Damn Good Entertainment

Damn. For my movie reviews, I'm still stuck in February, the shortest month of the year, but in which I saw 13 movies (which still doesn't beat January, by the way - that had 17). I've got some serious catching up to do, not to mention still get through November and December '06 and the Best-Of list.

So there was some pretty serious entertainment going on in February. The two great standouts were probably Apocalypto and The Illusionist, which were thoroughly enjoyable as they come. If only Hollywood turned out such movies more often, instead of the turds that usually come our way.

I was pleasantly surprised by Apocalypto, because quite frankly, I hated Mel Gibson's last movie. While that one got carried away by the sheer Christian-ness of it all, this baby thankfully leaves all that mumbo-jumbo behind to deliver a rip-roaring tale and nothing more. While it's notable for having all its dialogue in the Mayan language, which adds authenticity to the whole thing, at its heart it's a great action movie.

Shot beautifully and with mostly natural lighting, it brings us right in the heart of a lovable village community about to be beset by tragedy. We see their daily routine, their love for each other, their family ties, and this makes what's about to come hit us more. In a vicious raid, a young Mayan is abducted from his village and taken to a city to be sacrificed.

In this city, bizarre images and sights abound, and the sheer ridiculousness and excessiveness of it all makes us sick to the core, as do the almost casual way sacrificial victims are dispatched. Miraculously, through a deus ex machina I'm not entirely happy with, the young warrior escapes death, and later his captors.

The entire second half of the movie is devoted to an extended chase sequence through the Mayan jungle, as the young warrior flees his pursuers to return to his very pregnant wife and child, trapped in a hole in the ground that's rapidly filling up with rainwater. The movie has some of the best action sequences I've seen in a while, and the tension is racked up all the way through.

True, there's nothing much there beyond the action and some pointed critiques of our modern culture of excess. But sometimes all we need at the movies is a good time, and this is perfect for that, if you can stomach the copious gore.

The Illusionist, on the other hand, requires one to do a bit more thinking, but it's nowhere near the level of The Prestige in its complexity. This is not a drawback, though, because it works perfectly well without that. Sure, the twist ending is somewhat predictable, but only because after the previous movie, I was bound to be watching out for twist endings in a movie about magicians.

Paul Giamatti and Edward Norton, two of my favorite actors in the world, turn in great performances, playing off each other with great chemistry. Faring poorly in comparison is Jessica Biel as the leading lady and Norton's love interest - she simply has no character, although how much of this is the fault of poor scripting I don't know. She just kinda walks around looking worried and pretty, sometimes both at the same time. And when the twist hinges upon her, you might have a bit of a problem there.

Look-wise, it's pretty damn amazing, for the filmmakers have managed to evoke a real sense of period in the visuals. Good production design is a given, but in their treatment of the stock, lighting and color, they've someone managed to translate that age to even the film itself.

Again, there's no real depth to it all, but like I said, so what? It's solidly crafted entertainment, and leaves you feeling satisfied that you spent your time at the movies well. What more can I ask for?

Addendum: Why the movie poster for The Illusionist feels it's important to state that it's from the producers of Crash and Sideways, I have no clue. They aren't even remotely similar. You might as well put "from the country that brought you Titanic and The Departed".