Classic Movie Picks: February

by Lani

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies Now Playing guide for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

This month's "31 Days of Oscar" programming takes us on a trip around the world, and even out of this world, with 348 films which are Academy Award winners or nominees, grouped according to the location where their stories occur - from the Great Plains to the South Seas. The current crop of Best Picture nominees are not quite so far-flung; their stories are confined to Western Europe and the U.S. So instead of a trip around the world, I will endeavor to go on a trip through time, connecting 2011 Oscar nominees to winners and nominees past. (For more information about this year's Academy Awards ceremony and nominees, visit Oscar.com)

2/11, 4:45 AM - Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Meryl Streep has made a career playing uncommon women - from haunted Holocaust-survivor Sophie Zawistowski of Sophie's Choice to ebullient celebrity chef Julia Child in Julie and Julia. Along the way, Streep has received 2 Academy Awards and a record 17 nominations. This year she is nominated for her performance as Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, in The Iron Lady. However, Magnificent Meryl's first Oscar (Best Supporting Actress)was for her portrayal of the comparably ordinary Joanna Kramer in tonight's film. The story of the Kramer's divorce and custody trial may seem mundane alongside the story of PM Thatcher, who coincidentally came to power the same year Kramer was made; but in the hands of great actors like Streep and co-star Dustin Hoffman (Best Actor winner), this small-scale story is vastly compelling.

2/14, 7:30 AM - The Bicycle Thief (1948)

In 2011's A Better Life, Demian Bichir plays a hardworking immigrant father in East L.A. whose life is thrown off-course when his truck & landscaping tools are stolen. Bichir's heartbreaking performance has earned him a Best Actor nomination. The story of A Better Life immediately brings to mind The Bicycle Thief. In this seminal Italian neorealist film, the thief of the title upends the life of a humble laborer struggling to provide for his family. The film was awarded an honorary Oscar for best foreign film (this was before that category had formal nominations) and was also nominated for Best Screenplay, an honor rarely bestowed upon foreign-language films.

2/14, 6:30 PM - A Farewell to Arms (1932)

One of the most memorable parts of Best Picture nominee Midnight in Paris is Corey Stoll's hilariously straight-faced portrayal of author Ernest Hemingway. As presented by writer/director Woody Allen, himself a double nominee this year, Hemingway speaks as he wrote - of men who are brave and true. The real Hemingway was unhappy with the 1932 film adaptation of his novel A Farewell to Arms because the screenplay softened his story of love and jealousy during WWI. Paramount actually made two versions of the film - one with a happy ending, the other more ambiguous - and allowed theater owners to choose which version to screen depending upon the audience! However, Hemingway did approve of leading man Gary Cooper: "Cooper is a fine man, as honest and straight and friendly and unspoiled as he looks." A Farewell to Arms was nominated for Best Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Sound Editing, but did not win a single Oscar.

2/17, 12:30 PM - Sounder (1972)

This year Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are front runners in the Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories for their roles as maids in 1960s Mississippi in The Help, itself a Best Picture nominee. Their co-star Cicely Tyson received a Best Actress nomination almost 40 years ago for her performance as the resilient matriarch of a poor Louisiana family in Sounder. That film also received nominations for Best Actor (Paul Winfield), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture; however, the big winners that year were The Godfather and Cabaret. Sounder is considered groundbreaking for its dignified portrayal of a Depression-era African-American family and Tyson herself is a pioneer whose success helped pave the way for contemporary black actresses like Davis and Spencer.

2/25, 1 AM - Harry and Tonto (1974)

Alexander Payne excels at making films about ordinary men in crisis. He may be nominated this year as Best Director for The Descendents, which stars Best Actor nominee George Clooney as a father of two whose wife is in a coma, but my favorite of Payne's films is About Schmidt. Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, a retiree searching for his place in the world following the death of his wife. Throughout the film Schmidt confides his inner thoughts through letters to an African child named Ndugu, whom he is sponsoring through a children's aid charity. In Harry and Tonto, Art Carney goes on a journey similar to Schmidt's after he is forced to leave his long-time apartment. His companion on his cross-country trip is his beloved cat, Tonto. Writer/director Paul Mazursky received a nomination for Best Screenplay and Carney won the Best Actor Oscar that year in what was considered an upset. Carney's competition? Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes in Chinatown.

2/26, 1 PM - Singin' in the Rain (1952)

In my report from 2011's Austin Film Festival, I mentioned the many classic film influences to be found in The Artist. It was my favorite film of the festival and now it looks to be a heavy favorite in the Best Picture race. The story of The Artist perhaps owes its greatest debt to Singin' in the Rain, as both films deal with an silent film actor's struggle to adapt to the talkies. However, the two films couldn't be more different in their presentation - The Artist is black and white, and virtually a "silent film;" Singin' is of course a vibrant Technicolor musical. Singin's only Oscar nominations were for its Musical Score and for Jean Hagen, a.k.a Lina Lamont, as Best Supporting Actress. Hagen lost to Gloria Grahame in The Bad and the Beautiful, another inside-Hollywood story. However, the circus trumped the movies that year, with The Greatest Show on Earth winning Best Picture.

Enjoy this month's schedule of cinema's best and see how the 2011 nominees fare in the Oscar telecast, Sunday, February 26th!

Top 10 of 2011 (A.J.'s Picks)

by A.J.

It's that time of year again. All of the movies of 2011 are out and awards season has begun, top 10 lists have been published and, as is tradition, my list is about a month behind. 2011 was a pretty good year for comedies and a lot of movies were a genuine delight to watch. Here's some I especially enjoyed:

10. Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids does not feature women acting like the men from The Hangover. It features women being funny in the way that women are funny; we've just never seen that on film before. It's interesting to note that the one over-the-top gross-out scene in the movie was invented by Judd Apatow and Paul Feig, but even that scene still manages to be funny. Bridesmaids has a lot of funny low-key scenes as well as big set pieces. Kristen Wiig, whose SNL characters I rarely enjoy, does a good job of playing just a regular, down on her luck woman. The friendship her character Annie has with Lillian (Maya Rudolph) as well as the one the she develops with fellow bridesmaid Megan (Melissa McCarthy) feel genuine, which, sadly, is rare for movies about women. It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman, good comedy is good comedy and this is a very funny movie.

9. Super 8

In 2011, when every cell phone has a video camera and every computer comes with editing software, any kid can make a movie and post it on a website. To make your own movie in 1980, when Super 8 is set, one kid needed a Super 8 camera (which are simple to use, but not idiot-proof), your friends needed to help out, and you had to wait 3 days (even with a special rush order) for the film to develop. Super 8 follows 12 year-old Joe and his friends, who are making their own zombie movie when they witness a train crash and something mysterious escapes from one of the box cars. Shortly thereafter, strange things start happening in their town. Elle Fanning stands out among the cast of kids, but all of the young actors are very good and turn this summer sci-fi movie into a coming of age movie as well. That aspect doesn't unbalance the movie, it enhances the movie. When Joe's friend Charles creates a wife character for the detective in their movie, he notes that her concern for him makes you care about the detective character too. Good filmmakers, like J.J. Abrams, know this and that is what sets Super 8 apart from other summer movies, that, and it being one of the very, very few original ideas of summer 2011.

8. Cedar Rapids

In its own way, Cedar Rapids is also a coming of age story in that Tim Lippe, played by Ed Helms, has been in a state of arrested development for quite some time. Tim Lippe is an insurance agent sent by his boss to an insurance convention to win an award in the big city of Cedar Rapids. He's warned to stay away from Dean Ziegler (John C. Reily), a rude, crude, and hilarious insurance agent that knows his way around the convention. A common problem with comedies is that they are so concerned with being funny, they forget to be a good movie too. Cedar Rapids is hilarious and crude, but not too raunchy, and most importantly has interesting characters and it has a heart. Cedar Rapids is already out on DVD and I recommend watching it as it's one the funniest movies I've seen in a long time.

7. The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick's latest movie is his most difficult to place in a tangible context. His previous films were about soldiers at Guadalcanal, Pocahontas and John Smith, migrant workers at the turn of the 20th century, and criminals on the run. The Tree of Life is about a family in 1950s Waco, Texas, the oldest son of that family in the present day, and also there are scenes of the creation of the solar system and evolution of earth. The most common assumption is that the 1950s scenes are the memories of Jack (Sean Penn), pondering what life and nature and grace mean when you put all of it together in some grander scheme. But maybe the movie itself is pondering what existence and life and choices are all about. Where does it all come from, where does it all go? Or maybe we're watching the story of the universe, the story of everything, in which the seemingly insignificant occurrences of your childhood, and the lives and deaths of the people you know are as much a part of the story of the universe as the stars that created it and the life that came before. There is no right answer. Even if there is, it doesn't matter. This film is a visual poem. I watched it twice and enjoyed The Tree of Life much more the second time through; that first time was a tough one.

6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This is an excellent, dark, and sometimes disturbing murder mystery based on the novel by Stieg Larson and directed by master filmmaker David Fincher. It stars Daniel Craig as disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist who is hired by Henrik Vanger, the weary, aging industrialist haunted by the murder of his niece in 1965 by a member of his own family. Henrik is played wonderfully by Christopher Plummer, who is great at making us feel the same concern and urgency he feels for this cold case that is over 40 years old. But this movie is also about Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) the pierced and tattooed young woman, who is an investigator of sorts, that comes to help Blomkvist in his investigation. As the two dig deeper into the past of the Vanger family, darker mysteries surface and the two find that the cold case is much more than anyone originally thought. Many fans of the Swedish film version felt that this American version was being rushed into theaters to cash in on the (mild) success the Swedish film had with American audiences. That may be true, but instead of a dumbed-down American remake we received a modern-day Alfred Hitchcock film.

5. The Artist

If you love movies as much as The Artist loves movies, this will be one of the best times you have at the theater. The Artist is about the last days of silent movies and beginning of talking pictures. George Valentin, the bigger-than-life silent film star, is played with pitch perfection by Jean Dujardin. His fame fades as sound becomes the norm and Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) who had a small part in one of Valentin's movies, becomes a movie star. This is a black and white, silent movie and a great introduction to classic silent cinema if you're not already familiar with that time period. The Artist deserves all of the praise it has received so far. It really is a delight about a time when Hollywood was still a dream factory.

4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

"Show, don't tell," is what you'll hear many times if you take film class or read a book about screenwriting. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a movie that does just that, and George Smiley is a master spy whose most valuable skill is his ability to listen and observe. Smiley is brought out of retirement to find a mole in the highest echelon of "The Circus." Smiley is played by one of the best actors working today, Gary Oldman. Oldman gives a very subtle low-key performance. He can convey so much in the slightest facial expression and only raises his voice once. This is not what you think of when you think of a spy movie. George Smiley is the anti-James Bond but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is in no way lacking in tension and intrigue. When Smiley finally holds a gun, I felt like anything could happen. This film has such a talented ensemble it borders on being ridiculous, it's like a who's who of great British actors: Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, and John Hurt. All in the same movie!

3. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

On the other end of the spy movie spectrum is the 4th Mission Impossible movie. I like that each of the Mission Impossible movies has had a different director and had a different approach to the spy movie. Part one was an espionage thriller with some action, part 2 was an over the top Hong Kong-style action movie, part 3 was somewhere in between, and part 4 is an action movie done right. It doesn't scrimp on interesting characters and the story is simple, but solid enough sustain an entire movie. I recommended seeing this movie in IMAX for an extra exciting movie going experience; however, even if you see this movie at home on your TV you will still be thrilled and entranced. That's how you know it's a good movie.

2. Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen has said (I'm paraphrasing) that the New York in his movies is a New York that comes from films of the 1930s and 1940s. In this film, Gil's Paris of the 1920s comes from a young creative's idea of Paris, which is real enough for him and for audiences. This has been Woody Allen's most successful film and for good reasons. It doesn't matter if you're not a Woody Allen fan, Midnight in Paris is a delight to watch. Owen Wilson's natural cadence is perfect for Woody Allen's dialogue and Paris is beautifully captured. Midnight in Paris is ultimately a love story about romantic love, love for a city, love for literature and art, love for the past and love for life right here in the present.

1. Drive

"You have proved to be a real human being and a real hero" - "A Real Hero" by College featuring Electric Youth

Life can change on a dime. One week you're having a pleasant drive on a sunny day with your neighbor and her son, and the next week you have to protect them from mobsters. Sometimes you need a real human being, someone to connect with and remind you of the nicer side of life. Sometimes you need a real hero, sometimes you need to be that hero, and sometimes that means kicking in someone's skull in an elevator. And that's never going to be pretty.

"Style" is the first thing I think of when I think of Drive. Right from the opening titles, a sequence with the sleek, dazzling veneer of the 1980s, you know you're watching a different kind of movie. Director Nicolas Winding Refn gives us something quite different when he applies an art house sensibility to this story of a stunt driver that moonlights as a getaway driver. Though the movie is called Drive there are only two car chases and neither is an elaborate action sequence. There is not a moment in this movie that panders to the audience. This movie also could have been titled after one of the songs used called "A Real Hero." It's obvious and the lyric quoted above is the theme of the movie but it's true and the song is used effectively.

As Lani pointed out in her most recent post, Ryan Gosling rightly deserves recognition for his near silent performance as The Driver, whose calm reserve, coolness, and clever mind evoke Alain Delon in the French film Le Samourai and Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name. Carey Mulligan plays Irene, the neighbor of The Driver, whose husband will soon be released from prison. The Driver has no past, no family. His blankness allows Irene to project onto him what she needs him to be and it allows the audience to do the same. The characters in Drive are archetypes, but they are very well played. Every piece of this film is deliberate and done with a skill and confidence rarely found in movies today.

My Favorite Performances of 2011

by Lani

It is awards season in Hollywood and everyone with an opinion about film is chiming in with their "best of the year" picks. To continue the tradition I began last January, I've compiled a list of my favorite performances from all the films I saw during the previous year. My list comes with the caveat that I have not seen every notable film of 2011; however, when the statuettes are handed out at Sunday's Golden Globes and next month's Oscars, I hope to see awards in the hands of the actors listed below.

Favorite Male Performance: Brendan Gleeson, The Guard

The success of this film rests squarely on the burly shoulders of its lead character, a gruff, eccentric policeman in a small Irish village. Sgt. Gerry Boyle is selfish and caustic. He antagonizes anyone who gets in his way and purposely annoys his superiors. However, he may be the only person who really knows what he's doing. If Gleeson's performance didn't work, the movie wouldn't work. So it's a good thing he is brilliant.

Favorite Female Performance: Charlize Theron, Young Adult

Theron's character Mavis Gary, a depressed novelist who returns to her hometown in a desperate attempt to rekindle her high school romance, is not a likable person and she remains irredeemable throughout the film. It is to Theron's credit that Mavis does not come off as a one-dimensional bitch. I wasn't exactly rooting for Mavis - she's trying to break up a happy marriage; but as her behavior became more and more deluded, I was hoping for her to at least see the error of her ways. The subject matter can get a little dark, but Theron proves to be adept at comedy, striking just the right tone. I love a good sneer (see Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network, 2010), and the look of disgust on Theron's face as she drives down her hometown's main drag pretty much clinched her a spot on this list.

Favorite Ensemble - Male: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

With a complex plot and characters who traffic in secrets and deception, this film couldn't afford to have one performance out of step. The story isn't told so much through dialogue as through tone of voice, body language, and eye contact. Led by a perfectly understated Gary Oldman, the cast shows you everything need to know and leaves you wanting more. And kudos to Tom Hardy for once again showing up mid-film, releasing a musky blast of charisma, then returning us to our regularly scheduled program (see Inception, 2010).

Favorite Ensemble - Female: Bridesmaids

I could single out Kristen Wiig's dexterous physical comedy or Rose Byrne's deft restraint or Melissa McCarthy's manic energy, but the cast was great across the board. In an ensemble comedy like this, there are usually a couple characters who get all the jokes; however, each cast member, from the late Jill Clayburgh as Wiig's dotty mother to Melanie Hutsell as a hapless tennis partner (with no lines!), got a laugh from me.

Favorite Dog, TIE: Uggi, The Artist and Cosmo, Beginners

In each of these films, the dog isn't just there to look cute in reaction shots (though they are both quite adorable); these dogs are integral supporting characters who add heart and charm to each of their films. Yes, maybe Uggi and Cosmo (pictured, right) were thinking of sausages rather than "acting," but how can I say no to that face...you're such a good actor, yes you are...

Favorite Silent Performance: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

It is Uggi's co-star Dujardin who does the emotional heavy-lifting as a silent movie actor struggling against the advent of sound. I cannot confirm whether Dujardin was also thinking of sausages during crucial scenes, but if he was that technique is really working.

Favorite Near-Silent Performance: Ryan Gosling, Drive

Gosling's unnamed driver doesn't say much, but he doesn't have to when a look will suffice.

Favorite Swedes: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Most of the actors in this film aren't actually Swedes, they just play them in the movies. The mystery at the heart of this film is the hook that got me to buy a ticket, but the assemblage of fantastic actors in small roles - including Stephen Berkoff, Donald Sumpter, Joely Richardson, Julian Sands, and Goran Visnjic - kept me enthralled.

Favorite Enchanting French Woman: Marion Cotillard, Midnight in Paris

Cotillard, playing a fashion designer in 1920s Paris, defines the word "lovely." In this role being beautiful and charming would have been enough, but Cotillard brings thoughtfulness and depth as well. It is easy to understand why every man she meets is entranced.

Runner-up: Mélanie Laurent, Beginners

I was captivated by Laurent in Inglourious Basterds in 2009, and she is just as interesting here (albeit in a wildly different film) playing an independent-minded actress who tentatively falls in love.

Special Award for Stealth Acting: Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

Viggo the Shark strikes again. Mortensen's performance as Sigmund Freud illustrates his ability to glide through a scene with a quiet, strong presence. He doesn't seem to be doing anything special, then suddenly, he goes in for the kill and you realize he's been sizing you up the whole time.

MVP of the Year: Christopher Plummer, Beginners and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Christopher Plummer has been acting for almost 60 years, but it wasn't until late in life that he started to get really juicy roles. He got his first Oscar nomination in 2009; I hold out hope that he'll earn another this year for his graceful performance in Beginners. He gets my MVP award for that performance, as well as his strong work in Dragon Tattoo.

Runner-up: Mark Strong, The Guard and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The first time I noticed Mark Strong I dubbed him "British Andy Garcia;" however, after a string of excellent supporting performances I've learned his name and I'm not likely to forget it.

Others of note: Keira Knightly, A Dangerous Method; Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris; Giovanni Ribisi, The Rum Diary; Kathy Burke, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; Patton Oswalt, Young Adult; Albert Brooks, Drive; Vincent Cassel, A Dangerous Method; James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class