For Valentine's Day, I decided to write about something I absolutely hate. But, knowing that it is going to be about something that I hate, let me start by saying I love Colin Firth. Love him. And it's not just because he is Mr. Darcy. At least not the Pride and Prejudice Mr. Darcy. Although I do absolutely love him in that. But, the first time I saw him was in "Bridget Jones' Diary" (as Mark Darcy), and then I went and watched him in Pride and Prejudice. He has had so many wonderful roles and I have loved him in each and every one of them. And then came "A Single Man". He was nominated for the Academy Award for his performance as George, a closeted gay professor in the 1960's who is mourning the death of his lover. I try to see all the Oscar-nominated movies, at least the major ones, and this one also had Mr. Firth in it, so I rented it and sat down to enjoy what I expected would be a fantastic film.
And then I got to the end of the movie. And based solely on that ending, I now list this movie as my most-hated movie ever. EVER. To this day, I still randomly get angry about the ending. I can say, out loud, "I hate that movie" and a good number of my friends know exactly what movie I mean.
I am not going to reveal the ending, just in case you want to subject yourself to it, but suffice it to say it destroys all good feelings of love and hope and life that you may have had up until that while watching. I will say, on his behalf, that Mr. Firth was wonderful and I don't blame him for the ending, much the way I don't blame the waiter if something is wrong with my food. But oh dear God I hate the ending and so I hate the movie. Viscerally. It has been close to four years since I saw this movie, but my hatred for it still feels brand new.
Maybe putting these words down will finally exorcise the demon that is "the ending of the movie 'A Single Man'", but I don't hold out a lot of hope for that. Know why? The ending of the movie "A Single Man" sucked all hope out of me. Man. I hate that movie.
Now then, where was I? Ah yes, movies. Last night I went to see "Les Miserables," and I would be totally and utterly shocked if Anne Hathaway doesn't win many, many awards, up to and including the Oscar, for her performance as the doomed Fantine. Seriously, what an amazing job she did with such a tiny amount of screen time. "I Dreamed a Dream" is always sung in such a pretty way (and I know since I sang it years and years ago at my Senior Showcase in high school. Sang it wearing a gorgeous, emerald green vintage prom dress, which is SO Fantine. Ha!) but Hathaway sings it in such a raw and visceral way that I don't know if I can ever hear it sung "pretty" again. That's the way it is supposed to sound. She just shaved her head, she just allowed her own teeth to be pulled out, she was just raped...it's not a pretty story so it shouldn't be a pretty song. I had to swallow down sobs in order to be able to hear the whole thing.
And then there's Hugh Jackman. Wow. He is an actor who I think has always been taken for granted. He is gorgeous and built like a god so he has always played action heroes. Sure, he won a Tony for the musical "The Boy from Down Under", but I don't think Hollywood cares all that much about Tony awards. And so to see him in this role of a lifetime, baring his soul with every note he sings, every movement of his body, every look he gives, was nothing short of a revelation. I would also be very surprised if he does not pick up wheelbarrows full of awards for his performance as Jean Valjean. And he will deserve every single one of them.
So now we come to Russell Crowe as Javert...he is really receiving a critical drubbing for his performance and I can honestly see why. However, having said that, I don't think I agree with it. If "Les Miserables" was a comedy, Javert would be the straight man and the straight man is frequently overlooked. Crowe is most certainly not as strong a singer as Jackman, but then again, neither is Hathaway. He did look wooden next to the other actors, but is that his acting or his acting choice? I think it was the latter. Javert is so fully devoted to his job, to the law, that for them there is no grey; there is only black and white. While everyone around him is frequently overcome by emotion, he does not have that luxury. He is the law. He does not have time for emotion. And so, when he at last confronts himself and realizes what a truly good man Valjean is, he loses himself. He is overcome with emotion and for Javert, that signifies weakness, a great weakness that he cannot abide within himself. And so, he kills himself. Besides the gut-wrenchingly emotional performances given by just about everyone else, of course Crowe looks wooden, but I think it was a character decision, not an acting flaw.
My husband and I are HUGE Les Mis fans and so it was so exciting to finally see this movie and it did not disappoint. A wonderful adaptation, one that should and hopefully will win many awards, and one that I know we will watch again and again and again. And in the solitude of our home, we can finally sing along!!!
I watch a lot of movies. A lot. And all types of movies. Kid movies, blockbusters, art house...just love movies. So I don't think I can pick one as my favorite. It just wouldn't be fair. Instead, I'll give you a list of my favorites from this year, in no particular order. I know, I know, it's pretty wishy-washy of me, but it's my list and so there!
"Argo" - So much talk has been made of how amazing the turn-around of Ben Affleck's career has been. First there was "Gone Baby Gone", but maybe that was a fluke. Then came "The Town", but hey, looks like he can only make movies based in Boston. Now, there's "Argo", a movie that Hollywood loves because it's about Hollywood. Even though the ultimate escape scene is a little enhanced from what really happened, it takes nothing away from the truth of this amazing story. Bennifer is long gone and Ben Affleck has a loooong career ahead of him.
"Moonrise Kingdom" - Wes Anderson is a genius. Straight-up, stone-cold genius. This is such a sweetly funny, nostalgic film. I don't think it is as good as "Rushmore" or "Bottle Rocket", but it is still a fantastic movie experience. Such an amazing cast also - Bill Murray + Wes Anderson = SOLID GOLD. And I have always been a fan of Bruce Willis. He is so much more than just an action star. This is a first-love story, but has that Wes Anderson edge to it. Visually stunning (as always) and of course, a great soundtrack.
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" - This one blew me away. To think that the little girl who is the star of this film was younger than my 6-year old daughter when filming happened leaves me in awe of her. Entirely made by amateurs, this is a film that 7/8 of the Hollywood establishment wishes they could make. Such power in every single performance. And it all has such a dream-like quality to it; this is the way a little child would alter reality to make it less scary. I hope this wins lots and lots of awards.
"Silver Linings Playbook" - This will go down as the movie that showed Bradley Cooper can act. Sure he was funny in "The Hangover", but people often overlook comedy as throwaway performances (even though comedy can actually be harder to pull off than drama). In this fantastic film that deserves every single accolade it is receiving, Bradley Cooper plays "crazy" in a non-stereotypical manner. You really cannot take your eyes away from him as you see his mind working, his mind trying to make sense of the world around him. And of course Jennifer Lawrence was wonderful, as was DeNiro and Jacki Weaver, but we knew they would be. The real silver lining (sorry, couldn't resist) in this movie is Bradley Cooper.
"The Hunger Games" - Was it as good as the book? No, but it did come pretty darn close. There were some moments from the book left out that I would have loved to have seen on the big screen, but I still loved this adaptation. I thought the casting was great (Lenny Kravitz!) and of course cannot wait for the next one.
