A good, straightforward action movie, which would be quickly
forgotten except it's Bruce Willis' best role since The Sixth Sense.
21 December 2006
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
A good crime/hostage movie, with GREAT vintage NYC infrastructure
that, 30 years later, really steels the show. Not quite as creepy as
"The Incident" which is still the best subway movie around.
that, 30 years later, really steels the show. Not quite as creepy as
"The Incident" which is still the best subway movie around.
19 December 2006
Barry Lyndon
When I was younger, I rooted for Barry to triumph. Now I cringe at
his rise, and am less appalled at his fate and those who deliver it.
What really fascinates, though, is the detailed portrait of the
times. Kubrick re-creates the late 1700s in a manner that gets at
the details of everyday life and the physical reality of the world
his characters in habit. Usually, such attention to a "foreign"
world is the sole province of science fiction, where the camera
spends time showing off the spectacular other worlds the filmmaker
has created. It is rare and arresting to see the same kind of wonder
showered on a historical setting -- and ultimately, it is the
recreation of a whole society at a particular point in history that
makes this film fascinating, rather than any particular fondness or
identification we might have for the protagonist, who serves mostly
as our vehicle through the world Kubrick has recreated.
his rise, and am less appalled at his fate and those who deliver it.
What really fascinates, though, is the detailed portrait of the
times. Kubrick re-creates the late 1700s in a manner that gets at
the details of everyday life and the physical reality of the world
his characters in habit. Usually, such attention to a "foreign"
world is the sole province of science fiction, where the camera
spends time showing off the spectacular other worlds the filmmaker
has created. It is rare and arresting to see the same kind of wonder
showered on a historical setting -- and ultimately, it is the
recreation of a whole society at a particular point in history that
makes this film fascinating, rather than any particular fondness or
identification we might have for the protagonist, who serves mostly
as our vehicle through the world Kubrick has recreated.
10 December 2006
Art School Confidential
I was a big fan of Zwigoff's first two commercial releases (Crumb and
Ghost World). Ghost World was marred by one small element -- the
blantant wish fulfillment -- but that was fun. And the cryptic bus
to nowhere was an agreeable eccentricity. But Art School
Confidential only hits its stride in the final act, where the satire
takes full force. Unfortunately, it's not quite worth the time it
takes to get there.
Ghost World). Ghost World was marred by one small element -- the
blantant wish fulfillment -- but that was fun. And the cryptic bus
to nowhere was an agreeable eccentricity. But Art School
Confidential only hits its stride in the final act, where the satire
takes full force. Unfortunately, it's not quite worth the time it
takes to get there.
07 December 2006
Lately
Da Vinci Code
Remarkably mediocre. A great story (even if it gets history wrong in almost every way possible) and it should have been a great thiller. But it's almost tedious. Hanks and Tautou sleepwalk through the piece; Zimmer's score just makes matters worse. Where's the tension? Where's the surprise?
Downfall
If you are even faintly curious about what Hitler and his circle were like, this film takes you inside their final days, which also lend insight into who they were, all along.
Playtime
Sure, it's not an ordinary movie (Is there a plot?) but it's a joyous, slow meditation on the quirks of modern life we take for granted but that, when you step back, truly are STRANGE and unnatural.
In This World
Absolutely fabulous view into a world that is sadly more common than our own.
Nacho Libre
Forget about it. Jack Black is the only good thing here, and he cannot carry it. Watch Napolean Dynamite, again, instead.
The Smartest Guys in the Room
What's fun, as you are watching this, is to remember: This isn't left wing, anti-capital agitprop. This film is the product of conservative writers from Fortune magazine digging into what went wrong.
Candy
Good, not great. Won't displace Trainspotting or Requiem for a Dream, for example, as the uber drug movies, but has perhaps the best detox scenes put on film in a long time. (Not fun.) Reminds me of my needle-sharing ex, so it possesses enough versimilitude.
04 September 2006
A quick note to a friend
Finally saw "House of Sand and Fog" last week. Disappointed by it.
--- On the other hand, I was impressed by "V for Vendetta" which I also finally saw. I agree with the people that thought the direction was a little clunky, especially the government chamber with the giant video screen, but I really enjoyed the writing, even if it was a little messy and incoherent at times. Better than I thought it would be. Even thought-provoking enough I gotta see it again...
----
Saw Wim Wenders last film, "Don't Come Knocking". It's a lovely little road story about a guy trying to figure his life out. Nothing earthshattering, but kind of like a Jim Jarmush kind of film, with Sam Shepherd instead of Bill Murray. (Oh, and Eva Marie Saint, from North-by-Northwest, and On The Waterfront, plays Shepherd's mom. Fun to see her again.)
----
Million Dollar Baby: Finally saw it. Better than I thought it was going to be. And I do think she achieved what she wanted to achieve, though of course it was a sad way to learn that.
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