Double Feature

March 2009 - Unless this is the first column of mine that you've read, you know that it's called Double Feature because I always review two films. Or, maybe I always review two films because the column is called Double Feature. Either way, the key number here is two.

But, since this is March, and since March is the third month, and since I have seen three of this year's Oscar-nominated movies, this month, I will review those three films in the order that I saw them. Then, I’ll make my picks. By now, we should know if I picked correctly.

First up, Best Picture nominee The Reader, starring Kate Winslet as Hanna, a former Nazi death camp guard living in post-war Germany. When the movie opens, she's almost 40, but enters into a short but passionate affair with a teenage boy named Michael, who grows up to be Ralph Fiennes. While Michael is in college, he learns that Hanna is on trial for war crimes. She would rather be convicted and go to prison than reveal her deepest secret.

Overall review: Liked it. Winslet is terrific and so is David Kross, the actor who plays young Michael. Lena Olin makes the most of a small role. The film is intense and raises a lot of questions that never get answered in any clear way.

Another Best Picture nominee is Slumdog Millionaire. It uses flashbacks to tell the story of how Jamal, a young man from the slums of Bombay, comes to find himself in a position to win riches beyond his wildest dreams. Jamal does not have much formal schooling, but his life experiences have taught him more than most people believe he should know.

Overall review: Liked it. At its heart, Slumdog is a love story. But, it is a love story wrapped in the drama of a life that's harder than anyone should have to know. The message that love and hope can prevail is the film’s real triumph.

Finally, The Wrestler. Mickey Rourke earned his Best Actor nod by bulking up to play an aging professional wrestler named Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Opening credits appear over a montage of clippings and flyers from Ram's glory days in the Eighties. Now, he’s living in a trailer, working at Acme, hanging out at a strip club and wrestling on weekends. Then, something happens that makes him think about whether a life outside the ring might be possible.

Overall review: Loved it! Rourke looks every bit the aging wrestler he's supposed to be. His life has been rough in and out of the ring. Life has also been rough for his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and for his favorite stripper (Marisa Tomei). The Wrestler offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into the world of professional wrestling. But, even more fascinating is watching these characters struggle to escape the roles into which life has cast them.

I'll pick Rourke for Best Actor and, based on the buzz, Slumdog Millionaire for Best Picture.