Signs you are in a monster apocalypse:
-Reformed bad boy suddenly returns to town
-Local sheriff appears to be borderline incompetent
-High school girl you had crush on suddenly loses interest in asshole boyfriend and gains interest in you
-Appearance of military/police character who provides both necessary exposition and weapons abilities.
Well let's face it this list could go on and on and AvP-R as it is known in adds and on the internet provides all this and more in the opening minutes. A blast of cliche character development served up as fast as the film can carry it. Not that you should care a lick about any character in this film. You know right now without reading anything I write whether you will see this film. And if you want to see it then you don't care about character or plot not that there is much of either in this movie.
The film picks up right where the last film (yes this is a sequel) left us. A Predator Alien hybrid has just come to life on a Predator ship and begins wrecking havoc which results in the ship crashing near a small Colorado town. Aliens escape and begin doing what Aliens do. A lone Predator apparently back on the home world observes all this and heads to Earth go clean up. One John Wayne-esque Predator coming to eliminate a hoard of Aliens.
If that last sentence doesn't put a smile on your face, then this is not the film for you. If it has you grinning in eager anticipation then why are you still reading, you should be headed to the theater, you won't be disappointed. Its quite an awful movie in almost any respect but it does provide unique fanboy type action sequences with Predators and Aliens killing in anyway you can think of. I'd do a checklist but Brad, the Wretched Genius (Wretched Genius) already beat me to the punch.
I laughed and smiled my way through this whole film and was never lacking in entertainment. But again you know if you'll like it or not and this review can only confirm for those who were interested but hesitant because of the wretchedness of the first Alien Vs. Predator film.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
I've repeatedly commented on my distaste for the movie musical (and I suspect the musical as well though I've never seen one). So it does constantly amaze me every time I get it in my head to go see one. I'm almost always disappointed though on rare occasions when it goes for more unconventional approaches I find myself pleasantly surprised. But as a rule the idea of people breaking out into spontaneous song and dance is just a bit too much for me to handle without laughing inappropriately at its absurdity.
Sweeney Todd is based on a musical by Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim's story is not a very traditional one as it deals with mass murder and cannibalism. Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) is newly arrived in London having been sent off to prison unjustly years before by a jealous judge (Alan Rickman) who coveted Todd's wife. Todd has only one desire: revenge. He concocts a plan with the aid of Mrs. Bennett (Helena Bonham Carter) that will benefit them both. Todd will be able to do his part to rid the world of the vermin, Bennet's business will boom because the quality of the "meat" in her pies will bring in the customers.
This is a bloody film. Oh my is this a bloody film. Now I found most of the blood to be comic in its absurdity (my poor mother for whom I feel bad for dragging along to the film didn't think it so fun). Still the blood and the plot are so deliciously absurd that I couldn't help but smile for most of the film. And oh yeah, there is some singing. But honestly I didn't really mind. I honestly got caught up in the story. Rickman, Depp and Carter are all delightful in their respective roles and Sacha Baron Cohen continues to impress with another great comic role as a rival barber.
Burton directs here and in its look it is classic Burton. Dark sets, dirty streets and a generally macabre world. This is the perfect look for this story. A dark dirty London that deserves everything it gets from its murderous duo of Todd and Bennett. The film begins and ends with Todd and his dark world and therefore we are left without a resolution to the innocents of the film and I think its fantastic for that.
Sweeney Todd is based on a musical by Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim's story is not a very traditional one as it deals with mass murder and cannibalism. Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) is newly arrived in London having been sent off to prison unjustly years before by a jealous judge (Alan Rickman) who coveted Todd's wife. Todd has only one desire: revenge. He concocts a plan with the aid of Mrs. Bennett (Helena Bonham Carter) that will benefit them both. Todd will be able to do his part to rid the world of the vermin, Bennet's business will boom because the quality of the "meat" in her pies will bring in the customers.
This is a bloody film. Oh my is this a bloody film. Now I found most of the blood to be comic in its absurdity (my poor mother for whom I feel bad for dragging along to the film didn't think it so fun). Still the blood and the plot are so deliciously absurd that I couldn't help but smile for most of the film. And oh yeah, there is some singing. But honestly I didn't really mind. I honestly got caught up in the story. Rickman, Depp and Carter are all delightful in their respective roles and Sacha Baron Cohen continues to impress with another great comic role as a rival barber.
Burton directs here and in its look it is classic Burton. Dark sets, dirty streets and a generally macabre world. This is the perfect look for this story. A dark dirty London that deserves everything it gets from its murderous duo of Todd and Bennett. The film begins and ends with Todd and his dark world and therefore we are left without a resolution to the innocents of the film and I think its fantastic for that.
The Great Debaters
The Great Debaters tells the story of a debate team at an all black college in the 1930s that made history by defeating white debate teams in a time when the Jim Crow south was oppressive as ever. Denzel Washington directed and stars as Melvin Tolson the famous poet. Don't feel bad if you don't know him but feel free to make me feel bad if you do. My first experience with Tolson was recently a piece he wrote on Gone With The Wind. It was actually quite a thought provoking writing. Suffice to say that Tolson is quite a fascinating figure in his own right.
The film follows his time at Wiley College where he taught and managed a debate team of young men and women who showed the world that black men and women were equals to whites in a time when that was not the majority opinion. As a story that is worth telling there is no doubt. It is quite pleasant to see a film about education and the power of education to effect change. I was pleased to hear real literary reference from Ghandi to Henry David Thoreau. I was happy to see a movie that wasn't afraid to give a etymology of denigrate.
Unfortunately a good story and a seemingly deep love of learning is muddled by a cookie cutter standard underdog story. You could replace debate here with any sport you can think of and you'd pretty much have the same movie. And that is really a shame because the film could be so much better if it ditched the cliches and went for a more interesting narrative. Despite that there are some powerfully moving scenes of racism that are horrible to watch and necessary because of course even if these specific things didn't happen to these characters, they certainly happened to countless others.
Washington in his second outing as a director does a fine job with the direction but the story seems torn between wanting to be inspirational and socially relevant. Not to say that it can't be both but it deserves better than the cliche underdog treatment it gets.
The film follows his time at Wiley College where he taught and managed a debate team of young men and women who showed the world that black men and women were equals to whites in a time when that was not the majority opinion. As a story that is worth telling there is no doubt. It is quite pleasant to see a film about education and the power of education to effect change. I was pleased to hear real literary reference from Ghandi to Henry David Thoreau. I was happy to see a movie that wasn't afraid to give a etymology of denigrate.
Unfortunately a good story and a seemingly deep love of learning is muddled by a cookie cutter standard underdog story. You could replace debate here with any sport you can think of and you'd pretty much have the same movie. And that is really a shame because the film could be so much better if it ditched the cliches and went for a more interesting narrative. Despite that there are some powerfully moving scenes of racism that are horrible to watch and necessary because of course even if these specific things didn't happen to these characters, they certainly happened to countless others.
Washington in his second outing as a director does a fine job with the direction but the story seems torn between wanting to be inspirational and socially relevant. Not to say that it can't be both but it deserves better than the cliche underdog treatment it gets.
Charlie Wilson's War
Embarrassingly I don't know a whole lot about Russian involvement in Afghanistan in the 1980s. More embarrassing still I could tell you major plot points of Rambo III better than I could tell you about the history of Afghanistan during the cold war. Actually when I think about it, in a weird way Rambo III was meant as a social statement. I never thought I'd write that. Still if you have to choose between the fictional and ludicrous Rambo III and the based on a true story Charlie Wilson's War, I think the latter is the smart move.
Charlie Wilson's War tells the story of Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a man known for liking to have fun, and how he helped fund a secret war in Afghanistan by supplying money and weapons to the mujahideen. He is joined in this task by Texas socialite and activist Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The film balances between the wild life that Wilson led and the slow awakening to fight for a cause.
Despite the ever present but never oppressive message that this film sends about the significance of this part of history on everything from the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, the story doesn't focus too much on it and we are better for it. It has just enough touchstones and hints of the future to remind you what happened in the ten years after the Soviet Union fell. But the heavy ramifications which may resound after you've left the theater are second to two things. First, the story is surprisingly good and interesting. Second, the story is pretty damn funny.
While on capitol hill, Wilson is schmoozing, drinking and ogling his staff of beautiful chesty secretarial staff (one of which he calls jail bait which made me laugh every time). While at social events, he is dropping sexual innuendos with Herring and drinking and schmoozing. While planning a secret funding of a war against the USSR, he is trading quips with Avrakotos and drinking and schmoozing. No doubt he's idolized but there is something kind of fun and refreshing about a politician who does all the wrong things in his personal life (booze, drugs, women) but does all the right things in his political life (does the right thing despite the red tape). He doesn't bend knee to focus groups and so on.
Hanks is just about pitch perfect as Wilson. Hanks has the charisma to pull off a role like this and enough talent to convince you he cares about his cause. Roberts is fun too in her role as the advocate socialite. But hands down this film belongs to Hoffman. His Gust is a wise ass, wise cracking no nonsense, no bullshit guy who is serious about what he does. From the opening when he tells off his boss (for the second time we learn), you can't help but smile at his brazen attitude. And when he flips off his idiot boss, you want to cheer (especially if you've ever had an idiot boss).
Hoffman claims every scene he is in and not even Hanks and Roberts can keep up (thought the try valiantly). In fact I want to see a follow up film that follows the career of Gust Avrakotos. I bet that would be damn entertaining. So although I had a number of reservations going into this film (not that reservations or downright no desire to see a film has ever stopped me) I was very pleasantly surprised by how fun and clever this one was. It isn't a perfect movie but it was worth my money.
Charlie Wilson's War tells the story of Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a man known for liking to have fun, and how he helped fund a secret war in Afghanistan by supplying money and weapons to the mujahideen. He is joined in this task by Texas socialite and activist Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The film balances between the wild life that Wilson led and the slow awakening to fight for a cause.
Despite the ever present but never oppressive message that this film sends about the significance of this part of history on everything from the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, the story doesn't focus too much on it and we are better for it. It has just enough touchstones and hints of the future to remind you what happened in the ten years after the Soviet Union fell. But the heavy ramifications which may resound after you've left the theater are second to two things. First, the story is surprisingly good and interesting. Second, the story is pretty damn funny.
While on capitol hill, Wilson is schmoozing, drinking and ogling his staff of beautiful chesty secretarial staff (one of which he calls jail bait which made me laugh every time). While at social events, he is dropping sexual innuendos with Herring and drinking and schmoozing. While planning a secret funding of a war against the USSR, he is trading quips with Avrakotos and drinking and schmoozing. No doubt he's idolized but there is something kind of fun and refreshing about a politician who does all the wrong things in his personal life (booze, drugs, women) but does all the right things in his political life (does the right thing despite the red tape). He doesn't bend knee to focus groups and so on.
Hanks is just about pitch perfect as Wilson. Hanks has the charisma to pull off a role like this and enough talent to convince you he cares about his cause. Roberts is fun too in her role as the advocate socialite. But hands down this film belongs to Hoffman. His Gust is a wise ass, wise cracking no nonsense, no bullshit guy who is serious about what he does. From the opening when he tells off his boss (for the second time we learn), you can't help but smile at his brazen attitude. And when he flips off his idiot boss, you want to cheer (especially if you've ever had an idiot boss).
Hoffman claims every scene he is in and not even Hanks and Roberts can keep up (thought the try valiantly). In fact I want to see a follow up film that follows the career of Gust Avrakotos. I bet that would be damn entertaining. So although I had a number of reservations going into this film (not that reservations or downright no desire to see a film has ever stopped me) I was very pleasantly surprised by how fun and clever this one was. It isn't a perfect movie but it was worth my money.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Atonement
This has been quite a year for literary adaptations. No Country For Old Men, Love In The Time Of Cholera, There Will Be Blood, Starting Out In The Evening and others I'm sure I'm forgetting are all based on books. Atonement too is an adaptation of a novel. Of course I haven't read any of these books. A sad indictment of my life? Perhaps but to be fair I find myself reading a lot of non-fiction scholarship and barely found time in the studying and movie going to get through my annual reading of "Doctor Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak. And since I have never enjoyed one single adaptation of that my favorite book, maybe its better that I haven't read most of these books.
Atonement follows the lives of three key characters through the years surrounding World War 2. Robbie (James McAvoy) is a grounds keeper for the wealthy Tallis family of which two daughters, Cecilia (Keira Knightley and Briony (early on by Saoirse Ronan and later by Romala Garai). A case of misunderstanding by Briony leads to tragedy early in these three people's lives. As Briony ages and realizes her mistake she tries to make up for her sins. We follow Robbie as he spends time in France as a soldier attempting to escape to Dunkirk.
This film has a lot to speak for it. It is visually quite stunning. All the actors do a nice job with their roles. There is also a big reveal type ending that makes you rethink a bit of what you just saw. And yet despite all its technical achievement I just found myself not caring that much. There were just a few too many require leaps in narrative and I honestly kind of figured out what the reveal would probably be before the film reached that point because of course everyone including me has mentioned that there is one.
And although I said everyone does a nice job with their roles, no one does an amazing job (with one exception). Saoirse Ronan as young Briony with her bright eyed innocence and imagination are the most amazing part of the film to watch and made all the more interesting by the less interesting Romola Garai (less interesting but by no means uninteresting).
The one other thing that everyone has been talking about is a tracking shot of soldiers at Dunkirk. There are only two views on this shot that seem to let you know exactly what you will think of this film. If you watch the tracking shot and think "technically proficient but so what?" that pretty much sums up what you will probably think of the film. If you watch this shot and think wow this speaks to something (I don't know what I'm in the former group) then you probably like the film. Not that this fact helps you, because of course you have to see the movie to see the shot.
In the end although I think the Joe Wright has a lot of talent, this film just didn't end up working for me.
Atonement follows the lives of three key characters through the years surrounding World War 2. Robbie (James McAvoy) is a grounds keeper for the wealthy Tallis family of which two daughters, Cecilia (Keira Knightley and Briony (early on by Saoirse Ronan and later by Romala Garai). A case of misunderstanding by Briony leads to tragedy early in these three people's lives. As Briony ages and realizes her mistake she tries to make up for her sins. We follow Robbie as he spends time in France as a soldier attempting to escape to Dunkirk.
This film has a lot to speak for it. It is visually quite stunning. All the actors do a nice job with their roles. There is also a big reveal type ending that makes you rethink a bit of what you just saw. And yet despite all its technical achievement I just found myself not caring that much. There were just a few too many require leaps in narrative and I honestly kind of figured out what the reveal would probably be before the film reached that point because of course everyone including me has mentioned that there is one.
And although I said everyone does a nice job with their roles, no one does an amazing job (with one exception). Saoirse Ronan as young Briony with her bright eyed innocence and imagination are the most amazing part of the film to watch and made all the more interesting by the less interesting Romola Garai (less interesting but by no means uninteresting).
The one other thing that everyone has been talking about is a tracking shot of soldiers at Dunkirk. There are only two views on this shot that seem to let you know exactly what you will think of this film. If you watch the tracking shot and think "technically proficient but so what?" that pretty much sums up what you will probably think of the film. If you watch this shot and think wow this speaks to something (I don't know what I'm in the former group) then you probably like the film. Not that this fact helps you, because of course you have to see the movie to see the shot.
In the end although I think the Joe Wright has a lot of talent, this film just didn't end up working for me.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Most people don't even question when I see a movie like National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Familiar choruses of "why?" or "what were you thinking" have long fallen silent and have been replaced by quiet hanging of heads. The sad acceptance that I'm going to live up to my self applied epithet and see a lot of movies that you can pretty much guarantee aren't worth seeing once you see the trailer or at times hear the announcement of the film.
National Treasure was a disaster of an action film and sad to say a masterstroke of the Jerry Bruckheimer promotion/production machine. Why waste any time on plot or character development when you can just overload your audience with huge set pieces, absolutely ludicrous plot developments and general narrative chaos with horrible overacting? Why indeed. And yet there has been a sequel to that cinematic mess. But believe me, the fact that I saw the film, isn't even the saddest part of this story.
You see, I'm not in my normal haunt this holiday. I'm over a thousand miles away in my parent's house. I have no car and am currently in a town that has no real public transportation to speak of and a general layout that demands an automated vehicle of some sort. So imagine me essentially trapped in this house with literally nothing on tv to entertain me. So yeah I went out to a movie. Which meant I had to walk to the nearest theater to see it. It isn't a very long walk to be sure...but oh yeah it was during a snow storm. Yeah, I walked about half a mile through blowing winds, falling snow and freezing temperatures all so I could see a movie I was seeing out of shear boredom.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets is as ridiculous of a movie as you could expect from a sequel. We once again follow Ben Gates as he sets off on another treasure hunt that will lead us through major historical sites filling us in on trivial history that isn't even interesting enough for me to care if its actually true. Ben is joined by the whole gang from last time. The villain this time is an overacting Ed Harris.
Sad as all this is, I was most saddened by Helen Mirren apparently deciding to make a paycheck movie. Now I'm sure this film was made before Ms. Mirren won her Academy Award but there should be some escape clause in actor contracts that permit Academy Award members to prevent the release of embarrassing films or at least in this day of digital magic be removed digitally from the film. And watching the masterful actress utter ridiculous lines and crawl around in the dirt is just painful to watch. I'd also make comment for character actor Bruce Greenwood (fairing much better in I'm Not There).
So was this awful movie worth my snow filled journey? I think that's what we call a rhetorical question. Even as I set out that afternoon through the blowing snow, I knew I was doing something completely idiotic and that I would hate the movie. On the bright side, I've got a story that makes me look like an idiot and I'm on film closer to 100 in theater for the year. (This made 82, for the record).
National Treasure was a disaster of an action film and sad to say a masterstroke of the Jerry Bruckheimer promotion/production machine. Why waste any time on plot or character development when you can just overload your audience with huge set pieces, absolutely ludicrous plot developments and general narrative chaos with horrible overacting? Why indeed. And yet there has been a sequel to that cinematic mess. But believe me, the fact that I saw the film, isn't even the saddest part of this story.
You see, I'm not in my normal haunt this holiday. I'm over a thousand miles away in my parent's house. I have no car and am currently in a town that has no real public transportation to speak of and a general layout that demands an automated vehicle of some sort. So imagine me essentially trapped in this house with literally nothing on tv to entertain me. So yeah I went out to a movie. Which meant I had to walk to the nearest theater to see it. It isn't a very long walk to be sure...but oh yeah it was during a snow storm. Yeah, I walked about half a mile through blowing winds, falling snow and freezing temperatures all so I could see a movie I was seeing out of shear boredom.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets is as ridiculous of a movie as you could expect from a sequel. We once again follow Ben Gates as he sets off on another treasure hunt that will lead us through major historical sites filling us in on trivial history that isn't even interesting enough for me to care if its actually true. Ben is joined by the whole gang from last time. The villain this time is an overacting Ed Harris.
Sad as all this is, I was most saddened by Helen Mirren apparently deciding to make a paycheck movie. Now I'm sure this film was made before Ms. Mirren won her Academy Award but there should be some escape clause in actor contracts that permit Academy Award members to prevent the release of embarrassing films or at least in this day of digital magic be removed digitally from the film. And watching the masterful actress utter ridiculous lines and crawl around in the dirt is just painful to watch. I'd also make comment for character actor Bruce Greenwood (fairing much better in I'm Not There).
So was this awful movie worth my snow filled journey? I think that's what we call a rhetorical question. Even as I set out that afternoon through the blowing snow, I knew I was doing something completely idiotic and that I would hate the movie. On the bright side, I've got a story that makes me look like an idiot and I'm on film closer to 100 in theater for the year. (This made 82, for the record).
I'm Not There
I'm only passingly familiar with Bob Dylan. I know a decent amount of his music and very little about his life. And yet Todd Haynes' film I'm Not There still intrigued me. Of course the film isn't a biopic. Instead it is "inspired" by the many lives and personalities of Bob Dylan. So instead of one traditional and likely boring single narrative, we are witness to six unconnected stories/vignettes that treat aspects of Bob Dylan's personality.
There is a young kid (Marcus Carl Franklin) who calls himself "Woody Guthrie" and travels the rails singing old folk songs. There is Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger) an actor whose break out role was playing a Dylan type folk star. Ben Whishaw plays Arthur Rimbaud who is being interviewed. Cate Blanchett plays Jude Quinn a folk singer who angers his fans when he starts using an electric guitar. Richard Gere becomes Billy the Kid who faces Pat Garrett years after their supposed fateful encounter. Finally Christian Bale plays Jack Rollins a gifted folk singer who gives it up for the life of a pastor.
The stories are inter-cut occasionally leaving one story to follow for a while another one. This leaves a very fractured film that mostly works and even when it isn't totally working, still leaves you pretty impressed. First and foremost is that the film is quite beautiful to look at and the performances are all very good. There is of course the much talked about and award whispers for Blanchett as Jude Quinn. And none of this talk is without warrant.
But Blanchett is not the only one who shines in this bizarre little film. Heath Ledger's Robbie Clark has a particularly compelling story. I confess in the end that the film didn't fully keep my interest. I found the Billy the Kid story a bit flat and wasn't sure what was going on half the time Ben Whishaw was on screen. But in the end the performances and visuals hold enough of a movie together to keep you interested. And you have to appreciate the attempt to tell a biopic without the standard boring old cliches.
There is a young kid (Marcus Carl Franklin) who calls himself "Woody Guthrie" and travels the rails singing old folk songs. There is Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger) an actor whose break out role was playing a Dylan type folk star. Ben Whishaw plays Arthur Rimbaud who is being interviewed. Cate Blanchett plays Jude Quinn a folk singer who angers his fans when he starts using an electric guitar. Richard Gere becomes Billy the Kid who faces Pat Garrett years after their supposed fateful encounter. Finally Christian Bale plays Jack Rollins a gifted folk singer who gives it up for the life of a pastor.
The stories are inter-cut occasionally leaving one story to follow for a while another one. This leaves a very fractured film that mostly works and even when it isn't totally working, still leaves you pretty impressed. First and foremost is that the film is quite beautiful to look at and the performances are all very good. There is of course the much talked about and award whispers for Blanchett as Jude Quinn. And none of this talk is without warrant.
But Blanchett is not the only one who shines in this bizarre little film. Heath Ledger's Robbie Clark has a particularly compelling story. I confess in the end that the film didn't fully keep my interest. I found the Billy the Kid story a bit flat and wasn't sure what was going on half the time Ben Whishaw was on screen. But in the end the performances and visuals hold enough of a movie together to keep you interested. And you have to appreciate the attempt to tell a biopic without the standard boring old cliches.
Friday, December 14, 2007
I Am Legend
After an attempt to cure cancer backfires and kills off 90% of the Earth's population and turns all but 1% of the remaining into super strong/agile zombie like creatures, Robert Neville (Will Smith), a army scientist is left alone in New York City trying desperately to discover a cure. His only companion is his dog, Sam and a number of mannequins he has set up all over town. Neville spends his days foraging for food, keeping in shape, hunting, and experimenting in his lab for the cure. Night and dark places are off limits since the infected come out once the sun is down.
Based ever so loosely on a novella by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend starts off very well. We are shown a New York that has began to revert back to nature but still retains some of the clutter of human activity: abandoned cars, billboards and so forth. The film takes some time establishing the kind of routine that Neville has every day. It also takes its time establishing the relationship Neville has with his dog and to so extent his madness.
Once it has firmly shown you a world abandoned it begins to reveal that this is not entirely the case. This results in some very tense moments early on when we still aren't entirely sure what the infected are or why they are so dangerous. As the film escalates towards its finish, it loses quite a bit of what made it interesting. It quickly ramps up to a more traditional fight the monsters type film. There is one particularly powerful scene in the movie which I won't spoil but suffice to say not only does Smith play it perfectly but the camera work is just right as well.
By the third act the movie is getting increasingly cheap. It includes the introduction of two other humans who have survived although the movie is short on a satisfactory explanation as to how. There is also an inspirational Bob Marley speech that I could have done without as well as a salvation speech that falls kind of flat. Still the first half is well enough done that although in the end it isn't a completely satisfying movie, it definitely holds together despite the end.
Based ever so loosely on a novella by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend starts off very well. We are shown a New York that has began to revert back to nature but still retains some of the clutter of human activity: abandoned cars, billboards and so forth. The film takes some time establishing the kind of routine that Neville has every day. It also takes its time establishing the relationship Neville has with his dog and to so extent his madness.
Once it has firmly shown you a world abandoned it begins to reveal that this is not entirely the case. This results in some very tense moments early on when we still aren't entirely sure what the infected are or why they are so dangerous. As the film escalates towards its finish, it loses quite a bit of what made it interesting. It quickly ramps up to a more traditional fight the monsters type film. There is one particularly powerful scene in the movie which I won't spoil but suffice to say not only does Smith play it perfectly but the camera work is just right as well.
By the third act the movie is getting increasingly cheap. It includes the introduction of two other humans who have survived although the movie is short on a satisfactory explanation as to how. There is also an inspirational Bob Marley speech that I could have done without as well as a salvation speech that falls kind of flat. Still the first half is well enough done that although in the end it isn't a completely satisfying movie, it definitely holds together despite the end.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Alfonso Cuaron has most recently directed one of the great films of 2006 Children of Men. His skill in that movie was beyond a doubt as I can still vividly remember many of the truly great scenes in that movie. I had previously seen two other films by him. Neither exactly groundbreaking but I did enjoy both Great Expectations and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In fact the latter is in my opinion the best in what has become quite a tedious series of films.
So with great interest I sat down to watch Y Tu Mama Tambien. The story centers around the friendship of Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal). As their girlfriends leave for a summer in Italy, the two are left with their boredom and their own devices in their summer before college. There boredom amounts to swimming, smoking pot, general bs-ing and equally mindless pursuits. By chance at a wedding they meet Luisa, who is married to Tenoch's cousin. They in their pathetic attempts to pick her up tell a story of a wonderful beach they are planning to go to. Luisa eventually takes them up on their offer and the three being a road trip to a beach that doesn't quite exist.
The story is quite engaging. Tenoch and Julio's friendship seems genuine and they feel like real characters. Luisa as the interloper works surprisingly well as a catalyst for the two friends. There are countless surprises revealed on the trip that tear apart and then reforge the friendship the two have. It is a interesting take on what is essentially a road trip movie. There is also a rather lot of at times gratuitous sex in the film but not so much that one is taken out of the film.
There is also a frequent interruption through voice over to fill in back story about various points of life either of characters or locations. It gets quite annoying and I found myself quite tired of it really quickly. Still the actors and their characters keep one engaged through most of the film.
So with great interest I sat down to watch Y Tu Mama Tambien. The story centers around the friendship of Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal). As their girlfriends leave for a summer in Italy, the two are left with their boredom and their own devices in their summer before college. There boredom amounts to swimming, smoking pot, general bs-ing and equally mindless pursuits. By chance at a wedding they meet Luisa, who is married to Tenoch's cousin. They in their pathetic attempts to pick her up tell a story of a wonderful beach they are planning to go to. Luisa eventually takes them up on their offer and the three being a road trip to a beach that doesn't quite exist.
The story is quite engaging. Tenoch and Julio's friendship seems genuine and they feel like real characters. Luisa as the interloper works surprisingly well as a catalyst for the two friends. There are countless surprises revealed on the trip that tear apart and then reforge the friendship the two have. It is a interesting take on what is essentially a road trip movie. There is also a rather lot of at times gratuitous sex in the film but not so much that one is taken out of the film.
There is also a frequent interruption through voice over to fill in back story about various points of life either of characters or locations. It gets quite annoying and I found myself quite tired of it really quickly. Still the actors and their characters keep one engaged through most of the film.
Man Push Cart
I confess I don't know much about the genre of Italian Neo-realism. I've seen only Vittorio de Sica's brilliant The Bicycle Thief. But when I recently read Ebert's much delayed but very enjoyable top ten of 2006: Ebert, I was intrigued by the inclusion of his number ten selection Man Push Cart. Ebert praised "as strong as or stronger than anything produced by Italian neorealism, and in the same spirit." Well I'll be honest my one experience with Neo-realism was the aforementioned Bicycle Thief so when Ebert was promising something better I immediately went to my dvd queue and added it as number one.
I like Ebert and generally I trust Ebert. I know just by reading a review whether I will agree with him or not. This time I was wrong. Not to say that Man Push Cart doesn't have a lot going for it. It certainly does. What it pulls off it pulls off amazingly and with heart. But when its not working its very painful to watch in the wrong way. What was so gripping in The Bicycle Thief was how the not so nice world of post war Italy unfolds for a poor man trying to get by. And the horror by which I realized despite my cinematic expectations that there would be no happy ending.
Man Push Cart is the story of a Pakistani immigrant named Ahmad. Ahmad wakes up every day in the early morning so that he can literally pull a portable bagel cart to a New York street corner and serve donuts and coffee. This is Ahmad's life. This is how he makes his living. Occasionally he sells bootleg porn on his walk home for a few extra bucks. Ahmad is trying to raise enough money to buy the cart he uses as well as get an apartment large enough that his son can come back to live with him. There are numerous repetitions of this routine which leave you with an overwhelming impression of the desperation and the sad life he leads.
Perhaps this wasn't thought enough or the filmmaker thought he had only half a movie (and maybe he did). So two very artificial subplots are introduced. Ahmad meets a wealthier Pakistani named Mohammad, who seemingly out of homeland solidarity helps out (but more often takes advantage) of his less well off friend. An equally dead on arrival story evolves from an encounter with Noemi. Noemi is a young woman who works at a news stand and the two have a mutual attraction and begin to hang out. Both as i say fall flat and are highly artificial.
Still praise should be given to this film when it is being more genuine. It is an extraordinary view into the lives that on a daily basis most people don't even think about. The former doctors and rock stars and professors and such who upon reaching the United States for whatever reason were considered no more qualified than to serve breakfast or mop the floor. Often times the camera is shown on real people completely unaware or caring about the man serving them their donut's story. When this was being portrayed I was riveted and interested.
A final very contrived event occurs at the end of the story (reminiscent of The Bicycle Thief) which causes Ahmad to run around for a while trying to instill in us a final sense of hopelessness but it fails because it feels contrived and like mimicry. Still the film did end on a final note of monotony of work that had me wishing the whole film could have been as memorable.
I like Ebert and generally I trust Ebert. I know just by reading a review whether I will agree with him or not. This time I was wrong. Not to say that Man Push Cart doesn't have a lot going for it. It certainly does. What it pulls off it pulls off amazingly and with heart. But when its not working its very painful to watch in the wrong way. What was so gripping in The Bicycle Thief was how the not so nice world of post war Italy unfolds for a poor man trying to get by. And the horror by which I realized despite my cinematic expectations that there would be no happy ending.
Man Push Cart is the story of a Pakistani immigrant named Ahmad. Ahmad wakes up every day in the early morning so that he can literally pull a portable bagel cart to a New York street corner and serve donuts and coffee. This is Ahmad's life. This is how he makes his living. Occasionally he sells bootleg porn on his walk home for a few extra bucks. Ahmad is trying to raise enough money to buy the cart he uses as well as get an apartment large enough that his son can come back to live with him. There are numerous repetitions of this routine which leave you with an overwhelming impression of the desperation and the sad life he leads.
Perhaps this wasn't thought enough or the filmmaker thought he had only half a movie (and maybe he did). So two very artificial subplots are introduced. Ahmad meets a wealthier Pakistani named Mohammad, who seemingly out of homeland solidarity helps out (but more often takes advantage) of his less well off friend. An equally dead on arrival story evolves from an encounter with Noemi. Noemi is a young woman who works at a news stand and the two have a mutual attraction and begin to hang out. Both as i say fall flat and are highly artificial.
Still praise should be given to this film when it is being more genuine. It is an extraordinary view into the lives that on a daily basis most people don't even think about. The former doctors and rock stars and professors and such who upon reaching the United States for whatever reason were considered no more qualified than to serve breakfast or mop the floor. Often times the camera is shown on real people completely unaware or caring about the man serving them their donut's story. When this was being portrayed I was riveted and interested.
A final very contrived event occurs at the end of the story (reminiscent of The Bicycle Thief) which causes Ahmad to run around for a while trying to instill in us a final sense of hopelessness but it fails because it feels contrived and like mimicry. Still the film did end on a final note of monotony of work that had me wishing the whole film could have been as memorable.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Latest From Cinematic Arena
Nick (Cinemaromantico) and I have reviewed The Golden Compass on Cinematic Arena.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
The Year So Far
I have for the past three years attempted to see one hundred movies in the theater. I got about 82/3 the first year. Roughly 86/7 last year. This year with more pressing concerns I'm currently resting on a paltry 79. Unless you count rewatching the film in theater (I choose not to) in which case the number jumps to 86. If you were curious to know what films I saw (or are bored and looking for an excuse to procrastinate), here we go with a short blurb on what I can remember about each. Since I don't currently have a record of when i actually watched them (Yes I have done that in the past; yes I do save my ticket stubs; yes I am a big loser) the following is based on when they were released in theaters this year.
1. Codename: Cleaner - no justifaction, I just like Lucy Liu. Horrible unfunny movie
2. Freedom Writers - apparently Ms. Swank figures she can just star in crap now that she has 2 oscars. Inspirational teaching story that is actually more insulting than anything else. (circumstantial evidence for Ms. Swank's new attitude "The Reaping" (which I did not see and the upcoming "P.S. I love you")
3. Happily N'Ever After - Early last year I saw "Hoodwinked" and was pleasantly surprised by its subversive take on a fairy tale via animation. I thought maybe this could be a repeat. This reminded me why I see very few animated films. Aweful.
4. Catch & Release - Jennifer Garner can be quite charming and I admit sadly every now and then I like to watch a Romantic comedy. This wasn't great but it had its moments with Olyphant and Garner and Kevin Smith had a fun role.
5. Smokin' Aces - The trailer made me think this might be a fun/stylized action film. The trailer lied to me.
6. Lives of Others - Very well done study of an East German secret policeman who becomes fascinated and engrossed in the life of a man he is observing. Won best foreign film at the Oscars for 2006.
7. Ghost Rider - Might be less painful to actually go to hell.
8. Reno 911!: Miami - Felt like an overlong episode of the show and therefore too long. But Paul Rudd's bit part made me laugh every single time. Not sure why.
9. Black Snake Moan - Well done movie, just not sure how much I actually liked it.
10. Zodiac - Fincher does an amazing job with this film, probably worth rewatching as the year winds up to see how it holds up against some of the fall masterpieces.
11. 300 - Looks absolutely beautiful. Plays flat.
12. The Host - This movie was so bad I had a pained look on my face the whole time and shared looks with my friend that amounted to "is anyone actually enjoying this?"
13. The Namesake - I cared very little for Kal Penn, but the relationship between Tabu's character and Irfan Kahn's character was so unbelievably romantic and powerful that I ended up loving the movie.
14. Pride - Standard inspirational sports film, nothing new or exciting.
15. Reign Over Me - Adequate story about a man who lost his family in the 9/11 attacks and a friend's attempt to help him. Sandler is decent. Felt a little cheap at times.
16. Shooter - serviceable action film (I saw it twice but in my defense the second time was on a date and it was the only movie she wanted to see)
17. Lookout - just rewatched this one and its still good. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great as a man who has trouble remembering after a car accident. Its turn into a sort of thriller about mid film works well and it has a satisfying conclusion.
18. Grindhouse - One you have to see in theater with a good audience. I had a lot of fun and so was everyone else in the theater. "Planet Terror" was better than "Death Proof" in my opinion.
19. Disturbia - Decently done update on "Rear Window" with a surprisingly good performance by Shia LaBeouf.
20. Pathfinder - I can't fathom why I saw this. Really, really bad though.
21. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters - I enjoyed the first season of the show thought I'd give it a try. Better in a 10 minute dose, unfunny as a movie.
22. In The Land Of Women - Adam Brody I think has a certain charm that could make him a decent Romantic comedy lead. Sadly this was just crap.
23. Hot Fuzz - brilliant send up of action movies. Just brilliant.
24. Lucky You - again romantic comedy moment, plus poker. Turns out not as much fun as it might sound (or not sound)
25. Spiderman 3 - The Spiderman films just got worse with each consecutive one and this one is really really bad.
26. Waitress - Funny and charming, Keri Russell is a lot of fun to watch.
27. 28 Weeks Later - I love zombies, fast or slow (but I prefer slow) but this film which started off so well quickly degenerates into a ludicrous film.
28. Shrek The Third - Unfunny. Yet another reason I rarely watch animation.
29. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - I watched this film solely for the cameo by Keith Richards. Seriously.
30. Knocked Up - I felt everyone in this film was an obnoxious jerk and I barely laughed.
31. Hostel: Part II - As unnecessary as "Hostel", someone might think about getting Mr. Roth some help.
32. Ocean's Thirteen - No film can survive that much expository dialogue and that little interesting plot.
33. Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - I think it was a slow day and a friend wanted to go see this. Horrible.
34. 1408 - Started out pretty good and I had high hopes but it eventually degenerated into a prototypical horror film. Ending is so stupid.
35. Evan Almighty - all kinds of unfunny as was "Bruce Almighty" now that I think about it.
36. Live Free or Die Hard - It had its moments but the villain was pathetic and many of the action sequences were just way too unbelievable. Worst of the four films so far.
37. Sicko - Interesting and enjoyable for about two thirds of the film before Moore is unable to contain himself and starts in with the grandstanding antics.
38. License To Wed - Mandy Moore is purty. That's my only defense.
39. Transformers - If not for my fond childhood recollections I would not have enjoyed one moment of this film. Most of it is very bad but my inner child still leaps for joy when a transformer transforms.
40. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I'm really tired of the Harry Potter series.
41. Sunshine - Decent but not perfect Sci-Fi Thriller. Some great effects at the end and some decent performances.
42. Bourne Ultimatum - Fantastic action film, the Bourne series knows how to do action.
43. Hot Rod - I think something in the trailer made me decide to see this, not sure why and it was awful so I've blanked out most of my memories of this one.
44. Becoming Jane - Apparently Jane Austen was not creative at all but merely relating auto-biographical accounts of her life. Just plain stupid.
45. Rush Hour 3 - Sometimes idiotically I am a completionist and felt like I should see this. Bad. Poor Max von Sydow.
46. Stardust - This movie made me smile so much I saw it three additional times.
47. Super Bad - I found this one completely unfunny.
48. The Nanny Diaries - I set a goal to see all Scarlett Johannson films once, it was a bad idea but a goal's a goal. Not good.
49. War - Jet Li, Jason Statham both in a really stupid action film.
50. Halloween - Completely unnecessary remake.
51. 3:10 To Yuma - decent remake with good performances by Christian Bale and Rusell Crowe but I still felt like it was blah.
52. Shoot 'Em Up - One giant mess of a movie with way over the top acting and outright laughable scenes which may or may not have been intentional. Unsatisfying in the end.
53. The Brave One - I loved Jodie Foster in this film and in particular a scene she has with Terrence Howard in a diner. Sadly the ending just ruined it.
54. Across The Universe - not a big fan of musicals but Jim Sturgess's Jude was a great and interesting character and the Beatles songs are all fun to hear. Some of the corresponding scenes were really great, some a bit too much.
55. Eastern Promises - Dark little tale with a great performance by Viggo Mortensen.
56. In The Valley Of Elah - When its focusing on Tommy Lee Jones and the mystery, its really well done. When its focusing on hitting you over the head with its subtlety (or lack of it) regarding the Iraq war, its painful.
57. Good Luck Chuck - There must have been a reason I saw it other than Jessica Alba but I can't recall so I guess I have to go with that. Stupid film.
58. Resident Evil: Extinction - zombies, completionist in me. Incoherent mess and the action wasn't even that entertaining.
59. Into The Wild - really well done version of the book "Into the Wild" with memorable performances by Catherine Keener, Emile Hirsch and especially Hal Holbrook.
60. The Kingdom - CSI: Saudi Arabia and about as entertaining (meaning not so much). Somewhat fun final battle sequence but utterly preposterous.
61. The Darjeeling Limited - Wes Anderson needs to try something new. It had its moments but too few.
62. Elizabeth: The Golden Age - So unbelievably ridiculous. Not worth watching.
63. Gone Baby Gone - Loved this one. Went for a beer afterwards to enjoy while thinking about it. Loved the end. (Rewatched it in theaters with some friends a week or so later).
64. Saw IV - A really sad tradition that I have with a friend that we see all the Saw movies. Really bad.
65. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - Some great performances from some great actors. I actually think i need to rewatch this before establishing my opinion of it.
66. American Gangster - Highly unimpressed with this movie and everyone in it.
67. No Country For Old Men - oh how I ranted about this one (saw it twice more). So fantastic.
68. Hitman - Wanted an action movie, got this festering pile of crap.
69. The Mist - Decently done for most of the movie although the in store dynamic was a bit much and the ending was totally cheap.
70. The Golden Compass - Boring.
The following were released officially in 2006 but I didn't see until 2007.
71. Children of Men - fantastic.
72. The Queen - Helen Mirren is amazing as Queen Elizabeth and the film does a deft job of dealing with the historical event.
73. The Painted Veil - strong performances by Ed Norton and Naomi Watts, story a bit weak.
74. Letters From Iwo Jima - interesting to see a war movie from the other side but not as impressive as the buzz would lead you to believe.
75. Pan's Labyrinth - amazing blend of fantasy and reality, probably should have won the foreign film oscar.
76. Venus - I loved Peter O'Toole in this. He was so amazing as an aging man trying to live as though he wasn't.
I also saw the following revivals:
77. Aliens - A great action sci-fi film
78. Day of the Dead - classic Romero, over the top? yes. But great.
79. Monster Squad - Ahh, truly it doesn't get better than this for kid themed 80s horror action.
1. Codename: Cleaner - no justifaction, I just like Lucy Liu. Horrible unfunny movie
2. Freedom Writers - apparently Ms. Swank figures she can just star in crap now that she has 2 oscars. Inspirational teaching story that is actually more insulting than anything else. (circumstantial evidence for Ms. Swank's new attitude "The Reaping" (which I did not see and the upcoming "P.S. I love you")
3. Happily N'Ever After - Early last year I saw "Hoodwinked" and was pleasantly surprised by its subversive take on a fairy tale via animation. I thought maybe this could be a repeat. This reminded me why I see very few animated films. Aweful.
4. Catch & Release - Jennifer Garner can be quite charming and I admit sadly every now and then I like to watch a Romantic comedy. This wasn't great but it had its moments with Olyphant and Garner and Kevin Smith had a fun role.
5. Smokin' Aces - The trailer made me think this might be a fun/stylized action film. The trailer lied to me.
6. Lives of Others - Very well done study of an East German secret policeman who becomes fascinated and engrossed in the life of a man he is observing. Won best foreign film at the Oscars for 2006.
7. Ghost Rider - Might be less painful to actually go to hell.
8. Reno 911!: Miami - Felt like an overlong episode of the show and therefore too long. But Paul Rudd's bit part made me laugh every single time. Not sure why.
9. Black Snake Moan - Well done movie, just not sure how much I actually liked it.
10. Zodiac - Fincher does an amazing job with this film, probably worth rewatching as the year winds up to see how it holds up against some of the fall masterpieces.
11. 300 - Looks absolutely beautiful. Plays flat.
12. The Host - This movie was so bad I had a pained look on my face the whole time and shared looks with my friend that amounted to "is anyone actually enjoying this?"
13. The Namesake - I cared very little for Kal Penn, but the relationship between Tabu's character and Irfan Kahn's character was so unbelievably romantic and powerful that I ended up loving the movie.
14. Pride - Standard inspirational sports film, nothing new or exciting.
15. Reign Over Me - Adequate story about a man who lost his family in the 9/11 attacks and a friend's attempt to help him. Sandler is decent. Felt a little cheap at times.
16. Shooter - serviceable action film (I saw it twice but in my defense the second time was on a date and it was the only movie she wanted to see)
17. Lookout - just rewatched this one and its still good. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great as a man who has trouble remembering after a car accident. Its turn into a sort of thriller about mid film works well and it has a satisfying conclusion.
18. Grindhouse - One you have to see in theater with a good audience. I had a lot of fun and so was everyone else in the theater. "Planet Terror" was better than "Death Proof" in my opinion.
19. Disturbia - Decently done update on "Rear Window" with a surprisingly good performance by Shia LaBeouf.
20. Pathfinder - I can't fathom why I saw this. Really, really bad though.
21. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters - I enjoyed the first season of the show thought I'd give it a try. Better in a 10 minute dose, unfunny as a movie.
22. In The Land Of Women - Adam Brody I think has a certain charm that could make him a decent Romantic comedy lead. Sadly this was just crap.
23. Hot Fuzz - brilliant send up of action movies. Just brilliant.
24. Lucky You - again romantic comedy moment, plus poker. Turns out not as much fun as it might sound (or not sound)
25. Spiderman 3 - The Spiderman films just got worse with each consecutive one and this one is really really bad.
26. Waitress - Funny and charming, Keri Russell is a lot of fun to watch.
27. 28 Weeks Later - I love zombies, fast or slow (but I prefer slow) but this film which started off so well quickly degenerates into a ludicrous film.
28. Shrek The Third - Unfunny. Yet another reason I rarely watch animation.
29. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - I watched this film solely for the cameo by Keith Richards. Seriously.
30. Knocked Up - I felt everyone in this film was an obnoxious jerk and I barely laughed.
31. Hostel: Part II - As unnecessary as "Hostel", someone might think about getting Mr. Roth some help.
32. Ocean's Thirteen - No film can survive that much expository dialogue and that little interesting plot.
33. Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - I think it was a slow day and a friend wanted to go see this. Horrible.
34. 1408 - Started out pretty good and I had high hopes but it eventually degenerated into a prototypical horror film. Ending is so stupid.
35. Evan Almighty - all kinds of unfunny as was "Bruce Almighty" now that I think about it.
36. Live Free or Die Hard - It had its moments but the villain was pathetic and many of the action sequences were just way too unbelievable. Worst of the four films so far.
37. Sicko - Interesting and enjoyable for about two thirds of the film before Moore is unable to contain himself and starts in with the grandstanding antics.
38. License To Wed - Mandy Moore is purty. That's my only defense.
39. Transformers - If not for my fond childhood recollections I would not have enjoyed one moment of this film. Most of it is very bad but my inner child still leaps for joy when a transformer transforms.
40. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I'm really tired of the Harry Potter series.
41. Sunshine - Decent but not perfect Sci-Fi Thriller. Some great effects at the end and some decent performances.
42. Bourne Ultimatum - Fantastic action film, the Bourne series knows how to do action.
43. Hot Rod - I think something in the trailer made me decide to see this, not sure why and it was awful so I've blanked out most of my memories of this one.
44. Becoming Jane - Apparently Jane Austen was not creative at all but merely relating auto-biographical accounts of her life. Just plain stupid.
45. Rush Hour 3 - Sometimes idiotically I am a completionist and felt like I should see this. Bad. Poor Max von Sydow.
46. Stardust - This movie made me smile so much I saw it three additional times.
47. Super Bad - I found this one completely unfunny.
48. The Nanny Diaries - I set a goal to see all Scarlett Johannson films once, it was a bad idea but a goal's a goal. Not good.
49. War - Jet Li, Jason Statham both in a really stupid action film.
50. Halloween - Completely unnecessary remake.
51. 3:10 To Yuma - decent remake with good performances by Christian Bale and Rusell Crowe but I still felt like it was blah.
52. Shoot 'Em Up - One giant mess of a movie with way over the top acting and outright laughable scenes which may or may not have been intentional. Unsatisfying in the end.
53. The Brave One - I loved Jodie Foster in this film and in particular a scene she has with Terrence Howard in a diner. Sadly the ending just ruined it.
54. Across The Universe - not a big fan of musicals but Jim Sturgess's Jude was a great and interesting character and the Beatles songs are all fun to hear. Some of the corresponding scenes were really great, some a bit too much.
55. Eastern Promises - Dark little tale with a great performance by Viggo Mortensen.
56. In The Valley Of Elah - When its focusing on Tommy Lee Jones and the mystery, its really well done. When its focusing on hitting you over the head with its subtlety (or lack of it) regarding the Iraq war, its painful.
57. Good Luck Chuck - There must have been a reason I saw it other than Jessica Alba but I can't recall so I guess I have to go with that. Stupid film.
58. Resident Evil: Extinction - zombies, completionist in me. Incoherent mess and the action wasn't even that entertaining.
59. Into The Wild - really well done version of the book "Into the Wild" with memorable performances by Catherine Keener, Emile Hirsch and especially Hal Holbrook.
60. The Kingdom - CSI: Saudi Arabia and about as entertaining (meaning not so much). Somewhat fun final battle sequence but utterly preposterous.
61. The Darjeeling Limited - Wes Anderson needs to try something new. It had its moments but too few.
62. Elizabeth: The Golden Age - So unbelievably ridiculous. Not worth watching.
63. Gone Baby Gone - Loved this one. Went for a beer afterwards to enjoy while thinking about it. Loved the end. (Rewatched it in theaters with some friends a week or so later).
64. Saw IV - A really sad tradition that I have with a friend that we see all the Saw movies. Really bad.
65. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - Some great performances from some great actors. I actually think i need to rewatch this before establishing my opinion of it.
66. American Gangster - Highly unimpressed with this movie and everyone in it.
67. No Country For Old Men - oh how I ranted about this one (saw it twice more). So fantastic.
68. Hitman - Wanted an action movie, got this festering pile of crap.
69. The Mist - Decently done for most of the movie although the in store dynamic was a bit much and the ending was totally cheap.
70. The Golden Compass - Boring.
The following were released officially in 2006 but I didn't see until 2007.
71. Children of Men - fantastic.
72. The Queen - Helen Mirren is amazing as Queen Elizabeth and the film does a deft job of dealing with the historical event.
73. The Painted Veil - strong performances by Ed Norton and Naomi Watts, story a bit weak.
74. Letters From Iwo Jima - interesting to see a war movie from the other side but not as impressive as the buzz would lead you to believe.
75. Pan's Labyrinth - amazing blend of fantasy and reality, probably should have won the foreign film oscar.
76. Venus - I loved Peter O'Toole in this. He was so amazing as an aging man trying to live as though he wasn't.
I also saw the following revivals:
77. Aliens - A great action sci-fi film
78. Day of the Dead - classic Romero, over the top? yes. But great.
79. Monster Squad - Ahh, truly it doesn't get better than this for kid themed 80s horror action.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
No Country For Old Men
What can I say about this movie that someone else hasn't already said and probably more eloquently than me? I saw this movie the day before Thanksgiving (and again on Thanksgiving) and only shear self restraint has limited me from seeing it again. So what can explain why a movie I loved so much has left me utterly without mediocre words to describe it? I did briefly right a half rate review that I had up for roughly one day before I removed it due to my own dissatisfaction with it. Why after three weeks have I been unable to commit to type something to say about this movie. Its not as if I haven't talked about it, extolled its brilliance and listened with apt eagerness to other viewers points of view. I know I loved this film. I know it falls into a list of "Great" cinematic viewing experiences.
I saw it on its wide release opening night, a Wednesday. It was at the Carolina Theater, a locally operated indie movie house with two real theaters and a third which is really a stage theater for concerts and plays but is used frequently for movie showings. The seats are a tad on the uncomfortable side. You can't really sink into them like you can a real good movie theater seat. The backs don't give much leeway. You can't prop your feat up on the backs of the seats in front of you (well I suppose you could but it would be unpleasant I think). To be fair, I like the Carolina and I like that they are indie and on occasion I have been allowed to see some old favorites reshown on the big screen, such as Monster Squad and Aliens. You can't imagine how great and happy I was to see Aliens on a full screen. And there other two theaters are much more suited to movie viewing.
And yet here I am still not talking about No Country For Old Men. Ultimately this is a cinematic experience. Yeah experience is about right. One you either need to see alone or with someone who respects enough not to start talking about the film the minute the screen goes black and the credits roll. Sit through those credits, all of them and just let what you saw wash over you. Then maybe a couple days later you talk about it. There are any number of avenues I could take when approaching a discussion of this movie from its use (or lack of use of music) to its cinematography to the minute details of character. I could rant about its beginning, its middle, its end (dear sweet maria, its end!). Although will be wholly inadequate I suspect especially since I will do my damnedest not to reveal anything that should not be revealed. Maybe its best in the end though to say "stop reading now, if you haven't seen it and only read on once you have"
I'm serious. Because try as I might, I fear something may slip out. So I'm going to blather on for one more paragraph before I start talking about the movie. I read a lot of the reviews after I saw this. Anthony Lane of the New Yorker was not as impressed in fact it was quite a brutal review at times. Ebert and A.O. Scott were both more positive. All interesting reviews and worth reading if you like numerous viewpoints. Rottentomatoes.com has a 96% fresh rating based on 160 reviews (impressive if you think statistics are meaningful.) Okay, enough stalling, I hope those appropriate have stopped reading for now.
"I was sheriff of this county when I was twenty-five. Hard to believe. Grandfather was a lawman. Father too. Me and him was sheriff at the same time, him in Plano and me here. I think he was pretty proud of that. I know I was.
Some of the old-time sheriffs never even wore a gun. A lot of folks find that hard to believe.... You can't help but compare yourself against the old timers. Can't help but wonder how they would've operated these times...."
-- Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones)
This is how the film begins with a voice over from Jones as we see shots of the Texas countryside. Quite beautiful shots actually. I love good dialog but as a general rule I'm not so impressed with voice over. But this I buy and this I like. It speaks to character, it speaks to what the film is about. Jones' cadence and intonation are perfect with an sad nostalgia dropped in. The kind of scene that when the DVD comes out I will probably just pop it in the ol player and listen and watch this scene two or three times.
It has a resonance in me that some of the scenes in Thin Red Line have. There is another film I fully confess I am inadequate to the task of discussing. But one among many fantastic scenes in that film is one in which Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn) is talking to Pvt. Witt (Jim Caviezel) on a grassy hillside after the combat has concluded.
Welsh: I feel sorry for you kid. Witt: Yeah? Welsh: Yeah a little. This army's going to kill you. If you were smart, you'd take care of yourself, there's nothing you can do for anyone else. Just running into a burning house where nobody can be saved.
Welsh: What difference do you think you can make? One single man in all this madness. If you die its going to be for nothing. There's not some other world out there where everything's going to be okay. There's just this one, just this rock.
Now me just quoting can't show you the way its played, the pauses, the reaction shots of Witt. The reaction shots from Caviezel are just perfect. He doesn't share the view point but he listens respectfully. Penn's ticks are perfect from starring over the horizon to spitting out loose tobacco from his rolled cigarette. And the score that creeps in mid-scene is an instrumentalized version of an early Polynesian song. Soft at times barely audible yet so beautiful. To me its a perfect scene.
Apologies for the digression but the opening of No Country For Old Men equally ranks in my mind as a perfectly conceived scene. In a way ultimately this is Tom Bell's story even if much of the narrative revolves around Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). Brolin is brilliant by the way. I love early on when he says "I'm fixin' to do something dumber than hell, but I'm going anyways." And does he do something dumber than hell? You bet he does but whereas in another film I might be critical here I buy it. I buy that his conscience started to weigh on him and so he does go do something stupid and he acknowledges that.
I'm coming back to Tom Bell, how could I not but it is unjust to have a discussion of this movie and not mention Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh. Variously his character has been described as death walking, a monster and equally unsatisfying limiting descriptors. He's been compared to Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. Also a bit unsatisfying because I actually prefer Brian Cox's portrayl of Lecter in Manhunter to Hopkins' over the top performance in the more popular film.
Bardem is incredibly scary. He does everything so consciously. His intonations are so plain. The way he takes meticulous care of his boots, ensuring blood is not spilled on them. The way he casually murders or casually pardons. He is instantly memorable, immediate and makes you glad you have never come face to face with someone like him.
No really good movie can rely just on one or two performances and the supporting roles here are as memorable as the main characters. Kelly Macdonald, Barry Corbin and Woody Harrelson all have memorable rolls and scenes. Macdonald is amazing in her scene with Bardem. Just amazing. Corbin's scene at the end, like his scene with Jones in In The Valley of Elah is equally memorable as two old men discuss the hell that is the world and adds wonderful perspective and thought for Jones' character.
Which brings us back to Tom Bell. In a film that has so much and so many memorable performances, Jones's role just resonates with me most. I feel like I know this smart, wearied grandfatherly figure from scenes with his wife to the investigation of the botched drug deal. When he talks to Moss's wife and mid conversation gets caught up in verbal digression practically forgetting her, it was just so perfect.
And now I think I just need to end it. And I suspect it will be deeply unsatisfying. Its a bit odd because I love a good ending. I absolutely love a good ending. A good ending doesn't have to have resolution or anything. It just has to know this is it, this is how we end. The Long Good Friday has such an end. I have ranted extensively about it to friends and even on this site. Its another movie that I have been known to pop in the player and just watch that final 5 minutes with special emphasis for the last minute and a half. Easily one of the top ten, hell top five endings of all time.
So I am so delighted with the ending of No Country For Old Men. The more so because it involves Tom Bell. Tom newly retired sits at breakfast with his wife and mentions a dream he had.
"Both had my father. It's peculiar. I'm older now'n he ever was by twenty years. So in a sense he's the younger man. Anyway, first one I don't remember so well but it was about money and I think I lost it.
The second one, it was like we was both back in older times and I was on horseback goin through the mountains of a night, goin through this pass in the mountains. It was cold and snowin, hard ridin. Hard country. He rode past me and kept on goin. Never said nothin goin by. He just rode on past and he had his blanket wrapped around him and his head down, and when he rode past I seen he was carryin fire in a horn the way people used to do and I could see the horn from the light inside of it. About the color of the moon. And in the dream I knew that he was goin on ahead and that he was fixin to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold, and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there. Out there up ahead.
And then I woke up."
Bam. Black. Done. Yes. Yes. Yes. Opens with Bell sad, nostalgic, wearied and unsure and ends sad, nostalgic, wearied and unsure. I'm glad I had a few minutes in the dark as the credits rolled. I'm not sure I would have had the strength to get up with an end like that. Not right away. Made me want to go enjoy a beer and I did.
I saw it on its wide release opening night, a Wednesday. It was at the Carolina Theater, a locally operated indie movie house with two real theaters and a third which is really a stage theater for concerts and plays but is used frequently for movie showings. The seats are a tad on the uncomfortable side. You can't really sink into them like you can a real good movie theater seat. The backs don't give much leeway. You can't prop your feat up on the backs of the seats in front of you (well I suppose you could but it would be unpleasant I think). To be fair, I like the Carolina and I like that they are indie and on occasion I have been allowed to see some old favorites reshown on the big screen, such as Monster Squad and Aliens. You can't imagine how great and happy I was to see Aliens on a full screen. And there other two theaters are much more suited to movie viewing.
And yet here I am still not talking about No Country For Old Men. Ultimately this is a cinematic experience. Yeah experience is about right. One you either need to see alone or with someone who respects enough not to start talking about the film the minute the screen goes black and the credits roll. Sit through those credits, all of them and just let what you saw wash over you. Then maybe a couple days later you talk about it. There are any number of avenues I could take when approaching a discussion of this movie from its use (or lack of use of music) to its cinematography to the minute details of character. I could rant about its beginning, its middle, its end (dear sweet maria, its end!). Although will be wholly inadequate I suspect especially since I will do my damnedest not to reveal anything that should not be revealed. Maybe its best in the end though to say "stop reading now, if you haven't seen it and only read on once you have"
I'm serious. Because try as I might, I fear something may slip out. So I'm going to blather on for one more paragraph before I start talking about the movie. I read a lot of the reviews after I saw this. Anthony Lane of the New Yorker was not as impressed in fact it was quite a brutal review at times. Ebert and A.O. Scott were both more positive. All interesting reviews and worth reading if you like numerous viewpoints. Rottentomatoes.com has a 96% fresh rating based on 160 reviews (impressive if you think statistics are meaningful.) Okay, enough stalling, I hope those appropriate have stopped reading for now.
"I was sheriff of this county when I was twenty-five. Hard to believe. Grandfather was a lawman. Father too. Me and him was sheriff at the same time, him in Plano and me here. I think he was pretty proud of that. I know I was.
Some of the old-time sheriffs never even wore a gun. A lot of folks find that hard to believe.... You can't help but compare yourself against the old timers. Can't help but wonder how they would've operated these times...."
-- Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones)
This is how the film begins with a voice over from Jones as we see shots of the Texas countryside. Quite beautiful shots actually. I love good dialog but as a general rule I'm not so impressed with voice over. But this I buy and this I like. It speaks to character, it speaks to what the film is about. Jones' cadence and intonation are perfect with an sad nostalgia dropped in. The kind of scene that when the DVD comes out I will probably just pop it in the ol player and listen and watch this scene two or three times.
It has a resonance in me that some of the scenes in Thin Red Line have. There is another film I fully confess I am inadequate to the task of discussing. But one among many fantastic scenes in that film is one in which Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn) is talking to Pvt. Witt (Jim Caviezel) on a grassy hillside after the combat has concluded.
Welsh: I feel sorry for you kid. Witt: Yeah? Welsh: Yeah a little. This army's going to kill you. If you were smart, you'd take care of yourself, there's nothing you can do for anyone else. Just running into a burning house where nobody can be saved.
Welsh: What difference do you think you can make? One single man in all this madness. If you die its going to be for nothing. There's not some other world out there where everything's going to be okay. There's just this one, just this rock.
Now me just quoting can't show you the way its played, the pauses, the reaction shots of Witt. The reaction shots from Caviezel are just perfect. He doesn't share the view point but he listens respectfully. Penn's ticks are perfect from starring over the horizon to spitting out loose tobacco from his rolled cigarette. And the score that creeps in mid-scene is an instrumentalized version of an early Polynesian song. Soft at times barely audible yet so beautiful. To me its a perfect scene.
Apologies for the digression but the opening of No Country For Old Men equally ranks in my mind as a perfectly conceived scene. In a way ultimately this is Tom Bell's story even if much of the narrative revolves around Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). Brolin is brilliant by the way. I love early on when he says "I'm fixin' to do something dumber than hell, but I'm going anyways." And does he do something dumber than hell? You bet he does but whereas in another film I might be critical here I buy it. I buy that his conscience started to weigh on him and so he does go do something stupid and he acknowledges that.
I'm coming back to Tom Bell, how could I not but it is unjust to have a discussion of this movie and not mention Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh. Variously his character has been described as death walking, a monster and equally unsatisfying limiting descriptors. He's been compared to Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. Also a bit unsatisfying because I actually prefer Brian Cox's portrayl of Lecter in Manhunter to Hopkins' over the top performance in the more popular film.
Bardem is incredibly scary. He does everything so consciously. His intonations are so plain. The way he takes meticulous care of his boots, ensuring blood is not spilled on them. The way he casually murders or casually pardons. He is instantly memorable, immediate and makes you glad you have never come face to face with someone like him.
No really good movie can rely just on one or two performances and the supporting roles here are as memorable as the main characters. Kelly Macdonald, Barry Corbin and Woody Harrelson all have memorable rolls and scenes. Macdonald is amazing in her scene with Bardem. Just amazing. Corbin's scene at the end, like his scene with Jones in In The Valley of Elah is equally memorable as two old men discuss the hell that is the world and adds wonderful perspective and thought for Jones' character.
Which brings us back to Tom Bell. In a film that has so much and so many memorable performances, Jones's role just resonates with me most. I feel like I know this smart, wearied grandfatherly figure from scenes with his wife to the investigation of the botched drug deal. When he talks to Moss's wife and mid conversation gets caught up in verbal digression practically forgetting her, it was just so perfect.
And now I think I just need to end it. And I suspect it will be deeply unsatisfying. Its a bit odd because I love a good ending. I absolutely love a good ending. A good ending doesn't have to have resolution or anything. It just has to know this is it, this is how we end. The Long Good Friday has such an end. I have ranted extensively about it to friends and even on this site. Its another movie that I have been known to pop in the player and just watch that final 5 minutes with special emphasis for the last minute and a half. Easily one of the top ten, hell top five endings of all time.
So I am so delighted with the ending of No Country For Old Men. The more so because it involves Tom Bell. Tom newly retired sits at breakfast with his wife and mentions a dream he had.
"Both had my father. It's peculiar. I'm older now'n he ever was by twenty years. So in a sense he's the younger man. Anyway, first one I don't remember so well but it was about money and I think I lost it.
The second one, it was like we was both back in older times and I was on horseback goin through the mountains of a night, goin through this pass in the mountains. It was cold and snowin, hard ridin. Hard country. He rode past me and kept on goin. Never said nothin goin by. He just rode on past and he had his blanket wrapped around him and his head down, and when he rode past I seen he was carryin fire in a horn the way people used to do and I could see the horn from the light inside of it. About the color of the moon. And in the dream I knew that he was goin on ahead and that he was fixin to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold, and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there. Out there up ahead.
And then I woke up."
Bam. Black. Done. Yes. Yes. Yes. Opens with Bell sad, nostalgic, wearied and unsure and ends sad, nostalgic, wearied and unsure. I'm glad I had a few minutes in the dark as the credits rolled. I'm not sure I would have had the strength to get up with an end like that. Not right away. Made me want to go enjoy a beer and I did.
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