Film & Foto: Golden Globes

I will be writing up a special blog Sunday evening in follow-up to the Golden Globes. Film and Foto Friday is coming a day late as I am still in the process of watching all the nominated films. Here are my thoughts on some of the contenders.

Captain Phillips

For me, Tom Hanks' performance the last 5 minutes of this film is what made it Golden Globe contender.

I got NOTHING from the beginning of the film when he was driving in the car with his wife. For some reason, as I write this I think back to the scene in Apollo 13 where his wife is in the shower and loses her wedding ring down the drain. That, was a powerful connector between husband and wife. Here, the conversation in the car falls flat and does nothing to set the stage for the movie to follow.

The scene with the Somali pirates also does little for me, as I feel the stage could be set in half the time. The meat of the film is the interaction between captor and captive so I struggled with the drag it took to actually reach this point, again failing to do anything to set the stage for the film.

Where Hanks excels is in his ability to portray subtlety--to counter Abdi's explosive character. Although the movie is about a hostage situation, and a violent take-over the strongest moments are built in silent or almost silent tension. This is NOT a movie about action it is a movie about INTERACTION. The balance between Abdi's terrified, over-zealous, loud character and Hanks stoic silent presence creates a beautiful tension.

Where Abdi excels is in his ability to be portray a terrified, lost, powerful, and hopeless character almost simultaneously. Even when he is in control Abdi creates this sense that he is not fully in control. There is always something else there.

The two thoughts running through my head during the final minutes of the film was "How powerful would it have been to be on set when they were shooting this scene?" and "How many times did they make him do that scene?" It is raw and it is beautiful.

Dallas Buyers Club

Holy sh** Matthew McConaughey! The only reason I knew Matthew McConaughey was the actor in this is because I recognized his voice.

I ended up getting into an interesting discussion with my roommates (both actors) after this movie about the prevalence of Based on a True Story portrayals up for Golden Globe's this year. The discussion was interesting because it touched on the idea of which is more challenging: portraying a real life person or creating a character who never before existed.

For me, I find a character who never before existed to be more compelling than the portrayal of one who actually lived. For me the idea of knowing a made-up character so intimately you can make them real on screen is a powerful ability. Not to diminish what an actor can do bringing a real life character to life on screen, such as McConaughey does.

The strength, for me, in McConaughey's portrayal is that I don't care that he's portraying a person he really lived. (This is one place Hanks' performance stumbled for me. The actual character of Captain Phillips was not all that interesting.) McConaughey's commitment to his character drives the film and I find him uncompromising and this makes me root for him.

Not to be outshined, Leto's performance is Globe worthy as well, although for me it falters in a few places. Specifically the transition into drug addiction that appeared to come out of nowhere. You don't see his character as a druggie until he shows up in the green dress and McConaughey says "Are you high?" While I feel his performance is a commanding one, Leto's character seemed less developed for me.

I think this film also should bring up the questions of how far is too far when getting in character? In one scene we see most of McConaughey's body and I shutter to think any doctor would have cleared him to be that emaciated. The same for Leto in one scene. While I commend their commitment, and while I realize the film requires them to look sick, just how far is too far to push for a performance?

Blue Jasmine & American Hustle

Maybe it is because it was the second emotional movie of the day but Blue Jasmine did little for me. The story line didn't keep me. And while Blanchett's performance is commanding, it does nothing for me. I feel like I've seen a performance like this before and the slow drop into insanity, hopelessness, or the abyss seems so overdone that I find it lacking in that more I want to see from a Globe contender.

American Hustle was LONG. It was long and I kept trying to figure out how, but more importantly when it was going to end. This is not a good thing for an award contender. The fact that half way through the film I was ready for the credits does not bode well.

Do I feel Lawrence's performance was Globe worthy? There were moments. And I think the supporting role must be chosen with a different set of criteria, as they are not meant to carry the film. Where I feel she excelled in this film is the bathroom scene where she confronts Amy Adams' character. The emotional range she shows in that, and the following scene is spectacular. Going from rage, to spite, to tears I believe each emotion.

In terms of Bale's performance... Thinking back (I watched A.H. last week) I don't remember enough of it to comment. Maybe that says everything I need to know.

Regardless of who wins, the field is strong. There are commanding performances from many of Hollywood's key players and I look forward to watching the Globe's on Sunday! Happy watching.