"Biutiful" - Review

Biutifully touching and heartbreaking

"Biutiful" is the fourth and newest film from Academy Award nominated Director, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, whose previous work includes of "Amores Perros", "21 Grams", and "Babel". This is his first film completely in Spanish since his debut film.

Anyone familiar with Iñarritu's work knows that he always touches on similar themes of death, love, crime, life struggles, and many other things. And "Biutiful" is no exception to the aforementioned. Javier Bardem ("No Country For Old Men") stars as Uxbal; a single father of two living in the slums of Barcelona who is involved as a middleman in the criminal underworld of said city. However, though involved in crime, Uxbal isn't like most criminals, he has compassion, heart, kindness, and incredible love for his children (whom he basically does these things for). On top of living and working in a dangerous world, Uxbal is on the brink of death after being diagnosed with cancer. So the majority film deals with him accepting his fate, reconciling, dealing with his estranged bi-polar wife, and fixing his messy life as much as he can.

My only (minor) issue with the film is the storyline, because it's something that Iñarritu has already done. However, that doesn't stop it from being a beautiful, touching, and great film overall. My biggest praise would easily go towards Javier Bardem's performance; it was very powerful, so real, and ultimately forced you to care dearly for Uxbal. It's no surprise that he's been nominated for Best Lead Actor at this year's Academy Awards (and the first ever nomination for a role in a foreign language, if I'm not mistaken). This role has officially sealed my approval of Bardem as one of the best actors today. He's impressively eclectic as he can play any role ranging from a likable criminal with morals, a charming & unorthodox artist ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona), and a relentless monster ("No Country For Old Men").

This film is completely in Spanish (with English subtitles), so if you're open-minded enough to check it out or if you already constantly view foreign films, then I recommend it; just do keep the tissues handy if you check it out because it causes many lumps in your throat. It isn't without its minor flaws but it's still one of the best films of 2010. I loved the performances, I loved the incredibly moving musical score, and I enjoyed it overall.

Score: 4/5

"It's Kind Of A Funny Story" - Review

"If you aren't busy being born, you're busy dying."

I went into this film with medium expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a nice little charming film that has a good balance of comedy, modern romance, & drama, with the latter probably being the strongest part (better scenes), but the laughs are there too. Zach Galifianakis was easily the best cast member in this film by playing a character whom you cared about dearly and also brought the funniness. This is my first time seeing Emma Roberts in a film and she was easily a close second. She's not only very beautiful but shows a lot of promise and potential for future projects.

The main character Craig (played by Keir Gilchrist) was kind of good, but it could have been done better by a different actor, in my opinion. But considering this was possibly his major role, he didn't do a half-bad job.

It isn't a film to desperately rush out and see, nor is it a modern classic by any means, but if you have the time and can't decide on what to view, then I recommend it.

Score: 4/5

"Never Let Me Go" - Review

"We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time."

Even though it seriously pains me to admit it, I completely missed this film last year. I did hear the name, but all I knew about it was that Keira Knightley was involved. But I'm glad I finally checked it out on the DVD/Blu-Ray release date (better late than never, right?) and what an amazing, beautiful, powerful, and moving film this is. I haven't felt like crying in a film this much in a long while. It touches on themes of mortality, what having a soul really means, ethics (or lack of, actually), love, what's important in life, and so much more.

The genre is almost impossible to describe since it's part Sci-Fi, part Romance, and part Drama. But the final outcome of this odd recipe was incredible. It really makes you think about the high possiblity of the events in this film happening. And the even higher possiblity of just how disgusting and unethical the human race can be when it comes to things that only benefit them greatly.

The performances from the main cast (Garfield, Mulligan, and Knightley) were very solid and get major praise from yours truly. Keira Knightley has impressed me for a long time now; Carey Mulligan for a little while now (since "An Education") but Andrew Garfield has officially won me over after two top-notch performances in 2010 ("The Social Network" being the other) I highly recommend it this film to everyone. I'm even going to have to revise my "Top 10 Films of 2010" list. It's an absolute shame this was snubbed by the Oscars; so it's now a hidden gem lost in the hype that I hope is found by many.

I award it the highest honor possible...

Score: 5/5