A Whole Lotta Short Takes

Stuff I saw in the meantime that I haven't written about.

North Country

Charlize Theron turns in a good performance, as expected. But the whole thing is very, very rote, with no surprises anywhere. The Great Plot Revelation can be seen screaming and waving from a mile away.







Zoolander
Still fun, but loses something with each additional viewing. Now I feel it lags at times.

Walk the Line

Great performances and a great soundtrack, but as a whole, it never seems to rise above being a decent biopic.









Mrs. Henderson Presents
Rather amusing, even though it felt as if Judi Dench could've done the role in her sleep. In true British spirit, World War II seems to be nothing more than a slight inconvenience. I'm not sure if that's entirely good.

Munich

Stunning visuals and a solid script. For once, Spielberg doesn't shy away from darkness, and it works well. The sex scene at the end just feels wrong though, and not in a good way at all. It made me want to giggle instead.







Gubra
Darker and more complicated than her previous movie, but at times it feels like two separate movies are being shown simultaneously. If anything, the two stories felt like they didn't have too much to do with each other, even thematically. Not to say that they weren't good, just that they weren't that good when placed together.

人魚朵朵 (The Shoe Fairy)

So cutesy it made me want to puke, and so utterly fucking boring it made me fall asleep several times.









Capote
It's gratifying to see an actor of Philip Seymour Hoffman's calibre finally get a showcase he so strongly deserves, and it's a dark character study to boot. Rarely has an utterly self-absorbed and cruel human being been so compelling to watch. Sure, he's a little over the top in his mannerisms, but he also portrays Capote's downward spiral with such emotional abandon that you can't look away. The supporting cast is equally superb, and it all makes you feel sick and queasy, but in a good way.

V For Vendetta

A fine and compelling blockbuster that has more brains than the rest. The only thing I didn't buy was the romance angle. And it's a huge compliment when I say that the scenes of the people marching on the streets in their Guy Fawkes masks made me feel the same way I did when I saw Batman swooping above the streets of Gotham in Batman Begins.



Mad Hot Ballroom
Fun and infectious documentary. Spellbound was better, though. Good, nonetheless, even if it felt like fluff.

The New World

Gorgeous, meditative and poetic. Oh-so-slow, but I loved it. I don't even know why. I warned some people that they probably wouldn't like it, but they went and saw it anyway and hated it. I can't help it if people don't listen to me. I do agree with them that most of the posters are misleading though, and that the one that represents the film best would be the teaser one, which I've posted here.


Rent
I liked it a lot more than I expected, even though some of the scenes didn't make much sense. Why, after you set your scripts aflame for heat, then proceed to throw everything downstairs? I understand that it looks pretty, but it shouldn't be all about that. Still, it's Chris Columbus, so I'm not surprised. When I watch the musical, I always feel an overwhelming need to get some close-ups instead of seeing everything as a wide shot, and this movie fulfills all those desires, I suppose. So I shouldn't complain. Plus, it's just fun when you can sing along to most of the songs in a movie.

Batman Begins (Imax)

What else can I say? Still love the movie. Parts of it are enough to give me mental orgasms. However, action scenes do not translate well to Imax at all. The wide shots are gorgeous though.







The Producers
Lots of fun, and the leads have great chemistry. Uma Thurman camping it up instead of going kill-crazy is a nice surprise, and I chose this poster for the sole reason that you can see more of her in this one. Unfortunately the pacing felt rather slack, especially in the buildup.