Reviews

Room is a harrowing thriller, but not in the traditional sense of the word. It deals with a dark subject matter and the first half of the film can be quite disturbing. Yet director Lenny Abrahamson (Frank) has adapted the best-selling novel with grace and grandeur. Here is a film so artistically unique and deviant, chock full of genuine emotion thanks to two outstanding performances, that isn't afraid to take risks and surprise at every turn.

Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue, Room introduces us to Ma and Jack, a mother and son held captive in a garden shed. As we learn more about their captivity, their world becomes clearer and clearer to us. They live by a routine, have names for every object in room, and Ma must be careful as her son grows older and more curious.

The film is structured into two halves, and by now it's no spoiler that the second half deals with their readjustment into the outside world, and Jack's first time outside of room. The film is thematically complex, yet never overwhelming. At its core it's about motherhood, but Jack's unique upbringing complicates things.

Director Lenny Abrahamson is no stranger to the strange, and with Room he's made a masterpiece of filmmaking. The entire idea of 'room,' the abstract concept of space, is ever-present in the production. In their bubble of room, Ma and Jack are restricted, as evident by Abrahamson's close angles and tight shots. The small space allows for high concept filmmaking, and when they get out of room, it only gets better, with a new color palette and experimental camera angles through Jack's eyes. The entire film is seen through the eyes of this child, and it's genius. What I loved about the book was its focus on Jack and how he adjusts to seeing this new world for the first time, and the movie never loses sight of that.

I wrote about the pressure placed on child actors in my review for the incredible Beasts of No Nation, and Jacob Tremblay fits like a glove. Like Abraham Attah, he isn't a child actor, but an actor who just happens to be of a younger age. His wide eyes and expressive thoughts are very believable, and when he sees the outside world for the first time, it's a thing of beauty. Tremblay has brilliant chemistry with Brie Larson, and for one second I never doubted her devotion to him. As Ma faces frustrating upon leaving room, from her parents, doctors, and the media, she never forgets her son Jack, and always puts his wellbeing first. Larson taps into this character, one that undergoes a stunning transformation as she basically lost seven years of her life being locked up. Her performance will blow you away.

The best actors are the ones able to transport you into their characters' own universes, no matter how isolated from society they happen to be. Larson, Tremblay, and Joan Allen all have a tremendous range of emotional ability and are able to sell you on their story not just for two hours, but for an entire lifetime. With Room, Abrahamson goes the extra mile with his direction, and director of photography Danny Cohen keeps all eyes on Jack. The film asks us to examine how we view the world and how this viewpoint is shaped by our nurtured upbringing. The result is a breathtaking experience brought to life, one you won't soon forget.

Lee Daniels' The Butler is a perfect example of a good historical drama that can be informative and emotional without being too emotionally draining or manipulative. A lot of viewers might pass this off as easy "Oscar bait," and they couldn't be more wrong. They'd also be missing out on one of the best films of the year, telling the story of a great man and his family and career.

The Butler tells the mostly true story of Cecil Gaines, a butler who started from the bottom and served under the tenure of eight U.S. presidents. More than just a biopic, The Butler highlights the ups and downs of the Gaines family, and this is all under the backdrop of many historical events in the 20th century. The film starts with Cecil working as a boy on a plantation with his parents. After a turn of events, he comes under the wing of a man who teaches him to be a butler. He gets noticed, and quickly he is starting work at the White House, under Eisenhower's term.

Cecil's life takes him through his life at the plantation as a young boy, all the way up to the 2008 election of Barack Obama. Under the service of eight presidents, Cecil is able to witness and is affected by many influential historical events. You'll see through his eyes many important events in the Civil Rights Movement, such as the Nashville sit-ins and the integration of public schools. You'll witness how his family is affected by these events. You'll see how presidents handle and react to these events. More than just a history lesson, The Butler is a glimpse through the eyes of a man on the inside.

On the emotional front, The Butler is loaded. Because it's a period piece, many viewers might connect the emotional impact of the film with its genre and dismiss it as "Oscar" bait. Whether or not that's the intention is irrelevant. That's not to say The Butler is never contrived, because that's not true. There are signs of planning for big emotional impacts, but these are natural and necessary for you to connect and sympathize with the Gaines family. "Inspired" by true events, I'm fairly certain that some events among Cecil and his family are fictionalized, but it's all for the sake of story. The film feels authentic, and that's a good thing for a movie like this.

The film doesn't shy away from showing you the harsh life back then, especially during the Civil Rights Movement. There are some uncomfortable and violent scenes, that can make anyone cringe. These scenes are important in depicting what the struggle was like for blacks in the 1950s and 60s. They help make the film feel more real.

The Butler has an enormous cast of very interesting characters. Cecil's wife, Gloria, battles addictions herself as she experiences these events first and secondhand. Cecil and his wife have two children, both who are also affected by society in many ways, be it the Civil Rights Movement or the Vietnam War. Their oldest son, Louis, gets involved with the Freedom Riders, and later the Black Panthers. As his relationship with his family gets strained, Louis's storyline is one of the most engrossing and relatable. At the White House, Cecil works with many other servers, who help him in his times of struggle and go with him through the presidents' terms. Cecil starts working under President Eisenhower, and later Kennedy, Nixon, all the way up to Reagan. The presidents themselves all have varying amounts of screen time, but they are well- done and historically accurate. Even at times they add a little much-needed humor to the mix.

One great scene shows Cecil's son Louis associating with the Freedom Riders. They meet in the basement of the university he attends, and they attend sit-ins and fight for their rights. Played in parallel with this scene is Cecil and his fellow butlers preparing for a meal. The contrast between the two scenes, one violent, the other calm and careful, help keep the pace of the film, and keeps the viewer intrigued.

The Butler has some of the best performances of the year. Cecil is portrayed with audacity by Forest Whitaker, who gives some of the best work of his career. His courage and ambition is seen through his eyes alone. Not nominating Whitaker would be a huge mistake on the Academy's part. Equally matching his raw performance is Oprah Winfrey as his wife Gloria. Returning to the big screen, Winfrey plays a grieving wife, who is sure to be the crowd favorite, as she is the most sympathetic. A nomination for her wouldn't be out of the picture either. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz shine as fellow White House butlers. The presidents themselves seem equally as miscast as they do well cast. Robin Williams, James Marsden, Alan Rickman, and more play the various commanders-in-chief. It's kind of distracting seeing Severus Snape play Ronald Reagan, as viewers will associate the actor with their most well-known work, not who they are portraying now. Daniels should have casted lesser-known actors to portray the presidents, because 1) Playing the president can potentially be a star-making role, and 2) It will keep viewers from getting distracted by seeing A-list celebrities portray these figures. One wonders if their casting was simply for the star power alone, as it feels very gimmicky sometimes.

Lee Daniels' The Butler is a fantastic view at a fantastic man. Contrived for the sake of story, with raw emotion and performances that keep it grounded, the film seems poised to make a splash this Oscar season. In spite of some miscasted presidents, The Butler has some of the best performances of the year, and is a perfect reason to go to the movies.

New filmmaker Neill Blomkamp had his work cut out for him in his sophomore effort, Elysium. Following up on Oscar-nominated District 9, arguably one of the best sci-fi movies of this generation, is no easy task. While Elysium doesn't come close to matching the raw originality present in District 9, it's still a very enjoyable, mostly original sci-fi film that is still streets ahead of standard fare.

Elysium's main concept is easy enough to wrap your head around. The year is 2154, and Earth has become overpopulated and overpolluted. The rich have left Earth and settled on Elysium, a synthetic planet, where they reside in luxurious mansions and live like royalty. Elysium is perfect, there is no war or poverty, and every house even has a med-bay to cure even the most infectious diseases.

Elysium's strength lies not in its concept, but in its brash execution. Elysium takes us through the life of Max (Matt Damon), an ex-convict living on Earth in the poor shambles of Los Angeles. Max is your working class hero, and he works in restoring the robots who help keep the peace on Elysium. After an accident at work, Max is left with five days to live and must travel to Elysium to save his life. Meanwhile, Elysium's president Delacourt (Jodie Foster), has developed a program that could rewire Elysium's inner workings, allowing all humans to become citizens. Her inside moles on Earth, John Carlyle (William Fichtner) and Kruger (Sharlto Copley), help keep the peace and keep foreigners away from Elysium. Max stumbles upon an old friend (Wagner Moura), who agrees to help him travel to Elysium in exchange for the sensitive information that Elysium's leaders have been working on.

It goes deeper than that, but without getting spoilery, I'll leave it there. Elysium runs into some action-clichés, but thankfully the film's resolution never feels like a cop-out. In fact, the first 1/3 of the movie is basically exposition, and from then on it only gets better, leading to a great final act. A romance is thrown in here and there, however it actually has context within the plot, as Max's old "girlfriend" Frey (Alice Braga) has a daughter who is in the final stages of leukemia, so she herself has a predisposition to get to Elysium as well.

The sharp contrast between life on Earth and life on Elysium is very obvious, but personally I would have liked to have gotten more history on Elysium, as well as more information about life on Elysium. Life on Elysium for the proletariat citizens is barely shown, for example, only in brief snippets. It's small details like these would greatly enhance the film as a whole, and make it a more enjoyable and, to an extent believable, universe.

Blomkamp has created such a rich and unique world, but he only uses it within the context of an action movie. He unfortunately never goes further than what the plot demands, never asking "what more can we show the audience about (blank)?" This leaves the viewer underwhelmed by the end, only wondering what could have been. The movie is short, and when you leave, you feel like there is more that could have been delved into. This is why movies like Inception, Looper, or even Avatar succeed, because they have expansive, well thought-out worlds that give the movie lasting value. Elysium almost feels like a festival film that is only 45 minutes long. More backstory could have made Elysium almost to the level of District 9.

Elysium explores some themes present in society today, and for the most part, everything "beneath the iceberg" is typically black-and-white. There isn't much digging to be done here. This concept of rich and poor is something that has been done before, but Elysium makes this idea unique enough thanks to its main conflict. In terms of social commentary, Elysium has all the makings for a 60 Minutes special. It explores themes such as social stratification and immigration, but en masse it's pretty shallow.

The characters created are very well done, with well thought-out motivations and interesting personalities for the most part. Damon's Max is kind of boring himself, but you would too if you were working hard on Earth while all the rich are living it up on Elysium. He is somewhat sympathetic, but on the whole he never develops, never learns anything new. His childhood friend Frey is similar, and the two have almost non-existent chemistry. Their story is told in flashbacks, which I could have used less of, but it works.

The rest of the cast and characters is great. Jodie Foster is chilling as Delacourt, Elysium's top dog, and she steals the show here. She isn't present in too many scenes, but when she is, the spotlight is on her. Foster has done a great job of playing a convincing rich leader, and even evokes traits found in today's headlining politicians. Also good was Sharlto Copley as Kruger, a ruthless warlord-esque character hired by Delacourt. Copley is brutal, and even though he never evolves from ruthless killing machine, he is still a huge force to be reckoned with.

Visually, Elysium is stunning. Earth is a horrifying depiction of the future, think Wall-E but worse. Elysium is gorgeous, a planet with its own walls carved out in the shape of a circle. There are some phenomenal shots here, and the cinematography is top-notch.

Elysium has all the workings for a sci-fi hit. All things considered, it has a good set-up and premise, but Blomkamp never explores the world to its full potential. It does just enough to keep you interested, but not enough to keep you remembering it long after the credits roll.