Snow Angels (2007)
Oh, my goodness. If you are the least bit depressed , whatever you do – do not see this movie. Even on your absolute best day, this movie will bring you down so you definitely don’t want to be down at the outset. Why oh why are fairly small films like this one always so depressing? Is life this incredibly depressing for director and screenwriter David Gordon Green? Is life really this bad? I suppose it can be but, dang, there have to be glimmers of light every now and again. This little movie tells the story of the complicated relationships that, in some cases, turn tragic. As depressing as this movie is, there are good performances here. Sam Rockwell is strong, and I was particularly impressed with Olivia Thirby (she is Juno’s friend). Kate Beckinsale does a passable job here but, in my opinion, is mis-cast. Amy Sedaris’ strengths are wasted as Kate’s friend. The young protagonist is played by Michael Angarano, who you may remember as the super-son of Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston in Sky High (2005). One other question: Why in films like this are the crazy people always religious? It’s become almost cliché. This movie is not for the faint of heart. There is a tragic event. There is brutal violence and cruelty. Have a nice day.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
So here’s the thing. . .the more people told me to go see this movie, the more I refused to see it. Call it a personality disorder. If everyone is reading a particular book (re: The Shack), I make it a point not to read it. I don’t know why. It’s just one of the quirks that make me who I am. However, after this Danny Boyle film took home four Golden Globes and now has Oscar buzzing around it, I found myself in the theater – highly skeptical. I shouldn’t have been. This movie is freakin’ fabulous and is an example of one of the primary reasons people go to movies. I’m not going to shower this movie with all kinds of praise – just pick up any review and you’ll get a good enough dose of it. You need to go see this movie. I will say this. . .if it weren’t for the terrific performances by the youngsters at the beginning of this movie, then I would never have been invested for the rest of the movie. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – young actors can make or break a movie. Would Sixth Sense (1999) really have been as terrific if Haley Joel Osment had not been able to truly act and be believable? Would Whale Rider (2002) have been the terrific little movie it is if Keisha Castle-Hughes isn’t absolutely magical in her performance? Would Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999) have been as horrid if Jake Lloyd were not one of the worst child actors to ever walk on two feet? I know they have great material to work with but the youngsters make this film what it is and we are all the better for it. This movie has one big thing going for it – a tremendous sense of Hope. Given all that. . .this movie is not for young folks. It is Rated R for a reason. There is some disturbing stuff going on here accompanied by disturbing imagery and some shocking violence. One other portion I have heard criticized is one of my favorite parts of the whole movie – the dance scene during the credits. Absolutely loved it!
Double Indemnity (1944)
Look here, baby. Sometimes ya just gotta take a break from these depressing independent flicks and stale mainstream motion pictures. Sometimes ya just gotta get ya some film noir. That’s what this flick is here, see? Film noir. That’s right. Dark. Gritty. It’s dark like a brunette bringing you in close – so close that light don’t escape. Close enough to shiv you in the back. Yeah, baby. It’s gritty. It’s so gritty it’s like the California sand getting in your swimsuit, mixing with sea water and reminding you of what real baby rash is like. This great example of ‘40s film noir has it all, baby. It’s got Fred MacMurray. That’s right, baby, he’s the dopey dad from “My Three Sons.” The real star here, toots, is Barbara Stanwyck. She’s got the goods, baby. She looks at you and the oven gets turned to boil, baby. Hot. She’s hotter than a Plymouth sittin’ in the desert during a heat wave. And she loves you. Yeah, baby, you keep tellin’ yourself that. She loves you like a spider, baby. Draws you in and before you know it, you’re the next meal, my friend. Wanna surprise? I got one for ya that’ll knock your socks off, sonny. Edward G. Robinson. That’s right, baby, Eddie G. He is great here in a supporting role. Take a break. Rent this flick. You’ll find Fred is right: In the City of Angels, sometimes murder does smell like honeysuckle.
The Westerner (1940)
Walter Brennan (1894-1974). He’s the reason I watched this movie. A friend and I were talking about great western actors and this guy has to be right toward the top. One of the best. He had an incredible run from 1937 to 1942. He was nominated for four Academy Awards – all for Best Supporting Actor – and won three times for Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938), and this one. The one he lost? Sergeant York (1941). Playing alongside Mr. Brennan here is Gary Cooper (1901-1961). Starring as the cruel and hard-hearted Judge Roy Bean, Brennan is terrific opposite a fairly typical Cooper role as the good guy. While there are a number of actors working on the periphery of this William Wyler-directed film, the movie is really about the characters played by Cooper and Brennan. I would go so far as to say that there is a bromance brewing here. There is one particularly interesting scene where Brennan and Cooper drink until they pass out. Next scene opens with both of them waking up in the same bed. The movie starts out slow but picks up the pace in the second half. Brennan carries this film and earned his Oscar. Interestingly enough, I would argue that he should have been seen as the lead actor but who is going to take that from Cooper?
Paris Je T’aime (2006)
Wow. How do you describe this movie? The producers assigned different areas of Paris to several different directors and asked each of them to film a five-minute vignette capturing Paris’ reputation as the City of Love. Directors here include: Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham (2002)); The Coen Brothers; Wes Craven (yes, THAT Wes Craven); Alfonso Cuaron; Alexander Payne (Sideways (2004)); Gus van Sant; and many others. Actors include Steve Buscemi (guess whose segment he appears in. . .); Miranda Richardson; Juliette Binoche; Willem Dafoe; Nick Nolte; Maggie Gyllenhaal; Bob Hoskins; Elijah Wood; Natalie Portman; and many others. A terrific surprise? Watching a segment where Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands do what they do best – act. It is great to see two of the best just act. No fuss. No muss. You get it. There is no pretense. As you might expect, the vast majority of this collection is in French with English subtitles. Most of the vignettes are uplifting; however, I would warn you that there is one particular segment that is devastatingly sorrowful. I understand why it is in the collection but, nonetheless, it was a huge downer. As fate would have it, one of my favorite segments was at the very end and featured character actor Margo Martindale. Remember her? She’s been in a ton of stuff but, for me, she is most memorable as Earline Fitzgerald, Maggie’s mother in Million Dollar Baby (2004).
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