I meant to see this a week ago when it came out, but a trip on short notice to spend our mutual birthday with my grandmother intervened. That weekend was a good one, and this movie is good too and well worth the wait. It is smart, funny and sweet with just enough reality in it to work very well. A thank you to everyone who helped make it, you did well. It was also refreshing to have a movie where the trailer set the stage nicely and had me looking forward to this without actually giving the game away before it started.
I know it's early in the year to be talking about awards, especially with the Oscars for last year being handed out this coming weekend, but this one is worthy, starting with the screenplay and moving on from there. I'll have to see it another time or two to be certain, but so far I'm thinking this one will make the desert island list for me. If you like movies like this, it's highly recommended. If well done romantic comedies are not your thing, there are plenty of other movies out there.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Saturday, December 22, 2007
The Ten Best Films I Saw In 2007
This was a tougher list than usual because I managed to see more films this year after a drought the last couple of years. There are other ones that are supposed to be good that I have not seen, although most of them simply do not appeal to me at this time. Some of them might swap places around after further reflection, although the top one is in no danger of moving down. Yes I know, I'm doing this a week or so early, but I am not aware of any films that will be out by the end of the year that look like they might crack this list. If it turns out otherwise, I'll update it.
1. Juno
This was a delightful film, carried by Ellen Page's great performance (Best Actress in my book, as well as making the longer term list of great performances), a wonderful script, and good work all around. It avoided a lot of stereotypes, and didn't rely on cliches for its humor. I won't go into details, as I do not want to spoil any part of this gem. Let's just say that while there are good lines in the trailer, there are many more that are not revealed, which is not the case for some movies trying to sneak money out of our wallets.
I went opening night here in Portland, aiming for a 10:00 PM showing to avoid the crowds at the earlier showings around 7:00 PM or so. It was playing on three screens at our arthouse complex, and I ended up having to wait until the 10:30 PM showing because the 10:00 was sold out like all of the earlier showings had been. The one I went to sold out also, to the extent that there were people sitting in the empty floor "seats" normally available for wheelchair users. Laughter burst out over and over during the film from the whole theater. After the movie, there was applause from the audience, which I haven't heard in years. It was well deserved praise.
2. Dan in Real Life
This was a fun movie, with relationships, family, kids and real life flowing through it. A lot of perfectly meshed performances that fed the story, and it was very well done.
3. Enchanted
An amusing twist on the usual Disney story, mixing animation and live action, as well as some nice twists on fairy tale conventions. Amy Adams simply makes this movie work, and would have been the Best Actress favorite for me if Juno hadn't come along as well this year.
4. Charlie Wilson's War
This was a enjoyable mix of drama and comedy about a true story. Good performances from Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts simply make the movie work. The senator was a twist on Hanks' usual characters, and as well-played as usual, and the performances meshed together well, with none of them needing to steal scenes from each other. While there were some outdated attitudes displayed by the imperfect characters, they did seem to be in character, and some of the minor characters could have been stereotypes to fit that attitude, but they were not.
5. Waitress
This was an original pie of a movie, and I am sad that Adrienne Shelly is no longer around to make more good films like this. Keri Russell gave a very good performance at the core of the movie, and it all worked well.
6. Michael Clayton
Good work by George Clooney and others in this time-twisting drama kept me on the proverbial edge of my seat through the entire movie, with nary a glance at the time.
7. Atonement
This was a very well done movie, with excellent performances and a virtuoso tracking shot that seemed seamless to the point that I didn't notice it until it was done and there was another cut. Despite reading that there was an unexpected ending before seeing the film, the form of the twist was both logical and caught me by surprise.
8. Eastern Promises
Another well done drama, with good work all around, particularly from Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen.
9. The Brave One
A brave film, both in terms of a brave performance by Jodie Foster and a brave script. I am still trying to decide if the ending was a bow to Hollywood convention, or just the natural extension of the brave choices by the characters. I'm leaning towards the latter at this point.
10. Music and Lyrics
This movie was fun. A bit corny perhaps in parts, but still fun. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore were wonderful, and the movie simply worked well. They even saved some amusing moments for the credits. My favorite moment is actually there, and it works because the actors played the main section so well and earned it.
Honorable Mentions that I either enjoyed or thought were well done, or both:
Catch and Release
Black Book (Zwartboek)
Avenue Montaigne (Fauteuils d'orchestre)
The Bourne Ultimatum
2 Days in Paris
Lust, Caution
No Reservations
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
1. Juno
This was a delightful film, carried by Ellen Page's great performance (Best Actress in my book, as well as making the longer term list of great performances), a wonderful script, and good work all around. It avoided a lot of stereotypes, and didn't rely on cliches for its humor. I won't go into details, as I do not want to spoil any part of this gem. Let's just say that while there are good lines in the trailer, there are many more that are not revealed, which is not the case for some movies trying to sneak money out of our wallets.
I went opening night here in Portland, aiming for a 10:00 PM showing to avoid the crowds at the earlier showings around 7:00 PM or so. It was playing on three screens at our arthouse complex, and I ended up having to wait until the 10:30 PM showing because the 10:00 was sold out like all of the earlier showings had been. The one I went to sold out also, to the extent that there were people sitting in the empty floor "seats" normally available for wheelchair users. Laughter burst out over and over during the film from the whole theater. After the movie, there was applause from the audience, which I haven't heard in years. It was well deserved praise.
2. Dan in Real Life
This was a fun movie, with relationships, family, kids and real life flowing through it. A lot of perfectly meshed performances that fed the story, and it was very well done.
3. Enchanted
An amusing twist on the usual Disney story, mixing animation and live action, as well as some nice twists on fairy tale conventions. Amy Adams simply makes this movie work, and would have been the Best Actress favorite for me if Juno hadn't come along as well this year.
4. Charlie Wilson's War
This was a enjoyable mix of drama and comedy about a true story. Good performances from Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts simply make the movie work. The senator was a twist on Hanks' usual characters, and as well-played as usual, and the performances meshed together well, with none of them needing to steal scenes from each other. While there were some outdated attitudes displayed by the imperfect characters, they did seem to be in character, and some of the minor characters could have been stereotypes to fit that attitude, but they were not.
5. Waitress
This was an original pie of a movie, and I am sad that Adrienne Shelly is no longer around to make more good films like this. Keri Russell gave a very good performance at the core of the movie, and it all worked well.
6. Michael Clayton
Good work by George Clooney and others in this time-twisting drama kept me on the proverbial edge of my seat through the entire movie, with nary a glance at the time.
7. Atonement
This was a very well done movie, with excellent performances and a virtuoso tracking shot that seemed seamless to the point that I didn't notice it until it was done and there was another cut. Despite reading that there was an unexpected ending before seeing the film, the form of the twist was both logical and caught me by surprise.
8. Eastern Promises
Another well done drama, with good work all around, particularly from Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen.
9. The Brave One
A brave film, both in terms of a brave performance by Jodie Foster and a brave script. I am still trying to decide if the ending was a bow to Hollywood convention, or just the natural extension of the brave choices by the characters. I'm leaning towards the latter at this point.
10. Music and Lyrics
This movie was fun. A bit corny perhaps in parts, but still fun. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore were wonderful, and the movie simply worked well. They even saved some amusing moments for the credits. My favorite moment is actually there, and it works because the actors played the main section so well and earned it.
Honorable Mentions that I either enjoyed or thought were well done, or both:
Catch and Release
Black Book (Zwartboek)
Avenue Montaigne (Fauteuils d'orchestre)
The Bourne Ultimatum
2 Days in Paris
Lust, Caution
No Reservations
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Autumn Musings
It's November already, and the last few months have been busy. Figured I'd post a bit on my own blog instead of just commenting on others. Got a promotion at work, with the net effect being that I'm now coordinating two teams instead of one and I'm busier than ever. When I get the week after Thanksgiving off, it will take three people to cover what I normally do. I'm sure they will all be glad to see me when I get back, but it's been too long since I took a good vacation.
The other thing that has been on my mind is my dad. He's been dealing with the after effects of a minor stroke, maybe two, and still has a way to go. I visited him for a couple of hours the other day, and we managed to have a coherent conversation the whole time, although he was sometimes struggling to find the words he wanted to say and the course of it was bumpy to say the least. Considering he's 88 now, these sort of twists are not unexpected. He's frustrated by having to learn things over again, and laughed when I pointed out that he doesn't have the boundless energy that a kid does when learning such things the first time.
I hope when I get to have kids of my own that I do better than he did while they are young. He never really was the father I wanted when I was young, and while he kept food on the table and clothes in the closet, emotional needs were a totally different matter. I've gotten along with him much better the last decade or so, a few years after my parents divorced he finally started growing up himself. My mom finally remarried recently, and her new husband is much more mature. With my dad being 26 years older than her, I've always known he would likely be the first one to go and it would probably happen sooner rather than later, so it hasn't hit me that hard that he's probably close to it. It may also be because I distanced myself from him quite a bit when I started college and he wasn't as helpful as he should have been, and I'm still dealing with the effects of that. To a large extent he's been forgiven, and it certainly seemed that he finally realized that if he'd helped more then he wouldn't have needed to help later when he did with some things that came up as part of life.
I think it's safe to say I've grown wiser and more mature myself over those years as well, although I have to wonder where I'd be now if things had happened differently, and others hadn't broken promises which caused the whole mess that was life back then. I think about the inflation and other economic nonsense being imposed on the world over my lifetime, and realize that there have been many factors involved, but I still have to think that the storms would not have been as bad if the early path had gone the way I wanted it to, or even how it should have been. The short-sighted vision of those afflicted with greed is mind-boggling. Having that lesson first taught by the administration of a so-called Christian school contributed greatly to my general distrust of religions. There are so many that talk up a storm and it turns out to be nothing but lip service and a social club. Down the road I realized much later that much of the root of the problem is that none of them know the whole truth, and the egos that get attached to one flavor of belief or another can't accept that fact, so they go overboard trying to defend it and we get to deal with the results.
Taking a turn off those bits, I sometimes wonder how the world would change if we could introduce a web system of teleporting gates for public transportation. We'd get the polluting motor vehicles off the road for the most part, everyone could walk to work in a few minutes, and one could have dinner in a different city every evening. The system would have to be able to detect and exclude weapons and diseases, although that wouldn't help with excuses for not visiting relatives that you don't really want to see. The sticky point would be crossing national borders of course, plus the effects of crossing time zones. Wishful thinking to be sure, but I wonder if it could be done some day.
There have been a lot of good movies out recently, movies I went to, movies that I don't want to go to, movies I thought I wanted to see and then when they actually came out I wasn't in the mood. There were even a couple that I missed when I was sick for a week or so and didn't go do anything I didn't have to. I think at this point I'm looking forward to Juno, Enchanted, Charlie Wilson's War and the Golden Compass, and probably some others down the road. The trailer for Jumper reminded me of the transit system idea I mentioned above, although I don't remember what the original inspiration was.
Anyway, life goes on. There are times when I wish I could wake up and find things had jumped ahead a year or two, but it wouldn't be worth the lost memories.
The other thing that has been on my mind is my dad. He's been dealing with the after effects of a minor stroke, maybe two, and still has a way to go. I visited him for a couple of hours the other day, and we managed to have a coherent conversation the whole time, although he was sometimes struggling to find the words he wanted to say and the course of it was bumpy to say the least. Considering he's 88 now, these sort of twists are not unexpected. He's frustrated by having to learn things over again, and laughed when I pointed out that he doesn't have the boundless energy that a kid does when learning such things the first time.
I hope when I get to have kids of my own that I do better than he did while they are young. He never really was the father I wanted when I was young, and while he kept food on the table and clothes in the closet, emotional needs were a totally different matter. I've gotten along with him much better the last decade or so, a few years after my parents divorced he finally started growing up himself. My mom finally remarried recently, and her new husband is much more mature. With my dad being 26 years older than her, I've always known he would likely be the first one to go and it would probably happen sooner rather than later, so it hasn't hit me that hard that he's probably close to it. It may also be because I distanced myself from him quite a bit when I started college and he wasn't as helpful as he should have been, and I'm still dealing with the effects of that. To a large extent he's been forgiven, and it certainly seemed that he finally realized that if he'd helped more then he wouldn't have needed to help later when he did with some things that came up as part of life.
I think it's safe to say I've grown wiser and more mature myself over those years as well, although I have to wonder where I'd be now if things had happened differently, and others hadn't broken promises which caused the whole mess that was life back then. I think about the inflation and other economic nonsense being imposed on the world over my lifetime, and realize that there have been many factors involved, but I still have to think that the storms would not have been as bad if the early path had gone the way I wanted it to, or even how it should have been. The short-sighted vision of those afflicted with greed is mind-boggling. Having that lesson first taught by the administration of a so-called Christian school contributed greatly to my general distrust of religions. There are so many that talk up a storm and it turns out to be nothing but lip service and a social club. Down the road I realized much later that much of the root of the problem is that none of them know the whole truth, and the egos that get attached to one flavor of belief or another can't accept that fact, so they go overboard trying to defend it and we get to deal with the results.
Taking a turn off those bits, I sometimes wonder how the world would change if we could introduce a web system of teleporting gates for public transportation. We'd get the polluting motor vehicles off the road for the most part, everyone could walk to work in a few minutes, and one could have dinner in a different city every evening. The system would have to be able to detect and exclude weapons and diseases, although that wouldn't help with excuses for not visiting relatives that you don't really want to see. The sticky point would be crossing national borders of course, plus the effects of crossing time zones. Wishful thinking to be sure, but I wonder if it could be done some day.
There have been a lot of good movies out recently, movies I went to, movies that I don't want to go to, movies I thought I wanted to see and then when they actually came out I wasn't in the mood. There were even a couple that I missed when I was sick for a week or so and didn't go do anything I didn't have to. I think at this point I'm looking forward to Juno, Enchanted, Charlie Wilson's War and the Golden Compass, and probably some others down the road. The trailer for Jumper reminded me of the transit system idea I mentioned above, although I don't remember what the original inspiration was.
Anyway, life goes on. There are times when I wish I could wake up and find things had jumped ahead a year or two, but it wouldn't be worth the lost memories.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Raving
I watched the short film Raving, written and directed by Julia Stiles. It's well done, interesting and amusing. Sometimes a small story concentrating on a couple of people can work really well, and this is one of those stories. Watching it in flash from the website isn't the best quality, but it will have to do unless it comes out on disk at some point. Not only is she a really good actress, but it appears she's going to be really talented behind the camera also. Hopefully this small start will turn into bigger projects down the road.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
The Bourne Ultimatum
This was a very good movie, like the previous chapters in the series. I was particularly impressed with how they wove the ending of the previous movie into the story of this one. It was done so well I couldn't tell if they reused the footage interwoven with new footage or shot it again. The acting across the board is superb. The story fits in nicely with the previous movies, and the whole production sets a new level for spy movies.
I've liked the Bond movies for pretty much forever, despite misgivings about the character, but Bourne is a step above in the way that the movie is about the characters rather than about a formula that works well. It's not that Pierce Brosnan didn't try to make Bond so, and Daniel Craig seems to be doing so also, but it ultimately comes down to the writing allowing the actors to do it. The Bourne movies have resoundingly proved that you can take an action thriller like this and have it be about people rather than a collection of gadgets and stunts and one-liners. As satisfying as those can be, this is more so and also more lasting.
There are bits of movie music, specific themes that get the blood racing because you know that something familiar is coming and you know that it will likely be very enjoyable. The Bond theme has that ring, bits of the Star Wars music and so forth, and Friday night when the studio logo came on screen and the Bourne music started playing behind it I felt that same rush of anticipation coming to fulfillment.
It doesn't seem that another Bourne movie will be made, although it is certainly possible. Matt Damon has made the role his own, and I can't imagine anyone else playing it at this point, so it probably boils down to a simple question of him being willing to play the part again. Julia Stiles and Joan Allen would need to be on board also, as their characters are very much woven in and owned by them as well. It was very nice to see Julia get more to do in this one. Apart from the actors and hopefully Paul Greengrass being willing to direct, they would have to come up with a story to tell. I don't see Bourne working directly or regularly for the CIA, but I can see Bourne trusting Landy enough to listen to a request for an urgent job requiring his talents and not write it off to being just another bill of goods.
Even if they don't make another one, I'll be looking for movies involving any of those four.
I've liked the Bond movies for pretty much forever, despite misgivings about the character, but Bourne is a step above in the way that the movie is about the characters rather than about a formula that works well. It's not that Pierce Brosnan didn't try to make Bond so, and Daniel Craig seems to be doing so also, but it ultimately comes down to the writing allowing the actors to do it. The Bourne movies have resoundingly proved that you can take an action thriller like this and have it be about people rather than a collection of gadgets and stunts and one-liners. As satisfying as those can be, this is more so and also more lasting.
There are bits of movie music, specific themes that get the blood racing because you know that something familiar is coming and you know that it will likely be very enjoyable. The Bond theme has that ring, bits of the Star Wars music and so forth, and Friday night when the studio logo came on screen and the Bourne music started playing behind it I felt that same rush of anticipation coming to fulfillment.
It doesn't seem that another Bourne movie will be made, although it is certainly possible. Matt Damon has made the role his own, and I can't imagine anyone else playing it at this point, so it probably boils down to a simple question of him being willing to play the part again. Julia Stiles and Joan Allen would need to be on board also, as their characters are very much woven in and owned by them as well. It was very nice to see Julia get more to do in this one. Apart from the actors and hopefully Paul Greengrass being willing to direct, they would have to come up with a story to tell. I don't see Bourne working directly or regularly for the CIA, but I can see Bourne trusting Landy enough to listen to a request for an urgent job requiring his talents and not write it off to being just another bill of goods.
Even if they don't make another one, I'll be looking for movies involving any of those four.
Becoming Jane
The movie was well done, with a bittersweet flavor that was not unexpected, since it was based on Jane Austen's life, and we know she did not have a happy ending romantically like she gave her characters. The last bit of the film reminds me of Possession and in a way of The Age of Innocence as well, in that we don't have a totally Hollywood ending.
I don't mind endings where everything works out well, and would hardly like Jane's stories to begin with if I did. At the same time, it's nice to have some stories where things are not perfect, but there is not total heartbreak either. Given that I'm currently on course to mimic Jane's fate rather than Elizabeth's, small comforts are nice.
I read somewhere or another recently that Anne Hathaway almost did not do the film because of the pressure involved in the subject, and I'm glad she did. I'm rather beginning to like her performances, and hopefully she can continue the excellent work she has been doing recently. The rest of the cast was good also, and I was reminded that I want to watch the House of Cards trilogy with Ian Richardson again.
Upon further reflection, I'll toss in a warning to those who are intimately familiar with the history of Jane herself. It's a Hollywood film. If you can't suspend disbelief on it and forget about such things, you may want to pass, but then again, if you were paying attention to what they said they were doing while making the film, you'd already know that the film was a riff based on certain convenient bits while totally ignoring certain other bits. Jane has been big in movies recently, and something like this was pretty much inevitable. It's done now, there won't be a sequel, and we can move on and hope they come up with something based on her works again.
I don't mind endings where everything works out well, and would hardly like Jane's stories to begin with if I did. At the same time, it's nice to have some stories where things are not perfect, but there is not total heartbreak either. Given that I'm currently on course to mimic Jane's fate rather than Elizabeth's, small comforts are nice.
I read somewhere or another recently that Anne Hathaway almost did not do the film because of the pressure involved in the subject, and I'm glad she did. I'm rather beginning to like her performances, and hopefully she can continue the excellent work she has been doing recently. The rest of the cast was good also, and I was reminded that I want to watch the House of Cards trilogy with Ian Richardson again.
Upon further reflection, I'll toss in a warning to those who are intimately familiar with the history of Jane herself. It's a Hollywood film. If you can't suspend disbelief on it and forget about such things, you may want to pass, but then again, if you were paying attention to what they said they were doing while making the film, you'd already know that the film was a riff based on certain convenient bits while totally ignoring certain other bits. Jane has been big in movies recently, and something like this was pretty much inevitable. It's done now, there won't be a sequel, and we can move on and hope they come up with something based on her works again.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Three Colors: Red
I first saw the Three Colors trilogy about 10 years ago, when Red was released in Portland. They had Blue and White playing again to allow people to catch up, and I took advantage of it to see them in order. Blue is interesting, loss leading to freedom and discovery. White I haven't watched as often, somehow it didn't seem to interest me as much as the other two, but that may be a dim memory that I should refresh. It wasn't that it was not well done, it was simply different and didn't keep my attention the way Blue and Red have.
They are complex, full of thoughts and questions and coincidences. Red is the almost romance, full of near misses. A few feet here, a moment there. What might have been if two people were born closer together. Thirty or forty years apart seems like a huge gulf, but when it is compared to the centuries it seems so close. Perhaps I am influenced by my parents and their 26 year gap. It seems too much, and in practical terms I think that had much to do with the end of it, but I suppose it did not have to be that way. I have seen others where it worked anyway.
Maybe I am influenced by not having my interest returned so many times for so long. Somehow I have no doubt that when I see another opportunity, age differences will be the last thing on my mind. Well, on the other hand, the sort of difference in the more recent Venus with Peter O'Toole was too far, but I don't have to worry about that for a while yet.
Given how few people actually connect to us in that way, I suppose that letting trivial matters get in the way seems silly. Age, wealth, criticism, social class - what are they to that rare blessing? I suppose age is a more practical concern because of likely maturity differences, and the different sorts of social issues it raises. I wish it wasn't so. We wander through life, meeting people or not meeting people in a fairly random fashion, and to find a kindred soul in the vast variance of the masses seems so unlikely, yet it happens anyway. Hope springs eternal from disaster, spring follows winter, and life goes on.
It's been a long day, and hopefully sleep will come soon.
They are complex, full of thoughts and questions and coincidences. Red is the almost romance, full of near misses. A few feet here, a moment there. What might have been if two people were born closer together. Thirty or forty years apart seems like a huge gulf, but when it is compared to the centuries it seems so close. Perhaps I am influenced by my parents and their 26 year gap. It seems too much, and in practical terms I think that had much to do with the end of it, but I suppose it did not have to be that way. I have seen others where it worked anyway.
Maybe I am influenced by not having my interest returned so many times for so long. Somehow I have no doubt that when I see another opportunity, age differences will be the last thing on my mind. Well, on the other hand, the sort of difference in the more recent Venus with Peter O'Toole was too far, but I don't have to worry about that for a while yet.
Given how few people actually connect to us in that way, I suppose that letting trivial matters get in the way seems silly. Age, wealth, criticism, social class - what are they to that rare blessing? I suppose age is a more practical concern because of likely maturity differences, and the different sorts of social issues it raises. I wish it wasn't so. We wander through life, meeting people or not meeting people in a fairly random fashion, and to find a kindred soul in the vast variance of the masses seems so unlikely, yet it happens anyway. Hope springs eternal from disaster, spring follows winter, and life goes on.
It's been a long day, and hopefully sleep will come soon.
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