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True Grit (1969): C+
John Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of boozy, one-eyed Federal Marshall Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, a performance that plays off the Duke’s legendary on-screen persona with a goofiness that’s also found throughout the rest of Henry Hathaway’s Western. Based on Charles Portis’ novel, Hathaway’s film concerns 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby, looking…
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Biutiful (2010): C
Biutiful’s title is misspelled in part to call attention to itself, in a manner not unlike the direction of helmer Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. Despite having severed ties with longtime screenwriting partner Guillermo Arriaga, the 21 Grams and Babel auteur evolves only ever-so-slightly with his latest, which is told in chronological rather than fractured order but…
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Blue Valentine (2010): B-
Magnificent performances elevate mundane Cassavetes-esque material in Blue Valentine, a simultaneous portrait of a marriage’s undoing and inception. Charting the day-of-disintegration for jack-of-no-trades Dean (Ryan Gosling) and nurse Cindy (Michelle Williams), as well as flashing back to their initial courtship, Derek Cianfrance’s film boasts a pair of lead turns to swoon over, with Gosling and…
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Another Year (2010): B+
After an ever-so-slight reprieve with Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh returns to full-fledged miserablism with Another Year. Schematically split into seasonal segments – and beginning with Spring so that funereal Winter might naturally conclude the grim proceedings – Leigh’s latest concerns a cheery couple, geological engineer Tom (Jim Broadbent) and counselor Gerri (Ruth Sheen), and their recurring…
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The Illusionist (2010): B
Working from an original script by the late Jacques Tati, Sylvain Chomet follows up The Triplets of Belleville with The Illusionist, the somber tale of an aging French magician and the young girl with whom he strikes up an unlikely friendship. Traveling about 1950s Europe performing low-rent gigs in theaters, pubs and anywhere else that…
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Somewhere (2010): B
Somewhere opens with the sight of movie star Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) driving his black Ferrari around and around a circular track – a visual encapsulation of his repetitive go-nowhere life, as well as of writer/director Sophia Coppola’s habitual return to favored themes and imagery. In this companion piece to Lost in Translation, Johnny spends…
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Slant Magazine’s Best of 2010: Film
Despite the usual critical complaints about the lameness of this year's cinematic offerings (most of which pertained to mainstream Hollywood's underwhelming output), I thought 2010 was particularly strong, especially – as I note in my intro to Slant's end-of-year piece – for female lead peformances and documentaries. Best of 2010: Film (Slant magazine)
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Almost There
Since my last few reviews of 2010 have yet to be published, this link collection is the second-to-last of the year; my final round-up, which will include thoughts on True Grit and Little Fockers, should arrive next week. Out Now:The Fighter (Slant magazine)TRON: Legacy (Slant magazine)The Tourist (Slant magazine)Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Slant magazine)Barney's…
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The Father of My Children (2010): B
The Father of My Children plays like two separate but related films grafted together, and though it segues smoothly from one to the other, there’s nonetheless a frustrating inconsistency to Mia Hansen-Løve’s drama. Her story’s opening half focuses on Grégoire (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing), husband to Sylvia (Chiara Caselli), father to three loving daughters, and a…
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TRON (1982): C-
While fantasy films all require some suspension of disbelief, they’re nonetheless required to operate logically within their conceit’s framework. That’s a rule ignored by TRON, which sets up a premise – a computer programmer gets beamed into a computer, where he discovers an Orwellian world populated by people-like programs – that seems to make up…
