May West

I know, it's a truly awful pun. I couldn't resist. Moving on.

28 Weeks Later
In preparation for this flick, I actually saw 28 Days Later for the first time just prior to this. I loved the first two acts of that movie, before it took a bizarre turn in the third act and killed itself for no apparent reason - but then again, that's Danny Boyle for ya. A bloody genius, but has really shitty endings. Given that that was pure brilliance for the most part, I was really wary of how this was going to turn out, since he wasn't on board except as an executive producer. I'm glad to say that my fears were unfounded, because this is one mean motherfucker of a movie that sinks its teeth into you from the get-go and doesn't let up. It's a realistic extrapolation from the events of the first, and manages to be both more epic in scope and somehow more relentless than its predecessor. When the shit hits the fan and all hell breaks loose, it's a spine-chilling sight indeed. A bravado sequence also goes one up on the classic one in Aliens by having us see only through the night-vision scope on a gun. Truly terrifying, and dare I say it, actually better than the original in its cohesiveness of theme and vision.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Here's a film that I'm probably going to enjoy much more on DVD for one simple reason - I can read the fucking subtitles. I'm just really bad at deciphering Irish accents, and more than half the time I had no fucking clue what the hell the characters were talking about - I could only kind of guess what was being said by looking at their expressions and a word here and there, which really does not make for a very pleasant moviegoing experience. But then again, even if I could understand everything, this wouldn't be a very pleasant movie, since it deals with such a heavy topic. Of course, it's to Ken Loach's vast credit that so many scenes transcend language and would be equally powerful even if they were in Swahili. I thought it was a good film, and I'm sure I'd think it a great film once I rewatch it on DVD.

Hors de Prix (Priceless)
I can see no one in Hollywood touching this topic with a ten-foot pole, unless it was to make some mediocre middlebrow artsy navel-gazing shit. That this takes what is basically an unsavory premise and makes it into a thoroughly enjoyable comedy makes it undoubtedly French. While there are scenes where you just want to slap some characters for their apparent stupidity, it only goes to show how much you've come to care for them. Audrey Tautou is gorgeous and gives a spirited performance that makes me forgive her for being in The Da Vinci Crap. It exceeded my expectations, and left me very happy, and really, that's remarkable achievement for any romantic comedy, isn't it?

Blades of Glory
Unlike many "serious" critics, I'm a big fan of absurdist humor as well, being a huge fan of Stephen Chow's body of work. Which is why I've found most of Will Ferrell's output enjoyable as well, and this one is no exception. The premise is outrageous enough, and the leads have so much fun with the roles, playing off each other in ridiculous exchanges, that to dislike it would really seem unkind. My macabre sense of humor means that my favorite scene would of course be the North Korean skating video with the decapitation. Even though I knew it was coming (thanks to naughty critics with their spoilers), I still laughed my ass off at it. It's perfectly cast, and just so much fun, that I can't bring myself to nitpick.

Bridge to Terabithia
No matter how the trailers and posters try to sell it, this is not a fantasy movie. It's more like a sensitive coming of age tale that, when it comes down to it, is really rather moving. The characters and the details of their lives feel real, and never seem forced, unlike most kid movies. When the unthinkable happens, it's sudden and painful, and to its credit, the film doesn't pretend otherwise, nor does it wallow in melodrama. My only problem with it is that the second act doesn't seem to be moving along much at all.

Shrek the Third
What a hateful movie. It's obvious that the makers are simply cashing in on the franchise and have no respect at all for the audience, what with their lazy, unfunny jokes and tendency to take a lesson and smack it into their audience's heads repeatedly (bringing to mind a certain Singaporean "director"). While some claim that the animation has improved from installment to installment, and I'm sure it has, for some strange reason I've found that the supposed "realistic detail" only serves to make the characters look more creepy than cute. I mean, Shrek's eyelashes just freak me out to no small amount. Creepy-looking character designs aside, Justin Timberlake surprises, though, with his sympathetic voice performance of a loser prince, and there is one genuine moment of comic brilliance, which, unfortunately, is drowned by the sheer crassness of everything else.