Crescent Theater Spotlight & Review: My Week with Marilyn

Spotlight: The Crescent Theater
Mobilians in the know are well aware of the local treasure that is the Crescent Theater. A small, one-screen movie theater in the heart of downtown Mobile, the Crescent is a movie lover's quaint little haven. An independently-owned theater with a passion for showing great films, the Crescent usually shows about one film per week, with showtimes generally at 6pm and 8:30pm nightly, with a 2pm matinee on Saturdays and Sundays. During special occasions (Christmas, Halloween, etc.) they will bring back old favorites (like Home Alone and It's a Wonderful Life) and cult classics (like Rocky Horror Picture Show). Whoever happens to be working at the Crescent that day will always introduce the film before it begins, often providing the audience with little pieces of trivia before heading upstairs to start the reel. There is an honor system at the Crescent: if you suddenly have the urge for more candy, feel free to run to the lobby and grab something; you can pay after the show. If you get there early enough, you can even claim one of the plush leather recliners positioned in the first two rows.

Today I saw My Week with Marilyn at the Crescent Theater, though I sadly did not make it in time to claim a recliner...

My Week with Marilyn
Directed by Simon Curtis, My Week with Marilyn is a wonderful film based on a memoir by Colin Clark. It focuses on the relationship formed between Colin Clark and Marilyn Monroe during her time in London for the shooting of Sir Laurence Olivier's film The Prince and the Showgirl. As with most bio-pics, it is easy to be harshly critical of the actors portraying icons, especially those as well known as Marilyn Monroe. But after the first scene featuring Michelle Williams as Monroe, I was convinced. There was something so deeply moving about Williams' portrayal of Monroe that it is difficult to articulate. Perhaps it was because the audience got to experience both sides of icon: the bold, sexual screen beauty, and the troubled, deeply insecure woman. Perhaps it was that we saw Marilyn come back to life on screen. Whatever the reason, Williams is absolutely mesmerizing. Similarly, I have to give credit to Kenneth Branagh for his wonderful portrayal of Sir Laurence Olivier. Both actors are well deserving of their Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. The film also stars Eddie Redmayne (as Colin Clark), Judi Dench and Emma Watson.

Review: Warrior

Warrior
Warrior is a gripping film centered around an estranged family reunited during an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) tournament. Writer / Director Gavin O'Connor (with fellow screenwriters Anthony Tambakis and Cliff Dorfman) provides the expected surface-level suspense of most fighting-themed films, but adds multiple layers to the story through the exploration of the main characters. While the character of Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is the typical heroic underdog, his brother Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) offsets the balance with his character-defining anger and mysterious past. Though vastly different from one another, they share the common link of disdain for their father (Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic trying to reconcile the rough past between the Conlons. It is Nick Nolte's portrayal that is truly at the heart of the film. Deservedly nominated for a Screen Actor's Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, Nolte's Paddy Conlon gives this unique and captivating film its emotional depth. This film is a must-see.

The Celluloidian is Back!

Hello fellow film buffs! I am pleased to announced that after a lengthy hiatus, The Celluloidian is back! And what better time to revamp this little blog than at the start of the 2012 awards season! So, let me begin this comeback with my reviews of 3 films nominated for awards this year.

Midnight in Paris
Midnight in Paris is an absolute gem of a movie. Whimsical, smart, funny and romantic, this film is nominated for several Golden Globe awards and recently won Best Original Screenplay at the Critic's Choice Awards. Set in Paris, the film is a tale about Gil (Owen Wilson), a man coming to terms with his life, his view of love, and his writing. Walking along the streets of Paris at midnight, he is transported back to the 1920s to mingle with the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. Writer and Director Woody Allen creates this shift between eras so effortlessly and with such confidence that the audience never questions it; the ride is the most important part, not the logic behind it. Furthermore, what makes this film so special is that it rids itself of perversity and controversy and presents itself simply and beautifully. Co-starring Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, and Kathy Bates (to name a few), Midnight in Paris is a delightful film that is well deserving of its accolades.

Moneyball
Directed by Bennett Miller, this film is deservedly up for several Golden Globe awards this year. Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin (remember The Social Network?), and Stan Chervin recently won the Critic's Choice award for Best Adapted Screenplay for this film. Starring Brad Pitt, Moneyball chronicles the historic 2002 season of the Oakland A's baseball team under the management of Billy Beane. While it can easily be categorized as a film about baseball, I actually see it more as a film about a man who happens to be in the business of baseball. It's an intelligent character study that is so tightly focused on Pitt's Billy Beane, a baseball-inept layman like myself can still get caught up in the statistical jargon and follow along effortlessly. This film is smartly crafted, emotionally gripping, and well cast (Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright). I highly recommend this wonderful movie.

The Tree of Life
It is rare for me to be unable to finish a movie. But, sadly, after the first 45 minutes I could not handle The Tree of Life any longer. Expecting beautiful cinematography coupled with powerhouse performances from Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn, what I found myself watching was Terrence Malick's over-the-top montage of images about life...or crisis...or maybe God...? (It's a seemingly endless montage about something.) Though the cinematography was, in fact, beautiful (it recently won the Critic's Choice Award), there were so many images that the film felt more like a final project for an editing student than a cohesive film with a centralized plot. It's no wonder some American movie theaters were forced to display a disclaimer about the confusing construction of this film after numerous walk-outs and refund requests (source: imdb.com). And believe me, I am generally a fan of non-linear structure and original storytelling technique. But Tree of Life essentially has no story. It is one man's (Malick) pretentious artistic expression of nature versus faith. Oh, and there are dinosaurs.