Sam Rockwell, Snow Angels
Rockwell’s charisma has always seemed to come from his ability to act simultaneously earnest and half-baked. In Snow Angels, though, that charisma is a skin his character slowly sheds. As a recovering alcoholic and newbie Jesus freak, he’s a man desperately trying to put his life in order. Rockwell makes sure we know the man only wants to believe he’s truly changed, and in doing so, he creates a devastating portrait of a man who’s an American tragedy.
Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Lots of actresses have spent their careers playing thinly veiled versions of themselves. Diane Keaton has done it a lot lately while Julia Roberts did it for most of the nineties. And now comes Kat Dennings, whose Norah is, it seems, as unassumingly smart and sweetly bitter as the actress herself. It’s a sweet performance, but it’s not gentle. Rather, Dennings laces her (endless?) charm with equal parts acid and sugar. Teen movies have found their newest relatable heroine.
Sean Penn, Milk
Penn does so much with…so much. The performance is, of course, a total transformation: voice, posture, mannerisms, even his face looks somehow different. And he does all those things with seamless grace. Most impressively, though, Penn does something he’s never done before; he exudes warmth in every frame.
Gavin Bocquet, The Bank Job
I’m disappointed at how overlooked this film was; it was marketed a little bizarrely. What seemed like a heist film was actually a far more complex based-on-a-true-story period heist film. One of the most fun elements of the film is the way it brings 1971 London to life through extensive (but never overbearing) production design. Bocquet’s various sets and designs give the movie just the right texture.
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
I don’t know anyone who saw this movie and hadn’t wished that she’s been in it more. Hell, I would
be first in line for Maria Elena Barcelona. As the jealous (and crazy) ex-wife of Juan Antonio, Cruz makes her every move, no matter how irrational, an act of artful seduction. I’ve never seen her bring this much energy to the screen before and, with this much fire behind her eyes, it’s difficult to not be entranced, even if she’s trying to kill you.
Thomas Newman, Revolutionary Road
The dialogue kind of felt like every other trapped-in-the-suburbs drama you’ve ever seen. Except maybe a little more Theatre-ish. So it’s understandable if the script couldn’t get you to feel the pain. The score, however, with its perfect piano flourishes, achieved it beautifully. The pain, beauty, and melancholy is all summed up in that simple but harrowing orchestration.
Jess Weixler, Teeth
She deftly handled a role that was, somehow, even more difficult than it sounded. Playing a sexually undereducated teen with, ahem, vagina dentate, Weixler had to consistently strike the perfect balance between humor and horror, drama and…dentate. She plays it straight, but never forgets what kind of movie she’s in either. It’s a star-making performance and she rightfully won the Sundance Acting Prize for it.
The Sound Department, The Dark Knight
I will say this about The Dark Knight: I’ve never had that kind of sonic experience in a theater before. Everything was cracklingly alive, from the revving engines of the Batcycle to the exploding hospital to the pop of every gun. The soundscape did so much to pull you into the film’s environment.
David Kross, The Reader
For his 18th birthday, he had to simulate sex with Kate Winslet. Good for him. Unbelievably, this is Kross’ first big role but you’d never know it. He’s brilliant, capturing the heightened emotions of a lovelorn--and lustlorn--teen who tries to challenge the world with his deeds. Kross says everything with his eyes, but he injects his character’s dialogue with a secretive passion and, later, tinges it with conflicted guilt. It’s not long before he’s a full-fledged lead actor.
Ricky Gervais, Ghost Town
He does his thing, and usually that would be enough, but he does it with such a touch of kindness (and great chemistry with Tea Leoni), that it resonates in both the funny bone and the heart. He also delivers the best final-line-from-a-movie this year.
Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Lots of actresses have spent their careers playing thinly veiled versions of themselves. Diane Keaton has done it a lot lately while Julia Roberts did it for most of the nineties. And now comes Kat Dennings, whose Norah is, it seems, as unassumingly smart and sweetly bitter as the actress herself. It’s a sweet performance, but it’s not gentle. Rather, Dennings laces her (endless?) charm with equal parts acid and sugar. Teen movies have found their newest relatable heroine.
Sean Penn, MilkPenn does so much with…so much. The performance is, of course, a total transformation: voice, posture, mannerisms, even his face looks somehow different. And he does all those things with seamless grace. Most impressively, though, Penn does something he’s never done before; he exudes warmth in every frame.
Gavin Bocquet, The Bank Job
I’m disappointed at how overlooked this film was; it was marketed a little bizarrely. What seemed like a heist film was actually a far more complex based-on-a-true-story period heist film. One of the most fun elements of the film is the way it brings 1971 London to life through extensive (but never overbearing) production design. Bocquet’s various sets and designs give the movie just the right texture.
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
I don’t know anyone who saw this movie and hadn’t wished that she’s been in it more. Hell, I would
be first in line for Maria Elena Barcelona. As the jealous (and crazy) ex-wife of Juan Antonio, Cruz makes her every move, no matter how irrational, an act of artful seduction. I’ve never seen her bring this much energy to the screen before and, with this much fire behind her eyes, it’s difficult to not be entranced, even if she’s trying to kill you.Thomas Newman, Revolutionary Road
The dialogue kind of felt like every other trapped-in-the-suburbs drama you’ve ever seen. Except maybe a little more Theatre-ish. So it’s understandable if the script couldn’t get you to feel the pain. The score, however, with its perfect piano flourishes, achieved it beautifully. The pain, beauty, and melancholy is all summed up in that simple but harrowing orchestration.
Jess Weixler, TeethShe deftly handled a role that was, somehow, even more difficult than it sounded. Playing a sexually undereducated teen with, ahem, vagina dentate, Weixler had to consistently strike the perfect balance between humor and horror, drama and…dentate. She plays it straight, but never forgets what kind of movie she’s in either. It’s a star-making performance and she rightfully won the Sundance Acting Prize for it.
The Sound Department, The Dark Knight
I will say this about The Dark Knight: I’ve never had that kind of sonic experience in a theater before. Everything was cracklingly alive, from the revving engines of the Batcycle to the exploding hospital to the pop of every gun. The soundscape did so much to pull you into the film’s environment.
David Kross, The Reader
For his 18th birthday, he had to simulate sex with Kate Winslet. Good for him. Unbelievably, this is Kross’ first big role but you’d never know it. He’s brilliant, capturing the heightened emotions of a lovelorn--and lustlorn--teen who tries to challenge the world with his deeds. Kross says everything with his eyes, but he injects his character’s dialogue with a secretive passion and, later, tinges it with conflicted guilt. It’s not long before he’s a full-fledged lead actor.
Ricky Gervais, Ghost Town
He does his thing, and usually that would be enough, but he does it with such a touch of kindness (and great chemistry with Tea Leoni), that it resonates in both the funny bone and the heart. He also delivers the best final-line-from-a-movie this year.
0 comments:
Post a Comment