The Year So Far...Part 2

I apparently didn't get the memo for the rest of the country's legitimate film critics that the moment to do your mentions for the year's best offering at a given point was moved from the end of June to the middle of July (probably another decision that was affected by the release of The Dark Knight, which was July 18 of last year). I certainly wish that I had known, since immediately following I saw Tetro, Moon, The Hurt Locker, and (500) Days of Summer, which I proudly call my favorite film so far and is a much better contender than Drag Me to Hell. So, since there's no new movie worth reviewing this weekend (I'll politely pass on The Ugly Truth and G-Force: 3D), I thought I'd make another mention on what the year has offered, in terms of great performances and some technical aspects.

Leading Actor: As I mentioned in my review, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has yet to give a performance that I haven't fallen in love with. In (500) Days..., he is able to convey so much emotion while saying and doing very little. He commands every accomplishment his character requires. The same goes to Sam Rockwell for the well received Moon, doing a fantastic one man show and providing more evidence that he's a great actor than taken as he gives a deep, psychological and emotionally involving turn. I'd also give shout-outs to John Krisinski for a surprisingly good role in Away We Go, Vincent Gallo's leading performance in Tetro, and the always reliable Johnny Depp as John Dillinger in Public Enemies. Two little seen movies, The Escapist and Is Anybody There?, had two great leads in Brian Cox and Michael Caine, respectively. Don't expect greatness in either role, but expect them to elevate the material in every scene they appear in.

Leading Actress: Hands down, my favorite actress at this point is Maya Rudolph in Sam Mendes's Away We Go. She's funny and incredibly dramatic, and completely blew me away after seeing her successful run on SNL. She carries so much expression in her eyes and quiet voice that you'll believe she cries more than she does in actuality. She is incredible in this film. Zooey Deschanel, who I've never been a big fan of, finally gave a performance that didn't annoy me in (500) Days..., and she was a perfect compliment to Gordon-Levitt, which is what the girl in a couple film should do. This category hasn't been stellar so far, but I would mention Kristen Stewart giving a mature performance in the surprisingly mature Adventureland and even Alison Lohman giving a devilishly twisted version of the damsel in distress in Drag Me to Hell.

Supporting Actor: Tetro has to be the most contradictory film for me. It is a movie that I did love, and I stand by my review, but it is completely forgettable and I sometimes have to remind myself that I saw it. However, I really remember relative newcomer Alden Ehrenreich conveying a lot of powerful emotions in his soft spoken mannerisms. Watchmen is a movie that I now find dissatisfying, but Jackie Earle Haley's performance as Rorschach was really the most interesting thing about the entire movie, and that definitely deserves special mention. The very little seen The Escapist had a great supporting cast, whose highlights include Damian Lewis as a sadistic prison bully and Liam Cunningham as the wise, long term inmate. I was also genuinely surprised at how well Ryan Reynolds carried dramatic work in Adventureland and he flexed those acting muscles very convincingly (he's got the talent, he just needs to pick the right project).

Supporting Actress: I don't have a lot to report here, and in all honesty I hardly ever do, but I will say that Mabriel Verdu once again amazed me, this time in Tetro, providing a supporting performance that doesn't try to steal the spotlight, but only gives the film a grounded feeling and steals the show anyway because of the great performances. I also want to give recognition to Helen Mirren as the tough-as-nails newspaper editor in State of Play, overplaying that British acting style really well, Lorna Raver as the infamous Gypsy lady in Drag Me to Hell, camping it up really good, and Zoe Saldana, giving a much appreciated re-imagining of Uhuru in Star Trek, turning her from forgettable bit player to commanding screen presence.

Director: In keeping with my favorite film this year, Marc Webb provided great creative energy in (500) Days... and turned a generally passive story into a visually stunning and emotionally driven work of art. The same thing can be said for Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie, BTW) for Moon, delivering a cool and often times chilling portrait of solitude. I appreciated Francis Ford Coppola's personal touch in Tetro and a big mention has to go to Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, who knew exactly how to make an audience care about the small ensemble enough to get the tension racked up in the well executed suspense scenes. Recognition also to Michael Mann for providing an overstuffed, but engaging Public Enemies and Sam Raimi's playful sense of manipulative humor in Drag Me to Hell.

Screenplays: At this point, original screenplays are just laying waste to the adapted material so far this year. (500) Days of Summer, Moon, Tetro, Away We Go, Up, Duplicity and Drag Me to Hell have all been better than even the best adapted screenplay I've seen this year, which the best has been State of Play. The others that have been qualified for mentioning only to fill up slots have been films like Star Trek, Angels & Demons, and the latest Harry Potter film. I hope some adapted material will be better later, but I'm not seeing it right now.

Techs: My favorite technical category is cinematography, and Tetro dominates in its glorious black and white scheme, with honorable mentions to the glorious wide shots in Sin Nombre and the bleak, French impressionist hues of the latest Harry Potter. Editing is next, and (500) Days of Summer takes it for its inventive, back and forth, storytelling style. Michael Giacchino is always noticed for Pixar work, and Up has been no exception, but two underrated, and forgotten, scores this year have been James Newton Howard's energetic and jazzy tracks to Duplicity and the always great Hans Zimmer doing his operatic best for Angels & Demons. And I know that when we get to the sound categories, many people start to tune out, but a big special mention has to go to the teams behind The Hurt Locker, who really made the tension work, and Harry Potter who especially gave the flashback scenes a aurora of mystery.

Well, I think that about covers it. I'll be back next week hopefully with a review of Funny People. I have yet to love a Judd Apatow film, but maybe third time will be the charm. I doubt it, but we'll see.