Films I Watched - February, 2004
Submitted by lbangs on Fri, 02/06/2004 - 11:17
Tags:
- My Ranking of the Best Picture Nominees
- 1) Mystic River ****
- 2) Lost in Translation ****
- 3) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King *** 1/2
- 4) Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World ***
- 5) Seabiscuit ***
- These rankings both make Jim correct in his guess as how I would end up ranking the films and also makes this the first Oscar ceremony in years without a major stinker in the big category!
- 2/29 - Seabiscuit - A sports thriller crossed with a history lesson that really should have just settled with being a sports film, Seabiscuit benefits from fine performances and some great racing scenes. Director Gary Ross, however, hurts this film as much as he helps it. He is too impressed with his material, aiming at a dramatic story that will also personify its times. His handling of the historical facets is clumsy and intrusive, and luckily, much of this is lost as the film nears the end. The story of the characters, however, is pretty strong, and the actors go a long way in selling the material. Ross, however, overinflates many scenes, and swells the music when he thinks he has scored narrative victories he often has mangled. In the end, the story wins out, but in the hands of a better director, this might have been the historical victory it obviously wants to be (and, by all accounts I hear, the book is). ***
- 2/22 - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - This film puts the viewer on a British ship deep in the heart of the Napoleanic War. The perfect special effects, the subtle, dead-on art direction, and the incredible sound design all work miracles to pull this neat effect off. The cast, from Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany to the minor actors, also impress with honest performances that never betray the stranded, confined settings, and Peter Weir does a admirable job balancing pace and dramatic thrust. While the feel of this film is impressively effective, the story is a bit less so, hinging a bit too much on coincidence and, despite some great acting, losing a bit of the human element needed for an adventure epic of this magnitude and type to soar. When the excellent action scenes arrive, the viewer is most likely just not quite as invested in the main movers as needed to make this a truly classic film. Still, it is a very impressive one, one that probably deserved more technical recognition at the Academy Awards than it earned, especially for its stellar effects that never once take the viewers out of its very isolated world (showing what true masters can do blending traditional models and CGI instead of using CGI alone as a weak panacea). ***
- 2/19 - The Kid Stays in the Picture - Don't let the ads or the packaging fool you. This is not a lurid expose on behind the scenes 70s film making. Rather, this is a oral memoir of a producer with enough personality and insight to actually make the audience think his life is as interesting as he obviously thinks it is. Some well-chosen visuals keep your eyes busy while listening to his entertaining story. It sounds a bit academic, but this tale of the genesis of Chinatown, The Godfather, Love Story, Rosemary's Baby, and other iconic films is really quite the captivating yarn. ***
- 2/18 - The Life and Death of King Richard III - This is the oldest surviving feature length American film known, and perhaps the nicest surprise is that it is worth watching as more than an artifact of history. The short running time, the extravagant sets, and some excellent old-school silent acting help move this Shakespeare adaptation along at a brisk pace. A new soundtrack by Ennio Morricone doesn't hurt either. ** 1/2
- 2/16 - Hero - I watched this again with my wife (thanks Jim!), and she also loves it! My earlier review of this great film still stands. *** 1/2
- 2/14 - Mystic River - I admit I never really expected Clint Eastwood to develop into the incredible director he is. Unforgiven was a slow, measured tour de force, a masterpiece that cleared any doubt about Eastwood’s skill behind the camera. Even as the decade progressed and weaker films arrived bearing Eastwood’s name, his skill was still evident. Some of the films were under-rated (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), and many more were done in by weak scripts, but Clint always directed with a sure hand and managed incredible performances for his casts. Mystic River, however, is the first Eastwood film since Unforgiven with a fantastic screenplay, and the resulting film is a masterpiece. It helps that the script is good, but Brian Helgeland has not just delivered excellent work. Mystic River is Helgeland’s best work yet, even surpassing L.A. Confidential, and it could go head to head with almost any screenplay from this decade. Every character is a living creation, complete with interesting back-story and realistic motivations, and the symbolism and depth of the writing is both subtle and strong. Embodying these characters is what might well be the best ensemble cast of the decade so far. These are complex creatures, but there simply is not a weak link among the actors giving them life. Tim Robbins is especially impressive, losing himself in a lost character with no strings showing. Sean Penn is excellent as usual, and I love watching Marcia Gay Harden, who first knocked my socks off in Miller’s Crossing, continue her excellent career in an increasingly bright spotlight. Every actor, not just the ones I mentioned, delivers, and Clint continues to show incredible control and restraint, understanding his material and working to maximize its impact. He never underestimates his audience’s ability to follow the story or understand the people inside it, and he never shows off his own cinematic ability. The film is the goal, and every element selflessly contributes to it without grandstanding. In the end, Mystic River unfolds in the mind days after the lights come up, heavy, emotional, and thought provoking. It is not just a worthy descendent of Unforgiven. It is a masterpiece in its own right. ****
- 2/12 - The Royal Tenenbaums - We pulled out the ol' Criterion DVD and enjoyed Wes' odd little creation again. I am so charmed by this film, I often forget just how odd it is. It was only the other day, when a friend reminded me that it had , that I once again realized how unique Anderson's vision is and how completely and wonderfully he realizes it. ****Spoiler: Highlight to viewa comical stabbing in it
- 2/5 - The Informer - A small, tragic film that slowly works its way toward its fated ending with a dread and an anguish seldom seen in studio pictures of the thirties, The Informer is probably my favorite of John Ford's pre-Stagecoach films. Even decades later, this is not an easy film to watch, and a much harder one to forget. Victor McLaglen earned his Oscar with a layered, complicated performance as a simple, uncomplicated man in a nasty position. He is stupid, weak, and thoroughly sympathetic, and that's no easy combination to pull off. Ford is also at his best, using Aristotle's unity of time by capturing all the action within one dark, foggy night. This is a tight, tense wonder, even if it does lay it on a bit thick at the end. Most film fans may hardly know of its existence, but it is easily one of John Ford's best films. ****
Author Comments:
I'm rating the films on a zero to four star basis. ** 1/2 is average.
Hey, to everybody who has sent me private emails - I'm still pretty sick, but I will get back to everybody once I'm feeling better.
Thanks to everybody who sent congrats to my wife for passing her exams!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I'm psyched your wife also loved Hero! I can't wait for Zhang's next (and last, he claims) martial arts epic, Shi mian mai fu.
I'm looking forward to your longer reviews of both Seabiscuit and Master and Commander. Regarding the former, I agree that Jeff Bridges was quite good (as usual), but Willian H. Macy stole the show. The big surprise for me was how indifferent I was to Chris Cooper, who usually impresses me.