Movies

As I was writing all of these reviews it occurred to me that for the first time in a long time, I've actually LIKED almost everything I've seen recently. Crazy! But who can argue with that? I have a HUGE wish list of things to see before the Oscars, but most of them aren't going to happen. With Sundance the next two weekends and a CRAZY February, I'll be lucky if I see one or two of the other nominees. But they'll come out on DVD eventually, right? In the meantime, enjoy:

Scoop
It's Woody Allen, but for once he cast himself in a perfect role. I don't really enjoy the rhythm of the dialogue in his movies. . . mostly I feel like everyone is sort of improvising.. . but not in that "this feels really natural way". More like the "I'm uncomfortable improvising" way. That said, it's a fun story, and I did enjoy watching it.

When Did You Last See Your Father
What a great cast! Jim Broadbent, Colin Firth, Juliet Stevenson. It's a slow movie. . . it takes it's time along it's journey, but it's beautifully and honestly done, and definitely worth watching.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The technical aspects of this movie alone make it amazing. TRULY amazing. The computer animation they use to age Brad Pitt is brilliant! I've always been a fan of David Fincher as a director, and he doesn't disappoint with this, although it is seriously outside of the realm of most of his other movies. There are still touches that are definitely HIM. And beyond that, the acting is great. I can't wrap my brain around having to portray someone from birth to death, over the course of 80 years, but both Cate & Brad do it beautifully. Definitely has best picture potential, despite what the Golden Globes thought. (not that I disagree with the choice THEY made)

The Duchess
Oh MAN the acting is good in this movie. There is a scene out on a road in the middle of a marsh that was honestly the most incredible thing I've ever seen in a long time. I know there are a lot of people that think Kiera can't act. I defy you to watch this movie with an open mind and still say that. Ralph is amazing as usual, as is the rest of the cast. If you're a fan of period drama, please see this one.

Ghost Town
I expected this movie to be silly and slapsticky. . . but in reality, it's kind of a chick movie. And I liked it a lot more than I expected to. Ricky Gervais is almost the straight man, and he does a great job at it. Who knew he had that in him?

My Blueberry Nights
First, I didn't expect Norah Jones to be the LEAD in a movie with a supporting cast of Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn, & Natalie Portman. . . but she held her own. This is a very independent feeling movie, but not a weird one, per say. It's a love story, deep down, and a story of a girl finding herself.. . and while the cinematography is a little bit odd and jarring in spots, it's worth a look.

Slumdog Millionaire
The title of this film really threw me for a loop a couple of months back. I thought it was some sort of gangster film. I was very very wrong. It's actually set in India, refers to the children who live in the slums of Mumbai and tend to be thieves and beggars. . . And tells the story of one of them who goes on to play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. But beyond all of that, it's a love story. It's about a boy who cannot and will not let go of a girl. And that tenacity leads him on all sorts of adventures. A great deal of the cast of this movie is less than 18, and they are all amazing. I believed every second of it. And after watching it, I wasn't at all disappointed that the Hollywood Foreign press chose to bestow it's highest award on this film. It's brilliant.