Screening Season 2006

http://s2.zaadz.com/blog/2006/11/screening_season


Movies

Babel
This film had so much potential.  It follows 5 stories connected from a single action around the globe.  It is great travelogue taking the viewer were they have never been before. The photography and the performances are fantastic.  But ultimately the picture fails to tie 5 disparate stories together.  They share the common thread of “miscommunication” but ultimately that is not a strong enough common theme
Borat
If you liked HBO’s Ali G show you will like Borat.  It’s really funny.  See it in a crowded theatre share the laffs.

Flag of Our Fathers
Detailed period art direction and subtle performances can’t help this confused story about World War II.  I was lost in the flashbacks and points of view that constantly shifted.  Perhaps if I had read the book I would have understood.

Inside Man
A fun action movie to watch. Spike Lee gives a tired genre some pizzazz.

Little Miss Sunshine
A really smart funny comedy.  One of the best of the year.

Marie Antoinette
Paris Hilton in the 16th century.  If you are interested in Marie Antoinette you will be better off watching the great PBS two night special.

Stranger Than Fiction
A dark comedy.  Not to be confused with a Will Farrel movie.  This movie explores a character barely living life.  Just going through the motions.  Watch him come to self-awareness and turn that around.  A brilliant advertisement for free will.

Thank You For Smoking
A PR guy for a cigarette company is the hero as he talks people into the importance of smoking. Funny, but a tad slow.

The Prestige
Well paced, fun to watch.  I liked it but felt let down at the end.  Most of the people who saw it were not disappointed like me.  Maybe I am too picky.

The Departed
Not as good as other Scorsese films but it is a good action.  Very violent.

The King
Really bad independent film that could have had potential if it wasn’t so slow.

The Last King of Scotland
This is the story of Idi Amin’s rise to powers seen through the eyes of a young foreigner visiting Uganda.  Excellent film.
 
The Queen
A look into the British Monarchy around the time Princess Di died.  I enjoyed the inside view of power between the Queen and the Prime Minister. 

Re: Screening Season 2006

Here are a few more capsules:

Little Children
This is a artful allegory about modern life.  Kate Winslet is terrific.  Casting the narrator from “Frontline” to narrate this was genius.  Has similar tone to American

DAYS OF GLORY (Indigènes)
This is an Algerian film about Algerian soldiers who went to France to fight in WWII.  They were treated like dogs.  This is a heartfelt film from people who had family members go through this hell.  France would not pay pensions to these soldiers.  The film is an attempt to change that.

Children of Men
20 years in the future chaos, terrorism, pollution, immigration problems abound.  The metaphor is that suddenly women can’t have children.  Michael Caine is especially fun to watch.  Looks a bit like 28 days.  The story is a weak cliché with Clive Owen has a quest to get from A to B.  Plays like a videogame.  Yawn.

Flight 93
Very exciting realistic depiction of 9/11.  I didn’t want to see it because I thought it would be like a TV movie.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Nuanced, heartfelt, scary.

Superman returns
Another Superman movie (yawn)

Blood Diamond
Nice blend of action and message

Iwa Jima
Taken with “Flag of Our Fathers” this becomes an important war film.  This is the Japanese POV of the Battle of Iwa Jima.  A stark contrast to the American POV.  The film continues to haunt well after the lights have come up.

Déjà vu
A fun Tony Scott action movie with a science fiction twist.  Don’t look for depth.  (Apparently everything is not predestined we have free will)   Enjoy the ride.

Casino Royalle
Make James Bond more human.  He slips up he makes mistakes he doesn’t always get the girl. I enjoyed the new James Bond tone.

Dreamgirls
How many movies get huge ovations after production numbers?  This is a real crowd pleaser.  How many Oscars?

The Good German
Brooding movie about Germany post WWII. Soderbergh dared compare this to Casablanca at the end.  It didn’t have any of the heart.