Lincoln!

 

Abraham Lincoln is generally considered one of the greatest Presidents we’ve ever had. One does wonder, then, why Steven Spielberg’s new film, aptly titled Lincoln, is the first film about Abraham Lincoln released in my lifetime. Not that I’m complaining, as Lincoln is carried by fantastic performances, a solid script, and the best John Williams score in a decade.

The film follows Abraham Lincoln and his struggles to get the Thirteenth Amendment ratified. He enlists the help of several men, including Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones) to make this happen. Meanwhile, his son, Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), wants to enlist against his mother’s (Sally Field) will, but Abraham cannot intervene, as the Thirteenth Amendment requires all of his attention.

 

The writing by Tony Kushner is quite fine, portraying sessions of the House in a surprisingly entertaining fashion. However, he slightly fumbles at the family subplot, although that is not written poorly. Rather, Kushner writes the main storyline so well, that the family subplot seems underdeveloped in comparison. That said, the film spends about thirty minutes total on the family subplot, so it’s not that much of an issue.

Lincoln has a surprising amount of humor. Stevens has a number of funny lines as the leading representative for the Amendment. Lincoln has an amusing running gag with his stories, and the biggest touch Spielberg has on the film is its humor. Lincoln’s youngest son is also quite amusing.

 

Lincoln’s strongest asset is its phenomenal ensemble. Sally Field convinces as Mary Todd Lincoln, and Tommy Lee Jones steals the show as Stevens. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is criminally underused, but he is a highlight whenever he is on screen. The rest of the ensemble cast does a fine job, but I haven’t begun talking about the best part of the movie: Daniel Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis is Abraham Lincoln, melting into his role perfectly and becoming the definite interpretation of the sixteenth president.

Steven Spielberg directs the film with gusto, making it his best film since 2002’s Catch Me If You Can. Comparing to recent Spielberg films, it proves much, much better than last year’s Spielberg films, The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. However, Tintin had an issue with characters, as none of the characters were very well-developed, while Horse was far too sentimental for a film about World War I. Lincoln drops most sentimentality along with having very well-developed characters.

 John Williams also turns in his best score since 2002, finally relying on more than one motif for the entire film. I also quite enjoyed the use of a fiddle in several scenes, and the main theme is appropriately majestic for the president. The cinematography was quite nice too, although Skyfall still reigns supreme on that turf. I noticed how a majority of scenes had seemingly natural skylight, but not much else stood out cinematography-wise.

Lincoln is very well-acted, including the impressive performances of Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, and, of course, Daniel Day-Lewis. The film is well-written, with a nice score, with good direction. However, the family subplot does hurt the movie a bit; but overall, Lincoln is a fascinating look at politics and our sixteenth president. Lincoln is directed by Steven Spielberg, distributed by DreamWorks Studios and Touchstone Pictures, and is rated PG -13 for an intense scene of war violence, some images of carnage, and brief strong language.

A

Skyfall!

Confession time: before Skyfall, the only James Bond movies I had seen were From Russia With Love and Casino Royale. I’ve always meant to watch more, but the list of all twenty-two Bond movies seemed daunting. However, after seeing Skyfall, I have now more reason to watch the older Bond movies, as Skyfall returns James Bond to the top of the pack of action heroes. Furthermore, Skyfall is a great film for Bond fans, action fans, and even the film buff.

The film follows, of course, the famed MI6 agent, James Bond, played by Daniel Craig. After a mission goes horribly wrong and Bond is declared dead, MI6 is found under attack by a mysterious villain, Raoul Silva (played by Javier Bardem), with a personal grudge against M (played by Judi Dench). It’s up to James Bond to save the day, as always.

The way I describe it makes it sounds ridiculously simple, but it’s not. The script, co-written by one of my favorite screenwriters, John Logan, takes Bond to his usual exotic locals such as Istanbul and Shanghai, but sets the entire last hour in England, taking Bond on a much more personal journey than before. The film’s theme is about the relevance of espionage agents such as 007 in today’s world, along with growing old and losing your youthful vigor. The theme is quite powerful, along with a much more emotional core than I expected: the relationship between Bond and M.

Skyfall is full of the typical Bond humor. There were a few great one-liners, and Craig is much more suave than he was in Casino Royale, despite the film pointing out his growing older. The Bond girls are there as well, and although they don’t really add much to the film, it wouldn’t quite be a James Bond film without them. Finally, the action that’s usual for James Bond is here as well, and quite breathtaking. The opening chase scene in Istanbul stands out as a memorable sequence.

Daniel Craig nails the vulnerability that Skyfall forces James Bond to go through, proving once again that he will be remembered as one of the greatest James Bonds. Judi Dench also nails the role of M as always, but the script gives her much more to do with the role, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her campaigned for Best Supporting Actress come Oscar-time. Q returns to the world of Bond in the form of a young man, played by Ben Whishaw. Although some had expressed concerns of a young Q, Whishaw hits the role out of the park, and is a comedic highlight of the film.

However, the real star of the movie is Javier Bardem’s genius portrayal of Raoul Silva. In a year of both Bane and Loki, it’s amazing that a James Bond movie can top them both within a single monologue. Silva is quite a menacing villain, with bizarre mannerisms, and a much deeper backstory than the typical Bond villain. Javier Bardem also deserves an Oscar campaign for Silva, proving a more than worthy adversary for Bond.

The music in the film is great, starting with Adele’s theme, “Skyfall.” The song perfectly fits the mystery of the movie, along with being a good song in its own right. Thomas Newman’s score is great as well, both implementing Adele’s song and the famed James Bond theme seamlessly. The direction is well done, but the real technical accomplishment of the film is the cinematography. I don’t often look for cinematography, but some genius moments are shot through this, including a fight done completely in silhouette. Another highlight is the previously mentioned monologue, which is one long shot that never moves, but still maintains its menace. If Skyfall is not nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscars, there is a serious issue with the Academy.

Skyfall is impeccably acted, including the phenomenal performances of Judi Dench, Daniel Craig, and Javier Bardem. The action is mesmerizing, the music is great, and the cinematography is the best I’ve seen all year. Skyfall is not to be missed. Skyfall is directed by Sam Mendes, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures, and is rated PG -13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking.

 

A+