films in brief

Here's a few quick reviews of some things I saw recently.

The Da Vinci Code - 2006 -

Yes, it took me this long to watch it. I'm kinda played out on all the conspiracy flicks (which this helped cause), but I see why it was addictive and popular. It's a nice thriller, very exciting and all, and it's one of the better blockbusters to come out recently. I was wondering where Audrey Tatou went, so that's cool. I just thought it was hilarious that Hanks got to costar with Ian McKellan, whom he is starting to look like more and more.

In America - 2001 -

Jim Sheridan's modern immigrant tale is a heartfelt light drama, with lots of emotion. Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton are poor Irish who come to New York looking for something and end up in a junkie-filled tenant. Their cute daughters, though, have fun exploring the new world, making friends with reclusive artist Djimon Honsou. This is a very sweet and touching tale, with strong performances from the young cast.

At the Death House Door - 2008 - on IFC now -

IFC presents this stunning doc about capital punishment, focusing on the intersecting lives of a man who was most likely innocent but had a raw deal and was executed, and the longtime prison chaplain who saw his last day. As they present the facts in the case of Carlos De Luna, the filmmakers also go over the life of the pastor who consoled him and hundreds of other convicted men. It all took place in one of the most famous prisons in Texas, where lots of executions happened.

This is a biased piece, for sure, but it's not deceitful. It's presenting a case against the death penalty, through factual evidence from the case, and adding emotional testimony from the pastor (who now campaigns hard against it). The police overlooked a lot of obvious things in the De Luna case, and it now looks pretty clearly like he was innocent, and in fact knew the man who did it. It's a powerful argument in a very strong political doc.

Wristcutters: A Love Story - 2006 -

I had the chance to see this indie film at Sundance two years ago, but I didn't, mainly because it was getting mixed reviews. Now I see why. Despite a very interesting premise and the potential for sharp dark comedy, it drags at times. The idea here is that suicide takes you to an afterlife that is a lot like real life, just slightly worse. Everyone in this world (which looks like the crappiest parts of this country) is dull and disillusioned... which makes sense, because they all killed themselves. But in a weird way, they're at peace with suffering. The black humor they aim for at the start fades when protagonist Patrick Fugit learns his ex-girlfriend may have killed herself too, in guilt over his death. He sets off on a quest to find her, but runs into Shannyn Sossamon, who claims to have not killed herself on purpose.

The film drags for a while and then tries to look positive, undermining its dark comedy. Despite great cameos from Tom Waits and Will Arnett, it's uneven. The world they set up is bleak, but it also looks like they didn't have the money to do much else. It was a cool idea, but it just doesn't work out as well.

In the Valley of Elah - 2007 - on DVD now -

Paul Haggis' military drama was overlooked last year, but it did get some award notices. Tommy Lee Jones got a surprise nom for best actor, so critics were high on it, even if audiences aren't watching anything Iraq-themed. Ironically, I think it's much better then Crash, which won it all several years ago (I still don't know why). Jones is stoic as usual, but shows a lot of pain as man whose soldier son disappears after he comes home. Being a former police officer and an army man himself, he sets on a mission to find out what happened. The local police chief, Charlize Theron, doesn't appreciate him getting in the way of her investigation, but he has some good insights. The military base and its officials are being shady, causing them to wonder if there's something up.

This is a solid mystery with a lot of emotional pull. It starts to push an anti-war feeling toward the end, but it's a good film