“Machete don’t text.” — Danny Trejo as Machete Cortez in Machete
 |
21 Grams (2003) Sad tortured people doing sad tortured things for two sad tortured hours. If you can deal with industrial strength depression, by all means watch 21 Grams for the great acting. I would even say watch it for the interesting way in which the story is told: presented from the points of view of three different characters, each affected in some direct way by a hit-and-run accident; also presented with flashbacks and flashforwards, perhaps intentionally confusing but coming together toward the end. Some critics would say this is simply directorial showing off, and I myself wondered whether the story could have been told in a more linear way. I also decided that, had I known the movie was going to be a sad as it was, I would not have willingly watched it. Still, an impressive movie, and perhaps the father of 2004’s Crash. |
 |
Perrier’s Bounty (2009) I guess gangster comedies are their own genre now, because I’ve seen quite a few lately. Think Smokin’ Aces. This one is from Guy Ritchie, who also directed RocknRolla, another funny gangster movie. This one, while nowhere near as good as RocknRolla, is still pretty damn good, and the characters are engaging throughout. I thought Brendan Gleeson was playing a cameo role, but he looked to be having fun doing it — as did all the actors, including the dogs. First time I noticed the dogs, I knew they’d wind up stealing the show, and I was right. Good fun, if you don’t mind the violence (keep in mind that this is an R-rated film). |
 |
City Island (2009) This is one of those contrived family dramas wherein each member is concealing a secret, with even more contrived situations leading to forced disclosure, accompanied by loud yelling in fake New Yawk accents. I liked the actors but thought the movie insipid and predictable. The vibe is strictly made-for-TV. |
 |
The Black Balloon (2008) The image of Thomas struggling to stay afloat in the school pool is the image that’ll stay with me. This is a coming of age movie, but imagine coming of age with an older, mentally-disabled brother who thwarts your every attempt to experience a normal life. I’d have a hard time staying afloat too. There are some cliches in The Black Balloon, and some pretty corny scenes too, but the characters are enormously appealing and sympathetic, and overall it’s a very good film. It’s not a comfort film … parts of it made me squirm … but I could not turn away. Once again, the Aussies score. |
 |
Dead Snow (2009) Norwegians. Snow. Dead Nazis. What else could go wrong? Oh yeah … Dead Nazis can’t lose. |
 |
Babies (2010) I didn’t think this French documentary, which follows the first year of the lives of four babies in Mongolia, Namibia, the United States, and Japan, would hold my interest, but it did. I was most interested in the cultural child-raising differences between parents in the different countries. Kids are kids, pretty much, but what a world of difference in how they grow up. You’ll also see, mainly in the background, fascinating glimpses of domestic life in these four corners of the world. The most interesting thing to me was the on-screen absence of the Namibian father, who, unlike the other fathers, is never shown (though you can hear him talking in the background sometimes). And of course the kids are delightful. Good fun, and very entertaining. |
 |
Knight and Day (2010) At first, I couldn’t figure out what this movie was. A comedy? A spy thriller? A movie adaptation of a comic book superhero story? It was flashy, violent, slightly sexy, and above all preposterous, so maybe something between a spy thriller and a comic book, with exotic locations and plenty of cool cars thrown in. Finally, though, the cool cars clued me in … well, that and my reaction to them, which was a strong desire to run out and buy the latest Mercedes-Benz and two or three of those cool new Smart Cars you can only get in Europe, oh, and a Ducati too … Knight and Day is product placement! After watching this deeply silly, pointless movie, I sort of don’t want to waste any more time on Tom Cruise, and that’s a shame because he’s generally a decent actor. |
 |
Machete (2010) I loved the two Grindhouse movies released back in 2007, Deathproof and Planet Terror (reviewed here). They came in a two-disc set that included a spoof trailer for something called Machete, which generated so much interest the producers decided to film it. Machete is everything the legendary trailer, and all the hype, promised it would be. Over the top, deeply funny, and a strong statement on human rights. I must say that it was eerie to watch a movie involving the attempted assassination of a politician on the very day someone attempted to assassinate my own congresswoman, very likely at least in part because of her support for immigration reform. So perhaps my reaction to Machete is stronger than it would otherwise be. Still … more like this, please! |
 |
Dinner for Schmucks (2010) This movie hit all the wrong notes with me. For starters, it wasn’t funny. Steve Carell’s character, Barry, made me think of Inspector Clouseau. Not Peter Sellers’ Clouseau, alas, but Steve Martin’s. Moreover, the humor was of the laugh-at, rather than the laugh-with, variety, mean-spirited and cold. As one ludicrous situation and TV sitcom-style misunderstanding piled on top of another, I gradually lost interest. No. Date Night is funny. Dinner for Schmucks isn’t. |
 |
The Chaser (2008) An intensely gritty, dark, sophisticated and yet blood simple (the Coen Brothers reference is intentional) movie from Korea. Fair warning: it’s about a serial killer and is graphically violent. I didn’t like that aspect of it, but I have to give the movie four stars for telling a complex story the old fashioned way, with excellent acting and cinematography. The foot chases through the alleyways of Seoul rival the car chases in Bullitt and The French Connection, and the gripping story is delivered realistically, in a straightforward, linear way. The director, Hong-jin Na, must be one cynical bastard, or at the very least not terribly fond of Seoul’s policemen and detectives. The incompetence of officialdom will make you laugh one moment and shout at the screen in frustration the next. This is one old school hardcore crime movie, and you’ll remember it for a long time. They say the Koreans are making kickass movies. If this one’s any indication, count me in. |