Films I Watched - March, 2004
Submitted by lbangs on Mon, 03/08/2004 - 05:16
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- 3/30 - Reservoir Dogs - Yes, I watched it again, I loved it again, and I will not bore you again with my praise of this great film. ****
- 3/28 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Well, I've been mulling several possible ways to review this film without giving too much of the fun away, and now, nearly a week later, I give. The Kaufman script has more heart than any of his works has ever have, the tricks are truly interesting rather than coming off as gimmicks, and the ending caps an interesting debate between the romantic and the realist. The cast is stellar - Jim Carrey may not get the Oscar he's been craving, but for the first time, he at least delivers a performance worthy of one - the direction is inventive yet doesn't distract from the film, and even one of my big crushes, the lovely Jane Adams, appears. A triumph for several talents I have nearly given up on, and one of the greatest films of the past five years. ****
- 3/20 - The Awful Truth - The Listology crowd suggested this one, and as I last watched it when I was twelve, I really needed to see it again. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne were a great screen couple, giving zest and life to both this film and My Favorite Wife. Ralph Bellamy is cool enough that I'll forgive the film poking fun at us Okies, and Joyce Compton's musical number had me rolling. Could I finish this review without mentioning Skippy, the dog who seemed to be standard issue for these films at the time (he also stars in The Thin Man (he's Asta) and Bringing Up Baby (as George); perhaps he should've earned a special Oscar for best dog...) or the incredibly chic costumes and hats Dunne adorns herself with? That's it! I'm buying a cool 30s' hat before the year is up! What a fun film! *** 1/2
- 3/20 - Red Dragon - Red Dragon is a remake of a great Michael Mann film directed by the creative force behind the Rush Hour films and following on the heels of the horrible Hannibal. Why did I doubt this one? The good news is that it is nowhere as bad as I feared and certainly on a much higher plane than Scott's disaster. The cast here, naturally, is the film's redeeming quality, with Edward Norton successfully trying a new approach to the character of Will Graham and Fiennes, Watson, Hopkins, and Keitel giving fine support. The directing alas, while far from botched, is rather pedestrian, a sad shortcoming in a genre that largely depends on the person behind the camera. Red Dragon can't touch Manhunter; it has neither the former film's style or intensity, nor does Hopkins' patented performance really bring out the terror here that Brian Cox evokes in the original. Still, this is far from an embarrassing wreck. It is rather a perfectly competent if unexciting remake of a killer original. ** 1/2
- 3/14 - L'Emploi du Temps AKA Time Out - Don't rent this film. I really found myself captivated by this slow puzzle of a story, but the truth is, I honestly think it will bore the tears out of most folks here, especially those that found Lost in Translation boring or pointless. There is quite a bit heady commentary going on, but it is all so terrifically wrapped inside a moving drama with real characters, it never comes off as preachy or soapboxing. I believe this is only director Laurent Cantet's second film, and I can't wait to see his third. ***
- 3/13 - My Fair Lady - In a funny way, this film reminds me of The Beatles' White Album. It certainly could have been edited down to a normal length, and chances are, that degree of pruning would have yielded a masterpiece. As it is, though, it is still a great work, one where even the dead-end numbers and filler are usually entertaining enough it is impossible to begrudge them. The costumes and art design often steal the film (especially at the races), despite excellent performances from Audrey Hepburn, Marni Nixon (the singer dubbed in for Hepburn), Rex Harrison, and the crew. My Fair Lady isn't one of the greatest musicals, but it is certainly fun nonetheless. *** 1/2
- 3/7 - Finding Nemo - If John Lasseter and Pixar are remembered primarly for destroying hand-drawn animation, it will be an incredible distortion of history. This delightful, inventive, funny film proves that this studio has proved a goldmine due to warm, thrilling, fun scripts populated by creative characters well-drawn (in all senses of the word) and mated with excellent voice work as much as to excellent computer animation. Finding Nemo is a delight, with an inventive plot that packs a few real chills with its thrills and some very warm comedy. I suspect small, independent studios will sieze upon hand animation, transforming it into an edgy, more inventive medium than the last few clunker Disney features were, but with a studio like Pixar dedicating to releasing such incredibly delightful family entertainment as Finding Nemo, that may be a very nice arrangement for all. *** 1/2
- 3/6 - Romancing the Stone - Some great chemistry between two charasmatic leads can add an incredible amount of juice to a film. Michael Douglas and, especially, the under-valued Kathleen Turner own this comedy adventure, and even when many of the action scenes are merely adequate, the banter and personality of the two leads never disappoint. This is a treasure hunt firmly in the Raiders of the Lost Ark camp, but it is also a romantic comedy, and it is proof that if some really great producer was awake during the 80s, somebody would have made a screwball comedy with these two actors. (To some degree, perhaps the excellent War of the Roses did just that...) This may not be the classic its box office take may imply, but it sure proof that blockbuster need not be boring or pandering to be incredibly entertaining and to make a boatload of money. ***
- 3/5 - 8 Women - Unlike Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes' incredible invigoration of 1950 'Women' films, 8 Women plays as a throw-away, ironic spoof of the genre. Incorporating a plot that, despite its many twists and musical numbers, plays as pure fluff and some lovely set designs, 8 Women simply plays with the genre rather than works with it. Those twists are so silly, involving characters we know little about doing incredibly unbelievable actions, it is hard for them to be taken as more than larks and whims in a frothy film. The musical numbers are drab and lacking energy, stopping the movie cold instead of injecting it with life. The actresses are fabulous, as one would expect this great cast to be, but the film plays as a light experiment, a fun way for Francois Ozon to kill time between movies. It certainly holds one's attention, but this whipped cream falls flat in the imagination almost by the time the credits roll. ** 1/2
Ah, you finally got a chance to see Nemo! I'm so glad my (and your, if I recall correctly) preview-driven apprehensions were misguided. dgeiser13 pointed this out to me somewhere, but the next Pixar movie, The Incredibles, is going to be directed by Brad Bird of Iron Giant fame. I'm trying--unsuccessfully--to keep my hopes at a reasonable level. After all, Pixar has to stumble eventually, right?
I was also glad to see you got back to your February write-ups, and that you're finally feeling up to snuff again. Very nice observation about the brilliant complementary CGI work in Master & Commander that works so much better than the panacea (good word!) CGI work we see so often these days.
Welcome back to good health!
Thank you!
Yep, I was worried by the Nemo trailer, and I am quite happy to see I had nothing to fear. I also am really anticipating The Incredibles. I didn't realize Brad Bird is at the helm. That is very exciting!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
SOOOOOOOOO glad to hear that you loved Eternal Sunshine. Truly a beautiful and wonderful film. I think this may be the best romantic film of the new decade.
Holy moly! Can't wait to read more details on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Boy, sounds like I should find a way to get to the theaters.
While I'm glad you loved "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", I was also hoping to get more allies on that one. I figured with what you've been saying about Charlie Kaufman lately, you were my best bet. Ah well, can't win 'em all... :-)
But I'm curious, what did you think of my comments? I thought the Dunst / Ruffalo stuff was not very interesting, especially compared to the great Carrey / Winslet stuff. And the resolution to the Dunst / Wilkinson stuff didn't work for me. This subplot was not developed enough to be satisfying, but too long to ignore. That subplot just seems content to throw you its plot twist and then use Dunst's resentment of Lacuna as a plot device to get Jim and Kate their tapes back. Nothing feels wrapped up.
But that's just me. What did you think of this subplot?
I will say, though, that pretty much all of the stuff between Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet is brilliant. If the movie were more focused on them, I could definitely see it being the best film of the decade. As it is though, it's a second-tier film for me, albeit a solid one.
I've been thinking about your comments, and I'm at a loss on to how to answer. I liked that element of the story; I thought he took characters that could have been flat story devices (and that subplot served the plot more than the reason you gave them) and turned them into round characters with their own lives. I also found that element to be an interesting parallel to the main thread, so to speak. Perhaps I should simply shrug and admit I found that part of the plot more interesting than you did and confess I may not have much great evidence to tell you why...
Sorry to leave you standing alone, but hey, loners are cooler... ;)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Yeah, I figured it was probably just a subjective thing. Oh well...
I too recently rewatched Reservoir Dogs and reaffirmed my love of that movie. Do you still slightly favor Pulp Fiction?
Yes, I still favor the fantastic Pulp Fiction, but hey, that's one of my favorite films ever...
Did you catch my Hellboy review on my April list?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I did (just now), and I was very happy to see it exceed expectations. If I can extrapolate from our relative appreciation of Spider-man, I expect to love it. :-) In any case, I'm glad it wasn't a complete waste of money for you!