Movies
After a short hiatus from watching more movies than nearly humanly possible, I have returned. I got on a Netflix kick about a month ago. Yesterday I saw The Wackness and today I went to see Batman. The last movie I saw in the theater before that was Sex and the City. So, here's a short list of the movies that I've seen more recently than not:
La Vie En Rose
A Lot Like Love
Must Love Dogs
The Two Jakes
The Bank Job
Sex and the City
Million Dollar Baby
Cinderella Man
The Brothers Grimm
Murderball
The Orphanage
Rushmore
The Wackness
Batman - The Dark Knight
La Vie En Rose is absolutely worth seeing. Marion Cotillard portrays Edith Piaf and she most definitely deserved the Academy Award for her acting in this role. In addition, the movie makes you want to go home and throw on some Parisian/French music from the first half of the 20th century. If you do not have any Piaf, I recommend Mistinguett.
A Lot Like Love and Must Love Dogs are cute romantic rentals. Enjoyable, but only if you have low expectations.
The Two Jakes is the sequel to Chinatown. I haven't seen Chinatown, but I can only hope that it is better than this movie. One would think that it had potential, as not only does Jack Nicholson act in it, but he also directs it. Honestly, I was bored. Nicholson is a private eye whose thoughts we know bc he's speaking them over top of the movie. His attempt at noir falls flat in my opinion. I wouldn't even rent this one.
The Bank Job, on the other hand, is faaabulous. It's the perfect British heist film with Jason Statham at it's core. Anything (and I mean anything, as I also enjoyed The Transporter) is better for having Mr. Statham in it. **I saw a preview for Death Race today. It stars Statham and I cannot wait to see it.** A terrific action flick worth seeing.
Sex and the City. The perfect movie adaptation of the HBO series. As an avid fan, I enjoyed it, but am unsure if the general non-SATC person would understand or care.
Million Dollar Baby and Cinderella Man have been on my list forever. I'm really not sure how I missed them when they were in the theater, but I did. Be prepared to cry at MDB. Otherwise, I think that Cinderella Man should have been up for the best picture nomination instead of the winner, Crash, for that year. Crash was trite and predictable and inspired absolutely nothing. Side Note: Renee Zellweger finally looks the part - a starving wife in the 1930s Depression.
The Brothers Grimm. Just another reason why Heath Ledger is one of the greatest losses to the acting community and the world as a whole. It's a little fantastic, but very entertaining. Jacob Grimm (Ledger) makes you want to believe in his tales.
If you see one documentary this year, it should be Murderball. It is about the US Paralympic rugby team. Let me tell you, you do not feel sorry for these guys in the slightest. A lot of them became paralyzed because of accidents, some because of childhood illnesses. All of them are tough SOBs who inspire us.
The Orphanage is a Spanish horror film and it does the trick. I had to watch this movie during the day and I was still creeped out. The ending is very good and leaves you thinking that that was the only way it could be.
Rushmore is another Bill Murray/Owen Wilson concoction. I enjoyed it more than Steve Zisou and The Royal Tennenbaums though. Jason Schwartzman (who is fabulous and who should be in more movies) CAN hold a candle to Murray and Murray is fun to watch.
Now to my newbies:
The Wackness is one of my new favorite movies. Ben Kingsley plays Luke's shrink. Luke is a drug dealer and pays for his sessions with weed. The two are unhappy with their lives and become odd friends while Luke falls in love with Kingsley's step-daughter. The friendship between the two and their acting make the movie. Kingsley, as always, is a rock star on the big screen. (Another good Kingsley flick is Sexy Beast. It's a British gangster film with lots of violence, but a solid performance.) The Wackness was nominated the audience's choice at this year's Sundance Film Festival as well.
And last, but not least, the new Batman movie - The Dark Knight. Aside from being 2-1/2 hours long, it was pretty darn good. *Up on my soap box again* Sigh...Heath Ledger performs as well as the press has been reporting. This is quite possibly the best acting role of his entire life. He is scary, creepy, maniacal, insane, unpredictable...and the viewer enjoys every single moment of it. When he is not on the screen you are hoping that he will appear soon. And as much as I love Christian Bale, I think I enjoyed him more in Batman Begins. He really takes a back seat to Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal are welcome additions to the fine cast of Michael Caine, Morgan Freedman, and Gary Oldman. Thank goodness they got rid of Mrs. Tom Cruise, who couldn't act her way out of a wet paper bag. As far as directing, I'm looking forward to seeing what else Christopher Nolan will bring us. If Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, and The Prestige are any indication, we have a lot more to look forward to. And lastly, you have to love a cast when 4 out of 7 of the main characters are not even remotely American. Brits, Welsh, and an Aussie make this film what it is. Even the director and his co-writer brother are British.
And to all of you out there who are parents: don't bring your 7-year-old to see the new Batman movie. It may be PG-13 but he won't understand what's going on and he won't sit still. And for the love of pete, don't sit him next to me. There could have been blood shed if his parents hadn't have moved him down by his other little friends. Get a babysitter or wait until it comes out on DVD. Some people...
La Vie En Rose
A Lot Like Love
Must Love Dogs
The Two Jakes
The Bank Job
Sex and the City
Million Dollar Baby
Cinderella Man
The Brothers Grimm
Murderball
The Orphanage
Rushmore
The Wackness
Batman - The Dark Knight
La Vie En Rose is absolutely worth seeing. Marion Cotillard portrays Edith Piaf and she most definitely deserved the Academy Award for her acting in this role. In addition, the movie makes you want to go home and throw on some Parisian/French music from the first half of the 20th century. If you do not have any Piaf, I recommend Mistinguett.
A Lot Like Love and Must Love Dogs are cute romantic rentals. Enjoyable, but only if you have low expectations.
The Two Jakes is the sequel to Chinatown. I haven't seen Chinatown, but I can only hope that it is better than this movie. One would think that it had potential, as not only does Jack Nicholson act in it, but he also directs it. Honestly, I was bored. Nicholson is a private eye whose thoughts we know bc he's speaking them over top of the movie. His attempt at noir falls flat in my opinion. I wouldn't even rent this one.
The Bank Job, on the other hand, is faaabulous. It's the perfect British heist film with Jason Statham at it's core. Anything (and I mean anything, as I also enjoyed The Transporter) is better for having Mr. Statham in it. **I saw a preview for Death Race today. It stars Statham and I cannot wait to see it.** A terrific action flick worth seeing.
Sex and the City. The perfect movie adaptation of the HBO series. As an avid fan, I enjoyed it, but am unsure if the general non-SATC person would understand or care.
Million Dollar Baby and Cinderella Man have been on my list forever. I'm really not sure how I missed them when they were in the theater, but I did. Be prepared to cry at MDB. Otherwise, I think that Cinderella Man should have been up for the best picture nomination instead of the winner, Crash, for that year. Crash was trite and predictable and inspired absolutely nothing. Side Note: Renee Zellweger finally looks the part - a starving wife in the 1930s Depression.
The Brothers Grimm. Just another reason why Heath Ledger is one of the greatest losses to the acting community and the world as a whole. It's a little fantastic, but very entertaining. Jacob Grimm (Ledger) makes you want to believe in his tales.
If you see one documentary this year, it should be Murderball. It is about the US Paralympic rugby team. Let me tell you, you do not feel sorry for these guys in the slightest. A lot of them became paralyzed because of accidents, some because of childhood illnesses. All of them are tough SOBs who inspire us.
The Orphanage is a Spanish horror film and it does the trick. I had to watch this movie during the day and I was still creeped out. The ending is very good and leaves you thinking that that was the only way it could be.
Rushmore is another Bill Murray/Owen Wilson concoction. I enjoyed it more than Steve Zisou and The Royal Tennenbaums though. Jason Schwartzman (who is fabulous and who should be in more movies) CAN hold a candle to Murray and Murray is fun to watch.
Now to my newbies:
The Wackness is one of my new favorite movies. Ben Kingsley plays Luke's shrink. Luke is a drug dealer and pays for his sessions with weed. The two are unhappy with their lives and become odd friends while Luke falls in love with Kingsley's step-daughter. The friendship between the two and their acting make the movie. Kingsley, as always, is a rock star on the big screen. (Another good Kingsley flick is Sexy Beast. It's a British gangster film with lots of violence, but a solid performance.) The Wackness was nominated the audience's choice at this year's Sundance Film Festival as well.
And last, but not least, the new Batman movie - The Dark Knight. Aside from being 2-1/2 hours long, it was pretty darn good. *Up on my soap box again* Sigh...Heath Ledger performs as well as the press has been reporting. This is quite possibly the best acting role of his entire life. He is scary, creepy, maniacal, insane, unpredictable...and the viewer enjoys every single moment of it. When he is not on the screen you are hoping that he will appear soon. And as much as I love Christian Bale, I think I enjoyed him more in Batman Begins. He really takes a back seat to Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal are welcome additions to the fine cast of Michael Caine, Morgan Freedman, and Gary Oldman. Thank goodness they got rid of Mrs. Tom Cruise, who couldn't act her way out of a wet paper bag. As far as directing, I'm looking forward to seeing what else Christopher Nolan will bring us. If Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, and The Prestige are any indication, we have a lot more to look forward to. And lastly, you have to love a cast when 4 out of 7 of the main characters are not even remotely American. Brits, Welsh, and an Aussie make this film what it is. Even the director and his co-writer brother are British.
And to all of you out there who are parents: don't bring your 7-year-old to see the new Batman movie. It may be PG-13 but he won't understand what's going on and he won't sit still. And for the love of pete, don't sit him next to me. There could have been blood shed if his parents hadn't have moved him down by his other little friends. Get a babysitter or wait until it comes out on DVD. Some people...