You know about a bad hair day; well, this was a bad movie night—three promising rentals, three disappointments.
Although the period detail is excellent in The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), the main character, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is too unrealistic in contrast to the other characters, who may be a bit off kilter but seem plausible. For example, early on, the protagonist and his wife entertain her boss and his wife for a painful dinner, the social interaction saying all that needs to be said. In contrast to this fine presentation of self in everyday life, our protagonist is so clinically depressed that the interaction involving him seems fakey because ordinarily people would not put up with his taciturn rudeness. Although I liked this film when I saw it several years ago, I’m no longer enamoured with it simply because it is film noirish.
Flight of the Red Balloon (2007) begins with a worrisome scene: A boy is talking up into the air to a balloon which we cannot see, asking it to come home with him. This does not bode well for an interesting movie. Unfortunately, the cinematography makes things worse. As with the opening shot, the camera often focuses on only half the action. For example, if the young boy is playing the piano, the camera focuses on the new babysitter watching him. But the shot does not show enough facial expression to tell us anything. So we’re left staring at an impassive profile while the sound track plays piano scales badly.
Maybe I should have watched Terrence Malick’s The New World (2005) all the way through, but during the first part I felt so preached at that I thought it would only get worse. The natives are fakey—fakey choreographed movements, fakey face paint, fakey handling of a prisoner, and on and on—totally unconvincing. The main white man, Captain John Smith is dull and, apparently, stupid. What’s he doing leaving his men and wandering off through the swamps in a suit of armour? It is symbolic, of course, and just more preaching.