DVD REVIEW: BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Let me tell you that it is not an easy task seeing all of the Best Picture nominees when you're not a professional critic! I've been scrambling to see the last ones in theaters, and finally got around to catching one of the two relatively quiet Best Picture wannabes: "Beasts of the Southern Wild." (The other nominee being that feel-good film "Amour" about old people dying, (in subtitles) which I have still yet to see.) Unlike last year while I dozed off during "War Horse" and was unsatisfied with "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," there hasn't been a movie nominated this year that hasn't blown me away in some fashion.
"Beasts" kept up this streak, and that blown-away factor coming in the form of pint-sized force of nature Quvenzhane (Kwah-ven-juh-nay) Wallis, who I'll refer to as Q for the sake of review brevity! At the age of six Miss Wallis shows us how strong the human spirit can be, as Hushpuppy, a toddler struggling to survive in her ever changing dirt-poor environment in a place called the "Bathtub." With the ferocity only a child of that age could provide, Hushpuppy, along with her ill father, his friend Walrus, and the rest of the Bathtub children fight there way against government interference to provide them with a safer residence.
Ghettos portrayed in nightmarish urban films like "Baby Boy" seem like deluxe apartments compared to the muck and bayou in "Beasts." But Hushpuppy and her father Wink have adapted to this hellish state, even having separate houses for one another. Dwight Henry, a local living near the production of this film, was thoughtlessly robbed off a supporting actor nomination for this film. He could be swapped out with Alan Arkin's nomination in "Argo," and I'd have no problem with that. Wink is a tough-love father for sure, a parent who never tells his child he loves them, but doesn't need to. Because of his wife's death it's him and Hushpuppy against the world.
You might think, like a sparse amount of critics could argue, that when you're as young as Q, it's not really acting, as you can't really grasp the concept of pretending to be someone else. I couldn't even go to the bathroom properly until I was five. But if you look at Q's kindred spirits, Haley Joel Osment, Mary Badham, etc., you can see it's anything but impossible. Fun fact: I used to be a summer camp counselor back in '09, and was around kindergartners for weeks at a time. I was around all of this youthful energy, and it all comes across in Q's performance. The muscle flexing, the "Who's the man?" exchanges...it all is displayed so naturally in her role, nothing artificial to be detected. It's an experienced soul in that tiny package of a body.
Another unexpected bonus was the fantasy element of "Beasts," which I won't delve too far in to, but it equally impressed me along with the more realistic, grittier aspects. It's a stunning debut, a total director's picture, and while I'd rather have seen Affleck or Bigelow in the slot, Benh Zeitlin is still a wise choice for best director. If you've yet to see any of the Oscar nominees, push "Beasts" near the top of your list.
Rating: 3/4 stars
"Beasts" kept up this streak, and that blown-away factor coming in the form of pint-sized force of nature Quvenzhane (Kwah-ven-juh-nay) Wallis, who I'll refer to as Q for the sake of review brevity! At the age of six Miss Wallis shows us how strong the human spirit can be, as Hushpuppy, a toddler struggling to survive in her ever changing dirt-poor environment in a place called the "Bathtub." With the ferocity only a child of that age could provide, Hushpuppy, along with her ill father, his friend Walrus, and the rest of the Bathtub children fight there way against government interference to provide them with a safer residence.
Ghettos portrayed in nightmarish urban films like "Baby Boy" seem like deluxe apartments compared to the muck and bayou in "Beasts." But Hushpuppy and her father Wink have adapted to this hellish state, even having separate houses for one another. Dwight Henry, a local living near the production of this film, was thoughtlessly robbed off a supporting actor nomination for this film. He could be swapped out with Alan Arkin's nomination in "Argo," and I'd have no problem with that. Wink is a tough-love father for sure, a parent who never tells his child he loves them, but doesn't need to. Because of his wife's death it's him and Hushpuppy against the world.
You might think, like a sparse amount of critics could argue, that when you're as young as Q, it's not really acting, as you can't really grasp the concept of pretending to be someone else. I couldn't even go to the bathroom properly until I was five. But if you look at Q's kindred spirits, Haley Joel Osment, Mary Badham, etc., you can see it's anything but impossible. Fun fact: I used to be a summer camp counselor back in '09, and was around kindergartners for weeks at a time. I was around all of this youthful energy, and it all comes across in Q's performance. The muscle flexing, the "Who's the man?" exchanges...it all is displayed so naturally in her role, nothing artificial to be detected. It's an experienced soul in that tiny package of a body. Another unexpected bonus was the fantasy element of "Beasts," which I won't delve too far in to, but it equally impressed me along with the more realistic, grittier aspects. It's a stunning debut, a total director's picture, and while I'd rather have seen Affleck or Bigelow in the slot, Benh Zeitlin is still a wise choice for best director. If you've yet to see any of the Oscar nominees, push "Beasts" near the top of your list.
Rating: 3/4 stars
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