Maximus' Top Ten of 2011-Best Actress

This is the 3rd in a 6 part series of my top performances, films, and directing jobs of the year. Today we look at Best Actress.

10. Emily Browning-Sucker Punch: A terrible movie no doubt, but in a weaker year for acting performances, hers stands out as the only bright spot in the film. Playing a woman who retreats into her own mind to get through horrendous situations at her mental institution, she has to wear many hats, and wears them well.
9. Carey Mulligan-Drive: On the borderline between actress and supporting actress, but as the emotional center of the film, I put here in this category. As a woman who falls in love with a good man just to have her husband get released from prison, then get murdered, she had no shortage of emotional scenes.
8. Paula Patton-MI4: Another one on the border between actress and supporting, but Patton is in more scenes then the previous MI ladies, and stands toe to toe with Tom Cruise more than any of them have in the past.
7. Emma Stone-The Help: Was left out of most awards conversation, but did a fantastic job centering the film.  As Christian Bale talked about a lot last year, every obvious performance requires a quiet one. And Stone's was the one that kept all the other craziness in check.
6. Saoirse Ronan-Hanna: Carried the entire movie on her back, and while Ronan's acting skills should no longer surprise us, seeing a young girl do what she does is amazing.
5. Kristen Wiig-Bridesmaids: Brought her manic awkwardness from SNL to the film, but instead of it turning into an overly long sketch, she showed that she can really bring it to a two hour film.
4. Emma Watson-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Hermione has always been the one that kept the gang together, and you felt that way with Watson's performances. She seemed like a pro from day one, and it really culminated in 7.2.
3. Berenice Bejo-The Artist: In my opinion, has been incorrectly put in the Supporting Actress category in most races. However in a film that goes from happy and light to dark and depressing, her smile kept the darker parts of the silent film from becoming convoluted or overly morbid.
2. Rooney Mara-Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Rape, torture, murder, mind games, Mara had to act in scenes involving all of it. In addition she had to play a really unique character who had to show so much without the typical explanation of the characters past.
1. Viola Davis-The Help: Not much else to say about Davis that hasn't already been said, but just to add to it, she was fantastic, great, and amazing. By far the best performance of the year in this category, and its not even really that close.

Next up will be Actor and Director.

-Maximus

Maximus' Top Ten of 2011-Best Supporting Actress

This is the second in a series of six posts discussing my top ten in acting, directing, and films of 2011.

10. Melissa McCarthy-Bridesmaids: I was late to the game on Bridesmaids, but even seeing it after all the hype, I could appreciate the over the top yet great performance McCarthy gave. Her character may have been the craziest, but in a weird way was also the easiest to believe.
9. Bryce Dallas Howard- The Help: The least heralded of all the performances in the film, Howard had the task of playing the only unlikable main character in the film, and did it very well.
8. Elle Fanning-Super 8: Sometimes acting just runs in the family, and if you doubted the little sister could act, your feelings were erased by the halfway mark of Super 8.
7. Evan Rachel Wood- Ides of March: A small but important roll in the film, she went from charming to scared and vulnerable with one revelation, and stood eye to eye with all the great actors she shared scenes with.
6. Sandra Bullock- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: A tough one to judge because her character was contrived, predictable, and had a very silly arc in the film. However despite the material, Bullock rose above it and delivered some very poignant scenes that proved to be the emotional core of the film.
5. Melanie Laurent-Beginners: A very solid performance as a woman with a rough past who is attempting to move on while helping her new boyfriend move on from his own demons.
4. Jessica Chastain-The Tree of Life: Same as my description of Pitt in the Supporting actor category, Pitt and Chastain were the only thing that kept The Tree of Life from not being a complete train wreck. Chastain left her happiness, misery, and fear all out on the table for us to watch.
3. Shailene Woodley-The Descendants: Had to play a troubled teen, a grieving daughter, a brave sister, and be the comedic foil all in the same film, and had to do it all opposite one of the best living actors. For a relative newcomer, that is a job well done.
2. Octavia Spencer-The Help: Most people's favorite performance in the film, funny, emotional, strong, and done by an actress not many people expected it from. If it wasn't for the over the top acting during the feces pie scenes, would probably be number one.
1. Jessica Chastain-The Help: Played the anti socialite who wanted to be one of the girls, but was a better person then those she wanted to be like. Chastain played the character amazingly during her highs, her lows, and all the crazy in betweens.

Next up will be Best Actress and Best Actor.

Maximus' Top Ten of 2011-Best Supporting Actor

This is the first in a series of 6 posts about what I thought were the best films, performances, and directing jobs of 2011. Lets start with Actors in supporting performances.

10. Jonah Hill-Moneyball: Who would have thought the chubby kid from Superbad would eventually turn into a real actor? I certainly did not see it coming, and despite seeing Moneyball after all the hype had already came out, I was still very impressed with the performance. Hill portrayed a nervous yet confident young executive, and went toe to toe with Brad Pitt in every scene they shared.
9. Albert Brooks-Drive: Another out of their comfort zone performance. Generally funny Brooks was tasked with playing a mob boss who at first seems to be weak and reluctant, but by the end shows he is a ruthless and skilled killer, and he nailed it.
8. Paul Giamatti-Ides of March: How do you pick one performance out of an entire movie of supporting performances? You pick the one that made the biggest impact on you in the smallest amount of screen time. Giamatti wasn't given the big scenes that Clooney, Gosling, and Hoffman were given, yet he out shown all of them in a smaller window.
7. Brad Pitt-The Tree of Life: Along with Jessica Chastain, they were the only constants in the disjointed, jumpy mess that was The Tree of Life. Pitt played a father who you feared, yet never doubted his love for his children.
6. Nick Nolte-Warrior: Another flawed father, yet with Nolte's character, you never knew why his kids hated him, but you also never doubted it. You also never doubted his remorse and vulnerability.
5. Max Von Sydow-Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: The only part of the film that I liked was the parts Von Sydow was in. Playing an elderly mute is not the typical opportunity to flex your acting skills, but Von Sydow expressed more with his looks and mannerisms than many could do with a long winded speech.
4. Armie Hammer-J. Edgar: Hammer had the task of standing toe to toe with Leonardo DiCaprio, and he did, even upstaging him in certain scenes. You never doubted how much his character loved Hoover, even without him ever saying it.
3. Paul Bettany-Margin Call: Another film with all supporting performances, and no main actor or actress. While Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons were solid, it was Bettany who stood out. Playing a company man who has serious doubts about his company, Bettany was terrific.
2. Alan Rickman-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Not necessarily a cumulative award, but the second half of the 7th film was the one where Rickman really got to flex his acting chops. He was able to finally show his emotion as opposed to just the stern dictator he played in the first 7 films, and he did it terrifically.
1. Christopher Plummer-Beginners: The most heralded performance of the year is the rightful one. Plummer is terrific playing an elderly man who recently came out of the closet, just to find out that he is dying. But the performance, while it could have been morbid and depressing, was joyful and expressive. Plummer showed grace and soul and took great material made it drastically better.

Runner ups were Andy Serkis in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Christopher Plummer in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Ides of March.

Next up will be Best Supporting Actress.

New DVD Review-Drive

Drive is a film from director Nicholas Winding Refn, whose only other known film is the overrated and convoluted Valhalla Rising. It stars Ryan Gosling who people seem to be just noticing, despite great performances in The Notebook, Fracture, Lars and the Real Girl, and my personal favorite, Half Nelson. The film was advertised as a Fast & the Furious style action film about a getaway driver. Drive is not an action film, nor are there any over the top chase sequences. However what Drive lacks in action, it makes up for in terrific directing and great performances. Refn directs like he has been doing this for forty years, and there are so many great shots, it reminded me very much of Road to Perdition. While its not quite on the level of Perdition, Refn uses Drive like his own playground, similar to how Mendes did with that film. In addition to Gosling, you also get great performances from Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks. Drive may not be the action film people hoped, but succeeds on many other levels. I give Drive 8 Ninja Stars out of 10 and recommend seeing it. Drive Co-stars Christina Hendricks and Ron Perlman.

Is Julia Roberts....Overrated?

I know, I know, based off the title alone, I am being blasphemous, but hear me out. Recently I have been thinking of actors or actresses of this current generation who would be in the "Hall of Fame" of acting if there was one. This means actors under 65 and over 35 who have made a huge impact on people my age. So think Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, etc. Naturally when thinking of this (likely the topic of a future post) I had Julia Roberts in the actress list. However when I went through her filmography and thought more in to it, I couldn't help but be very underwhelmed. Now understand I am not talking about the quality of her films, she has made many very good movies, however her performances have been very....one note. She first showed her skills in Mystic Pizza, Steel Magnolias, and Pretty Woman. All three iconic movies with good Roberts' performances, especially Pretty Woman, which really defined her career. But after that, she took many roles that required the same exact performance from her. Would anyone notice if you replaced Julianne in My Best Friend's Wedding with Anna from Notting Hill? Or how about replacing Darby in The Pelican Brief with Alice from Conspiracy Theory? The bottom line is you would never notice. Is she a bad actress? Of course not, you would never watch a movie and feel she brought it down, however there are not many where she really leaves you in awe of her performance. Looking through her 39 film not animated or just voice acting credits, I counted 3 in which I felt her performance was what I would consider great. Those three would be Closer, Pretty Woman, and Erin Brockovich. The performance in Pretty Woman was the first of the bubbly, lovable Julia Roberts, so even though it has been duplicated 30 times, it still holds up. Erin Brockovich was different and nuanced, and Closer was a hardcore drama, where Roberts had to play a detestable, foul mouthed adulterer, definitely out of her wheel house. But outside of those three what else is there? She was asked to use a Southern accent in Charlie Wilson's War, and it came out the most stereotypical Southern Belle accent in the last ten years of movies, she was asked to play two roles including herself in Ocean's 12, and we just got double her normal performances. Runaway Bride, The Mexican, Mona Lisa Smile, America's Sweethearts, Duplicity....all the same. So again I am not saying she is a bad actress, I am just saying that there is no range there. Many would argue that its not her, these are just the characters she is asked to play, but I would counter that with the fact that the roles are still her choice and she decides whether or not to play the lovable, sweet lady for the 56th time, or to pass and look for more challenging roles. You cannot argue the fact that she has had a great, long, and distinguished career that has made studios billions of dollars, but you also cannot argue the low degree of difficulty factor. Think of Katherine Heigl's career so far, critically panned films that make a huge splash at the box office, with performances from Heigl that never ask her to go outside of the uptight, overly controlling, caricature of a career woman role. So why do critics and non fans despise Heigl's movies so much but still rave and smile over the 14th Garry Marshall/Julia Roberts film? I think the reason is likability, which is something that Heigl's characters have not displayed. Roberts career has seen her playing the wronged or love struck one in the romantic comedies, never the heart breaker or person who doesn't want love yet in favor of her career or past relationships. When she smiles it is almost impossible not to be rooting for Julia Roberts, however it feels like its that smile, and not acting skill, that has kept her career on top for nearly three decades. Let me know in the comments how wrong I am, and let us know what your favorite Julia Roberts performances are to back up your argument.

-Maximus

Movie Review- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Coming off its surprise nomination for Best Picture, EL&LC has been a hot topic lately as it was left off nearly every other critics award show so far. After seeing the film, I can safely say the Oscars got it absolutely wrong. EL&IC is predictable, cheap, frustrating, and way too long. The film follows a young boy afflicted by Aspberger's syndrome, whose father is killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks. The relationship with his father seemed to be the thing keeping his syndrome in check, however the boy becomes unbalanced after losing his father.When he finds a key in his fathers closet, he decides that this must have been a last mission his father left him, and he sets out to find the lock the key belongs to. The rest of the movie is the boy trying to solve this mystery, being mean to his mother, and reminiscing about his father. The movie does pick up about half way through when the boy meets the man who rents a room from the boys grandmother. The man is known simply as "the renter" and is an elderly mute man. The scenes between the two are funny and touching, but don't last long or do enough to pull the movie from the miserable tone it sets early. EL&IC tries hard to be touching and poignant, but instead relies on 9/11 for its backdrop and hopes that's enough for people to say the film made them cry. It steals its most emotional moments from Saving Private Ryan,  Big Fish, and......Mercury Rising? The saving grace of the film are some of the performances, while annoying and utterly unlikable, Thomas Horn plays the main child with a feat of acting some of the best actors could not accomplish. Sandra Bullock and Max Von Sydow also give great supporting performances. I give EL&IC 4 Ninja stars, and probably would have given it less if it wasn't better than Midnight in Paris.

-Maximus

New DVD Review - Moneyball

This movie made the cut for the Best Picture Nominations at the Oscars this year.  If I hadn't already wanted to see it, being a baseball movie and all, this tipped the scales to where I had to see it.  I was excited since Brad Pitt is also a very solid actor in my eyes and I had heard that Jonah Hill gave a great performance.  A cool aspect about the story is that it is true.  The Oakland A's have struggled for years with no payroll to put a good team together and have notoriously scouted and developed good talent just to watch the fruit of their labors get snatched up by a team like New York or Boston that have ridiculously high payrolls.  The story follows the General Manager Billy Beane, who is played by Brad Pitt, trying to follow up a season where they made the play-offs with a small payroll and lose all there good players from that season to high salary offers from other teams.  He is faced with once again having to make something from nothing with no support on the financial end.  He finds a "kid" who really sees what baseball should be all about and the type of players the A's would need to make a winning team.  There is a formula they use to get older players, recovering players, and players that have been given up on to create a cohesive unit that can contend with the high rollers.  As we all know the A's don't win the World Series but it is a cool story to follow anyways. 

After all that I still came away a little disappointed.  Maybe my expectations were too high.  I don't think it was bad but I can't say it was anywhere near great.  The performances that were highly regarded fell short in my mind.  Pitt and Hill did nothing spectacular.  The story, though true, just lacked excitement in the telling.  Also they ended it on a terrible note relating the A's strategy to how the Red Sox won their first World Series in almost 100 years.  The Red Sox completely bought their team with a huge payroll which is the exact opposite of how the A's strategy was successful.  That statement definitely got my temper up because I loathe Yankee-Red Sox type of teams that just buy everyone with gigantic payrolls.  Again it wasn't a bad movie so I think I will rate it with a high 6 Ninja Stars out of 10.  It may have reached 7 if it would have omitted that last comparison to the Red Sox.  Comments are welcome as I know a lot of people have seen this movie and really liked it.

-Diomedes




Second Opinion: Moneyball


Moneyball is this years Social Network, the film that is based off a relatively unfilmable concept that ends up being a very good movie. Moneyball is a baseball movie, but has about one total minute of the on the field action, other than that its all behind the scenes. Scouting, drafting, trading, releasing...all the things a veteran fantasy baseball player like myself loves to see interpreted on the big screen. People who do not follow baseball as close may not enjoy the intricacies, but I definitely did. One of the biggest things I was afraid of was that they would glorify the season the A's had that year due to Beane's unconventional approach, when in reality the A's were one and done in the playoffs. But director Bennett Miller did not ignore that and addresses it head on. A very good performance from Brad Pitt, and decent supporting performances from Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman help the movie along, as it is definitely a movie that focuses on conversation. I give Moneyball 8 Ninja Stars out of 10, and recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the behind the scenes world of baseball. 


-Maximus