The King's Speech

I do believe Colin Firth has just won himself an Oscar. His biggest challengers will likely be James Franco (127 Hours) and Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network) as they were the only other two nominated for both a Golden Globe and a SAG. Eisenberg's performance is too understated to win it all and Firth will beat Franco by seniority, if nothing else.

None of this is meant to imply that Firth doesn't earn every bit of it. As King George VI, Firth plays the life-long stammerer thrust into power at the beginning of the age of radio. The British Empire fully expects to hear the voice of their monarch, especially as war looms with Germany in 1939. Beyond just the speech impediment, Bertie (as he is known to his family) fights insecurities so great that he wonders if he's fit to be king at all.

A remarkable true story especially when one considers that this nervous and reluctant king's progeny will likely reign for centuries to come.

The Fighter

Whatever you do, don't try to dismiss this as just another boxing movie. In The Fighter what happens in the ring is ultimately of very little consequence. I still have a few contenders (no pun intended) to see this year, but this is the best character drama of the year. The script is great and the acting is fantastic. Every fight keeps you on the edge of your seat, both the ones in the ring and those outside it.

Christian Bale has to be the favorite for the Oscar playing Mark Wahlberg's older brother who has fallen from the local hero, who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, to crack addict.

The film perfectly shows how a family can simultaneously destroy each other and love each other unconditionally.

True Grit

I hate to say I was disappointed, because this was a very good movie, but it failed to excite me to the same level as its trailer did.

I had been defending the show against those calling it a remake of the Oscar-winning John Wayne film as it is merely based on the same novel. After watching it, however, it is harder to defend as it does feel like a remake. Most notably, Barry Pepper seems to be doing his best Robert Duvall impression in the same role Duvall played in the original.

None of that is technically a problem and I really did enjoy the movie. The dialogue was superb and handled brilliantly by the actors. Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld have both received SAG nominations.

The biggest problem was a narrative one that may derive from being too faithful to the book (which I have not read). Without giving anything away, the ending is extremely anticlimactic and takes an unfulfilling turn. You could argue the same thing with the Coen brothers masterpiece No Country for Old Men, but its ending fits the spirit of the movie. That isn't the case here.

I do recommend the movie, but the trailer is even better.

The Town

The opening titles here tell us that in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, robbing banks is a family business. Ben Affleck directs and stars as one of these robbers hoping to turn his life around after meeting a beautiful bank manager.

I made a point to watch this as it has received favorable reviews and is a fringe contender this awards season. It was pretty good. The script was only slightly above average, but Affleck did a good job directing it.

The highlight was the acting, most notably Jeremy Renner, who is frightening as Affleck's violent best friend. If there's a nomination to be found here, he's it, especially on the heels of his first nomination last year for The Hurt Locker.

SAG/Golden Globe comments

After a long absence, here are a few observations about the first leg of awards season.

I guess I don’t have too much to analyze about the Golden Globes. No surprises in the number of noms for the juggernaut Glee and for 30 Rock, which is possibly the most complete comedy of our time (Arrested Development is funnier, but it had such a short life! It will always feel incomplete, and that’s part of its mystique.) I know he isn’t necessarily the best actor out there this year, but think this year might be the year for Steve Carell – he’s won zero SAGs and one GG for seven seasons at the helm at The Office, and he’s on his way out after this season. I especially suspect he might get the SAG as a nod of respect from his peers (as opposed to the GG). Plus we’ve seen from Dan in Real Life, etc. that he’s a damn good actor, even though The Office has had its ups and downs. And - MILD MILD MILD SPOILER – since they brought Holly back to the show you know they’re gearing up for some major season-end Michael Scott drama. He has to have a good exit and that’s even more time for him to shine.

This might be a dumb question, but is The Big Bang Theory really that good? I just have a hard time believing that someone from either Weeds, Modern Family, Community, Chuck or HIMYM doesn’t deserve most of their nomination spots instead. Maybe I’m missing out.

One thing I particularly like about the SAGs is that they cover their bases better than lots of award shows. Awards for ensemble casts by genre and best stunt ensembles make it so they can award some really specific achievements and I suspect that comes from being some of the most familiar people with the shooting process, as opposed to a voting pool that includes say, critics. They also aren’t afraid to recognize a really great talent in a show that’s maybe not so great. I’m talking specifically about Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order SVU’s Detective Olivia Benson. I am a sucker for this show, but I think despite its tendency to rip stories from the headlines and try cheesy one-liners it does two important things: 1) it does a good job of illustrating and having frank discussions about what happens when women are raped, and 2) it shows a strong female lead dealing with it. There are a million crime shows out there but SVU is the only one that’s not afraid to approach subjects like the stigma that comes with being a rape victim and the fear and red tape that come with actually bringing a rapist to justice. Hargitay's been quoted about the amount of fan mail she gets from women who find a little bit of solace in watching her in SVU. It might not be the most cut-and-dry or direct way to do it, and I’m sure their mind isn’t wholly on the greater good, but I like that SVU is doing a little bit to raise awareness about all of that.

It makes me chuckle that Johnny Depp was nominated for The Tourist AND Alice, but I’m glad that Alice is getting a little recognition. While I hate to admit it, I am among those who think that most childhood stories and fairy tales could benefit from a Tim Burton take, and Alice certainly benefits my side of that argument. And on that note, I thought The Tourist wasn’t supposed to be *that* good?

Black Swan

Nina Sayers is a technically flawless dancer, but she struggles to find the sensuality needed to play the seductive Black Swan.

Natalie Portman stars as Nina, whose obsession with perfection is quite literally driving her crazy. Portman is sure to be a front-runner for the Oscar. Parts like this are all too rare for actresses. Also stunning is Mila Kunis who has officially shed her cocoon as the annoying girlfriend on That 70s Show. She impressed me as smart and sexy in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and takes that to another degree here. Both actresses have received Golden Globe and SAG nominations.

Darren Aronofsky is his usual self as a master of heavy, visceral material.

Ultimately, however, I don’t think the script is strong enough for this to go all the way. Some moments are downright hokey. It’s almost as if they took a script that could have easily been a throw-away thriller and gave it to an Oscar-caliber production team.