Wednesday, 1 Feb 2006
Okay, let’s see if I can do the films watched this month thing…
The Manchurian Candidate: I tuned in because I wanted to check out Meryl Streep chew scenery and I wasn’t disappointed. Overall, this was a decent thriller. It played upon themes that have been explored elsewhere, so I judged it if it could keep me into the action. In that respect it succeeded, though not in any spectacular way.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou: I wasn’t sure if I’d be in the mood for this film when the spouse picked it out of the VOD menu, but I enjoyed it quite a bit, even with the unusual story pacing. Angelica Huston really steals this film, she can be such a funny woman.
Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven’s Gate: Part of my "Trio, anon" marathon. I was surprised how interesting this documentary about the inner workings of a movie about which I previously knew nothing. More importantly, it was interesting to learn the film’s place in cinema history for the aftershocks the film had on the movie industry.
D.E.B.S.: I heard good reviews and, well, I don’t get them. As much as I like the idea of a campy girl-power spy parody, this one didn’t take the concept to its potential.
Easy Riders & Raging Bulls: Another film from the last days of Trio, this one looked at the changing film industry of the ’70s. Film was struggling as TV offered a more comfortable way to get the same amount of entertainment, opening the door for plenty of young, film-loving mavericks to shake things up. An interesting view of how films evolved, especially in combination with Final Cut.
Fear of the Dark: A pre-teen oriented scary movie (so, therefore, no guts and no deaths) that got my attention for including Linda Purl in the cast. Surprisingly engaging for what it was.
To Be or Not to Be: I’ve long wanted to check this film out and finally an easy chance came up. I was impressed that Mel Brooks managed to make a comedy that touched upon the Holocaust and still be funny.
Latter Days: Overall, this romance between a closeted Mormon and a WeHo club boy didn’t amount to much for me, though both of the leads were nice to look at. A fairly formulaic romance that tries to hit on some heavy issues but ends up as something light and fluffy.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Yeah, I know I’m in the minority for liking Tim Burton’s remake, but I like the vivid color scheme (looking more surreal and less psychedelic than the original film adaptation) and the musical numbers were quite a lot of fun. I think modernizing Mike Teevee as the haxxor kid was an inspired bit, and I particularly enjoyed the casting of Missi Pyle, who does those Laura Bush eyes a little too well.
My Neighbor Totoro: Damn, I want a pet, er companion Totoro… I do like the new voice tracks and it’s quite pleasing to hear that Dakota Fanning is capable of more than the creepy monotone usually asked of her.
The Station Agent: Wow, what a great film about interesting characters. This was one of those quiet and thoughtful films I’m never in the mood for these days, so thankfully the spouse decided to watch this one. Peter Dinklage has a great presence in this film, he’s quite riveting to watch.
February 2nd, 2006 at 5:54 am
I also liked the Tim Burton re-make of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I rented it thinking I would be disappointed, but it turned out great. It’s much more like the book than the original was (partly due to updated special effects, partly due to a willingness by Burton to be creepier than the original - and the book is actually fairly creepy). And the Oompa-Loompa songs and choreography were inspired.
Mike Teevee - well, that was a good update, but I liked it for the anger management issues more than the haxxor stuff. In the book, Teevee is just a little know-it-all, but he doesn’t get much to do and I really didn’t come away thinking that he “deserved” to get what happened to him (of course that might be because I was a little know-it-all when I was 10 too). And in the original movie, he was just a little obnoxious - nowhere near the level of obnoxiousness the other kids rise to.
With the update, though, Teevee’s overly-angry kid schtick works. It makes him a MUCH less sympathetic character to me and has me hoping for his eventual comeuppance. It works much better than even in the book, and its a change that I think Dahl might have approved of if he’d lived long enough to see it.
February 2nd, 2006 at 9:35 am
I sooooo preferred Burton’s Charlie to that train-wreck seventies’ Willy Wanker – I mean Wonka. Depp’s hatred of children spoke to something in my soul.