Oscar Bait
Eastern Promises: Viggo Mortensen received, and deserved, an Oscar nod as leading man in this David Cronenberg-directed study of the Russian mob in London, a current-day phenom. Mortensen gives a balls-out performance as a mysterious ‘helper’ (chauffeur, hit man, consultant) to a quietly-vicious mob boss. But Viggo’s character also has a soft spot for certain kinds of victims–like innocent Naomi Watts, mixed up in baby-racketeering and the sex trade. The movie itself, at l0l minutes, seems rushed in its last third; but features a long brutal fight scene in which Mortensen disports himself totally naked, probably increasing his female fan base. The movie did only so-so at the boxoffice might break big on DVD, and the disc has some interesting features, although no commentary from Cronenberg.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age Cate Blanchett is the first actress in history to receive best actress nods for portraying the same character twice, the first in l999 and now this year. The film itself–co-starring Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh–lacks the dramatic tension of its predecessor, but Blanchett, one of our four or five best screen actresses, carries it admirably. (Blanchett is also nominated in the best supporting actress category for her cunning portrayal of Bob Dylan in the woefully underseen I’m Not There.) The DVD has some intriguing extras, some of the best of the year.
Gone Baby Gone: Amy Ryan gives a powerhouse performance in this film, perhaps the most underrated of the year, as a drug-addled mother whose child goes missing. Actor Ben Affleck both wrote and directed this adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel, and did an almost alarmingly terrific job–why, we ask, has he been wasting his time acting? The movie, taut and suspenseful, is beautifully made, and shows the underside of Boston (Affleck’s home town) in great and convincing detail. Maybe DVD will make people more attentive to the movie’s charms: it’s one of the best movies of the year.
No End in Sight: This documentary is the best of the year, and we hope the Academy will reward it thus. Directed by researchist Charles Ferguson, he gets the goods on the architects of the Iraq war fiasco–and in telling numbers, Among those interviewed are Richard Armitage, Jay Garner, and former officer of strategy Col. Paul Hughes, all of whom testify how their opinions were ignored, advice trivialized, and warnings wholly ignored. The film also strongly suggests that prolonged occupation of the country has always been on the agenda, no matter what happens. This is not your typical left-wing harangue nor a Michael Moore polemic. This is first rate from first to last.
