A Second Viewing, A Second View: Inside Llewyn Davis

SPOILER ALERT: This review is filled with SPOILERS for "Inside Llewyn Davis." If you don't want SPOILERS for "Inside Llewyn Davis," do not read beyond this point. I put SPOILERS in bold/caps lock because you see, I'm trying to make a point. 

A Coen Brothers film can be great on one viewing, but no Coen Brothers film has been truly watched until it has been seen at least twice.

So far, I have gotten a mixed consensus from the few people I know who have seen "Inside Llewyn Davis." For every time it topped a bestof list or got an A+, it also got a negative review. But Joel and Ethan Coen never really get full acclaim across the board, except in the cases of "Fargo" and "No Country for Old Men."

The legacy of "Inside Llewyn Davis" will take time to sort out, but I figured now was an appropriate time to sort out a few things about the film that you and me, but mostly me, might have been having trouble with. Here is my SPOILER heavy rundown of "Inside Llewyn Davis":

Movie Review: Inside Llewyn Davis

Cat in the big city. Image via Rotten Tomatoes

Yes, Joel and Ethan Coen have given us a musical biopic. It doesn't mean they had to give you one about a real musician. Or even make the movie you wanted to see.

"Inside Llewyn Davis," the Coen Brothers' first film in a very long three years, is a welcome return to the big screen. It is the perfect awards season film that is also an anti-awards season film. It's a tale for the holidays that wears its icy heart on its sleeves.

Like most Coen Brothers films, "Inside Llewyn Davis" is based on something else, but how much it's based off of that thing is questionable. Davis is based on Dave Van Ronk. Most the songs in the movie are his, but Davis' personality is different. This mystery just adds to the charm.

The Oscars: Who Should Win

You'll find out later in the week who I think will actually win the Awards. But for now, I'd like to share the directors, writers, and actors who would win if only I could hand out the trophies. A few you won't surprised by, and a few you just might be.

Best Picture: Inglourious Basterds

It was the best movie of 2009 when it came out in August, and it's still the best movie today. While this is a strong year for Best Picture nominees (for the most part), "Basterds" is more movie than any of these movies. It was almost even a magnum opus. It probably won't pick up the Best Picture statue, but history certainly will be kind to these "Basterds."

Best Director: Quentin Tarantino or Kathryn Bigelow

How could this be? Am I really rooting against Tarantino? While I'd love seeing him earn the first Best Director Oscar of his career, Bigelow did something special with "The Hurt Locker." I don't root for her solely because her win would make history, but because she directed the action so elegantly, and so ingeniously found suspense not in the moment the bomb blows up, but rather the moment before it could potentially blow our hero away.

Best Actor: Colin Firth (A Single Man)

Jeff Bridges gave a fine performance in "Crazy Heart." I root for him in a way because, well, he's the Dude, man. But the more I think about it, the more I find it impossible to neglect my admiration for Firth. Throughout the flawed "A Single Man," he was so perfectly understated. His reaction to his lover's death is one that has been engrained into my memory. Simply, he showed he showed he had amazing talent I didn't even know existed.

Best Actress: Carey Mulligan (An Education)

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what about Mulligan's performance was so Oscar worthy. Maybe it was just that simply through her emotions and expressions, she turned Jenny from a cardboard figure into a three dimensional human being. Her looks have often been compared to that of Audrey Hepburn. Her acting should be, as well.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

Am I a horrible Jew for saying I was charmed by a Nazi? Probably. I don't care, because Waltz created possibly the most interesting and complex Nazi ever put on screen. At times, his performance is as terrifying and manipulative as it is breezy and funny. He created a character who single-handedly defines what it means to be "Tarantinoesque." May you have a long and prosperous future of fine work ahead of you, Mr. Waltz.

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique (Precious)

I still remember the day I walked out of "Precious" (then "Push") at Sundance. Even though the whole film had made an impression on me, Mo'Nique's performance stole the entire show. She gives the horrible Mary very few redeeming qualities, but she never neglects to make her feel human, whether that means good or bad. But then, there's that final, heart-wrenching monologue, in which she inspires a sort of pathetic sympathy. In January 2009 I said, this performance deserves an Oscar. In March 2010, it will win one.

Best Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds

There's not much more that can be said about "Basterds" that I haven't said already, but I'll give it a try. Tarantino's writing deserves to win because it's written so eloquently, and so flawlessly. Despite the fact that the time period limits Tarantino from much of his pop culture references, this script still shows his amazing ability to make long stretches of dialogue both utterly intense and extremely fascinating. We don't get any conversations about "Like a Virgin" or cheeseburgers, but we do get an explanation for the war put in the terms of rodents. Also, we get some conversations about cinema that only a true cinephile would be able to give us.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air

I debated giving this one to "In the Loop," for its overly creative cursing. But the script of "Up in the Air" works both in completed film form, and on its own. In Jason Reitman's script, he stayed loosely faithful to the book he was adapting and added his own story in. He also kept that fine balance between relevant tragedy and light-hearted yet smart humor. Simply, this script flows like water and never seems to hit a false note. There would be no great movie without this great script.

Best Animated Film: Fantastic Mr. Fox

It might be blasphemous to pass over a Pixar film. However, they've had their moment in the sun for countless years. The true best animated film of the year was from the mind of both Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl. It ignored CGI animation and instead stuck with traditional models. Strangely, in that sense, it seemed all the more real. It's a witty labor of love that criminally did not receive all of the love it deserved.

Movie Review: An Education

The beginning of "An Education" might throw you off a bit. For a premise that sounds so trite, the music is so upbeat and unexpected. It's basically an indicator for what's to come: a surprising, refreshing, and extremely entertaining British drama.

"An Education" brings us back to a time where many things were accepted and others rejected that we couldn't even imagine today. Still, something about this time seems alarmingly relevant. The year is 1961, and the location is London. Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a 16-year-old with a love for French music and film. Her real ambitions seem to be to absorb all things cultural. However, she is ruled more by the ambitions of her strict father (Alfred Molina). Therefore, she attends an all girls private school with a goal of getting into Oxford.

Everything in Jenny's life seems mechanical. Even the cello, which she loves so much, is meant simply as a means of getting her into college. This all changes one day when she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard). David is a Jewish businessman about twice Jenny's age. He breaks her away from her imprisoned life and introduces her to a world of jazz, gambling, and drinking, amongst other things. Once she sees this new life, she never wants to go back.

Much talk about the film has gone into Carey Mulligan's performance. All of this talk comes for good reason. I cannot see any other actress stepping into the role of Jenny and doing as fine a job as Mulligan does. She conveys Jenny's emotion and confusion with absolute perfection, letting both her emotions and her ambivalence guide the story. Mulligan also constantly reminded me of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." It's not just for her looks, but for the way she conveys her many complex feelings, and ultimately finds her purpose in life.

Mulligan might be front and center, but she's not the only great actor on display. Molina is amazing when you think how drawn out his character could've been. Instead, he breathes life into his performance and even bring a good deal of humor into his character's awkwardness. And in his sternest moments, he's always convincing.

Sarsgaard performance is the most underrated in the film. He has a fascinating ability to be able to act in two different emotions at once, especially with his body language. His smile will suggest a calm amiability, while his cocked eyebrows can suggest a whole different man. This is a rare talent few actors possess, and for this, as well as his convincing British accent, Sarsgaard should be praised more often.

"An Education" does not solely rely on performances for greatness. To tell you the truth, the only thing that got me to see this movie was the Oscar buzz surrounding it. The story sounded like something I've seen many times before. However, "An Education manages to take this formula and bring a whole new dimension to it.

For starters, none of the characters are turned into caricatures. None of the adults seem to be putting Jenny through her miserable education simply to torture her. There is always a reason behind each motive. In the end, Jenny's strict father ends up being as likable as she is.

The whole story is an ode to rebelliousness and non-conformity. This of course isn't the first film to celebrate these things. What is so great about the story is that it doesn't seem to be celebrating the wrong kind of rebelliousness. It wants Jenny to find freedom, and find it in the right way. Just as it makes the point that one can't get an education until they realize why they're being educated, one can't truly go their own way until they understand why they're going in the direction they're headed.

Some film critics judge how much they like a movie by their emotional connection to it. I don't do that too often but with "An Education," I will take a big exception. Jenny's coming-of-age story reminded me of events I've faced recently in my own life, and some words she hears sound a little like things I've been told as well. It's not just what Jenny is told, but her reactions to it that I can relate to so much.

I think what made "An Education" such a unique viewing experience for me is its tone. It could've been a film that was darky, moody, and constantly angry. Instead, it remains optimistic throughout. Even when Jenny reaches her lowest point, there is always the reaffirming touch of life in every shot. It's nice for once to see a film about the machine that is life which doesn't approach it's subject in such a pessimistic manner. "An Education" is a film that proves that it doesn't just matter what story you're telling, but how you tell it.