Even with school starting, I'm happy that I'll be able to pull this installment off for one more month before winter break affords me enough time to make December and January work. I know I'm almost two weeks late, but better late than never, because I was able to see some strong films and performances in September both on DVD and in the theater.
Best Film (Theaters): The Social Network
Yes, it's an October film, but because I was lucky enough to attend a screening in early September, it's in contention for last month. My initial skepticism and disappointment in David Fincher for this project was rapidly countered by intriguing trailers (a Belgian choir singing "Creep"?) and strong buzz. Finally I saw it, and I friggin' loved it. Regardless of how accurate this is, Fincher's film is a hugely entertaining tale of friendship and betrayal filled with solid work from its talented young cast, who are blessed with delivering dialogue from Aaron Sorkin at his finest. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score and the editing are also highlights, and keep the 2 hour film so tight and intense that when it was over, I was really hoping that there was another half hour left. That's some damn good film making.
Best Film (DVD/Rental): The Best of Youth
At a grand total of 6 hours, Marco Tulio Giordana's sweeping, masterful family drama is one of the most beautifully well edited features I've seen in quite some time. Tracing the lives of two brothers, one uptight, the other laid back, as they go through loves, losses, marriages, children, friends, jobs, etc etc, Giordana's film is never dull, even if we've seen some of these scenes before. The characters are rich, and by the time it's over, you feel like you really know them. The first half (it comes on two discs) is somewhat misleading though, as I wasn't expecting to be so moved in part 2 based on my initial reactions to part 1. I was wrong, and I'm glad I was; the conclusion(s) are wonderfully handled, and that final shot is pure movie magic.
Best Director: Marco Tulio Giordana - The Best of Youth
There's not much else to say that hasn't been said, but to recap: Giordana's sprawling, epic family saga beautifully captures the intimate amidst a truly epic time span (from the 60s to the early 2000s) considering the subject matter. Giordana doesn't try to inflate his film by dropping historical elements to give a false sense of grandness, he simply lets the passage of time and the subtle changes on his actors faces do the work and the film is all the more brilliant because of it.
Best Male Performance: Edward Norton - American History X
Norton earned his second (veeeeery deserved) Oscar nomination for his turn as an ex-Neo Nazi in 1990s California who tries to keep his younger brother from going down the same path. The film itself has some problems, namely the scene in which Norton's character, obviously a bright young man, becomes a Neo Nazi after one conversation with his dad at breakfast. Still, Norton rises above the blips in the screenplay and turns in a mesmerizing performance that benefits from the actor getting to be both a vile skinhead and a heartfelt, caring brother all in one role.
Best Female Performance: Mia Farrow - Rosemary's Baby
I really love Roman Polanski, but somehow I hadn't seen this classic until a few weeks ago. Now that I have, I see why it's as acclaimed as it is. I wasn't as blown away as so many have been, but it's a perfectly unsettling piece of gore-free horror/thriller that benefits from both Polanski's direction and Farrow's magnetic portrayal at the center of it all. Granted, much of the performance is built on outward appearence (Rosemary's deterioration during her pregnancy), but Farrow, all high hollow cheek bones and big eyes is compelling to watch as a woman struggling to understand her new surroundings, and the intentions of everyone around her, even her husband. And that massive gasp she makes in the final scene? Over the top in the best sense of the word.
Best Screenplay: The Social Network by Aaron Sorkin
In adapting Ben Mezrich's novel "The Accidental Billionaires," famed TV writer Sorkin made the story of Facebook's creation a riveting, almost blindingly smart film built on his signature rapid fire dialogue. Though much of it is either smarminess or code talk, Sorkin does throw in the occasional funny moment, and it always works, never sticking out as a limp attempt to lighten the mood. And even though Sorkin prefers dialogue over story, he didn't exactly shirk his narrative duties. Instead, he wrote a tale filled with classic elements of betrayal, in a setting of educated people behaving badly. Perhaps it's Sorkin to whom the movies owes most credit for being so much more than "that Facebook movie."
Best Cinematography: Martin Ruhe - The American
Anton Corbijn may be a visual artist in his own right, but his collaboration with Ruhe is one of the film's soaring strengths. The beautiful use of earthy tones with the occasional splashes of neon reds and blues and a beautiful shot of golden light, help set the mood for this strikingly beautiful thriller-without-thrills.
Best Ensemble Cast: The Best of Youth
Picking up its third award of the month, it was hard for me to not pick the Carati family and their companions. From the striking yin and yang of central brothers Nicola and Matteo, to activist Giulia, to the shattered Giorgia, to the perfectly cast parents and brothers and children of all connections, each relationship feels worthy of its own film, but in combining them, Giordana assembled a brilliant cast to bring his epic vision to life.
The Unrewarded: Exit Through the Gift Shop, Catfish, The Town, 3 Women
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