Movies 2009 Part 7
Movies seen April 1 - May 15 2009:
Ok yeah I got really lazy and didn't want to write anything for a while. Didn't forget any movies I saw though, so the list will be a bit long. Will do better!
-George at the movies!
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (in theatre) - If you've seen the first 3 movies, you know what to expect from this one. Scruffy Hugh with the always sheening muscles! I found the end horribly anti-climatic because you could see they were trying to leave it where X1 starts. So you kinda knew what had to happen to all the characters before it happened. Other than that, fun popcorn fare. If you want to wait to see it at home for uhh... more private, intimate viewings, you could.
Star Trek (in theatre) - This was teh good. Very action-y and all the roles were spot on except for Uhura I think. Uhura was a classy lady - quiet and demure, and not... so what Zoe made her. Crying, stripping off clothes, making out in elevators or transporter pads. I'm all for seeing it just not convincing me it's Uhura. But all the rest is awesome! Bones was out of the park perfect for me. I dunno why I like the cranky doctor so much. Simon Pegg did a good Scotty too. John Cho was amusing as all get out. Harold doing action scenes is too much. I like how they solved the prequel syndrome with the time travel plot. Hokey as it may be, it fits perfectly with any other Trek plot so it works. And so you never have to worry about stepping on classic, TNG, DS9, Voyager, movies, Enterprise, spin-off, spin-off's toes going forward. Worth your $10 I say!
-Home views
Blindness (on dvd) - I never read the book this is based on, but I might. It has echoes of 28 Days Later with the epidemic disease and the quarantine zones and how humanity reacts when it feels life is falling down around them. They do a good job of letting you experience the degradation of life in the blindness camps (and I couldn't imagine being blind and walking around smelling and stumbling over that filth!). The walking-into-your-rape scene was hard to stomach as I reckon it was meant to be. Things got interesting once they escaped the camp and started to wander the city at large, but sadly the movie ends quickly after that. Disappointing. Overall, one of those uncomfortable movies that are supposed to make you think. They did a half decent job of it. Good watch if you like end-of-society movies.
Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne) (on dvd) - I really liked this French film! Just a classic suspense story of my wife was murdered... or was she? Very Hitchcock-ian. But they do it really well. The husband going to all lengths to discover if his wife is still alive and why would she fake her death is pretty awesome. Naturally, Hollywood is already fast remaking it but do yourself a favor and watch the original now.
All Quiet on the Western Front (on dvd) - Ok, attempt 4 with this movie and I finally finished it. This labor of love was all for naught as this "classic" anti-war film is better than Ambien. It's clumsy, poorly acted, and well it rambles. It looks like a high school movie project by today's standards. Although to be fair, I can see how every subsequent anti-war movie has ripped off parts of this one - only they all did it better. WAY better. Guh.
Nobel Son (on dvd) - Eliza Dushku, Bill Pullman, Alan Rickman as (what else?) an asshole should make for more fun than this movie. It's supposed to be a rollicking kidnap caper with tons of unlikeable people kinda a Pulp Fiction meets The Big Hit thing but it comes off really half-assed. This is a movie you'd watch on cable if nothing else is on. Or if you really like Mini Coopers and like seeing them in a movie.
Chronicles of Riddick (on dvd) - You know, I'd never watched this movie before. Much as I liked Pitch Black, I couldn't see it as a franchise. Surprisingly, it's not bad but that may just be me and my allowance for any half-way decent sci-fi movies. It owes a lot to Dune I think with the set design, world cultures, and nobility and that alone will make me watch. Having a pissed off, buff Alexa Davalos play grown-up Jack ain't bad either. Twohy makes good movies (Below still my fav of his) and I shouldn't doubt him. I would watch more Riddick films... even with teh Diesel.
Conversation With Other Women (on dvd) - bandie528 urged me to see this movie time and again and I kept putting her off. That was very wrong of me. This movie is everything right about creative filmmaking. The split scene while disorienting at first really makes this film. The moments when the two scenes seemingly "line up" when the characters are actually be honest, caring, and close with another only to be broken apart again with an off comment or intrusion is perfect. Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter do amazing work in this film. Their whole night together just seems inevitable from the way they act it. Thomas Lennon (Lt. Dangle from Reno 911) has a funny cameo as the wedding photographer. Bonus for me - Nora Zehetner plays the young version of Helena! God she's cute. See this movie! Bring a date.
Firelight (on cable) - Sometimes you just want to watch a Sophie Marceau period piece movie (or there's nothing else on!). Nice little story about reuniting a family at the expense of all other things. It's not exactly feel good but heartwarming.
Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can (on dvd)(rewatch) - Gonna lump these two together since they're direct sequels. These two are two of my favorite Eastwood comedies. Used to watch them when I was little and they still crack me up. I still think having a pet orangutan is like the best thing ever. Except for maybe cleaning up their poop. I love the "Sha-Na-Na" horn whenever the Black Widows show up on screen and just the ineptitude of the Black Widows in general. That cemented my early impression of biker gangs by the way which fortunately enough has not impacted my life in any significant way! Love these movies. Fight Club before there was a fight club.
To sum up:
These month(s):
11 films so far
2 in theatres
8 on dvd
1 on cable
2 rewatched
This year:
52 films so far
12 in theatres
37 on dvd
3 on cable
14 rewatched