Albert Nobbs
Directed by: Rodrigo García
Written by: Glenn Close, Jon Banville and Gabriella Prekop (screenplay), George Moore (short story)                                                                                                              Starring: Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson

Albert Nobbs is a 10-year passion project for Glenn Close.  Not only does she star in the title role, but she co-wrote the screenplay and penned the lyrics for the end credits song “Lay Your Head Down.”  It is the story of a woman in Ireland who disguises herself as a man to work as a butler in a swank hotel for the upper class.  At least that is the story on the surface of it all.

The movie progresses Albert’s character in surprising ways, but in the end it simply comes to the conclusion that the answer is ultimately out of reach.  Close plays Albert with a deepened voice that shields a vulnerable core.  When her true identity is discovered by the hotel’s hired painter Hubert (Janet McTeer) when they bunk together, Albert nearly unravels.  All the careful planning- the money saved beneath floorboards, the meticulously designed appearance, the perfect job performance- seems like it will collapse in the melodramatic fashion that is typical of Oscar-nominated performances.

It doesn’t, though, at least not at that moment.  As it turns out rather conveniently, Hubert is also disguised as a man, though for different reasons.  Hubert has taken a wife, which she claims is a facade but actually appears to be a hidden lesbian relationship.  Albert and Hubert share the common thread of male abuse, and though gender identity is obviously a subject of the movie, sexuality remains largely hidden.  When Albert decides to take a wife of her own to conceal her cover, it seems like there is more to it than just that.

That prospect is a maid named Helen, played by Mia Wasikowska as a docile innocent.  Like all the other characters, though, she evolves into something more, though it’s mostly because of her relationship with the manipulative maintenance worker Joe (Aaron Johnson).  Albert begins awkwardly courting Helen, who only continues seeing “him” because Joe wants to acquire free things.

The plot doesn’t seem like it was of much interest to the makers of Albert Nobbs.  Though director Rodrigo García does an excellent job of sustaining tone and creating a palpable atmosphere on a low budget, the movie remains pensive.  As a result, it feels forced when it tries to ratchet up the tension at the end.

Ambiguity may operate in the movie’s favor when it comes to its idealism on gender roles, but when so little feels at stake in the story it’s hard not to be apathetic.  Close and especially McTeer are very good, creating the movie’s best scenes just by giving us fresh characters that rarely show up in movies.   Our ability to enter into the film’s world hinges on the image of Close’s transformed appearance, because as much as the movie wants us to see her as Albert the man in the beginning, she is far too recognizable a screen presence to be only that.   Thankfully, her performance goes beyond Oscar ploy, no matter how much it seems to be only that.  Both she and McTeer fill in their characters’ backstory with their eyes, which ends up being the movie’s saving grace.

Ultimately, Albert Nobbs, like so many other unfortunate instances at the movies, becomes more about good performances than good filmmaking.  While praise is lauded on McTeer and Close’s acting, too much credit is given when the acting in movies like A Dangerous Method or Contagion fits in with a specific filming style so well.  Albert Nobbs is shot as a typical character study, with its protagonist at the center of either every shot or every conversation.

There are moments when the story fuses with the acting, like when Albert and Hubert put on dresses and venture out into the world as women.  This scene works until it’s played for comedy (Albert trips and falls!), but it shows a willingness on García’s part to pull the camera back and observe.  More often than not the story is dominated with dialogue, showcasing Albert’s struggle for legitimacy on two fronts: earning enough money to own a shop and establishing a family while still disguised a man.  The horrors of her past haunt her even if they remain cold in the movie.

Grade: C 

Shame focuses mostly on Brandon, a seemingly successful but empty man whose addiction to porn, masturbation, one-night stands, escorts and voyeurism leaves him lifeless and unsatisfied. Living alone in his sterile Manhattan flat, Brandon lives a claustrophobic routine. He wakes up exhausted and naked in a rumpled bed, staring off as if he weren’t alive and remains terse and to himself throughout the day. He has a good job doing something we never quite figure out and has very little to say to anyone. It doesn’t take long for us to figure out why.

The film is worth seeing for Fassbender alone, who already magnetized us this year with Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class and A Dangerous Method. He reveals himself both physically and emotionally for the role, commanding the screen with his extraordinary commitment and natural façade.

But Brandon’s story really isn’t complete until his sister Sissy (Mulligan) comes along looking to crash at his place. Her hysterical presence interrupts his routine and brings forth more passion and emotion than he is looking to host. Mulligan brings force much like Fassbender’s to the screen, pushing her and her co-star to reach new highs and lows.

Living up to its NC-17 rating, the film is recorded in great sexual detail that somehow manages to avoid ever being arousing.  Purely a joyless compulsion, sex is not for his pleasure (nor ours), and is instead the fixation that causes Brandon’s inexhaustible anguish. It’s an anguish we never really learn that much about — Shame is more provocative than it is revealing.

One of the film’s major weaknesses and strengths is its vagueness. We are given very little information on the siblings’ background, relationship and suffering. Why are Brandon and Sissy so troubled? The film puzzles us with very little lines that lead nowhere: “We’re not bad people. We just come from a bad place.” At times it feels like the film could benefit from this lack of knowledge, but it never does, getting lost in its own attempts to be more profound that it can handle being.

Sloppy direction and minor contradictions hinder the film at every corner. It’s obvious McQueen has a strong eye for visuals, as some shots are perfect stills and flow eloquently with the chilling score; however, some sequences come across as a student filmmaker’s poor attempt to replicate David Lynch. Shame achieves beautiful rhythm at one moment and then completely misses the mark the next.

Some might be able to rationalize these flaws with thematic reasoning, but they make the film hard to watch when they begin stealing scenes from Fassbender and Mulligan. Then again, this was never really an easy film to watch to begin with.

Grade: B-

Best Picture:

Locks: The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, War Horse and Moneyball

Could surprise: The Tree of Life, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Ides of March Bridesmaids and Drive.

Best Director: The first four selected are pretty guaranteed with the last spot pretty open for Fincher, Spielberg or Malick depending on how well the Academy is going to share the love among their respective “fifth place” films.

Locks: Michael Hazanavicius – The Artist, Martin Scorsese – Hugo, Alexander Payne – The Descendants, Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris, David Fincher – Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Could surprise: Steven Spielberg – War Horse, Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life, Tate Taylor – The Help, George Clooney- The Ides of March

Best Original Screenplay: This race is a little more open beyond the first two or three picks. A selection of comedies that include Bridesmaids, 50/50, Win Win, Beginners and Young Adult will fight for the remaining spots.

Locks: Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris, Michel Hazanivicius – The Artist, Asghar Farhadi – A Separation, Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wigg – Bridesmaids, Will Reiser – 50/50 

Could surprise: Mike Mills – Beginners, JC Chandor – Margin Call, Diablo Cody- Young Adult

Best Adapted Screenplay: This is one of the least competitive categories this year with the nominees fairly decided.

Locks: Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian – Moneyball, Tate Taylor – The Help, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash - The Descendants, John Logan – Hugo, Steven Zaillian – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Could surprise: Richard Curtis and Lee Hall – War Horse, Christopher Hampton- A Dangerous Method, Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Actor: Again, this is one of the more already decided categories.

George Clooney – The Descendants, Brad Pitt – Moneyball, Jean Dujardin – The Artist, Michael Fassbender – Shame, Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar

Could surprise: Gary Oldman- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,

Best Actress: The first four are quite set with the fifth slot open to Rooney and Close.

Locks: Viola Davis – The Help, Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady, Michelle Williams – My Week With Marylin, Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs, Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Could surprise: Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin, Charlize Theron – Young Adult, Kirsten Dunst- Melancholia

Best Supporting Actor: Besides the obvious frontrunner Plummer, the race is pretty open the others listed here, with Hill and Brooks standing a very good chance of receiving nominations.

Locks: Christopher Plummer – Beginners, Ben Kingsley – Hugo, Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn, Jonah Hill – Moneyball, Albert Brooks – Drive

Could surprise: Nick Nolte – Warrior, Armie Hammer – J. Edgar, Patton Oswalt- Young Adult

Best Supporting Actress: The five picked here should find nominations unless the Academy doesn’t take McCarthy as seriously as the press seems to.

Locks: Octavia Spencer – The Help, Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids, Berenice Bejo – The Artist, Jessica Chastain – The Help, Shailene Woodley – The Descendants

Could surprise: Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs, Carey Mulligan – Shame, Keira Knightley- A Dangerous Method

Haywire
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Lem Dobbs (screenplay)
Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Michael Douglas

Like a virus that won’t go away, Mallory (Gina Carano) jumps around the globe, slowing down or killing anything that gets in her path.  That is largely where the narrative similarities between her story and the one from director Steven Soderbergh’s last film, Contagion, end though.

Haywire is curious when placed with the rest of his catalog in that it focuses on a single individual but also contains a large ensemble cast.  Usually his films are one (Erin Brockovich) or the other (Traffic).  At the center of this semi-departure is MMA fighter Gina Carano, who Soderbergh saw fighting on TV and decided to build a movie around.  Carano’s ferociously physical performance as Mallory is by far the movie’s greatest asset.  Soderbergh films most of the action sequences in confined areas, letting her utilize the environment in astonishing and brutal ways.

In the movie’s best fight sequence, Mallory dukes it out with Paul (Michael Fassbender), who double-crosses her in their hotel room after a mission.  The hotel room is torn to pieces as the two skilled fighters pummel each other to a pulp, and Mallory uses her thighs to choke out Fassbender on their bed.  It’s the closest she comes to being sexualized outside of coming on to Channing Tatum’s character early on in the story.

Haywire‘s narrative is nothing to write home about, nor are many of the performances.  Though it’s filled with memorable names and faces (add in Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton), they are all firmly embedded in the standard action plot line and never as interesting as Mallory.  Amid those predictable, nearly incoherent government double crosses and surprise raids is some fine filmmaking, however.  Soderbergh shoots many of the action sequences from a distance, allowing Carano’s MMA skill to do most of the work.  Her body is a weapon that no man (and it’s always a man) can defeat or outmatch.

While it’s clear that Mallory disarming men of their guns and other phallic symbols is one of the main points of the movie, it’s not overstated.  It’s clear that almost everyone she comes into contact with underestimates her at first, but the main villain (McGregor) warns Paul not to see her as “a woman.”  That scene comes during a flashback toward the end, and seems to exist as a way to give the otherwise simple run and gun flick a purpose.

That purpose ultimately ends up being that Mallory becomes a female warrior that forces men to take her seriously by the sheer brutal force of her skill.  The rest of the principle characters are all male because they, in their own way, exist purely to react to her in different ways.  When her father (Bill Paxton) sees her dispensing an armed man by crushing his throat and slamming him into the ground, his look of shock and horror resonates just as much as the punches.  It’s a sly turn on normal action conventions (women usually play the reactors instead of the catalysts) that is more notable because it isn’t overly expressed through dialogue.

Most of what is said out loud in this film is sloppy and mostly unimportant in the larger scope.  The plot contains a mundane amount of twists tossed in to substitute for its lack of originality.  Soderbergh’s way of shooting gives wonderfully diverse colors and moods to the story, though.  He constructs each scene as its own set piece, following an almost video game mentality with Mallory as the character fighting her way through each level.  This approach works because she is interesting to watch, and the movie would’ve failed miserably if that weren’t true.

Grade: C+

The Artist

In an era of cinema where films like Avatar and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol are breaking sensory limitations, The Artist provides audiences a different set of sensory challenges, in particularly, the absence or minimization of them.

For those who are unfamiliar with the title that is sweeping award’s season off its feet — it won Best Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes earlier this week and is a Best Picture frontrunner with countless BAFTA and other guild nominations — The Artist is a nostalgic, black-and-white Hollywood throwback to the likes of Singing in the Rain, A Star is Born, Sunset Boulevard and other classic Hollywood bourgeoisie films. Oh, and if you haven’t heard, it’s a silent film.

The Artist takes place during the late 1920’s when all films came sans sound, when its star George Valentin (Dujardin) ruled show business with his Chaplin-esque performances. Off screen he carries the same humor and allure that makes him so beloved. Unfortunately his wife finds his gig less charming, and gives him the cold shoulder when his indulgence and relationship with his Jack Russell terrier goes to far. His chauvinistic routine is broken up when a young fan and extra named Peppy Miller (Bernice Bejo) catches his eye and leaves him reeling. But youth’s not exactly on his side.

As talkies begin to take the town by storm, the proud idol soon finds himself in a heap of destruction while Peppy becomes the new face and voice of pictures. Stock market crash, divorce, pride and jealousy ensue.

Written and directed by French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist proves itself beyond a gimmick by being romantically old-fashion while being thoughtfully contemporary. Self-awareness and subtle references are clever tricks to keep it from stammering. Throughout the film the audiences experiences small exclusions to then-day filmmaking rules that guide us through the conventions. This is noticeably inverse of Scorsese’s similar cinematic preservation attempt in Hugo.

It’s ironic — in the least surprising way — a film that primarily lacks sound depends on it so heavily for thematic and technical purposes. Ludovic Bource’s score is perhaps the best example of this as well as the earlier mentioned exclusions and tricks that assist audiences in the crossover, becoming more amplified and intricate than most of the orchestral music found in the era. The intensity of the score allows The Artist to paint a much fuller picture.

And while the film and its actors give their damnedest to pull of such a feat so seemingly effortlessly, it is still met with underdevelopment faults faced by many other films from the era it aspires to embody. The Artist need not worry about such fears: audiences will easily overlook any blemishes as they open their eyes, ears and hearts to the crowd pleaser of the year. That is, if the crowd will show to a silent film.

Grade: B+

The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)- Ever since the release of the new trailer, anticipation for Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film has is at an all-time high.  2008′s The Dark Knight left a lasting impression with the help of the late Heath Ledger’s iconic portrayal of The Joker, but it was also a masterpiece of big studio filmmaking.  Christian Bale’s Batman is up against Tom Hardy’s Bane in this installment, though uncertainty still surrounds the allegiance of Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle.  If Nolan comes anywhere close to where he did with the last two films, this will be a phenomenal success on both a financial and artistic level.

The Master (TBA)- While there are a lot of big budget films coming out this year with a lot of potential, Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film has more potential than them all.  There Will Be Blood was our pick for the best film of the 2000s, and rumors that the film faced production problems because it attacks Scientology only make the hype greater.  Though the Behind the Scenes photos that have been released feature only extras, they give a feel for the vintage aesthetic Anderson is going for by shooting on 65mm film.  With Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in the main roles, this film seems preordained to triumph.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec. 14)- Peter Jackson is following in the footsteps of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises by splitting up the Lord of the Rings prequel into two films.  It actually seems necessary, though, when considering the attention to detail he brought to those other outings in Middle Earth.  J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is arguably more esteemed than Lord of the Rings, so Jackson must take care to do it justice.  There’s no better director for the task in our book. 

Gravity (Nov. 21)- In his first film since the legendary sci-fi masterpiece Children of Men, Alfonso Cuarón brings us a much smaller but no less ambitious film with Gravity.  Set in outer space and starring only two actors (George Clooney and Sandra Bullock), the film is about a doctor trying to return home to her daughter after their mission to repair the Hubble Telescope goes wrong.  The first 20 minutes were reportedly shot in a single take, no small task with the 3D technology Cuarón is utilizing to make it.

Skyfall (Nov. 9)- Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in this latest installment of the 007 franchise with some esteemed company in front of and behind the camera.  Director Sam Mendes is taking the helm, though we doubt the suburban repression of American Beauty or Revolutionary Road will accompany him.  Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem are set to star as the villains, and we sincerely hope some of the creepiness they’ve brought to other movies makes their way to this one.

The Great Gatsby (Dec. 25)- A flashy, 3D adaptation of a somber Roaring 20s novel may not seem like the best angle to take, but with Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan starring, it’s hard not to be excited about The Great Gatsby.  Hopefully Baz Luhrmann can find the right emotional tone to go with this grandiose 3D vision of one of the great American novels.

Brave (June 22)- The pratfalls of Cars 2 lost Pixar some street cred in the film world, but hopefully their new original film can redeem it.  Brave marks the first time the company has a female protagonist at the center, chronicling a red-headed princess’ journey to take control of her own fate.  The trailer makes it seem like an animated Hunger Games, but the beauty of Pixar is that you  never really know what the final product will look like. 

Prometheus (June 8)- The trailer for this new Ridley Scott sci-fi epic sent the world into a tail-spin.  It’s been confirmed that it’s some sort of prequel to Alien, though like the Star Wars films will be made using digital filmmaking technology that far surpasses the original.  Scott’s original was largely a horror movie; it was James Cameron who elevated the scale in Aliens.  This is Scott’s chance to return the series to glory and have his own opportunity to one-up.

Django Unchained (Dec. 25)- Quentin Tarantino’s new film follows the journey of a slave-turned-bounty-hunter (Jamie Foxx) in the Old South trying to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from a sinister racist (Leonardo DiCaprio).  Of course explaining the premise of a Tarantino movie is only about 5% of the actual experience, but without the release of a trailer, all we can do is list the cast (which also features Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kurt Russell) and prepare for obscure movie references and obscene, poetic dialogue. 

Dark Shadows (May 11)- Tim Burton and Johnny Depp continue their filmmaking courtship together in this moody vampire romp based on a hit TV series.  Vampires have been way overdone in recent years, but Burton’s entire gothic catalog indicates he’s not just yielding to a trend. 

World War Z (Dec 21)- Adapted from the hit book, director Marc Forster is teaming up with Brad Pitt to bring a zombie story set in the aftermath of the apocalypse.  Though there will likely be plenty of on-screen carnage, Forster’s diverse directing repertoire so far (Quantum of Solace, Hobo With a Shotgun and Finding Neverland among them) give no hints as to what his approach will be. 

Terrence Malick Double Feature (TBA)- According to IMDB, the man legendary for his 30 year break between films is making up for lost time in 2012.  With two films on the docket, one titled Voyage of Time and the other currently untitled, Malick has two chances to top his career peak last year in The Tree of Life.  Voyage of Time, which lists Brad Pitt and Emma Thompson as the only people in the movie, claims to be about “the birth and death of the universe.”  The untitled one has a huge cast that features Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Rachel Weisz, Javier Bardem and Tree of Life alum Jessica Chastain.

The Iron Lady
Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Written by: Abi Morgan (screenplay)
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Alexandra Roach and Iain Glen

It’s no surprise at all that Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher is amazingly conceived and executed, worthy of any acting trophy that exists.  Everything from the posture to the voice and especially those trademark darting eyes are in full force in a movie that unfortunately fails to capture the true gravity of its subject.

Phyllida Lloyd, whose credentials include the much-maligned screen adaptation of Mamma Mia!, brings a typical biopic aesthetic to The Iron Lady.  Every character fits in its appropriate place and blends in with the environment unless they aren’t supposed to.  Abi Morgan’s screenplay, the biggest thing to blame for this film’s mediocrity, often extenuates Thatcher’s struggle to be taken seriously as a female politician.  Everything else is glossed over.

The Iron Lady is told through Thatcher’s elderly, dementia-ridden perspective as she looks back on her life.  Many of the best scenes occur in this time period, where Lloyd films the proud woman often cloaked in shadow, unsure if her husband Denis (Jim Broadbent) is actually talking to her or just an illusion of her fading mind.  Broadbent and Streep’s chemistry in these scenes is extraordinary, as is Lloyd’s ability to create a convincing scene and then let the two actors run away with it.

As with most biopics, this is more about the acting than the idealism behind the subject.  If ever there was a movie that needed some sense of idealism or even a statement, though, it was a movie about Margaret Thatcher.  There are news briefs and archival footage that show just how divisive she was- an entrepreneurial hero to some, a poor-hating villain to others- but it says these things more than it shows them.  Streep’s eyes do most of the storytelling in this film, appearing haunted in her elderly years and full of ambition and cunning during Thatcher’s unprecedented 11.5-year reign as Prime Minister in Great Britain.

This film could’ve used the tactic that Clint Eastwood and Dustin Lance Black employed in J. Edgar to show Thatcher’s divisive, hurtful policies but also the heart of a woman who was driven to do what she legitimately saw as the right thing to do.  There is a brilliant scene where she, dressed in a maroon jacket, makes a complete fool out of one of her cabinet members during a meeting.  Lloyd films the scene so that we see the cabinet’s reactions, with Streep as a force of nature at the center of it.  After she abruptly ends the cabinet meeting, the camera cuts to a shot of her unclenching her fists, which begin to shake.  Then it pans out to a shot of that empty table, with the Prime Minister unsure of her next move.

From here, the movie descends into Thatcher’s abrupt exit from Number 10 Downing Street amid inner party bickering.  Morgan’s screenplay makes it seem as if the men are simply fed up with tolerating someone they’d label a bitch being in charge, a cheap way out of a scenario that needed much more examination.  Simplifying Thatcher’s reign as Prime Minister into gender politics undermines the very core of what made her important: her politics were more controversial than her gender.

Failing to fully realize this renders the movie a showcase for acting, which may have been the point all along.  Meryl Streep fires on all cylinders even though simply suiting up as Margaret Thatcher would guarantee her an Oscar nomination.  She makes a movie that deliberately avoids saying anything say something.

Grade: C-

Weekend
Directed by: Andrew Haigh
Written by: Andrew Haigh (screenplay)
Starring: Tom Cullen and Chris New

Weekend is a film that many have used to herald the honesty of independent cinema; a film tackling the subject of homosexuality where the characters are no longer grappling with that identity, but arguing about it.  Andrew Haigh’s debut feature is an incessantly political work about being gay in contemporary England whose dueling moralities surface through Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Guy New).

Haigh begins and ends his feature with Russell, who is seen going over to hang out with his friends at a dinner party before going to a gay club.  That dinner scene is important in that it reveals absolutely nothing about Russell’s sexuality.  The camerawork is deliberately grungy, evoking a sense of documentary-like realism in that dinner scene and many of the ones that follow.  On a subway ride, Russell and Glen are filmed conversing as passengers bob and weave in front of the frame while the train hurtles down the tracks.

After Russell does his own hurtling with Glen after their night at the gay bar, the two sense a spark after waking up in bed together the next morning (we never see what was supposed to be their one-night stand but we see their other sexual encounters).  Cullen and New are both fantastic at realizing these characters within the often overly-didactic script.  The way New shows Glen tensing up awkwardly as he asks Russell to meet him at a bar for drinks speaks volumes more to the relationship than the intense debates they have about their identity comforts.

Glen is a very open person about his homosexuality.  He is an art student, and extremely confrontational when it comes to the identity politics of his life.  Russell, on the other hand, is not openly gay to his friends, nor does he enjoy public displays of affection.  He is not repressed in the sense of many other gay film or television characters; though he clearly struggles with openness, he is not self-loathing.

Weekend would’ve been more successful as an illustration of a blooming relationship without a conversation about the politics of the issue spliced throughout.  Though the script has two well formulated ideals in each of its characters, the recent masterwork Certified Copy showed that you can have a deeply romantic film with an interesting premise that also has a huge ethical debate at its center.

As far as debuts go, though, Haigh must be given credit for how fully realized his Brits are.  He is a writer/director with the clear capability of both good writing and good visual storytelling, but his passion for the politics of the situation interferes with the realism he tries to establish here.  The scene that sums the film up best is one of the later scenes between Russell and Glen.  Their intense conversation about gay marriage devolve into genuine looks of emotion and a scene of the passionate beginnings of sex.  Because Haigh clashes the personal so explicitly with the political, his debate loses out to the eroticism on the screen.

For all that clashing, though, Weekend is an uncompromised, sad film  because the love is unrequited by the choice of its characters instead of societal norms.  It takes place within a single weekend, where they both learn a lot about themselves and each other and then go their separate ways.  Hollywood forces many couples together at the end of its pestilent romances, though they are never gay couples.  Weekend attacks the typical rom-com on almost every conceivable level, and though its results are mixed, it’s still much better for it.

Grade: C

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
Written by: Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan (screenplay), John le Carré (novel)
Starring: Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth and John Hurt

If you’re not prepared to donate every ounce of your attention to this film, then do not bother watching it.  Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of the twistiest films to come along in years.

Like he did in adapting the vampire thriller Let the Right One In, though, he takes those narrative thrills and restrains them within his deliberately arranged frames until the tension boils over.  There is only one “action” sequence in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and it’s the rather clumsily constructed assassination of a spy (Mark Strong) sent to Hungary to find out the identity of a mole within MI6 (the British equivalent of the CIA).

Alfredson makes the mistake of using the same deliberate, plodding tone as the rest of the film in this action sequence, but its clumsiness shows just how gifted he is at directing the rest of it.  Working from a dense, take-no-prisoners screenplay by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, he weaves a spy thriller where literally every character is a plausible suspect and answers are often revealed in a glance.

As if that weren’t enough, bountiful flashbacks are added in, where those same gestures also reveal suspicious character interactions and hidden agendas.  Anchoring all of this intrigue together is George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a man who chooses his words more carefully than he does his allies, which is saying something.  Oldman delivers a restrained but brilliant performance as this man, who is taken out of forced retirement to find the mole within the agency.

John le Carré’s hit novel was also adapted into a TV miniseries in the late 70s, and the task of cramming it into a feature length film must have been vast.  Alfredson creates a darkly beautiful cinematic tone to go with the expansive narrative, though, encasing this early 70s world with a mahogany veneer and a paranoia that is distinctly Cold War.

That mole at the top of MI6 is of course a Russian spy, and Smiley is tasked with weeding him out from four distinct agents, played by the venerable likes of Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds and David Dencik.  Accompanying Smiley is a shaky junior agent and later the man who started this manhunt, Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy).

Ricki made the stupid mistake of falling in love with the wife of a connected Russian man, who told him about the mole right before she was whisked away by their spies.  His involvement in the case is purely to retrieve her, though Smiley doesn’t let on that she’s been murdered.  Hardy comes late to the proceedings, but his emotional attachment to the case go well with Oldman’s restrained distance.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy‘s numerous twists and deliberate pace are a very welcome change of pace from the bloated, sloppily constructed thrillers like the second Sherlock Holmes.  Though repeated viewings may be required to piece together the entirety of this investigation, all of the answers are there, and the film is entertaining enough to reward a repeat viewing.  Restraint and the ability to never fully reveal one’s hand is something that Alfredson shares with these white collar spies.

These spies and their trench coats, slicked back hair and puffs of smoke create a portrait of an organization stuck in its ways, accentuated by the numerous instances of sex or intense affecting taking place in the background of shots.  It creates an atmosphere of dread that is distinctly 1950s, but it takes place amid the intersection of that decade’s paranoia and the sexual revolution.

Sex takes a noticeable backseat in this film, though, suggesting that personal and political have not yet found a way to co-exist.  This is extenuated later in a thrilling conversation that Smiley shares with the mole, who seduced his then-girlfriend so that Smiley wouldn’t be able to see him clearly.  Like J. Edgar, sex becomes a tool of exploitation and manipulation, though its absence from the foreground makes them the furthest thing from exploitation films.

What makes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy work is the effortless way that these extremely talented actors set aside ego and showmanship in favor of serving the fantastic writing and directing.  It’s trickier than many modern films to navigate, but, unlike many of those films, it’s worth the effort.

Grade: B+
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1. The Tree of Life- Terrence Malick’s epic tone poem weaves in and out of the life of a typical American family in 1950s Texas, zig-zagging between the creation of the universe and the afterlife in the process.  By placing the location of his own childhood at the center of these celestial events, he puts a very personal spin on his warring perceptions of creation; the way of nature and the way of grace.  As his camera weaves in and out of the O’Brien family’s lives (a three son household run by Brad Pitt’s nature and Jessica Chastain’s grace), the element of visual improvisation makes their everyday life and afterlife beautiful.  Even if you hated it, you’ll never forget it. Read our review.

2. Certified Copy- Unexpected in every way, the romance film by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami follows two strangers as they meet up in Tuscany one afternoon and divulge into their passionate opinions on art, originality, philosophy and love. Over the course of a single afternoon, their relationship takes twists and turns, leaving the audience in awe of the puzzle laid out before them and clinging to the aesthetic beauty of its settings and characters to reveal clues. Sophisticated filmmaking technique brilliantly interlaces heavy academic, multilingual conversation with a flowing narrative to sculpt this as one of the most unique and thought-provoking films of the year. Read our review.

3. Hugo-  Scorsese’s 3D chronicle of ancient cinema is as much about technological revival as it is about an orphan boy’s journey for meaning and friendship.  It’s on the shoulders of two child actors to navigate their way through his beautifully orchestrated picture, but ultimately it’s Ben Kingsley’s deeply conflicted character whose history and performance steals the show.  One of the first films that geared the extra dimension as a tool for storytelling and artistic expression, Hugo sidesteps gimmicks and captures important lessons of childhood, imagination and purpose. Read our review.

4. Midnight in Paris- Woody Allen tends to make films so often that they hardly can be told apart. But every so often, Allen comes out with a film that reminds us of the potential of his innovative, personal storytelling style. Besides the perfect cast, Midnight in Paris delivers unseen laughs while hitting familiar heavy messages of nostalgia, escapism and romance. Such a ridiculous time-traveling comedic plot with characters like Hemingway and Picasso would have been a disaster in other hands, but Allen turns it into an artistic masterpiece. Read our review.

5. Melancholia- A dark twin to The Tree of Life, Lars von Trier’s vision of “The End” collides the personal depression of Justine (a never-better Kirsten Dunst) with the impending doom of the encroaching planet Melancholia.  The beautiful 8-minute prologue set to Wagner gives away the world ending, so the entire film creates a sense of dread around Justine’s disastrous wedding and the rest of the proceedings.  Von Trier has made it a habit of destroying the lives of women, but here he handles the characters much more delicately than the doomed marriage of Antichrist or the ill-fated Bjork of Dancer in the Dark.  His cynicism is still alive and well, though you can sense more of his despair than glee as he destroys Earth and everyone on it. Read our review.

 6. A Dangerous Method- The end of the world was the perfect fit for von Trier, and the birth of psychoanalysis is perfect for David Cronenberg.  Studying the beginning of the mind/body connection shows not just a father/son duel between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), but also this director examining the figures whose basic ideals form the turbulent undercurrent of many of his films.  Keira Knightley provides much of the turbulence in this film as Sabina Spielren, the hysterical, intelligent woman that comes between them (more intellectually than sexually).  Cronenberg’s presence erases any indication that this may be a straight-laced period drama.  It’s a volcanic, deeply haunting film. Read our review.

7. Beginners-  Writer-director Mike Mills’ semi-autobiographical story is an unlikely coming-of-age film, following two “beginners” who waited later in life to get things like commitment, identity, failure and love all figured out. The father (Plummer) and son (McGregor) relationship in the film has its sensibility, but the film really finds depth and beauty when Hal’s son Oliver reflects on his relationships with his parents as a way of etching out his own life. With Mills’ clever artistic touches and approach to narrative along with the casts’ graceful performances, Beginners is as purely original as it is endearing. Read our review.

8. Margin Call- J.C. Chandor proves himself a terrific writer/director in this stunningly well-made debut.  With a terrific ensemble that includes Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci and Demi Moore, he chronicles the 24-hour period at a single investment bank in 2008 before the financial collapse.  Though it’s a little less dramatic than Melancholia’s apocalypse, this is very much a film about people embracing the end of their world.  By showing the dark side and examining it instead of outright criticizing it, Chandor creates a portrait of an entity that tried to eat the world and ended up eating itself. Read our review.

9. Poetry- Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry is a beautifully sad film about an old woman grappling with numerous struggles- the early stages of Alzheimer’s, her grandson’s horrendous crimes, coming up with a poem for her class.  Chang-dong interweaves these events into a terrific narrative, showing Mija’s (Yun Jeong-hie) various conflicts folding over each other, and then finding some sort of higher purpose. Read our review.

10. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- When it came to adapting the Swedish book and film of the same title into a big-budget Hollywood event, there couldn’t have been a more tactful pairing than with David Fincher, who was fresh off his success with last year’s The Social Network. Casting Daniel Craig was not as much of a long shot as was Rooney Mara, but the duo couldn’t have been any more perfect, infiltrating and pinpointing an explosive dynamic between the two characters. Add in expert production, a haunting synth-filled score and a tremendous supporting cast, the story reached its maximum cinematic potential without being unfaithful to the source. Read our review.

5 runner-ups: Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar is a haunting portrait of the repressed FBI director using his insecurities to create a vast intelligence empire.  The Descendants shows Alexander Payne finding a suitable muse in George Clooney as he chronicles a man and his daughters dealing with his wife/their mother’s betrayals while she lies in a coma.  The wickedly funny Bridesmaids shows the bond among women with plenty of fart jokes, vomiting and puppies along the way.  Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody teamed up again to much darker effect with Charlize Theron in Young Adult, a movie where an alcoholic former Prom Queen returns to her home town to wrestle her former love away from his happy life with a wife and newborn child.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a terrific summer surprise, showcasing fantastically rendered motion-captured apes and an astonishingly well-done action sequence on the Golden Gate Bridge. Also, be sure to check out our favorite performances of 2011.

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