Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

5/5

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire was a completely unexpected triumph in cinema. Every aspect of this film works harmoniously with the other parts. From the inventive writing to the fast shutter speed cinematography, this movie provides an experience you are not likely to soon forget. Not only is it memorable and creative, but it's also a feel-good piece of entertainment.

Set in present-day India as Jamal Malik is about to win 20 million rupees on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, the movie goes back in time to reveal how his life story has served as a precursor to give him all the answers he needs to win. This framework could be the downfall of a lesser film, but in this one it fits perfectly. The cinematography resembles Christopher Doyle/Wong Kar Wai on methamphetamines. It is exhilarating, breathtaking, and reinvigorating. The music keeps your blood pumping while maintaining the mood and vibrancy of the locale and time period. The editing is tight, the pacing flawless.

The story itself, the dialogue, the characters, and the acting are all spellbinding. Everything is heartfelt, enriching, and filled with empathy. Everything was purposely chosen for its effect, and chosen correctly. Nothing happened by chance, nothing was left to mediocrity. Boyle wasn't even content to let the subtitles be average; he elevated them across the screen, colored their backgrounds. This gangster drama romance is one of the best of each of its individual genres, and without a doubt the most successful at incorporating and unifying each distinct genre into a brand-new, profound, and moving experience.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/

Revolutionary Road (2008)

5/5

Revolutionary Road is an expansive blue ocean. It appears beautiful from afar, but roiling underneath it is sorrow and anger erupting in ferocious waves. It touches all of us, pooling at the feet of some, submerging others. I am in the latter camp; I am a victim to this devastating film. I get jitters remembering everything that happened. My pulse quickens and my knees weaken. And I can't get that nightmare out of my head.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play Frank and April Wheeler, a young couple that recently moved into a suburban house on Revolutionary Road in the 1950's. Their happiness is a facade for the hopeless emptiness they're experiencing. Frank works at a job he can't stand and comes home to a wife who can't stand being home. They hate each other. They remain together for the sake of their children, but realize it's worse for everyone to stay in that situation. Separation is not an option. What can they do to escape their self-imposed, once-desirable imprisonment?

The acting is impeccable, heart-felt, and full. It makes the pitch-perfect writing all the more unbearable. The music infiltrates your subconscious. The cinematography stays on the sideline, subtly affecting your perceptions and focus. The editing is tight; it plays with time fluidly but intuitively. And for all the movie's effectiveness, for all of Sam Mendes's brilliance, it hurts. This is not an enjoyable film. This is not entertainment. This is a condemnation of all we hold dear in America. This is a searing indictment of our success, our greed, and even our appearance. By the end, we simply want to stop listening, to ignore it and hope it disappears. What a sorry, tired answer that is. But it is our only chance.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/

The Wrestler (2008)

4/5

Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is a phenomenal piece of work. He takes a subject most audience members know little about, professional wrestling, and envelops us in it, enraptures us through an unexpected intimacy with its performers. Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestling superstar 20 years after his glory days. We see him still wrestling in school gyms and run-down sports clubs, and at first we think he's desperately clinging to some faded, tattered notion of the greatness he once was. But we slowly realize he isn't; the fans are still there, and every single one of them knows his face and his long, magnificent history. They are closer to him than his family, and they are the only ones who understand him. The Ram is a compelling entry into the ever-growing list of film protagonists, and one I can't remember seeing anything like before. Mickey Rourke makes this movie what it is.

His life is in shambles. After suffering a heart attack from an intense match, he is told that he can no longer wrestle. He wants to see his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) again, to reconnect with her, so that he won't be hated in her memory. But his long history of absence, while only hinted at, runs deep through their words, their looks, and their movements. Much is said while little is shown. We see how much hurt a small mistake can make.

Marisa Tomei plays a stripper who is also getting too old for her performance, with plans to retire soon. Their relationship is strictly business, but after the Ram's heart attack, he breaks the rules and asks for more. We see glimmers of hope, as with his daughter, and we see mistakes and missed opportunities. We understand the power of bad timing. We empathize with a man we may not like or agree with, because we see his humanity in ourselves.

I have yet to talk about Aronofsky's directing. It is, in a word, personal. Voyeuristic, but close. It brings us into a foreign world, it shows us wonders as if they're commonplace, and it does so with humility. Aronofsky lets his actors perform, he lets the message settle; the directing never overshadows the content. I can see that being difficult for Aronofsky. He strikes me as an arrogant director, but clearly he has exhibited both restraint and intelligence in this film, and in so doing has demonstrated his love for the art form.

While I found myself liking the film cognitively, I didn't feel the same way emotionally. Except for the title song, I didn't really feel it speak to me. I want to see this movie again. I think my rating would change. I want to fall in love with this movie as I saw others fall in love with it. But I can't honestly give it a higher rating than 4. I'm sure you can though, so I highly recommend it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/

Righteous Kill (2008)

2/5

When I first heard Righteous Kill was getting made over two years ago, I was excited for two reasons: Russell Gewirtz was writing the screenplay (he also wrote Inside Man) and De Niro and Pacino were acting together. Both disappointed. The plot concerns two aging New York cops in pursuit of a serial killer who murders bad guys. The way the movie progressed, and the structure of the story overall, made the twist at the end obvious. There was also no build-up to the finale; you were simply watching stuff happen like it was some kind of indie slice-of-life movie. Additionally, the actions of most characters made little sense or were poorly explained. Characters' motivations were seemingly nonexistent or just plain ludicrous.

As far as the acting goes, what can I say? It's De Niro and Pacino, so it's not bad. It's just bleh. It's two old men talking about a case that needs to get solved. They're given nothing to show off their abilities. The best thing about this movie, which surprised me, was the cinematography and editing. They were far better than I expected (and better than the rest of the piece), although they were also a little out of place sometimes. Whether or not you were originally interested in this movie, just leave it behind. There's nothing here to satisfy you.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/

Gran Torino (2008)

4/5

Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is a drama about a retired Korean War veteran named Walt Kowalski who befriends his new Hmong neighbors Sue and Thao after his wife dies. A local gang picks on Thao incessantly, and Walt realizes what he has to do to save his newfound friend. For those who've seen the trailer, then you know the growling, cantankerous Walt that Clint Eastwood plays. And he is perfect in his role. We understand and appreciate his existence, even if we don't like his gruff exterior. His open and overt racism appears to be a measure of his love, not hatred, for the "dagos" and "zipperheads" he interacts with. And it's more hilarious than Crash.

The plot is rock-solid, with classic pacing and storytelling. The cinematography and editing are equally good. But the acting by everyone except Eastwood was awful. The Hmong teenagers had no acting experience, and it showed. It was painful to watch: eye-gougingly painful. And had bad sound recording. I don't know how it made it into this movie. But the rest of the movie is amazing. Highly recommended.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205489/