A Single Man

A SINGLE MAN

Up For: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Watching the trailer for this film does not prepare you for what you are stepping into.

Here is what I knew about this film when I stepped in:

Tom Ford, a fashion designer, is a first time director.

Colin Firth is nominated for Best Lead Actor.

Julianne Moore had Oscar buzz before the nominees came out.

Period. That was all I knew about the film.

First, Tom Ford, an openly gay man, makes a great debut as director in this homoerotic longing. The style of this film alone was enough to keep me intrigued. The color changes in the film allow for many interpretations and the camera movements are gorgeous. The screenplay is seamless in portions and a somewhat loose in others. The one thing that never came to mind during the viewing was fashion. Besides Julianne Moore, no one really wore anything out of the ordinary (this was a 60's film). Not to say that costumes were not great, they were just not extraordinary.

Now, Colin Firth: do I think he delivered a great performance... yes. Do I think he will win the Oscar? Absolutely not. In comparison to Jeff Bridges & George Clooney's A+ performances, Firth can not stand up to such monumental statures. Needless to say, Firth carries this film on his back. Without him, there would be no film. Firth becomes this character and rarely ever veers from the course of sheer perfection. Sadly, however, the film is just not good enough for him to shine completely. Had Firth taken Clooney's spot in Up In The Air, perhaps, but A Single Man was not able to challenge Firth enough, and for that, this performance remains unworthy of an Oscar.

I was surprised when I saw the trailer for A Single Man, and it exclaimed that Julianne Moore would definitely be up for an Oscar. Having the nominees announced, there was no such nomination. I feel this occurred because Moore was just not in the film that much. In an hour and a half, she was present for less than 20 minutes (if even that long). With such a small performance, you cannot even begin to compare her to Sandra Bullock or even Anna Kendrick for Supporting Actress, who strongly carried their respected films. Not surprised with the non-nomination of Julianna Moore.

Overall, an impressive directing debut for Tom Ford, but Ford has a long way to go before I go view another of his films. Colin Firth delivers a solid performance but is unable to break through the glass ceiling that this film's sub-par nature builds for him (you are only as good as the film itself).

(15 FILMS TO GO)

Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

Up For:
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Costume Design

The first two words that come to mind within the first 15 minutes of this film: Low Budget!

Now I know, "do not judge a book by its cover" so I bit my tongue through the film and hoped for the best. I was sadly mistaken.

Dubbed as the great Heath Ledger's final performance (before his untimely demise), you assume that this film will be note-worthy. Dead or alive, you end up wondering why Heath ever agreed to partake in such a film.

First, looking solely at what the film was nominated for (Art Direction & Costume Design), neither deserve the accreditation. The clothes look like bed sheets and window blinds found in a garbage dump, which, to the filmmaker's credit, was what I assume they were going for, however, no style what-so-ever was brought to them. The only costumes that I even recall were that of actress Lily Cole's when they are performing the Imaginarium on stage. Besides those brief instances, the costumes are un-noteworthy.

Art Direction, again, resembles that of a garbage dump (and not in the way that was intended). I never felt like the film tried to produce a style with any art what-so-ever. The bus they drove around was a cluster-cuss (thanks Mr. Fox). I felt as though it may be stylish, but upon reexamining my thoughts, the bus nor the stage get-ups were very established.

Perhaps the film went entirely over my head, but I did not buy into anything the filmmaker was trying to sell to me. The imagination sequences were gaudy, with animations that a beginning animator could conjure up. The attempt at salvaging the structure of the film without Heath was laughable and confusing. And overall, the entire film felt low budget (quality looked home video-ish, acting was not spot on, and the sets, costumes, and props all fell apart in front of you).

The film acted simply as a remembrance of Heath Ledger and nothing more. Heath Ledger acted as best as possible given the film he was acting in. By far, Heath was the shining light of the film, postmortem or not. Lily Cole was gorgeous and allowed for "eye candy", but generally glossed over as a character (besides a "piece" manipulated by the Doctor and the Devil). The adding of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, & Colin Farrel were appreciated but utterly ineffective. I have been told I do not understand Terry Gilliam's work, and that is fine, perhaps the film is not intended for me. The screenplay, to me, was a mess. The twists and turns were not well done. I understood the plot for the most part, but saw no reasoning behind any character's motives or driving forces. The plot simply came down to Immortals being bored and playing games, which leaves for no moral or underlying message.

Sorry to say, this film will gladly not take any Oscars home, which is sad for the memory of Heath Ledger, which should have been left in The Dark Knight and not a low budget, Monty Python-turned-serious film. Long live The Joker.

(16 FILMS TO GO)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Up For: Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Stop motion animation at the medium's finest. Easily fell in love with this film.

Fox brings all the elements of a good film together in one package, leading in great voice actors, great screenplay, and great animation.

George Clooney tops off as the voice of Mr. Fox, only leading a cast of brilliance with Meryl Streep (you would never guess in a million years that she does the voice of the Misses in the film) and Jason Swartzman as my personal favorite, the child of the Fox's, Ash. Add Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, and Owen Wilson, and you have a truly unique voice cast.

Wes Anderson definitely brings his unique writing and directing to this film. The dialogue is genius and definitely creates a new blend of kids movie mixed with adult movie that films like Shrek & Up have made a staple in the industry. Not only will adults love the film (unless stop motion films scare you, which I know plenty of people that fit into that category) and plenty of children will love from the book by Roald Dahl (known for Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory).

Overall, great animated film that blows miles passed Coraline. Mr. Fox's biggest competition in the Oscars... Up. Though Fantastic Mr. Fox has not yet hit DVD, I feel as though when it does you will find many nay-sayers not for the humor or style of the film, while Up seems to be loved by all and rightfully so. I strongly feel that on Oscar night, Up should take the gold. Up does so many more things that Fantastic Mr. Fox just did not accomplish. Up aside, however, Mr. Fox was splendid and is worth several viewings (1) for catching onto the humor, (2) catching what was missed while catching onto the humor, and maybe even (3) for good measure. If anything, you will be lulled asleep by the soothing voice of George Clooney and his all-star voice cast.

(17 FILMS TO GO)