I'm way behind in movie reviews so here are a bunch of short ones of the better films I've seen recently.
I'm sorry I missed Gran Torino at the beginning of the year and I'm sorry I've had it out from Netflix for 4 months before watching it. I remember the commercials of a Dirty Harry-like character snarling "Get off of my lawn" and had the wrong thoughts. Well yeah, that is the film, but it really works. Eastwood is a cranky old man, who doesn't really like his kids or spoiled grandchildren and who's wife just died. Next a Hmung family moves in and he gets to know them and begrudgingly becomes a father figure to the teenage children. It may be formulaic, but a lot of good films are; and this one mostly avoids the sappiness because the characters remain consistent.
An Education is based on a memoir of British journalist Lynn Barber. Set in 1961, in the London suburb of Twickenham, Jenny is a promising 17 year-old student trying to get into Oxford. She's bored by her studies and hard work and meets David, who's twice her age and takes her to concerts, jazz clubs, auctions and Paris. She struggles between getting an education in school and one in life. Carey Mulligan in a career defining performance as Jenny evokes Audrey Hepburn. Peter Sarsgaard somehow manages to make David not as creepy as he sounds. Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams, Rosamund Pike and Emma Thompson make a stellar supporting cast.
Amelia is a gorgeous biopic about a fascinating woman that manages to be boring. The cinematography, art direction and costumes are great but the script is so shallow that the characters barely unfold. I didn't know much about her but this film didn't teach me much more than she had an open marriage and an affair with Gore Vidal's father. The wikipedia page is far more interesting. Hilary Swank was the perfect casting choice, but Richard Gere is just ok as her husband. He's 25 years older than her while Earhart's husband was only 10 years older. Does Hollywood have no 35 year-old actors?
Seven Pounds stars Will Smith as a wealthy troubled soul going around and helping strangers. The story is told non-linearly and his motivation is kept as a mystery. At just over two hours this goes on too long and is too self-consciously serious. Rosario Dawson breathes some life into the film as a dying woman needing a transplant. I read a number of complaints about the ending but ti worked for me, just wasn't good enough to make up for getting there.
I know Neil LaBute from films like In the Company of Men and The Shape of Things that are designed to piss of their audience. He directed Lakeview Terrace but didn't write it. Given that one of the writers wrote Star Trek V and Money Train, LaBute probably would have helped it. Samuel L. Jackson plays the widowed father of two teenagers. He's an angry LA cop who is unhappy about the mixed racial couple that moves in next door. What starts out as passive aggressive behavior could have been typical LaBute challenging but just turns crazy. Avoid this, I wish I had.
I saw the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three as a kid, I'm not sure if it was on TV or in the theater but I remember really liking it. I saw the remake in June and thought it was an action film that should have been a suspense film. I finally caught the original again and it's amazing. The plot is told almost as a documentary and almost in real time. The bad guys hijack a subway train and demand a million dollars. Their plan to get away is unobvious yet plausible. The bad guys are serious but not insane. The good guys are mostly annoyed that they have to deal with this situation. Walter Matthau often insults bad guy Robert Shaw while "negotiating" with him. I loved that Lee Wallace as the mayor made me think of Ed Koch but it was made four years before he was mayor of NYC. There are a ton of great lines, some of my favorites:
Lt. Garber: Get off it, will you, Frank? My only priority is saving the lives of these passengers.
Correll: Screw the goddamn passengers! What the hell did they expect for their lousy 35 cents - to live forever?
Mayor's wife: I know a million dollars sounds like a lot of money. But just think what you'll get in return.
Mayor: What?
Mayor's wife: Eighteen sure votes.
Lt. Rico Patrone: Wait a minute. I just figured out how they're going to get away.
Lt. Garber: I'm listening.
Lt. Rico Patrone: They're going to fly the train to Cuba.
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