Recent Flicks and a Little Rant

I'm really not going to go into too much detail with the reviews, just looking to share some films I've seen recently and let off a little steam about some idiot's comment. And as always, I link the reviewed movies to their trailers, but if you really want a true experience, avoid the trailers. Most trailers lack any creativity and instead are terrible, condensed versions of the films, complete with spoilers.

OK, there are a million reasons to hate the Oscars but really no point bringing it all up here; I just wanted to comment on something that rubbed me wrong. I read on the Onion's AV Club (of all places) that Albert Brooks was snubbed (for a nice turn in Drive) to make room for Max Von Sydow. My problem has nothing to do with Brooks' snubbing and everything to do with the blame Sean O'Neal laid on Max Von Sydow for his role in Extremely Blah Blah Blah, which, by the way, I have absolutely no desire to see. Sure, the movie has been panned, but when has a bad movie kept an actor from being nominated? I assure you, it's happened...a lot. Hell, Streep and Close are nominated this year for Albert Nobbs and The Iron Lady, respectively, and both of these films have received mostly negative reviews. OK, maybe those movies aren't as atrocious as Extremely Blah Blah Blah, but still, bad is bad. So why does O'Neal blame Sydow? I mean, Nolte, Plummer, and Branagh have chops, but I would throw them under the bus before Sydow. And then there's the REALLY OBVIOUS CHOICE of Jonah Hill, the fat kid who plays the fat kid for laughs (look at me, I'm fat and that's funny). Yes, I know he's no longer fat, but that doesn't mean he can act now. I also realize not everyone is saying Sydow stole Brooks' nomination, that it's just one silly writer...because everyone else is as equally and rightfully perplexed at the inclusion of Jonah Hill to the category as I am...but still! Ugh!

Since we're talking about Brooks' snub, let's jump into Drive. This is a great flick that probably could have been given a little love from the Academy, if the Academy wasn't a bunch of old white guys with soggy Depends and a distaste for anything that exists outside their extremely narrow, extremely safe view. Nicolas Winding Refn's excellent direction and the great performances by the cast makes this a joy to watch, even if some of the joy is splattered all over the place in chunks of bloody viscera. Refn is certainly a director that keeps getting better and I'm looking forward to seeing more from him in years to come.



Tell No One is an excellent and suspenseful thriller murder mystery from French director, Guillaume Canet. A very solid film with great performances that does have its missteps and flaws, but they never detract from what ultimately is a thoroughly entertaining film.  
 

I Saw the Devil is a brutal film...and I'm an American viewer! We are raised on violence here; it's as American as apple pie. And yet I cringed several times during this movie. There, I said it. And no, that doesn't make me a wuss, it just means I will always give a wide berth to a Korean filmmaker...I'm not going anyway near those psychopaths! But seriously, this is a pretty good film as a visceral experience, if you can appreciate the direction, visuals, and its uncompromising violent bent. Of course, in doing so you must overlook a script with a repetitive plot, a total lack of characterization, some impossible-to-suspend disbelief, and a good dose of misogyny. So, for those not paying attention, this is not a date movie. I repeat, not a date movie.

Drive

Score: 81%

Tell No One

Score: 79%

I Saw the Devil
Score: 69%