Catching up

2/4/09

TVOR has been away from her blog for a long, long time. First, she spent several weeks in Peru, which was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Then she had rotator cuff surgery which was considerably less fun and hampered her typing for some time. Then she went to the Palm Springs International Film Festival and she was back in fun mode.

Now she has returned to her post, watching movies, typing with two hands, and ready to opine. And there's so much on which she can opine. Here are some thoughts on what's out there right now.

Slumdog Millionaire
TVOR saw this before it became a big deal. And she liked it. Good story, good energy, nice visuals, good music. It was a nice little movie. It's not so little any more but it's still good.

Milk
This film about the brief political career of Harvey Milk is one of the better year-end releases. Even though everybody knows what happened at the end of that career, the movie still grabs you, with its compelling story and wonderful performances, especially those of Sean Penn and Josh Brolin. Plus it's painfully reminiscent of the 70's and all those unfortunate fashion and hair choices.

The Wrestler
This is definitely one to see. It's a human scale movie, with a story about humans--including the wrestling kind. Mickey Rourke is back, although you may not recognize him. Marisa Tomei is also very good as the stripper in his life. A warning--TVOR had to look away during some of the wrestling scenes. It may be fake competition, but it's brutal. Bruce Springsteen sings a nice song over the closing credits, too--for which he was not nominated for an Oscar. He was robbed.

Frost/Nixon
There aren't too many surprises in this film, but it's an entertaining story and very well-acted. Frank Langella creates a fascinating and complicated Nixon.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
TVOR was really underwhelmed by this one. It's technically very interesting, with great visuals. The problem for TVOR is that it was two hours and 47 minutes of Brad Pitt playing a not-very-interesting character. Sure, he starts old and gets young, but that doesn't make him any less dull as a person. Maybe a great actor could have done something with this, but Brad Pitt certainly couldn't. TVOR tried to care about whether or not he'd get together with Daisy (played by Cate Blanchett) but unfortunately she did not succeed. Daisy was kind of a bitch for most of the movie and who cares if a bore and a bitch find true love? TVOR did like a lot of the supporting characters, especially those played by Tilda Swinton and Jared Harris. Unfortunately they disappeared way too soon. Did TVOR mention that this movie is two hours and 47 minutes long?

The Reader
This wasn't another one that didn't work very well for TVOR. Kate Winslet is good, as usual, but that wasn't enough for TVOR to buy the premise. It's based on a book that TVOR hasn't read. Maybe the book is more credible.

Defiance
This is a very Hollywood-ish take on a true story of a group of Eastern European Jews who fought back and survived during World War II. It's an amazing tale, and the movie has a wonderful cast including Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. It wasn't terrible, but it would have been so much better without the whole Hollywood movie feel.

Wendy and Lucy
No Hollywood feel here. A lovely little movie about a young woman living on the fringe of society, in danger of losing what little she has. The film has an excellent performance by Michelle Williams.

Rachel Getting Married
Sure, this one's been out there for a while, but if you haven't seen it yet, do. Anne Hathaway is amazing as the one-woman wrecking crew who descends on her sister Rachel's wedding. Too bad about that guest from hell--the wedding looks like it would have been really cool otherwise. It's in a great location, with interesting-looking guests, and wonderful music. Actually, it's only too bad for Rachel. It's very lucky for the viewers.

Frozen River
If by some miracle this film has reappeared at a theater near you, check it out. Melissa Leo is excellent as a single mother willing to step outside the law to make the payments on a new mobile home for herself and her two kids. And it's not just her performance. The whole movie is good.

Let the Right One In
This is another one that just might still be floating around in a theater. OK, it's a Swedish vampire movie. Don't dismiss it, though. Even if you think you don't like vampire movies, particularly Swedish ones, there's a good chance you'd like this one. It's lovely, and about all sorts of things other than Swedish vampires. Don't question. Just go.


Video notes:

There are many good reasons to stay home and watch videos right now, if it's just a little too much to think about leaving the house.

The Visitor--Richard Jenkins is wonderful in this film about a widower forced back into the world by some unexpected and unwanted guests, but he's not the only reason to see it. Tom McCarthy, the director of The Station Agent, has done it again.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona--This is the best Woody Allen movie in years. With a great (and beautiful) cast, and a great (and beautiful) location, this funny/sad story is a good antidote to winter. You will probably want to make some travel plans.

Tropic Thunder--This is not a particularly good movie, but it's fun and silly does have its moments (particularly in the opening "trailers") and, of course, it also has Robert Downey Jr.

In Bruges--Ralph Fiennes is Mr. Mopey in The Reader, but he's wonderful in this Martin McDonagh film, as are Brendan Gleesan and Colin Farrell, and pretty much everything else, including the city of Bruges. This film is much more interesting than most of the Oscar nominees. And get ready to make more travel plans.

Man on Wire--While most Americans past kid-hood were paying attention to the final act of the implosion of the Nixon presidency, a crazy French man was planning to walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center. This documentary tells the story of that caper, but is about more than just that. One of the best documentaries of the year.

Trouble the Water--This is another must-see documentary. A couple of filmmakers, in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, encountered a woman in the Superdome who had home video of the storm. The film that was developed with her footage is stunning.

Encounters at the End of the World--Werner Herzog. Documentary. Antarctica. See it.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster--You may not think you're interested in a documentary about steroid use, but you actually are. Fascinating and highly entertaining. Another one you really need to see.

Young @ Heart--This is another documentary that you may not think you're interested in, but once again, you are. It's the story of a senior citizen chorus that sings music that might be considered "nontraditional" for their demographic. As in songs by the Clash and the Ramones. TVOR also regards it as a how-to on aging.

Ghost Town--TVOR will be amazed if you saw this in theaters, as she believes only about twelve people did. Maybe a romantic comedy starring Ricky Gervais and Tea Leone was a hard sale. And the trailer was lousy. Amazingly, the film works pretty well. Apparently dead people can be very irritating if they keep hanging around.

So go out or stay home--it's your choice. But do go to the movies.