Lincoln

Although I was planning on saving my next big effort for after the Oscars, I figured I would pump out a smaller post to tide all my loyal readers (all 4 of you) over for the next week or so. In any event, this year’s Oscars aren’t expected to carry any shocking upsets, so that post probably won’t require much painstaking analysis; expect something along the lines of “blah blah blah King’s Speech, blah blah Black Swan, blah blah blah The Social Network”. Unless Nicholas Cage bowls over the competition with his overwhelmingly artistic performance in Drive Angry 3-D, it’s likely to be a predictable outcome.

For this bite size post, I wanted to briefly discuss a flick-in-the-making my Dad brought to my attention that I’m really excited about- Lincoln.  As you might guess, the film is about President Abraham Lincoln, more specifically his clash with the White House cabinet as he tried to abolish slavery during the Civil War.  The movie is said to be based on the book Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Though I’m admittedly not nearly as well versed in the history of the American Civil War or the life of Abe Lincoln as my Dad is, I have very high hopes for this movie.  It has been confirmed that the movie is being directed by Steven Spielberg and will star Daniel Day-Lewis.  Originally cast in the title role was Leam Neeson, (who last worked with Spielberg on Schindlers List in 1993), but he backed out of the role before filming began for unconfirmed reasons.  Though a Neeson-Speilberg reunion surely would have spawned a fantastic film, Daniel Day-Lewis will likely bring a different dynamic to the cast and the overall plot.  As undeniably talented as Neeson is, Day-Lewis is a much more animated, bizarre, and artistic actor, leaving a distinct branding on every movie he is a part of.  Those who saw Gangs of New York or There Will Be Blood are familiar with his acting style and method of communicating with the audience.  As long as his quirkiness doesn’t send the film down an irrelevant or historically-inaccurate path, I think he will make Lincoln a wildly successful film, adding it to the ranks of other great biographical films such as The Queen, Lawrence of Arabia, Malcolm X, and Raging Bull.

The movie has a tentative release date of early 2012, likely aiming for the 2012 Oscar season, so we’ve got a bit of a wait, but keep your eyes and ears peeled!

Rabbit Hole

"At some point, it becomes bearable. It turns into something that you can crawl out from under and... carry around like a brick in your pocket. And you... you even forget it, for a while. But then you reach in for whatever reason and - there it is."

How do you make a film about true loss? There are movies about atrocities, sadness, and grief, sure. Loss is more personal though.  Loss is something that radiates off a person, something you are struck by just looking at them. That element was the central focus of Rabbit Hole, a drama staring Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman about a couple trying to cope with everyday life only months after the death of their young son. Probably the most powerful film of the year, Rabbit Hole was certainly not an easy movie to watch, but one that everyone should see at least once.  It addresses themes that are hard to digest, but that are just as real to the human condition as happiness or love.

When reviewing The Kings Speech I touched upon how rare it is for an actor or actress to convey an emotion to the audience so effectively that the viewer becomes emotionally invested in that character.  When talking about The Kings Speech, I was referring to frustration. In Rabbit Hole, both Eckhart and Kidman exuded such an overwhelming sense of grief that it was easy to forget that they were just acting, not your friends or next door neighbors that were experiencing this heartache firsthand.  The movie wasn't all sad though.  Scenes of wittiness and humor were injected perfectly throughout the story to give the film just the right amount of edge.  Snippets of laughter, hints of anger, even moments of sheer awkwardness made them seem like regular people living regular lives.  One of my favorite scenes in the movie was one where Howie (Eckharts character) is sitting in a grief counseling session with a group of other people after having smoked pot in the parking lot with another member of the group.  Someone else was telling a story about a dream that they had about their dead relative whom they were still mourning the loss of, and Howie and his friend burst into a fit of weed-induced laughter.  As obviously inappropriate as something like this would be in real life, the fact that it happens in the movie helps reinforce the idea that Howie is real.  Not in the literal sense obviously, but he is going through a tragedy that people go through every day, and he is coping with it like a real person.  It certainly isn't politically correct, but real life isn't politically correct either.  As I've said in posts before, the most essential factor of a dramatic work is its believability. A comedy can be zany and fun, an action movie or thriller can be exciting and over the top, but a good dramatic presentation can't feel like just that- a presentation. Rabbit Hole certainly wasn't a presentation. It was an example of a raw human experience, and for that it was a spectacular film. Grade: A