I'm finding it hard to give a brief synopsis of The Blind Side, a true story based on the life of Michael Oher. As a destitute, homeless teenager in Memphis, he is taken in by an upper class family and learns football. But the film is much more than that. The plot is catalyzed by a mother's simple act of kindness, providing a bed for a homeless child. Gradually, Michael becomes a member of the family. The film is full of the most beautiful little things: a sister leaving her friends to sit with her adopted black brother; a mother explaining a football team in terms of a family; Michael reaching his massive arm out, stopping an airbag to protect his brother--I ate it all up. The film is more than just an inspirational story, however. It reveals flaws in our education system through Michael, who has been passed along and cast aside by the system because he learns differently. It also exposes a new, more subtle form of racism in the south through the friends of the mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock). A remarkable character, she speaks of the latent potential of boys like Michael, a potential that too often goes unnoticed or unfulfilled due to poverty and lack of opportunity. Sandra Bullock plays the part to perfection in her best performance yet. I thought the movie was brilliantly written, directed, and acted (thanks mostly to Bullock), and it's easily one of the best films of 2009. 9/10
The Wrestler tells the fictional story of an old wrestler's life after his fallout from the public eye. Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who was a famed pro-wrestler in the 80s but now, twenty years later, is a bit washed-up. He still wrestles part-time, but he now lives in a trailer, works at a supermarket, has a broken relationship with his daughter, and his romantic interest is a stripper. Rourke's performance is superb and carries the narrative--I immediately believed that I was watching not an actor, but a real wrestler. The long shot following Randy walking from the bowels of the supermarket to the deli counter, with the roar of a crowd in the background, is beautiful and iconic. The film is dark, tragic and upsetting, though (thankfully) not based on a true story. A great performance and a solid film. 8/10
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a romantic comedy (sort-of) following the relationships of two female friends one summer in Spain. The cinematography is beautiful, full of beautiful landscapes and villages around Barcelona. The film is supported by a great cast, including Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, and Penelope Cruz, whose characters are complex and conflicting. It's funny, it's sad, and in the end you realize everything has been empty and unfulfilled. I have to admit that I got a little bored part of the way through, but I liked it nevertheless. 6.5/10
Black Swan. Now what an insane, ridiculous film. Natalie Portman plays Nina, a ballerina who gets cast as the lead in the ballet Swan Lake. Innocent enough, right? Wrong. The movie is a whole new genre of thriller. The dancing is phenomenal (who knew Natalie Portman was so talented?) and the cinematography took my breath away, both in the awe-inspiring and the oh-my-god-what-the-fuck-is-going-on senses. It's creepy, wild, seductive, disturbing, disgusting, passionate, exhilarating, and a real cinematic experience. I don't know what else to say and I really don't know how to rate this one. I'll just leave it blank until I see it again, but at this point I highly recommend this film.
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