What I watched this weekend....

Well, I went to see Avatar, and since I was bored I shut my eyes a bunch and let my mind wander. It kept wandering to Bright Star, which I had started the night before and not finished. I had heard fantastic things all year, but really didn't understand how poetry could be made sexy and exciting. That was how I had interpreted some of the reviews, and I was perplexed. Well, the movie was gorgeous, and the poetry was sexy. The movie is beautifully filmed and the art direction is amazing. The heat and love between Keats and Fanny feels intense, yet pure and true. The poetry made all that felt.

Crazy Heart - I'm trying to decide if Jeff B will win it this year. Right now I'm feeling that he'll beat Morgan F from Invictus. They were both so good! In terms of the Academy, there is the politically charged Nelson M issue; they love to give awards for that shit. I'm a huge Clint fan, and the movie was wonderful. But Jeff Bridges vomits, staggers, picks up old and young women, sings, loses a child in the mall, and you still adore him. It's a fantastic performance.

Whip It - This is perfectly enjoyable, and a much better rental than a lot of crap out there. Drew made a quirky, sweet film that is a lot of fun, but even the unexpected stuff feels like a cliche. She's learning.

I Had a Thought

So I was talking to my friend Jess about In the Loop (see below). I starting thinking that if war was entered into because of behind the scenes maneuvering as seen In the Loop, and then executed by the guys in Hurt Locker, is it even possible to think about a world without war?

Avatar

Well, I went to see it - finally. I had to for many reasons: how can I praise or criticize unless I've seen it? It's on many Oscar preview lists - so I need to see it just to be informed while watching the arbitrary ceremony that I detest. Of course, I would probably only like that ceremony if they let me pick the winners. Probably won't happen. At least the clothes are good - old time Hollywood glamor seems to be back.

I was bored out of my mind and the 3D / special effects gave me a ferocious headache. I don't know which movie bugged me more - this or Benjamin Button. Avatar gave me a worse headache. So I guess if I had to watch a movie (decision in Hell type of thing), I would watch BB.

There were good things about Avatar. The lead guy was great. I liked that he was in a wheelchair and Cameron did NOT feel the need to explain how he got there. Michelle Rodriguez had a nice role. Some big stars got a payday. And it was beautiful in parts - I really liked the birds they rode.

But the plot was beyond recycled and it was way too long. The villains were so broadly drawn they were caricatures. Bottom line though: if you like adventure and special effects are enough for you - you'll love it.

In the Loop and Summer Hours

OK - so these two are are on some pre-Oscar lists. Actually, Summer Hours is on a lot of pre-Oscar lists.

In the Loop is hilariously funny - nonstop British humor. It's is a political movie, and it's supposed to be behind the scenes with everyone trying to get into a "secret" committee meeting that everybody in London and Washington eventually knows about and attends. It is amazingly funny and horrible at the same time. At first I was just enjoying the British humor (watch with the subtitles so you don't miss anything), but after a while I was worried that Washington might really be like this movie. Then I realized that Washington is probably even worse than this movie. Then I got depressed. In any case, if you like British humor, you should watch this movie. It takes nasty-ass, evil and manipulative characters to new levels.

Summer Hours is a far different movie. The matriarch of a well-to-do French family dies, and her children have to deal with the estate. They are not nasty to each other - they are all incredibly civilized and realistic about what they have to do. Mom's assets are not in cash, but in museum quality art and furniture. They donate to the Musee D'Orsay to avoid exorbitant estate tax - that level of art.

Life is not perfect for this family, but it's a lot better than for most of the people I know. In any case, I'm not sure I would say this movie is about the lives of the kids and grandkids. It's about this family losing its history when people grow up and separate and move to other countries. It's about the end of an era.

Hondo (not a gritty Western)

Every time I think I've watched all John Wayne's movies, I hear of another one and realize how incredibly wrong I am. Hondo was one such movie. I've had it at the top of my BB queue for quite a while, and it finally showed up in the mail. (Almost the entire top of my queue is "very long wait" movies. Does anybody else have this problem?)

Hondo was written by Louis L'Amour (before he was a household name). It also has the distinction of starring Geraldine Page (you may know her as the star of "A Trip to Bountiful"), fresh from Broadway. This was her very first Hollywood role, and she was probably the best part of the movie for me. She plays a self-described "homely woman" who falls in love with John Wayne. There is no conflict there - he loves her back. It was refreshing to see a female lead who is not a dance hall girl, and who actually gets to act.

The movie is settlers / army versus Indians. It does not portray the Indians as all bad, nor the army as all good. I like that - both sides had issues, undoubtedly, as that's the way life is. The part that I didn't like was that everybody was all clean and pretty. GP's house was clean, and so were her clothes. John Wayne looked like he had recently seen a laundry. I prefer a movie that is more realistic, which is probably unrealistic for this period of movie making. Anyway, the movie is solid, but I like the Searchers, Stagecoach and True Grit better.

If you want to watch some grittier Westerns, try McCabe and Mrs. Miller with Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. The whores are filthy, and the customers are much worse. Julie C is an addict. The HBO series Deadwood also shows the dirt and pigs and lack of teeth. The women are wrecks: skinny and dirty and ugly and sagging. Why would I like that better? It definitely feels more real, and it affirms my conviction that I am glad to live now. Then I think about the changes the next 100 years will bring, and wonder if I would like that even better.

Sexy Movies

I know I thought of a good category tonight, or my friend did, but I can't remember it now. So how about sexy movies? I don't mean porn or really dumb stuff, but a movie that you like to watch again and again. I can think of a couple now, and I'll add more later. First, how about the Big Easy with a young Dennis Quaid? I think he is ridiculous hot in this movie - that grin, those abs!! When Ellen Barkin says she's not good at sex, or one night stands, and he says, "Don't worry, cher, I am", I get sparkles in the swimsuit area every time.

Something New: that white guy, Simon Baker, is really sexy in this movie. If you watch him in his TV show he is more on the absurd side of things. I like the movie - I've watched it a lot.

I'll add more later.

Hurt Locker

Well, I just finished Hurt Locker. I suspect I'll be thinking about this movie for a while. It's about a squad of three men who defuse / detonate bombs. The film does a fantastic job of putting you in the position of walking up to a bomb or trying to find wires in a car that was set on fire and that has a trunk full of bombs. I understand you can't possibly know what something like that really feels like, but I've never watched a movie that does it as well as this.

These three men are each different - on a spectrum of hating war to loving war. Sgt James is addicted to war - to the thrill and the danger, and (I suspect) the bizarre freedom that he feels in Iraq. Nothing matters to him but approaching a bomb. He keeps souvenirs of bombs under his bed, and he is very unhappy at home with his GF and child. He needs to be in the action.

Sanborn takes his job seriously, and is pissed that James puts them in danger. He wants to get out of Iraq, but at the same time he would like to be able to "put on a suit" like Sgt. James and walk up to danger so calmly.

Eldridge hates it there. He is sure he will be killed and sees no possible end but eventual death during his tour of duty.

Between these three men, the movie shows a variety of reactions to each bomb, each scenario, each person they meet. The movie also shows discrimination and violence by and against each side of the conflict. It shows ignorant personnel, mercenaries, violence, body bombs.

Behind it all, I kept thinking about the quote at the beginning of the movie - war is addictive, or something to that effect. So I'm wondering, how few people does it take on each side - people like Sgt. James who is addicted to his bombs - to keep war a fact of our everyday lives? If you think as far back as you can remember into history, it would seem that there have always been plenty of addicts. Can we ever expect it to stop, or is that just a pointless waste of time?

This movie was directed by a female, Kathryn Bigelow. It's interesting to watch a movie in a male genre that is directed by a female. If you watch, try to imagine how this movie would have been realized if a man had directed it - whether you think of Michael Bay or Coppola.

District 9

I loved this movie. I saw it in the theater and have ordered it as well. There is great action here, and great effects, but what I love is the script. This could have been an "issue" movie, but the clever script makes you think you are watching an action flick the entire time. I keep asking people if they have seen this movie, and if they have, I start asking questions. Consider these:

1. Were you bothered by the treatment of the aliens / prawns?
2. If you were bothered - why?
3. If your husband or wife started turning into an alien, would you still love him / her, want to live with her, have sex with him, or would that relationship be done? Does a cross species relationship cross a line to you?
4. What responsibility did the people of Johannesburg have to treat the aliens / prawns in a humane manner?

You don't actually have to think about these questions, of course. Just enjoy the film - it has one of the best weapons (introduced by the aliens) I've seen in a while. The military / industrial complex wants to get its hands on it. Weapons for profit - that's an interesting topic, too.

Peter Jackson produced this film, and it has no big stars (except Aliens and weapons). Enjoy.

Film Noir

I am going to start here with classic film noir, as opposed to remakes or new work (such as L.A. Confidential).

Strangers on a Train - this is one of my favorites: a Patricia Highsmith novel made into a movie by Hitchcock. It involves the story of two strangers meeting on a train and agreeing to murder the enemy of the other. It is copied widely because you will see a "strangers on a train" episode in many crime dramas. I saw one on a Criminal Intent recently, and they even referenced the movie.
Double Indemnity - this is considered by many to be the ultimate film noir, I think. Barbara Stanwyck is excellent at evil, and Fred MacMurray does a great job getting rid of his good-guy image.
Detour - Ann Savage gives the performance of her life here. It's a cheaply made movie by director Edgar Ulmer, but he gets a fantastic performance out of Ann. Ulmer made cheap movies away from the large studio system. Contrast the simple production (sets, clothes, etc.) with the performances.
Gaslight - is this really noir? It is to me. Ingrid Bergman is great, but Charles Boyer is why you watch the show.
Murder My Sweet - this movie is on my all time favorite list (across all categories). It is a great example of an early complicated plot, too. Dick Powell plays Marlowe here, which was unusual for him. He's great.
Touch of Evil - I don't know if this is noir either, but Orson Welles is a corrupt police captain and Charlton Heston is a Mexican. Get the version that incorporates Welles' notes (the original was not edited to his liking).

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt is not traditionally good looking, but my God, he is hot. I find you usually cannot separate his looks from his performances. Think of Thelma and Louise or Interview with a Vampire - his looks are part of the role. You could say that sometimes his looks are the role, but he brings more than just his face: in Thelma and Louise I can remember every moment of his performance. He smoldered. Brad has an interesting history in movies - he is often best in a supporting role, but weak in the leading role.

In Fight Club, Ed Norton was the lead, but Tyler Durden was huge. Those outfits! The clothes indicated Tyler's aggression and instability, and Brad could pull them off. In the Ocean's series, he is ridiculously suave, and plays a second to George C. In Burn After Reading, he stole every scene his was in. Inglourious Basterds was perfect, and I don't think he looked that handsome, oddly enough. In one of my favorite roles, True Romance, he stole the show, and was on screen for maybe five minutes?

Compare these to Legends of the Fall or Seven Years in Tibet. These are not so memorable. Is that the director's problem, or does Brad shine when he is not directly in the spotlight? Watch or re-watch some of these with that in mind.

Avatar

I have no desire to see this - it is three hours of 3D. That is a headache waiting to happen. However, the NY Times Oscar preview picks came out today, and it is listed by A.O. and Manohla. Crap. I guess I'll just take some drugs and go to the show.

Broken Embraces

I am in serious Academy Award mode. This starts at Thanksgiving when I try to go to a movie a day. Christmas is the same, and this year I managed six movies in six days. January means work gets busier, so it's harder to keep up the pace. I hate missing nominated movies when the awards are handed out. I can't bitch with a clear conscious about how stupid the Academy is if I haven't watched all the movies. For example, The September Issue will not be nominated, cannot be nominated, even though it was a fantastic movie. There is a pre-selection process that says it won't make the cut. How stupid.

I'm already getting annoyed and it's only January.

I was happy to see Pedro's new film today, Broken Embraces. It was amazing, very different to me from all his other work. There are common elements: a woman in peril, a slowly evolving and developing story, but this movie felt different. I saw a noir quality which I loved. There is a manipulative lover, secrets (another Pedro staple), characters with questionable motives. Of course the cinematography is fantastic, and P Cruz is in fine form. She does her best work for him.

1/8/10
OK - let's start with the 2010 Golden Globes and Academy Awards. This is what I've seen so far...these are opinions - I hope they help.

(500) Days of Summer - This is a cute movie with great, charismatic leads. I was a bit bored with it, tho.
A Single Man - Beautiful film with great acting. I want Julianne Moore's house and wardrobe. Colin Firth could win. I cannot believe that SOB Tom Ford can also make movies! At times it does look like a perfume ad, but hey, what do you expect?
An Education - You'll be talking about this one for a while. This is a perfect movie: tense, romantic, incredible and well acted. And it's based on a true story - think about it and talk about it. Can you believe these parents?
Blind Side - Not bad - a really great story - and they don't go for the easy emotion.
District 9 - I already bought this one. It is sci fi, action, social commentary with out every mentioning the issues at hand. It's an alien movie, and you'll be asking questions about it forever.
Duplicity - I loved this movie! Julia and Clive have chemistry and the dialog is spicy hot.
Hangover - Best movie of its kind since Animal House
Informant! - This movie is hilarious, but at some point you realize that you shouldn't be laughing at all - this is scary stuff made funny.
Inglourious Basterds - Tarantino rocks. I loved that this movie was in acts - he is still developing his craft.
Invictus - Perfect straightforward tale. Eastwood is top three or 4 American director. Some people thought this was dull; maybe they were expecting Gran Torino? I was entranced and now need to get a book on Mandela. He is super-human. I think MF will win best actor, but I haven't seen Crazy Heart yet.
It's Complicated - I don't like Nancy Meyers movies. The world she creates is so perfect and sanitized that I feel a bit pissed off. However, she makes movies for women over 40, and nobody does that. She gets the best stars. There are belly laughs in this movie due to the quality of the stars. Alec Baldwin has no shame.
Julie and Julia - Meryl Streep is amazing. She transcends labels like "chick flick". Every guy I know liked the movie because of her.
La Nana - the first movie in a year that surprised me. It is tense, but not a horror flick. It is not a thriller, but it is psychological. I loved this film.
Precious - Lee Daniels made an amazing film. I have never felt tense and horrified and pissed off like when watching this film. Monique - who knew?
Sherlock Holmes - Great chemistry and dialog. Great art direction. The plot is ridiculous. Watch it for a new, fun Sherlock and Watson. I think Arthur Conan Doyle w/b OK with this.
Up in the Air - this is a very funny, very clever drama. I cannot believe these performances. If you like Vera F here, watch the Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Where the Wild Things Are - an amazing film that was amazingly created and filmed. Why didn't more people see it? I highly recommend it for the beauty alone, plus the world created in this child's mind.
Young Victoria - I've seen it twice in the theater, and I will buy it. If you like a good romance, this is the top of the list.