the first real post

7/27/07

It has taken a while to gather my thoughts, but reason doesn’t always come quickly.

The Voice of Reason (on film) is a blog by a movie-lover. It’s not a movie review site. There are reviewers out there who are really good, and I love to read their work. I read it regularly, in fact. I’m just not one of them. I aspire to be the blog equivalent of the water-cooler conversation, where you might ask a coworker who pays attention to movies and who has reasonable taste what is good to see that weekend. What I like is less likely to be Hollywood product than something foreign or independent (or quasi-independent, since independent stuff is pretty rare), but if you want good stuff, you usually have to stray away from standard Hollywood fare.

And now for what’s out there right now:

Sunshine
Directed by Danny Boyle

First, the disclaimer: I’m not really a sci-fi sort of person. The story is interesting, though. The sun is dying and a group of scientists fly out to it to shoot a big bomb into it to get it going again. Or something like that. Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Shallow Grave, Millions) and a good cast (Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, etc.) made the whole thing worth watching—at least until the last third or so when it sort of fell apart. There are nice visuals, good performances, and interesting psychological goings-on. I was happy to be along for the ride, suspending disbelief and all that—at least until that last plot point was introduced. That said, I know there is a group of folks out there who will really like the direction the film took. Maybe the really deep people. Maybe you’re one of these deep people. If so, you can tell me what went on and what the point is. In spite of this flaw (at least from my point of view), I did enjoy the film. If you’re going to see it, do yourself a favor and see it in the theater as it does look pretty darned good on the big screen.

Interview
Directed by Steve Buscemi

This is basically a two-character film. Steve Buscemi directs and plays one of the characters, a serious journalist who is apparently being punished by being forced to interview a B-movie star tabloid-fodder type played by Sienna Miller. The acting is good, the characters are complicated and interesting (although you probably wouldn’t want to spend much time in a room with them), and it does deal with some of the issues of celebrity. These are not issues that I have to deal with, though, so mostly I was glad that I didn’t know anybody like that in real life.

My Best Friend
Directed by Patrice Leconte

Ah, Patrice Leconte. This isn’t his best work, but it’s still worth a look. This is a story about an antiques dealer (Daniel Auteuil) whose colleagues challenge him to produce a friend, as they don’t believe he has any. They’re right, of course. The dealer embarks on a quest, and finds a cab driver (Dany Boone) to coach him in this quest—to find a friend. This film is sweet, charming, and funny.

Which reminds me—here are some ideas for video viewing:

Patrice Leconte has made some wonderful films which would make great rentals: The Man on the Train, M. Hire, Intimate Strangers, and others. Especially The Man on the Train.

Also opening this weekend is No Reservations, directed by Scott Hicks. I haven’t seen it, but I do know that it is a remake of a wonderful German film called Mostly Martha, directed by Sandra Nettelbeck. The film tells the story of a workaholic chef who is suddenly forced to become a parent to a young niece who is orphaned when the chef’s sister dies. And then there's this new guy who works in her kitchen...It’s sweet and romantic without being manipulative, and the emotions are true to life. I can’t comment on the new film, but the old film is definitely worth a look on video.