It’s so awesome when crazy controversy goes down and the show hasn’t even started yet!

Everyone would watch the Emmys if this is how the winners were picked.

Raise your hand if you miss Star Jones on the red carpet.  Didn’t think so.

Yeah we like you, we really like you, that’s why you won.

Wow, this award is really heavy.

Trust me on this.

Rated R – 2h2

Reviewed 1.25.09

Aside from already knowing what was going to happen in this movie, it was still an entertaining ride.

Frost/Nixon gives us a behind the scenes look at what led up to an interview, where British TV show Host David Frost (Michael Sheen) got President Nixon (Frank Langella) to admit to abusing his presidential power. It was an important moment, because Nixon hadn’t admitted any guilt from Watergate, and the country was pissed.

Even with knowledge of what was to come, tension was still achieved as the Frost team tries to draw out Nixon. Langella stood out with his commanding impersonation of the former President. He portrayed Tricky Dick with much gusto.

The film also nicely captures the anger and frustration of the nation. It especially came out in Frost’s research team. In search of justice, they were dedicated, comical and passionate.

I was very turned off by the reenactments of the Frost’s research team, explaining what they were thinking at the time. There was other stock footage in the movie, so why not show the actual interviews from the real team?

I did like the feeling and mood of Frost/Nixon, but I felt like it should have made a choice between a documentary and a traditional film.

Rated R – 1h56

Reviewed 1.11.09

If this is truly Clint Eastwood’s swan song from acting, he’s left on an extremely high note.

Eastwood directs Gran Torino and stars a Walt Kowalski, a Korea War vet and widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. In an attempt to get his neighbors off his lawn, Walt inadvertently saves the live of his Hmong teenage neighbor. Against his will, Walt is thrust into the life of the boy’s family and is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood.

What’s really great about Eastwood’s characters is that even though they are flawed, they are true at heart. Kowalski is a racist, bitter and angry man, but still aims to do the right thing.

Gran Torino even drew similarities to me with Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. Ethnicity was approached the same way, with nearly every character showing wearing their prejudices on their sleeve. In that way, you are given the chance to chuckle at our differences. It’s a great way of learning how similar we are.

With witty dialogue, a smart story and characters you can’t help but caring about, Gran Torino is greatness on film.

Rated R – 1h55

Reviewed 1.11.09

They say there’s nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster.

That couldn’t be truer for ex-professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke). Twenty years after his prime, The Ram is holding onto whatever thread of life he once had, while on the edge of falling apart. He makes a living performing for die-hard fans, performing in high school gyms and community center.

After a heart attack forces him to quit, The Ram tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachael Wood) and win over an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei), who he thinks is his friend.

The Wrestler is a masterpiece of modern film because it manages to perfectly capture the sadness of this lonely soul. The Ram is nearly on the level of a character in a Shakespearian tragedy. He gives us reason to hope that he can improve, but we know it can never happen for him.

Also of note, is the director’s film technique of moving from professionally shot scenes to scenes that look like they’re filmed with a video-cam. It paints a beautiful picture giving the film feeling and depth.

Rated R – 2h3

Reviewed 01.04.09

If you love chocolate, but found out that it was poison, wouldn’t that be a bummer?

That’s putting it simply, but that’s what happens to Ralph Feinnes character in The Reader. As a law student in the 1960’s in Germany, Michael (Feinnes) finds out that an older woman, Hannah (Kate Winslet), who he had an affair with in the 1950’s was actually a Nazi Prison Guard, but never told him.

Their romance was based on Michael reading books to her. We find out later she also enjoyed having her Jewish prisoners read to her too, before sending them to their deaths. Needless to say, this shakes his foundation and puts a mind wash over everything that he once held as pure and true.

If the director’s goal was to make us feel conflicted about what we were viewing, it’s a great success. On one hand we are feeling sad because Hannah and Michael were in love and that love is destroyed. On the other hand, everything going on with their relationship was minuscule compared to the greater tragedy of the Holocaust.

Feinnes is a favorite of mine, but it was hard to tell whether his disengaged performance was the result of how Michael must have felt, or a weaker presentation. Winslet does award winning work playing a dual role as a love interest and villain.