2013 At The Movies

This is a list of the 2013 movies I saw, some in the theater and some at home. It was a decent year, though I didn't get out to see as many indies as I normally like. Maybe I can change that in 2014.

Let's get on with the reviews.

Zero Dark Thirty

Director Kathryn Bigelow's journalistic account of the raid on the compound in Pakistan that had been the hideout for Osama Bin Laden. The tension builds slowly but steadily as the intelligence services of the world's remaining superpower struggle to find the 9/11 mastermind. It's a series of dead ends until one female agent, played by Jessica Chastain, catches a break and follows the thread until she manages to find the terrorist's redoubt. Fascinating for its glimpse into the inner workings of America's intelligence infrastructure, and its depiction of the torture methods used to extract information. It gave me a sense of the great experiment in Democracy this country embodies suddenly going off the rails due to the actions of 19 individuals. This made a lot of 2012 lists, deservedly so, but in the Roc we sometimes get the good stuff later than the larger cities, so I'm finally including it for this year.

Side Effects

Notable for being Steven Soderbergh's last directorial effort on a feature film, or so he expressed at the time. So far, he's kept his promise. The story concerns the side effects of a fictional anti-depressant prescribed to a young woman who later murders her husband. I was hoping for more of a discussion about the epidemic of prescription psychotropic drugs washing over the country, but Soderbergh chooses to emphasize the thriller aspect. This was executed well enough that I was willingly sucked down the rabbit hole of a young woman's (Rooney Mara) twisted scheme. I got the sense that, after so much experience, Soderbergh would find it very difficult to make a truly bad film.

Spring Breakers

Harmony Korine's dark fever dream shot against South Florida's dayglo colors of a group of young girls, ineffably bored with their small town existence, who decide to turn criminal to facilitate an escape to the promise of spring break. There, they meet James Franco's white, corn-rowed rapper, a small time entertainer who fancies himself a true gangsta. Franco's performance is by turns hilarious and disturbing, as he begins his association with the girls having the upper hand, only to have it turned against him in the end. It pulls back the curtain to reveal the menace that can lie beneath the carefree party vibe of those sun-soaked beaches.

Iron Man 3

Robert Downey Jr. returns as the eponymous hero for a third go-round. Different director this time as Shane Black takes over, he of Lethal Weapon scriptwriter fame. The dialogue pops more in this installment, but for me, the Iron Man movies are probably one of the least successful franchises for Marvel's characters. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they don't really capture the essence of the hero. I thought he was better handled as part of the Avengers ensemble. It devolves into a finale which again reaches for excess, with Downey being sucked into and spit out of so many different Iron Man suits, to both comic and exhausting effect. Nevertheless, still probably the best of the three films, but I'm kind of hoping they don't make any more for a long while.

Mud

A modest, low-budget effort starring Matthew McConaughey as a drifting ne'er-do-well who involves a couple of kids in his scheme to win back an old love and escape the reach of the law. A well done film with very capable performances all round. It's a film which makes a star of its location, along the banks of the Mississippi, as much as any of its human stars.

Man Of Steel

The much-anticipated cinematic reboot of Superman, courtesy of producer Christopher Nolan (The Batman trilogy, The Prestige) and director Zack Snyder. A trailer released three months before the film opened had me salivating to see this new iteration of the iconic character. When I saw that Nolan shared a story credit on the film, that bolstered my confidence even more. Alas, the film is a mixed bag. The quieter moments are nicely executed, with Clark's powers slowly coming to the fore, and all the questions they raise about responsibility and purpose. Kevin Costner offers a neatly understated turn as Pa Kent. Once he becomes Superman though, and joins battle with General Zod (a one-note shoutfest from the usually brilliant Michael Shannon) the super-destructive battle sequences take over and drown out the rest of the film. More of the budget goes toward demolished buildings than any tactical flourishes in the fighting. There was much made about Supes taking a life in this one, which didn't initially bother me at first. But maybe that speaks more to the creators' lack of imagination with this story. Ah, what might've been had the film lived up to that trailer.

The Bling Ring

Sofia Coppola (the daughter of that other famous film Coppola) directed this little gem about

Hollywood teens who become obsessed with celebrities, and become a part of their world by deciding to rob their mansions while they're away. This movie was based on actual events that took place a few years earlier. Coppola is good at depicting the emotional malaise of the rich and famous (see Somewhere, a nice companion piece) and we get a glimpse into Paris Hilton's actual residence, as she agreed to allow shooting in it for the film. A grown up Emma Watson stars as one of the dimmer bulbs in the gang. This is what happens when all of those materialistic dreams-come-true just aren't enough.

The Wolverine

I never saw the first Wolverine film, and didn't feel I missed much since there were a slew of bad reviews for it. This one had James Mangold directing though, who had previously directed Cop Land, a film I really enjoyed. This was one of the better superhero efforts, as Wolvy travels to Japan to meet with a very old acquaintance, and consequently gets embroiled in a conflict which robs him of his ability to heal quickly. Wolverine is a character better used in a group context, at least for me, but I enjoyed this solo outing very much.

Kick Ass 2

The sequel to the successful 2010 film of the same name, this time with a different director. These are the further adventures of the DIY superheroes called Kick Ass and Hit Girl, in all their stylized, hyper-violent glory. While not quite as inventive as the original, this follow-up had enough energy, new characters, and comic edge to make it an interesting two hour journey. As in the first, Chloe Grace Moretz as Hit Girl gives the film most of its punch.

Elysium

Matt Damon stars in another film about a dystopian future for Earth. This one's helmed by Neil Blomkamp, the South African director who made a splash back in 2009 with District 9. This is more of a conventional action film, with Damon as one of the unlucky many stuck back on a planet devastated by overcrowding and conflict. He wants to somehow get into Elysium, a huge floating space station that the rich have built to escape from the chaotic masses. He receives the help of an exoskeleton surgically affixed to his body which makes him stronger and better able to defend himself against the forces of the elite arrayed against him. Sharlto Copley, the star from District 9, has a hell of a time as the villain of the piece. It's been too long since a film has had a good South African villain.

The Grandmaster

Legendary Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's tale of the early life and career of Ip Man, the martial arts teacher who mentored Bruce Lee. Gorgeously shot, the film boasts great performances by Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang. The painstaking effort to craft every shot is evident in every frame, and it restored my faith that there are some directors who still know how to shoot a fight scene. A compelling and poetic glimpse into a long-gone era in China.

Rush

Ron Howard breaks away from the franchise films he's been making recently and tells an original story about the rivalry between Formula 1 racers Nikki Lauda and James Hunt during the 70s. Daniel Bruhl as Lauda is real find, an actor that I hope to see more of in the future. The racing scenes are slick and tense, and even though the ending is a matter of history, I still found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting for the climactic moment.

Prisoners

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal head the cast for a film about the disappearance of two children in a small Pennsylvania town, the confused circumstances surrounding the disappearance, and what happens when parental frustration boils over. This film skirted a little too close to exploiting the situation emotionally early on in order to provoke a reaction, but then refocused on the incident and the slow march toward its resolution. Strong performances from both the leads. It feels like a true story, but it's not. If it were true though, it would probably dominate the news cycle for days. Paul Dano also turns in a solid performance as a mentally handicapped young man who seems to stand at the center of the investigation. He was also an evil plantation overseer in 12 Years A Slave. I like his role choices so far in his brief career.

Gravity

The incredible film that you'll really believe they shot in space. Sandra Bullock is a scientist from a space station that's been destroyed by orbital debris. The next 90 minutes are her fight for survival, with little help, in the most hostile environment there is. It's a stunning technical achievement, and the movies says a lot about our reliance on technology, and questions whether it's made us lose sight of more important things. Bullock's emergence from the shallow lake back on Earth at the end seems to point to a rebirth for humanity, stripped of the gadgets that have divorced us from a close relationship with nature and ourselves. Alfonse Cuaron (Children of Men) directed this masterpiece. Perhaps an American director would have duplicated the special effects, but I doubt they would have included the existential seasoning, which makes the film truly great.

Thor: The Dark World

The second Thor film, as Marvel continues its annual colonization of the cinemaplex. The whole thing gets off to a rather lumbering, slow start, but quickly picks up steam. Thor faces a powerful villain, on top of dealing with the machinations of his wayward brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The conceit of the action traversing through different dimensions as it happened was an interesting twist, and made for some great setpieces. I think some of the warmer aspects of the character from the comic are missing, but Marvel's “Superman” does need big cosmic stories. Very satisfying, but mostly in a four-color way.

12 Years A Slave

For me, the best film of the year. The true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who's kidnapped by Southern slave traders and sold into slavery in Louisiana. It's based on the memoir he published back in 1853 about his horrible experience. I don't know why it took an English director (Steve McQueen) to make the most honest portrait of an institution that remains the shame of a nation. Maybe we still can't face what happened then, in all of its evil and brutality. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Northup, and the pain that the man endured is indelibly etched on his face throughout the entire film. This is one for the ages.

American Hustle

Director David O. Russell returns with his story of the Abscam operation of the late 70s, when several congressmen were caught in an FBI sting operation involving fake Arab sheiks and large sums of money. This film boasts a great cast, led by the reliably fascinating Christian Bale, as he morphs into an overweight, neurotic con man who still manages to filch your sympathy. Russell's camera is fluid and the dialogue is rich and sinuous. The film ably captures a slippery decade and its equally slippery inhabitants.

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Scorsese is back in vintage form, with a film highly reminiscent of his classic, Goodfellas. Instead of the mob being the focus though, it's Wall Street. Leo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a small time trader who rose to heady heights when he began manipulating his clients through sheer force of a talent for salesmanship. The other star of the film is cocaine, which is snorted regularly and praised generously as an indispensable aid in doing the job. There are some hilarious moments as the inevitable downward spiral begins. Belfort's hubris gets the better of him, and consequently so do the Feds. It's another glimpse into the decadent world of high finance, which seems to be constantly fertile ground for this kind of story. We don't seem to learn anything from them however, as the party just goes on. This one clocks in at three full hours, and could've been edited down by about 20 minutes and lost none of its power. This is a small criticism at best though. At 71, Scorsese still has his gift.

There are some films I didn't get to see in time, such as Inside Llewyn Davis, and All Is Lost, but maybe I'll include those in later posts. I hope your cinematic choices offer as much satisfaction as mine did for me. Whatever you do, for God's sake, don't just limit yourself to the animated crap your kids want to lap up. Expand your horizons to the adult world!

One Last Kindness

I'd only seen David at the nursing home a couple of times in the past two months. A busy late spring and summer, plus an extraordinarily painful wipeout on the tennis court kept me at home more than I liked. The weeds grew high around my yard. The usual outside chores went undone as I recuperated. After a solid month, I finally began to regain the full use of my arm. The bruises faded. My hip is still sore to the touch, the place where my full weight came down on the hard court. But it slowly heals too.

I got an e-mail saying things had taken a turn for the worse. On a Saturday, I made it in to see him. David lay on his bed, under a few sheets, his eyes mostly closed, his breathing labored. It reminded me of my grandmother's last days. She slept while I sat with her, but her breathing sounded like she was running sprints. These are contradictions we don't expect.

I felt like all I could do was to sit with him and do Tonglen practice. This is the Tibetan Buddhist practice of giving and taking—we take the negative from whomever we're practicing for, and give out positive qualities—health, loving-kindness, wisdom, in the form of golden light. We're transforming the negative into the positive through this practice. I'd done it before for David. It was good practice for me as well. Initially, I was too overwhelmed with my own negativity to feel I could transform anyone else's. David taught me a lot of things in the brief time I'd known him.

Twenty minutes after I arrived, the hospice aide came in, then the hospice nurse. He was supposed to be repositioned every 45 minutes. The aide swabbed his mouth to keep it moist. He worked hard for every breath, and his mouth dried out quickly as a result. The hospice nurse looked long into his eyes, trying to read some kind of sign. They talked to him, and his eyes opened a little. The rate of his breath never wavered though. His gaze never focused. I wondered what he was picking up from all the activity around him. Another nurse came in and told him she was giving him Roxillin to help with the fluid in his lungs. She squeezed a few dropperfuls into his half-open mouth. I could barely hear a difference as he rasped.

I talked to the aide as she performed her minstrations. Her hands ran over his arms to check if he felt warm or cool. She would adjust his blankets, if necessary. She told him what she was doing, called him “honey”, and leaned in close as she made sure he was as comfortable as possible. He was “actively dying”, she said. One of those ironic terms, like “military intelligence” or “affordable housing”. She said the process could go on for days. She gave me a short pamphlet explaining this process. I asked if I could take it with me, but she said they had none to spare. I could order one if I liked. I noted the organization name on the back, and the website.

She asked me if I knew David's religious affiliation. I didn't. It was always a struggle for him to talk. I'd ask him questions, and at times he would begin to answer clearly, but then his voice would trail off. The words would get caught in his throat. I spent a lot of time leaning in to catch the words he did produce. It was frustrating at times. Since conversation wasn't really an option, I tried to just appreciate the time I could spend reading to him, or showing him pictures I'd taken on my most recent hike. He seemed to enjoy those. The volunteer coordinator had told me that he liked to read, but couldn't hold the books anymore to do so. We spent many hours poring over his box of National Geographic magazines, looking at the pictures. I'd read the captions and the articles to him.

Golf was on the television. The PGA was in Rochester, at Oak Hill. We talked idly about the event. I tried not to observe the aide too closely, so she wouldn't feel self-conscious. I was curious about the job though. She said she'd been doing the job for 20 years. These people face a time in our lives few of us are willing to even think about. They perform an incredibly compassionate act...helping a dying person leave this life and move on to the next. It takes great courage to face this, I think. Since becoming a Buddhist, there isn't a single day I don't think about it. Keeping it foremost in my mind helps me to be a good person. All the rest of life seems like just so much trivia in comparison.

Eventually I had to go. I said a few last words to David. I hope he heard them. The man in the bed hardly resembled the man in the pictures on his corkboard. They were of he and his wife, posing with different locales as the backdrop. They looked like they were from the 50s or early 60s. She had cats eye glasses on and a shy smile. One of them showed the couple on a couch, David's head thrown back in laughter. Now the skin of his face was drawn tightly against his skull. His eyes were glassy. A slim record of a whole life in those pictures, with all of its range of emotions and experiences. Now David's body showed all of its wear. I never knew his age. The knowledge rested heavily on my mind that we're all headed for this end at some point.

I left after saying goodbye. A couple days later, I got another e-mail letting me know that David had passed away at 5pm that day, about 90 minutes after I had left. All those years had reached a conclusion. I said prayers for him, and wished him a safe journey through the bardo, that he may find his way out of the cycle of rebirth. One of my best memories is sitting out in the hall by the nurses station with him, watching the show pass us by. There was always something or someone to make you laugh. David turned his head slightly toward me and chuckled, as if to say, now I've seen it all. His eyes then glinted with mirth. I'll never forget that look on his face. I would liked to have brought that expression to him more often. I only knew him for his final six months on this planet, but he gave me more than he'll ever know.

Rochester Gets A Mention In A New Novel

This is a passage from the latest James Salter novel, All That Is. Reminded me of F. Scott Fitzgerald's mention of Lockport in his novel, Tender Is The Night. Fitzgerald's family spent time in Buffalo when he was a child, but it sure does sound like Salter has visited the area. Then again, with the internet, maybe he just got enough from there. In any case, it made me feel like our corner of the world isn't so ignored after all.

“Beatrice had been born, the younger of two girls, in Rochester in the last year and month of the century, 1899. Their father was a teacher who died of the flu, the so-called Spanish flu that had first appeared in Spain and then broke out in America in the fall of 1918, just at the end of the war. More than half a million people died in scenes reminiscent of the plague. Her father had been stricken while walking down Clifford Avenue on a balmy afternoon, and two days later, face discolored, burning with fever and unable to breathe, he died. Afterwards they went to live with her grandparents, who ran a small hotel on Irondequoit Bay, a wooden hotel with a bar and a large, white kitchen and, during the winter, empty rooms.”

Empty rooms during winter? Not surprising.

Revisiting WE3

Pulled out an old favorite graphic novel today, a three issue collection called WE3.

It's written by Grant Morrisson and illustrated by Frank Quitely, a now legendary creative duo in the comic world. They're both Scotsmen, and they've combined to tell some of the most original and beloved stories in the medium.

They're known mostly for their superhero work, but this book is different. There are no capes in it. The story concerns the three animals referenced in the title—a dog, a cat, and a rabbit. They are part of a government-run security group. The animals have been cybernetically enhanced. For much of the story, only their heads are visible amid the armor and tangle of technology that covers their bodies. In the opening pages, we see them as they infiltrate a house occupied by some mysterious figure. They make short work of his small army of bodyguards.

The creatures have a limited ability to communicate verbally. Their speech is depicted phonetically, in a simulacrum of the kind of words you see as shorthand in text messages or on Twitter. We know as the story progresses though, that at heart these are animals...our pets actually. They would be much happier living that sort of life, instead of the dark servitude they endure as part of a cruel and selfish experiment. Their attempted escape from it can't be far behind.

The story is extremely violent and bloody. It's fairly brief as well. I can't help thinking what an excellent film it would make, however. We've become hopelessly inured to violence inflicted on humans, but the suffering of animals, especially those we perceive as our pets, still resonates with us on a visceral level. Perhaps it would be an estimable effort to crack through our hard shells, to make us see that it isn't an abstraction. Our pets are often our better natures, and the suffering in their eyes would bring home the suffering we ignore in our own.

I've read that Hollywood has gotten its hands on the story. There doesn't appear to have been much progress with it so far. I hope they give it the care and attention it deserves if or when they do get around to making it. This isn't your run-of-the-mill action flick. This is something more, and in the right hands, it could be a phenomenon. It would be cool to see.

 

Inevitable

Recently took what is becoming my annual break from running. It's a little over two weeks long, and is intended to provide my aging legs with some rest time. I've read and heard that for those of us over 40 it's a good idea. I've sprained my right calf in the same spot twice so far, most recently in 2009, and the pain and recovery time for that injury have convinced me this break is a wise decision.

Not that it's easy. I've been a runner since 9th grade, and it has always meant more to me than just a way to stay in shape. It's been my therapy, my beta blocker, my energy pill, my mental rejuvenator, my muscle relaxer, and my sleep aid, among other things. I can remember times as a teenager and into my early 20s where I held so much energy inside me that I'd have to go out for a run...often at 1:30 in the morning. I knew that if I didn't, I wouldn't sleep a wink. So there I was, on a still, summer night, running through the deserted streets of Williamson, the only sounds being the slap of my Saucony sole on the pavement and my labored breath. Once I'd logged a few miles, I'd arrive back at the apartment and crawl into bed, assured of some sleep. It's a wonder my mother didn't suspect me of being a werewolf.

That kind of energy level no longer goads me, thankfully. When I'm running though, I'm just a generally happier person. I can recall finishing cross-country workouts in high school and coasting into the parking lot brimming with an unbounded euphoria. Again, the heights I reach aren't quite as high as then, but I notice during these breaks that there's something missing. I feel flatter emotionally. The light streaming through the windows holds not quite so much promise. On top of this, I notice my leg muscles gradually begin to shrink. My heartbeat becomes more noticeable after a week. My heart murmur becomes a little more frequent. Less frequently, I'll feel short bursts of rapid heartbeat, tachycardia is the medical term, which can be more alarming than the missed beats. I know I'm not the only to experience this phenomenon. I'm only hoping that my activity will keep at bay anything worse until some ripe old age well into the future. The heart is a hardworking muscle. We ask so much of it on a daily basis, not just physically, but also with the emotions we experience. The heart reacts to all of it. It should come as no surprise that for so many of us, it will be the primary cause for leaving this life. It finally gives up its daily workload.

Coming out of the break, as I am now, renews my appreciation for being able to run. The muscles and the joints in my legs are getting older, and there will come a day when I'll have to stop. My hope is that the break will extend their life a little longer. If I'm lucky, maybe I won't have to consider it until I'm well into my 60s. I do keep walking on the break, so I'm not exactly immobile. But it's not the same. There's something about breaking a sweat, about the body reaching an anaerobic state, that almost seems to cleanse the blood. The weight managing benefits aren't bad either. I can still pig out on weekends and not gain too much. It feels like stealing. And there are the moments I still get when I'm out there and decide to turn on the gas again, keeping pace with a passing car for a few seconds, surprised that I can dig down and still find the horsepower for a decent sprint. I did this a couple months ago, and the effect was like takeoff, lifting into the air briefly, free of gravity and the wet pavement. Escaping the forces, for a few moments, that inexorably pull us back down into the dirt. With our striving and our constant effort, it's what we're attempting to do every day. Putting off the inevitable for as long as we can.

For now, I can still run. May I stay ahead of the inevitable for as long as possible.

The Year in Movies: 2012

It's that time of year again! Here are the 2012 movies I saw, and what I damn well thought of them. Because this blog needs content! Oh how it needs content...


On with the show.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

A beloved spy fiction classic gets the screen treatment it deserves. Filmed in grimy Cold War colors by Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (who made Let The Right One In, one of my favorite vampire films), the heavy atmosphere of secrecy and betrayal in the 70s is practically tangible. Gary Oldman gives one of his best performances as George Smiley, the British spy for MI6, out of retirement to find a suspected Soviet mole buried deep in the intelligence service. I read the novel as a teen, then re-read it a few years ago, and appreciated it even more. The author, John LeCarre, is not just my favorite espionage author, but one of my favorite writers, period. The film brings the book admirably to life, not only matching what was in my mind's eye, but enhancing it. I only wish there were more espionage films this good. Most people think a spy's life is as explosive and sexy as Bond's, or at least as tense and electric as Bourne's. LeCarre actually served, and he includes the reality that it's often slow and tedious work, punctuated only occasionally by the rare success.

The Descendants

George Clooney stars in an Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) film about a Hawaiian man who suffers the loss of his wife in a boating accident. He finds out she was cheating on him, and so begins his journey to reconcile her indiscretion with his own shortcomings and the effect on their family. Clooney conveys the sense of a man overwhelmed by events amid the shimmering green paradise of the Hawaiian islands. Shailene Woodley also impresses as his older teen daughter. Even when the weather's perfect most of the time, life can get very difficult. The harsh tone of the family's emotional suffering is the well-played counterpoint to the gorgeous cinematography by Phedon Papamichael, who's worked with Payne before.

Haywire

It's Steven Soderbergh's spy thriller, starring Gina Carano, previously known as a successful MMA fighter well-versed in the Muay Thai style. Though not a trained actress, I thought she acquitted herself well, and the fight sequences hum with palpable danger. Her character works for a non-political entity, taking “dirty” jobs that the powers-that-be would rather keep in the shadows. She's double-crossed on one job, and seeks to find who did it and why. Soderbergh's films are never quite what you expect from Hollywood, which is mostly a good thing, though Carano has trouble showing her vulnerability at times. Despite this, I enjoyed the twists and turns of her personal mission to find her betrayer.

The Raid: Redemption

An Indonesian action film directed by a Westerner? That's what we have in this entry, about a SWAT team invading an apartment building occupied by a drug lord. Soon they're trapped on the seventh floor, and the recriminations for their fate begin to fly. The film features many action set-pieces involving armed and unarmed combat. The risk here is the feeling that you're watching choreography rather than actual fight scenes, and I did experience that on occasion with this movie. Overall though, the action is intense and gritty. There's a high body count by the end, and we learn that sometimes you can't trust the good guys either. One of the best action films of the year on a comparatively tiny budget.

The Three Stooges

The Farrelly Brothers' attempt to recapture the magic of the original comedy team from the 30s and 40s . This includes Curly, the brother of Moe who died in 1952 but had stopped appearing in their short films several years earlier. The gags are decent, and the actors chosen to portray the trio do an admirable job, though I still would've preferred to see Sean Penn as Larry, who was rumored to be under consideration for the part in early production. Still, the overall effect of the film was to make me want to see the original shorts. I've always been a fan of them, and the comedy was so rudimentarily physical and shocking that they are still popular today. It's worth checking out if you're a fan, and it serves as a fittingly well-made tribute to their art, for which they all paid a high price, especially Curly, who spent his final years in hospitals and sanitariums, suffering a rapid mental and physical decline.

Being Flynn

I'd always wanted to see my name up in lights! This was my chance, although I wished they'd used the book title from which the movie is based (Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn). Paul Dano plays the eponymous author, who endures a troubled upbringing with his mother, and a father who is never really a presence in his young life, but constantly refers to himself as a great writer, despite never being published. When Nick grows up, he works in a homeless shelter and meets his dad there. Nick struggles with his own addictions and mental demons as he tries to help his father through itinerant homelessness and mental illness, and pursue his own dream of being a poet. Dano gives a raw performance and DeNiro continues his late-career practice of taking roles one wouldn't expect him to take. He does a reliably decent job in this film, though it doesn't quite match up to his best work.

The Avengers

Joss Whedon's long-anticipated blockbuster of the Marvel superteam. Their single character films have all led to this one, where they join together to fight a threat to Earth, in this case Thor's evil brother Loki. I sat in fanboy amazement as I witnessed a slice of pop culture made successful by my generation (comic books) take over the cineplex and go on to become the third highest-grossing film of all time, behind only Avatar and Titanic. The movie earned every dollar with its outsized action sequences. Every character trope was present, from the way Thor swings his hammer in fast circles prior to throwing it, to the Hulk's fantastically giant single leaps. I'm hoping the sequel will somehow include my favorite Avengers character, the Vision, an android with unbelievable powers. I could geek out all over again.

Snow White and The Huntsman

An edgier retelling of the Snow White fairy tale with Kristen Stewart as a kick-ass Snow White and Chris Hemsworth (Thor and The Avengers) as the huntsman. The impressive effects are wasted on an insipid script, and Kristen Stewart spends most of her time not saying much and acting even less. The dwarves are kept in as comedy relief, some of it unintentional. I was bored about 10 minutes into this lark and consider it an achievement that I even finished watching it. Your life will not be noticeably less fulfilling if you decide to give it a pass.

Moonrise Kingdom

A customarily eccentric, gentle tale from Wes Anderson, who is known for eccentric, not so much for gentle. It's set in 1965 on a fictional island off the coast of New England. There's a scout troop on the island and a hurricane is coming. Sam, played by Jared Gilman, has decided to run away from the troop. There is a frenzied search for him as he hooks up with a girl he often writes, the daughter of parents played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand. It's fun seeing actors like Bruce Willis and Edward Norton step into Anderson's world. The setting and the time period reminded me somewhat of my own childhood, even though I don't think it was meant to be entirely accurate. It was a pleasant diversion. You won't, however, find a deep dive into anything emotionally resonant.

Prometheus

Ridley Scott returns to the Alien franchise to direct a prequel, involving the stunning shot of the engineer in the first film. I always considered that shot one of the many highlights of the movie that began it all, and looked forward to its origin being explored, by the original director no less. Unfortunately, the story turns out to be a pedestrian space fantasy exercise, ultimately bleeding the image of any mystique it once had for me. Sure, the visuals are top-notch, but the engineer turns out to be just another very human-like victim of the aliens, despite having the appearance of being on a constant diet of steroids. I still plan to watch Alien again to cleanse my memory banks of this travesty. I saw this in 3D Imax, the effect of which made me nauseous through much of the movie...although the execution could've been responsible as well.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Speaking of cinematic palate cleansing...finally, someone comes along and fixes those awful Sam Raimi Spider-Man creations. Sorry, too campy for me. Director Marc Webb returns to the basics, and reboots my favorite superhero in a fashion more befitting a self-effacing wall-crawler. The villain featured is The Lizard, and James Garfield nails it as Peter Parker. Those wacky biological web-spinners are ditched in favor of Peter's mechanical ones, straight out of the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko comics. The film was brought down a half-notch by having to sit through the origin story once again, but once that bill is paid, the action soars through the Manhattan skyline. I left the theater smiling, satisfied that they'd finally gotten Spidey right.

Savages

The first Oliver Stone film I've seen since...U Turn? Really? Yeah, it's been a long time. This film is somewhat similar to that last one I'd seen though. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Taylor Kitsch star as a couple of drug dealing buddies who run afoul of a powerful Mexican cartel. They share a girlfriend, played by Blake Lively, who's kidnapped by the cartel to buy their cooperation. It's a tense, dark story, and it verges on parody at times. In the end though, Stone's dayglo Socal thriller never stops the twists from coming, and brings home the goods.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan's last film in his very successful Batman trilogy. This one has Tom Hardy as Bane, a chemically enhanced bruiser who breaks Batman's back and puts him out of commission while he pursues his plan to destroy Gotham. Not as good as the second film with Heath Ledger's brilliant turn as the Joker, this one nevertheless closed out the run in typical Nolan style. The real stars of this movie and the series as a whole were the vehicles and the gadgets. In each film, Nolan had a way of orchestrating Batman's entrance in a uniquely subtle fashion, as if it were almost an afterthought. Each action sequence built its momentum slowly, and the best were those featuring chases using the bat-vehicles. The fluidity and inventiveness were marvels to behold, even if I did have trouble understanding Bane sometimes. Now that Christian Bale is done, who will be next to wear the cowl?

The Master

Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to There Will Be Blood, another favorite of mine, this film pitched forward in history a bit to post-war America. Joaquin Phoenix plays a veteran, just home from the Pacific and literally drifting from one bad situation to another. He meets Lancaster Dodd, a charismatic man who writes philosophical treatises on his own system of faith, and holds court at gatherings of his movement's members around the country. Local boy-made-good Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Dodd and delivers his typical splendid job. I didn't find it as satisfying as There Will Be Blood, but the performances were top-notch, and the cinematography was stunning. There's one scene featuring Hoffman and Amy Adams, who plays his wife, that, to me, was laugh out loud funny. It might've seemed incongruous in the midst of a heavy drama, but in the context of the world built here, it made sense. In those years after World War II, the party was just getting started.

Argo

Can Ben Affleck direct as well? Yes, he can. The true story of the escape from Iran in 1980 of six Americans, managing to avoid capture through the good will of the Canadian embassy. Affleck plays a CIA agent who hatches a plan to fly in with a fake Hollywood sci-fi production, heavily reminiscent of Star Wars. There are many close calls, and the tension through most of the film is thick. The nail-biting escape is embellished—apparently their exit was actually much quieter than depicted—but the claustrophobic sense of being with this small group of people in a vast sea of hate was palpable.

Lincoln

Another year, another film from Spielberg, who's cranking out movies now like he's on the clock. This time it's the story of our 16^th president and how he pushed through passage of the 13^th Amendment, effectively making his Emancipation Proclamation the law of the land. Daniel Day-Lewis has the honor of the title role, and once again owns it. The script was penned by playwright Tony Kushner, and there are many scenes of men in a room, talking. The hail of words got a little impenetrable about a half hour in, but then the momentum begins to build up to the fateful vote in Congress. As you might expect, the staging is impeccable, and the camera work by Janusz Kaminski, a frequent collaborator for the director, paints a burnished, authentic canvas. For me, probably Spielberg's best film since Munich.

The Sessions

Easily my favorite film of the year. John Hawkes (from 2010's Winter's Bone) plays a quadriplegic writer who wants to finally lose his virginity. After some halting attempts in the real world, he decides to hire a sex surrogate, a professional (no, not that kind) that helps people resolve sexual issues in their lives. As we see Mark O'Brien and the surrogate (Helen Hunt) play out each session, the two form a bond, and O'Brien fulfills his goal. The first-person narration is spare and beautifully written, interspersed with the main character's poems. It's a movie that tries to remind us, though few of us will probably ever seriously think about it, that we take so much in our lives for granted. Simple things, like being able to walk, or somehow managing to find the love of your life, even if it's just for a short time. It's a crime this didn't get seen more. Hopefully, people will seek it out on video.

Flight

Denzel Washington as a pilot who flies his plane under the influence, yet still manages a miraculous landing after a mechanical failure. A rare adult film for Robert Zemeckis, who's spent the last decade or so making awful animated films about Beowulf and the holidays. He mostly succeeds here. There's the requisite romance with a woman he meets in the hospital, but after the accident his life becomes a media circus and it continues its slow unraveling. I was glad I didn't have to fly after seeing this movie. The crash sequence is unnerving and harrowing, showing people tossed around like rag dolls as the plane careens through the air. In the end, there's redemption, but the price paid is steep indeed.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Plans were for Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) to direct this Tolkien tale, but he dropped out after delays. So Peter Jackson once again takes the reins, first announcing two movies, now three, even though this story is far shorter than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The first installment returns us to Hobbiton, where Bilbo Baggins finds himself wanted for a mission by Gandalf. Jackson filmed this at 48 frames per second, twice the normal rate. I'm not sure if I saw this version, but it did have an extremely polished feel to it, almost as if it were entirely animation. I wasn't sure at first if I even wanted to see the next two movies, but by this one's end, I decided I would. Though certainly not a horrible movie, I found my interest mainly stemming from having read the book, and what I could pick out from that now rather dim memory. I'm hoping the next two in the series are better, and there's no sag in the middle, like the Rings trilogy had.

Silver Linings Playbook

Probably the best date movie of the year. An intelligently written and funny romance with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Cooper suffers a mental setback due to his wife's infidelity, and Lawrence is a widow. They both somehow find each other and begin to hit it off, the pretext being a dance competition which she convinces him to train with her for. Never mind that anyone who looks like these two would be in such dire straits, or be single in the first place. But it's Hollywood. Suspension of disbelief is a must. The movie has charm to spare, and it won me over handily. I laughed many times, I didn't cry, and the ending slightly thawed my cold, cynical heart.

The Impossible

On the other hand, it was hard not to cry at this one. The true story of one family in Thailand as the 2004 tsunami hit the coast on the day after Christmas. A shaky plane ride in pushes portents at us as the day draws near. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts play the parents of a family with three boys, having their tropical holiday washed away in mere seconds. The tsunami scene is terrifying as we see people and their possessions batted around like toys in the killer wave. Initially we follow the mother and the older son as they take shelter in a tall tree, in case more waves come. We're not sure if the rest of the family is alive or not. There's no Michael Bay theatrics here. This is a story of real people and how fragile we all are in the face of nature's fury. Make no mistake...the planet is still in charge. And she could shrug us off if she felt enough of an itch. Heart-wrenching performances amid the chaos made this a much more visceral experience than I was expecting. Incidentally, the real family was from Spain, but the leads are probably the most Anglo-Saxon people on film. Not sure why they went there, but the filmmakers were Spanish, at least.

And that was 2012 at the movies for me. Again, the gems were out there if one looked hard enough. I hope your choices were just as satisfying. I'm looking forward to another year before illegal downloading starts to do to movies what it did to music. Let's hope that's a more distant time than it seems.

Mostly Space

“All phenomena orginate in the mind.”

You often find this in Buddhist teachings. For the longest time, I wasn't sure how to approach it. Like that tree in my yard. I'm pretty sure I'm not projecting it with my mind. Other people see it, and can touch it. So how does it originate in my mind?

Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in syntax where the teachings are concerned. We can tend to apply very literal interpretations, which is what I believe I'm doing here. I had a moment of insight as I ran at North Ponds yesterday, with an icy wind blowing off the lake to spur me on. I noticed a fallen leaf on the asphalt path as I came up to the front of the park. It was multi-colored, with brown and orange and some green mixed in. The edges of the leaf were curled over, so that it appeared to be a pile of something, rather than a dead leaf. From the odd assortment of colors, I assumed it was a pile of dog shit. At first glance, my brain registered this, and I almost immediately felt a slight wave of nausea. A few seconds later though, I realized it was a leaf, and the nausea instantly disappeared.

This proves that our senses aren't very reliable, or “deceivers”, as the Buddha called them. But it also effectively demonstrates the point above. Other matter does exist around us, and we're not beaming it into existence with mind rays. What originates in the mind is our tendency to label, to ascribe characteristics, to jump to conclusions and place objects and experiences into categories. All of this conceptual thinking leads us very far away from an open and natural way of living. We use our brains to build boxes...and endlessly compartmentalize. As the sages teach, it's not long before we're stuck in attachment and aversion (for example, “what a beautiful leaf!” and “ugh, dog crap”). My example is rather trivial. We engage in this type of behavior every day on much weightier issues.

It isn't a great leap to apply this to trees or other simple physical objects. We see a tree, but the building blocks of this tree and everything else are atoms. If we could see at that level, we'd notice that atoms are mostly space. Mostly...emptiness. What we call a “tree” is really our conception of a huge number of atoms arranged in a specific fashion. We sense only through a thin slice of the possible spectrum.

Off to get groceries, where I'll once again try to convince myself that those cookies are mostly made of space.