the quicksilver screen
Oct. 27th, 2006 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tiedyedaveI have seen some movies over the past few months. Ideally I would be posting about them just after I saw them, but I've been very infrequent with the livejournal updates (even moreso than usual).
I have made a substantial effort to avoid spoilers; these should all be safe.
Lady in the Water
--
In a critical and objective sense, this was not a great movie. The story (lowercase) was weakly presented, the plot didn't flow smoothly, many of the characters lacked nuance. And most damningly, M. Night wrote himself in as a major character, which took it from questionable to fanfic in terms of overall professionalism.
But I liked it. I couldn't help but like it. I really enjoyed the movie that M. Night was trying to make, the one that didn't quite make it to the screen intact, and came off as confused and tangled. In a poetic sense the movie itself embodied its own subject matter; it was as if a child told the story, spastically and with obvious gaps, but with starry eyes, a cute squeaky voice, and an insuppressable sense of wonder.
Also, the unabashedly objectively good parts: Bryce Dallas Howard does etherealness very well. Paul Giamatti was straight out brilliant as Cleveland; the healing scene where he cries out to his dead family was some of the best acting I've seen in years. In fact, I went to see The Illusionist almost exclusively because I wanted to see him in another movie.
The Illusionist
--
Very pretty, somewhat clever. I enjoyed the movie overall (even if the trickery at hand was a bit transparent). I think it pushed on the theme of class struggle a bit too hard, perhaps at the expense of more thematic subtlety. I would have liked to see Leopold be more than just a straight-up evil asshole. However, Rufus Sewell played Leopold very effectively, getting the maximum mileage possible out of the character. Edward Norton is a pretty good actor, but he wasn't really showing it here; the character of Eisenheim demanded precisely controlled affect, erring on the side of blankness, so that's what Norton did. It just wasn't very exciting.
And, of course, Paul Giamatti as Inspector Uhl was excellent, making Uhl the best character in the film, with a wealth of nuances.
Little Miss Sunshine
--
VERY VERY EXTRA BONUS YES. HOLY CRAP THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE. Dark yet lighthearted comedy, utterly hilarious and simultaneously very poignant. Steve Carell was the brightest of a constellation of bright stars. I urge you to see this movie if you haven't already, and maybe even if you have. DO IT NOW.
Fearless
--
A nicely done martial arts film. Conventional, almost to the point of being too conventional, but since they based the movie on the story of a preexisting legendary figure, I can't fault them too hard on that point.
Worth seeing, but Hero was much better.
The Science of Sleep
--
I empathized a lot with the main character here, as a sort of projection of my childhood (7-14 or so). As such, I actually found this movie extremely depressing, especially the ending; I saw it as the story of Stephane's struggle to break out of his own imaginary world, which he ultimately fails to do. I've seen this categorized as a comedy, but unless I'm completely missing something, it really shouldn't be. If it is comic, it is only so in a very cruel way.
The Prestige
--
Oh my, that was clever. Regardless of whether you see this coming or that coming, it's a very good movie. The acting was consistently good; Jackman gave Angier exactly the magnetism required by the role, Bale gave Borden exactly the brooding idealism required by the role, and David Bowie gave Nikola Tesla exactly the totally awesome required by the role. (Including Tesla as a character elevated the movie immensely in my nerdy mind). The other actors were also superb; I was especially moved by Rebecca Hall's protrayal of Sarah. The conclusion (which I did not in fact see coming, though I had proximal suspicions) was thought provoking and nicely executed.
Are you watching closely?
I have made a substantial effort to avoid spoilers; these should all be safe.
Lady in the Water
--
In a critical and objective sense, this was not a great movie. The story (lowercase) was weakly presented, the plot didn't flow smoothly, many of the characters lacked nuance. And most damningly, M. Night wrote himself in as a major character, which took it from questionable to fanfic in terms of overall professionalism.
But I liked it. I couldn't help but like it. I really enjoyed the movie that M. Night was trying to make, the one that didn't quite make it to the screen intact, and came off as confused and tangled. In a poetic sense the movie itself embodied its own subject matter; it was as if a child told the story, spastically and with obvious gaps, but with starry eyes, a cute squeaky voice, and an insuppressable sense of wonder.
Also, the unabashedly objectively good parts: Bryce Dallas Howard does etherealness very well. Paul Giamatti was straight out brilliant as Cleveland; the healing scene where he cries out to his dead family was some of the best acting I've seen in years. In fact, I went to see The Illusionist almost exclusively because I wanted to see him in another movie.
The Illusionist
--
Very pretty, somewhat clever. I enjoyed the movie overall (even if the trickery at hand was a bit transparent). I think it pushed on the theme of class struggle a bit too hard, perhaps at the expense of more thematic subtlety. I would have liked to see Leopold be more than just a straight-up evil asshole. However, Rufus Sewell played Leopold very effectively, getting the maximum mileage possible out of the character. Edward Norton is a pretty good actor, but he wasn't really showing it here; the character of Eisenheim demanded precisely controlled affect, erring on the side of blankness, so that's what Norton did. It just wasn't very exciting.
And, of course, Paul Giamatti as Inspector Uhl was excellent, making Uhl the best character in the film, with a wealth of nuances.
Little Miss Sunshine
--
VERY VERY EXTRA BONUS YES. HOLY CRAP THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE. Dark yet lighthearted comedy, utterly hilarious and simultaneously very poignant. Steve Carell was the brightest of a constellation of bright stars. I urge you to see this movie if you haven't already, and maybe even if you have. DO IT NOW.
Fearless
--
A nicely done martial arts film. Conventional, almost to the point of being too conventional, but since they based the movie on the story of a preexisting legendary figure, I can't fault them too hard on that point.
Worth seeing, but Hero was much better.
The Science of Sleep
--
I empathized a lot with the main character here, as a sort of projection of my childhood (7-14 or so). As such, I actually found this movie extremely depressing, especially the ending; I saw it as the story of Stephane's struggle to break out of his own imaginary world, which he ultimately fails to do. I've seen this categorized as a comedy, but unless I'm completely missing something, it really shouldn't be. If it is comic, it is only so in a very cruel way.
The Prestige
--
Oh my, that was clever. Regardless of whether you see this coming or that coming, it's a very good movie. The acting was consistently good; Jackman gave Angier exactly the magnetism required by the role, Bale gave Borden exactly the brooding idealism required by the role, and David Bowie gave Nikola Tesla exactly the totally awesome required by the role. (Including Tesla as a character elevated the movie immensely in my nerdy mind). The other actors were also superb; I was especially moved by Rebecca Hall's protrayal of Sarah. The conclusion (which I did not in fact see coming, though I had proximal suspicions) was thought provoking and nicely executed.
Are you watching closely?
no subject
Date: 2006-10-28 04:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-28 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-28 07:45 pm (UTC)I keep meaning to see the movie. I know they removed the frame (which makes sense, you can't do all that much with it), but I'll be interested in seeing what they did with the Angier/Borden story itself.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-28 09:48 pm (UTC)