Act of Valor: Real action with real American heroes

After a covert CIA operative is kidnapped by a dangerous terrorist cell a group of Navy SEALs is dispatched to rescue her. They discover that her kidnapping was part of a bigger terrorist threat, one that looks to inflict terrifying damage to the United States.

What sets Act of Valor apart from other Hollywood action films is the fact that the leading and supporting roles are played by active duty Navy SEALs. This fact certainly aided in the films' action sequences, which were tense and stunning. Since there were no "actors" playing the lead and supporting roles, and the filmmakers chose to shoot the film in a documentary - style fashion, one could not help but feel as though they were on the ground with the SEALs fighting terrorists or rescuing the kidnapped CIA operative. The language used, the equipment and weaponry employed all added a touch of realism that made the action all the more impactful and real. Where the film lost steam was when the SEALs were asked to act. The way they delivered their lines when they were discussing things other than the mission left much to be desired (but one honestly cannot fault them for that, after all they are not trained actors). The clunky script and predictable story did not help matters either.

The film was never going to blow the audience away with Oscar worthy performances by the cast or dazzle critics with the complexity and depth of its story. It was a film which tried to give the audience a realistic look at the actions, emotions and sacrifices made by real soldiers every day. Act of Valor did that.

Grade: C+

Black Swan: A disturbing masterpiece

Ballet dancer Nina lands the role of the lifetime when she is cast as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. But she soon starts to believe her dreams of stardom will be crushed by her rival Lilly and, as opening night approaches and the pressure builds, her obsesion with being the "perfect" Swan Queen drives her into paranoia and delusion.

The first thing one remembers after turning off Black Swan is the career defining performance given by Natalie Portman. As Nina, she was able to grow character-wise, from the timid and scared girl in the beginning of the film who could only hope to land the part of the Swan Queen to the mature and confident woman who was able to give the performance of her lifetime in that role. Her actions and reactions between those two points were filled with so much emotion, including anger, confusion, despair and desire that it was nearly impossible to tear one's eyes from the screen for Ms. Portman so totally lost herself in the role that it was hard to imagine this was the same woman who played Queen/Senator Amidala in the recent Star Wars prequels. It was almost as if Ms. Portman felt as though her own real life career mirrored that of Nina's and, having grown tired of always playing the good girl, she was looking for a role that would not only break that typecasting mold, but bust it inot a million pieces. As with Nina's transformation this role seems to be Portman's transformative performance.

Beyond Portman's performance, Darren Aronofsky's direction merits attention for he was able to not only bring out stellar performances from his lead actress as well as the rest of the cast, but he also kept the audience on the edge of their seats by playing up the torment Nina was facing. Her decent into a psychological spiral preyed on the minds of the audience, causing them to question whether Nina was truly turning into the mythologial Black Swan or if she was simply loosing her mind. Aronofsky was able to further toy with the audience by including some of Nina's visions, which contained some of the more unnerving images seen on film since movies such as The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby.

A film about a mentally unhinged ballerina does not seem like something many people would be calmoring to watch, however the strong acting and storytelling of Black Swan made it a disturbingly, entertaining thriller that an audience could not help but be enthralled by.

Grade: A

The Fighter: In this corner, one heck of a good film

Growing up in the shadow of his older brother Dickey, a once talented boxer and small town hero who now battles a drug addiction, Mickey has always struggled to be his own man and makes a name for himself as a professional boxer. Things start to turn around for him in the ring once he begins training with someone other than Dickey and starts dating a woman named Charlene, but will he be able to maintain his newfound success?

A film in the same vein as Raging Bull, though lacking in the same kind of intensity story-wise and visceral viciousness when it came to the actual boxing sequences, The Fighter was an engrossing sports drama which sucked viewers in thanks to the impressive performances of its cast. Mark Wahlberg was steady as Mickey, invoking both strength and vulnerability in his portrayal, making him imminently easy to root for. Melissa Leo’s portrayal as Alice (Mickey and Dickey’s overbearing and unscrupulous mother) was horrifying to behold at points (because of the way she treated Mickey) and therefore solid in its own right but major kudos (and a well deserved Oscar) go to Christian Bale as Dickey. When he is first shown on the screen, it’s hard to imagine that this is the same man who portrays Batman, as Bale has the look, twitches and other believable characteristics of an addict. He was not an easy character to like at first, for Dickey had a number of faults beyond his addiction but Bale was able to breath bits and pieces of humanity into the character until he finally decided to give up drugs and recommit himself to living a clean life and helping Mickey with his boxing career. The parallel lines that both he and Mickey took to their ultimate redemption and/or triumph were difficult to watch at times, but that just made their victories much sweeter. Plus it served the purpose of keeping the audience engaged in the story.

Featuring mature directing from David O. Russell, The Fighter delivered an emotionally satisfying story with captivating performances.

Grade: B-

Annie Hall: I'm no longer bitter.

If you've read this blog for any amount of time you realize that I am a huge Star Wars honk. To that end I was always curious as to why Episode IV did not win the Academy Award for best picture when it was released in 1977. This film, perhaps the best in the Woody Allen canon, took home the Oscar that night and I never understood why, until I watched it.

Comedian Alvy Singer seems to be unlucky at love, till he meets Annie Hall. Soon their relationship begins to grow but like all relationships, must endure some rough spots. But can Alvy and Annie survive these trials and tribulations and stick together for the long haul?

First and foremost, the film was funny. From the first drink that Alvy and Annie shared on a rooftop to his driving experience out in Los Angeles the film kept the audience chuckling throughout. To go along with the humor the film presented a great love story. Alvy and Annie seemed like typical people facing those good and bad times in a relationship that most regular people face. Their story was very accessible and easy to relate to. The way in which the film was presented, going back and forth in time and showing things in a non – linear fashion, made it interesting. It kept the audience more entertained than a straight forward linear film would have. Woody Allen was terrific in the lead role. He was a neurotic comedian that could quip one – liners with the best of them, but also had a serious and caring heart. Diane Keaton’s Annie was the real treat of the film. When she first appeared on screen she was a timid country girl unsure of herself and her abilities (she wanted to be a singer). By the end of the film she had become a modern, independent woman capable of doing anything. Hollywood tries but fails to make films like this nowadays, which makes watching Annie Hall quite a treat.

Grade: A