Re-cap of 2008

Favorite movies of 2008

I know what you're thinking. Julian, you saw some of these movies in January. Yes, I did. But technically, they were movies released in 2008. So, therefore, this list is credible. Enjoy.

Top 20

1. Milk

2. The Wrestler

3. Slumdog Millionaire

4. Gran Torino

5. Frost/Nixon

6. Wall-E

7. The Dark Knight

8. Iron Man

9. Changeling

10. Revolutionary Road

11. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

12. Tropic Thunder

13. The Visitor

14. In Bruges

15. The Reader

16. Pineapple Express

17. Role Models

18. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

19. Man on Wire

20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Honorable Mention

Burn After Reading, The Foot Fist Way, Stop-Loss

The Biggest Letdowns of 2008

Quantam of Solace

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

The Incredible Hulk

Semi-Pro

Cloverfield

and the creme de la creme...

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

... Thank you George Lucas and Steven Speilberg for ruining my life.

Review: The Wrestler

The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke, in "The Wrestler," is a rare case in when being typecast can be a good thing. Nicolas Cage was originally slated to play the role of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Soon after signing on for the role, Cage pulled out from the project after attending a Ring of Honor show in New York City; which paved the way for Rourke, whom the director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) said his "heart was with." And what a good choice he was. 

Mickey brings more than his acting talent to this role. He brings the heart, the soul and the authenticity. Rourke's weathered visage, worked wonders as Marv in his role in Sin City; and it is no different for "The Ram." Rourke encompasses every nook & cranny of his character. From his still chiseled, yet battered physique; the hearing aid and reading glasses he wears outside of the ring; the tears he wears in the movie's most touching scenes; the humility he shows his colleagues; the joy he gives the neighborhood kids who look up to him; all the way down to the anger and intensity he brings, inside and out of the ring. The emotional depth Rourke brings to this movie is staggering.

Randy "The Ram", whose real name in the movie is Robin Ramzinski (which he wishes he could do with out), is in the twilight of his wrestling career. He works for the local grocery store to pay the bills, but his heart is in the wrestling that he does on the various independent circuits -- with the wash-ups and the aspiring up-and-comers. He spends his nights at the local strip club where he frequents an aging stripper (who also seems to be in the twilight of her career) named Cassidy (the [very] convincing Marisa Tomei). "Ram" and Cassidy frequently find a connection in the realization that they are both part of a profession that no longer fully appreciates them. One night, after a hardcore match (brutally filmed by Aronofsky), Randy collapses from a heart attack. He wakes up in the hospital, after his bypass surgery, to the prognosis that his body is no longer fit for wrestling. Forced to retire, he gives up a 20 year anniversary match that he hoped would be his ticket back to the big time. Out of desperation to validate himself, he picks up more hours at the store and becomes more proactive in his pursuit of Cassidy, which in turn leads to her advice that he should try to rekindle his relationship with his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). Soon after, thing start to look up for "Ram." He begins to find fulfillment in his new postion at the store, in the deli section working with the customers. After a futile reconciliation attempt with Stephanie, he manages to convince her to have a talk with him. With a trip to a New Jersey pier; a brutally emotional heart-to-heart; and a dance in a condemned building, they find what they've both always wanted: The love of a father, and the love of a daughter. Unfortunately, Randy is having a hard time breaking the customer-only policy that Cassidy just can't seem to let go of. After a frustrating argument, Randy goes off and relapses on his newly refomed ways. Having a regretable one-nighter with a young lady, who is oddly obsessed with fire fighters -- you'll see. He ends up paying for his recklessness, and eventually regresses to his main drug of choice: Wrestling. The one thing in his life that never caused him any pain.

Although Rourke has recieved the most attention and praise, his supporting cast holds their own. Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood and Todd Barry are phenomenal in their roles. Although, their best contributions to the movie were perfectly planting the emotional seeds that allow Rourke to flourish. "The Wrestler" is a raw, cerebral masterpiece. The screenplay, written by Robert D. Siegel, a frequent contributor to The Onion (who's work I look forward to following, in the future, as he makes his transition into films), is seamlessly adapted to the big-screen by the master himself, Aronofsky. I look forward to more brilliance from the veterans: Aronofsky, Rourke and Tomei. As well as the seemingly bright futures that lay ahead for Wood and Siegel.

Review: Revolutionary Road

Revolutionary Road

It's a reunion! Leo and Kate reunite for the first time in 11 years for "Revolutionary Road." Directed by Kate Winslet's husband, Sam Mendes, this film - in the same vein as Mendes' previous work - is very engaging, as well as emotionally exhausting. Just as Mendes' did in 1999's "American Beauty", he gives us a glimpse of the dark side of suburban life.

Set in the mid-1950's, in suburban Connecticut, Frank and April Wheeler are your typical suburbanite couple -- their worst nightmare! Everyday, Frank goes to his job in New York City. Everyday, feeling more unfulfilled. April is a failed actress, now playing the role of stay-at-home wife and mother to their two children. Desperate to break out of their rut, April approaches Frank with a proposition: Move to Paris! Where they have always wanted to go, together. Reluctantly, Frank answers "Yes!" With that answer, it seems that their failed marriage and their bourgeois lifestyle are no more! But, when a few incentives are thrown their way, Frank starts to find it difficult to break away from their safe, comfortable lives. April, on the other hand, is still desperate to secede. This conflict of interest creates a rift in the rejuvenated couples marriage; ultimately leading to it's shocking conclusion.

Director Sam Mendes, like his work in Jarhead and American Beauty, gives you an introspective look into the minds of this perpetually deteriorating couple. Moments of levity keep Revolutionary Road from falling into a melancholy bore. Moments like when Frank and April return home after being grilled over their improvisational decision to move to Paris, they seem to find common ground in their arrogance. As if they're better than their neighborhood peers. Leonardo DiCaprio is great (like always) as Frank Wheeler, the young hot-shot at the office who is constantly battling with his fear of becoming "second-rate" -- just like his father. Kate Winslet plays April, the whimsical ying to his yang. Winslet is on fire in this movie, pinpointing every nuance of April Wheeler as if she wears this character, instead of portraying her. A real player in this film sadly over-looked is Michael Shannon. Shannon plays John Givings, the son of the Wheeler's gossipy real estate agent, Helen Givings (Kathy Bates). John, with his four-hour passes from the "funny farm", pays a couple of visits to the Wheelers and really cuts to the core of their defeated marriage. Initially in praise of the couples poise and unwillingness to conform, things turn sour for him; and with an impetuous argument between Frank and John, things turn sour for the picture-perfect Wheeler family.

Every player in this film shows up, and with a vengeance. Revolutionary Road leaves it's impression on you. It's raw and unapologetic in it's portrayal. Mendes is back -- in the same way he first got our attention with American Beauty -- with a harsh realism: That we may need to "... look closer."

Winners (in the movie categories) at the 2009 Golden Globe Awards

Best Motion Picture - Drama:
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Kate Winslet - "Revolutionary Road"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Mickey Rourke - "The Wrestler"

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Sally Hawkins - "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Colin Farrell - "In Bruges"

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
Kate Winslet - "The Reader"

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
Heath Ledger - "The Dark Knight"

Best Animated Feature Film:
Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film:
Waltz with Bashir

Best Director - Motion Picture:
Danny Boyle - "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture:
Simon Beaufoy - "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Original Score - Motion Picture:
A. R. Rahman - "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Original Song - Motion Picture:
"The Wrestler" - Music and Lyrics by: Bruce Springsteen - "The Wrestler"

Getting started...

I figured I would start from scratch. It would take too long to go back to all of the recent movies I have seen and write a review on them. Maybe someday I will, if I can get around to it

Reviews coming soon (hopefully):

The Wrestler


Revolutionary Road


Rachel Getting Married


Doubt