedy about a Montreal teen who believes he's the re-incarnation of Bolshevik revolutionary Leon Trotsky. Supported by a more than capable cast,
Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder) delivers a fantastic central performance as he holds protests with snacking hunger strikers and throws a social justice-themed school dance. The film makes me really wish there were more high-concept comedies out there, as you have to know a bit of 20th century history to get the (hilarious) jokes. Luckily we Dolphins are a well-educated bunch.
As far as I'm concerned Jacob Tierney's joyously clever original screenplay is the front runner by a mile at this point in the race. Though you should consider the film in many other categories, not least of which Best Picture. A must see!

The Ghost Writer

Drew's Thoughts:

This movie is so achingly mediocre that the question of whether it's good or bad is pointless. Don't waste your time watching it because I won't waste any more time thinking about it.

The score is pretty good though.

I Love you Phillip Morris

Colleen's Thoughts:
Quite a crazy film indeed, but then again Ewan MacGregor and Jim Carrey don't seem to shy away from crazy flicks. This was a weird and twisted love story. I found it dragged on a bit long near the end, but I still must say I enjoyed it. I can't believe that it was based on true events. If the Kids Are Alright showed us all how normal and hetero-like gay couples can be, this movie did the opposite. I thought both Jim Carrey and Ewan MacGregor gave good perfomances. Depending on how the year lines up, they may have a shot at noms at the Colleen's.

Winter's Bone

Colleen's Thoughts:
Although I recommend knowing what you are in for, I really enjoyed this film. It was an interesting take on a rural, modern, noir type story. Jennifer Lawrence has been getting a lot of buzz for her leading performance in this film and all of it is deserved. In the film she plays a protective older sister (proud to be a dolly) who needs to find her dad or at least the body of her dad to keep her house and the rest of her family intact. She goes through scary mission after scary mission, one, which isn't scary at all to her, includes teaching her brother and sister how to hunt and skin squirrels, their dinner many nights over. This was a very interesting film about an environment I thankfully have little to no idea about. I would recommend this one to all dolphin members.

The Social Network

Drew's Thoughts:
Like Easy A, I was pretty darn skeptical of The Social Network. I mean, Facebook? Justin Timberlake? How the hell is Fincher gonna pull this one off? Answer: he's working with a solid screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, an oddly fascinating story of something trivial turned into one the most popular cultural phenomenons ever, unusually good performances from young actors and the secret to it all Dolphin winning editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall moving the story along at a rapid fire pace. A lot of people talk about the screenplay being the star of the show here but I really think it's how David Fincher (Dolphin winner as well) approached the material that makes it special. No one would have guessed that a movie about the invention of Facebook would be the most energetic film of year, but it is, thanks to Finch. I have yet to meet a single person who has not liked this movie which is quite a feat indeed.
Write it on your wall, put it on your newsfeed or whatever you have to, just don't forget about it when you're filling out your Dolphin ballot.

The Kids are All Right

Colleen's Thoughts:
This was a fine-mediocre film with some outstanding lead perfomances. Coming out of the film one of the empolyees working at the theater said that he and others did not enjoy Annette Benning's perfomance. I however, think this is ludicrous. I think those people mainly just saw her as a beezy and did not see that she was actually "acting" that way and an "act"or. I thought she was great in the film.
While it is refreshing to see a movie about a committed lesbian relationship (most films with gay couples I have seen are with two men). I worry a little bit about the message of what this film is telling us is "all right." I am happy to see that people are finally coming around to believeing that two people of the same sex can raise a family just as adequately as two parents of different sexes. However, I think it is interesting that even with a queer couple at the center of the film, traditional family power dynamics seem to remain intact. Nic, Annette Benning's character, clearly the more "masculine" of the couple, seems to be the head of the household. She is logical and brings home the bacon. Julianne Moore (who also gave a stunning performance) was the "feminine" one; she was sensitive, artsy and let's face it didn't know what the hell she was doing career wise tee hee. I worry that for us to be ok with "alternative" family lifestyles they have to quite clearly mirror stereotypical heterosexual relationships. And whose to say that traditional heterosexual relationships have made kids "all right?"
Back to the more concrete of this film, I thought it was an interesting enough screenplay with a few slags. Drew was laughing his ass off when Nic said "If I hear one more person mention heirloom tomatoes.." However, it wasn't really refreshing to hear that just like for straight couples, gay married life sucks the life out of you. I believe Jules likened it to "slogging through the shit." When your relationship is likened to that, I would say get the hell out.

Easy A

Drew's Thoughts:

I am thankful that Colleen wanted to watch this as I had already written it off as a lame teen comedy, when in fact, it's actually the best teen comedy I've seen in a while. Emma Stone (one of the few legit nominees in this year's Golden Globes comedy categories) provides a truly charismatic performance in this re-imagining of The Scarlett Letter. The film features hilarious moments, throughout, a likable heroine you can get behind, and a few great supporting performances as well--mainly talking about Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci here as Stone's parents.

What I really liked about the film was that the humor was never too broad, it stays within genre boundaries without sacrificing smarts which is a rare thing indeed. Definitely worth seeing, could be a dark horse in the Dolphin race. (Thanks for the suggestion Colleen!)

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe

Colleen's Thoughts:
Watching this documentary, I was surprised by how many famous racial American events lawyer Bill Kunstler was at the center of. He is famous for representing the Chicago Seven, being the lead negotiating counsel for the prisoners at the Attica Prison riots, and representing the American Indians at Wounded Knee. However, he is also infamous for his defense of scarier folks such as cop killer Assasta Shakur and Al Sayyid Nosair who assasinated Zionist fanatic Rabbi Meir Kahane. Clearly he is a puzzling player in American history.
This documentary does a wonderful job of showing what an extraordinary man Kunstler was. At times he did things most Americans would now be proud of, but he also took on cases that not even his daughters and wife respected. Interestingly, these daughters are behind the film. They are the co-directors of this documentary. They seem most apt to tell this story. They love and respect their father but they also recognize that he was a fame hound and took on cases that they didn't appreciate him taking on. They have memories of not being able to leave their house because of Jewish organizations protesting outside. However, they also remember how terrible their father felt after the Attica prison massacre and how he taught them about white privelege and racism in America.
As someone considering a degree in law, it was fascinating to see the power that lawyers can have in such huge political situations. Bill Kunstler is admirable in his use of his position as a lawyer to fight for the causes he believed in. We desperately need more civil rights lawyers like Bill Kunstler today.