Children of Men
From a certain perspective it's a little surprising that I liked this movie so much. The reason I say that is that I see so many movies that it usually takes an unusual plot, interesting characterization, or at least a couple of scenes that really showcase a great acting performance to make me love a movie, and Children of Men didn't really have any of those. The plot was a pretty straightforward "damsel in distress" type of story and none of the writing really popped for me, nor did it allow the actors much room to maneuver. What was it that grabbed me, then? The direction. Director Alfonso Cuarón did an absolutely masterful job of presenting us with a dystopian future England that felt absolutely real. What's more, he managed to convey a truly remarkable amount of detail with almost no exposition. The end effect is that the movie actually makes you stop and consider the ramifications of its premise: what would the world be like if people stopped being able to have children? This one is definitely a must-see for any fans of science fiction. No, I'll go one further—it's a must-see for anyone who's a fan of good cinema.
Viewed: 2007-01-06 | Released: 2006-12-24 | Score: A
Night at the Museum
There isn't really much to say about this one. It's wasn't a masterpiece or anything, but, of course, it wasn't trying to be. But even if it wasn't particularly stunning, it was cute and fun with plenty of chuckles and that's exactly what I was in the mood for when I went to go see it.
Viewed: 2006-12-28 | Released: 2006-12-21 | Score: B
Bagombo Snuff Box
By Kurt Vonnegut
I'd say that this was an interesting read, but not a great one. It was interesting because I got a glimpse at Vonnegut's beginnings as a writer. Not great because, well, the stories didn't hold up that well. They were well-written, sure, but the mood and sensibilities were pretty dated. It actually kind of reminded me of something Heinlein might have done in his short or young adult fiction, minus the science fiction aspects, of course. Still, the stories were entertaining and easy to read, so if you're looking for some light stuff—maybe a bathroom book—you might check this one out.
Started: 2006-12-18 | Finished: 2007-01-01
The Pursuit of Happyness
At some point between the time I first saw the trailer and the time I actually walked into the theater to see this one I became a little skeptical about it. I'm not entirely certain why—maybe the story had started to seem a little clichéd, or maybe I didn't know if Will Smith could pull it off. Whatever the reason, I was wrong. The movie was very heartfelt, very touching, and Will Smith's Golden Globe nomination was well-deserved. Jaden Smith, Will Smith's on-screen and real-life son, also did a pretty good job. Child actors can be kind of hit or miss, but the fact that Will and Jaden Smith really are father and son added instant chemistry. Excellent movie.
Viewed: 2006-12-21 | Released: 2006-12-14 | Score: A
The Holiday
This was a mostly cute movie that was pretty well wrecked by Cameron Diaz. Everybody else was pretty good—Kate Winslet did a good job as the other lead, Jude Law was charming and nice, Rufus Sewell was charming and self-absorbed, Eli Wallach was both adorable and poignant, and Jack Black was surprisingly sweet. It could have been a decent film, but Cameron Diaz was just annoying. I really don't understand why she gets work. She has almost no talent apart from a reasonable sense of physical comedy. Sure, she's good-looking, but there are plenty of good-looking actresses out there who can actually act. But enough ranting. Judging by Juliette's reaction—she thought The Holiday was "wonderful"—this one would probably be a good date movie. I'd say that it's otherwise quite skippable.
Viewed: 2006-12-18 | Released: 2006-12-07 | Score: C
For Your Consideration
If you like the rest of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries—This is Spinal Tap, for example, or, more recently, Best in Show or A Mighty Wind—you'll probably like this one as well. This time, Guest and his cohorts take aim at Hollywood, and I'd say they found their mark. I particularly liked Guest's performance as the director of the film-within-a-film Home for Purim. It was a smaller part, but I thought he was hilarious. The film also absolutely nailed its parody of Access Hollywood. Catherine O'Hara was very good, but as the film went on her character became increasingly more difficult to watch. Anyway, it's probably out of theaters by now, but it's definitely worth a look when it comes out on DVD.
Viewed: 2006-11-30 | Released: 2006-11-21 | Score: B
The Fountain
The trailers had me expecting a more straightforward science fiction premise, but considering that writer-director Darren Aronofsky's previous films included Pi and Requiem for a Dream, perhaps I should have known better. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about The Fountain. On the one hand, the artistry of it was quite obvious to me. If nothing else, the visual style was really interesting. The leads—Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz—were also very good. (I didn't used to like Jackman much but this movie and The Prestige have done a lot to change my mind.) I also liked the story, which I think was largely Aronofsky's reflection on mortality. Still, I don't know if I loved it. It was a little pretentious and I haven't yet made up my mind on whether I think it succeeded on being as profound as it intended to be. I also can't figure out whether or not I think it was depressing. I'm interested in discussing it, though, so if you're at all into artsy, somewhat gloomy movies check it out for yourself and drop me a line (or start a thread in the forum) and let me know what your impressions were.
Viewed: 2006-11-23 | Released: 2006-11-21 | Score: B
Stranger Than Fiction
Most everyone who I've heard talking about this movie has been talking about how surprised they were by Will Ferrell. Honestly, he did do a good job. Not only did he manage to rein in his shrill, needy tendencies but he actually managed to imbue his performance with a sort of quiet, noble dignity. Still, he wasn't really what made the movie. Neither were Emma Thompson or Dustin Hoffman, though they were, unsurprisingly, excellent. No, the shocking thing is that what I really loved about this movie was the voiceovers. Normally I'm not a big fan of voiceovers, but Stranger Than Fiction is one movie that used them perfectly. Of course, it wouldn't have worked had the writing not been up to snuff but, fortunately, the monologues had this wonderful lyrical quality to them that I kept wanting to hear more of.
Viewed: 2006-11-10 | Released: 2006-11-09 | Score: B
Flags of Our Fathers
I'm still not sure why I'm quite so fascinated by World War II but, be that as it may, I'm the sort of guy that will like just about any movie in that setting. Still, this one was only so-so. It didn't do much for me that other movies or shows hadn't already done better. What I did like about it wasn't so much the story as the framing—the book that the film is based on is the product of a man's attempt to learn about his father's life. That's a subject that's been resonating with me lately and on that level the movie worked really well for me. It's not really the focus of the film, though, so I'd say that unless you're a diehard Eastwood fan or war buff you can probably safely skip this one.
Viewed: 2006-11-11 | Released: 2006-10-19 | Score: B
A Good Year
My one-word summary: boring. Not because it was a "chick flick"—I like all kinds of movies as long as they are done well. Besides, Juliette agreed with me. There just wasn't anything compelling about this movie—not the story, the acting, the setting. Nothing. The whole thing just seemed forced and mediocre. Like so many other movies of this genre, the plot centers around a career-driven asshole who has to realize that money and success aren't as important as love and family and what have you. We've all seen this story before but that's fine because we don't come to movies like this for originality. The problem with this iteration is that the protagonist's transformation really wasn't believable. The mechanism for change involved him rediscovering childhood memories, but it almost seems like the guy would have had to have had some sort of amnesia-inducing head trauma to forget the stuff he forgot—and, of course, that wasn't the case. It's too bad, too, because I've generally had a very high regard for both Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott. Hopefully their next projects will be more worthwhile.
Viewed: 2006-11-18 | Released: 2006-11-09 | Score: D