THE ARTIST

Okay. Toss out any other film of the year, no matter how fine. THE ARTIST is an instant classic. Taking its cue (homage? ) from some of filmland's greats, (i.e. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, SUNSET BOULEVARD, VERTIGO(!) and especially the 1936 A STAR IS BORN, THE ARTIST finds its own voice in being totally original and ground breaking.

Shot in standard screen (no scope here) in glorious black and white with no words spoken until the end, every moment in THE ARTIST is brilliantly thought out and executed. In a wonderful scene, George, a John Gilbert-like silent screen star finds he is no longer wanted at his studio as sound has come in and he passe, an instant has been. On a wonderful set made of staircases, George talks to an up and coming star, he of course on a lower step, the younger star on the higher, as extras and studio people rush around them. George's day in the sun is over; the world is passing him by. The thought that went into such small moments (and there are many of them) bring this film head and shoulders above all of the other releases of 2011. Though THE HELP and THE DESCENDANTS will have their champions, (I liked the former and not the latter) THE ARTIST is a true work of art on every level. It begins as bubbly as champagne, finds a middle section that will break your heart and ends with the kind of hope that will make you leave the theater (or turning off the DVD) walking on air.

And oh, that cast! Jean Dujardin (of whom I knew nothing before this) is, in a word, magnificent. If I had to give a best actor award this year it would be between him and Joel Edgerton in WARRIOR, and Dujardin would get my vote. Without saying a word this brilliant actor goes from Douglas Fairbanks to Charlie Chaplin to Buster Keaton ending as Fred Astaire in a truly bravura performance. His co star Bernice Bejo (again, unknown to me) is a new (at least in America) actress to be reckoned with. Multi- talented, Ms. Bejo brings a warmth and sensitivity to a part that might have been run of the mill in the hands of a lesser actress. It won't happen, but she deserves an Oscar nomination. The wonderful James Cromwell (the kindly farmer in BABE and Prince Philip in THE QUEEN) is sensational as Dujardin's loyal chauffeur and butler while John Goodman steals every scene he is in as the head of the studio. If the director, Michel Hazanavicius is not up for an Oscar there simply is no justice.

There have been some wonderful films this last year but, in my humble opinion, THE ARTIST is the best of them all. By all means, see it!!!!

A GREAT HINDI FILM

Just watched a terrific Hindi film called ZINDGAI NA MILEGI DOBARA, and a more life affirming, sunny delightful film I haven't seen in a long time. Three buddies go on a three week vacation to Spain preceding one's wedding. What they find out about their lives is at the heart of the film, but the joy the actors appear to be having on this sun filled vacation comes across beautifully and we become another of their group as they sky dive, deep sea dive, run with the bulls and drive through the magnificent Spanish countryside. Touching and funny at the same time, with some great music, this film wears its heart on its sleeve in its desire to entertain and entertain it does. What a totally pleasant surprise. Highly recommended.

Shakespeare on Film

Just communicating with old friend and film buff John Higgins who recommended the Kevin Spacey RICHARD III. That led me to thinking (a rarity!) about what my favorite Shakespeare on film is. Here's a brief list, as there aren't all that many.

1) HAMLET: David Tennant's version. Doctor Who shines in this modern dress version of the play done so well that you are amazed at the new things you see; things you may have missed in the 100 odd times you have read or watched the play. Superb on all counts.

2) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh there has never been, and probably will never be, an adaptation of a Shakespearian play with as much life and joy as this. Besides Branagh the stellar cast includes Denzel, Keanu, Emma Thompson, Kate Beckinsdale, Robert Sean Leonard and Michael Keaton. Filmed in and around Umbria, this films pulsates with the joy of being young and being alive. Patrick Doyle's score is amazing as well.

3) ROMEO AND JULIET: The Zefferelli version (circa 1968) is the one that most people know (mainly through the beautiful soundtrack music) and beautiful it is, but I have always had a soft place in my heart for the 1955 version starring Laurence Harvey (pre -MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) and the beautiful Susan Shental, of whom I know nothing after this film. It has been out of the public eye for years but now appears on a new DVD. I saw it one time as a kid so I can't be sure if it holds up, but I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

4) MACBETH: Roman Polanski made this one after the Manson Family killed Sharon Tate and his unborn child, and the madness he must have been feeling comes through in every scene. (This is the one I used to show in 11th grade English.) A beautiful job. (Though I saw the Patrick Stewart version on stage and it blew me away, the film version of that production is said to be a knockout. Have that on my Netflix queue as well.

5) JULIUS CAESAR: Never cared for this play very much, but the combination of Brando and the great director Joseph Mankiewicz can't be beat. All star mid fifties MGM cast (Louis Calhern, Deborah Kerr et al, play the supporting roles.)

6) RICHARD III: Ian McKellan is truly evil and scheming in this beautifully filmed version of this Shakespeare classic. (If you want to see just how good he is, watch GODS AND MONSTERS after seeing this one and see this actor's amazing range.)

There are others, of course, i.e. MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM with Mickey Rooney and HENRY V (with Kenneth Branagh), but the six above are my picks for the best of the Bard.

WARRIOR

Just finished watching WARRIOR and much to my surprise, I find it to be the most satisfying and possibly the best film I have seen so far this year. Everything works. Okay, so the plot is predictable, but once you're pulled in by the acting and direction you are gone for the next two hours and twenty minutes.

First off, the acting is incredible. I have no idea why the awards committees have neglected Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy for best acting honors, and Frank Grillo and Nick Nolte (who hasn't been this good since he starred in RICH MAN, POOR MAN a hundred years ago) for best supporting. These are the male counterparts in quality to Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain in THE HELP. Never over the top, always completely in character, Edgerton and Hardy play two brothers who have been separated by the vicissitudes of their alcoholic and abusive father, Nolte. Though the two brothers love one another their jealousies and slights run deep, only to be settled in the finale of a mixed martial arts contest. (I know it sounds cheesy, but amazingly, everything works.

Directed by Gavin O'Connor who also collaborated on the screenplay, the film never toys with the emotions of the audience. Instead it sets forth the story in a realistic manner so that you almost feel detached from the goings on until the last forty five minutes that rival the last moments in ROCKY for power and honesty. (As with ROCKY, the tears were flowing at the end not because of bathos, but rather because of the honesty of the actors and the director).

That I liked this film comes as a tremendous surprise as everyone had been telling me, "You think THE FIGHTER was good? Wait till you see this one." The problem was, I didn't think THE FIGHTER was good, turning it off after the first half hour. This, to me, was the true successor to ROCKY, one of my favorite films of the seventies.

And, as THE HELP was not a "chick flick" so is WARRIOR not a "guy film". Both movies are infused with honest emotion and, as such, make my best films of the year list. WARRIOR is now available on DVD and blu ray. Watch it. You won't be disappointed.

Oops!

In my list of my favorite films I left out NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. A great film and the only one directed by the actor Charles Laughton. He might have done more work but the film was destroyed by the critics and only rediscovered after Laughton's death. Great performances by Robert Mitchum and the venerable Lillian Gish. Don't miss this American classic.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE WORST KIND

COWBOYS AND ALIENS might just be the worst film of 2011! Starting with an almost incomprehensible storyline adapted from a comic book (Oops! Sorry! Graphic novel.), the film meanders all over the place while it tries to decide if it's a western (watch out for those Apaches!) or Sc-Fi flick (these aliens are pissed!) In it's search for a meaning it includes rip offs of the Spielberg classic (he was a producer so they probably call the rip offs homages!) and wastes the talents of Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
(Spoiler alert) The film also tries to find its heart by including a beautiful dog, rapprochement between cowboys and Apaches and a sickeningly sweet subplot about fathers and sons that, it seems, even the actors don't believe. (You want a great film with that theme, go back and watch FIELD OF DREAMS again).

Then there is Olivia Wilde who has the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen in a film. Well there has to be something to keep you watching. And, okay, the scenery is beautiful and the explosions in blu ray are pretty awesome, though I think cooler heads should have prevailed as the last shot of the alien's space ship (a large phallic tube) exploding brings to mind the tragedy of the Challenger disaster.

The dog was beautiful, Olivia's eyes were beautiful and the landscape was beautiful. Other than that, COWBOYS AND ALIENS was one of the worst films I have seen since I walked out of DUDDLEY DO-RIGHT years ago. Just awful!

DRIVE: Gosling Scores...again!

This has got to be the year of Ryan Gosling! With three major films to his credit, he is the heir apparent to the late Heath Ledger and the grandson (figuratively) of Marlon Brando. In CRAZY, STUPID LOVE he shows his comedy chops, in THE IDES OF MARCH he plays a political animal with the morals of, well, a politician and, in the brilliant DRIVE he tears up the screen with an intensity and quiet resolve that bring to mind the great Steve McQueen.

DRIVE is the story of a brilliant movie stunt driver who, in his spare time, drives a getaway car for assorted robberies. Gosling's character is a stoic (he doesn't utter a word for the first sixteen minutes of the film and after that speaks only when necessary), who falls in love with a neighbor whose husband is in jail. (The neighbor is played by the brilliant Cary Mulligan of AN EDUCATION). She has a child with whom Gosling bonds and the three begin to play house until Mulligan's husband is released from jail. Then the fireworks begin. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave the spoilers out, but just know that the screen soon becomes awash in blood. Pretty it isn't; mesmerizing it is! I'm usually not big on films like this, but this one blew me away! With the "bad guys" played by Albert Brooks (with a terrific face lift. Didn't recognize him at first!) and Ron Perlman, and a poor soul middle man played by the excellent Bryan Cranston, the action never stops. I wasn't crazy about the songs and electronic music that are used haphazardly throughout, spoiling some of the suspense along with it. Other than that, DRIVE is one terrific ride. My suggestion; buckle up, floor it and see it as soon as you can!