Capsule Reviews from 2010

Vincenzo Natali's Splice (2010)

Natali deserves some praise for the unconventional and thought-provoking science fiction/sexual horror exploits of Splice. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley give satisfactory performances, and the creature effects are convincing and, at times, downright disturbing. French actress and model Delphine Chaneacis is Dren, the genetically engineered creation of Brody and Polley’s scientists. The film begins with a bang and continues along an interesting and enjoyable path until regrettably devolving into the standard horror chase film by the third reel. Worth seeing due to it’s bizarre and disturbing themes, but don’t expect much more. 3 out of 5 stars.

Lee Unkrich's Toy Story 3 (2010)

Woody and Buzz (Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, as great as ever) are back in a near-perfect film that serves as the crowning achievement of what can now be called a classic trilogy. This time around, the toys end up in a preschool and must contend with unruly three year olds and tyrannical toys as they quest to return to their owner, the now college-bound Andy. In theaters, the film’s 3D was a wonder, but it is little more than extra incentive to see this great adventure of heartfelt storytelling. The funniest and also most harrowing of the three films, Toy Story 3 is able to make a deep emotional impact while entertaining people of all ages. The only thing that keeps this final adventure for a perfect score is an overly schmaltzy ending, albeit an ending that had the majority of the theater in tears, and rightly so. It’s been a great ride. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

David Fincher's The Social Network (2010)

David Fincher has done what I privately deemed to be impossible. He has taken the seemingly moribund subject of facebook and crafted what is perhaps the greatest film of the year. Technically perfect, The Social Network follows Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg (a pitch perfect Jesse Eisenberg) through the inception and initial trials and tribulations involved in creating the social media site. This is all quite effectively told through Rashoman-style flashbacks during the course of two separate depositions. Fincher’s films have always had style to spare and his usual brilliance, along with a fine cast including young Andrew Garfield and the surprisingly good Justin Timberlake, helps to create a mesmerizing tale of one man’s rise to power during the dawn of social media. 5 out of 5 stars.

Johnnie To's Vengeance (2009/U.S. release 2010)

The latest crime thriller from legendary Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To contains all of the existential angst, style, and moodiness of his past work. Notable for being To’s first primarily English-language film, Vengeance was jointly produced by To’s own Milkyway productions and a French studio. This French influence extends to the cast as singer and actor Johnny Hallyday occupies the lead role as a visitor to Macau looking to avenge the shooting of his daughter, and the deaths of his son-in-law and grandchildren. He hooks up with three hitmen (reliable To regulars Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, and Ka Tung Lam) in a bid to take down Simon Yam’s Triad crime boss and have—yes—vengeance. Balletic gunplay, gorgeous cinematography, and strong performances anchor this above-average entry to To’s canon. 4 out of 5 stars.

Jeff Tremaine's Jackass 3D (2010)

Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius and the rest of the beloved crew of idiots returns in this completely unnecessary third entry in the Jackass franchise. The big draw here is 3D and I must admit that the effect is often utilized quite well. Much of Jackass 3D was filmed with expensive phantom 3D cameras and the effects are stunning and a far cry from the shoddy post-conversion jobs appearing in theaters every Friday. Still, we’ve seen this all before and the bathroom humor and crotch hitting jokes have officially worn thin. The Jackass fellows remain likable enough, but it has been a decade now and their weariness is apparent. The film cleaned up at the box office, ensuring a sequel or two, but I can only recommended Jackass 3D for the diehards out there. 2 out of 5 stars.

Nimrod Antal's Predators (2010)

File this one under “useless” sequel. Director Nimrod Antal and producer Robert Rodriguez essentially recycle every halfway decent idea from the original film with less than satisfactory results. The film tells the story of several mercenaries and killers dropped onto a an alien planet game preserve as they are hunted down by the title creatures. Plenty of people die, the visual effects are lacking, and the whole thing seems like a waste of time. Kudos must be given to Adrien Brody, however, for effectively conveying an action hero without the usually requisite tough guy build. Still, he’s no Arnie or Carl Weathers. Through the film’s runtime, I continuously found myself wishing I could just watch the original. 2 out of 5 stars.

Ben Affleck's The Town (2010)

Ben Affleck returns to the crime genre that served him so well with Gone, Baby, Gone; the result is character-driven action film featuring a knockout cast led by Affleck himself and a superb Jeremy Renner as bank robbers run amok in Boston. The film reeks of authenticity (one character from the film would say it’s very authenticious). While lacking the emotional resonance of his first film, The Town still manages to make you care for the characters while providing some of the best action sequences of the year. The film hits all the expected beats - there’s really nothing new here; but damn, it’s well done. One of the better films this year. With Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper and Pete Postlethwaite all joining in the drama. 4 out of 5 stars.

Neil Marshall's Centurion (2010)

Neil Marshall has yet to recapture the magic he so effortlessly displayed with The Descent and unfortunately, Centurion is another missed opportunity. Offering his take on the fate of the mysterious 9th Legion of the Roman Empire, Marshall fills the screen with so much violence and gore that character development, plotting, and acting all seem to fall by the wayside. Michael Fassbender acquits himself nicely as the film’s hero and Olga Kurlyenko makes an impression as the mute and deadly warrior on his tale. It sure looks nice and Marshall can film an action sequence with the best of them, but the material could have been so much more. Instead we get one long chase sequence, filled with Roman characters we don’t care about who speak in an array of British accents. Worthwhile only for those with a strong bloodlust who wish to check their brain at the door. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Joel & Ethan Coen's True Grit (2010)

My childhood was filled with John Wayne westerns. To this day, True Grit stands as Wayne's finest hour; so it was with both curiosity and apprehension that I first heard a remake was in the works. My apprehension soon gave way to excitement when I heard about the principals: The Coen Brothers, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. I was still unsure that anyone could match the presence and impact of the legendary Duke, but who better to try than the Dude? The western genre has enjoyed a brief, but critically viable, resurgence in recent years and True Grit is a welcome, if unspectacular, addition to the genre. There are very few missteps, but I can't help but feel that we just missed witnessing something that could have been truly spectacular.

For those unfamiliar with the origins of the story, True Grit is a remake/reimagining of the 1969 Henry Hathaway film of the same name, which is in turn based on the 1968 book written by Charles Portis. Hathaway's film was notable for earning John Wayne only Oscar and Wayne's performance, though a bit on the hammy side, still stands as one of the high points of a legendary career. The Coen Brothers approached the material with the intent of delivering a more faithful adaptation of the book, and on that count they succeeded quite admirably. Told from the point of view of the young Mattie Ross (fantastic newcomer Hailee Steinfeld), True Grit tells the story of a young girl, dead set on finding and killing her father's murderer. She enlists the help of a drunken US Marshall named Rooster Cogburn (Bridges, clearly having a ball) and a boisterous Texas Ranger played by a riotous Matt Damon. Together, the three set out into Indian territory; what follows is a beautifully shot and often funny, if slight, journey.

The Coen Brothers are known for their quirkiness and it is somewhat disappointing that True Grit possesses so little of this trademark oddness. Indeed, the film is likely the Coen's first straightforward genre exercise; to their credit, they set out to make a western and they made a good one. This is primarily due to the quality of their assured direction, the beautiful cinematography by longtime collaborator Roger Deakins, and the excellent performances by a star-filled cast.

Bridges plays Cogburn as a drunken mess of a man, though a man still scarily competent when it comes time for bloodshed. As he staggers about, slurring his words and rattling off stories of past adventures, it's clear that outside of Wayne, Bridges is the only actor that could possibly inhabit the role. It is an Oscar-worthy performance, although one likely to result in only a nomination, given last years' win for Crazy Heart. Damon is hilarious as the cocky Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (pronounced La Beef, and repeated numerous times to hilarious effect by Cogburn), and Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper also turn in high quality performances in limited screen time as the villains. Those four actors comprise a murderers' row of talent, but the real star of True Grit is the young Steinfeld, who goes to toe to toe with Bridges and Damon and emerges unscathed. It is a remarkable debut, and while the role is admittedly one-note, it's certainly a promising start to what looks to be a long career. The 14-year old has garnered significant Oscar buzz, and deservedly so.

The direction and acting are excellent, but where the film falters is in both pacing and tone. While it is quite funny, I couldn't help but feel that it was almost too funny, as the darkly serious subject matter didn't seem to be treated with the proper weight. And although this is no fault of the Coen Brothers, the film seemed rather slight, as there simply wasn't a lot going on. There are only three major events in the film, and the villains only appear for five minutes or so. My biggest gripe, however, was the lack of John Wayne. Again, it's hard to criticize a film for something beyond its control, but when you enter the remake game, you must accept that you will be judged against those that came before you. While Bridges version of Cogburn is certainly more believable and far funnier than the character as played by Wayne, I couldn't help but wish Wayne would take over during the scenes involving gunplay. The climactic gun battle lacks the power and ferocity of the original's finale, and it was with some disappointment that I realized that even the Coen Brothers, armed with Jeff Bridges and a host of great actors, cannot always pull an ace from their sleeves. True Grit is a good film, and compared to most recent entries in the genre, a great western, but it fails to leave much of a mark. 4 out of 5 stars.

Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan (2010)

Critically-acclaimed horror films are a rare sight. Rarer still when they star a 95 lb ballerina. Darren Aronofsky's newest film, Black Swan, could be seen as a companion piece of sorts to The Wrestler. Both films center on individuals whose single-minded pursuit of their professions could be termed noble, maddening, and ultimately tragic. Where The Wrestler starred a 230 lb rock of a man, however, Black Swan gives us someone much different, and ultimately even more distressing; that would be the innocent and naive Nina, played with surprising fearlessness by Natalie Portman.

Nina is a ballerina, one of a bevy of dancers in a New York City company lorded over by the brilliantly egocentric director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel in a riveting performance). The next ballet is to be Swan Lake and Nina is picked to be the company's next prima ballerina. Thomas knows that Nina has the technical skill needed to portray the White Swan, but openly questions whether she possesses the sexuality and passion to master the role of the Black Swan. We follow Nina as she prepares for the role, navigating her unstable mother (a disturbingly brilliant Barbara Hershey) and a new arrival to the company (the lively Mila Kunis), a fellow ballerina whose raw sexuality and unbridled passion pose a direct threat to Nina's ascendancy. All of this builds to a head in the film's final 40 minutes, which stands as one of the most intense movie finales in recent memory. To say any more about the film's plot would be a great disservice; suffice to say that it's doubtful you will ever look at clipping fingernails the same way again.

Aronofsky has long been known as a director whose principals display a madness of some sort, whether it be the heroin addicts of Requiem for a Dream or the mathematician of Pi. As Portman's Nina descends down these same narrow steps, so too does the film itself. Over 300 effects shots were employed in Black Swan, often to harrowing effect. The result is a surreal and dark world in which both Nina and the audience are never quite sure what is real and what is illusory. Featuring absolutely breathtaking cinematography by Matthew Libatique, the film is a visual treat the likes of which we haven't seen in theaters all year. The overarching story structure of the film is admittedly pretty conventional, however Aronofsky's committed direction and a bevy of knockout performances combine to elevate the material to near-classic status.

Portman has never been better and the ferocity with which she tackles the role is stunning. The power of her performance ensures that her tiny frame looms large over the entirety of the film; indeed, she appears in every scene. It is a demanding and difficult role and Portman knocks it out of the park; anything less than the Best Actress statue would be a crime. Not to be outdone, both Cassel and Hershey deliver fantastic performances, and the sense of unease that all three actors contribute to the proceedings cannot be overstated. Kunis also acquits herself well, although her role is perhaps the most one-dimensional of the film.

I'm aware that many people (mostly males) will discount Black Swan due to the ballet setting. This would be a mistake, as they will be missing a brilliant, twisted journey into the world of competitive ballet, replete with sex, violence, and disturbing imagery galore. This is one of the best movies of the year. 5 out of 5 stars.