12 Years a Slave – 8

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Potent, powerful, punishing – it is hard to imagine a film that could better capture the human misery of slavery in America. Everyone acts their appointed role in this tableau, although I didn’t quite understand what Brad Pitt was doing on the scene. Once the black man is considered chattel, rather than humanity, all else follows (as has been true for Indians in the West, “gooks” in Vietnam, Arabs in Iraq and Afghanistan – it always helps when the “other” is a different color). Maybe because it was based on a true story, nothing seemed trumped-up for Hollywood. The bad guys were bad largely due to the system they were products of; even “good guys” could do little to buck it. Money, as usual, was the driving force, with a dollop of lust thrown in. Chiwetel Ejiafor, a surefire Oscar nominee, told the whole story through his eyes, and it was a hard story to take. Leaving the film was a solemn moment.

Blue is the Warmest Color – 8

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Swann in Love is a minutely detailed account of a love affair, focusing entirely on Swann’s feelings, day by day, every moment of longing, pleasure, and above all, jealousy. Nothing really happens; there is no climax or denouement; it is just a portrait, of Swann in love, and how that love affects and changes him. Substitute Adele for Swann, and you pretty much have what happens in the inexplicably titled Blue. Not surprisingly, the movie, like Proust, is French – and the affair is homosexual. The acting, by the teenaged Adele Exarchopoulos, is every bit as remarkable as the novel’s prose. Adele is totally convincing as the young, unformed adolescent, coming to grips with her sexual feelings. It is, along with Cate Blanchett’s, the performance of the year. Lea Seydoux, in the Odette de Crecy role, is appropriately magnetic and inscrutable. The movie is not everyone’s cup of tea – nor is Proust – but it is a remarkable achievement.

Counselor – 5

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I felt I was wallowing in a Vogue feature, every shot was oh-so-glamorous – and just as artificial. Nothing in the story computed, however. The “Counselor” was a cipher: there was no clue why Penelope Cruz loved him, why Javier Bardem or Brad Pitt befriended him, what he was doing in the movie or where he got the money to live so lavishly (his only visible client was a Latino woman for whom he was court-appointed, another unlikely event). The nihilistic tone of the movie, contributed by screenwriter Cormac McCarthy, made the whole thing slightly depressing without clearing up any of the mystery. The biggest mystery is why there would be all this fuss over a mere $20 million.

Gravity – 7

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A feeling of weightlessness, enhanced by my 3-D glasses, set in with George and Sandra’s first roll in space and remained the identifyingly unique feature of this otherwise generally weightless survival story. Actually, the less said about the story itself, the better. Somehow, Sandra Bullock’s character changes from a somewhat incompetent space traveler who crashed the simulator in training every time and needs George Clooney’s calm voice to tell her which way is up (granted, a bit tricky in space), to a one-woman marvel who, on an upset stomach, calmly navigates Russian and Chinese space stations and singlehandedly manages a descent to Earth (I assume it is Earth, based on the movie’s title, not the landscape) without any help from Houston or prior experience. I was ready for, and would have preferred, a more ambiguous ending: let Sandra find her resolve, with the Clooney apparition’s help, and push the button in the re-entry capsule. Let the viewer decide whether she makes it, or not. “Ground control to Major Tom…”

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – 7

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A movie director’s first obligation to his audience is to provide appealing, or at least interesting, characters. Not far down the list, however, is providing dialogue that the audience can understand. I don’t want to sit there thinking, what did he say? – even if, as in this movie, it probably doesn’t matter. (If I want to strain my auditory faculties, I can go to the theater.) The combination of Texas accents, taciturn roles and muddled sound-mixing left us wondering what Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara were saying, although Mara’s wonderfully expressive face made up for a lot. Terence Malick’s Badlands is the obvious precursor, and there were not a lot of surprises along the way, but the mood and hardscrabble atmosphere enveloped and washed over us. We knew Casey Affleck’s character would not come to a good end, but when that end came, it felt real and honest.

Enough Said – 7.9

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Wow! – a movie about real people and real relationships; no fancy sets or photography, not even gorgeous movie stars. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the personification of needy, but in her usual winsome way, and the teenagers are convincing teenagers (I loved Chloe). The movie’s anchor, though, is the late, great James Gandolfini. When he says, “You broke my heart,” I practically cried. I’m not sure how long their relationship will last – as I mentioned, she’s needy – but watching it build was a charming experience.

Don Jon – 7.5

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt is not my favorite actor (viz., Lincoln, Premium Rush), but his intelligence illuminates this fun story of a porn addict who has to learn that giving yourself in love is better than meaningless sex. The supporting actors are all sensational, in the style of Silver Linings Playbook, and the surprisingly non-erotic use of graphic t-and-a adroitly supports the film’s wishful theme.

Rush – 6.5

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A formulaic movie about Formula 1: every cliche of the sports movie is rolled out, with only the world of auto racing offering any novelty. The close-ups of the drivers and their cars are riveting, and Chris Hemsworth and the two leading ladies are easy on the eyes; but in the end we are left with a Ron Howard mass-audience vehicle, no subtlety and no surprises.

Elysium – 7

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It’s hard to know how “realistic” a movie set in 2154 is, but the scenes of LA were reminiscent, in a good way, of Johannesburg in director Neil Blomkomp’s prior, better movie, District 9. Matt Damon on Earth was more convincing than Jodie Foster up in Elysium, but what is consistent in all these adventure movies (see World War Z) is how much the fate of civilization hinges on a single individual’s personal affection – a parent for his child, a man for his wife, or a man for himself.

The Grandmaster – 4.5

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Not a bad movie, but an absurd mess. I say not bad because there was a lot of beauty, and if you know a lot about kung fu those parts might have been interesting. All I know about kung fu after watching this movie is that it doesn’t make you sweat, it allows you to kill with impunity, and what’s most important are the names you give your hand positions. Oh, and for some reason Buddha is happier if you promise him not to marry or have children.The giving up kung fu part I can understand.