Ryan Gosling Blue Valentine

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Starring: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

Oscar nominee

Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)

and Oscar nominee

Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

had their work cut out for them in this dramatic tale.  Meeting as young twenty somethings we see the initial giddiness they experience falling in love.  As the years move on and a child is introduced, the daily monotony of work and life begin to mount.  The question for the couple becomes: is the love you felt years earlier enough to overcome the obstacles of your present?  The story is told in non linear fashion and helps keep the simple plot moving forward.

Director

Derek Cianfrance's

had to realize that his film would succeed or fail solely with the chemistry between Gosling and Williams.  Williams just received her second Oscar nomination for her performance, but Gosling was surprisingly absent from the list of nominees.  The movie was initially rated  NC-17 by the MPAA. An NC-17 rating is a box office killer and scares off any type of award consideration.  The producers appealed the decision and were given an R rating. The film is raw and explicit but it is far from pornographic. The performances are genuine and heartfelt.  By the end of the movie, my heart was broken for this young couple.  I became so involved with the story that in the end I felt cheated by the filmaker.  You can not involve an audience on that level and then not give them a payoff.  Blue Valentine does not lend itself to an ambiguous ending.  The romance is very deliberate.  Both parties seek each other out and pursue the relationship.  The audience deserves to know, do they or do they not stay together?  This movie does showcase two amazing performances but the sour taste of the ending left me a little blue.

fashionado

film

score 7 out of 10

fashionadofilm Jamie Clemons

Black Swan Natalie Portman

Black Swan

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, and Barbara Hershey

If you have been looking for that perfect film to get you in the mood for the holidays

Black Swan

is not it.  It is a twisted psychological and sexually confused ballerina movie.  Even though it will not put you in the holiday spirit, it

is a visual marvel that you should not miss. Director

Darren Aronofsky  (The Wrestler)

has made a film that will  keep your eyes fixed to the screen.  You will not always know what is happening.  During certain scenes, you may not want to know what is happening, but one thing is for certain you will not be able to stop watching.

Oscar nominee

Natalie Portman (Closer)

plays the lead role of Nina.  She is a ballerina in New York City trying to become the star of her dance company.  She has intense and overbearing support at home from her mother, played wickedly by Oscar nominee

Barbara Hershey (The Portrait of a Lady)

.

Vincent Cassel (Ocean’s Thirteen)

is the manipulative director of the dance troupe and has the power to make Nina’s dreams come true.   Oscar nominee

Winona

Ryder

(Little Women)

is the outgoing star of the company who has been forcibly retired by Cassell and copes by attempting to end her own life.  A new dancer played by

Mila Kunis (The Book of Eli)

becomes competition and a fixation for Nina.

Once Nina becomes the lead in Swan Lake, playing both the white and black swans, her obsession with perfection begins to permeate all aspects of her life.  Her mother’s desire for her daughter's success blurs the boundaries of a mother-daughter relationship.   Desperate for approval from her director, Nina flirts with physical temptation.  Paranoid of losing her role to Kunis,  she is consumed by fear.  Images of a doppelganger in all black and disturbing wounds to her body become a reality for Nina.  She is told many times that she has the ability to portray the white swan but lacks the conviction to embody the black swan.  An unexpected attraction towards Mila Kunis awakens a lustful instinct that enables the black swan to emerge. 

Natalie Portman is exceptional in this role.  The black swan takes control with a vengeance at the end of the film in shocking fashion.  The audience watches helplessly as Nina spirals towards madness.  Just this week Portman was nominated for a well deserved Golden Globe Award and I suspect we will see her on Oscar night as well.

Darren Aronofsky was also nominated this week for a best director Golden Globe.  Aronofsky is no stranger to dark story telling. His use of imagery is outstanding.  The juxtaposition of the white and black swan personas create the suspense that fuels this morbid tale. You never know if you are watching a supernatural phenomenon at work, a stalker trying to gain control over an innocent girl, or a psychotic breakdown caused by an inability  to handle the pressures of success.  The end, although tragic, is a bold choice and really the only way the story could reach a satisfying conclusion.  The film opens nationwide today and is worth the price of the ticket.

fashionado

film

score 8 out of 10

fashionado

film

Jamie Clemons

BURLESQUE Cher & Christina Aguilera

Director: Steve Antin

Starring:  Cher, Christina Aguilera, Cam Gigandet, and Stanley Tucci

If

Showgirls

and 

Coyote

Ugly

had a baby, 

Burlesque

would be the more talented offspring.  There was a collective belief that this would be a hot mess of a movie.  It has been promoted heavily as a musical but the only singing in the film is done on stage and in context of a club environment.  No one spontaneously bursts into song in the middle of delivering their dialouge. While far from perfect, the film does entertain and has been added to my guilty pleasures list.

Aguilera

is Ali, a small town girl who heads to the big city to become a star.  I know, I know, an original concept.   Aguilera has been making music for over a decade and without question has a voice that could blow most other performers off the stage.  This was a perfect choice for her first film.  She sings more than she has to deliver lines, and she belts out each one of her sexy numbers with her trademark vocals.  Her acting is a bit wooden, but she shows more promise than other singers turned actors.  With time, she might have what it takes to be a movie star.

For me, the reason to see Burlesque is Oscar winner and diva supreme 

Cher (Moonstruck)

.  At 68, she is still one of the coolest chicks on the planet.  Cher portrays Tess, the owner of the club Burlesque.  She hires Ali as a waitress until she discovers her talents as a dancer/singer and makes her the main attraction.  Tess’ club is about to be foreclosed and she is struggling to keep her business alive. Cher does a solid job, minus facial expression, as the older and wiser songstress offering advice to the younger Ali. 

You Haven’t Seen The Last of Me

is a 

Diane Warren

penned ballad and Cher's big number.  As she sings, “and I am down but I’ll get up again, don’t count me out just yet” you cannot help but think of all the ups and downs during her 40 plus years in show business.  There will be some serious drag queen hair pulling across the globe for dibs on this song.

Oscar nominee  

Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)

really stretches his skills as an actor playing a gay assistant who styles young girls while giving them sage advice and being the sounding board for his alpha female boss.  Please do not get confused.  I am still talking about Burlesque and not 

The Devil Wears Prada

.  Tucci, not afraid of type casting, has taken on the exact same role sans

Meryl

Streep

.  

Cam Gigandet (Twilight)

is the films romantic lead for Aguilera.  He plays his part just fine, but he knows his role in this film is merely eye candy.  He is also perfectly comfortable being shirtless and in one scene even pant-less, enjoy ladies and gents!

Burlesque is not a serious film nor does it take itself seriously.  It is predictable and the plot is tired and a little too simple.  However, the movie is bright and flashy.  The musical numbers are grand and entertaining and as one of the song suggests, "it will move you."

fashionado

film

score 6 out of 10

fashionado

film

Jamie Clemons

127 Hours with James Franco

Director: Danny Boyle

Starring: James Franco

This Thanksgiving weekend, if you choose to go see a movie, I am sure most of you will go see

Harry Potter

.  Harry’s latest adventure is fantastic and the best of the series, but if Harry Potter is sold out I am going to offer another option.  Oscar winning director

Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours

may get overlooked this holiday season, but it is well worth seeking out.

127 Hours is the true story of Aron Ralston. Ralston became trapped while hiking alone in Utah's Blue John Canyon.

A boulder he was using as support gave way and pinned his arm to the canyon wall.  For five days, Ralston attempted to free himself with no success.  With only a small amount of water, Ralston had to resort to drinking his own urine for survival.  Certain that he would die,  he used his video camera to record a farewell message to his parents.  He even carved his name and birth date on the canyon wall. Alone and dying he began to regret the way he managed his relationship's with family and friends.  He even recognized that his own arrogance led  him to the canyon without telling a single person where he was going.  Aron experiences a vision/hallucination that shows him a possible future if he is able to free himself.  The contents of the vision, and tear inducing moment, will remain spoiler free for those of you who will see the movie.  Happily his vision came to pass earlier this year. 

The scene of the actual amputation will be polarizing for movie goers. Many people will go or not go to the theatre because of that scene.  It is a brief moment of the film but it is crucial to Ralston’s journey.  He even acknowledges it as the culmination of his young life.  Aron feels that everything he has done has led him to that canyon and that boulder.  The scene is very graphic.  He must break his own arm in order to cut through the meat with a dull blade and struggles with tearing through his nerve.  He makes his own tourniquet and then  rappels out of the canyon.  After hiking several miles, he crosses paths with other hikers who are able to bring medical aid.

James Franco

is phenomenal in this role and spends most of the film acting alone on screen.  He must create his emotional responses with only the camera in front him.  The range that Franco displays is quite extraordinary.   I would bet that on Oscar night we will see Franco sitting in the front as a nominee.

[caption id="attachment_5715" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The real Aron Ralston"]

[/caption]

Danny Boyle maintains his reputation has a diverse filmmaker.  The man does not like to repeat himself.  During the last decade, he has directed: the great horror film

28 Days Later

, the exceptional and overlooked science fiction film

Sunshine

, and most recently received worldwide accolades and an Oscar for his Bollywood inspired hit 

Slumdog Millionaire

.  By using tight close ups of Franco, Boyle brings the viewer inside the canyon and recreates the isolation and fear that  Aron Ralston experienced.

Movies are escapist entertainment, but every now and then a movie gives us more than just an interesting story.  The heart of this film is the power of the human spirit.  And how  in the face of insurmountable odds an average human being can find the courage to survive.  The film is a brief 90 minutes but you will carry away a feeling of hope that will last much longer.

Fashionado

film

score 9 out of 10

Fashionado

film

Jamie Clemons

Unstoppable with Denzel Washington & Chris Pine

Unstoppable

Director: Tony Scott

Starring:  Denzel Washington and Chris Pine

Director

Tony Scott (Top Gun)

and Oscar winner

Denzel Washington (Training Day)

have collaborated several times over the years, most notably with

Crimson Tide

and

Man on Fire

. These two Hollywood hit makers have a succesful formula for a fast paced thriller.  However, Unstoppable is an action flick with a predictable plot and is not as strong as their past efforts.

Unstoppable follows seasoned rail worker, Washington, and a hot shot trainee,

Chris Pine (Star Trek)

, as they begin a routine day at the rail yard.  While they are transporting a locomotive they are told by their dispatcher that a runaway train filled with toxic waste is barrelling straight for them at 70mph. Washington and Pine are the only two men who can stop the train before it crashes into their hometown.  Have no fear though; we all know that the town will be fine.  With that realization, we find the major flaw of the movie.  There is never a moment in the film when you feel that the town is in any real danger.

Washington, at this stage of his career, just makes it look easy.  But I could not help feel that he was just going through the motions with this performance.   He is without question one of the finest actors working today and could show up on set and play anything and be believable. This was just not a career defining role.  It felt more like a job for the sake of a paycheck.

Chris Pine is hot-hot-hot right now.  If you need a visual, check out the recent

Details Magazine

interview and photo shoot.  In 2009, Chris Pine managed to make

Star Trek

the sexiest it has been in its 40 year history.  He has an undeniable charm and a presence on screen and is reminiscent of

Steve McQueen

.  There is a quiet confidence that he carries, and we will be seeing much more of him in the coming years.  Not only is there a Star Trek sequel already in the works, but it is rumored that Pine will takeover the roll made famous by

Alec Baldwin

and

Harrison Ford

in the popular

Tom Clancy

franchise.

Unstoppable is a paint-by-numbers action picture.  We have the know-it-all old timer forced to work with a hot shot rookie. The old timer has all the right answers that can save the day,but he must contend with the college educated corporate executives who are too incompetent to figure out the solution.  The movie was not a total train wreck.  Tony Scott did manage to create a few moments of real suspense,  but when you feel faliure  is not even a possibility it tends to derail your enthusiasm.  The careers' of Washington and Pine will no doubt continue on the fast track, despite this film, and will most likely be unstoppable.

fashionado

film

score 5 out of 10

fashionado

film

Jamie Clemons

The Town Ben Affleck

The Town

Director: Ben Affleck

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, John Hamm, Blake Lively, and Rebecca Hall 

Oscar winner

Ben Affleck’s

career has had its ups and downs over the years.  He entered the national spotlight with

Good Will Hunting

.  Since then it has been very hit and miss for Mr. Affleck.  There have been highs:  

Dogma

and

Shakespeare in Lov

e, but more often than not there have been lows:

Forces of Nature, The Sum of All Fears, Surviving

Christmas,

and

Pearl

Harbor

.  With

The

Town

,  I can at least now forgive Ben Affleck for his string of flops.  In 2007 Ben directed

Gone

Baby

Gone

, a drama with well crafted character development.  The Town  has cemented his reputation as a solid director but also restored my faith in his acting ability.

The film focuses on a group of blue collar guys living in Boston Mass.  They all enter the family business of robbing banks.  During the opening heist, a blindfolded hostage is taken and subsequently released.  After the robbery, Affleck follows the young woman and assumes responsibility for assuring that she is not able to identify the masked villans.  Of course he falls in love with the victim, but does not tell the rest of his crew that he is now dating the one woman that could send them to prison.  Oscar nominee

Jeremy

Renner

(The Hurt Locker) is Affleck’s life long and prison hardened pal who served an eight year sentence for man slaughter.  Renner’s star is on the rise.  In 2012, he will costar along side

Robert Downey Jr.

and

Samuel

Jackson

in Marvel Comics'

The

Avengers

.

Blake

Lively

(Gossip Girl) turns in a surprisingly strong performance as a drug addicted mom who is in love with Affleck.  Next summer she will be flying high with 

Ryan

Reynolds

in

The Green Lantern

.  

John

Hamm

(AMC’s Mad Men) portrays the federal agent hellbent on tracking them all down.  British actress

Rebecca

Hall

was the most impressive for me.  Hall's character is victimized in a horrible way.  Through the course of the movie she must learn to accept that the man who is responsible for her trauma is the same man that helped her overcome it.  Her teary eyed scenes were the most emotional in the film. 

With a movie that focuses on criminals as the main characters, the trick is making the audience empathize  for them when the going gets tough.  These bank robbers deserve to get caught or gun downed for their wickedness and violence toward others. Affleck managed to have me routing for them to the very end. Thankfully he does not even try to portray them sympathetically but by being honest to who they are as people. They know their lives could end at any moment.  There is a sad acceptance of this fact that runs throughout the film.  As the characters say several times they will see each other again, “this side or the other.”  Affleck is the only one who has the desire or even the hope of a better life.  The Shawshankian ending to the film does provide some redemption to the story.

The Town

is a movie I would absolutely see again, but it is a town that I would never want to visit.

fashionado

film

score 8 out of 10

fashionado

film

Jamie Clemons

Macon Film Festival!

Macon Film Festival

Historic downtown Macon hosts an internationally creative scene this weekend (Feb. 18-21) as the 5th annual

Macon Film Festival

lives up to its reputation of featuring independent films. This year, 10 different countries have submissions to the film festival. Actors

Illeana Douglas

and 30 Rock's 

Jack McBrayer

are just two of the celebrity guests expected at the spectacular cultural event.

The 5th annual

Macon Film Festival

(MaGa)

kicks off Thursday with a screening of  "The Candidate" followed by the

Best in Show

award renamed after macon native and Academy Award winning actor

Melvyn Douglas

. 

Illeana Douglas

who is Mr. Douglas' granddaughter, will be present for the dedication. Later, her film, "Easy to Assemble", about an actress who "quits Hollywood" to work at Ikea, plays at the

Capitol Cox Theater

at 9pm, followed by a Q&A with Ms. Douglas.

Another highlight to the Macon Film Festival is the Georgia premiere of

Steve Balderson's

STUCK!

The film which was shot in Macon, tells the story of a woman named Daisy who is falsely accused of murder and sent to prison. It's styled in the genre of classic women's prison movies but with a modern spin. The film's stars are Karen Black, Jane Wiedlin (formerly of the GoGo's) Pleasant Gehman, Starina Johnson and the

divine

Mink Stole! 

fashionado