oscar noms: Performance by an Actor in a leading role: Ryan Gosling






My one sentence synopsis: Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling), an inspiration-to-his-students-because-of-unorthodox-methods teacher type, is in fact a hopeless junkie on the sly, but unwittingly becomes a surrogate elder brother of sorts for latchkey kid and precocious-teen-of-few-words, Drey (Shareeka Epps).

You should watch it because --
i) of Ryan Gosling, whose roles on the big screen have been pretty lightweight thus far (probably you last saw him in The Notebook), gets to flex his acting chops abit as the morally inflicted teacher. The story is pretty weak and patchy in spots but Gosling fills in those gaping holes nicely with his nuanced acting. However, don't expect any big, dramatic or overwrought emotions. This is all about subtlety...
ii) of Shareeka Epps, a relative unknown holds her own as a twelve-year old with the maturity of a thiry-year old. Though her character is one of few words and relatively hard to read, Epps manages to deliver a credible performance, balancing moments of unguarded vulnerability with flashes of strong insight and determination.

You shoud NOT watch it because --
Despite clocking in at under two hours in running time, Half Nelson still feels abit draggy in parts and if you're the sort who likes their weekend movies with alot of wham-bang or flash-dash or laugh-a-minute kind, then this would be a tremendous bore for you.

Oscar moment: Really hard to say, the film plods along with such a measured pace and with nary an "up" moment. Probably the best scene is when Dan, in his semi-sober state, confronts drug-pusher Frank, Drey's self-appointed guardian, and tries to get him to stay away from the latter. Ended up with the both of them sharing some drinks together. Hah!

my ratings: 3.7 stars!!!

(*this film is exclusive to the Picturehouse.)

PS: I was wondering why this show is titled Half Nelson when none of the characters are actually named Nelson! Well, here's the reason...

HALF NELSON -- Definition: [n] a wrestling hold in which the holder puts an arm under the opponent's arm and exerts press on the back of the neck

Those who've watched the film will understand. ;)

 2:59 PM