Do you know where liars go?
To the movies! Movies I saw this weekend (and short summaries):
A Very Long Engagement. On the whole, pretty good, but I didn't think it quite as compelling as Amelie. There were a number of reasons for this - number one being that World War I is hardly a cuddly backdrop. I think they were trying to tell a quirky and sad mystery story while underscoring the horrors of the Great War. I think they succeeded, and the results were good, but not as watchable as Amelie.
Bottle Rocket. This is the movie that really launched Owen Wilson. Bottle Rocket is quirky and fun - I enjoyed the hell out of it, in spite of a preponderance of squirmy situations. Owen Wilson's skilled at writing goofy, oddball black comedies (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore), and he really shows his ability to be more than just a wisecracking surfer-dude in this movie. Luke Wilson was great as well in his first ever film. I recommend it if you liked Tenenbaums or the Life Aquatic.
King Kong. Great movie, needed editing, editing, and more editing. Naomi Watts showed the same kind of ability to put emotion into her eyes that Elijah Wood showed as Frodo, and she really was quite something. Jack Black was GREAT as well, playing the is-he-crazy-or=just-hideously-unscrupulous director who cobbles together the expedition to Skull Island Too many of the sequences were just showing off for its own sake, though, as amazing as the effects were. They got silly after a while, most notably the Brontosaurus Pileup, Cave Creature Extravaganza, and the Triple Tyrannosaur Sundae. It felt like a ride, and while I had fun, I honestly think clocking this one at 3 hours was a little self-indulgent.
Brokeback Mountain. Holy god, easily the best of the movies I saw this weekend, quite possibly the best of the year. If you have any preconceived notions about "the gay cowboy movie," drop them and go see it - it's stunning. Heath Ledger turns in an incredible performance, and Jake Gyllenhaal is not far behind. Ledger manages a true facade of reserved cowboy cool, but conveys emotional subtlety and turmoil through it, which is really a sublime talent. The relationship is by turns painful and touching, but always compelling and above all believable. It is a fantastic study of how relationships affect people, and how people hurt each other intentionally and unintentionally. Also, the cinematography is beautiful - Ang Lee showcases America's rugged beauty the same way he did China's in Crouching Tiger.
A Very Long Engagement. On the whole, pretty good, but I didn't think it quite as compelling as Amelie. There were a number of reasons for this - number one being that World War I is hardly a cuddly backdrop. I think they were trying to tell a quirky and sad mystery story while underscoring the horrors of the Great War. I think they succeeded, and the results were good, but not as watchable as Amelie.
Bottle Rocket. This is the movie that really launched Owen Wilson. Bottle Rocket is quirky and fun - I enjoyed the hell out of it, in spite of a preponderance of squirmy situations. Owen Wilson's skilled at writing goofy, oddball black comedies (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore), and he really shows his ability to be more than just a wisecracking surfer-dude in this movie. Luke Wilson was great as well in his first ever film. I recommend it if you liked Tenenbaums or the Life Aquatic.
King Kong. Great movie, needed editing, editing, and more editing. Naomi Watts showed the same kind of ability to put emotion into her eyes that Elijah Wood showed as Frodo, and she really was quite something. Jack Black was GREAT as well, playing the is-he-crazy-or=just-hideously-unscrupulous director who cobbles together the expedition to Skull Island Too many of the sequences were just showing off for its own sake, though, as amazing as the effects were. They got silly after a while, most notably the Brontosaurus Pileup, Cave Creature Extravaganza, and the Triple Tyrannosaur Sundae. It felt like a ride, and while I had fun, I honestly think clocking this one at 3 hours was a little self-indulgent.
Brokeback Mountain. Holy god, easily the best of the movies I saw this weekend, quite possibly the best of the year. If you have any preconceived notions about "the gay cowboy movie," drop them and go see it - it's stunning. Heath Ledger turns in an incredible performance, and Jake Gyllenhaal is not far behind. Ledger manages a true facade of reserved cowboy cool, but conveys emotional subtlety and turmoil through it, which is really a sublime talent. The relationship is by turns painful and touching, but always compelling and above all believable. It is a fantastic study of how relationships affect people, and how people hurt each other intentionally and unintentionally. Also, the cinematography is beautiful - Ang Lee showcases America's rugged beauty the same way he did China's in Crouching Tiger.