dibot Blog

Shame was downright action packed compared to the last couple of Bergman ("Saraband") films I've watched. Max Von Sydow ("Rush Hour 3") and Liv Ullmann ("Saraband") are a very unhappily married couple whose house seems to be in the middle of a war zone. Neither half of the couple are very cool. They both do some pretty despicable things. This wasn't my favorite of his films.

I am Legend pretty much rocked. Set in the future where a virus has wiped out much of the human race, leaving behind scary vampire/zombie like creatures, Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness") has been living alone for three years in NYC. The first part of the film really takes its time establishing Smith's lifestyle and complete loneliness. Then it gets tense. My only real complaint is that the monsters were way too fake. When are people going to learn that CG will never be as cool as makeup?

Michel Gondry ("Be Kind Rewind")'s The Science of Sleep is both glorious and frustrating. Gael Garcia Bernal ("El Pasado")stars as a daydreaming artist who has trouble separating dream from reality. He falls for his neighbor and then it's a while will they/won't they thing. I loved the imagery, especially when Bernal is running the office in his dreams. But, after awhile, I just wanted to shake everyone in the story and tell them to get a grip.

Paper Moon was really, really good. Ten-year-old Tatum O'Neal ("My Brother") deserved her Oscar for playing an orphaned child who gives a con man what for. They hit the road together, he's supposed to be delivering her to some relatives, but then it turns out that she has quite a gift for the con. And is often smarter than her mentor. Hilarious and moving. One of my new favorites.

What to say about Southland Tales? I enjoyed the spectacle. Writer/director Richard Kelly's follow up to Donnie Darko is a bit like a Spanish soap opera. I have no idea what's happening, but I find it fascinating to watch. The plot is way too complex, but still interesting. The acting is strange, especially all the SNL people and Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Suburban Girl"), but not necessarily bad. I think it's just too much. It's sci-fi, but Kelly's obviously trying to make a political statement, in a very heavy-handed way. I guess I think if he was going to go this far, he should have just gotten even crazier.

Voodoo Moon is just your average trashy horror movie with a brother/ sister (Eric Mabius, "Reeker"/ Charisma Carpenter, "Relative Chaos") duo who are fighting to destroy the demon who killed their parents when they were young children. They both have special powers. Some of it is entertaining, but most of the dialogue is cringe-worthy. It wasn't very gore, but I did watch it on Sci-Fi, so that all could have been cut out. I liked the idea, the film was just a bit too cheesy to make it work.

I heard so much goodness about My Life as a Dog that I feared it would never live up to the expectations. But it totally did. This film brought Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom ("The Hoax") to the international eye. The movie is depressing, sometimes uncomfortable, often funny and always touching. A young boy whose mother is seriously ill, is sent to live with some relatives in the country. There he meets all sorts of interesting characters. I loved it.

The Wild One stars Marlon Brando ("The Score") as the leader of a motorcycle gang. They invade a small town and what starts out as innocent fun ends in disaster. While all the mayhem is going on, Brando meets a girl, Mary Murphy ("Katherine"), and they both see something in the other that they envy. An interesting story. Very watchable. And, of course, Brando is always fabulous.

I finally caught up with Superbad and I have just one word: McLovin! I mostly loved this comedy about tow bests friend who are trying to get alcohol and girls for a last big high school party. Sometimes Jonah Hill ("Horton Hears a Who")'s  yealling really got on my nerves. But I totally identified with the Michael Cera ("Juno") kid. I loved the home-ec sequence. The cops were pretty funny and I enjoyed the examination of male friendship. Though my husband says it's not always like that. Favorite quote: I don't think you have the technology or the steady had to pull of that procedure. (Or something like that)

Of course, The Other Boleyn Girl is not as good as the book. But even putting that criticism aside, the movie is not that great. It's not awful, either, but, well. Scarlett Johansson ("The Nanny Diaries") and Natalie Portman ("Mr. Majorium's Wonder Emporium") star as sisters who both catch the eye of King Henry (Eric Bana, "Lucky You"). I loved the costumes and the acting, but there were other problems. The story is so big that we don't get the detail to really become involved with the characters. I rarely say this, but the movie needed to be a bit longer. It's political and a romance and both aspects needed more time. I think that would have solved most of my troubles.

Always, always behind I am.

The weekend before the Oscars, I made a desperate attempt to catch up on the nominated films. I quite enjoyed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, even though the film was almost as long as its name. Casey Affleck ("Gone Baby Gone")once again shows he's the real actor in the family. Gorgeous cinematography, the ever glorious Sam Rockwell ("Snow Angels"), and an interesting look at how a man can chose to betray his idol complete the package.

In the Valley of Elah wore on my patience almost from the first scene. Of course, Tommy Lee Jones ("No Country for Old Men") and Susan Sarandon ("Enchanted") were awesome, but Charlize Theron ("Aeon Flux") is as drab as the scenery. The story should have been interesting, if not tense. A soldier disappears from base after returning from Iraq and his father goes to look for him. And it sort of tries for a message. But I blame Paul Haggis ("Crash"). Just because.

Into the Wild made me equally crazy. First, I just can't relate. I don't understand abandoning everything and going to live in the wilderness. Especially not even prepared with some boots. And then some random editing that did not bring the story together. Add in some horrible, pretentious voice over from Jena Malone ("The Go-Getter"), who I cannot stand, and you've got a giant, annoying mess. Eddie Vedder does some excellent songs, and Hal Holbrook ("Shade") almost broke my heart. But those two things alone do not a good film make.

And not related to the Oscars...
Winter Light continues the slowest marathon ever. And by slow, I don't mean the films (though sometimes they are), I mean me. In this masterpiece, director Ingmar Bergman ("Saraband") totally depressed me with an examination of a village priest who seems to have lost his faith. The emotions are real, painful and cold. The shadows and close-ups glorious. But I felt a sadness all day.