Nick Horowitz

Sunday

07Mar2010

Academy Awards Live Blog

8:13: We're just a few minutes away from the start of the Academy Awards and I'll be providing some commentary throughout on this post. From where we stand now, it looks like the big story of the night will be the Avatar/Hurt Locker showdown in both the Best Picture and Best Director categories. Me, I'm on Team Hurt Locker.

8:28: What I'm looking forward to tonight: Hopefully seeing Quentin Tarantino recognized for his writing on Inglourious Basterds. Even more so, seeing Christoph Waltz recognized for his awe inspiring delivery of it.

8:30: Here we go.

8:32: NPH to kick things off makes this great already.

8:37: Enjoying the classic Hollywood art direction of the set tonight. Also, Martin and Baldwin providing some good laughs.

8:43: Amending the previous statement, good laughs because of some good writing. Delivery is a little forced.

8:47: Still shocked that the Lovely Bones received any nominations after the critical thrashing it received.

8:48: As suspected, first win of the night goes to Christoph Waltz for his portrayal of Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. Was sort of hoping for a tri-lingual acceptance speech...

8:51: Seeing clips of "The Last Station" makes me realize I still desperately need to see it.

8:59: Another shoe-in with "Up" winning Best Animated Feature. One of the year's best without a doubt. Pixar is unmatched.

9:05: Seeing Chris Pine intro District 9 for best picture makes me happy it was such a good year for sci-fi. District 9, Star Trek, Avatar, Moon - all great entries in the genre.

9:12: Always a good time when Robert Downey Jr. takes the mic.

9:15: My first big surprise of the night with Best Original Screenplay going to The Hurt Locker. Should have been Inglourious Basterds in my opinion. Perhaps a sign of things to come for The Hurt Locker tonight.

9:24: The clips from Up make me really hope that Giacchino wins for his score for that film.

9:42: Ben Stiller's Avatar gag was only ok until the "hairnet" comment, which was awesome.

9:47: Best Adapted Screenplay - thinking it will go to "Up in the Air" but wishing it would go to "In the Loop"

9:50: And it goes to Precious for Best Adapted Screenplay.

10:00: Best supporting actress goes to Mo'nique - no surprise there.

10:06: Though I don't particularly love its aesthetic, Art Direction sort of has to go to Avatar for pure coherence of vision.

10:18: On a night that we're supposed to be recognizing film's best, why oh why do we have people from Twilight on stage?

10:28: Surprising but nice to see The Hurt Locker picking up some technical awards. (Over Avatar, that is)

10:36: Avatar gets Best Cinematography - probably deserved it for its technical accomplishments.

10:45: Best score.... let's go Michael Giacchino!

10:53: A well deserved win by Giacchino. Also, no one pronounces his name correctly!

11:01: Best documentary. Either The Cove or Food, Inc., I think.

11:15: Best Foreign Language Film? Either The White Ribbon or Un Prophete.

11:17: ...wrong on both counts. Who knew?

11:32: The lead-in to the best actor nomination was a little too drawn out. An as predicted, Jeff Bridges wins a well deserved award.

11:48: And best actress goes to Sandra Bullock.

11:53: And here we go..... my money is on Cameron but with the way this night's going Bigelow has the momentum.

11:55: Bigelow it is. Probably the right choice. The Hurt Locker was a master class in onscreen suspense.

11:58: It's The Hurt Locker's night!

Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 8:12PM |

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Sunday

28Feb2010

Review: The Ghost Writer

While I try to review films on their own merits, it was impossible to watch The Ghost Writer and not compare it to Shutter Island. Seeing these two films almost back-to-back, the similarities are glaring: both open with a boat approaching an island off of New England in a storm; both films use that island to create an overpowering aura of dread and mystery; and both are the works of veteran filmmakers, delivering high quality, intelligent thrillers.

The film features Ewan McGregor as the titular ghost writer, selected to finish the autobiography of recently retired British Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan. The ghost writer is given only a month to turn around a seemingly unpublishable manuscript. He is on the job only because the previous ghost, a longtime aide to Lang, has been found dead of an apparent suicide. Making matters worse, Lang is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for war crimes due to his involvement in torturing suspected terrorists.

As the ghost writer struggles to complete his task, he is drawn into Lang's household - his troubled and spurned wife; his overbearing top aide (and mistress); and an army of hired help and security personnel which turn his island retreat into an informal prison. Picking up where his predecessor left off, he begins to suspect that his death was not an accident, and that he too could be next.

Across the board, the acting in this film is top-notch. While Lang is quite obviouslyTony Blair analog, Brosnan plays him with a mix of Bill Clinton's charm and George W. Bush's "War-On-Terror" bravado.

Stealing the show is Olivia Williams as Ruth Lang, the Prime Minister's wife - a portraying a woman who manages to be equal parts confident seductress and emotionally beaten wife.

While Polanski does a great job of keeping the tension high and the stakes all too real, the ultimate conclusion of the film is slightly awkward. The final reveal and unraveling of the truth is done in a way which seems almost too simple for a film based around dark and hidden secrets. And while Polanski's decision to all but eliminate the denouement makes sense, the film's set up as a mystery warrants a somewhat more satisfying ending. That said, this is a strong entry in its genre and despite any issues with its final act, the performances and the journey getting there make it a film worth seeing.

Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 8:43PM |

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Sunday

21Feb2010

Review: Shutter Island

From the moment Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo walk onto the eponymous Shutter Island, director Martin Scorsese wants the audience to know, there is no easy way off. More than anything, this film is a master class in creating atmosphere. In a film with no jump scares, no gratuitous violence, and virtually no action set-pieces, Shutter Island manages to maintain an atmosphere of dread and horror throughout.

The Ashecliffe Mental Institution on Shutter Island is a treatment facility for the most disturbed and violent criminals, constructed from an abandoned Civil War fortress. DiCaprio and Ruffalo are brought to this place as "duly appointed federal marshals" to help track down an escaped patient who appears to have vanished from her cell. As they investigate this place and uncover unspeakable secrets, they begin to suspect that more sinister forces are at work.

While dealing with escaped mental patients, a dangerous hurricane, and doctor who may have been a Nazi scientist, DiCaprio's character must also wrestle with some disturbing emotional baggage, shared with the audience through some visually arresting dream sequences. I walked into this film expecting a high-quality version of a B-movie thriller - I did not expect a meditation on post-traumatic stress disorder and the affects of discovering the reality of the Holocaust on the men who discovered and liberated the concentration camps.

Scorsese uses some clever and intentionally off-putting editing to hammer home the feeling that not all is as it seems. Those with an eye for detail will find Scorsese using some interesting visual tricks and purposeful continuity errors - all of which pay off as the film reaches its heart wrenching and wonderful conclusion. The first two acts of the film specialize in Hitchcock-esque suspense as DiCaprio explores the island, while the third brings it all together with one of the most thought provoking endings in recent memory. This is a film which just begs to be seen twice.

While Shutter Island is not an epic masterpiece on the level of The Departed, it is a worthy entry in Scorsese's illustrious body of work. This is a film which will leave you questioning the truth up until the very end. The highest praise I can give it is that, after seeing it, I could not stop thinking about what it was trying to tell me. This is masterful storytelling wrapped in a beautiful and atmospheric pulp thriller.

Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 11:29PM |

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Friday

01Jan2010

2009's Top Ten Films

Just in time for 2010, in no particular order, my top films of 2009:

The Brothers Bloom
Rian Johnson's sophomore film featured some of this year's most clever dialog, a fantastic score, and a wonderful, quirky style which made this con-man tale one of 2009's best.

Up
Pixar continued their streak of top-notch animated films this year with this "Up". The first 15 minutes or so this film moved me more than any drama this year. The rest of the film is an exciting adventure filled with memorable characters and thrilling set pieces. Who knew an old man with a walker and a boy scout could be so thrilling?

Star Trek
The film I returned to the most times in 2009, JJ Abrams' reinvention of the Trek franchise brought us a modern take on the USS Enterprise while staying true to its space-faring roots. Chris Pine's Captain Kirk has just the right balance of cockiness and charm and Abrams has made me excited to see the future adventures of the Enterprise crew.

In the Loop
The funniest film of 2009 - this laugh-out-loud satire brings foul-mouthed, rapid-fire British humor to inside-the-beltway wonkery. Clever and poignant, this is a smart comedy which deserves to be recognized as one of 2009's finest scripts.

500 Days of Summer
Marc Webb's film debut is a modern take on "Annie Hall". Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zoey Deschanel star in this year's most intelligent and original romantic comedy. (The film also gets high marks for including 2009's best dance sequence.)

Up in the Air
Perhaps the film of 2009 - not based on merit (though it has it in spades) but because it's a film completely of its time. Jason Reitman's third film has shown that he's one of today's most exciting talents and George Clooney gives one of the best performances of his career.

Avatar

Despite the hype and unavoidable backlash, Avatar gave us a visual spectacle that provides a glimpse at the future of cinema. A thrilling piece of cinema, despite its admittedly trite story, it proves yet again that James Cameron is a master at transporting audiences into fantastic worlds and heart-pounding action sequences.

I Love You, Man

Truly a "bro-mance", this charming film takes the conventions of a romantic comedy and turns it on its head. Jason Segel is quickly becoming one of the most interesting comedic actors working today.

The Cove

A documentary that plays like a thrilling "Oceans 11" style action film. Bringing together a team of Hollywood special effects masters, military special ops veterans, a pair of champion free divers and the former trainer of "Flipper", "The Cove" shines a light on the horrific abuse and slaughter of dolphins in a small Japanese village.

District 9

A $30 million that looks like it cost $300 million, Peter Jackson protege Neill Blomkamp brought us the most original sci-fi film of 2009. A mix of apartheid allegory and bloody action film, this story of stranded aliens in South Africa was this year's biggest surprise.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson finds the perfect home for his quirky style in beautiful stop-motion animation. This adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel is one of the year's best family films while retaining all of the Wes Anderson hallmarks.

Friday, January 1, 2010 at 12:51AM |

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Tuesday

22Dec2009

Behind the Scenes: Avatar

For those of you who haven't seen the wizardry that went into making Avatar, the behind the scenes clip below gives a great look into how the actors performances were captured to create the Na'vi aliens in the film.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 11:54AM |

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