Gasland (2010)

When I used to think of Natural Gas, I thought: clean and simple.  It's natural like tapping into a volcano.  How naive was I?  Josh Fox, the director of this moving and informative film, just smashed my preconceived ideas into a billion bits (sort of like fracking my mind of disinformation).  [Battlestar Galatica nerds out there, fracking here does not mean what you think.]  Watching this documentary I couldn't help but blink with recognition; I know these people.  The families effected by this blooming disaster remind me of neighbors I know.  These aren't eccentric celebrities or faraway foreigners, but down-to-Earth Americans being hurt by greedy corporations.  I know this idea of "big greedy corporations" has become kind of trite but how else can you describe it: some very rich people are doing whatever they can to guarantee they continue to make money.  Or said another way: they care more for their profits than for future generations of this country (from some reason the image of Dick Cheney popped into my head).  What you need to know is this: natural gas companies have zero government regulations (because they're exempt from all our laws that exist to protect the environment) on their practice of Hydraulic fracturing, where basically they pump into the ground a cocktail of bad chemicals to break up oil and gas wells to collect what we call National Gas.  These bad chemicals then make it into neighboring water supplies.  Then guess what happens?  People get sick.  Animals lose their fur.   Wells explode!  And nothing is being done about it!   This is a very important documentary that should be seen by everyone in the country.  I say this a lot to people when I watch a really great documentary but if there ever was a time to believe me it is now.   When people can light their tap water on fire, that should grab your attention.   As for the film making, Mr. Fox delivers a fantastic blend of information and story that never lets up.  There are some moments where I felt my skin tingle when his passion for nature illuminates the screen.  Grade: A.

I also implore you to check out the film's website.   There's a great part where Mr. Fox rebuttals claims by the Energy in Depth website that attempts to debunk the film.  And let's hope the FRAC Act someday gets passed in Congress.  If the BP oil spill taught us anything is that we should never let these companies have free rein of our land.   

Dead Calm (1989)

An excellent three-character thriller that takes place on the lonely ocean.  Beautifully shot, Philip Noyce shows how effective he is as a director.  Imagine how challenging of a shoot it must have been, out on the unpredictable, high seas.  Someday we can hope he attempts another small film like this than tackle another massive action film like Salt.  Nicole Kidman has never looked better although it's fascinating to see how far she has come along in her acting skills.  Even Billy Zane, who can sometimes lay it on thick, keeps his performance believable and scary without sneering like the typical villain.  It's not perfect, of course.  Even as tightly crafted thrillers go, there are a few plot holes but nothing outlandish to ruin the film.  Grade: B+.

Restrepo (2010)

I applaud Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington for giving us such an honest and unbiased report on the front lines of the Afghanistan war.  This documentary is a must-see for all Americans, regardless of your stance on this war,  because it demonstrates on a real level the complex sinisterness of warfare and especially our involvement in this one.  I must admit that I came away with a deep dislike of military masochism so prominent in these soldiers.  Perhaps I am unpatriotic for suggesting these warriors could have represented this country better, that while they perform a duty I cannot understand nor could take up, their boorishness is depressing to behold.  But that's one of the parts of this film I cherish, its willingness-- both from the filmmakers and especially their subjects-- to show us their warts and all.  Perhaps we need to remember that these men are real people with fragile minds not heroes to honor just because.  For me that's why they're really heroes, not for battling the evil Taliban, but attempting to solve the unsolvable, by trying to win the unwinnable, for not standing by as a country falls to tyranny.  They sacrifice it all without question, as a solider must.   But god I wish we'd let them walk away.  Grade: A-.

Buried (2010)

I like what Ryan Reynolds said on the making of this film, something along the lines that this is the type of film Hitchcock would have made if he had had this script.  It's true, except they didn't have cellphones back then.  What an entertaining thriller with a near-perfect performance from Ryan Reynolds.   Just when you think the film makers had done all that they could with such a small space, they give us even more tense moments.  It almost makes you wonder why no one had done this before, besides a scene in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, or half an episode of Alias.  Rodrigo Cortés should be applauded for his vision and ability to surprise us.   The script is also very good.  My only complaint is that I wanted more phone conversations.  It's smart that he must conserve the cell's battery life but if I would have been in that situation I would have called a lot more people and I would have liked him to, especially to say his goodbye.  Grade: A-.

Spoiler on ending:  the ending was exactly what needed to happen.   Sure it's a bummer ending but it's the most effective.  I would have liked it if it were less rushed, especially when he gets a hold of his wife, but that's just me.  I also would have liked it if he had tried a little more to dig himself out of there.    Even if it meant being bite by a snake.        

Dogtooth (2010)

Bizarre.  Not so much surrealism as an absurd horror film, Yorgos Lanthimos deliberately unsettling film keeps the audience engaged not with story but with a string of shocking moments.  The basic premise, I guess, is a wacko father and mother (if they really are the kids true parents) raise their three teenage kids in complete isolation, telling them elaborate stories about why they must never leave the compound they live.  Yet even as they attempt to keep their children safe, "evil" finds its way into corrupting them.   Exactly what Lanthimos is trying to say is completely subjective, if he's trying to say anything.   While I liked this film for it's inventive, creepy and experimental nature I can't recommend it to just anyone.   This is for people who like to step outside the traditional concept of storytelling.  But if you're daring to venture outside your own compound of isolation you might find this film rewarding.  Such a film needs another rating system because I keep going back and forth: I liked this film, but I didn't really like it, yes I liked it, in fact I loved it, but I hated it, I wanted to like it but it wasn't as good as it could have been, but how else could it have been better, it was average but it's a stylized masterpiece, it's so-so.  As of today I give it the following: Grade: B+.

A Star Is Born (1937)

The original film that has gone on to inspire two remakes and possibly more.   It's story of a girl, Vikki Lester, with dreams of stardom coming to Hollywood to fall in love and have her dreams come true but with a cost.  The most interesting parts of the film deal with how Hollywood works, or at least how Hollywood portrays itself working, how the old studio system manufactures every aspect of a star's "look" and how it's not about the script but about pleasing the public.   The rest of the movie is a melodramatic love story that focuses on her husband's issues with his failing career and his struggles with alcoholism.   This is where the film structural is different.  The first part of the film is about Vikki Lester but the second part of the film is about Norman Maine, making it his story.   While it doesn't hold up that much anymore, it has its charming moments and a strong ending.  Grade: B.

Note on a possible remake:  I've read that Clint Eastwood was considering making this again with Beyonce as the star.  I hated the idea until I considered how much has changed.   With agents, and red carpet walks, and press junkets and the Internet, seeing how a star is born today,  if done with honesty, would be really intriguing.  I only hope they change it up some and develop more dynamic characters.

Animal Kingdom (2010)

An Australian crime drama about a teenage boy who moves in with his grandma and his criminal uncles only to be forced into a situation of survival.  Jacki Weaver earned an Oscar nomination this year for her portrayal of the grandma Janine Cody, a evil lady that says "sweetie" like its the most manipulative word in the English dictionary.  I'm not sure if her performance ranks as one of the top five of the year but she is good.   The film starts off at a slow boil but by the end the tension and dramatic pull of the story picks up speed.  I remember thinking in the first fifteen minutes, "Why does this film have such a good reputation?" only for it to improve minute by minute until its ending gave me goosebumps.  What a great last image (of which I'm not going to spoil).  As director David Michod's first film, I have to say I'm pleased and hope we have the start of a promising new talent.   If you go into this movie expecting a shoot'em up crime film, you'll be disappointed.  It's a wonderful dramatic, believable family drama that just happens to be about killers.  Grade: B+.  

Spoiler: If I have one complaint, which is a minor one, is that I would have liked it if Michod had given us some, not a lot, but some of J's testimony at trial.  I understand he felt we didn't need to see any of the trail, but I was left confused for a moment on what had transpired.  I even thought J was going to trick the Codys' lawyer and actually testify against his uncles.  Not a big deal, but I'd have liked to have seen the expression on Guy Pierce's face when he realized he failed in helping J.