Lots of football, lots of crying.
Oh boy, was this movie sad. Of course, I knew it would be sad but I thought it would be balanced with uplifting. It was, just barely. Many touching and funny moments and a bizarre, but I thought charming, performance by Matthew McConeghy. Wasted towering talents (yet again) of David Strathairn and the dude from Deadwood (Ian McShane). Matthew Fox was ok, not great, but I'm not crazy about him anyway. And the women...what women? This is a football movie.
The football part is pretty good. I liked that part a lot. And it was easier to take than in other sports films where the outcome of the game has to move the plot. In this case, "based on real life" meant they could tell the story and not have the chance event of a game outcome be the mover of the plot. That made me like it more.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Deja Vu (2006)
Deja Vu was entertaining, mindless fun. Well acted, easy to watch. Plot-driven, suspenseful, action packed--with a silly sci-fi, time-travel twist. What fun! It wasn't a great movie. Possibly not even a good movie. It had a few, mild pretensions to be something larger than it was but not enough to bother me. (Set in New Orleans, dedicated to Katrina victims--but the movie doesn't deal directly with those issues.) The female lead, Paula Patton, came off as a thin (as in not as good an actress as) Halle Berry, but I enjoyed Denzel.
(Note: There must be an extreme age difference between Patton and Washington (he's 52), but I can't find her age listed anywhere. I'd guess she's 30 +/- 3 years. However, their romance is completely unconsummated, so it's not a huge deal.)
This is the movie to see when you want to be entertained, not think too much, but not be infuriated or insulted by idiotic romantic tropes or completely ridiculous plots. Well, the plot is ridiculous, but it's sufficiently entertaining to make it a forgivable offense.
(Note: There must be an extreme age difference between Patton and Washington (he's 52), but I can't find her age listed anywhere. I'd guess she's 30 +/- 3 years. However, their romance is completely unconsummated, so it's not a huge deal.)
This is the movie to see when you want to be entertained, not think too much, but not be infuriated or insulted by idiotic romantic tropes or completely ridiculous plots. Well, the plot is ridiculous, but it's sufficiently entertaining to make it a forgivable offense.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Blood Diamond (2006)
This movie was brutal; like a kick to the gut. It was like watching a movie about the Holocaust--it couldn't be too grim. When there was a humorous moment, it was hard to take. You almost felt guilty for laughing. But you were also relieved to have a chance to laugh. The civil war in Sierra Leone is one of the most horrifying events in recent history. The rebels chopped off hands, arms, feet...it was unbelievable, unimaginable...but it happened. That's not to mention the recruitment of child soldiers, the enslavement of civilians in the diamond "mines" and the destruction of many cities and villages.
The film tried to tell a particular story but had grander ambitions. The grand ambitions took away from the impact of the small-scale story. What do we care about UN meetings decrying "conflict" diamonds? Show us more of what it was actually like to be in Sierra Leone during the war. Those scenes were harrowing. People being shot right and left, with no rhyme or reason, no sense of why any of it was happening. The film also managed to convey the way people act when they know there is a war going on close by but not right there--the way they pretend it's not happening.
Probably the best thing about the film was Leonardo DiCaprio. He played a South African and he nailed the accent. Similar to his recent turn in The Departed, he played a completely sympathetic anti-hero. He's turning into one of the best actors of his generation. Versatile, creative and magnetic. I never liked him much before, but after these two most recent roles, I've changed my mind. Jennifer Connelly, while adequate, was wasted in a thankless role as a brash American reporter. She saves the day more than once, but her acting was flat. And it was annoying that a nice white lady ended up being the savior for a couple of Africans (DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou). The plot was compelling and not entirely believable. Also, it was one looong movie, running about 2.5 hours. I'm not sure what I think of Hounsou's performance--he played a naive village fisherman who loses his family, which may account for the stunned look on his face for most of the movie. The ending is satisfying--perhaps a tad too much--though not exactly happy. I can't whole-heartedly recommend this film, but if you have any doubt that the diamond industry is evil you should probably see it.
(Aside regarding my on-going issue with the age disparity between male and female leads: Jennifer Connelly is four years older than DiCaprio! Their relationship is romantic in the hopeless, impossible sense--as opposed to the sex sense.)
The film tried to tell a particular story but had grander ambitions. The grand ambitions took away from the impact of the small-scale story. What do we care about UN meetings decrying "conflict" diamonds? Show us more of what it was actually like to be in Sierra Leone during the war. Those scenes were harrowing. People being shot right and left, with no rhyme or reason, no sense of why any of it was happening. The film also managed to convey the way people act when they know there is a war going on close by but not right there--the way they pretend it's not happening.
Probably the best thing about the film was Leonardo DiCaprio. He played a South African and he nailed the accent. Similar to his recent turn in The Departed, he played a completely sympathetic anti-hero. He's turning into one of the best actors of his generation. Versatile, creative and magnetic. I never liked him much before, but after these two most recent roles, I've changed my mind. Jennifer Connelly, while adequate, was wasted in a thankless role as a brash American reporter. She saves the day more than once, but her acting was flat. And it was annoying that a nice white lady ended up being the savior for a couple of Africans (DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou). The plot was compelling and not entirely believable. Also, it was one looong movie, running about 2.5 hours. I'm not sure what I think of Hounsou's performance--he played a naive village fisherman who loses his family, which may account for the stunned look on his face for most of the movie. The ending is satisfying--perhaps a tad too much--though not exactly happy. I can't whole-heartedly recommend this film, but if you have any doubt that the diamond industry is evil you should probably see it.
(Aside regarding my on-going issue with the age disparity between male and female leads: Jennifer Connelly is four years older than DiCaprio! Their relationship is romantic in the hopeless, impossible sense--as opposed to the sex sense.)
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