BUG - This came out early in the year as the latest horror/thriller to come in and out of theaters quickly. But it's more than that. This came from a play, which sounds strange for such a genre. It starts out as an indie-type reality drama and then suddenly becomes a paranoid thriller that spirals way out of control. Ashley Judd signed up for this because it's really an acting showcase, believe it or not... if you like acting crazy.
THE LIVES OF OTHERS - I've meant to see this, last year's Best Foreign Picture winner, for a while. It's dynamic. During the Soviet regime in East Germany, a member of the secret police is instructed to spy on a famous writer. The writer hasn't done anything, but a high official wants the writer's girlfriend, and so this drone begins spying. He soon realizes that the writer hasn't done anything wrong, but he knows the boss will push him to make up something, and he has a struggle of conscience.
This is a great film and worth its awards. It's tragic and heartfelt and also a reminder of Communism and the troubles it produced (this may seem obvious to most, but I sometimes need to be assured). Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is quite a director.
YEAR OF THE DOG - This cute indie dramedy from Mike White, writer of such slacker fare, goes in places you might expect it to but ends with a nice statement. Molly Shannon is a fairly boring single woman who loves her dog and simple life. When it dies, she has a crisis and starts to reach out to new people and places, and finds a new purpose in animal protection. This has a great cast with John C. Reilly, Peter Saarsgard, and Laura Dern on board, and though it doesn't seem that much different from the previous indie films of this nature (The Good Girl, You and Me and Everyone We Know, You Can Count on Me), it works well and finishes on a surprising upbeat. Good for indie lovers, and dog lovers everywhere.
Film reviews, criticism, discussions, rants, raves, and random pictures of Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
films in brief
Some quick reviews:
The Namesake -
This drama caught attention earlier in the year when people were surprised by how good a movie based around Kumar could be. He's not bad, but the parents (both veterans of Indian cinema) are very good in this tale of immigrants adjusting to America. It's a solid drama, and the only problem is that they perhaps tried to jam too much into one movie (from the book) and may have worked better as a mini-series. Still, Mira Nair is a great director, and this is a fine piece of work on its own.
The Family Stone -
Finally saw this indie comedy from two years ago. I don't know why it took this long, because it's a likable cast... except for the two main lovers, which I'm still curious about. If my family had Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson, and a lovable gay and deaf man, would I even give a darn about Dermot Mulroney? I say no. But they like him, and when he brings home Sarah Jessica Parker as his date, she doesn't fit in, and hilarity ensues.
This was genuinely funny and a solid Christmas / family relationship movie. Luke is on his game, relaxed, but I couldn't feel a moment of sympathy for Parker, and wasn't that the point? And then Claire Danes shows up and Dermot suddenly has a change of heart? Weird plot, but an enjoyable treat.
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
Did you know that the 1998 semi-successful horror film that featured deaths based on popular urban legends and a young Jared Leto (and Josh Jackson) is still spawning sequels? Did you know that Kate Mara stars in this, even though she already had a breakthrough in Brokeback Mountain and comes from an uber-rich family? Did you know that it was written by the same guys who did X Men 2 and Superman Returns? Did you know that Utah is now considered an acceptable place to shoot a horror film that revolves around murder and date rape? Ah, the things you learn while watching late night cable.
Rescue Dawn -
Really wanted to see this, but it was in and out so quickly. Werner Herzog, one of the most famous German directors, takes a Vietnam movie and focuses on just the escape of one man. That man is Christian Bale, and he went through all sorts of trouble to film this. He and Steve Zahn are toughing it out in a POW camp with Jeremy Davies, when Bale decides to escape. This is shot beautifully and acted well, especially concerning the physical side. It remains a simple, but intense, story of survival. How does Patrick Bateman (I still can't call him Batman) keep doing this crazy stuff?
The Namesake -
This drama caught attention earlier in the year when people were surprised by how good a movie based around Kumar could be. He's not bad, but the parents (both veterans of Indian cinema) are very good in this tale of immigrants adjusting to America. It's a solid drama, and the only problem is that they perhaps tried to jam too much into one movie (from the book) and may have worked better as a mini-series. Still, Mira Nair is a great director, and this is a fine piece of work on its own.
The Family Stone -
Finally saw this indie comedy from two years ago. I don't know why it took this long, because it's a likable cast... except for the two main lovers, which I'm still curious about. If my family had Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson, and a lovable gay and deaf man, would I even give a darn about Dermot Mulroney? I say no. But they like him, and when he brings home Sarah Jessica Parker as his date, she doesn't fit in, and hilarity ensues.
This was genuinely funny and a solid Christmas / family relationship movie. Luke is on his game, relaxed, but I couldn't feel a moment of sympathy for Parker, and wasn't that the point? And then Claire Danes shows up and Dermot suddenly has a change of heart? Weird plot, but an enjoyable treat.
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
Did you know that the 1998 semi-successful horror film that featured deaths based on popular urban legends and a young Jared Leto (and Josh Jackson) is still spawning sequels? Did you know that Kate Mara stars in this, even though she already had a breakthrough in Brokeback Mountain and comes from an uber-rich family? Did you know that it was written by the same guys who did X Men 2 and Superman Returns? Did you know that Utah is now considered an acceptable place to shoot a horror film that revolves around murder and date rape? Ah, the things you learn while watching late night cable.
Rescue Dawn -
Really wanted to see this, but it was in and out so quickly. Werner Herzog, one of the most famous German directors, takes a Vietnam movie and focuses on just the escape of one man. That man is Christian Bale, and he went through all sorts of trouble to film this. He and Steve Zahn are toughing it out in a POW camp with Jeremy Davies, when Bale decides to escape. This is shot beautifully and acted well, especially concerning the physical side. It remains a simple, but intense, story of survival. How does Patrick Bateman (I still can't call him Batman) keep doing this crazy stuff?
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