Monday, January 18, 2010

Taking Woodstock, 2009

Director:  Ang Lee


Starring:  Henry Goodman; Imelda Staunton
IMDB Link:  Taking Woodstock

mjc says:  I missed Woodstock and I was only a few miles away in seminary in NYC, hanging out in Greenwich Village but straight as an arrow, well almost.  So, the images and people in this movie rang true to me.  I knew them in Greenwich Village in those days when I had a mission:  to bring revolution to the stoned hippies.  Alas, when I wasn't looking they all went upstate to Woodstock.  Yes, there were some weak scenes in this movie but it, like I said, it rang true and I remembered these types that I bumped into on the streets and in the park.  So I was glad to be sitting in the dark and watching the psychedelic posters roll by on the insides of the VW buses. 

sez says: yawn -- too bad, this looked like it could be fun, but there really wasn't much story. It goes like this: Young man wants to help his parent save their family business so he helps bring the Woodstock Nation to town for a big concert. Lots of local people make a lot of money.  Some prejudiced locals are angry and helpless in the face of the invasion...yawn again.  There is some outstanding acting, such as Imelda Staunton as the mother! Wow she is good.  And there is a part of the film where the best of the ideals of  the Woodstock Nation begins to emerge as more than a dream but as a moment when a bit of utopia right here on earth happened: people really were free and easy, creative and caring, at large and happy. What a moment that was...but it is as beief in the movie as it was in reality. fleeting --then back to reality...yawn.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Pride & Glory, 2007

Director: Gavin O'Connor

Starring: Edward Norton, Colin Farrel, Jon Voight
IMDB Link:  Pride and Glory

sez says-- another good cop/bad cop flick with strong acting, eye pleasing cinematography (great shots of elevated subway trains at night) and maybe a few too many multicolor lights at night shot up close and blurred, but still, all-in-all, it was full of strong images.  But its got a problem that this doesn't help: The story is flat.  They try and make up for this with blood splattered on windows (multiple times this is featured, once would have been enough) -- a threat to do serious harm to a baby-- and other types of gross violence.  But you can't substitute blood and gore for a story.   There is no doubt that an uncountable number of more "goodcop/bad cop" stories wait to be made into movies. It would have been a good idea if they had used the talent gathered to make this one and picked a different story.  This leans heavily toward the not-so-good category.

mjc says:  not healthy if a movie with this much violence becomes banal and devoid of genuine feeling.  It trivializes the violence, especially when the acting is quite good thereby adding to the contradictions.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Sherlock Holmes, 2009

Director: Guy Richie
Awards -- nominated for a Golden Globe
Starring: Robert Downey Ju., Jude Law; Rachel McAdams
IMDB Link:  Sherlock Holmes

sez says-- a remix of the old story on speed. The story and the characters are all revved up--with lots of Kung Fu Fighting and extra personal twitches for the characters.  Holmes is a madman, driven to diversion by his talent (what if you couldn't NOT notice every detail around you);  by his jealousy of Watson's fiance (with fabulous repartee between Holmes and Watson) and his own passion for a woman who has outsmarted him in the past. Mix all of this up with a great script and flawless acting and you've got some fun to be had....unless you are, like myself, not so fond of violence.  This movie goes at a break neck pace and someone is hitting, or stomping, or cutting, or burning or otherwise hurting someone else in nearly every scene.  At the end Holmes recites how the bad guy did what he did--but by that time you don't much care. The bad guy is caught and you are exhausted by all the running around.  Also, the production design is immaculate--but its beauty got lost by it all being too much the same colors and lighting.  Too bad it didn't have some sets that would have provided some contract to the browns and rust and dust colors that dominated most every scene.  The beauty of all the detailed props get lost in the sameness of every set.  The scenes on the river were gorgeous (where they moved into blue-gray tones)  And the ending looked a lot like Tim Burton designed it. But otherwise the sewers looked too much like the warehouse, that looked too much like the shipyard that looked too much like Holmes' office--all because the tones and colors seldom changed.  The costuming was also outstanding--I loved Holmes stealing Watson's clothing--but you gotta see the movie to understand that part.

mjc says:  this was a fabulous romp with a twinkle and twitch in Downey's eye letting us know it is all in fun.  I can't wait for the sequels.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Layer Cake, 2004

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, Jamie Foreman
IMDB Link:  Layer Cake

sez says: A British thriller--with a lot of fancy camera work and interesting editing:  nice cuts from scene to scene, good pacing and such so it was interesting to watch.  BUT--and it is a big BUT, the story is convoluted and it careens around making it easy to lose track of what's what. Add to that the problem we American's have understanding some British ascents and you can find yourself befuddled about what exactly is going on. It is like going fast in a car--you see stuff out the window--but a good lot of it is blurred--but you end up at your expected destination. I like to be able to follow a story--it wasn't easy here. But the blur along the way was stylish and the acting was top notch.

mjc says:  there are more and more of these edgy British movies with black humor permeating the violence, if only I could understand the dialogue as it is said.  I think we need subtitles for these movies, that would help a lot!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

It's Complicated, 2009

Director: Nancy Meyer

Award -- nominated for multiple Golden Globes
Starring:  Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinsky
IMDB Link:  It's Complicated

sez says:  You do want to see this movie! The actors timing is so perfect, and the script is so funny that you miss parts of the movie because you can't stop laughing.  In fact no movie has caused me to laugh this much in a long, long time.  Alec Baldwin is marvelous and seems to know this his part without effort.  Meryl Streep again proves she can fill any bill to a T.  Steve Martin does his part with pizazz. And there a wonderful young man, John Krasinsky, who manages to stand out even in the midst of all this mature talent.  Yes old folks can--and do--still have fun--making and watching movies like this -and just living their lives on the other side of 50.

mjc says:   I am growing to like Alec Baldwin more and more as he subtly and movingly creates modern man.

Invictus. 2009

Director: Clint Eastwood
Awards -- multiple nominations
Starring: Morgan Freeman; Matt Damon
IMDB Link: Invictus

sez says: Can you have two favorite movies in the same year?  If so this is also my favorite.  I seldom LOVE a movie. Kvetch that I am I generally find something that is less than perfect in every movie...but here is an exception. Eastwood has woven together all the stuff we love about movies, and told a healing story at the same time.  What is forgiveness?  What might grace look like face to face?  Yes, redemption is possible. No punches pulled, not deux ex machina to make it all work. This is a story that holds together without sloppy sentiment. Eastwood's well honed skill at telling a story via film has peaked yet again--right when you think he can't get any better--he pulls another rabbit out of the hat.  Morgan Freeman also gets some big credit for all of this--as a producer and an actor.

mjc says:  I spend most Sundays trying to figure out how to translate the Jesus message into modern terms.  My suggestion right now--go see this movie.

A Serious Man, 2009

Director: Ethan Cohen & Joel Cohen
Award --nominated for a Golden Globe
Starring: Michel Stuhlbarg;  Sari Lennick; Aaron Wolff;  Jessica McManus
IMDB Link:A Serious Man

sez says: This is one of my favorite films of the year.   Lots of folks say this is just a send up of Jewish culture. That certainly is part of it but to me it is only a starting point of this profound look at life.  Gopnik's life is really just like all of our lives: names and events differ, but the trajectory is the same.  Life is just one thing after another.  Some of it good. Some of it is not so good. And certainly much of it is mysterious and frustrating. And in the middle of it all we are offered unexpected moments of fun: like seeing the neighbor's wife naked. And even when we are offered little moments of joy we are not sure how to accept them.  Generally we have no idea why things happen.  We look for help and we ask why and we ask what should we do!?   But the point is, ultimately, there are no answers, mystical or otherwise.   If we are lucky, life will go on offering up clueless children, and messages written on the back of teeth, separations and reconciliations. That is the gift of life.  And what is the alternative?  Well most of us choose life over ending it all, so we might as well relax, accept all that it entails, and just take a deep breath when the phone rings in the middle of the night.

mjc says:  This time sez has captured the whole impact of the movie, in fact, her notes are the best review I have seen of this movie.  love it!

The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009

Director: Grant Heslov
Starring: George Clooney; Jeff Bridges; Ewan McGregor; Kevin Spacey
IMDB Link: The Men Who Stare at Goats

sez says: What a disappointment --with a cast like this (and esp with Clooney's comedic talent!) this should-a /could-a been a fun movie and it even might have made at least some slim point about militarism at the same time. But the final product is a mess.  The story doesn't seem to know what it wants to say or where it is going. It is like a bunch of film takes got that pasted together in search of a story.  

mjc says:  very disappointing, I have grown to expect at least a fun romp with Clooney, if not, in some cases a fierce engagement with the sins of the world.  This didn't make it on any level.

The Informant!, 2009

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Awards -- Golden Globe Best Actor Nominee
Starring: Matt Damon; Melony Lynskey; Scott Bakula
IMDB Link:  Informant!

sez says: Matt Damon really ought to get an award for this performance of  an out of touch whisleblower who knows right from wrong, but who doesn't know which way the wind blows. This premise offers up some hilarious moments. Meanwhile we see people doing the right things for the wrong reasons, and the wrong things for the right reason and plenty of other things in between. 

mjc says:   Soderbergh continues to roam around the edges of the culture looking for new ways to see ourselves; this is a great one--just when you have your outrage up and running full steam, the idiocy of the human condition erupts.  Damon is amazing!

The Baader Meinhof Complex, 2009

Director: Uli Edel
Awards --nominated for many, didn;t win any
Starring: Martina Gedeck; Moritz Bleibtreu; Johanna Wolakea; Nadja Uhl
 IMDB Link: Baader Meinhof Complex

sez: everyone who ever considered themselves "a committed leftist" ought to go see this and discuss it with others of their political persuasion. I think the Baader Meinhof Group went way wrong--but living through the mid 20th century and having a social conscience, the path they took is understandable.  But it is not easy to understand many of their actions as presented in this movie. Like..if you knew the police were looking for you, why would you go out speeding in a stolen car?  But worse, to me, was their commitment to each other appeared to evolve into being more important than their commitment to the social causes they espoused.  Their disrespect to other cultures (women sunbathing in the nude in front of Arabs) suggested an arrogance which was not flattering. But worst of all was their disregard for 'civilians' in the war they waged.  I wonder if a young person, who doesn't know much history, could have any idea what this film is all about?  If not, that is a serious criticism of the film. And, finally the Germany government was portrayed as schizophrenic -- mowing down harmless protestors one moment, and coddling people in jail the next.  This film is certainly worth the price of admission, just because it brings up so very many questions about the politics of the mid 20th century.

mjc says:  having sat in the audience  while some of these radicals spoke at Columbia in the late 60s, I understand some of the mentality but I also understand the disrespect these folks have for the working people they profess to support.  That we are thinking about this in depth is testament to the movie's power and connection with the realities of the time.  

District 9, 2009

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley; Jason Cope; Nathalie Boltt
IMDB Link:  District 9

sez says -- Great movie, simple premise, well done, obvious parallels to apartheid -- There is so much bad sci-fi made that I generally avoid the genre. Glad I didn't miss this one. 

mjc says:  Always going to sci-fi movies filled with hope, almost always disappointed.  This was a magnificent exception--great movie, great story telling stuff that needs telling about how humans treat each other.

Friday, January 1, 2010

In Bruges, 2008

Director:  Martin McDonagh
Awards:  nominated for lots but didn't win any
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell
IMDB Link:  In Bruges

sez says:  boy flicks can be tedious and murders with a code of honor is has been overdone, is worn out and is a vapid idea to begin with.  Some good acting--and some attempts at wry humor.  But still a stinker.

mjc says:  an exploration of the boundaries of hell through the eyes of a child killer.

Julie & Julia, 2009

Director: Nora Ephron
Awards: nominated for Golden Globe Awards
Starring: Meryl Streep; Amy Adams; Stanley Tucci;  Chris Messina
IMDB Link:  Julie and Julia

sez says: If you ever had any doubts about Meryl Streep's enormous talent this movie will put them all to rest. She is brilliant. She brings Julia Child back to life.  The story is nice-sweet-fine-even delightfully funny in places..but all of that is just icing on the cake.  Watching Streep is the main course. And what a nourishing course that is. We are so lucky to live in the time that her talent is on display to entertain us, to teach us, to do what only great actors do. She is a true master living in our time. Did I mention that I like Meryl Steep?  And I like her even more after seeing this movie.

mjc says:  Always a pleasure to watch Streep create a character; not very often do you get to watch her do it with someone you know.  

Public Enemies, 2009

Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Johnny Depp;  Christian Bale; Billy Crudup;  Marion Cotillard
IMDB Link:  Public Enemies

sez says: I like Johnny Depp--he is such an interesting actor, he takes on all sorts of characters and brings something unique to each one. And, I like Michael Mann --he is always challenging his audience with new ways of seeing and understanding.  So it adds up that I'd liked this movie. And I did. For the reasons stated above and because the "bad guys" were not good-misunderstood heroes or evil bad boys; neither were the police all good or all bad --there was a kind of balance throughout -- people acting like people doing good sometimes and being bad sometimes.   And while that was happening I got to watch Mr. Depp--who is not only a great actor but also a good looking man.

mjc says:  I like to watch Michael Mann construct a movie and execute the tension and the humanity all in the same take.  Thanks Mr. Mann!

Whatever Works, 2009

Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Larry David, Ed Begley Jr., Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson
IMDB Link:  Whatever Works

sez says: Elderly curmudgeonly - nihilist male meets ever so sweet entirely optimistic female. She offers him true love and devotion.  He resists because no matter how wonderful this situation might be it will have to end someday--so what it the point of engaging this opportunity when you already know how it will end.  Well the premise is silly (young beautiful, talented females do not fall head over heels in love with old crusty men--no matter how many stories are told that say that happens) (well--sometimes maybe they fall a little in love with such men if they have lots of money)  --anyway as silly as the premise is, the questions posed by the story are interesting. After all, what is the point of life?

mjc says:  Woody Allen back to doing stuff he does very well, but can't seem to get off the old man young girl thing.  It was enjoyable as a bit of new york but not much else. 

Hurt Locker, 2009

Director:  Kathryn Bigelow

Awards:  multiple nominations
Starring:  Ralph Fiennes; Jeremy Renner; Anthony Mackie; Guy Pearce
IMDB Link:  Hurt Locker

sez says:  so I don't get it.  Why do people find it amazing that a woman can make a real war movie?  This is a compelling exploration of what life is like for everyday soldiers in Iraq.  Well done.

mjc says:  once again the craftsmanship [sic] of a film fills the screen with an engrossing reality which cannot be denied.  The details and the dust imbed the experiences portrayed in the mind.

Revanche, 2009

Director:  Gotz Spielmann

Awards:  nominated for Oscar
Starring:  Johannes Krisch; Irina Potapenko; Ursula Strauss; Andreas Lust
IMDB Link:  Revanche

sez says:  intricate psychological thriller that explores human needs, the power of the impulse toward revenge and the possibilities of forgiveness and redemption.

mjc says:  my memories of the film are a wordless protagonist chopping wood and slowly coming to heal himself.

Star Trek, 2009

Director:  JJ Abrams

Starring:  Leonard Nimoy; Zachary Quinto; Anton Yelchin; Zoe Saldana; John Cho; Chris Pine
IMDB Link:  Star Trek

sez says:  Always fun to take a trip on the Enterprise.  The JJ Abrams touch is appreciated.

mjc says:  what can I say, just delighted to have another go around in the franchise; can't wait for the next one.

The Soloist, 2009

Director:  Joe Wright

Starring:  Robert Downey, Jr.; Jamie Foxx
IMDB Link:  The Soloist

sez says:  This was awful. Pass it up.

mjc says:  trite, patronizing, even the images of LA sucked.

Revolutionary Road, 2008

Director:  Sam Mendes

Awards:  nominated for Academy awards; BAFTA, Golden Globes, no wins
Starring:  Leonardo DiCaprio; Kate Winslet; Kathy Bates
IMDB Link:  Revolutionary Road

sez says:  The 1950s is ripe for exploration and understanding and this story takes up that challenge.  I am not convinced that a life of secure jobs and material prosperity made everyone miserable.  This story suggests that men and women may not have been on the same page; she wants to cut loose all ties to the stifling life she leads in the suburbs; he professes to be a bohemian but his actions demonstrate that he is not willing to give up his happy little niche in the culture and the economy.  Well done all around.

mjc says:  once again I seem to be taken by the photography and production design.  DiCaprio and Winslet are excellent in that they populate the scenes with believable people.  But were such people really having these struggles in those days?  I guess it is as mysterious to me as my parents who were approximate contemporaries of the characters in the movie.

Frost Nixon, 2008

Director:  Ron Howard

Awards:  nominated for lots but apparently did not win anything
Starring:  Frank Langella; Michael Sheen; Kevin Bacon; Rebecca Hall
IMDB Link:  Frost Nixon

sez says:  brilliant.  Langella becomes Nixon.  It is amazing that such a compelling story could be made out of how a TV interview came to happen, but they certainly did it.

mjc says:  the images of the house in Southern California where the film was shot remain with me and, yes, Langella's performance was on the mark.  I vaguely remember Frost so I can't say how Sheen did, but as almost always, Howard's storytelling is engrossing.

The Great Buck Howard, 2009

Director: Sean McGinly
Starring: Colin Hanks; John Malkovich; Emily Blunt
IMDB Link:  The Great Buck Howard

sez says: I guess if you are Tom Hanks son you get to make a movie--but that won't make it a good movie. This was tripe, not funny, boring and did I say dumb? that too. Enough already of the young man searching for life doing something dad doesn't want him to do.  We all know what happens in real life we don't need to be bothered by it at the movies if you don't have anything to add to the all too well known story. And sonny boy making his career choice to be following around a washed-up, and frequently abusive "illusionist" isn't a new spin on that old saw.

mjc says:  Malkovich is always interesting to watch, even when his character in this movie is repetitious and banal.  And, while nepotism in the movies, like anywhere else, is chancy, particularly in the case of Colin Hanks, the genes did not prove themselves across to the next generation. 

Che, 2009

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring:  Benicio Del Toro; Lou Diamond Philips; Santiago Cabrera; Catalina Sandino Moreno.
IMDB Link:  Che, Part OneChe, Part Two

sez says:  oh, it is so, so long. This, actually, is two films: the early days (in the mountains of Cuba with Fidel) and the later days (in the mountains of Bolivia). You need to be motivated to sit through the entire 4 1/2 hours.  Del Toro's acting helps make it easier than you might expect.  This is Soderbergh's version of Che's life as a revolutionary.  And, while it is a reasonable view, and a well done film I think it falls short in making the magic of Che come alive. It doesn't get off the ground in answering the question, Who was Che?  But maybe that is because Che's legacy is that he is a hero to so many, we each make him into who we want him to be in our own imagination.  So any effort to pin him down, define him or make him a concrete exact character will fail because no one will point of view will fit everyone's fantasy of him. 

mjc says:  The first film is, by far and away, the most powerful for me.  Perhaps that is because I have such a fantasy idea of the Cuban Revolution, or because the revolution succeeds on its own terms, whereas, in Bolivia, it is a disaster.  It is a big reach and almost makes it.

Rachel Getting Married, 2008

Director: Joanthan Demme
Awards: nominated for lots of them--don't know if the film won any
Starring: Anne Hathaway; Debra Winger; Rosemarie DeWitt
IMDB Link:  Rachel Getting Married

sez says:  great view of family life in the raw, warts and all and bound together.

mjc says:  watch out for those family get-togethers, truth is liable to leak out at unexpected moments.  Very real.  

The Wrestler

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Awards? Yes Lots of awards, Academy Awards & Golden Globe nominations plus BAFTA Awards, Independent Spirit Awards
Starring: Mickey Rourke; Marisa Tomei
IMDB Link:  The Wrestler

sez says: you have to brace for some violence in order to watch this, but it is no lie, there is mighty powerful acting to be seen here--both Rourke and Tomei are unforgettable. Front and center is a view of the everyday dedication and the personal destruction that is required to keep going as a wrestler is headed downhill. The stories honesty is refreshing, showing the unlikelihood that someone will change and make all his past sins disappear.  It is well demonstrated that we can care for these characters even if they are nothing more than who they are: everyday people who make the same mistakes over and over again.

mjc says:  Marisa Tomei is always a pleasure to watch as she turns herself into yet another character; but, Rourke is over the top in bathing this movie in the persona of a wreck of a man.  I confess I left the movie originally unimpressed by the totality of the experience, but there is no denying the acting!

Synecdoche, New York, 2008

Director: Charlie Kaufman
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Noonan, Samantha Morton, Catherine Keener, Diana Weist
IMDB Link:   Synecdoche

sez says - what a strange and wonderful trip this is --  life rebuilt inside a warehouse --where exactly is reality?

mjc says:  reality was so far removed from this movie that I have no memory of it at all, which is a product, I am sure, of the film and my slowly dissolving memory and ability to concentrate.