“It was beauty killed the beast.” — Robert Armstrong, King Kong (1933)
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Shine a Light (2008) I think the idea was that Martin Scorsese would turn a concert film into cinematic magic, and I must say the photography and staging is brilliant, but really it’s just another concert film and not all that memorable as such. But still, the Stones . . . I might actually have to check out some of the other Rolling Stones concert DVDs now. |
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) Another remake cynically cashing in on an established classic. Keanu Reeves plays the robot, and the robot plays a statue that turns into zillions of tiny man-made-object-gobbling bugs. The bugs get loose, and though Mankind survives the encounter, you know we’re not going to be around long, because all our goodies have been gobbled up and by this time tomorrow we’ll be gobbling each other. |
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Flash of Genuis (2008) John Seabrook wrote an article about Robert Kearns for The New Yorker in 1993. I read it in one sitting — it was that fascinating — and was happy to learn, a couple of years ago, that they were making a movie based on it. But the story of Robert Kearns is in no way pleasant or uplifting, and I wondered how they were going to happy it up for the movies. Now I know: they shortened the story and made Robert Kearns thorny but basically likable. Well, Robert Kearns was anything but likeable. He was an asshole. And his legal quest didn’t stop with the verdict against Ford Motor Company. He went on to sue Chrysler, GM, Mercedes-Benz — every automobile manufacturer who ever offered intermittent windshield wipers — he was totally consumed. When it comes to the real Robert Kearns the movie pulls its punches, but the producers were probably wise to do so — the movie would be too depressing to watch if it were faithful to the facts of Robert Kearn’s personality and long legal saga. By the way, here’s a link to the original New Yorker article. |
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OSS 117: Cairo — Nest of Spies (2006) A French spoof on the early Bond films, with a bit of Maxwell Smart mixed in. Charming, funny, and very well done: this is what those dreadful Steve Martin Pink Panther films should have been. I will absolutely watch the second one, OSS 117: Lost in Rio, as soon as it’s available of DVD. |
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Marley & Me (2008) A sweet story following the arc of a dog’s life, some 13 years . . . and in all that time Owen Wilson never changes his Prince Valiant hairstyle. Not once. The movie’s not as sentimental as I feared it would be. I just knew it would end with Josh bringing home a new puppy . . . kudos to the producers for resisting the temptation! Yes, it will make you cry, but in a good way. |
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Iron Man (2008) What a hoot! Iron Man, for what it is — a comic-book superhero tech fantasy — is pretty damn good. The bad guys are bad, the hero awesome & good, the action fun, the ultimate message moral & upbeat — and the perky girl assistant steals your heart. I had such a good time watching Iron Man, I can almost forgive the producers’ notion that structural icing occurs above the stratosphere. If they needed a gimmick to bring down the bad guy at the end, why not use roll coupling? |
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Son of Rambow (2007) A movie about childhood that doesn’t take itself seriously, and is all the richer, and funnier, for it. Halfway through I turned to my wife and said, “This is more fun than a sackful of Harry Potters.” And then it got better. I cannot recommend this movie strongly enough! |
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I’ve Loved You So Long (2007) A very good movie, with moving performances by Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein. If you’ve just come down from a Hollywood movie sugar high you might find the pacing of this film slow, but I savored (if that’s the right word) every minute. My only disappointment came at the end, when the particulars of Juliette’s crime come to light and she turns out to be made of goodness and light . . . if I had to bet on it, I’d say that more than 99.9% of women who go to prison for murdering their own children are not what anyone would call good mothers . . . so the resolution here was a bit too sweet for my taste. But that is, really, a small flaw. I was moved, and this film will stay with me for a long time. |
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Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) Happy-Go-Lucky tells a small but engaging story. Poppy has a sunny outlook on life and she’s determined to keep it. Of course, life constantly tests her, but she demonstrates that she can focus when she needs to, and deal with unpleasant surprises. She drives you crazy but you can’t help admiring her and wishing you were a little more like her. I didn’t understand the mid-movie scene where she wanders into a bad part of London and has an encounter with a crazy hobo — a scene where, in real life, she’d have been raped, robbed, and killed — but the rest of it held together. The Spanish flamenco instructor is worth the price of the DVD rental alone. The driving instructor — whoa, who knew? This movie is held together not by sweeping themes or grand action, but by interesting characters and great acting. It’s small but exquisite, and I’m happier now than I was before I watched it. |