2013 Oscar Picks

My work's conference is a weekend later so, for the first time in two years, I get to watch the Oscars live! YAY!! I'm having a viewing party, complete with ballot betting. This year has some categories that could go in several ways, so it should be an exciting one. As for the TV show, God help us survive all the Family Guy voices Seth MacFarlane unleashes on us all.

Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Like I said in my yearly roundup, I’ve been unable to rank this year’s movies, having liked a lot of them, but not definitively LOVED any of them. Conventional wisdom has Argo losing because of Ben Affleck’s snub, but I’m convinced that snub helped the film more than it hurt. The Academy wants to reward him, and this is where they’ll do it. As for me, I’ve gone back and forth between Argo, Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook for weeks trying to decide my personal favorite. It’s a moot point at this juncture, so I’ll say the move that should win is the one that I’m most anxious to see again, which at this point is Zero Dark Thirty. Note: I’ve seen Argo twice and Silver Linings Playbook three times.

Should Win: Zero Dark Thirty
Will Win: Argo

Best Director
Michael Haneke, Amour
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

I really liked Lincoln. I saw it twice, and enjoyed it both times. I respect Spielberg’s commitment to bringing this version of Lincoln’s life to the screen. I appreciate his direction to writer Tony Kushner to focus just on the amendment’s passage. I just can’t muster up much enthusiasm for the film besides Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. So I guess he gets credit for hiring him? Eh, I’m more impressed with Ang Lee. He directed a massive movie, in 3D, which featured water, animals, unknown actors and what many called an unfilmable novel. That’s enough reasons for me. Yes, most of what I’ve read calls this category for Spielberg, but I’m letting this be my wild card category.

Should Win: Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Will Win: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

This category was over when Day-Lewis’ casting was announced. Better luck next time gentleman, but thanks for playing.

Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

The Impossible is one of the few movies in major categories that I haven’t seen, so I can’t speak on Watts’ performance with much authority. Emmanuelle Riva broke my heart in Amour and I would not be mad if she won. Quvenzhané Wallis is adorable and was fantastic in a kid-actors-are-usually-terrible way. So that leaves Lawrence and Chastain. Lawrence has this category pretty much sewed up, and she deserves it. Hers is the performance with the most diversity. She’s funny, heartbreaking, crazy and sexy, all in the same role. She has the most to do character-wise, hence why she’s as close to a frontrunner as the category has. Personally, I’m more impressed with what Chastain was able to do with so little. We don’t get to know her Maya. We just get to see her laser focus on accomplishing her mission. It’s a quieter performance, but I think that makes it the more powerful. Especially, at the end, when she’s accomplished her mission and we get the payoff of two hours of her stoic, determinism—a human moment that completely saved the movie from being completely cold.

Should Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

I had the most fun watching Alan Arkin, and I wish he’d gotten more push in this category. However, it was not meant to be. I see it as a toss-up between De Niro, Lee Jones and Waltz. I think PSH’s is critics’ actual favorite, but critics don’t vote for the Academy. He is remarkable, but I think the polarizing nature of the film as whole counts against him. As for the frontrunners, I enjoyed Lee Jones the most, so I have him taking it.

Should Win: Alan Arkin, Argo
Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Another lock, and for good reason—Anne Hathaway is the best part of an overstuffed, hyper-emotional act-off. In another year, Helen Hunt would have my vote. I really enjoyed The Sessions and am still smarting from John Hawkes snub for Best Actor. But this is Hathaway’s to lose, and she just won’t.

Should Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Other Category Predictions

Adapted Screenplay: Argo
Original Screenplay: Django Unchained
Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph
Foreign Language Film: Amour
Production Design: Anna Karenina
Makeup: Les Misérables
Sound Editing: Skyfall
Sound Mixing: Les Misérables
Visual Effects: Life of Pi
Cinematography: Life of Pi
Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man
Documentary Short Subject: Mondays at Racine
Film Editing: Argo
Short Film, Animated: Paperman
Short Film, Life Action: Curfew
Costume Design: Anna Karenina
Original Score: Life of Pi
Original Song: “Skyfall”

2012 Movies: Scenes that Stuck

Sometimes one or two scenes/sequences can really make a movie. They can even save a mediocre one. Here are 9 that really did both from 2012’s movies, plus a few other notables that I liked. Obviously, a SPOILER ALERT is needed here.

Best Decision to Use Less Dialogue: “Flight”

When the sound of a fridge clicking to life can make an audience gasp, you know you’ve done something special—a scene just as tense as anything in “Argo” or “Zero Dark Thirty,” but a wonderfully wordless one. Late in the film, all Denzel Washington’s Whip Whitaker has to do is not drink for one night. Then we hear the whir of a motor and realize there is a mini fridge beckoning him to destroy himself. We watch in agony as he opens the door and surveys all the glittering liquor bottles, takes one out and, eventually, sets it on the counter. Everything about the scene is elegantly framed and the pacing is so perfect that you can feel everyone in the audience collectively, silently screaming DON’T DO IT!!!!

Creepy but Captivating: “The Master”

I had some problems with “The Master” as a film overall, but there is nothing wrong with the performances. They are incredible, practically on another level than the film itself. Nowhere is this more evident than the first “processing” scene where PSH’s religious leader asks Joaquin Phoenix—a broken and volatile WWII vet—a series of questions. The questions, which are often repeated, start with the simple “what is your name?” and build to the deeper, “are you often consumed by envy,” which slowly but surely enrapture Phoenix’s Freddie. When PSH’s Dodd tells him they are finished for now, Freddie begs him to continue. Then comes the interesting part, the pair start on a series of questions Freddie must answer without blinking or Dodd says they must start over. This series takes place in one long take as we watch Freddie struggle with both keeping his eyes open and telling the truth. It’s a deeply unsettling scene that illustrates, if only for a moment, why Freddie continues on his insane path for the rest of the film.

Best Use of Matthew McConaughey Ever: “Magic Mike”

The scene only last maybe two minutes, but it tells you all you need to know about the kind of movie you are about to watch. The movie opens on McConaughey’s strip club owner, on stage, in leather chaps, going over what the ladies in the audience can and cannot touch. But it’s the way he delivers the line “The law says you cannot touch…but I think I see a lot of lawbreakers up in this house,” that is so brilliant I can’t even pinpoint why exactly. Then he does a little shimmy and the scene cuts to black. I remember seeing the line in the trailer, and it’s what sold me that the movie had the potential to be great. It’s the line modern McConaughey—the one who forgot how talented he could be per “A Time to Kill” and the one who has become more famous for being shirtless than possibly any other actor in history, except perhaps Taylor Lautner—was born to deliver. The rest of the movie is him chewing scenery, reminding us all how good he can be. And it starts with that line and a shimmy, all at the right moment.

Most Upsetting: “Prometheus”

Almost too upsetting to even mention, but something I definitely did not think I’d see in a movie this year: a self-administered alien c-section. Note: I never need to see it again.








Biggest Surprise: “Skyfall”

He enters deep in frame, just a smudge of blond hair and light suit, slowly walking toward camera. He delivers a story about rats eating each other. But I don’t think anyone could have expected what happens next. In Javier Bardem’s quest to make Daniel Craig’s James Bond as uncomfortable as possible, he unbuttons his shirt, strokes his chest and face and touches his leg. It’s both unintentionally hilarious until you realize you are only laughing because of how uncomfortable you feel. About the time Bond makes a crack about it perhaps not being his first time, Bardem and Craig have created one of the best Bond and villain scenes in the series 50-year history.

Oscar that Should Have Been: “Django Unchained”

 Leonardo DiCaprio obviously holds a special place in most girls of my age’s hearts. His status as dreamboat has never wavered, but his career choices have been so impeccable as of late that he has overcome that label to be known as just a damn fine actor. He’s flirted with Oscar three times before, but when I saw the trailer for Django I thought for sure this was his year. The Supporting category is where Clooney won, so it makes sense that DiCaprio could find similar respect there. My hope for his Oscar was turned to near certainty with one particular scene in the film—the dinner scene where he explains of the three dimples found in African-American skulls. His Calvin Candie has just discovered that Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx have entered his plantation under false pretense, and instead of confronting them directly; he weaves a tale about his papa’s old slave Ben’s skull. Throughout the monologue he is all courtesy and grandeur on the outside, but it’s his eyes that sell it. You can see the years of hatred in those eyes. When the scene turns and we see him do one of his trademark screams and slam his hand on the table and cut it—which I had read he did on accident and just went with, which, of course, meant Tarantino couldn’t resist that take—I was in complete awe of him. To watch an actor you’ve loved for what feels like your whole life go to a place where you almost can’t watch him means he is doing something very right. And curse Oscar for overlooking it.

Most Emotional from Unexpected Place: “Ruby Sparks” 

From the trailer you might expect “Ruby Sparks” to be just a cute little movie, made by a real life couple, but you’d be very wrong. It does have those elements, which hooked me from the beginning, but what it really is is something much darker. Its concern is control. Paul Dano’s Calvin creates Ruby and can make her do whatever he wants with the tap of his typewriter keys. This idea is at its most terrifying toward the end of the film when he tries to make her understand she literally can’t leave him. He sits at the typewriter, bathed in shadows, and writes despicable things for Ruby to do—speak French, act like a dog, tell him over and over how much she loves him and that he is a genius. Each slam of the typewriter with its patented ding is like a dagger to both Calvin and Ruby, cementing that what is to come is going to be even more unpleasant. By the end, both are completely broken that the truth of what can happen when you lose yourself in a relationship or when you crave a certain level of control over someone you love is palpable. The scene is a go-for-broke acting exercise for both Dano and screenwriter Zoe Kazan, and just thinking about it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

Most Emotional (fan girl edition): “The Dark Knight Rises”

I’m a sucker for closing the loop. I love callbacks or anything that can make me feel gratified for paying attention, or at least, being there from the beginning. After suffering a broken back courtesy of Bane, Bruce Wayne recovers in a pit of a prison, where the prisoners are tortured by the possibility that they might be able to climb out. He tries and fails to climb out twice, but once his sage-like prison mate tells him to try it without the rope, the real good stuff begins. We watch him climb up a pit just like we watched him fall down a pit in “Batman Begins”. It is in that pit that a young Bruce Wayne is inspired to become Batman. Then present-day Wayne gets to the platform where he must make the jump without a rope, and a swarm of bats escape from the pit’s walls. Hans Zimmer’s score swells, the chanting of the prisoners escalates and then he jumps… all sound is sucked out of the scene until he lands on the platform safely. It made my heart full of joy with its perfectly calibrated comic book cheese, done in a way that only Nolan’s Batman films could pull off.

Most Emotional (musical obsessed edition): “Les Misérables”

I have a weakness for “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” in the stage version of “Les Misérables”. It’s where I lose whatever composure I had left and become a balling, heaving mess. However, the film version, while still powerful didn’t destroy me in the same way. Probably because Anne Hathaway had already destroyed me with her endlessly discussed performance of “I Dreamed a Dream.” It made me tear up with just the trailer, but the actual scene itself is the one place in the movie where Director Tom Hooper’s annoying obsession with close up actually works for me.

Other Notable Scenes:
“Silver Linings Playbook:” Jennifer Lawrence destroys Robert De Niro’s Eagles theory.
“The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey:” Gollum and Bilbo play riddles in the dark.
“Looper:” Torture victims lose their limbs in past and affect their future selves.
“Zero Dark Thirty:” After a decade of hunting Bin laden, Jessica Chastain has nowhere to go.
“Argo: The hostages get pulled aside at the airport.

2012 Movies: Trailers

Everyone is well aware that I love a good trailer. Here are my favs from this year.

Trailer that made me weep repeatedly: Les Miserables

Trailer that made me nervous even though I knew how it turns out: Zero Dark Thirty

Trailer that made my heart burst with happiness: Moonrise Kingdom

Trailer that I loved but never even saw the movie: Snow White and the Huntsman

Trailer that made me read the book first: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Trailer that made me root for an Oscar for a performance: Django Unchained (Leo)

Trailer that succeeds because of one line: Magic Mike

Trailer that made me grateful I never hated Ben Affleck: Argo

Trailer that made me swoon: Skyfall (the cuff adjustment heard round the world)

Best trailer of 2012: The Dark Knight Rises 

2012 Movie Rundown

This year was a fantastic year for movies. However, for the first time, I can't really anoint any of the movies I saw as "Perfection." I feel passionately about all the movies under "Excellent," but not to the degree that I could make an argument for any of them being perfect. So you only get "excellent" movies this year.

Note: I was running behind last year's total until my flight got cancelled and I had three extra days in New York before coming home for Christmas. Those three days allowed me top last year's total of 42 by two, with 44, which includes a viewing of Titanic in 3D that is not ranked below because I think everyone knows my feelings on that movie by now. I also decided to mark which movies I saw more than once in the theater and to include movies I watched on the plane to Paris since they were fairly current in theaters. What did I miss? Where did I go wrong? Speak up . . .

Excellent
Argo
The Avengers (2)
The Dark Knight Rises (2)
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Ruby Sparks
Silver Linings Playbook (2)
Skyfall (3)
Zero Dark Thirty

Solid 
The Amazing Spiderman
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Flight
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hunger Games (3)
Lincoln (2)
Looper
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Pitch Perfect
21 Jump Street
The Sessions

Fine
Anna Karenina
Celeste and Jesse Forever
The Five-Year Engagement
Friends with Kids
For a Good Time Call…
Life of Pi
Lola Versus
Prometheus
Safety Not Guaranteed
This is 40
The Woman in Black
Wreck-It Ralph

Eh
The Campaign
To Rome with Love
Wanderlust

Just Silly
Magic Mike
Ted
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 2

Just Bad
Hitchcock
John Carter
What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Summer Movie Recap

Summer is officially over. During the past four months (I'm counting from the beginning of May) I saw 17 movies, some more than once. Overall, I'd say about five of them could count as memorable. Most are middling. However, middling is still worth discussing so now a rundown...

Thor
Who would have thought five months ago that Thor wouldn't be a complete mess? It's got its flaws for sure and I couldn't tell you at this point what the central conflict was about beyond Thor is banished to Earth, is a fish out of water and makes Natalie Portman swoon, but its sense of humor and dazzling visuals elevate it beyond the usual superhero nonsense. It is still nonsense, of course, but when Thor finishes his drink and promptly throws it on the ground it sure was fun.



Bridesmaids
Five viewings later I still laughed out loud, teared up and yearned for my best friends.


Midnight in Paris
Escapism the Woody Allen way. Allen takes my decade-long desire to move to Paris and personifies it on screen.


The Hangover Part II
Why was this made? It was better the first time, and even then, not the best comedy I've ever seen.

X Men: First Class
A duet between greats. I hadn't seen Michael Fassbender in anything before this

Super 8
Nostalgia for a time in movies that i didn't get to experience first hand. All the kids' performances in this are great. The movie is pure popcorn fun the way it ought to be for summer movies. Yes, the creature at the end is somewhat disappointing but who cares when it was so much fun to watch the lead up to its reveal?

Bad Teacher
Biggest wasted potential. The trailer made me laugh every time I watched it. I don't think I laughed out loud once during the actual movie.

Horrible Bosses
It's officially time for Charlie Day to be in more movies. This was fun enough, if not especially memorable for anything except Jennifer Aniston doing her best to play against type. it worked for me,  but now, a few months later, I can't seem to muster up any great enthusiasm for it. Worth a Netflix for sure.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Two hours of pure payoff is reason enough to understand why they split the last Harry Potter novel in half. Yes, anyone who hasn't been paying attention would be hopelessly lost watching this, but I judge them for trying to watch it without any other context. And true, I have some quibbles about things that were changed, etc, but in the end, it didn't really matter.  Everyone in the cast is in top form—especially Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes. It was exciting from beginning to end. and oh what an ending. So. Much. Crying.

Captain America: The First Avenger
The best word I can use is classic. Captain America felt old-fashioned in the best sense of the word. 


Friends With Benefits
Way better than the same movie from earlier this year, but still, the exact same movie from earlier this year. This time it takes place in New York, has leads with actual chemistry but still manages to indulge plenty of the cliches of the romantic comedies it claims to abhor.


Crazy, Stupid, Love
I loved everyone involved. The (mostly improvised) pillow talk between Stone and Gosling ranks up there with some of the best scenes in modern romantic comedies.  Their chemistry crackles throughout the movie but the more important chemistry is the surprising one between Gosling and Steve Carrell. Funny, charming and lovely.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
While the trailer made my eyes roll once I started reading reviews, I was so confused. How could it possibly be good? The answer is Andy Serkis. His Ceasar is a fully formed character and he outpaces every "human" actor in the film. I actually felt myself get excited for a possible sequel. That's rare when something isn't named Harry Potter or Batman.

The Help
Don't overreact! Yes, the performance of Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer (and Jessica Chastain belongs in with them) are superb. Emma Stone is her usual husky-voiced, adorable self. But calm down people. It's just a regular, serviceable feel-good movie.


One Day
After reading too much about people harping on Anne Hathaway's accent and the TWIST ending, I still gave One Day a chance. The accent didn't bother me and the twist I could see coming but I still reluctantly enjoyed this in spite of my better judgment. It's no masterpiece but the chemistry between Hathaway and Jim Sturgess worked for me. I still swooned and cried like a girl. So mission accomplished, One Day.

Our Idiot Brother
It's the Paul Rudd is charming show! Watch Paul Rudd have long hair and a beard! Watch Paul Rudd's great chemistry with a dog named Willie Nelson! Watch Paul Rudd make silly mistakes and be almost instantly forgiven! It's perfectly fine. 

Casting Couch: John Holloway & Viggo Mortensen

I flipped by Hidalgo on TV this weekend and voiced something to my roommate that I've thought for some time, so I thought I'd share. After watching Josh Holloway (Lost's Sawyer) be hilarious on Community and then happening to flip the channel to Hidalgo starring everyone's favorite King of Gondor, Viggo Mortensen, I decided my inner casting genius needed to break free.

Cast these men in a project together! Preferably as brothers. Preferably as dueling brothers of some kind so we can watch them kick each other's ass and make snarky quips back and forth. Both are obviously incredibly attractive. Both can play badass and funny. I think they deserve a Fincher, the Coens, Tarantino or perhaps even Nolan. Someone make this happen!

Now to you. Leave your suggestions for a plot, a director and/or writer in the comments.

Summer Movie Picks

Apparently summer movie season "officially" beings this weekend with the release of Thor. Some might say it began last weekend with the surprising success of Fast Five. I cannot in good faith accept that Paul Walker had anything to do with the start of the summer movie season. With that in mind, there are plenty of movies to get excited about this summer. Here are 10 (in order of release date) that are on my radar.

Bridesmaids (May 13)
Trailer
This is a bit of a cheat since I've already seen Bridesmaids twice (what up, sneak previews!). But I'll still see it again once it's actually released because every time I see a trailer, I see new lines I didn't see in either screening. This tells me that the filmmakers had enough funny material to warrant a lot of jokes that are getting cut, so I'm still in for surprises. I won't go into spoiler mode but what I can say is this movie is hilarious, touching and a refreshingly real look at women friendships—not seen through the ridiculous fantasy lens of Sex and the City and other rom-com drivel. Kristen Wiig is Annie, a down-on-her-luck (but she's still banging Jon Hamm, so not too shabby) singleton who agrees to be maid of honor for her childhood friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph). She joins the other bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, The Office's Ellie Kemper and scene-stealer Melissa McCarthy) and the inevitable hijinks ensue. It's definitely worth an RSVP for ladies (and, yes, gentlemen too).
Note: My friend Stephen rightly pointed out that the movie has even more cred because it was directed by Paul Feig, creator of the brilliant Freaks and Geeks and director of many amazing Arrested Development episodes.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)
Trailer
I gave up on Pirates of the Caribbean after the second one. What a terrible movie. I didn't even know what happened in the third until I read a summary on Wikipedia a few months ago. Johnny Depp agrees with me. So the news that a fourth was even made didn't excite me—until I saw the trailer. It could be because I did skip three that I'm wistful for some Captain Jack Sparrow. It could be my unabashed love for Geoffrey Rush in everything the man does. It could be Ian McShane as Blackbeard or Penélope Cruz as his daughter who shares a past with Jack. But it's most likely because summer is the time for fun at the movies. And what's more fun than Johnny Depp in full Jack Sparrow mode? (crickets)

The Hangover Part II (May 26)
Trailer
The Wolf Pack is back. Despite not remembering that these boys were known as the Wolf Pack, back they are and this time in Bangkok. Gathered for Stu's (Ed Helms) nuptials, the gentlemen once again have too much fun and lose someone important in the process. Instead of a baby, there's a monkey. Instead of missing teeth, there's a Mike Tyson-inspired tattoo. Instead of Ken Jeong as crazy criminal Mr. Chow, there's oh wait . . . Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow. With all the key players and plots in place, anticipation runs high. Let's hope The Wolf Pack lives up to their name (and makes me remember it this time).

The Tree of Life (May 27)
Trailer
There is a shot of a dinosaur on the poster! There are shots of space in the trailer! I have no idea what this movie is about and I've already exceeded my limit of exclamation points in one paragraph! What I do know is Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are the mother and father of a boy who grows up to be Sean Penn. Too. Much. Excitement. For. No. Concrete. Reason!


X Men: First Class (June 3)
Trailer
Impeccable casting is the key to this X Men. James McAvoy as a young Patrick Stewart is inspired. First Class tells the story of how Charles became Professor X and came to lead his band of merry mutants. We'll also see how Erik aka Magneto (Michael Fassbender) became Prof X's eventual adversary. We also meet Mystique (Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence), Dr. Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne), Emma Frost (January Jones) and Beast (About A Boy's kid all grown up Nicholas Hoult). I think its safe to say that this group will prove that origin stories really are more fun.

Super 8 (June 10)
Trailer
J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg together on paper looks like the new spaghetti and meatballs. With Super 8 we have the whimsy, coming-of-age feeling of E.T. combined with the monster movie fun of Jaws (and to a lesser extent Abrams' Cloverfield). While filming a zombie movie one night in 1979, 14-year-old Charles and his friends witness a train crash that unleashes something en route from Area 51. Friday Night Lights' Kyle Chandler plays the town's deputy who leads the hunt for what's making animals and humans disappear. With '70s nostalgia in full swing paired with creepy alien invasion, Abrams and Spielberg appear to have made old school meets new school movie magic.

Bad Teacher (June 24)
Trailer
Cameron Diaz returns to her raunchy comedic roots as a teacher who drinks, smokes, curses and is determined to get into sweet substitute Justin Timberlake's pants. Now, on paper, this doesn't seem like a good idea. But the trailer is surprisingly effective. It could be the kids getting repeatedly hit with balls. Or it could be that surrounded by Jason Segal, Phyllis and a bespectacled JT Cameron Diaz looks palatable even, dare I say, funny—something she hasn't been in a very. long. time.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 15)
Trailer
This should be painfully obvious but I'll recap. Payoff. Payoff. Payoff. I was honestly surprised how good Part I was with so little to work with. Every scene needed to be there but there was relatively little action compared to what's in store for the second part. Not to mention emotion galore! The trio are at their best, a whole bunch of Snape, an amazing walk in the woods, a detour in King's Cross—so many reasons to be counting down (and dreading) the days until July 15th.

Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)
Trailer
Summer blockbusters don’t take risks. Hence all the superheroes, sequels and boy wizards ruling screens this summer. Here is one that features the explosions, aliens and movie stars of traditional summer fare with a decidedly original mash-up of genres that should keep things fresh. Daniel Craig plays an 1870s gunslinger with a mysterious bracelet and a bad case of amnesia. Harrison Ford is an old enemy Craig has forgotten. They team up with House’s Olivia Wilde to battle aliens who start attacking their sleepy Western town. I read reports of the trailer eliciting laughs when it was first shown to theaters, but this movie plays it straight, despite its Snakes-on-Plane-type title. The real question is can they avoid camp to stifle the laughs without removing all the fun? With Ford and Craig in front of the camera and Jon Favreau, Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard behind, I’d say we’re in good hands to find out.

Crazy, Stupid, Love (July 29)
Trailer
This is a late addition to my radar as I didn't know a thing about it until I saw the trailer. Steve Carrell's wife (Julienne Moore) cheats on him, thus thrusting him back into a dating world that has changed considerably since the last time he visited. Helping along the way is dreamy, possibly photoshopped, Ryan Gosling, who in the meantime is falling for adorable Emma Stone. Noteworthy mostly for being a trailer for a romantic comedy that didn't make me roll my eyes, I have faith in the cast (and director John Requa, who did I Love You Phillip Morris, which was vastly underrated) to make this a romantic comedy that actually achieves its two goals: romance and comedy with a dash of a actual charm.

Honorable Mentions
The Art of Getting By: Trailer
Green Lantern: Trailer
Larry Crowne: Trailer
Horrible Bosses: Trailer: Trailer
Captain America: The First Avenger: Trailer
Friends With Benefits: Trailer
30 Minutes Or Less: Trailer
Our Idiot Brother: Trailer

Quick Catch Up

I've been MIA. Apologies. Here's a movie catch up for those who care.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (Netflix): Surprisingly moving and genuinely funny, this documentary chronicles a year in the life of Joan Rivers. I found it fascinating to hear about Rivers early days in Hollywood and just to hear how long she's been around. Also, interesting is to watch this woman, who is nearing 80, refuse to give up. She literally can. not. stop. Still willing to do anything for a laugh, it is a joy to watch Rivers and realize that she really was a trailblazer for so many women comedians. I also enjoyed the quasi-rivalry with Kathy Griffin, who definitely owes a few of her Emmys to Rivers' influence.

The Adjustment Bureau: I actually really enjoyed this. Perhaps it wasn't the mind bending experience promised by the trailer but it was fun and surprisingly touching, if a little schmaltzy. Love the fedoras gentlemen.

Paul: As a stereotypical "geek" guy trapped in 5'1 girl's body I loved Paul. All the little sci-fi references hit every mark for me. I won't spoil them but man, I love a good meta reference. From the duo who brought us Shaun of the Dead, one of the few zombie movies I can tolerate, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are great as best friends on a tour of America's greatest UFO sites. They meet Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) and embark on adventure running from the men in black (a fantastic Jason Bateman). For more, I wholeheartedly agree with my friend Stephen.

Bridesmaids (sneak preview): I'm not technically allowed to review this as it was still a work in progress. I will write more when it's actually released. What I will say now is even with the editing it still needs, as all Apatow produced movies do, I was highly satisfied with this "Knocked Up" for girls. Also, Jon Hamm!

Rango is meh

Is Rango weird in a good way or a bad way? It's difficult to decide.

Rango is a little lizard who has a big imagination. We meet him in his terrarium with his only friends: a wind-up fish that channels Nemo and the torso of a Barbie doll. When his home falls out of the back of a truck and lands in the desert, Rango finds himself friendless and alone in a strange world. He stumbles into the town of Dirt. A town with serious water shortage issues. Rango's tall tales get him elected sheriff. He defeats the town hawk. He encounters town intrigue. He does it all with a truly odd sensibility that is definitely wasted on children.

There are dozens of winks and homages to lot of other films (oh hey Hunter S. Thompson), especially Westerns (I knew you'd show up Clint!). It's fun to look for them and smile to yourself when you figure them out. The cast is full of fun characters that reference others you know. The story itself is missing . . . something. I've thought about it and thought about it and the only thing I’ve come up with is the fact that I think the movie expects you to root for Rango on principle (or the fact that he sounds like Johnny Depp). I enjoyed watching his adventures but unlike Woody and buzz and the old man from Up, I didn't really care where it was going.

Why is that? It could be because Rango himself looks odd. He's not your cuddly character like so many animated films. Even the supervillian in Despicable Me is cute in his own way. Rango is animated beautifully. The level of detail put into him and his cast mates is nothing short of remarkable. It makes complete sense once you realize the movie is the first animated movie to come out of Industrial Light & Magic, the place where Yoda learned to fight. But by the end, I liked the way Rango looked. I couldn't take my eyes off of his, small and beady as they were.

So what was it? If anyone can help me out, I'd love to hear it. Perhaps a second viewing will help me. Overall, Rango is fun. I just can't muster much passion about it. Good review, eh?

Oscar Picks 2011

This will be the first year in six years that I will not be able to watch the Oscars live. Only the second time I'll miss them since I can remember. This is especially upsetting because this year I actually saw all 10 nominees for Best Picture. I will be in New Orleans at a conference for work. I will attempt to keep myself in the dark until I can watch on Tuesday, so please, do not text, e-mail or call me to discuss it. I will publish my thoughts after I watch and digest.

For now, here are my picks. I decided to do more categories than usual to see how good I really am. As always, I accept gifts if I get 100%.

Best Picture
Black Swan
Inception
The Kids Are Alright
The King's Speech
The Fighter
The Social Network
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone
127 Hours

You can see (in a nutshell) what I thought of most of these on my "best of" list and my year recap. This is the first year in awhile where the winner is somewhat of mystery. 127 Hours is a phenomenal movie—every time I think about it I like to more and more. In a weaker year, I think it would have blown the competition out of the water. And Inception, well it is still my favorite movie of the year, but I get that the oldies in the Academy didn't quite understand it, though I judge them. It's really a two-horse race this year. The Social Network won most of the critics’ awards this season; The King's Speech most of the guild awards. The guilds have a lot of overlap with Academy voters so most seem to think that gives The King's Speech the edge. I'm not as sure. I feel like come voting time, people may think they've awarded The King's Speech enough. They will vote for The Social Network, a film that truly speaks for this year and this time. The film that was derided when it was announced and immediately praised on its release. Do I have that much faith in the Academy to reward the actual Best Picture? Eh, probably not.
Should Win: The Social NetworkWill Win: The King's Speech

Best DirectorDarren Aronofsky, Black SwanJoel and Ethan Coen, True GritDavid Fincher, The Social NetworkTom Hooper, The King's SpeechDavid O. Russell, The Fighter
Here is where I think The Social Network will be rewarded. The Coens just won, Tom Hooper managed to get amazing performances out of his actors, a job well done, but those actors could have done just as well under another director. I think the only one besides David Fincher who would really deserve it is Darren Aronofsky and I think Black Swan may be a little too weird for some Academy members. Plus, Fincher has been nominated before so some will consider this his "time." Fincher for the win.
Will Win: David Fincher
Should Win: David Fincher

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Now this is a race that was over early. Colin Firth, my pick for should win last year will get his will win this year. I'm OK with that. I did love him and was very impressed with his performance in The King's Speech. But it didn't blow me away like Eisenberg, or even more so, Franco. Those were roles they disappeared into. I noticed it even more this weekend when on Friday I watched Zombieland and then Sunday rewatched The Social Network. Zombieland is what people mean when they say Eisenberg plays the same character over and over. I love that character and am completely fine with seeing him play it. He does something completely different in The Social Network. His normally emotive eyes are dead—so smug with the knowledge that even though friends and enemies may have sued him, he's already won. Then there is James Franco. He does something else. He carries the entire movie completely by himself. Not only does he make it entertaining, as much as such a terrible situation can be made entertaining, but also he elicited such a strong reaction from me. One I wasn't expecting and can say with confidence I had never experienced in a movie theater. He won't win but damn does he deserve to.

Will Win: Colin Firth
Should Win: (tie) James Franco or Jesse Eisenberg

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Now here I agree with the general consensus. No disrespect to the other ladies. Michelle, I adore you. I enjoyed your movie. You made me cry. Haven't seen Rabbit Hole, but Nicole, you've had your turn. Jennifer, your movie really upset me, and not in a good way. Annette, I know everyone says it is your time but you really can't hold a candle this year. I have long been a fan of Natalie Portman. She is one of my ultimate girl crushes. I went and saw Black Swan alone and I remember just sitting and being in awe and looking at those around me thinking, "are you guys seeing this too?" The moment she won the Oscar is the second she steps on stage as the black swan. It's like the first half of the movie didn't happen. She transforms in front of you and it is nothing short of incredible.

Will Win: Natalie Portman
Should Win: Natalie Portman

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Christian Bale is the only thing that elevated The Fighter from your standard boxing movie to something else. It's still not one of my favorite movies this year and that's not a knock against it by any means. There are just movies I enjoyed way more. I just felt like, overall, I'd seen it before—except Christian Bale. How can Batman turn himself so completely into someone else? He does it and makes it look so effortless. Note: I do love Geoffrey Rush!

Will Win: Christian Bale
Should Win: Christian Bale

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

This is a category I find myself not that excited about. Not quite sure why because all these ladies deserve to be here. I think I just really wanted Mila Kunis in the mix. My vote would go to Hailee Steinfeld and it just might happen. She holds her own against all those boys. Melissa Leo has been the front-runner, with good reason. But she just kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. In fact, I think this is where I'll pick the upset. There's always one and True Grit isn't going to win many of its nominated 10 Oscars. I say go Hailee!

Will Win: Hailee Steinfeld
Should Win: Hailee Steinfeld

Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

This needs no explanation. Toy Story 3 deserves to be Best Picture period, so this award is a gimmie at this point.

Will Win: Toy Story 3
Should Win: Toy Story 3

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 HoursThe Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

This is a tough one. The Social Network will win but I'm struggling with should it? Creating drama out of a situation that mostly took place in front of a computer is a feat to be sure. The dialogue crackles so much it feels like you can't even take it all in at once. OK, it should. But I have to tip my hat to 127 Hours again and Toy Story 3. Both completely worthy.

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: The Social Network

Original Screenplay
Another Year
The FighterInception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

Now in my opinion Original Screenplay should go to the most original screenplay. If that was the case there would be no debate because Inception would win. But the dumb old Academy is going to give it to The King's Speech. It's a good movie but come on! It's a British drama. They've won before. It doesn't reek of originality. You screwed Christopher Nolan out of a director's nomination—AGAIN! This is where he should win. But he won't. Because the Academy is old and can't pay attention and understand movies more complicated than ones where a major part of the action requires a cup of tea. But here is where I hope I'm wrong.

Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Inception

Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception

Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Inception

Achievement in Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

Will Win: Alice in Wonderland
Should Win: Alice in Wonderland

Makeup
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

Will Win: The Wolfman

Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Black Swan

Best Original Score
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: (tie) The Social Network & Inception

Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Will Win: Inception

Sound Mixing
Inception
The King's Speech Salt
The Social NetworkTrue Grit

Will Win: Inception

Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception (next year Harry!)

Best of the Decade Challenge

My friend Mike challenged me to give him my best movies of all time list. This seems an impossible task to me. So he said he'd settle for a best of the decade list. This was still difficult but I narrowed it down to my 30 favorite films of the past 10 years, 2000-2009. I put them alphabetically because it's just too time consuming to try and rank them. The list still feels incomplete at 30 but hopefully your Netflix queues will thank me. Or you can judge me—that's equally as fun.

Almost Famous
Amélie
The Aviator
Before Sunset
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Closer
The Dark Knight
The Departed

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Finding Nemo
Garden State
Good Night and Good Luck
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Inglourious Basterds
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (I'm counting as one movie)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I'm counting as one movie)
Lost in Translation
Match Point
Memento
Minority Report
Moulin Rouge!
Munich
The Royal Tenenbaums
Snatch
Slumdog Millionaire
There Will Be Blood
Wet Hot American Summer
Zodiac
500 Days of Summer

2010 Movie Rundown

This is my last post about 2010, which comes almost a month into 2011, but I wanted to share my movie rundown for this year like the last two years. Same categories. Somehow I saw 39 movies this year, as opposed to 41 last year. I need to step up my game clearly. But I am confident that I will have seen all 10 nominees for Best Picture when they are announced next week, after I watch Winter's Bone. So here we go...

Perfection
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3

Excellent
127 Hours
Black Swan
Blue Valentine
Easy A
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
The King’s Speech

Solid
Cyrus
Cemetery Junction (Netflix)
Despicable Me
Hot Tub Time Machine
How to Train Your Dragon (Netflix)
I Love You Phillip Morris
The Fighter
The Kids are Alright
The Town
True Grit
Waking Sleeping Beauty

Decent
Get Him to the Greek
Shutter Island
The Runaways

Dumb but enjoyable
Due Date
Eat Pray Love
Going the Distance
The Other Guys
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

Eh
Iron Man 2

Bad
Alice in Wonderland
Death at a Funeral
The Tourist

Shame on me
Burlesque
Frozen (Netflix)
Remember Me (Netflix)
Sex and the City 2
The Wolfman

Wanted to see but didn't be they good or bad
Catfish
Client 9
Hereafter
Howl
I’m Still Here
Love and Other Drugs
Megamind
Never Let Me Go
Nowhere Boy
Please Give
Rabbit Hole
Salt
Somewhere
The American
The Romantics
Rabbit Hole
The Tempest
Waiting for Superman
Winter’s Bone-Watching this weekend. Once I have I'll put it in its rightful place.

Best of 2010: Films

I've struggled with ranking a few of these. I even toyed with the idea of not ranking this year but decided that was a cop out. If everyone else can, so can I. So I give you my ranked list, as much as the ranking part kills me this year. Same rules as last year:

1. The feeling I left the theater with.
2. The film's watchability—would I want to watch it again and again?

Top 10 movies of 2010

Inception
I think Inception got the top spot in this list because of No. 1 there—the feeling I left the theater with. I remember feeling like I had to scoop myself out of the seat and re-enter a world that was different from the one I'd started watching the movie in. Dramatic? Yes. But when was the last time you saw a movie that completely and utterly blew you away? Not just with special effects, that's easy, but with an idea executed so beautifully and that was actually saying something, all the while being incredibly entertaining. After watching this movie I just wanted to shout, "see this is what happens when Hollywood gives money to actual talent!" Debate all you want about if the top stops spinning at the end. The point is, it doesn't matter and Cobb doesn't care. He is where he wants to be. I guess I can relate to that part. In dreams we can be with the people we love. And when in them, it doesn't matter that they aren't real. Kind of like movies.

The Social Network
Here's another one that had my mind reeling after leaving the theater, but for very different reasons. Five powerhouse performances make love to whip smart writing. The actors just destroy the script. I've heard people say Jesse Eisneberg and Michael Cera suffer from the same one-note, one-character sickness. I can't disagree more with that assessment of Eisenberg's performance as Zuckerburg. You can't even compare that deadeye defiant stare he wears throughout this movie with the mawkish, sweet guy he plays in Adventureland. There are also larger issues at work with all the praise the film has garnered. This is a movie completely of our time. Not just society's time as a whole but of my own. Zuckerberg is my age. There are scenes in the movie that show how Facebook spread from college to college. I vividly remember when Facebook hit KU. How it felt to start using it and the obsession it started for so many. It's so rare to see a film that feels so of its moment when you hear Justin . . . er Sean Parker plead with Mark during that scene at the club, "This is OUR time," you know he's talking to our section of the audience. And he is right.

Black Swan
I feel like Black Swan kind of sneaked up on me. I had read very little about it, which is becoming increasingly rare for me. The trailer really did its job this time and, somehow, I ended up excited to go on opening night. After it was over, this was a film that was hard to shake. Natalie Portman absolutely transforms on screen. During the finale, when she finally embodies the Black Swan, you feel like you are watching a completely different person. Despite its moments of cringe-worthy violence, the film is achingly beautiful and not just because of the dances, the costumes or the actors because as bat-shit crazy as it can be, you can still identify with that feeling of wanting to be perfect at any cost.

Toy Story 3
I declare a blanket ban on any more entertainment writers/bloggers being surprised that animation can actually be an effective medium for adults. I have seen Toy Story 3 at least three times and I cried each time. There is something so moving about it, especially the end of the movie. Throughout the film our beloved toys are struggling with their place in the world. Should they accept their time is over and retreat? Should they hope for something more? Who hasn't felt that way? The real piece de resistance is after the toys have made their way back to Andy's, ready to accept their destiny in the attic, they are saved by the boy who they thought had forgotten them. If you can watch that scene when Andy passes his toys on to the next generation without welling up, you are dead inside. It just illustrates so well how growing up is about letting go, and how bittersweet that can be.

127 Hours
I love when movies produce unexpected reactions. I expected to be horrified by the much-discussed arm amputation scene. Would I close my eyes? Would I pass out? Would anyone around me get sick? But when I think back at the movie now, having seen it, it's not the gruesome maybe 15-20 minutes of that moment that I focus on. It's the feeling that washed over me when it was over. But first, let's rewind—the film is a fantastic exercise in the term one-man show. James Franco, as Aron Ralston (a real person who, while mountain climbing in Utah, became trapped when a boulder falls on his hand), holds the whole film on his very attractive shoulders. The drama unfolds as he slowly comes to the realization of what he must do to survive. We watch him wrestle with it, reject it and then come around to it and we as an audience struggle as well. We know what's going to happen but that doesn't make the decision any less fascinating to watch. When he finally musters the resolve, we do too and we watch, and urge the scene to move faster, for him to finally get free and when he does, an incredible feeling washed over me. A feeling that brought me instantly to tears like no other movie I saw this year, tears of pure joy, sadness and relief. Franco's acting has never been more beautiful than in that moment and you've never seen anything like it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Those that have read this book know there is a section in the middle that is a slog. It makes sense why it is in there but it was frustrating for many readers. Our trio is increasingly isolated from everything they know, including each other, and the chapters that detail this massive road trip serve to showcase just how insurmountable their task is. When they announced they were splitting the book into two, there was relief because it meant we knew we were in for an incredible Part 2 because they'd have a whole movie to spend time on the Battle of Hogwarts. But we knew getting through Part 1 was going to be tough. How do you make this part of the book into a compelling movie? Moving the slow parts by as fast as possible and focusing on our characters, that's how. Has the relationship between these three ever been such a showpiece of these movies? Not until this film and it is completely better for it. These kids can finally act and the film lets them. It's a dark, bleak movie but one that is impossible to take your eyes off of.

The King’s Speech
I was of the opinion that Colin Firth was robbed last year. Yes, I did not see Crazy Heart but come on! I love The Dude as much as the next guy but Colin Firth gave the performance of his career in A Single Man. Until now. The King's Speech, on the surface, seems like a traditionalist in a year of movies that threw abandon to what makes traditional Oscar bait. That doesn't make it any less fantastic. Firth just melts into this character. The relationship between Bertie and his speech therapist is as dynamic as any other couple on screen this year. They meet. They find their rapport. They fight. They make up. It's so refreshing to see a film about male friendship that doesn't rest on child-male humor to get the point across. By the end when title cards tell you about how their friendship progressed as King George's reign, you've just witnessed something truly inspiring and original.

Blue Valentine
This is the movie I was waiting for before making my top 10 for this year. I knew from the moment I read about the casting that this would be something special. I don't think I realized just how awful that something special would make me feel. The "something special" is these two actors (Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling) and their performances. The movie itself examines the destruction of a marriage, pieced together by glimpses of their meet-cute and when reality settled in. I think some pieces are missing in their story but at the end it doesn't matter. It's like a boxing match between them as they tear each other apart. What they create is just so beautiful, so heart breaking and so unabashedly real.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Speaking of original, this one may take the cake for the year. It shares something with The Social Network for me, and it isn’t the “similarity” of the two leading men. Note: I’ll put Michael Cera in this movie up against any moment of Michael Cera in his other movies as an example that though he’s always awkward that doesn’t mean he’s not talented. It’s that those films were made with my generation in mind. When you see the film, its not surprising that some critics felt it was too spastic, unfocused and erratic. I loved every minute of it. I think most people my age did. It just felt like it was made just for us. So when it didn’t do well, we could feel superior in that those stuffy critics and older movie watchers just didn’t “get it.” But fine, it’s not for everyone, and we’ll take it for our own.

Easy A
I struggled with picking the final addition here. I had The Fighter in this spot but I decided what I like about The Fighter wasn't strong enough to push Easy A off this list. The movie itself is pretty standard sports/boxing movie stuff with some drug abuse thrown in. I chose to go with Easy A because, while based on The Scarlet Letter, it is still one of the most original films that was released this year. As I said in a previous post, when I saw the trailer for this, it felt like a breath of fresh air, and the film followed through on that promise. Yes, Emma Stone is the reason this is not your average "teen" comedy. In lesser mortals' hands, say a Hayden Panettiere, the film wouldn't be nearly as fun, funny or even interesting. Although an incredible supporting cast of Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Hayden Church, Lisa Kudrow and Penn Badgley buoys her, Stone owns the movie and you can't take your eyes off her.