What I've Watched Recently #3

I missed the last couple editions of "What I Watched this Week," and so this week's article is extra-packed. It also led me to decide to alter the name of the article in a way that won't put the pressure on if I happen to miss a week for whatever reason.

It's an interesting haul for this post. A couple Oscar contenders, a few 2010 releases, some hidden gems from 2009, and even a SciFi Channel miniseries. Since I've got a bunch to go through, forgive me if these seem a bit short and basic. If you are interested in me expanding on any of these films, just let me know in the comments section:

Shutter Island - A dark, engrossing, and mind-numbing slice of psychological horror from master director Martin Scorsese. I think one of the problems with being considered one of the greatest living directors is that everyone judges your newest movies against your greatest works. Is this Goodfellas? No. Is it a chilling and fantastic descent into madness? Absolutely. The cast is insanely good, with standout performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley, and an all-to-short scene with Jackie Earle Haley. Scorsese's direction is impeccable, taking us from one maddening twist to another, and to another that makes you rethink it all, never releasing the tension until the end. My only problem with the film came here at the end, where explaining the meaning behind the madness, it seemed a bit sloppy and unnecessary and overlong. I'm not sure if this will cause me to lower the grade in future viewings, but for now it didn't seem to take anything away from the shocking conclusion. Grade: A-

The Crazies - I have to make this clear: The Crazies is NOT a zombie-horror movie. Okay, now that that's out of the way, I can say that this is a genuinely enjoyable action-survival thriller, with a good mix of tension, scares, action, and surprisingly intelligent storytelling. Solid acting featuring the criminally underrated Timothy Olyphant as the town sheriff risking it all to save his wife (Radha Mitchell), with his deputy (Joe Anderson) at his side. This trio give the film emotional depth not typically seen in this genre. Even better is that director Breck Eisner (whose only previous theatrical release was 2005's Sahara) seemed to have a handle on what he needed to do to make this kind of film work, and directed it with an enjoyable punch and style. Most importantly these are not mindless zombies, but instead fully-capable human beings driven to crazy impulses, making it all the more terrifying. The only minor qualm I had was with the very end, when I said, "Oh crap, of course that's how it ends." I won't give it away, but who knows, it might turn out to be for the film's benefit. We'll see... Grade: B+

Black Dynamite - With such a hilarious and clever trailer, I was expecting a lot from this movie. It delivered, most of the time. I had trouble getting into the film at first, and some of the jokes fell a bit flat for me. However, I blame this mostly on not being intimately familiar with the blaxploitation genre. What I got was a humorous and clever homage to one of the 70's most popular and influential genres. Michael Jai White (who also produces) is in full control of the film starring as the ass-kicking, womanizing, fast-talking Black Dynamite, an ex-CIA agent and martial arts expert ready to work outside the law to get revenge on those who caused his brother's death. What ensues is an enjoyable bit of mayhem with a twist that just might s.

A Single Man - While I found the film overall to be rather overrated, Colin Firth's fantastic performance is not. I would stop short of giving him the Oscar as some pundits would, but I wholeheartedly agree with Collider's Matt Goldberg that Firth "expertly played a role that was like nothing he had done before in his career." As for the rest of the cast, Julianne Moore had the only other performance I would consider notable, though Matthew Goode was decent, though Nicholas Hoult's presence bugged me considerably throughout the whole movie. And while I give fashion designer/first-time director Tom Ford credit for trying to be stylish and symbolic with how he shot the movie, it simply didn't work, and the film suffered. Grade: C+ (For Firth, and him alone)

A Serious Man - I have had mixed feelings about the Coen Brothers in the past. While I have always appreciated their talent, especially in their scripts, a couple of their films just haven't resonated with me, most notably O Brother, Where Art Thou? However, I can happily say that A Serious Man is among the growing number of their movies that do. Starring a mostly unknown cast, this darkly-comedic tale unfolds very much like a modern-day Job story (from the Bible if you didn't know). Prof. Larry Gopnik, played wonderfully by Michael Stuhlbarg, watches as everything in his life gets progressively worse. Amidst a downward spiral of a cheating wife, free-loading brother who keeps getting into trouble with the police, misfit children, mystifying neighbors, and a crumbling teaching job, all he wants is to be "a serious man." And in the Coen Bros. style, the ending definitely leaves you with some food for thought. Grade: B+

Alice in Wonderland - I have only been a Tim Burton fan for a few years now. I still have to see the majority of his work, but I appreciate his rich and vivid imagination. Alice is certainly filled with great visual imagination. What's missing is narrative execution. The story is fun and light-hearted, but each event just sort of happens, with little in the way of a structured narrative. By the time you get to the end, it just becomes, "Okay, so that's it." But their is plenty to love in the movie as well. The story may be disjointed, but it's a fun ride, and showcases Burton's visual appealing style. Mia Wasikowska is certainly delightful as Alice, and will surely be a big star very soon. As for the rest of the cast, Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter is tolerable, though it's certainly hit-or-miss. Helena Bonham Carter, playing the Red Queen, is however on the top of her game, and the voice cast (notably Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry, and Alan Rickman) do their part nicely. In all, it was an enjoyable ride that I will be looking forward to taking again some day. Grade: B

Alice (SciFi Channel miniseries) - I had actually taped this when it first aired on the SciFi Channel. Yes, I called it SciFi channel, not Syfy as they now designate themselves. I will refuse to call it that as long as I live. I'm glad that I waited, however. I have only had a passing familiarity with the Alice in Wonderland story, so even going into Tim Burton's film, I wasn't sure what to expect. Similar to SciFi's Wizard of Oz miniseries, Tin Man, the characters, events, and places are quite abstract from their source material. That said, I found Alice to be a very creative, funny, and enjoyable take on the classic tale. It may not be as good as Tin Man, but it's fun way to spend three hours.

Bronson - An intensely shot film, anchored by the the gorgeously vicious, funny, and gripping performance by Tom Hardy. My greatest qualm with the movie is that it is not very chronologically clear, so I had trouble following the story at first. This is a minor issue however, as Hardy's charisma takes full control of the story. This is a brutal film, though I must say that based on what I'd heard of the man Hardy portrays (Michael Peterson aka Charles Bronson, Britain's most notorious prisoner), it was not as harsh as I expected. This is for the film's benefit, as it shows that director Nicolas Winding Refn is not interested in glorifying, exonerating, or condemning Bronson, but to simply show who the man is, in all his complexity. He was prone to violence, and spent 34 years in prison (30 in isolation), was positively psychotic, and yet so restrained that he never killed a single person in his life. Definitely a film to revisit, and it is a film I sincerely hope to get more out of with every repeat viewing. Grade: B+