The Ides of March

First Hit: A very good film which simply shows how a politician’s imperfection and ego leads to the illusion.

We all know that to become a politician one must have a strong ego and a somewhat thick skin.

To run for President of the United States, there are a lot of compromises one might have to make along the way. When they state they want to “serve the people”, there is also a serving of one’s ego. The people who serve these politicians do what they can to “position” their candidate in the best light possible.

We’ve seen in recent past politics, that handlers like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney serve in oddly powerful and conclusive ways.

Here, Steven Myers (played by Ryan Gosling) is the chief strategist working directly for Campaign Manager Paul Zara (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman). They are both working on the campaign to elect Governor Mike Morris (played by George Clooney) for the office of President of the United States. In the other camp there is Tom Duffy (played by Paul Giamatti) who is Zara’s counterpart for the other candidate.

Duffy sees that Myers is good and is guiding Morris for a win. His job; find an opportunity to change the playing field. But Myers ends up having some political collateral of his own and he learns that politics is a nasty game and that some people talk a good game for the people, but in their own lives, things might be not as honorable.

The way this story is played out is clean, clear, uncluttered, and predictable in that I guessed the ending long before it happened. But even so, it was well done, clearly defined, and wonderfully acted. This was a tour-de-force of a number of strong actors doing a wonderful job. Although some advertisements call this film a thriller, it is not, it is a drama all the way.

Gosling is clearly present for this part. He is quick minded and his eyes reflect it. He is naïve and his eyes show it. He is strong and his eyes express it. Clooney is perfect as the smooth talking, handsome, eloquent candidate who hides his indiscretions under an uncompromising smile of slickness. The scene in the kitchen with Gosling when the deal is cut is superb and pointedly packaged. Hoffman is perfect as the guy who lives by his belief regardless of where it takes him. Giamatti is both creepy and elegant as the guy who will do what he needs to get his candidate elected. Evan Rachel Wood (as campaign intern Molly Sterns) is wonderfully captured as the smart beautiful girl who gets intoxicated by the powerful men in politics. Marisa Tomei (as news reporter Ida Horowicz) was good and especially with the turning of the tables (both times), one where she is on top and the other where she isn’t. Lastly Jeffrey Wright (as Senator Thompson) was really strong as the Senator who wanted to get the most out a selling his support by using a bidding process for the highest cabinet job possible. George Clooney and Grant Heslov wrote a very clear and strong script and Clooney did a wonderful job of directing this film.

Overall: This was a very strong Clooney effort and a wonderful film to watch.

The Wrestler

First Hit: Mickey Rourke is phenomenal as Randy “The Ram” Robinson an over the hill aging wrestler doing the only thing he knows how to do.

I was mesmerized by this film from the very opening scenes.

The film is shot with a roughness and edge that complements and accentuates the characters in the film.

This is a story about people we may have watched in person or seen on TV. We always knew the wrestling matches were choreographed but this never meant that these men didn’t suffer in pain from their efforts in the ring.

This film shows this suffering, the underside of their body abuse, and the deep comradely among the men who actually fight and promote the event. Randy was once the top wrestler and with age he has slipped little by little into the forgotten world of has-beens who fight in front of small, but adoring, crowds.

There is one scene where he and some other once famous wrestlers are at a autograph signing and mostly they just sit there in silence in an empty room while a hand full of fans come through and get a “polaroid” picture and autograph. It is such a telling scene of how time has passed them by.

The Ram visits an aging lap dancer named Cassidy (played by Marisa Tomei) for dances and conversation. Like him she is caught up on her own world and struggles and trying to find her own way out of her life. Both of them have children and Ram has a couple of very powerful and revealing scenes with his daughter Stephanie (played convincingly by Evan Rachel Wood).

Other scenes that round out the character are when the neighborhood kids wake him up, from sleeping overnight in his van, so that they can wrestle with him.

And a scene where he reluctantly works behind a deli counter but slowly gets into the people he is serving and this beautiful fun kind spirit jumps out of him and you, as you watch this scene.

Rourke is so good in this film that he easily gives the best performance by an actor in 2008 – no question. He will probably get a nomination for an Oscar but his reputation may keep him from receiving it. Tomei is incredibly strong and also deserves a Oscar nomination. Her performance shows a depth and strength that is very compelling and out shines her mostly partially nude scenes. Darren Aronofsky directed this film with a clear vision and gives us a slice of life we rarely see.

Overall: Easily one of the 3 best films of the year. This is a must see film whether you like wrestling or not because it is a deeply inspired, well acted and moving slice of life.

The Life Before Her Eyes

First Hit: An outstanding, thoughtful, beautifully photographed film.

Staring Evan Rachel Wood and Uma Thurman, both playing Diana. One as a high school senior and the other 15 years later as a wife and mother.

This film is extraordinary in both how it was put together and its acting. Young Diana is a rebellious type who is also deeply thoughtful and heart filled. She acts out in ways that have her labeled as a slut but it is, like most high school labels, incorrect. She spends a lot of her time high on pot and skipping school but is also curious about life in a retrospective way.

Her best friend Maureen (played by Eva Amurri) is a Christian and provides an interesting and insightful counter balance to their relationship. Young Diana wants her life to start and cannot wait for it to happen and she believes it will be away from the small home town she lives in.

Maureen on the other hand wants to marry her first love, have children, and spend the rest of her life right where she is. Uma, playing the older haunted Diana, is married and with a daughter who's as precious as she was when she was young.

Older Diana’s skittishness and haunting behavior is immediately revealed because the film takes place in the week of the 15th anniversary of a Columbine type shooting on their high school campus.

Young Diana was told by the killer just prior to the shooting that he might do it, however she disregarded his threat and feels horrible about it.

There isn’t much else to say about the plot without giving too many things away, however this film will stick with you and keep you asking questions about it long after you leave the theater. There are many levels to what the film is saying. Vadim Perelman directed this beautifully executed film. The timeline is not in sequence, nor can it be to give the real sense of the depth of remembrance for the older Diana. The scenes are beautifully shot and the collage of colors, sequences, angles, and movement between past and future is extraordinary. Uma Thurman is outstanding in her role and carries the energy, fear and wisdom the younger Diana. Evan Rachel Wood, gives another stellar performance. Just like in “13” and “Down in the Valley”, she makes you watch and engage with her as her character reveals herself during the performance.

Overall: This film is one of depth, beauty, and the complications of life laid out as life is, full of questions, doubts, and love.

King Of California

First Hit: I liked and enjoyed this film after its slow start.

Michael Douglas has taken on some interesting parts in his career ranging from a “Wall Street” hotshot to a man who reaches the end of his rope in “Falling Down”.

His part in this film is an addition to one of his more interesting acting endeavors. It took awhile for the film to get into gear or maybe it was me that struggled getting into gear with the film, regardless as the film unfolds the relationship between him and his daughter played by Evan Rachel Wood was really touching and tender.

This relationship develops in that slow meaningful way you like to see these things develop in a film. This is a story about admiration, trust, curiosity, and the failings of parents as the admiring daughter begins to see her father as he is.

The story begins as she picks up her father from a mental hospital and you see that she is the one keeping their life together. Douglas begins to weave a tale about buried gold doubloons hidden by an early California explorer/Father named “Garces”.

As he shares the tale he invites Wood to read the story, do some research, and help him find the buried treasure which happens to be under a Costco; the store with everything.

Overall: I ended up enjoying this film when I fell into its pace to connect with thoughts and feelings of the characters. The film left me in joy and a sense that human gifts to each other can be expressed in many different ways.