It's August first, and you know what that means: time to wrap up the best of what I've seen in theaters and on DVD. Unfortunately, due to vacation I'm limited for July (especially for theatrical releases), so it was even more tough than usual to keep the films down to one award each (as you'll see shortly, I couldn't, or else I would have been forced to give The Last Airbender something). As far as July releases that I didn't see in time, they'll simply roll over to August, which means that this month is going to be crowded with intriguing films on the theatrical side of things. But for now, here's the July wrap up, in all of its strained glory...
Best Film (Theaters) - Inception:
I wasn't as rapturous in my praise of Christopher Nolan's follow-up to The Dark Knight, but even that slight coldness of touch didn't stop it from being far and away my best visit to the theaters. While it somewhat lacks in emotional impact, Nolan's skill in generating intellectual and visceral stimuli is still impressive, even amid the mostly flat action scenes (the more adventure-oriented cross-cutting is far more successful). And while not exactly an actors' piece, the talented ensemble do very nice jobs with what they're given. Of course, on the technical front it's pretty wonderful, especially Wally Pfister's cinematography. Easily the best of mainstream cinema this summer (along with Toy Story 3).
Best Film (DVD/Rental) - The Last Picture Show:
Peter Bogdanovich's Oscar-winner about a small Texas town is an understated yet powerful examination of relationships and human emotions. Highlighted by strong performances from its cast (especially Cloris Leachman's Oscar-winning turn), this calm, steadily paced film manages to examine a wide array of characters without ever leaving us feeling like someone has been shortchanged. Outstanding work all around.
Best Director - Roman Polanski, Repulsion:
Polanski's first English-language film avoids being too heavy on dialogue, but that's never even an issue in regards to its effectiveness. Polanski is known as being a master of framing, and it shows here in so many ways. The close-ups, use of sound, timing of the edits, and the impressive in-camera special effects (that split in the wall made me jolt) all add up to a chilling package that can be examined to death, or simply taken as elegantly spooky entertainment. Either way, it's a haunting vision of paranoia and disturbance that owes much of its strength to Polanki's brilliant hands being at the helm.
Best Actor - Montgomery Clift, From Here to Eternity:
One of the great classic movie stars, Clift was at his finest in Fred Zinneman's Best Picture winner, as a soldier with conflicted feelings about service in the army. At the risk of sounding indifferent towards the performance, the best I can say is that it's simply damn good acting, plain and simple. Clift pulls no punches, nor does manipulate the audience into feeling for him through cheap shots (of course, credit for this should also go to the writing and direction). He simply emotes, because that's what his job is, just like a soldier's job is to do what he is told by his commander, and the result is understated yet powerful, making him far and away the best of the film's three leads (Clift, Lancaster, Kerr).
Best Actress - Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom:
One half of the pair of excellent lead performances at the top of Todd Field's haunting breakthrough film, Spacek is marvelous as a woman haunted by grief and filled with fury. Though Field's script has some bumps in it (we don't really know enough about how Spacek and Wilkinson are), and occasionally the dialogue seems to impede the expression of emotion, Spacek and her cast mates are all excellent. Spacek's work, along with Field's direction (not his writing) are what help this (sadly empty handed) Best Picture nominee achieve its haunting power.
Best Ensemble Cast - Secrets and Lies:
While I felt that Mike Leigh's 1996 Best Picture nominee did go on too long, there's no denying the strength of the cast, led by excellent turns from Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and supported by, well, everyone else. Even when Leigh's writing (or openness to improv) leaves me cold (Happy-Go-Lucky), you can almost always count on Leigh for strong work across the board from his ensembles.
Best Screenplay - The Last Picture Show:
A beautiful adaptation of a beautiful story (by the author himself, no less). Ben Johnson's monologue at the lake alone is a thing of beauty.
Best Cinematography - Wally Pfister, Inception:
THE technical standout of the film, Nolan's longtime collaborator delivered here (as he usually does) in spades, presenting a cool yet richly shot world in a variety of locales.
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