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raybearNow is the time of movies. I have seen a lot lately, even more than planned because of the ice storm yesterday which kept us housebound with a box of fried chicken.
In the past eight days, I watched the following:
1. No Country for Old Men. Very, very good, though I wasn't crazy about the ending. Nothing happened that bothered me narratively speaking, it just didn't all feel entirely necessarily. At one point I was like, jeezus, why haven't the credits rolled? We're still here?? Then it finally ended. But for the most part, I feel like it was a perfect companion piece to Blood Simple, which is better executed, but this one is more ambitious and compelling.
2. Across the Universe. Yes, the Beatles musical one. But c'mon, it was playing for $3 at the theater 3 blocks from my house, I needed to get out of said house, and DYA and I were both kinda curious about it. We like musicals. The funniest part for me was during some scene with naked women in body paint doing choreographed moves on water, immediately following some scene with puppets, I thought, damn, why are you trying to be Julie Taymor?? Except then the movie ended and I realized, oh, duh, Julie Taymor directed this. Nice to have a recognizable style, I suppose. This movie is....um, kind of the Golden Book Series version of the 60s, with every single associated trope stitched together. But the song choices were good and it was never painful for me. I just was never moved or wowed. I place it below Moulin Rouge for sure....and possible below the Bee Gees version of Sgt. Pepper's - the problem with this comparison is that I LIKED this latter movie, except the last time I saw it I was 9 or 10, so I don't necessarily trust my critic from back then.
3. Dogville. I can't stop thinking about this movie. And its a movie that if you don't know what it is, I can't say I recommend it, but if you already had an inkling of an interest in it, then do it. I'm watching Manderlay soon.
4. The Namesake. Despite the preview, this movie isn't just about the son Gogol, its just as much about the mother, and I was glad actually. I mean, he did a great job at capturing the character, but that character isn't necessarily an appealing person I wanted to be around for a lot of this movie of him trying to figure things out. This movie is on par with lots of Mira Nair's movies -- sweet, thoughtful, artfully done in traditional ways. Hints of complexity, but nothing terribly challenging, so they are solid, good, entertaining, moving, and easily palatable movies, but then I usually forget them all after time passes. Also, this maybe isn't the best time of year for me to watch touching, hopeful movies about how amazing parents are. Which is why it was good for me to follow this with.....
5. Mildred Pierce. DB gave me a copy of this months ago, as its her favorite noir movie, maybe one of her favorite all time movies, and I popped it in last night on a whim. Joan Crawford was great, there were some hilarious moments and lines, it was totally compelling and fun and kept me guessing until the end. Some surprising conversations about class and marriage, from what I expected. Eve Arden is awesome. And the daughter is so evil, but in a way that its fun to hate her so much.
6. Margot at the Wedding. This movie is more brutal than The Squid and the Whale. If you like movies with smart, fcked up, complicated monstrous characters doing honest and heartbreaking and mean things to each other, then having a mini-catharsis, then going right back to doing horrible things, then this is a movie for you! I decided that Noah Baumbach is like Nicole Holofcener squared, with a filter through Wes Anderson (not in a bad way, mostly just aesthetically).
I thought it was more than 6 movies, but I guess this is right. Plus, the 4 episodes of CSI. We are watching the beginning of season 7, and the opening two parter was sort of grueling and at one point I got a exasperated and said, "you know if I never see [recurring side character who's related to a main CSI] ever again on this show, I would be just fine" and then 20 minutes later he GOT SHOT AND KILLED AND THE EPISODE ENDED. I should talk to the TV more often.
In the past eight days, I watched the following:
1. No Country for Old Men. Very, very good, though I wasn't crazy about the ending. Nothing happened that bothered me narratively speaking, it just didn't all feel entirely necessarily. At one point I was like, jeezus, why haven't the credits rolled? We're still here?? Then it finally ended. But for the most part, I feel like it was a perfect companion piece to Blood Simple, which is better executed, but this one is more ambitious and compelling.
2. Across the Universe. Yes, the Beatles musical one. But c'mon, it was playing for $3 at the theater 3 blocks from my house, I needed to get out of said house, and DYA and I were both kinda curious about it. We like musicals. The funniest part for me was during some scene with naked women in body paint doing choreographed moves on water, immediately following some scene with puppets, I thought, damn, why are you trying to be Julie Taymor?? Except then the movie ended and I realized, oh, duh, Julie Taymor directed this. Nice to have a recognizable style, I suppose. This movie is....um, kind of the Golden Book Series version of the 60s, with every single associated trope stitched together. But the song choices were good and it was never painful for me. I just was never moved or wowed. I place it below Moulin Rouge for sure....and possible below the Bee Gees version of Sgt. Pepper's - the problem with this comparison is that I LIKED this latter movie, except the last time I saw it I was 9 or 10, so I don't necessarily trust my critic from back then.
3. Dogville. I can't stop thinking about this movie. And its a movie that if you don't know what it is, I can't say I recommend it, but if you already had an inkling of an interest in it, then do it. I'm watching Manderlay soon.
4. The Namesake. Despite the preview, this movie isn't just about the son Gogol, its just as much about the mother, and I was glad actually. I mean, he did a great job at capturing the character, but that character isn't necessarily an appealing person I wanted to be around for a lot of this movie of him trying to figure things out. This movie is on par with lots of Mira Nair's movies -- sweet, thoughtful, artfully done in traditional ways. Hints of complexity, but nothing terribly challenging, so they are solid, good, entertaining, moving, and easily palatable movies, but then I usually forget them all after time passes. Also, this maybe isn't the best time of year for me to watch touching, hopeful movies about how amazing parents are. Which is why it was good for me to follow this with.....
5. Mildred Pierce. DB gave me a copy of this months ago, as its her favorite noir movie, maybe one of her favorite all time movies, and I popped it in last night on a whim. Joan Crawford was great, there were some hilarious moments and lines, it was totally compelling and fun and kept me guessing until the end. Some surprising conversations about class and marriage, from what I expected. Eve Arden is awesome. And the daughter is so evil, but in a way that its fun to hate her so much.
6. Margot at the Wedding. This movie is more brutal than The Squid and the Whale. If you like movies with smart, fcked up, complicated monstrous characters doing honest and heartbreaking and mean things to each other, then having a mini-catharsis, then going right back to doing horrible things, then this is a movie for you! I decided that Noah Baumbach is like Nicole Holofcener squared, with a filter through Wes Anderson (not in a bad way, mostly just aesthetically).
I thought it was more than 6 movies, but I guess this is right. Plus, the 4 episodes of CSI. We are watching the beginning of season 7, and the opening two parter was sort of grueling and at one point I got a exasperated and said, "you know if I never see [recurring side character who's related to a main CSI] ever again on this show, I would be just fine" and then 20 minutes later he GOT SHOT AND KILLED AND THE EPISODE ENDED. I should talk to the TV more often.
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 05:20 am (UTC)But one of my co-workers saw Margot at the Wedding and really liked it. I might go.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 06:33 pm (UTC)Though honestly, Margot was pretty brutal too, just in different ways. Nicole Kidman is pretty amazing in both.