an education

'an education' was a film that came out of nowhere in a sense. sure it had a script penned by the always reliable nick hornby, but the main actress, carey mulligan, was largely unknown. fortunately, that is no longer the case. his oscar nominated worthy performance (she should have won), highlights this very well done coming of age story set in 1960's England.

all the acting is great in this film. peter sarsgaard does a great job as the almost sleazy yet charming male who is attracted to the much younger mulligan. he realistically woos here and surprisingly her family over as well, with his lies and likable charm/wit. alfred molina, who've i've become a big fan of as of late, does an excellent job as the stiff controlling father figure. despite the strong will he shows, i like how the film showcases his along with his wife's vulnerability and misjudgment.

the relationship between mulligan's character and sarsgaard's character is very well crafted. there are moments that are uncomfortable and slightly creepy due to the age discrepancy between the two, but everything seems realistic and plausible. mulligan's interaction with the other female friend is also documented in a way that highlights the often awkward moments that occur when people attempt to act older than they actually are.

this is one of my favorite films of the year. it is extremely well crafted with a smart script from hornby. the performances and direction are spot on, and i recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the often attempted, by rarely successful 'coming of age' drama.

avatar

james cameron had been developing this movie for quite some time, so for this film to be such a success with all the hype and expectation that had been mounting on it (much of it from cameron himself), it truly is a remarkable story.

everything about this film strives to be epic. the 3D scenes, the great animation, the familar narrative; this film is designed to be a hollywood blockbuster with mass appeal. and the film succeeds mightily on this medium. the large scope of the sci-fi story reminded me of star wars, and i wonder how it will be remembered in the future, when the kids who saw this movie grow older. it's uniqueness with it's greatly controlled use of imax and 3D will cause it to be remembered years from now as a great movie theater experience. blu-ray is also a medium where this film could really thrive.

this film is not without it's flaws. the narrative is very familar (think science fiction version of 'dances with wolves'). the story is rarely unpredictable, as the viewer ultimately has the end result stored in the back of their mind throughout. the dialogue is the weakest portion of this film in my mind. the character's aren't playing people but rather caricatures of their respective positions. the military talks were very crudely modeled after the bush administration (talks of 'preemptive strikes' and 'war on terror'), and i found this took away from the overall story. i do not need james cameron to preach to me about the military or crooked businessmen, and about our mistreatment of the indians.

overall, this film is definitely worth seeing, perhaps for the visuals alone. the world cameron creates in utterly fascinating, and i found that he is such an expert at creating climatic scenes that almost takes one's breath away in awe.

up in the air

this film was receiving considerable attention before its release. jason reitman's previous two films, thank you for smoking, and juno (nominated for best picture) were both very well received. george clooney is always more than a solid lead these days (forget about the ancient 'batman & robin').

this film was very well done. it was well-acted, well shot, well directed, and had a solid story. every part of this film screams for an oscar, but i do not think it will win. what this movie lacks is uniqueness. i find in a few years i will think back to this film as a very good one, but not one that leaves a lasting impression of any sort, on me. for example, i recently watched 'paris, texas' which was just re-released on the criterion collection, and i find my thoughts continually drawn back to the film, even weeks later.

the story is a little cliche and on the predictable side, but the strong performances all around help mask it to a certain extent. danny mcbride is freaking hilarious in the limited amount of screen time he gets. he really steals the show. as with all of reitman's films, humour is its strong suit. there are many very funny parts in this film. reitman is a master of blending emotion and humour together.

this is a very solid film, one of the year's best. however, i find it does not invoke enough spark or originality to make it the best of the year.