2011 IN REVIEW PART TWO-"NUMBER 11"

For this second installment, I will now turn my attention to a collection of films I saw in 2011 which I awarded four stars, yet they did not find their way to the final Top Ten list. Therefore, all of these films sit proudly at a collective "Number 11" slot.

Just as before, full reviews for all of the following films are located within Savage Cinema and all films are available on home video except where indicated.

NUMBER 11

"HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2" Directed by David Yates
One of the classiest film series that I have ever had the absolute pleasure to view drew to an supremely entertaining, profoundly emotional and elegantly funereal close. David Yates masterfully tied all of the plot threads of the eight film series together with precise skill that always, always, always placed the characters and story first. Just as wonderfully, it was so touching to view the maturation and depth in the performances by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as our heroic wizard world triumvirate. As with the original novel, by the time the film reached its poignant final moments, I was satisfied beyond measure and wanted for nothing more. A beautiful piece of work by all participants involved.

"RED STATE" Directed by Kevin Smith
Smith, at long last and especially after a couple of lackluster features, why he is one of cinema’s most unique creative voices by arriving with a film that was a complete stylistic change from all of his prior works. “Red State” is a brazenly, boldly fearless, pitch black religious themed horror film that offers absolutely, positively none of Smith’s trademark humor whatsoever. The story depicts the grim tale of three teenage boys out for a Friday night of illicit action with an out of town older woman they met on the internet and ultimately, they find themselves drugged and trapped within the clutches of the cult of the horrific Five Points Church, led by the unsettlingly charismatic Pastor Abin Cooper (a flat out sensational Michael Parks). John Goodman also stars as an ATF agent who is dispatched to the site of the cult when the situation explodes into a battle not unlike past events in Waco, Texas. This is a film where Smith, working in top form, does what he does best by not only breaking all of the conventional rules of storytelling to create a wholly original piece by but also redefining what exactly horror films can be. It was a disturbing, complex, uncompromising film that really spoke to the nature of evil that once lived on the fringes of society but is now edging closer and closer into the mainstream.

"SUPER 8" Directed by J.J. Abrams
The fantastical story of filmmaking obsessed pre-teenage kids in 1979 Ohio who stumble upon a grand interstellar mystery is the wondrously entertaining third, and best film to date, from J.J. Abrams. With a terrific cast of young actors, who all felt to be completely authentic to the time period, Abrams crafted an exciting thriller (that train crash was one of the most spectacular set pieces of the year) anchored by huge emotional content and also functioned as an homage to one of his filmmaking heroes, Steven Spielberg. Yes, “Super 8” looks uncannily like one of Spielberg’s films from the late 1970s/early 1980s but through the homage, Abrams weaves a deeply personal story that illustrates his own passions to the degree that we never forget that we are watching a J.J. Abrams film. He gives the film purpose and passions, making the experience resonate grandly. “Super 8” is exactly the very type of summer movie from my own Middle school years. It is presented with such high quality that it is sad to think that films of this sort are a rarity when they were once the norm.

"TAKE SHELTER" Directed by Jeff Nichols
One of the most disturbing films of the year was this psychological drama about a construction worker afflicted with horrifying dreams and apocalyptic visions that he soon becomes obsessed with building a storm shelter in his backyard to protect his family. Michael Shannon delivered a crippling performance as Curtis the construction worker who is so terrified of any fatalities occurring to his family that he is increasingly unable to function in the any day-to-day activities. Nichols effectively creates his story to constantly keep the audience as unbalanced as Curtis as we are unsure if the visions are due to psychological damage or if they are indeed a dark prophecy of some unforeseen doom to come. It is an unnerving experience and we are left guessing even after the powerfully ambiguous final images.
Scheduled for home video release February 14, 2012

"WE BOUGHT A ZOO" Directed by Cameron Crowe
I will always stand firmly and proudly by this lovely film that celebrates the possibilities of life, love, family and community as it is a “feel good film” that legitimately earns every single moment that made me smile and smile broadly. Matt Damon gave a deeply committed performance as journalist and Father Benjamin Mee, who is struggling to rear his family after the tragic death of his wife. In a move of absolute desperation to save his family from emotional ruin, Mee uproots his two children to rural California to purchase a new home yet inadvertently acquire a dilapidated zoo. Mee, his children and along with the zoo’s skeletal staff led by Scarlett Johanssen, band together to revamp the zoo to its once former glory, potentially healing Mee’s family in the process. With great performances from the entire cast, gorgeously sun soaked cinematography and of course, Crowe’s impeccable taste in music selections, this film was a supremely warm experience that I simply never wanted to end and further showed how artistic, sophisticated, honest and intelligent PG rated family films can actually be. If I could have reached out and embraced it, I would have.
Currently playing in theaters

"YOUNG ADULT" Directed by Jason Reitman
While not for everybody, I loved this darkly comic film from Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody which told the story of a former high school diva and failing young adult novel author (a fantastic Charlize Theron) who returns to her hometown with the attempts to reclaim the love and life of her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson). Unfortunately, he is now married as well as a new Father. Delusional and undaunted, she returns to selfishly lay claim yet is “befriended” by Patton Oswalt, the high school geek she never once spoke to during their teen years. What was so daring about this film to me was how it had the audacity to create a completely unlikable character and make her even more unlikable by the film’s end. And in the end, she learns absolutely nothing. There is no redemption. There is no epiphany. Just the hard, cold truth that some people just never grow up, mature, become more enlightened and simply remain trapped in the time of their life that actually wasn’t that great to begin with anyway.
Currently playing in theaters

Coming soon...The disappointments, the over-rated and the films I HATED in 2011!

SAVAGE CINEMA REVISITS STANLEY KUBRICK-PART ONE: "THE SHINING" (1980)

“THE SHINING” (1980)
Based upon the novel by Stephen King
Screenplay Written by Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson
Produced and Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Steven Spielberg once said that if you happen to see a Stanley Kubrick film on television, it is virtually impossible to turn it off or change the channel.

While I would never be so presumptuous to ascribe that sentiment to all of you dear readers, especially as the extraordinary film legacy of Stanley Kubrick is defiantly not suited to everyone’s personal tastes and references. But I will say that this peculiar phenomenon that Spielberg described occurred with me very recently and has taken such a stronghold that I am currently delving deeply into a “Stanley Kubrick phase.” It all began this past New Year’s Eve, the day I returned home from my holiday family visit. On this particular night, as I searched the cable TV grid, I noticed “The Shining” was about to begin and I had solely intended to watch the first couple of scenes as I had not seen the film in many years. Nearly two and a half hours later, I had watched the entire film. I could not have changed that channel even if I had tried.

Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” his controversial adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel was a film I gave an extremely wide berth. I was 11 years old when the film was released, and as I was deeply involved with watching movies, any kind of movie with the intention of expanding my cinematic horizons, the name of Stanley Kubrick had already made an impression. I wasn’t exactly certain of who he was but his name carried a supreme weight that permeated the world of popular culture so completely that I was very aware of this presence of this figure whose mere name held such reverence.

My personal history with “The Shining” was one based in tremendous fear. Like Kubrick own name, I really didn’t know much abut “The Shining” at the time other than it was a horror film. But not just any runoff the mill horror film that was the standard release of the day. This film also carried a certain weight and reverence that permeated every wall of pop culture and I somehow knew that I needed to stay far, far away from it. But I was curious.

The story and plot of “The Shining” is well known but I will recount it quickly as a reminder or even as an introduction for those who may not be familiar with the work. Jack Nicholson stars as Jack Torrance, a novelist and former teacher who takes a job as a caretaker for the massive, isolated Overlook Hotel during the business’ winter off-season. While Jack is longing for the solitude and the opportunity to work on a new writing project, and his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) contains a certain spooky excitement towards the change in scenery, their young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) is troubled, uncertain and voices his doubts through his imaginary friend “Tony,” who, as Danny describes, lives inside of his mouth. Unbeknownst to his parents, Danny possesses psychic abilities and through private conversations with Tony, the boy has seen some disturbingly dark visions indeed.

Once the Torrance family arrives at the Overlook, Danny finds a kindred spirit in the hotel’s head chef Dick Hallorann (the immortal Scatman Crothers), who is also psychic and can speak telepathically, an ability he refers to as “shining.” When Danny asks if there is anything to be afraid of in the hotel, Dick thoughtfully explains that the building itself also has the ability to shine as it contains memories, some of which are not good. When Danny presses on and asks about room 237, Dick severely warns the child to never, ever enter that room.

The remainder of “The Shining” details Jack Torrance’s psychological descent as he is engulfed with horrific homicidal tendencies towards his family leading to a confrontation, involving elements from the spirit world, in which the survival of the participants hang in the precarious balance.

As I had previously stated, “The Shining” carried a level of menace that felt greater than any other horror film of its day and that was during a period when the thought of William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” (1973), Brian De Palma’s “Carrie” (1976), Richard Donner’s “The Omen” (1976), and of course, Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975) filled me with fright. It seemed as if just one look at the film would unleash unquestionable evil into my life. How superstitious of me but I was a child and that is how I felt. Yet, as I look back upon my fears concerning this film, it all feels appropriate. Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” with its scant collective of characters, is essentially a chamber piece but it is executed on the scale of an epic as the film’s surroundings suggest a superior world of darkness that exists far outside and even deeply inside the members of the Torrance family.

The very first time I attempted to peek at the film was when I was 12 and “The Shining” made its pay TV debut. I would turn to the channel and become almost hypnotically engaged with the sight of jack Torrance throwing a tennis ball against the wall of the mammoth hotel lobby and then, I would begin to feel unnerved enough that I changed the channel back to something safer. And then, I would change the channel back to the film one more time and I became mesmerized by the sight of Danny riding his big wheel through the cavernous hallways and then, without warning, the female ghost twins would appear and believe me, I could not find the channel remote fast enough.

Over the years, I saw the film in bits and pieces and I actually finally saw the film in its entirety sometime in my late 20s as a local (and now closed) theater held a film society series showing classic motion pictures on one of their screens. It was then that I realized that my initial feelings were confirmed as well as alleviated. Yes, it is a supremely frightening experience but it was conducted in the style that appeals to me much greater than blood, gore and torture porn.

Stanley Kubrick was a visual stylist without equal. I have always been amazed with how he is able to establish the tone and vision of each and every film from the very first shot and “The Shining” is no exception. That opening helicopter angled shot of the tiny Torrance family car driving towards the Overlook Hotel with gliding, sweeping camera work over mountains and water accompanied by Rachel Elkind and Wendy Carlos’ (formerly Walter Carlos) ominous opening theme music perfectly sets the stage. Speaking of music, Kubrick remains one of the very best filmmakers to merge music and images in ways where the thought of one without the other is impossible. Along with Elkind and Carlos’ electronic textures, Kubrick utilized the dissonant classical pieces by Bartok and Gyorgy Lygeti, plus loops of sound textures including heartbeats to give the terrifying spell of the Overlook an unforgettable audio identity.

Visually speaking, Kubrick’s shot composition remains astonishing, with its floor to ceiling ratios and how every shot can exist as a still photograph (a technique most likely devised from Kubrick’s days as a professional photographer). Kubrick’s cinematic innovation was revolutionary as “The Shining” was one of the first films to utilize the Steadicam camera, which gives the camera operator the ability to take long, unbroken tracking shots with a smooth fluidity. (Kubrick even hired the inventor of that camera to assist him for this film.) Just think about all of those incredible sequences of Danny riding that big wheel through the hotel, or Danny running for his life through the hotel’s snowy maze. Those sequences make me think of a soul in flight.

Most effective for me were the moments when the characters emotional and physical states were at their greatest peril. These moments are often reflected within Danny’s psyche as quickly presented still shots intercut with Danny’s frozen, silent screams, suggesting a child trapped within the throes of a nightmare and still haunted by the frightening images upon being awakened. And then there’s Kubrick’s masterful usage of slow motion cinematography utilized at its very best during our entrance into room 237 and of course, the classic, iconic shot of an elevator drowning in waves of pouring blood.

Thematically, I loved the conceptual swan dive the film takes into the disintegrating psyche for both Jack and Wendy. Kubrick’s notorious reputation for filming endless takes of sequences allowed Nicholson and especially Duvall (as Kubrick was infamously nasty to her on-set) to arrive with unhinged performances they may not have otherwise arrived at. While some sections may feel comically over the top, I think they are intended to feel that way, as Kubrick did possess this bizarre ability to merge dark comedy with the nightmarish and somehow, at least to my sensibilities, everything felt to be so true and just right. And that was one of Kubrick’s many gifts. He was never a filmmaker that ever tried to tell the audience how to feel. “The Shining” feels almost like a bird’s eye view of insanity and the story of the Torrance family is given to us in pieces, allowing the audience to make the connections and provide the meanings.

“The Shining” is an ambiguous film, an open-ended film where everything is purposefully unexplained, a quality that further increases the tension and horror of the story. Yes, the film is a ghost story but even that simple aspect is left open for interpretation. Who truly has the ability to shine? Danny and Dick certainly but does Jack as well? And how about that oddball moment when Wendy, escaping from the axe-wielding Jack, happens upon a hotel room and catches the sight of a person in a rabbit costume performing oral sex upon another male patron? Who are the spirits aligned with? The great “redrum” moment when Danny enters the sleeping Wendy’s bedroom and awakens her so she can read the message presented in reverse in the mirror, is a sequence where the ones in peril are aided. But then, the ghosts also seem to have physical abilities as they release the previously unconscious Jack from a locked room.

Going even further is the overall explanation of Jack’s madness. It is just a case of “cabin fever,” as suggested by a story Jack is told during his interview concerning a family who served as off-season caretakers in 1970 and were murdered by the Father? Or it is something even grander as we discover, in a line of dialogue that is almost presented as a throwaway, that the Overlook Hotel was built upon a Native American burial ground. Much speculation over the years has suggested that “The Shining” is actually an allegory about the eradication of Native Americans by white people and Kubrick apparently has planted clues throughout the film as Native American logos, artwork, and photographs are placed throughout the hotel. Is there a certain significance that Wendy arms herself with a wooden bat for self-defense while Jack carries an axe, chopping everything down in his path?

There have even been questions if “The Shining” is an allegory about the Holocaust, especially as the tragedy of the Holocaust was something Kubrick carried deep fascinations with and even came close to making a film about entitled “Aryan Papers”…that is until Steven Spielberg made the formidable “Schindler’s List” (1993).

Regardless, the level of the unknown and unknowable about “The Shining” ads tremendously to its lasting power. In fact, I recently read about a new documentary premiering at the current Sundance Film Festival entitled “Room 237,” and is completely about the conspiracy theories that have originated from Kubrick’s film. A film of this sort feels very appropriate as with Kubrick, one thing always leads to another. And for me, this piece will lead to a future installment of “Savage Cinema revisits” as I write about Stanley Kubrick’s dystopian, satirical and controversial classic, “A Clockwork Orange” (1971).

This is the majesty of Stanley Kubrick as he made works, love them or hate them, that are unforgettable and impossible to shake once you have experienced them. Their power and artistry is limitless and timeless, even in a film that could have been conceived as being nothing more than a haunted house tale.

2011 IN REVIEW PART ONE-THE HONOR ROLL

For many, 2011 was yet another lackluster year at the movies creatively and financially, especially as recent newspaper articles have greatly illustrated how the year's box office totals have dramatically decreased from box office totals of previous years. While I could spend a mammoth amount of time decrying exactly what is wrong with the status of movie going in 2011, I would rather spend my time telling you about what made 2011 special.

I felt that 2011 was actually a fine movie going year and a marked improvement over 2010 for certain. Instead of a year where some good films are scattered throughout the first 10 months of the year and all of the great material arriving during the winter holiday season, 2011 was a year where I saw what I considered to be great films from as early as April, throughout the entire summer and even more at the end of the year.

For this first installment in my 2011 wrap-up, I turn to my "Honor Roll." These are the films which I awarded star ratings of three and a half stars and they are listed in alphabetical order. Full reviews of all of the following films are housed on this site and if you wish to locate one in particular, just ask and I will provide you with the link.

And finally, all of the following films are available to view on DVD except where indicated.

THE HONOR ROLL OF 2011

“50/50” Directed by Jonathon Levine
This film, too easily described as a “comedy about cancer,” was understandably a difficult sell and just as understandably, a box office disappointment when it was released in the Fall. That said, this film was one of the most empathetic, emotional films of 2011 as it delved into the life of Adam Lerner (beautifully underplayed by Joseph Gordon-Leavitt), an athletic, eager, young Seattle public radio employee with his entire life ahead of him confronted with a rare cancerous tumor located on his spine. Seth Rogen co-starred as Adam’s best friend and the lovely Anna Kendrick made a terrific impression as the young therapist in training who counsels Adam throughout his cancer treatment. What Levine accomplished most of all throughout “50/50” was a mastery of tone as it walked a precarious emotional tightrope by exuding a risky amount of ribald humor combined with the painful realities of cancer treatment and the unpredictable fragility of life itself. I laughed heartedly only to find myself choking back tears and then suddenly laughing heartedly all over again showing that this film really captured the odd rhythms of life as it is lived.
Scheduled for home video release on January 24, 2012

“THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN” Directed by Steven Spielberg
A splendidly executed, staggeringly well-animated treasure hunt starring an intrepid young journalist, a blustery yet alcoholic sea captain and a faithful wonder dog. Steven Spielberg, collaborating with Peter Jackson for the first episode in this proposed trilogy, has effortlessly crafted a joyous experience that is his most unabashedly entertaining film in years. The high amount of fun he is having with the material, based upon Herge’s comic book series, as well as the animation format is deeply infectious. What a feat to create something that is simultaneously nostalgic and forward thinking through its usage of the most state of the art animation techniques on hand, including terrific motion capture performances from Jamie Bell and the amazing Andy Serkis as the story’s heroes.
Currently playing in theaters

“BEGINNERS” Directed by Mike Mills
An exquisite short story of a film that tenderly encompassed life, love, family and death with the questions of the true origins of our personalities as the film’s succulent core. Ewan McGregor gave one of his most empathetic and emotionally bare performances as Oliver, a young man and artist coming to terms with the death of his Father from cancer (an enchanting Christopher Plummer). Even moreso, Oliver is coming to terms with the life lessons taught to him through his Father’s unwillingness to live his final years in vain as he comes out as a gay man after 45 years of marriage to Oliver’s Mother. “Beginners” is a languid, non-linear film that flies through the past and present as it explores our relationship with our own memories and how sometimes unreliable those memories may be in regards to providing us with the fullness of truth about the people we love and who have shaped our lives. Also featuring a terrific performance by the beguiling Melanie Laurent as Oliver’s potential new love interest, Mike Mills delivers a film that is equal parts deliriously romantic and beautifully melancholic.

“CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER” Directed by Joe Johnston
Our comic book film warm up to this summer’s “The Avengers” continued in wonderfully old-fashioned style with the origin story of our red, white and blue clad hero armed with the mighty shield and an unshakably innocent good will towards his fellow man. Filled with gorgeous cinematography, great special effects and action set pieces, what made this film special was how very wisely, Johnston and the film’s star Chris Evans focused their collective sights upon the man underneath the costume. This quality, plus some of that trademark Marvel comics melancholy, gave the film the proper amount of humanity to guide us through the admittedly and unashamedly corny story depicted completely without any irony or 21st century hipster cool.

“CEDAR RAPIDS” Directed by Miguel Arteta
This charming, raunchy, perceptive social comedy stars Ed Helms as Tim, an idealistic and sheltered insurance agent from Brown River, WI who nervously travels to the titular city for the annual insurance convention. Over three days, Tim meets and is adopted by a collective of colorful characters including the perpetually crude and drunk Dean Zigler (John C. Reilly) and the darkly alluring yet unhappily married Joan Ostrowski-Fox (a wonderful Anne Heche). The film is laugh out loud funny from beginning to end yet it is completely grounded by realistic characters who all utilize this convention as a simultaneous escape from reality as well as a period for deep self-reflection. For Tim, it is a time to stretch his wings, see the larger world, have his sense of integrity tested and discover exactly what kind of a person he is and aspires to be. “Cedar Rapids” is a simple film yet what makes it so special to me is the high quality of the writing, the acting, the construction of the characters, storytelling and overall direction. When you have all of those qualities on display at the level presented in this film, you just cannot go wrong.

“EVERYTHING MUST GO” Directed by Dan Rush
Will Ferrell gave a rare dramatic performance as Nick Halsey, an alcoholic salesman whose life rapidly spirals down the tubes to the point where his wife has taken all of his possessions and placed them upon the front lawn of his home. Over the course of three days and nights, and under the advice of his sponsor, Nick reluctantly holds a yard sale, figuratively and literally ridding himself of his life’s baggage. Surprisingly, he obtains two tentative new friendships along the way with a lonely latch-key kid (Christopher Jordan Wallace) and a sad, pregnant housewife (the consistently excellent Rebecca Hall), a new arrival to the neighborhood who is wearily awaiting the arrival of her husband. Like “Beginners,” this is a film that encompasses large, complex themes within an easily digestible package with excellent performances thrust front and center. Ferrell is absolutely terrific in the leading role as he miraculously is able to convey the various levels of sobriety with complete and controlled nuance. This film was criminally underseen during its theatrical release and I gently urge you to check it out now that it has been released on home video formats.

“FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS” Directed by Will Gluck
Ah yes, the romantic comedy for people who hate romantic comedies. This selection may arrive as a shock to many of you, dear readers and I have to admit that it did arrive as a shock to me as to how much I actually enjoyed this film. Gluck, who previously directed the amazing “Easy A” (2010) has created a romantic comedy expertly designed for my sensibilities as I have long displayed my dread for the current state of romantic comedies. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis make a wonderful pairing as like-minded, emotionally guarded and yes, sexually voracious individuals who forge a terrific friendship that contains an emotionally free sexual relationship. What made this film stand out for me from all of the other romantic comedy pieces of dreck that have littered our movie theaters for too many years now, is that the film was very witty, sexy, and completely self-reflexive as it gently satirized the horrible traps of movie romantic comedies while also upholding those same qualities. And most of all, Timberlake and Kunis displayed incredible chemistry in one scene after another as Gluck wisely allowed his two leading actors to talk, talk and talk some more, weaving a flirtatious spell that proved to be infectious. For those of you that may feel that my tastes tend to swing towards the more esoteric, the inclusion of “Friends With Benefits” is a perfect illustration of how strong writing, snappy direction and energetic performances can make cinematic cotton candy confections as entertaining and as artful as any other type of motion picture.

“FOO FIGHTERS: BACK AND FORTH” Directed by James Moll
This affectionate portrait of the alternative rock giants led by the charismatically engaging singer/songwriter/guitarist/drummer extraordinaire Dave Grohl is the first of four music documentaries that made 2011 a great movie watching year for me. What made this particular film so winning to me was viewing the band’s level of perspective with their good fortune as well as how grounded and downright innocent they continue to be, even after all of their global success. The film ultimately works as a portrait of a band that is fully aware of the graces that have been bestowed upon them and their refusal to not waste a moment of it. As with two other musical documentaries that will make an appearance throughout this review of 2011, “Foo Fighters: Back And Forth” joyously presents the career of a band made up of music fans performing for music fans and through the shared love of music, we witness rock and roll dreams being fully realized.

“GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD” Directed by Martin Scorsese
While the life and career of George Harrison would technically make Martin Scorsese’s epic two-part, three and a half hour film qualify as a music documentary, in many ways, this film transcends that particular genre. What Scorsese has accomplished by placing George Harrison’s spiritual life, quest and beliefs front and center is to craft an experience that nearly emulates the philosophical outlook Harrison held for himself and tried to impart upon the world. Scorsese has created a languid film designed for us to become washed inside of. While Scorsese presents elements and events from Harrison’s early life to his death in 2001 in a chronological trajectory, I loved how he allowed the film to float forwards and backwards in time as well as digress into a variety of side stories and memories, much like how we experiences our lives each day. Martin Scorsese has helmed a deeply spiritual film. A sublime, anecdotal, hypnotically conversational, sprawling experience that beautifully presents this legendary figure not as a pop-culture mythical being but as the idiosyncratic, individualistic humane being he gloriously was. And the film is loaded with the very best soundtrack any film could hope for!
This film aired on HBO and is currently not in the programming schedule. Hopefully a home video release will arrive shortly.

“THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO” Directed by David Fincher
Although I was armed with all of the skepticism I could muster, David Fincher happily proved me wrong. The American adaptation of Steig Larsson’s blockbuster thriller was a film I had more than enough trepidation towards, in regards to its actual purpose as the three Swedish adaptations of the same material felt to be definitive. Yet, Fincher has ingeniously devised a way to make his version stand firmly on its own cinematic feet by creating a more visceral and therefore more cinematic experience than the chilly docudrama original version. Additionally, I must give high praise to the gusty, full throttle, caged animal and wholly realized performance by Rooney Mara as the dark titular character. Mara, and the film as a whole, is an experience that does not exist to compete with the original film(s) and what I felt to be an iconic performance by Noomi Rapace. The two films work together as brothers…or better yet, as sisters in arms…weaving an engulfing and provocatively grim spell.
Currently playing in theaters

“MONEYBALL” Directed by Bennet Miller
This was one of the most unlikely films that I would’ve seen in 2011 due to its subject matter of baseball statistics, something that interests me even less than the game of baseball itself. But, this film, the second feature from Bennet Miller who debuted with the excellent “Capote” (2005), was surprisingly one of the most maturely satisfying films I saw. Brad Pitt gave one of the finest, most nuanced performances of his career as Billy Beane, General Manager of the disastrously low ranking Oakland A’s who utilizes the unorthodox ideas provided by Yale Economics graduate Peter Brand (an excellent Jonah Hill) to hopefully transform the losing team into winners and ultimately, the game and business of baseball as a whole. Despite the subject matter, “Moneyball” is not strictly a film about baseball or even the statistics. What Miller has accomplished so deftly is to present us with another character study of an almost unknowable figure and phase that study into a cultural commentary of the trials and pitfalls of sitting at the altar of winning above all costs.

“THE MUPPETS” Directed by James Bobin
I bow down to actor/writer Jason Segal for his bottomless love of Jim Henson’s collective of felt creations. It is a love so enormous he essentially rescued the characters from pop-culture irrelevancy due to his sheer force of will! “The Muppets” was truly one of the warmest, most entertaining films of the year that, like a few other very special releases geared towards families and children, perfectly demonstrated that family entertainment need not be shrill, dumbed down or flatulent (despite a brand of comically noisy shoes Fozzie Bear wears in one scene). “The Muppets” was a film of reunion between the collective of long disbanded characters as well as that entire collective of characters will all of us in the audience. It is a film of tender friendship tinged with that classic, earnest, melancholic wistfulness merged with manic energy, sincere laughs and smiles from start to finish and a heart as wide as the open sky.
Currently playing in theaters

“PEARL JAM TWENTY” Directed by Cameron Crowe
My affections for this film have already grown…ahem…tenfold (I couldn’t resist). Cameron Crowe’s passionate, accelerated, celebratory yet professionally clear-eyed documentary is a visual scrapbook designed for longtime fans of the seminal alternative rock band as well as existing as a supremely effective window into their world for new listeners and for those, like myself, who had never previously felt an attachment to the band. As with the Foo Fighters, the birth of Pearl Jam arrived through tremendous tragedy yet the newfound musical brotherhood between the band members and commitment to forge ahead for the sake and spirit of artistic creation made for a surprising and powerfully emotional experience. Watching events from the band’s twenty year history, during which they have shown a ferocious vow to creating and performing on their own terms, showed me exactly what I had not previously understood about Pearl Jam and I now see them in an entirely new light. The film’s extraordinary finale, which stitches together two performances of “Betterman” and “Alive,” show how the communal bond between band members to each other and the audience is a moment that gives honor to our collective shared experience and in one shining moment, a perfect rock concert brings forth harmonic convergence. These are not mere songs to simply perform and enjoy. The music of Pearl Jam is an act of fierce integrity and spiritual deliverance.

“SOURCE CODE” Directed by Duncan Jones
The story of a man who suddenly awakens upon a train headed into downtown Chicago and forced to relive the final eight minutes of his life over and again in order to discover the identity of a bomb maker and potential nuclear terrorist was one of the more gripping surprises I saw in 2011. Jake Gyllenhaal gave a performance of feverish intensity as the man caught in the fateful time loop and he shared terrific chemistry with Michelle Monaghan, a passenger with whom he tragically falls in love. I have deeply appreciated how Duncan Jones, now with his second film, has so effectively created science fiction films that are about ideas and emotions and not entirely abut cataclysmic pyrotechnics, although “Source Code” does provide much bang for its buck. With this feature, Jones has proven himself to be a filmmaker to keep your eyes wide open for. I have a feeling that he is just beginning to hit his stride and when he makes that GREAT film, it will be a stunner. But for now, we have this strong film, which presents to us a decidedly grim wheel of karma yet also functions as an easily digestible edge-of-your-seat thriller.

“TERRI” Directed by Azazel Jacobs
Jacob Wysocki gives a winning, meditative performance as the titular character, a tall, overweight teenage boy who is always dressed in a set of pajamas, who was abandoned by his parents, is currently caring for his Alzheimer afflicted Uncle and is mercilessly teased at school. John C. Reilly co-stars as the school’s unorthodox Vice Principal who notices how deeply Terri is caught in an emotional downward spiral and the twosome begin a tentative friendship. This quiet, perceptive sensitive, sad little film where nothing actually happens may seem to be the type of film many of you would not make an effort to see. But I gently urge you to give this film a try as its empathetic spirit and nuanced messages against teenage bullying made “Terri” a film to root for.

“THOR” Directed by Kenneth Branagh
This film was a blast as it took me back to the summer movie seasons of my youth when comic book features were filled with terrific storytelling, strong performances and characters and the special effects and action sequences were utilized solely in support of the story and characters. Chris Hemsworth starred as the hammer swinging warrior Thor, the arrogant son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins) who is banished from his astral plane of Asgard and falls to Earth to walk among humans to learn humility. Along his journey, he meets and falls in love with astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), battles a collective of mean ice giants and also finds himself under the jealous gaze of his duplicitous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Yes, this is all very silly yet Branagh fully knows it and does not allow the film to descend into any false sense of importance. Branagh gave us all a rollicking good time loaded with great action, psychedelic vistas of rainbow bridges and wonderful sections of humor. Again, this film not only made another exciting set up for “The Avengers,” I am also looking forward to seeing Thor’s next solo adventure.

Coming soon...2011 IN REVIEW PART TWO-"NUMBER 11"

"PARADISE" LOST: a review of "The Descendents"

“THE DESCENDENTS”
Based upon the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Screenplay Written by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Directed by Alexander Payne
**** (four stars)

There is a method to my cinematic madness, dear readers.

Sometimes when I go to the movies, especially during a period when there are more than enough titles to choose from, I go through a process during which I try to mentally determine which films may have a chance of staying in theaters longer than others, therefore creating a system where I can determine exactly which film to see next. As the movie theaters are currently flooded with must-see titles, I have been utilizing this process quite a bit. For instance, the latest installments in the “Sherlock Holmes” and “Mission: Impossible” series are both films that I am certain will be around for quite a bit as they are both making their fair share of box office loot, the latter having sat at the number 1 box office slot for the previous two weeks straight. However, a film like Jason Reitman’s “Young Adult,” for example, I reasoned would not have the same chances as those aforementioned mega-movies, so I saw that one right away. I think you can gather how I go through this process, as it is all but a guessing game. But sometimes, there will be a film that has strong critical acclaim that is also showing just a strong set of “legs,” and still I’ll leap frog over that title in favor of others. And usually, by the time I see that movie, the one with the critical acclaim and mysteriously long lasting box office staying power, I end up kicking myself for not having seen it sooner. This time, “The Descendants” is that very film.

Writer/Director Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” his first film in seven years (the brilliant middle age satire “Sideways” from 2004), not only shows him in full command of his cinematic powers, it is also his finest work to date. The film is an emotionally overwhelming experience, housed in a profound and elegiac sadness, and featuring the nuanced, unforced stellar acting work from the entire cast led by George Clooney, who also reaches new acting heights in what just may be his finest performance to date. “The Descendants” unfolds luxuriously, with exquisite pain, realism, surprising bolts of sharp humor all augmenting the rich tapestry of characters who reveal themselves beautifully throughout. For all of the acclaim this film has been receiving as of late, feel free to add my voice to that choir.

George Clooney stars as Matt King, a Hawaiian attorney and sole trustee of a long-standing family trust that controls 25,000 acres of pristine Hawaiian land. Due to a rule against perpetuities, plus the expiration of the family trust in seven years, the King family has decided to sell the land for future development, a decision that will go forward or not based entirely upon Matt’s final decision. Just as the details of this potential deal are reaching its climax, Matt is confronted with the devastating news that his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has been injured and rendered comatose from a boating accident. This horrific incident forces the self-described parental “understudy” to become the primary caregiver of his two daughters, 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) and the belligerent, ferociously foul-mouthed 17-year-old Alex (Shailene Woodley).

As the threesome begin to cope with the family tragedy by making the rounds to extended family and friends, Matt learns that his wife, with whom he had been having troubling marital issues with before her accident, was not exactly the person he thought she was. The new realizations make Matt question their shared history, the future of their children’s precarious emotional states as well as how her final wishes and memory should be carried onwards.

I do not dare say more about this film (although a major plot point is revealed in the films trailers) because like I have said time and again, I would hope for you to experience “The Descendants” as freshly as possible. This is not a film about the element of surprise, however. It is a slice of life, that illustrates life as it is truly lived, with full, three dimensional characters who Payne allows to reveal themselves in surprising ways, which then enhances the heart of the story tremendously. Despite some of the actions and harshness of several of the film’s characters, it is a film without prefabricated villains, dishonest comedy or hyperbolic drama. And like several films I saw in 2011, from Mike Mills’ “Beginners,” Dan Rush’s “Everything Must Go,” Azazel Jacobs “Terri”, Jonathan Levine’s “50/50,” Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought A Zoo,” and the aforementioned “Young Adult,” Payne wisely allows his characters to exist and function as real human beings dealing with realistic situations without any semblance of plot driven contrivance. Because of that quality, the audience is fully able to walk within the shoes of the characters while also re-examining the decisions, trajectories, choices and consequences within our own lives.

From a purely visual level, I cannot recall if I have ever seen Hawaii look so relatively drab on screen before. I don’t offer this observation as a criticism, because I really think this was Payne’s stylistic choice in order to augment a major theme of the story. “The Descendants” is not a film that also functions as a virtual travelogue, like Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (2008) or “Midnight In Paris” (2010). I think what Alexander Payne has accomplished is presenting the reality of Hawaii over the romance of Hawaii as it is a place just like anywhere else in the world, where sadness and tragedy are no less sad or tragic because of the tropical locale. Payne is playing with our notion of what “paradise” actually is, be it a location, a desire or even a marriage. The look of the film is firmly intertwined within the murky and increasingly confused emotional state of Matt King, and essentially all of the film’s characters, as they are all existing through a devastating period, wondering how to re-assemble their broken pieces and move on, if at all. And thankfully, Payne offers no easy answers and refuses to wrap his film up in a tidy red bow.

“The Descendants” is a film of mourning and Payne offers no lip service to the actual grieving process as he shows the difficult layers of letting go, especially as a person’s grief is firmly attached to one’s perceptions of the person who is soon to depart this world. If one knew a certain truth about the nearly deceased, what responsibilities does the one with the knowledge have to the people that loved this treasured family member and friend? And to that end, what is “the truth” anyway? Even if a person’s actions didn’t live up to one’s perceptions, doe that make those perceptions any less truthful, the person any less beloved than they had been? Payne serves these questions so effortlessly, giving viewers something to fully ponder as they leave the theater. “The Descendants” is not a film to mindlessly watch and forget on the way home. Alexander Payne has designed a feature for us to fully interact with and become emotionally involved with and again, Payne earns our emotions by trusting his story and the actors who all serve as conduits.

When I saw Jason Reitman’s “Up In The Air” (2009), I had believed that was the film where George Clooney delivered the very best of his acting skills. With “The Descendants,” I feel that he has topped himself. As Matt King, Clooney has now eschewed all aspects of his effortless cool and firmly exists as a beleaguered 50-something finding himself at an unforeseen crossroads in his life. I have not witnessed this level of emotional nakedness from him before and he moved me supremely, finding the soul in a faceless character enduring the types of painful decisions so many of us have faced or will face. His performance, as well as the story as whole, reminded me very much of Writer/Director James C. Strouse’s lovely “Grace Is Gone" (2007), which starred John Cusack agonizingly trying to tell his two daughters that their Mother, a solider, was killed in Iraq. Where that film existed as more of an elegant short story, Clooney’s work in “The Descendants,” much like the film as a whole, carries the full weight of the very best novels. It is a remarkable performance handled without flash, or self-serving acclaim. George Clooney should definitely be remembered at Oscar time for this work.

I must give special mention to the great Beau Bridges, who delivers his standard excellent work as one of Matt’s cousins and I loved seeing the wonderful supporting actress Judy Greer shine so brightly as well. I would love it if her work was remembered at Oscar time as well.

The surprise beyond surprises for me was Shailene Woodley, who currently stars in the unintentionally hysterical teen drama series, “The Secret Life Of The American Teenager,” a program noted for its (almost across the board wooden, “high school play” acting performances, which does include Woodley herself. For “The Descendants,” Woodley supremely raises her game and firmly holds her own as she often goes toe-to-toe with Clooney or serves as his co-conspirator, mentor, emotional guide and parental tormentor. There have been more than a few stories proclaiming that Woodley just may be Oscar ready with this performance. I’m not ready to go that far but she excels in this role. I recently read that Woodley is contracted for two more seasons on her television show. While a job is indeed a job in the acting world, I am certain that after grabbing this part with both hands so tightly, she is more than anxious to stretch her acting wings even further. And I am actually now very curious to see what else she can do.

You know, seeing “The Descendants” after all of these weeks and weeks since its release has made me feel as if everyone else had been carrying a great secret long before me. Well, when films of this high quality arrive, it behooves me to inform you and urge you to try it out for yourselves.

For me, “The Descendants” has earned a place as one of my favorite films of 2011.

"GREAT SNAKES!!": a review of "The Adventures Of Tintin"

“THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN”
Based upon the comic book series written and illustrated by Herge
Screenplay Written by Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish
Directed by Steven Spielberg
*** ½ (three and a half stars)

It was akin to discovering an archaeological find.

I first discovered Herge’s Tintin comic book series when I was going through the difficult transitions of trying to find my way at a new school during the third grade in 1977. Down the hallway from my classroom, there was a small bookstore. If memory serves me correctly, the store operated for a few days each week and encouraged sales through a reading/rewards program. Between third and fifth grade, I raced through a variety of Judy Blume titles, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer and a five novel sword and sorcery series by Lloyd Alexander and even J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit. Yet before I even began to think about tackling The Lord Of The Rings, I found myself drawn to a collection of comic books, the likes of which I had not previously seen.

With all due respect to the heroes and stories from DC comics and my beloved Marvel comics and despite having a youthful protagonist as the leading hero, Herge’s Tintin series felt to be something of a more sophisticated taste and challenge to my sensibilities. I had never seen nor heard of the books before spotting them inside of this bookstore and their foreign nature attracted and perplexed me. The non-contemporary stories, while containing more than a fair share of sweeping action and adventure, told stories of international intrigue and all manner of treasure hunts, mysteries and political thrillers with refined artistic flair and elevated wordplay. No superpowers, costumes or capes were on display at any point, seemingly creating a world that was not necessarily designed for children’s entertainment. Against any feelings of trepidation I may have held, the books beckoned to me with their size, scope and sheer uniqueness that I soon took the bait. I tried one book and then another and another and over a spell, I purchased seven titles out of the published twenty four titles, voraciously reading and re-reading them over and again.

“The Adventures Of Tintin,” Director Steven Spielberg’s second film during the winter 2011 season and his first collaboration with filmmaker Peter Jackson for a proposed trilogy, is a film that simply and joyously took me back. The adventures of our intrepid young journalist, his trusty dog Snowy and the blustery, drunken Captain Haddock are superbly mounted in a splendid blend of motion capture techniques and computer animation that never once sacrifices the soul of Herge’s globetrotting escapades. After having seen a collection of darker, more serious adult fare over the last few weeks, I felt the need for a bit of unabashed fun and “The Adventures Of Tintin” did not disappoint in the least.

Our story begins inauspiciously as Tintin (engagingly portrayed by Jamie Bell) and Snowy stroll through an outdoor European market and happens upon a model-sized boat for sale called "The Unicorn." Tintin purchases the model and is immediately accosted by the insidious Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig) who unsuccessfully attempts to purchase the boat from Tintin. This seemingly innocuous act sets forth a wild adventure involving a set of three model boats that contain three secret interlocking scrolls, a massive lost treasure, kidnapping, death defying traps, captures and escapes, pirate ships, desert dehydrations, crashing seaplanes, and even the involvement of the good hearted yet bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson (played by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg). And at the core, is the meeting and budding friendship and alliance of Tintin and the stout hearted yet perpetually alcoholic Captain Haddock (the amazing Andy Serkis) as they join forces to stop Sakharine’s pursuits at all costs.

“The Adventures Of Tintin” is as first rate and top of the line as anything you would expect from a film directed by Steven Spielberg, a fact made even more impressive as he is clearly undaunted and excitedly invigorated by his debut with helming an animated feature. He has always been a master of visual storytelling but utilizing the world of animation seemed to have freed his creative spirit even more as if he just received the greatest set of new crayons in the world to draw with. From the film’s start, every sequence after another is staged and executed with meticulously and highly playful precision and breakneck velocity. The beautiful camerawork in particular is as effortless and feels as naturally fluid as flowing liquid.

As I ruminate over the movie, I am thinking of the sequence set during a pirate ship battle flashback interwoven with Captain Haddock’s returning flush of once lost memories. I am also recalling the movements and motion presented through a dangerous flight inside of a lightning storm. Most spectacularly, there is the astonishing motorcycle chase through Baghdad that was so wonderful and thrilling that it was here when I realized that Spielberg is having a blast with this material as well as the forward thinking animation format. It feels as if “The Adventures Of Tintin “ is the most fun Spielberg has had behind the camera in many years and symbiotically, this is the most fun I have had at a Spielberg film in many years. And truth be told, I even think that it is more entertaining and stands considerably taller than the light footed and light hearted “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989) and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008).

Aside from all of the action sequences, every image contained in “The Adventures Of Tintin” is a sight to behold. Every detail, no matter how minuscule, has obviously been slaved over and the effort shows glowingly on the screen. I was amazed with the sharp sights of reflections within glass and glasses, the layers of grime and dirt upon clothing, the beads of dripping sweat upon character’s faces. Everything looked so photo realistic and convincingly lived in while also clearly functioning as a cartoon and the dual effect was stellar. In fact, I found myself marveling at the sights in the same way I did when I first saw Pixar’s original “Toy Story” (1995) and especially when Pixar raised their own bar with “Finding Nemo” (2003). But, like Dreamworks Animation Studios' glorious “How To Train Your Dragon” (2010), Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s special effects and animation team have created a work that should force the wizards of Pixar to look over their shoulders once again, perhaps snapping themselves out of the easy road of sequels they have been traveling for their last couple of pictures. Just imagine the high quality of American animated works that we could see and enjoy for generations with a bit of healthy artistic competition.

But all of the visual splendor would mean nothing at all if not for the performances which ground the film and present us with a collective of characters to root for and against. Jamie Bell and the peerless Andy Serkis make for an excellent team, vividly bringing Herge’s illustrations and characterizations to richly developed life. Even the antics and heroics of Snowy the wonder dog are so vibrantly rendered that he could even give the real life canine from Mike Mills’ “Beginners” and even Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” a run for their money!

I do have to admit that while the sights of “The Adventures Of Tintin” had me from the beginning, the actual storyline did not. While the overall plot is quite simple, it is the intricacies of the plot that are complex and that results in a healthy amount of exposition that has to occur during the film’s first third to get itself going. After a time, I could not help but to wonder if “The Adventures Of Tintin” would ultimately be a terrific exercise in style and not much substance to truly make me care about what I was witnessing. But once all of those various parts clicked together, the film took off like a rocket and never slowed down.

At its very best, “The Adventures Of Tintin” raises the bar for what exactly a computer animated film can actually be. As I stated in my reviews for Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo,” Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought A Zoo” and James Bobin’s “The Muppets,” Steven Spielberg has shown so terrifically, that films aimed for children need not lack intelligence or artistry. They can be sophisticated works to be awed by and even grow up into adulthood with. I urge those of you with children to give this film a try and to please not let the unfamiliarity of the characters stop you as I am certain your children will enjoy the heroics of Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy as much as I did when I first read the comics.

Before I bring this review to a close, I have to share this little tidbit with you, dear readers. Over the holiday season during my visit to my parent’s home, I discovered my old Tintin books housed away upon a barely regarded shelf in an upstairs study. Beyond feeling as if I had been reunited with an old friend, this too felt to be akin to unearthing an archaeological find but this time, it was one from my past, awaiting for me to lose myself inside of it once again.

With thanks to Steven Spielberg, the masterful storyteller he is, “The Adventures Of Tintin” is a bright, bold, brisk experience where I can re-visit those old friends in an excitingly fresh new way.

OCEAN OF EMOTION: a review of "War Horse"

“WAR HORSE”
Based upon the novel by Michael Morpurgo
and the stage play adaptation by Nick Stafford
Screenplay Written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis
Directed by Steven Spielberg
**** (four stars)

Dedicated to my beloved Rigby & Jada and to my dearly departed Pekoe & Kiwi

Dear readers, I am man enough to tell you straightaway that this film made me cry. Not simply a few sympathetic tears accompanied by a modicum of sniffles. No, folks. I silently sobbed like a hurt three-year-old child and as of the time of this writing, my eyes still feel the slight sting of those salty tears. Such is the power of the cinema when wielded by none other than Steven Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” is as old fashioned of a film as they come (short of being a silent movie like “The Artist”) as it combines the war film, the western and the tear jerker into a sumptuous experience. From the film’s first images, you will know that we are not necessarily placed into a realistic approximation of the world as we know it. This is the dream world of the movies, where the land is made of rolling vistas of green grass and the skies carry an impossible golden sheen. “War Horse” is a fable, a folktale of the horse with an iron will and a spirit that transforms all who encounter it, at home and at war. Ultimately, it is a tribute to the unshakable bond between the horse and the boy who loved him from birth. And for me, the entire production worked extraordinarily well because when you are in the hands of Steven Spielberg, you are, more often than not, in the hands of a true master. For almost 40 years now, Spielberg remains at the top of his game. He is a peerless visual storyteller who understands that if you are going to pluck heartstrings to the point of releasing the viewer’s internal floodgates, then you must do so with a pureness of heart and completely without shame. “War Horse” contains a purity that is a rare commodity these days, especially within our ironic, jaded, hipster-cool 21st century. It is also one of my favorite films of 2011.

“War Horse” opens in the lush countryside of Devon, England at the dawn of World War 1. Young Albert Narracott (played by Jeremy Irvine in his film debut) witnesses and is enraptured by the birth of a thoroughbred foal. The foal, now grown into a spirited colt, is then separated from his mother and taken to an auction where, to Albert’s Mother Rose’s (Emily Watson) dismay, he is purchased by his sad, drunken Father Ted (an excellent Peter Mullan) as a plough horse, solely to spite his wealthy landlord, Mr. Lyons (David Thewlis). Albert, already deeply in love with the horse, names it “Joey,” begins to train it and ultimately, the twosome forge a fiercely devoted bond with each other. At the outset of the war, Ted covertly sells Joey to the army in a state of financial desperation. Devastated with the turn of events, Albert pledges his undying love and friendship to Joey, vowing they will one day meet again.

From here, the adventures of Joey unfold as he changes hands with owners on both sides of the war as he faces all manner of wartime atrocities. While his beauty, strength and unbreakable bravery almost magically charms all who come in contact with him, from soldiers to a sickly farm girl (Celine Buckens) and her kindly Grandfather (Neils Arestrup). Yet, the love between Joey and Albert, and the hope that they will one day be reunited, provides the driving motivation for their respective states of perseverance…most especially, when they are each engulfed in the horrors of war.

Steven Spielberg's “War Horse” is not a film that can be intellectualized and nor should it be. This is an experience designed to be felt and felt profoundly, deeply and completely and to that end, Spielberg pours out all of the stops. From the stunning cinematography from Spielberg’s longtime collaborator Janusz Kaminski to the swelling score from composer John Williams, “War Horse” sweeps you away in huge, cascading waves of emotion and sentimentality. Now for some of you, “War Horse” may sound to be nothing more than a cinematic red flag as all of this may be an amount of manipulation that is unnecessary at best and overwrought at worst. Yet, as I have stated before on this site, all movies, regardless of genre or approach are manipulative but what do filmmaking storytellers want to do but to provide the viewer with an experience, which we will respond to? Steven Spielberg is uncommonly gifted, talented and skilled enough to know exactly, precisely when to plunge forwards or pull backwards and with “War Horse,” he forges ahead with a sentimentality that is boldly unrepentant. And for that, I feel that the film is a brave as his finest work.

Yes, “War Horse” is an episodic film meant to remind us (or in some cases, introduce us) of the classic westerns of John Ford with its widescreen canvas. Or even classic war films as well. But beyond any sense of homage, we are clearly within a Steven Spielberg universe where he has this uncanny ability to reduce the resolve of viewers to an emotional state that can only be described as “primal” and he works the heartstrings like the finest of orchestra conductors, always knowing how much, for how long, and most importantly, when. From the film’s brief goodbye between Joey and his Mother, I could feel twinges within me. With Albert’s initial farewell to Joey, I felt them even more. But, it was during the film’s war sequences, which crosscut between the experiences of Joey and the newly enlisted Albert, that Spielberg handles everything with as much skill, power and poeticism as the brutally graphic war sequences of “Saving Private Ryan” (1997), albeit with much less gore.

What spoke to me during this stage of “War Horse” the most was a quality I return to again and again on this site and that is the theme of humanity. I enjoyed the irony of viewing the inhumanity of war being filtered through the undeniable humanity that is found when a human is placed within close proximity with Joey. Somehow, someway, many of the film’s characters find the better part of themselves when confronted with having animals within their care for a spell. As Joey and his wartime horse friend are forced to pull artillery, the sense of compassion shown from one German solder towards Joey’s ailing friend was compelling. During another extended and excruciating sequence, perhaps the film’s best, Joey is trapped within a collapsed set of barbed wire and is aided to freedom by one English soldier and one German soldier.

Most of all, the humanity discovered between the magical bond between humans and animals spoke loudest to me and frankly, I could not help but to be reminded of the bonds I have made with the animals that hold a sacred place in my personal life. And perhaps, this is an aspect of the story that Spielberg wanted to convey to an audience. Think of any animals you have ever had the pleasure to know, to live with, to raise, and to love. I know that for myself, I have often wondered if my cats ever fully know how deeply they are cherished by me. How the friendship and family they have graced me with is priceless beyond measure. I wonder, of course, exactly what they think about their lives with me. What runs through their minds, hearts and souls and do they feel the same way at all. This winter, I had yet another experience that made me treasure those bonds even more as I believe that I have gathered a new insight into their interior worlds.

Simply stated, I spent a few days out of town visiting family and during my time away, I would make calls back home to check in. When I asked about the cats, I was informed that one of them slept upon the satchel I carry to work each day, a spot on which he never sleeps. The other had been spending each night on the back of our couch in a reserve pose and every time a car drove by, she would expectantly look out of the window. A few times, she even dashed to the window by the garage to look outwards even more. Once I returned, and relaxed on the love seat on which she and I spend each and every night together, I was informed that she never once sat or walked on that love seat while I was away.

I share that story with you because I feel it is that set of emotions and experiences that sit strongly and proudly at the heart of the relationship between Joey and Albert and the entirety of “War Horse” itself. Steven Spielberg has created a celebratory film about that miraculous symbiotic relationship that is indeed spiritual. It is about the connection between souls, regardless of species, through respect, courage, honor and love through the worst of times and in our especially dark political, social times of the 21st century, a film like “War Horse,” to me is a necessity, especially as this one is handled so beautifully.

“War Horse” is a film that operates on 100% emotion and requires viewers to react with the same percentage of emotion. I would think that one would have to possess a granite sealed resolve to not be moved by this film even a little bit and even then, I would think that the most hardhearted cynic would have a spot of trouble. And despite any sense of skepticism some of you may have, all I say to you is…surrender. Just surrender and be swept away, so rapturously and so wondrously...and make absolutely no apologies!

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR JANUARY 2012

In with the new, I say! In with the new!!!

Yes, dear readers, on this first day of 2012, I am all about "the new." But, for most of this month, I will still be surrounded with "the old," so to speak as there are several films released in December 2011 that I have not seen yet due to the events of the holiday season.

Still in the pipeline to hopefully see are the following features...

1. Steven Spielberg's two features "War Horse" and "The Adventures Of Tintin," and for the latter, I have to find an elusive 2D screening!

2. "Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol" from Director Brad Bird.

3. Guy Ritchie's sequel "Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows."

4. And yes, I still have not had the opportunity to see Alexander Payne's highly acclaimed "The Descendants" yet, either.

After seeing those features, I will then begin to compile and present my annual four part series commemorating the cinematic year of 2011...which will then be just in time for the Academy Awards season as well.

And even with all of that, there are at least potentially two NEW features I wish to screen. The first is Director Cameron Crowe's third 2011 feature, "The Union" a music documentary starring Elton John and Leon Russell as they collaborate on their duet album.

The second is George Lucas' eternally gestating World War II action film, "Red Tails," the exploits of the African-American assembled Tuskegee Airmen starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard. Intriguing me even more about this project is that the film was directed by Anthony Hemingway, who has helmed several episodes of the extraordinary HBO series "Treme," and the screenplay was written by veteran scribe John Ridley and Aaron McGruder, creator of the brilliant "Boondocks" comic series.

2012 is already running fast out of the gate and I am just trying to keep pace. So, as always and forever more, I'll see you when the house lights go down...