Between The "Buttons"
Yesterday i caught a matinee of "Benjamin Button" which turned out to be a very sweet film indeed. Of course, my mood over the past week could have set me up for it too. my biggest fear would be that it would twist everything into a "Forrest Gump"/"Zelig" series of historical connections (this was written by the same guy that did "Gump"), but they stayed clear. The CGI and the makeup were good enough to be almost unnoticeable (they'll get Oscars for that if nothing else) and David Finscher ("Fight Club", "Seven") kept the schmalz on the shelf. Perhaps my mysterious fevers and the fact that i am approaching that "certain age" made me more vulnerable and introspective and those with their whole lives ahead of them may be a bit more resistant. But it is a film of sad beauty. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are wonderful and Tilda Swindon was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. The only flaw was bring in Hurricane Katrina to signify the inevitability of things and the feeble attempts to stop it, but i'll let it pass. Curious circumstances indeed.