Crazy Heart

This movie is about a broke down country singer-songwriter nicknamed "Bad Blake". This character is played by Jeff Bridges, who won 'Best Actor' at the Oscars for this film. In his mid 50's, he's addicted to cigarettes, is an alcoholic, and is quickly spiraling to an early death. Bridges allows you to feel as though you are spiraling down with him. He's playing at a bunch of small joints and hasn't written a new song in years. He seems to have lost all effort to do anything meaningful. However, he meets a woman that makes him want to turn all of his bad habits around. A young journalist, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, immediately gets his attention.

You follow him though his journey as he falls in love and beings to rekindle an old friendship with Colin Farrell's character. The acting and cinematography in this movie were both very well done. When you watch this movie, you don't think you are watching actors do their job. You really buy into the lives of these people and the turmoil and adversity they face. Jeff Bridges allows you to feel like you are experiencing his troubles along with him. Perhaps my favorite thing about the cinematography was how well the shot selection complimented the color correction. In the beginning you saw a lot of dull, scenic shots. He was usually in his dark lit hotel room or in small, poorly lit bars. But, as his love life develops and his career begins to pick up, bright blue skies and the sun become part of almost every shot.

Despite the warmhearted underdog story, this movie can be a little slow. If you are like me and can sit down for a movie that isn't Transformers, I would highly recommend seeing this one.

Watch the trailer here.