By Beacon Staff
The Beacon staff weighs in on the best and worst movies of winter season.
Slumdog Millionare
By Amie Dahnke
For most people, the only ruler used to measure out the dailies of life during childhood was whether something was fun or not. "Slumdog Millionaire," recent winner of four Golden Globes, takes the viewer back to the realm of childhood through the eyes of Jamal, an Indian orphan who runs around India, begging and hopping trains throughout the country with his older brother, Salim. Despite growing up in the roughest parts of India, the two brothers create their own 'musketeers,' mimicking the adventurous lifestyle of the brave and valiant.
The film is told episodically, with drawn out flashbacks of Jamal's life. The episodic plot of the film lends itself to beautiful cinematography and creativity that simply twists its way naturally in the background, music, dialogue and editing of the film. It's of little wonder that the film won Best Director, Best Motion Picture, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay at the 2009 Golden Globes. Even with these great cinematic characteristics, the best part of the movie occurs between the dynamic Latika (the protagonist's love interest) and Jamal and their quest through life. Destiny, faith, and hope all play huge parts of their lives throughout the movie.
"Slumdog Millionaire" is a great story that reminds its viewers the importance of relationships, especially with siblings. Even more, the film reminds people what it means to live.
Grade: A+
The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button
By Emily Sitton
This film, roughly based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, gives a backwards view of life. It follows the life of Benjamin Button who was born as an old man and ages by getting younger.
Button, portrayed by Brad Pitt and six other actors, enchants everyone he meets. His vibrant personality will pull the audience in. Button's personality soon enchants Daisy (Cate Blanchett). The love story between the two seems impossible, but Blanchett and Pitt are electric. The love story is not only probable, but it is a magical reality.
Button is a drama to the core, but there are plenty of light moments to bring out a smile. There are several quirky characters including the tugboat captain, Mr. Daws and a bushman named Tizzy that keep the story fun. Taraji P. Henson ("Hustle & Flow") gives an especially heartwarming performance as Button's mother.
This film is for anyone who loves a great story because it does what a good story should do; it makes you ask questions. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" shows us that though life is short it's never too late to change who you are.
Grade: A
Doubt
By Jessie Hethcoat
"Doubt," a Pulitzer Prize winning play, was brought to the screen this December. The film, as well as the play, has proved to be both psychologically and intellectually stimulating. With the alternations between doubt and certainty and morality and injustice, the film is a whirlwind of emotions.
Meryl Streep gives a biting and comical performance as Sister Aloysius. As usual, she nails the part. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Father Flynn, a priest accused of sexual molestation of an altar boy. His performance, as well, has some very good acting. Amy Adams, instead of singing a happy working song in 2008's "Enchanted," plays a young, timid nun caught up in the commotion. Surprisingly, she pulls it off well.
However, every actor is outshined by the brief but compelling part played by Viola Davis. Her short role as the choirboy's mother takes a distinct look at an African-American woman and her family's own agenda in the time of the film, the '60s.
The enigmatic film is bound to receive commendations in the future. Though by watching the movie it is clear that it was written for the stage, it still does not take away from the fact that the film holds acting of the highest caliber and words that will stick with its viewers past the theater.
Grade: A-
Gran Torino
By Amie Dahnke
We're a generation that has been taught that everyone is indeed created equal and that racial slurs are not only disrespectful and not tolerated, they're a mark of ignorance and prejudice. Clint Eastwood's most recent film, "Gran Torino," is chocked full with as many racial slurs as "Boondock Saints" is with the f-word.
Despite the obviously offensive racial slurs tossed out by Eastwood's character, Walt, a retired Ford employee and veteran from the Korean War who lives as the remaining Caucasian in an ethnic neighborhood of the ever-desolate Detroit, the viewer has a hard time not finding Walt endearing. He's cranky, set in his ways and with a face so marked with wrinkles, it's difficult not to envision one's own grandfather toting around the garden or working on his prize car.
Eastwood's acting is superseded by his directing, which tells a heart-searing story about learning to live with and learning to tolerate differences. It's a film for all generations, teaching lessons for those of us enduring the first war of our lives, why our elders are the way they are. The film's themes of love, kinship, relationships and war lend themselves to post-credits discussions over a steaming cup of coffee. It's a movie that makes you think, laugh and think again.
Grade: A
Bride Wars
By Rosemary Peters
"Bride Wars" is a satirical movie which brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "bride-zilla."
Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) are two women who have fantasized about having their perfect weddings at the coveted Plaza Hotel since they were little girls. From the dress to the cake they have had every little detail planned, except for the man.
Astonishingly, both women get engaged within weeks of each other. They are incredibly excited and start planning their dream weddings together, just as they had planned for the past two decades.
However, the white-satin gloves come off when the world-renowned wedding planner Marion St. Claire (Candice Bergen) accidently set Emma and Liv's weddings for the same date and time.
At first, the two argue about who will change the date of their wedding. After a week of not talking to each other, the friends get in a huge fight at their joint bridal shower and the weddings, are still set for the same day.
From this point on, Emma and Liv do their best to sabotage the other wedding. From trying to make Liv gain so much weight that she can't fit into her wedding dress to Emma getting a fake tan that turns her orange, revenge plots dominate the movie.
Watching an hour and a half of pranks on the big screen was enjoyable; however, the only downside to this movie is the light in which it portrays relationships and women.
At certain points in the movie, the movie crossed the line and went from being funny and poking light-hearted fun at brides to depicting the entire female gender as overly catty and petty. It was slightly offensive and in bad taste.
Grade: B-
Valkyrie
By Amie Dahnke
Releasing a movie about the evils of World War II Nazi Germany on Christmas Day is risky business, even if the movie's plot is all about one of many infamous plots to assassinate Hitler. Let's admit it: Hitler and the Nazis don't exactly scream out holiday joy and cheer. Yet that very plot did come out on Christmas 2008, in the Hollywood form of Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise.
The movie, while boasting a decent plot that most people tend to fall for (Who doesn't want the bad guy to go down?), lends itself to more failures than successes. For starters, Cruise and the rest of his German counterparts don't take on a German accent, incessantly reminding the viewer that she is watching a troupe of American and British actors play Germans. The cinematography and editing are nothing to pine over and the music is but a whisper washed out by the over-zealous bomb explosions and gun shots.
For any viewer (which should be a ll viewers who have studied World War II and know that Hitler killed himself) who knows the result of the assassination attempt, the film trudges on like Titanic: It's cold, boring and you're just waiting for the damn end that you already know is about to come.
Grade: D
