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Set in a dreary alternate past where everything’s familiar except for the central circumstance, the year is 1978 and Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth are growing up and benefitting from a prim and proper British education in what at first appears to be a storybook English boarding school. Something’s amiss, though. The young students don’t seem to have last names and normalcy is regularly broken up by the inexplicable. In-between standard academic courses, games, and meals, the children have been conditioned to never leave the school grounds and whenever they exit the building there’s an electronic device in their wrist that appears to do some kind of electronic roll call and/or head count.  

By 1985, Kathy has grown into Carey Mulligan; Tommy, Andrew Garfield; and Ruth, Keira Knightley. Having graduated, they’re shipped off to the countryside to await their fate and work though a brittle friendship damaged by a years-long love triangle. You see, Kathy loves Tommy but Tommy loves Ruth and Ruth loves that she stole Tommy from Kathy. The motives behind the romantic machinations are eventually revealed as something deeper and more complicated than expected, but even in affairs of the heart this is a passive bunch and frustration at their inaction overwhelms any sympathy one might otherwise have for them.

The idea that people can be conditioned to accept the status quo, even one as monstrous as this, is obviously the film’s primary theme, and a good one. If none of the characters fight that status quo though, it’s like watching “Logan’s Run” or “Chicken Run” without a second act. Obviously, “Never Let Me Go” strives (in a good way) to be a more serious film than either of those – an award season film. That, however, still doesn’t change the fact that it’s very, very difficult (at least for me) to root for or even want to spend time with characters who refuse to fight for themselves or those they love.

Like the central characters, the film’s tone is one of reserved and repressed emotions. Things are forever still and quiet and spare. As much as you want to feel something for the characters, and especially for Kathy’s unrequited love for Tommy, you’re intentionally kept at arm’s length as though a little sentiment or romance might unsettle the high-falutin arty-ness of it all. While director Mark Romanek does excellent work modulating the performances and visually taking us back through the decades (we stop in ‘78, ‘85, and ‘94) with a well-designed and impressively shot production, the whole affair is just so subdued and such a foregone conclusion that tedium settles in almost immediately.

Few things are less impressive than the indifferent, the cowering, or the comfortable when they’re unwilling to challenge or question the way things are. If Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth don’t care enough to do anything more than accept the way the system works then why should I? Or am I supposed to care because they don’t? That’ll be the day.

Regardless, I go to the movies to escape people like this not to feel sorry for them. Victims by choice bore me.

Politics shmolitics… Just take me away.

For we hopeless movie lovers, each year hope (if you’ll pardon the expression) springs eternal with a fresh offering of pull-out-the-stops-studio-balance-sheet-in-the-crosshairs slate of tent poles. And for that reason, this is my favorite part of the movie year because all I want for my ten bucks is to get lost for a couple hours, and from May 1st through the end of August filmdom at least attempts to put the political nonsense on hold to do just that.

So how does this summer’s slate look…

Well, we start by awarding major points for no films starring Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley, Leonardo DiCaprio, or George Clooney. The result of this news is a hissing sound as some of the suck potential leaks out of the season. Obviously, Shia LeWhats-His-Name’s presence mitigates some of those warm fuzzies, but the Mighty Denzel Washington makes up for a lot. It’s also nice to see that most of the sequels are frontloaded in May as if the Schedule Gods took pity on us and decided to get them out of the way.

We’ll look at what’s coming up in a three-part series:

The Good:  Cinematic offerings worthy of anticipation and the emotional investment of hope (if you’ll pardon the expression).

The Bad: Those that if they don’t suck the impact could create a dangerous rip in time forever altering life as we know it.

The Maybe:  Those we can only hope (if you’ll pardon the expression) will be good.

And so today we start on a positive note, with those worth getting excited over:

May 21st: Terminator Salvation – I wrote about this the other day but let me just add that the real attraction is Christian Bale. When you’re dealing with a style-over-substance director like McG, the presence of Bale sends a signal that this won’t be “Charlie’s Angels 3: Look at all the Shiny Machines.” Bale’s exactly the kind of action star you want. He’s not some snob who refuses to do popcorn flicks, he just wants them to be good. In a way he reminds me of Harrison Ford when Harrison Ford was still Harrison Ford.

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June 12th: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – Gawd, I love the original and were it not for Denzel Washington’s presence I’d be pretty down on this. You can’t improve on the perfection of the 1974 version, and John Travolta can’t be Robert Shaw and Denzel can’t be Walter Matthau, but the concept is so fool-proof that if they make it their own and set it to David Shire’s same bad-ass score, very little can go wrong (he said naively with a dash of denial).

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July 1st: Public Enemies  – A Michael Mann film is always an event, but casting Christian Bale and Johnny Depp as Melvin Purvis and John Dillinger is the real draw. When it comes to modern actors dropped in this era, whether or not they can pull off looking credible in a fedora is the first test, and the publicity shots look promising. There’s also the promise of mucho machine-gun violence Mann-style.

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July 24th: Piranha 3-D – There are certain words that when spotted in a film title immediately earn my goodwill, one of them being piranha. Others include: death, aliens, snake, Navarone, vampire, women (when the context involves prison), guns, blood, gladiator, wizard, monkey, Tarzan, hot rod, zombie, and for some strange reason, frogmen.

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Aug. 21st: Inglorious Basterds - As I get older I’m finding my tolerance for violence has diminished considerably. I still love action, but the gory stuff makes me squirm, and not in a good way. Tarantino’s approach to blood is a notable exception. So over the top and cartoonish it’s like watching Daffy Duck get his beak blown off or Wile E. Coyote go over a cliff. Other than the abysmal “Death Proof,” I love Tarantino’s work. His enthusiams, raw talent and energy wins me over and there’s no film coming out this summer I’m more excited about than this wild man director’s enthusiastic take on the WWII, Man-on-a-Mission genre.

NOTE: Because I’ve already seen “Bruno” (7/10) and respect confidentiality agreements and the reasons behind them when it comes to a work-in-progress, I won’t say anything about the film until legitimate reviews (meaning, non-Roger Friedman-ish) start to roll out.

Coming Next… “The Bad: Those We Dread.” 

The second was the release of Keira Knightley’s new ad about domestic violence.

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Now these two videos have very little in common.  Cohen’s trailer is an outrageous piece of shock theater.  Knightley’s ad is a public service message designed to raise awareness of domestic abuse. 

But what both have in common is a willingness to cross all lines of good taste and judgment. 

It’s unfashionable these days to question artists’ taste.  The phrases “good taste” and “bad taste” seem to be out of style – we’re no longer allowed to ask whether pushing the envelope is morally questionable, or whether art can better flourish within particular limits.  We’re all supposed to buy into the idea that there’s a constitutional right to broadcast shows like Real Sex on HBO (there isn’t – the founders would have thrown the creators and purveyors in prison), and that censorship of such material is far worse than public airing of such material (it isn’t – did the country really suffer when hard core pornography had to be bought on the black market?).  We’re never supposed to question whether limits – even voluntary limits — ought to be placed on raunchy or sadistic material, particularly when such material is the subject of comedy or announcements of societal import.  

Watch the two videos.  Then tell me whether the public wouldn’t better be served by artists using some discretion. 

Let’s start with the Cohen video.  There’s no question this is incredibly disgusting material.  Some of it is hilarious, no question.  But it’s not exactly good taste to show a naked busty dominatrix whipping a faux gay fashion designer. 

Now there are those in the comic community who think that shock value is a good substitute for actual humor.  In fact, there are those who think that all of the best humor has to be shocking by definition.  Perhaps I’m more old-fashioned in my definition of comedy, but I believe that some of the best comedy doesn’t break boundaries – wittiness can be as funny as a fat hairy naked guy running around a hotel.  And not only that — comedy can question beliefs and parody points of view without forcing the viewer to retch.  Classic screwball comedies are still funny today.  And Lenny Bruce and George Carlin aren’t the beginning and end of all comedy. 

Then there are the “public service announcements.”  Try these on for size:

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If these don’t gross you out, you’ve been watching far too much Dexter.  Businesses focus on workplace safety because they’re afraid of being sued, not because they watch ads that feature dudes with poles sticking out of their chests.  Men who beat women aren’t going to stop beating women because they see Keira Knightley getting kicked in the stomach – in all likelihood, they’ll beat women more, fantasizing about Keira Knightley.  Pushing positive messages isn’t any more of a justification for showing unbelievably graphic material than doing comedy. 

If this makes me too Puritan, then I guess I’m too Puritan.  I’m not saying that Sacha Baron Cohen isn’t funny.  He’s hilarious.  Borat was hysterical when it wasn’t grotesque.  But I don’t think the question “is this good for our society?” ought to be completely ignored just because someone utters the word “art.”  I don’t think shock value is the only value.  Sometimes shock value is worthwhile (The Last King of Scotland) and/or funny (Tootsie).  But not all the time.  And I fear that when we lose sight of the fact that there are values other than shock value to be considered, we surrender to the basest instincts in both art and politics.

BAFTA Winner Mickey Rourke

The two major uncertainties entering Sunday’s ceremony were whether Kate Winslet, twice-nominated for Best Actress, would split her own vote and miss out on her second BAFTA Award and who would prevail in the Sean Penn-Mickey Rourke battle for Best Actor. Aside from that, it seemed like a Slumdog sweep, and that’s exactly how it played out.

BEST PICTURE: Slumdog Millionaire
Presented by Mick Jagger, so good in 1992’s Freejack, also starring Emilio Estevez, Renee Russo and Anthony Hopkins, the Rolling Stones front man was chosen to lead the coronation. (I’m being facetious. Freejack was awful. Jagger just seems like an odd choice.)

BAFTA Winner Danny Boyle flanked by Patrick Stewart (left) and Ian McKellan

BEST ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Chalk one up for Rourke. I think that the tide is turning in the Oscar race. Mickey dropped an F-bomb in his acceptance speech, and although censors will need every one of those 7 seconds of delay, I am now leaning to Rourke’s heroic turn as Randy “The Ram” Robinson to win Best Actor at February 22’s Academy Awards. A choice moment from Mickey’s speech, “Thanks to Marsei Tomei for constantly taking her clothes off on-screen…I enjoyed looking at her.” Here’s a link to Mickey’s acceptance speech with all the necessary bleeps.

Penelope Cruz, Mickey Rourke and Kate Winslet show off their hardware

BEST ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, The Reader
She was nominated for both Revolutionary Road an The Reader, but just as Oscar voters did, the BAFTA Awards voters preferred the slow burning guilt and shame of her performance in The Reader over her showy Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf-style theatrics in Rev Road.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
The year’s most memorable performance, and since TDK was snubbed for Best Picture at both the BAFTA Awards and the upcoming Oscars, this is the best way to pay tribute to the all-time second-biggest grossing movie in US history.

Cruz didn't have to contend with Winslet, with both of her nominations in the Best Actress category or Viola Davis (Doubt), a strong contender at the Oscars

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Very well-deserved. She had a tremendous year with both the edgy, verge of crazy Maria Elena from Woody Allen’s comedy and a haunting performance in the very underrated Elegy. With Winslet out of the Supporting Actress race at both the BAFTA Awards and the Oscars, Cruz gets her shot. Keep in mind that Viola Davis, so good in Doubt was not nominated here, but is a live bet in two weeks at the Academy Awards.

BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
The obvious choice. Manchester-born. The career of a true auteur with brilliantly diverse films like Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, Millions and 28 Days Later on his resume.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
After writing The Fully Monty in 1998, this UK-born screenwriter seemingly disappeared until 2008 when he wrote both Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day and Slumdog. No surprise at all that he wins here, and he seems like a lock on Oscar night with David Hare’s The Reader as a distant challenger.

Original Screenplay winner Martin McDonagh with his In Bruges star Colin Farrell

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
Known for his plays The Pillowman and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, he actually won the Oscar for Best Short Live Action Film in 2006 with something called Six Shooter. London-born this is his first full-length feature film and he is both a BAFTA winner and an Academy Award nominee. McDonagh is unlikely to repeat on Oscar night with Dustin Lance Black, already the WGA winner, a strong favorite for Milk.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
A Boyle favorite who previously worked with him on 28 Days Later, Mantle was also DP on 2006’s fantastic The Last King of Scotland. He could be carried to an Oscar win riding the crest of a Slumdog tidal wave, or Wally Pfister could snag the award for his work on The Dark Knight (there could be a reverse backlash at the Academy Awards with voters rallying around TDK because of the Best Picture snub). The tag-team of two-time Oscar winner Chris Menges and eight-time nominee Roger Deakins are also a threat for their work on The Reader.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Probably the right choice here. It’s a 160-minute movie covering decades so getting the look right must have been a daunting task.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Again this is right on. In fact, you could argue that the whole movie is predicated on the visual effects. Seamlessly placing Brad Pitt’s face on another body without the strings showing? If the FX people don’t pull this off, Fincher has no movie.

BEST SOUND: Slumdog Millionaire
On Oscar night, this category will either belong to Slumdog in a sweep or The Dark Knight.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The obvious choice for the BAFTA Awards and the Oscars.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Michael O’Connor, The Duchess
Big gigantic dresses. That’s what I saw when I watched The Duchess. Generally speaking, that’s what wins in this category.

Composer A.R. Rahman wins the BAFTA and may become the first Indian to win an Academy Award

BEST MUSIC: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
In my mind, this is the right choice. There has never been a mainstream film score that sounds remotely like what Rahman produced for Slumdog. The score is integral to the feel of the movie. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that it would be the same movie with a conventional score. Rahman is only the third Indian ever nominated for an Oscar, and this soundtrack does represent a fascinating bridge between traditional and modern Indian music and the Western sound we all know.

BEST ANIMATED FILM: WALL-E
Yes, Waltz With Bashir is unique – an animated, foreign language documentary, but WALL-E is a special, special movie, and Andrew Stanton deserves every award that comes along. The Chaplinesque quality of the first act makes it, for my money, one of the best animated movies of the modern era.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: I’ve Loved You So Long
This was easily my favorite foreign language film of 2008. The arcane rules governing Best Foreign Language Film excluse this Phillipe Claudel drama from Oscar contention, but put this in your Netflix cue when it becomes available. Kristen Scott Thomas delivers a haunting portrait of a woman with a secret, and, as it unravels in the hands of her empathetic sister (played by the remarkable Elsa Zylberstein), her burden and suffering are heartbreaking.

BEST BRITISH FILM: Man on Wire
Slumdog was nominated here, but the BAFTA tradition is to recognize a smaller film, excluded from the Best Picture race. I am one of the few people that didn’t fall in love with this James Marsh doc about wire-walker Phillippe Petit. Since the Brits have no Best Documentary Feature category, this was their one chance to recognize Marsh. Man On Wire is the prohibitive Oscar favorite for Best Doc, and I may have to watch it again just to see if I missed something the first time around.

Noel Clarke, the surprise winner of the BAFTA Rising Star Award

ORANGE RISING STAR: Noel Clarke
This award is voted on by the British public, and Clarke is the star of the UK TV hit Doctor Who. Both Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) and Rebecca Miller (Frost/Nixon, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) lost the fan vote but are likely to have longer and more notable careers than Clarke.

CARL FOREMAN AWARD: Steve McQueen, The Hunger
Tells the story of the last six weeks in the life of hunger striker Bobby Sands. Michael Fassbender, who also lost out on the Orange Rising Star Award to Clarke, portrays Sands, and the movie played for just one week in the US (I’m assuming for Oscar qualification). Hopefully IFC will give this some arthouse runs this year.

Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter.