May 12, 2010 10:01
- Crazy Heart
- Children of Men
- Ironman 2
Crazy Heart was about what I expected. Jeff Bridges won an oscar for it, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is just as good as he is. It's about an old and aging country star, who is drunk all the time, finding his muse (a young pretty girl, naturally) and as a result changing his life for the better. In other words it's very predictable and you've seen it before and I really didn't care all that much. But it's very well done in terms of performances, writing, cinematography, editing, etc. Perfectly enjoyable movie, but nothing spectacular.
Children of Men is still genius. Still one of the most brilliant end-of-the-world movies. It is, however, largely devoid of hope, save for the metaphorical aspects of bringing the key of humanity into Tomorrow. This time I was also keenly aware that it's (nearly) completely absent of any kind of spirituality or religion, a lack which is made more noticeable by the fact that the end-of-the-world movie I'm currently writing is largely driven by spirituality.
Ironman 2 is, well, it's Ironman 2. It makes sense that Marvel Studios is the one place in Hollywood that can make, over and over again, movies which feel precisely like comic books. Robert Downey Jr. once again manages to play a guy that should be entirely loathed, but is incredibly enjoyable instead. While Tony Stark and his incredible (and admitted) narcissism is the most entertaining part of the movie, the villain is the least interesting (and over-the-top) part (just like the first movie) but the hints and glimpses into the larger Marvel Movie Universe are both more frequent and exciting, particularly the scenes with Samuel L. Jackson. They're trying to pull off something with The Avengers that I don't think has been done before in movies. I hope they manage to do it. Oh, and just like the last one, be sure to stay until the end of the credits for the final scene.
not-entirely-unrelated-to-batman,
jeff bridges,
ironman 2,
maggie gyllenhaal,
most recent movies,
children of men,
hope,
crazy heart,
samuel l jackson,
robert downey jr.