Johnny Simmons

I suppose it get’s a bit monotonous when a particular film keeps showing up on this list, but I can’t help it if some films just have good casts. The thing is, it’s strange, because I’m not even a fan of Clint Eastwood. His technique and oftentimes maudlin storylines always annoy me, but Mystic River is just a film that impresses me on all counts. It’s also important because without it, this brilliant man would have gone Oscar-less.

         

 In some ways Tim’s performance reminds me of Helen Mirren’s turn in Gosford Park. It’s not that his performance depends on subtlety, as quiet a man as Dave is Mystic River demands a large amount of physical acting. The thing that ties the two together is that both performances demand a certain secretiveness. Both Dave and Mrs. Wilson play their roles knowing something that the other characters don’t. We can assume, but we’re never absolutely certain just what happened to Young Dave when he was kidnapped; and more importantly he’s the only one that knows why he came home bloody on that fateful night. It’s not until after I’ve gotten all the facts that I fully appreciate how outstanding a performance Tim Robbins.

For example, I take notice of the interrogation scene played brilliantly by Laurence Fishburne (the guy needs a proper role) and Kevin Bacon. Of course the film has us guessing towards the end, but we can now account for the look of fear and simultaneous honesty in Dave. He is after all innocent of that particular crime. If Dave is really guilty of anything though, it’s the obvious. He’s been so traumatised by his own demons he doesn’t know how to communicate with those around him. Sure, his marriage to Celeste is not a horrible one, but there remains that slight but somewhat impenetrable divide between the two. Obviously, he doesn’t know just how communicate this and it’s ultimate the reason for his demise.

…And what a demise. Mystic River is one traumatic moment after another and it’s at something of a peak during the killing of Dave. Sean Penn is all beastlike as he tries to discover the truth and it’s disconcerting to watch Dave as he realises that he’s the prey. Tim needs to reach deep and make those final moments of Dave as distressing as possible because if there’s any fault in Mystic River it is that the characters are more external than internal. But Tim doesn’t act from the inside out. Why does he give the wrong confession to Jim? Does he really expect Jim to let him go? Watch him closely and you can almost pinpoint the moment where he gives up, and it’s horrible to watch. But no one said Mystic River was an easy film.

            

I always end up having strange relationships with characters I come to love, venturing off into strange arguments about people that were never real to begin with. I don’t think I’m alone, though. The thing is, when a character I like is misunderstood I always feel particularly indignant; but when that character becomes so hated I just end up seeing red. I mean, no one’s perfect. If I were to recall one of the most hated (and misunderstood) film characters of the last, this one would be rather high up.

     

 Celeste Boyle. It’s the name I remember most vividly from Mystic River. In a way, even though I love Mystic River, I don’t leave the film caring about anyone in particular. The sympathetic Dave has died, but if I feel apathetic towards all else I can’t help but feel compassion for Celeste. Celeste is a mouse of a woman married to one of our three protagonists Dave, played excellently by Tim Robbins. The two have a son together and have a fairly average marriage. Due to his horrific childhood kidnapping and molestation Dave has never been a confident man and neither is his wife. There are unanswered questions, but Celeste seems to have a slight fear of her husband and an early moment I recall of Marcia’s talent is the scene where Tim comes home late one night covered in blood. Curiously, it’s the same night that Dave’s daughter was murdered. But I’m getting ahead of myself; Celeste doesn’t know this yet. Dave is a perpetually nervous man and the story he gives is an obvious line. The fear on Marcia’s face is pronounced even as we see her wondering what her husband is hiding. Celeste is simple, but she’s not an idiot.

 

 There’s something for being knowledgeable about things and though Celeste thinks she has the facts she really doesn’t know anything much. This is precisely what makes her so pathetic. And it’s also what makes her so endearing. Celeste is a victim of her circumstances inasmuch as the Greeks. In some way’s Lehane’s multifaceted piece bears resemblance to Greek drama with the characters being forever at the mercy of the Gods. All Celeste really wants is to be close to her husband, but Dave has been so broken in life that he can’t let anyone in – even his wife. Debate has been plentiful regarding Celeste’s visit to Jim. Even in the film Laura Linney’s sly wife asks, “What kind of wife would do such a thing.” And I suppose, it’s a good question. But is it really that difficult to see why she does? I said before she is a mouse of a woman and as Dave becomes less and less responsive to her she is at her wits end and her simplicity becomes obvious. In her naivety she truly hopes to do the right thing and feels that Jimmy should know, not only because his daughter could be the victim but she obviously sees in him what she doesn’t see in Dave she sees in Jim. Someone who can be assertive and find the truth. Of course, she doesn’t realise how unlike Dave Jim is.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that Celeste has found little sympathy with audiences though. It’s difficult to hate Jimmy because of the trial he’s gone through and she makes an easy scapegoat. Still, the strongest portion of Marcia’s excellent performance erases any anger. It’s my favourite scene of the film even if it’s not really that ostensibly important. As Jim and Sean have their final conversation the parade begins and with an acute sense of the ominous Celeste may have realises just what’s happened to her husband. No lines are spoken but we just see her frantic running down the street with that frenzied look on her face. It’s then that I realise just how broken the families of this film will be afterwards. It’s an acting moment few can achieve, but Marcia’s face alone pierces me and turns into one of the most harrowing scenes of the decade. A truly great performance...

     

Is a performance any worse because it has the all the usual things that we consider awards bait? – crying…shouting…loud shows of anger…? I think the obvious answer is no, but what else can we hold against this brilliant performance? Why should we hold anything against it? (Spoilers ahead, duh)

           

An actor always has a specific scene in their performance that grows into the pivotal one in the film. It’s become known as the Oscar scene and often the rest of the performance is assessed from the perspective of that scene. For Sean Penn here, that scene has his discovery of his daughter’s death. I always remember it vividly, even when I haven’t seen it in a while: the foreboding confusion as he draws near, then the tormented look of realisation and that horrifying scream of anguish. It’s easy to look at it and accuse him of overacting or of hamming it up but that’s an injudicious accusation I feel. Each of the three men, in some way, is emotionally stunted and Jimmy’s line of work demands that he be staunch and cold on the exterior but there always seem to be something at work in Sean’s head, as if something is building and the reaction here seems completely accurate.

I said in my review of it that Mystic River really is not a comfortable film, and it's hard not to come out hating many of the characters. The final scenes between Penn and Tim Robbins are some of the most harrowing scenes of the last decade and only become more morose after we've been giving all the facts. Sean Penn is no newbie at playing these difficult characters, though, so I suppose Jimmy is not really a great departure for him. He has a talent for moving line-readings. I always remember theending of the film when Sean comes up to Jimmy, he suspects what's happened. He asks: So Jimmy when was the last time you saw Jimmy? and the answer he gives: The last time I saw Dave...that was twenty five years ago, going up this street, in the back of that character. Regardless of how you feel about Jimmy's actions that line always moves me, and even though the end of the film belongs to another actor Sean makes an indelible mark on the film.

I can’t say why Sean Penn has become such a underrated actor. He gave one of the most brilliant performances of the last twenty years in Dead Man Walking and although he didn’t top that feat in Mystic River, it was still a formidable attempt. In some ways it’s as if he was born to play Jimmy – the harsh physicality juxtaposed with the unexpected bouts of emotion. It’s a difficult role to pull off and Penn does it excellently. I can’t fault his performance here.

                 

If 2009 has offered nothing, it has given us a wide array of good, great and some excellent supporting performances. I’m not sure how I’d rank last year against the others of the decade, but it certainly wasn’t the horrid year it was made out to be by some – especially for the supporting women. I ended up singling out eleven excellent performances but there were so many more on the sidelines I wish I could have mentioned. So I’ll give them their moment. In another year any of these could have made my top 10. Here are 25 good supporting performances of 2009…in ascending order beginning with....

TIER FOUR

 TIER ONE: My Nominees & Runners Up 

                 

It’s no surprise that the most distant year of the last decade is also the most distant year in my memory. I probably have to do much catching up on the films released that year, so I’m going back to my original format for reviewing the years instead of drawing it out.

                   

Judi Dench in Chocolat 
...for taking what could be the ultimate sleepwalking performance and turning it into something that’s as funny as it is fulfilling. I know I’m alone on this one, but I find her glorious here.

                      

Marcia Gay Harden in Pollock  
...for taking the passionate artist and turning her into something pretty fantastic. Steals the show from Ed Harris? You bet. And that’s not easy.

                        

Julie Walters in Billy Elliot  
...for making her teacher role into something completely human and enjoyable. And just because she’s Julie Walters.

                

Kate Winslet in Quills 
... for doing more with her eyes than many do with multitudinous lines of dialogue.

                         

Catherine Zeta-Jones in Traffic  
...for standing by her man in true Latina fashion, and for showing the world than she could be more than Zorro’s wife.

Runners Up: Kate Hudson in Almost Famous, Lena Olin in Chocolat

Don Cheadle in Traffic
...for managing to stay in my memory even though the part isn’t that “big”, but mostly for that last scene of his.

Benicio Del Toro in Traffic
...for every scene he’s in. Yeah, he’s that good.

Willem Defoe in Shadow of a Vampire
...for turning in his best work and for being typical Oscar bait at its best while still breaking all the rules.

Albert Finney in Erin Brockovich
...for reacting to Erin just as we would and for making his Ed a true person.

       

Joaquin Phoenix in Quills  
...for doing this the same year as Gladiator and for making this character into something that wasn’t annoying.

Runners Up: Aaron Eckhart in Erin Brockovich Michael Douglas in Traffic, Alfred Molina in Chocolat, Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator

          

Runners Up: Jennifer Lopez in The Cell

          

What can I write about these five, they fight with 2003 for having the most distinguished set of women nominated and they got it right by my judgement.

         

Runners Up: Christian Bale in American Psycho, Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot

         

In such a good year for men it’s a pity that Bale, Bell and Ruffalo saw no love.

          

Daldry for Billy Elliot
...he earns point for this fulfilling debut and the start of an illustrious career.

Scott for Gladiator
...he directs it like the true epic that it is, faults and all

                      

Schanbel for Before Night Falls
...just because this could have been a generic thing...and it isn't...

            

...for making a biopic enjoyable, interesting and even laugh out loud funny. And for directing Julia to greatness.

          

...he manages to make each part interesting and good and the audience never gets bogged down by all the information.

Runners Up: Lasse Hallestrome for Chocolat, Kenneth Longergan for You Can Count On Me,  Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

          

Billy Elliot 
...because it’s pure fun. The end.

      

....because I love it to excess and because it’s a fairy tale that’s still believable even when it shouldn’t be.

             

...for the fact that it’s the kind of biopic I can get behind but mostly because it knows what to do with its cast.

       

Traffic 
...because it used to the ensemble cast to its fullest before it became the “in” thing to do.
           
You Can Count On Me
...because having a sibling can be both wonderful and horrible. 

                      

EVERYTHING I SAW: [Alphabetically]

I'm still on that somewhat foolhardy quest to watch as many films as I can before the end of this month when I'll start recapping the last year in film. So here are three more, somewhat overdue, reviews. Will either of them make a change to the Encore Award Nominations? Peut-etre.

Surprisingly, quite entertaining with good blends of drama and comedy. In a year of female directors it’s a pity that Drew couldn’t have gotten just a LITTLE more love. It seems like an ideal Golden Globe nominee for musical or comedy. Ellen Page is better here than in Juno, and that’s a bigger compliment than it seems. The film is actually casted to almost glorious perfection, which I was not quite expecting. But of course, the consummate supporting actress of them all steamrolls the entire cast even when she doesn’t try. It's Marcia Gay Harden for the win. Yep.        B

             

Damn, this is one bleak film. Clocking in at just below 90 minutes I don’t know why more people haven’t seen it. Of course it’s pretty grim. But it’s not as unnerving as previews would have you think. Viggo Mortenson is as usual excellent, perhaps his best ever – perhaps. The atmosphere is so palpably apocalyptic and Kodi Smith-McPhee is something of a revelation. But the person who deserves much praise is Charlize Theron who fades away before half an hour but is exceptional in her bit role. Is it too late to start a campaign for her and Mortenson?              B

                    

We see Amy Adams as an adult again; it’s been some time. It’s easy to place it as a trifling bauble but it has a whole lot of heart in it and does well what it has. It gets a bit of uncertain somewhere towards the middle but it’s able to pull it off, even though it could have been just a tighter. Still, it’s a pleasant piece and Alan Arkin is a charm to watch as is Emily Blunt who needs to get a significant role pronto. In the end I like it. And you’ll probably like it. B-

                 

I'm not always one to go into random celebration over blog related happenings. I'm not deluded enough to think that I've made that unmalleable mark on the world with this blog [as yet :)], but on Friday it would have been one year since I've been blogging here, and it makes me somewhat giddy. Sure, my early posts were not very good, but my first post was title Favourite TV Moments of 2008, so I'm going to to take a look at my favourite moments of 2009 in this post. Obviously. Hence, the name. I should warn you, this is mine and only my list. So it'll be strange.

              

Weird? I am a fan of Amy Poehler, she's arguably the most talented member that SNL had in the last few years and she's incredibly adept at acting. Last Spring when Parks & Recreation made it's debut it was something a clunker. The series was not gelling immediately, but when Season Two premiered in the Fall it was definitely heading places and it's turned into one of the best things on NBC sometimes even surpassing giants 30 Rock and The Office on occasion. Hopefully the writers keep up the good work and keep giving Amy something to do. And hopefully Emmy rewards her with a nod. But that probably won't happen. We'll see.

                  

I didn't watch the Tony's, but hearing that Ms. Harden had her Tony meaning that the Emmy is the only thing keeping her from being a triple crowner made me oddly happy. And the fact that Geoffrey Rush was also headed that way only increased the glee. Sure, it may not have been such a pivotal moment. But I never promised you logic in the list. Did I?

       

Come on. How could he not make the list? I've tuned out of Idol [hopefully forever] but Lambert was a crap-load of fun last season. It's undeniable that he is particularly talented with one of the best voices this show has scene. But what makes him list-worthy is that he was so damned fun to watch. And that duet with Alison Iraheta [who was another noteworthy person, that season] was off the chain.

       

I'm glad that Lea Michele has grown vocally since Spring Awakening, it's nice seeing Lynch and Morisson doing good work...but the highlight of Glee was Chenoweth's guest appearance. She sang Carrie Underwood, she sang Liza Minellia and she sang Heart. Talk about variety. And she nailed it, of course. It's nice seeing the love for Glee, but it's even better seeing love for lovely Ms. Chenoweth.

     

#6: The Emmy Awards and Kristin Chenoweth

Yes, Kristin makes another appearance, but it was such a deserved Emmy and with the cancelling of Pushing Daisies it was a giant f*** you to ABC. And then with the wins of Jessica Lange and Glenn Close it only made me happier.

The Office had some of its best moments in this one hour episode as we finally saw that guy and that girl get married. An episode of pure fun and funny. What more do I need?

The television sure was wrought with MJ news and the culmination was this service with all those performances. Fitting for the death of a king and all.

Univarn hates this show. So do many. I love it. I told you, there'd be truth...but no logic. The cliff-hanger of sorts at the end of Season 5 was something, but the entire episode was so controlled and soooooooooo riveting and their best finale since Season 2. It was awesome. Really. It was.

       

It's not that I really liked the whole hoopla and West's ridiculous. If this had been done to someone else it would have been funny. You know if this happened to say, Amy Winehouse she would destroy him: and then it would be funny. It was only sad, because Taylor Swift is a child and Kanye West is inane. And power to Beyonce for her graceful turn and letting Taylor have her moment. Of course now, the world cannot escape her. Blame Kanye West.

I can't say I loved the Oscars - Slumdog Millionaire eviscerated any chance of that. But Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz had some nice speeches. And that entire Best Actress presentation with the five winners vs the five nominees was sweet. But Hugh stole the show. The opening number and that tribute to the musicals was tremendously entertaining, in a somewhat spotty show he was the highlight.
               
So how crazy am I? What's missing? 
               
PS. I'm seeing The Lovely Bones and Up In the Air tonight.