Saturday, 31 December 2011 00:47

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

MOVIE REVIEW

A common thread among the best cinematic performances of 2011 is that the most effective roles are much smaller in scope than previous years. Many of the characters who have lingered in our collective minds are fathers and mothers trying to hold their families together. They are facing the death of their usual selves and need to change with the times, or else feel the uneasy reality of failure.

1. Vera Farmiga, "Higher Ground"
One of the most quietly moving performances in years comes thanks to Vera Farmiga, who not only stars in “Higher Ground,” but also directed the film. Playing Corinne, a woman with a good heart and strong religious beliefs, Farmiga is able to put a cinematic face on a smart, engaging Christian. The performance is so refreshing because it's the opposite of cliche. Corinne is not a zealot or fundamentalist; she's merely a mother and wife, struggling with questions she yearns to answer. Farmiga offers an ambitiously understated performance in a film that investigates what happens when one feels the pangs of dissatisfaction.

2. George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Alexander Payne, director of 'About Schmidt' and “Sideways,” has once again fascinated moviegoers with a stunning portraiture of a broken man trying to hold it all together. His clay is the always-impressive George Clooney, an actor who, like a good wine, seems to age well. Playing Matt King, a wealthy lawyer grappling with the pending death of his estranged wife, Clooney is able to convey a panoply of emotions as he works his way through the unbearable grief process. Much like Brad Pitt's role in 'The Tree of Life,' Clooney is able to create a respectable father figure who carefully tip-toes through the volatile mines of parenthood. As his wife withers in front of him, he realizes his need to take the reins.

3. Viola Davis, “The Help”
“The Help” is an effective cinematic adaptation that occasionally can feel too much like the usual "best-seller" fare that hits movie theaters. Surely, the film would not be as popular or noteworthy if Viola Davis were not involved. As Aibileen Clark, a black maid working in Jackson, Miss., the talented actress is able to ground the film in historical reality. She holds the weight of her son's death and her community's discrimination on her shoulders. Watching her stomach the racism around her and somehow hold her head up high is a marvel to behold. In a year when much-heralded impersonations are getting all the ink (Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn” and Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”), it's Davis' turn in “The Help” that leaves a lasting impression.

4. Brendan Gleeson, “The Guard”
I've seen Brendan Gleeson in many bad films, but I've never seen a bad Brendan Gleeson performance. In “The Guard,” a small Irish film from John Michael McDonagh, Gleeson plays Sgt. Gerry Boyle, an offensive policeman with a dirty mouth and penchant for enjoying hookers on his days off. He's far from the model of humanity, but Gleeson smartly plays him with no pretense or judgment. This makes the character a wonderful complexity of emotions. At one minute, Boyle could be insulting a black FBI agent (Don Cheadle) and in another minute, he's caring for his dying mother (Fionnula Flanagan). The fact that he can do both with a straight face shows a commitment to the character.

5. Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia”
Despite the inherent controversy over director Lars Von Trier's work, the filmmaker knows how to engage audiences with thoughtful, provocative movies. His latest is 'Melancholia,' and it features a believable, often heartbreaking performance from Kristen Dunst. Living up to its title, the movie depicts the final hours before the end of the world. The only way we as an audience are allowed to comprehend the doom and gloom is through the tortured eyes of Justine (Dunst), a newly wed bride who somehow can identify with the looming destruction. It's a complicated performance that fits perfectly in a complicated film.