The Forgotten Actress Club: "Fairuza Balk"

The first actress to be inducted into the club:

The hypnotic

Fairuza Balk.

Best Known For: Return To OZ ~ The Craft ~ Gas, Food, Lodging (Independent Spirit Award Winner)~ Valmont ~ Almost Famous ~ American History X ~ The Waterboy, Her breakthrough came when she was chosen from millions of young girls vying to play the new Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ sequel Return To OZ. The film was unfortunately a near flop because it boldly yet cleverly veered away from the happy musical feel of the original... and decided to embrace the book's darker side. Balk was a perfect Dorothy for what would later become a cult classic-- and rightly so. The film is in many ways better thathe Judy Garland classic. A thrilling adventure... that is oftentimes scary. The imagery of the headless dancing girls... whos heads are kept in a case will stay with you forever...

Balk would later win a deserving Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in the great little film Gas, Food, Lodging... and should have been considered an Oscar contender-- the same with her enormous support in American History X.But it was the witchy flick The Craft that really broke her into stardom. Playing the sexy nose-pierced bad-ass witch of an elite high school coven. The youthful film itself is actually remarkable, and found it's way into the same league of 90's classic's like Heathers.

"Watch out for the weirdo's, girls." ~ "We are the weirdo's, mister."

Fairuza earned a high profile appearance in Almost Famous... and shortly after began to fade prematurely. She had a notable performance in the indy Personal Velocity then her career sadly stalled.

My prediction:

With a memorable face that has the ability to transform for sexy and dramatic and frightening roles, it's a wonder that in her mid 30's she isn't being begged for.

Having several long-span leaps between noteworthy performances over the years-- she is due for another. Each time she gains more attention. Let's hope that a gritty project of a drug-abused or wrongly accused woman is somewhere in the waiting zone. She could very well give it her all and to everyone's surprise find her way to the Oscar podium. She is that memorable. She is that good. And she does not deserve to be forgotten. And with that vote of confidence she cannot stay in this club for long...

THE TOP 20 MOVIES OF THE YEAR (Including "Oscar" Snubs.)

THE TOP 20 MOVIES OF THE YEAR 2009

(Including "Oscar" Snubs)

By: Kai Elijah Hamilton

20. Jennifer's Body: A sadly ignored little dark-horror comedy written by Diablo Cody is both tongue-in-cheek and trendy. A campy modern-day take on Heathers (one of the greatest movies of all time) showcases a fetchingly sexy Megan Fox.

19. The Hurt Locker: Perhaps one of the most over-praised films of the year, but as far as war movies go it is an admirable one. It is suspenseful, but chooses to keep its characters and their situations robotic (a tactic too often implored in war films), otherwise it would have landed higher on the list.

18. Halloween 2: One of several horror films on the list, because they are ridiculously ignored. Rob Zombie has most certainly proved an admirable, even avant guard director. His characters often-times have a creepy dramatic depth, but not too deep so that we still feel the surface value of horror films of yesteryear. This, his own sequel, is better than the original sequel Halloween 2 (1981) with Jamie Lee Curtis.

17. The Proposal: Yes, I too am a Sandra Bullock fan (her best movie is still While You Were Sleeping). The Blindside was great for what it was, but I choose this movie as the better because it not only includes a should-have-been Best Supporting Actress contender Betty White, but because romantic chick flicks are a great genre and (despite a usually bland Ryan Reynolds) The Proposal got it just right. This is Sandra how we have and will always loved her.

16. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: I openly admit to liking this series, a great deal as a matter of fact. I feel that it showcases teen-flicks and bubble-gum pop culture at its new-age best. The truth of the matter is, when you let yourself go and get into it, Twilight is addictive, sexy, romantic, thrilling, and compelling. Kristen Stewart is a siren on the rise.

15. The September Issue: Addictive also is the docu-movie The September Issue, about the brazen workaholic life behind Vogue magazine, editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Surprisingly enough it is her side-kick's that often-times drive the film toward a humane level. This is a very rare and intimate look at what goes on behind the scenes of the greatest fashion magazine of all time.

14. Where The Wild Things Are: A very odd film indeed. Which the unexpected, in a good way, is always the better choice. The beloved children's book is finally brought to life with much edge and grace. All the technical aspects were disappointingly ignored by the Oscars: The Art Direction, The Costumes, The Score, etc. Catherine Keener gives one of her most honest performances.

13. Up In The Air: Finally a less arrogant George Clooney, he actually displays a vulnerability. But this movie would be nothing without the matching ladies- Vera Farmiga and especially Anna Kendrick. This movie was worth the hype, and leaves you with one of those "such is life" endings.

12. Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire: This movie would have been a serious contender for The Best Movie of The Year. Except that the final feels as though a cork were prematurely pulled on the entire film, draining it of much needed explanation. However, the acting and gripping story are so monumental that just about any fault can be overlooked. Mo'Nique makes a primo-vicious villain, but her office breakdown at the end is what is nothing short of remarkable. However, Gabourey Sidibe is highly over-shadowed and deserved equal recognition. And let's not forget a kick-ass make-upless Mariah Carey as well.

11. Away We Go: This movie was shot down before it ever left the gates. It is however clever, funny and very touching. Maya Rudolph should have been an Oscar contender. A road-movie that is more about finding one's self right back where you started, than any of the side-splitting and unique vignettes- most notable a relentless Maggie Gyllenhaal. American Beauty Director Sam Mendes shows great versatility here.

10. An Education: Oh, what a lovely, lovely sophisticated movie for young adults. One of these days I swear the handsome Peter Sarsgaard is going to get recognition for his brilliant work. This time around the attention went to swooned virgin Carey Mulligan. Who gave such a notable character arch and fall that it is a wonder where in heaven she came from. The title, An Education, is a metaphor on life more than anything else.

9. The House of the Devil: The horror movie of the year! An astonishing replica of a 1980's campy horror movie fresh off the VHS shelves of yesteryear. Ti West proves to be a genius director. He nails the bitter nail-biting pace of a college gal taking a babysitting job for two satanic worshipers on the night of an eclipse. The movie is frightening, oh yes, but it bares repeating that the replication of 1980's EVERYTHING is nothing short of masterful. Bravo.

8. Crazy Heart: One of those movies, like a country-western song, where you know how you are going to feel by the time it is over but you simply don't mind the lonesome beautiful intoxication. Jeff Bridges is winning as is a perfectly against-type Maggie Gyllenhaal. And hiding behind a small but fine performance is Colin Farrell. This should have been a Best Picture contender. It is one of the best of the year. Hands down.

7. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee: My favorite actress of the year is Robin Wright Penn. She is utterly amazing as Pippa and it is a dirty-shame that she was over-looked. The film itself is a remarkable creative achievement by an equally over-looked female director Rebecca Miller whom also wrote the story and the book. It is my opinion that she is the female director of the year. Because this film reflects the combination of female angst, sharp humor and beauty so strikingly well. Blake Lively also gives a Best Supporting Actress worthy performance. And just about any film with the great black-balled Winona Ryder is a keeper.

6. Coraline: Almost, the Best Animated Film of the Year. Almost. Coraline is the very definition of creative, even surrealistic in nature. The 3D effects are brilliantly captured and the theatrical-minded, button-eyed nightmare story is fascinating. It is a wonder this film did not gain more attention than it did. Rest assured, this will be a classic one day.

5. The Last Word: Bet you've never even heard of this movie right? What a pitty, as it is #5. I guess I could spare you the details of how the brilliant story revolves around a poet who writes suicide notes for the soon-to-be departed; How he falls in love with one of his dead clients sister's and has to shield his idenity. I could also spare you the details about how great Wes Bentley is and how shocking Ray Romano is as a suicidal nut-case that befriends him. And how the surging Winona Ryder gives a tour de force, return to form performance. I could spare you the details... but then again that would be cruel for such a Garden State type comedic heart-tugger to go even further unnoticed. Rent it. ASAP.

4. The Hangover: Now this is what male bonding is all about. This is the most hilarious movie to come out in a long-long time. It would have been awesome to see The Hangover enter the Best Picture ring in order to represent the comedy genre's rise to greatness. Zach Galifianakis is comedic perfection, and in a year with a lack-luster Best Supporting Actor Race it would have been nice to include him. I laughed by ass-off with a smile in between, and something has to be really funny for that to happen.

3. Avatar: It is a rarity that CGI effects can awe-inspire me to the point of tears. Avatar in reality is a breath-taking force in the film world to be reckoned with, a scary merge into the world of- what is next? And, what will happen to softer-spoken films? But better are we in the safety-net of James Cameron (of the great Titanic) than anyone else. Who was the Best Director again?

2. (500) Days of Summer: The Best Movie of the Year that does not include balloons as a major plot-device. Looking back on this ground-breaking, creative, young-adult romantic comedy about lessons learned in love, it is simply a wonder it was not a monster-hit. But such as it goes, (500) was shoved out of the way and planted next to other one-day classic wallflowers while the elite club of Avatarian/Hurt Lockers and other "honor just to be nominated" cliques danced the night away. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a lovable powerhouse, and beautifully quirky heartbreaker Zooey Deschanel will no doubt one day have her chance in winners circle if performances like these keep being churned out. The perfect "You Make My Dreams Come True" musical number is unforgettable, as is the unique Editing and self-proclaimed Best Screenplay of the Year.

1. Up: One of the greatest animated films of all time. Thank you Pixar. You continue to top yourself time and time again. I can't fathom how it would be possible to fly any higher than this one. The adequately titled Up is an absolutely beautiful, thrilling, funny, 4-hankie grabbing, adventure film- cargoing all the right elements for anyone young and old. Edward Asner gives one of the grandest voice talents of all time, and let's not forget that clever voice-box dog Dug. The Oscar winning Score is as timeless as they come. This one is for the ages! The cleverly twisted story of a should-be ending being at the beginning, and displayed as a silent montage sequence aids the message: However fun being carried away with life and love is, oftentimes it is those sweet simple moments in time that are the most enduring of all. "Thanks for the adventure."

THE LOVELY BONES ~ "A shameful poetic wreckage in the hands of a capable director."

It is the vintage 1970's. Susie Salmon, a young high school girl (played by the sensational Saoirse Ronan of Atonement) is murdered. Her spirit is caught in the "in between", a dream world before heaven that is built of significant elements of reality, mostly those just before death. In the in between, Susie is able to watch her family crumble in despair, her hopeful boyfriend's eyes wander, and her murder case grow cold. Meanwhile back in the real world we watch as murdering neighbor George Harvey (played by a creepy Stanley Tucci) regains a familiar itch for brutality, and plans for the murder of Susie's sister Lindsey (Rose McIver).

It is impossible to give away many plot elements, as we walk into the film having seen a spoiling trailer that literally sums up the entire film. At face value it is forgivable that director Peter Jackson decided to go his own way and veer away from the famous book, but what he has somehow managed to do is handicap the entire film by deflating its greatest asset--mystery. We know Susie is going to die. We know Susie is trapped in a dream world. And most importantly--we know who the killer is.

Perhaps the revealing set-up would have worked if the film had been able to capture the drama or the hurt and the urgency of the family in the slightest bit. Instead Jackson seems intent on meandering the story with computer generated dream-world sequences, those that perhaps would have been considered awe-inspiring if it weren't caught deep in the wake of Avatar. But in The Lovely Bones, the special effects disrupt the story and try way too hard to be poetic. Poetry in anything--film, photography, writing, etc. is usually best when it is organically made, when it comes from within, when it isn't trying to force an overwhelming impact--the impact just culminates and lives on. True poetry is not savagely copied from others own creative inspiration, it is only copied when you hold so much respect for that said creator that it rewardingly pays tribute (Brian De Palma to Alfred Hitchcock for example). If creativity has to be copied and duplicated or remixed just enough with hopes of it being pawned off as their own--what does that say about the copiers own creativity?

Jackson has already proved a film poet of a different breed with The Lord of the Rings. He already proved he could mix drama with surrealistic horror in his best movie to date Heavenly Creatures. The Lovely Bones seems forced and jarring. Like a confused director settling on the middle-ground of huge and artistically intimate. The film is just so choppy and non-linear. The murder-mystery should have been trusted the old fashioned way and not strained to be inventive. The interesting opportunity is lost involving Susie's ghostly connection to her family, the opportunity is lost for the psychic girl to field the connection, the opportunity is lost to delve into the dark, sexual, dollhouse making murderer's mind--a skill beautifully toned in its disturbance with Heavenly Creatures.

The Lovely Bones is piled high with capable actors that give their all (other notable players--Mark Walhburg, Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz). But the story truly lacks depth and truly does not know how to get on its own two feet. For a movie set on struggling through being heart-felt it is odd that in the end we feel no justice is served at all. What a shame... this could have been one of the best movies of the year, and I was rooting for it.

GRADE: C -

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY ~ "A Blair Witchy Retread."

Paranormal Activity might as well be a cardboard cut-out of the much better, much more influential, much more groundbreaking horror masterpiece The Blair Witch Project. Whereas that is in fact the most important statement about Paranormal Activity, I feel compelled to elaborate.

A modern-day couple decides to purchase a video camera in order to capture the night happenings of a ghost thought to possess their home. After evidence is apparent they briefly consult a flighty psychic and on his advise, they stay put in the house (supposingly the entity will follow them anyway). So like any curious couple they continue to stroke their own paranoia and provoke the entity with nightly video recordings.  Yep, that's about it.

The story is so bare bones that you wonder how it was possible to misstep the opportunity to delve deeper into Katie Featherston's past. The film briefly touches on the demon entity taunting her at a young age, starting a house fire, etc. The film explains nothing and holds no drama for its characters. Why not concentrate on the paranoia of demonology and the occult? Instead the film edges around religion. I'm sorry. I do realize we now live in a world where it's easier to ignore spirituality, but when you consider ghosts or demons of any kind in a story... you have also inadvertently created a God... therefore you almost automatically have to touch the theme of religion. Good and evil. There is a dividing line. If you bring up Ouija boards or the occult as a negative scare tactic, then the counter is religion or spirituality as a means of possible security. Focusing on this theme is exactly why Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist remain so very effective. Both films were fearless in touching the subject. 

Paranormal Activity is just bland and curiously not scary. Expecting suspense and a mammoth amount of ghost activity? Think again. There is a single unmemorable camera set-up by the bed and hardly anything happens. The rest of the time the couple runs around with the camera shouting the same things, investigating the same things, discussing the same things and bickering daily. There is no build. The film even has the gall to list each "night" as if that will fool us into being engrossed. Not on my watch. As a side note, Steven Spielberg apparently recommended a new ending in an attempt to tie everything together. Director Oren Peli listened and without the current ending, this film would have tanked on all levels. 

The Blair Witch Project was in a word iconic. It without a shadow of a doubt laid the path for this pathetic excuse for a bargain basement money-maker and it should be well noted as such. Perhaps the most daunting aspect of Paranormal Activity is that it originally attempted to make us believe this was actually caught on video. But with its unbelievability both in acting (Micah Sloat is particularly annoying) and story, other marketing gimmicks were targeted. Such as a slow build theatrical release, which caused Halloween audiences to flock to this low budget sleeper. In comparison however, The Blair Witch Project will surely stands the test of time. It is after-all a truly scary, real feeling thriller and should be revisited as a curious piece of film art if nothing else. 

Paranormal Activity is fool's gold. It doesn't psychologically play with the mind like really great horror films should, it falls on the same level as any ho-hum ghost show episode on cable. If you're hankering for a really great ghost story try out The Haunting (1963) or the remarkable film The Innocents (1961). Both are terrifying and put the likes of anything ghostly now days to a bitter shame, especially where Paranormal Activity is concerned. Seriously, don't waste your time and patience on this clunker. 

GRADE: D+

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE ~ "Rides The Rails of Family Friendly and Adult Satisfaction."

A curious piece of work is Where the Wild These Are. Adapted from the 1963 Maurice Sendak children's picture book of the same name, it was at one time banned from schools. Some were fearful that it was sending the wrong message. When in reality they failed to look beyond the surface and into the heart of the matter.

Max is a troubled child, but not a bad child. He is unsure how to cope with lonesomeness, being different, and those people he loves changing around him. So he acts out and lives inside his imagination as any truly creative child does. Creating worlds of wonder and playing the traditional "hands-on" way few children do anymore. The imagination stripping industrialized generation is sadly but certainly upon us. This movie does strike an unusal cord- Have we as a society sunk so carelessly into a realm far past books and playhouses, and into a life so digital that it is robbing the best of us? It touches on this theory very, very sneakily and all the better.

Keeping that same thought in mind- I applaud the lack of CGI work in this movie. I am well aware that it was used (how else could such lavish landscapes be captured?) but Where the Wild Things Are proves CGI can be used creatively and mildly to enhance the structural idea rather than the entirety. I find it disturbing when artistic achievements seem overwhelming and so what's the solution- computers! I can't see how the Academy Awards will misstep an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction for Where the Wild Things Are. As it curiously concentrates on the familiar woodsy texture of the children's picture book.

Another splendid child actor is Max Records. He reminds me of Haley Joel Osment with a little less bite and a little more naturality. This is exactly what the film needed. If the character of Max were too intense it wouldn't enhance the message that he had created the "wild thing" character of Carol (James Gandolfini, admittedly an odd choice) as his alter-ego. Perhaps the scene stealer in this movie is the voice of the remarkable actress Catherine O'Hara as Judith. Not too shy herself is Catherine Keener who is so heart-touching in this movie that you will wonder why you don't see her in larger roles of this caliber. She plays Max's worried mother. The small details in their relationship are very touching. Such as Max playing with the toe of her panty hose as if noting it as something he will remember of her 20 years down the road.

I hold movies of this nature in high regard because it takes someone with a very nostalgic look on life to make this effective. Therefore, Spike Jonze has most certainly directed one of the best films of the year. Thankfully he does not sugar coat the sometimes harsh nature of the film instead rides the rails of family friendly and adult satisfaction- which in turn makes this beautiful movie a tearjerker for the whole family. 

GRADE: A-

THE STEPFATHER ~ "For Gods Sake! Why are you running up the stairs?"

Few people seem to remember the original 1987 thriller The Stepfather. Fortunately for all of us, I do. What seemed like an interesting choice for a remake was, to put it mildly, not. Here's a hint: if you are going to remake a movie that unfortunately few remember--at least make it as good as the original, because you're about to unveil the previous film anyway. In the 1987 version, Terry O'Quinn plays the family preying psychopath in hiding much more effectively campy than Dylan Walsh in the recent 2009 remake. However, that does not even remotely touch on what is wrong with the film in the first place... but it certainly doesn't help.

It is amazing how much wet and shirtless, underwear hanging just off the bridge of the torso, sexual teasing this film does with newcomer Penn Badgley. He plays older son Michael who's home from military school only to find that mommy (Sela Ward--apparently in sad desperation for acting work) is engaged to a strange new daddy. Now that the threadbare plot line is taken care of... back to sex. Why didn't the film use the built up sexual energy to its advantage? Make the stepfather a pervert for gods sake! We have no inkling of his background or why he feels the need to butcher up one family and move to the next. There is no plot suggesting he was molested by his father, no hapless mother trying to break Elizabeth Taylor's record of most marriages... no nothing! Thankfully Badgley is a glimmer of hope and keeps the film somewhat interesting. I can most certainly see longevity in his career and rightly so.  

All of the above can easily be choked down by an audience member looking to pass the time with a cardboard thriller (we've all been there). But what cannot be forgiven is the inept final fifteen minutes of the movie that abruptly unravels like a poorly constructed afghan. It is essential for a film of this nature to have a good payoff. What should have been suspenseful is not. As ALL the characters wind up climbing into an old-fashioned pull-down attic, we spend the rest of the sum-odd minutes realizing we just witnessed the ultimate of all reason's why we have screamed at the screen of horror movies for years--"For God's Sake! Why are you running up the stairs?!"

Shouldn't we have learned our lesson by now?

GRADE: D

ZOMBIELAND ~ "It's Tough Growing Up."

I'm always skeptical with zombie flicks. I mean let's get serious. Does it really get any better than Romero's vintage Night of the Living Dead (1968)? No. It really doesn't. That's not to say that some zombie flicks are not noteworthy IE: 28 Days Later. The action/horror spoof Zombieland surely falls safe enough into that league.

Zombieland starts off in modern-day quick but cool montage bang-explain mode with a list of rules on how to survive zombie attacks in a world occupied by only a few remaining humans. It's fun enough and laughs certainly follow, as Woody Harrelson struts his stuff in a tailor-made role. But as the movie goes on we slowly begin to realize that we are the victim of a "one joke" flick. 

This realization occurs exactly at the moment when Bill Murray enters the screen in a half-hearted cameo. Which breaks Action Movie Rule #1: Never Give The Audience Time To Think. What is no doubt a comedic cameo to some, is in a sense distracting and derails the momentum of the journey to other more serious observers. Why doesn't it work? Because we as audience members were not ready to let go of the foursomes journey cross-country for an overlong tongue-in-cheek joke. Believe me--I love Ghostbusters and Murray just as much as the next person. This "cameo" no doubt came about because of the success of Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder, which somehow managed to work, it does not here. 

The films strongest subplot is certainly that of the two ladies Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who are sister survivoring con-artists. However, it owes more than a bit to the likes of Paper Moon and the great but little seen movie Heartbreakers. It is a shame that the men (Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg) couldn't have been saved by the bad ass women rather than the typical other way around. The film's final act ends at an amusement park in an attempt to be as symbolic as Romero's Dawn of the Dead mall. Not so much. After the elongated cameo, Zombieland somehow lost it's most curious and effective asset- the suspense. The directing was noticeably loose at the end, as the film did not know what to do with itself any longer. Zombieland certainly failed when it abandoned its "spoofyness" for the been-there-done-that drama. 

However, Harrelson as Tallahassee helped make up for any mistakes on a grand scale. And, while not a groundbreaker, on that same grand scale Zombieland succeeds in laughs and general audience fun. Which is more than you can ask for in a zombie genre that is slowly wearing out its welcome and begs the honest question... what more is there left to say?  

GRADE: B