That's My Dad.

The Dark Knight Rises - 

Darkness. Of its many definitions and contexts, nearly all can be attributed to Christopher Nolan’s conclusion for the Batman trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises”.

When the adjective “dark” is used to define a story of any medium, its post-modern connotation often comes up instead. As a generation grows more agile and experienced to storytelling formulas, they grow harder to please and, in turn, demand stronger stimulation. Hence, in the past decade or so, when a movie comes with a label as “dark”, it’s hailed as a good thing. Something to excite, perturb or duel with your personal psyche. Audiences have grown tired of the same old circus act, so the reflex works to create higher levels of peril, villainy and immorality; darkness somehow became a good thing. And “The Dark Knight” treaded on a perfect balance between the traditional cinema and this successful “dark” quality. Yet, for the first time, this trending sense of edginess in high-minded movie-making has become over-modulated, dangerously intensified and abrasive with “The Dark Knight Rises”. 

With the aesthetics and skin of an expensive action-noir superhero flick, “The Dark Knight Rises” throws unexpectedly massive blows with a cold-blooded, angry and disgusted political agenda. This isn’t an instance of whipping out your magnifying glass and going out like Encyclopedia Brown with conspiracy theory styled movie interpretations; here is a powerfully conscious film taking heavy jabs at everything wrong with our country’s social situation in the past few years. Tainted with frightening components of urban terrorism, a grotesque satire of our country’s idea of good vs. evil and an aggression towards social hierarchies (lots of hate for the 1%), ‘Rises’ is not a sensational or exciting ride as one might anticipate but more of a politically intoxicated work of violence. I could rightfully as far to say that “The Dark Knight Rises” can come off as a rude awakening to America’s current culture and status.

Aside from the social commentary overload, Batman might be facing his most heartless, Kafkaesque villain to date: Bane. Played with a remarkable austerity by Tom Hardy, Bane is the ultimate connoisseur of reeking darkness in the most biblical of ways: by mutilating the concept of hope. It comes as a pillar of villainy, but never highlighted with such grandeur and impact. In a sense, this kind of ability in a superhero film should be applauded; after all in this day in age, the better the villain, the better the movie.

Most importantly, a Christopher Nolan assembled ensemble is never to be trifled with. ‘Rises’ comes basking with hard-hitting, expressive and classical performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway and Marion Cotillard. Especially with Nolan pulling all the strings, every single character is given the much desired room to bloom and dazzle, from a directorial and actor’s perspective. And while there are many, each independent storyline functions accurately, with militarist precision. No questions can be raised in the film’s technical ability; yet, the overall product stays in risk in coming off contrived due to a content overload.

The rarest accomplishment the saga has created comes with how many actually go to see it to purely see Christopher Nolan direct and practically nothing else. You have Eastwood, Tarantino and company making stylistically heavy films, but never to the masterful blend of a mainstream entertainment scale and deeply invested art-house styled noire that Nolan does it. With ‘Rises’, Nolan can be caught with a few inconsistencies on his hands; specifically on the screen-writing and directorial aspect. While his screenplay hits close to home with multitudes of heavy social terrors, much of ‘Rises’ imitates the same tricks “The Dark Knight” pulled, to the point where much of the film lost traction because anyone with the faintest memory of the 2008 flick could easily anticipate what an action sequence would do, where a slick one-liner would come up or how a scene would come structured. This is where the ultimate mishap came. Due to this dulled down feeling of gently reused thrills, more attention was demanded towards the film’s new feature: the aforementioned politics.

Through its many shades, “The Dark Knight Rises” can be largely uncomfortable, overwhelming bleak and cold to an American public. Noticeably, a split reaction has been made on ‘Rises’ among critics, specifically towards the impacting dark tone. Many commend its daring nature to bring superhero movie territory to such an impenetrable doom-like darkness. Others note far too many individual story and character dynamics were set loose in ‘Rises’ to the point where clashes were inevitable, creating a bloated film in the process. I find myself discomforted and somewhere in the between. “The Dark Knight Rises” surely comes bolder than anything from 2012 and, without trial, wins the throne for audience’s favorite flick of the year. I appreciate the grandeur, but I cannot rightfully point out this being the best of the series, or even being a killer closing to the trilogy. With its Shakespearean finesse in story and culturally-impacting performances, “The Dark Knight” still carries the crown; though I’m certainly not against the silver medal going to “The Dark Knight Rises”. Because for the first time, Christopher Nolan looked me dead in the eye through his camera lenses (like Hitchcock did for the ’60s and Spielberg in the ’70s) and I truly understood what darkness and horror felt like. 

(8/10)

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Shame - 

As a critic, I will encounter a film like Shame and end up drowning myself in thoughts. Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Michael Fassbender, Shame is a textbook example of modern art-house cinema and an unflinching examination on addiction, more determined than any film about its subject matter.

Fassbender and McQueen previously rose to fame with their 2008 gritty masterpiece Hunger; a physically demanding and eternally frightening biopic. The two create a blend of transgressive and audacious art and the well won’t be drying out soon. For the sake of cinema, this duo needs to make a generation of films together; the two creative forces are beyond restraints of human efforts, they are immaculate. 

It’s a little ironic to define, describe or critique Shame; a film that functions through emotion and rarely words. Yes, art-house films almost always follow such an agenda. But the brute artistic force and dexterity McQueen brings with his camera lens steals the words from my tongue and, like Houdini, makes them disappear. Both of his directorial efforts leave me stunned, effected and traumatized for severe amounts of time. 

Sure, we can talk about Fassbender’s performance: his impenetrable forces put as an actor physically and cerebrally. We can bring up the undermined values of Shame: Carey Mulligan’s best career performance, ground-breaking cinematography, visual language and scene structure. We can also point out the unfathomable script the film has been built. 

But instead of technicalities, I want to bring up a question. Why do people drink black coffee? 

You might say, through the pain of the consummation, there is a new state of mind to be explored. Or maybe after a point in life, you get used to the feeling. Or perhaps one gets sick of cream and sugar; needing a kick in the head. 

I say, there is an undefinable zenith humans can reach, but fear. It comes from getting addicted to a force like black coffee. It is this zenith found in Michael Fassbender’s vexation. It’s found through Steve McQueen’s unyielding exploration of the human condition. It’s a zenith known as shame, and this film was the mirror revealing its face to us. 

(10/10)

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Haywire -

Muffled from any synthetic action-cinema styles, Steven Soderbergh’s latest piece of art-house coolness, “Haywire,” is a revenge thriller more raw and bare boned than any ‘Bourne’ artifact could ever come close to. (8/10)

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Project X - 

While it certainly won’t be remembered long enough to be on anyone’s ‘Best of 2012’ lists and was far from perfect, Todd Phillips’ Project X is undeniably the new holding champion in the ‘reckless party gone horribly wrong’ sub-genre and seems highly unlikely to leave that position for years to come. The film offers heaps of its infectious, mindless and brash negligence that after a certain point becomes very challenging to argue against anything going on in this roller-coaster styled adventure. Aside from some flaky acting and ill-pacing, Project X may not take advantage of its intellectual potential, but they never said they wanted to be the fucking Great Gatsby, did they? (7/10)

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - 

Tragically unaffecting and emotionally gimmicky, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a poorly crafted melodrama, both from a directorial and actors standpoint, that makes for an intellectually gutted rendition of its source material; investing in exterior emotions rather than those internal. (4/10)

That’s My Dad’s 2012 Oscar Predications - 

Best Picture - 

My Personal Choice - The Tree of Life

Who Will Win - The Artist

Best Actor - 

My Personal Choice - Brad Pitt for Moneyball

Who Will Win - Jean Dujardin for The Artist

Best Actress - 

My Personal Choice - Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn

Who Will Win - Viola Davis for The Help

Best Supporting Actor - 

My Personal Choice - Christopher Plummer for Beginners

Who Will Win - Christopher Plummer for Beginners

Best Supporting Actress - 

My Personal Choice - Jessica Chastain for The Help

Who Will Win - Octavia Spencer for The Help

Best Director - 

My Personal Choice - Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life

Who Will Win - Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist

Best Original Screenplay - 

My Personal Choice - Midnight in Paris

Who Will Win - Midnight in Paris

Best Adapted Screenplay - 

My Personal Choice - Moneyball

Who Will Win - The Descendants

Best Foriegn Film - 

My Personal Choice - A Separation

Who Will Win - A Separation

Best Cinematography - 

My Personal Choice - The Tree of Life

Who Will Win - The Tree of Life

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We Need to Talk About Kevin - 

To say I liked this film, wouldn’t be appropriate. While emotionally torturous and almost bordering horror as a drama, We Need to Talk About Kevin is not meant to be enjoyed or favored, but works as a piece of art designed to be consumed, appreciated and discussed; not to mention, disturb you relentlessly. (8/10)

Attack the Block - 

Much like what the U.S. did for 80’s blockbuster films with “Super 8”, the U.K. did for B-movies with “Attack the Block”, only with a much lower budget and a lot more culture. (6/10)

Art-house Recommendation: A Serious Man (2009)

Undeniably the Coen Brothers most subtle, layered and mystifying film to date, A Serious Man is just as off-beat as is dark of a comedy. Complemented with pitch-perfect cinematography and a set of remarkable art-house styled performances, especially lead actor Michael Stuhlbarg, the film serves as an urgent inspection on the human condition in the oddest of places: modern jewish culture. With a stirring amount of thought offered, sincerely from the first frame to the very last, A Serious Man can be the most exciting watch in the most unorthodox of ways. (10/10)

Top 20 Films of 2011 (1-10)

1. The Tree of Life

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

3. Drive

4. Beginners

5. Moneyball

6. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

7. A Separation 

8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

9. 50/50

10. The Artist

Top 20 Films of 2011 (11-20)

11. Hugo

12. Contagion

13. Bridesmaids

14. The Help

15. Midnight in Paris

16. Submarine

17. The Adventures of Tintin

18. The Descendants

19. The Muppets

20. Crazy, Stupid Love

The Artist - 

Welcome to the year’s most celebrated film in cinema: The Artist.

In case you haven’t heard about this film, The Artist is a silent black-and-white film telling a very classic Hollywood tale of the death of the silent era and the birth of the talkies.

If there’s an undeniable attribute of The Artist, it’s how many bold statements it makes towards Hollywood, decline in mainstream media and the art of cinema and storytelling, among various other aspects.

The Artist worships everything Hollywood has ever culturally stood and how it directly the human spirit at a vulnerable time in it’s history. Of course, expectedly, the film celebrates and glosses up a long lost age of glamour in popular culture, not to mention art style. A daunting task The Artist takes on is recall classically structured stories and the way they play out. You don’t even have to bother to check for authenticity, this thing plays out like something Cecil B. Demille would have made. For a film like this, that’s the biggest compliment imaginable.

Another great value of the film is how it speaks to its current surroundings in 2011 cinema. The Artist presents cryptic layers of psychological and artistic frustrations it seems to have with the characters moving from the silent era to the “talkies”, but, in modern context, The Artist addresses current films growing consistently shallow for entertainment while neglecting the concept of telling a wholesome story. It’s cheesy when it comes down to it, but no color, language or explosions are ever required to win the hearts of audiences in a theater.

Yet The Artist makes such a bold mark in modern cinema, it’s hard to call it a masterpiece when it’s core story leaves much to be desired. Classics like Sunset Boulevard or Singin’ in the Rain applied more vigor towards building a well-rounded tale of the human spirit, where The Artist falls short and feels a little too gentle for its own good.

When all is said and done, The Artist is a cinematic achievement and one specifically built to charm Hollywood and, almost definitely, the Oscars.

This film was my mom. (8/10)

Here are my picks for the Golden Globes tonight and what will end up winning, realistically. Let’s see how they match up. (Bold - My Choice, Italic - What Will Win)

Best Drama - 

The Descendants 

The Help

Hugo

The Ides of March

Moneyball 

War Horse

Best Actor in Drama - 

George Clooney - The Descendants

Leonardo Dicaprio - J. Edgar

Brad Pitt - Moneyball

Michael Fassbender - Shame

Ryan Gosling - The Ides of March

Best Actress in Drama - 

Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis - The Help (1st Choice)

Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Tilda Swinton - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Comedy/Musical - 

50/50

The Artist

Bridesmaids

My Week With Marilyn

Midnight in Paris

Best Actor in Comedy/Musical - 

Owen Wilson - Midnight in Paris

Joesph Gordon-Levitt - 50/50

Brendan Gleeson - The Guard

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Ryan Gosling - Crazy, Stupid Love

Best Actress in Comedy/Musical - 

Jodie Foster - Carnage

Kate Winslet - Carnage

Charlize Theron - Young Adult

Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids

Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor - 

Albert Brooks - Drive

Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn

Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Christopher Plummer - Beginners 

Viggo Mortensen - A Dangerous Method

Best Supporting Actress - 

Best Animated Film - 

Arthur Christmas

The Adventures of Tintin

Cars 2

Puss in Boots

Rango

Best Foreign Film - 

The Flowers of War (China)

The Skin I Live In (Spain)

A Separation (Iran)

The Kid With a Bike (Belgium) 

In the Land of Blood and Honey (U.S.)

Best Director - 

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

George Clooney - The Ides of March

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Martin Scorsese - Hugo 

Best Screenplay -