ANOTHER YEAR / BIUTIFUL

It's Oscar season and I have conveniently been taking trips to Chicago the past two weekends and it's been so freezing cold that indoor activities such as movie watching were an even more attractive option than normal, especially with the Oscar nominees announced and the wealth of artsy movie watching options in Chicago.

In between some parties and social events, I stopped at the Lakeview neighborhood's Landmark Century Theater and chose from several equally attractive cinema options depending on how the starting times coordinated with my schedule, with some influence based on whether I could see these movies back in Rockford for a few dollars cheaper. Even 12 nominations for the King's Speech was too much for my local multiplex to ignore, so they spared a fourth screen for Yogi Bear to make room for that movie, and I'll have to see it soon.

ANOTHER YEAR (2010)

[oscar nom: Best Original Screenplay 1/5]

Two years ago, at the same theater, I saw Mike Leigh's last film Happy-Go-Lucky, which became one of my favorite films of 2008 and one I hope to see for the second timesoon because I can't remember a more recent life affirming film or more loveable character that the main one in that movie. This is definitely a more somber picture, but still invigorating because of the improvisational style and "scriptless" approach that creates natural moments and suspense even in the most conventional settings. Like Happy-Go-Lucky, the only nomination this film got was for original screenplay, despite the incredible performances, especially Lesley Manville's desperation and vulnerability in the form of a middle-aged single woman coming to terms with the conclusion that there is a type of happiness and emotional stability she'll never be able to reach, and that, one can hope, her conclusion helps her pursue a different kind of happiness and satisfaction after the film's final scene. The flipside of giving actors room to breathe and flesh out characters during the course of the film does lead to some moments that drag, but no other style of filmmaking is quite like this, and I'll follow this director anywhere.

BIUTIFUL (2010)

[oscar nom Best Actor 3/5]

Javier Barden in an Oscar nominated performance for Best Lead Actor... that's all I needed to take a risk, and perhaps it was an even better move to watch this film because I didn't read any reviews or summaries to tell me what the movie was about... a completely cold turkey . Bardem nearly carries the whole film during its length over two hours... despite some frustrating elements, conventional themes, and a character that broods and seems to have trouble giving me the satisfaction of expressing himself at appropriate moments in order to move the film forward. It comes just short of satisfying because of the sensation I have when leaving some indie movies that I just viewed a bunch of random things for no deep reason. I will say that the director, Alejandra Gonzalez Inarritu, received some criticism for making an acclaimed movie, Babel (which I haven't seen), that tried too hard to throw together random character stories into a theme about how connected the world's struggles are. That criticism, in part, really turned me off to seeing Babel, because of my assumptions of how those movies are Oscar catnip but don't really take risks. This movie, however, is actually anchored in the personal battle of one well-acted character in one city, and the diversions from Bardem seem appropriate and add interesting elements to an overall picture of the environment this character works in. Critics didn't say absolutely wonderful things about it, but I think that it was worth my time for the most part.

[P.S. I'm going to make a little note whenever I watch an Oscar nominee... Best Picture/Director/Actor/Actress/Supp. Actor/Supp. Actress/Orig. Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay... I'll celebrate the viewing of a complete category of nominations with a recollections of all the nominations and my personal pick for the best]