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I’m Not There

Date: December 18
Location: Landmark Art Cinema (Atlanta)

I returned to the excellent midtown Atlanta theater where I saw Pan’s Labyrinth about a year ago to catch Todd Haynes’ unique Bob Dylan biopic. I wish South Florida had a theater like this, with big posters of classic films in the lobby, eight large screens showing indie fare, employees and patrons you can just tell are film lovers. If I ever get a big-money job offer in Atlanta, this movie theater will be a check in the ‘pro’ column.

The film is fascinating and often transcendent. It’s an art film in the truest sense of the word — eschewing simple things like plot and narrative in favor of a scattered exploration of the “many lives” of Bob Dylan. This is the kind of movie ensemble awards are made for… all the actors are terrific, with Cate Blanchett and young Marcus Carl Franklin the standouts. Tying everything together is Dylan’s music, used to tremendous effect from fade in to fade out. Not every scene is successful, but so much of the film works so well that it easily ranks among the year’s best.

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Overlooked performances

Every year, the critics groups and the Academy inevitably narrow their focus to a group of about 6-7 actors in each category. The Oscar nominations almost always come from those shortlists — it’s the reason the winner of our annual contest usually goes 25-out-of-30 or better.

But of course there are many more performances just as worthy of awards each year that get lost because their films weren’t well-received overall, came out too early, flew too far under the radar or some other unfortunate combination of events.

So rather than heap praise on the Julie Christies and Marion Cotillards, the Javier Bardems and Daniel Day Lewises, I’m going to look at each acting category and sing the praises of some wonderful performers who won’t hear their names called at year end.

Stay tuned for the first installment soon.

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Bug

Date: December 17
Location: Clifton Living Room

An extremely creepy exploration of loneliness and paranoia, Bug is the opposite of a feel-good movie. The film is based on a stage play (and obviously so, as it is dialogue-heavy and takes place almost entirely in a motel room) about a beaten-down (literally and figuratively) woman who finds comfort in the arms of a paranoid schizophrenic and eventually comes to share his obsessions. It really is quite fascinating, despite the grisly subject matter, and features an outstanding performance by Ashley Judd. Judd started out with such promise a dozen or so years ago but chose to pursue a career in TV-worthy crime flicks. Here, she reminds us what a raw, vital actress she really is, delivering one of the best performances (male or female) I’ve seen all year. It’s a pity she’s being ignored by the award shows.

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Dallas/Ft. Worth Critics


OK, one more…

Best Films

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Juno
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Atonement
5. Michael Clayton
6. Into the Wild
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8. The Kite Runner
9. The Assassination of Jesse James
10. Charlie Wilson’s War

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress
Julie Christie

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton

Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Screenplay
Juno, Diablo Cody

Best Animated Film
Ratatouille

Cinematography
Roger Deakins, Assassination of Jesse James

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Atonement

Date: December 15
Location: Regal South Beach

One thing is made abundantly clear by this lush adaptation of Ian McEwan’s celebrated novel — director Joe Wright is one of the brightest new talents working in film today. His Pride & Prejudice was my top film of 2005 and here he ups the ante — hitting the same grace notes, moving his camera in even grander fashion. Ultimately, though, Atonement falls a bit short of his masterful debut.

This is an extremely difficult novel to adapt, and screenwriter Christopher Hampton is up to the task — he fully deserves his likely Oscar nomination. The opening hour, set in the Tallis family estate, is flawlessly executed — with shifts in time and perspective that ratchet up the drama and suspense while driving home the film’s underlying theme. The film’s second half branches to follow the three main characters’ lives in wartime. The focus is mainly on the young man’s experiences in Dunkirk, and it is here that Wright stages a scene that’s been mentioned in every review of the film — a 6-minute Steadicam shot capturing the madness of war. It’s a shot for the ages, and a highlight of the film.

My one complaint is that the film feels a bit too short. I wanted more of the Tallis sisters’ experiences during the second half — what’s there is extraordinary, but a little more would have made the movie’s strong ending even more powerful. That criticism aside, though, this is a wonderful achievement and one of the year’s best films.