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mixedmedia · 08-08-2007, 07:48 AM

I've watched a few movies over the last couple of weeks:

The Aviator 8/10
I expected to be left underwhelmed by this movie but actually found it to be quite entertaining. Leonardo DiCaprio does an outstanding job of portraying this very complex and inscrutable figure in the American parade of eccentric characters.

The Stepford Wives 6/10
I was hanging with this movie for a while. I loved the whole campy, schticky feel of it. But about halfway in it started to lose me. There are huge, gaping plot holes and it just lost the sparkle it had in the first half. But the bit where Roger Bart whispers 'She's fabulous!' during Glenn Close's big Norma Desmond scene was, well, fabulous! Otherwise, I really disliked the ending. I'm not sure how the original book ended, but it just seemed gratuitous and really, really Hollywood.

The Million Dollar Hotel 7/10
I hoped to like this movie better, but...eh. Normally I'm a big fan of Wim Wenders' films but this one just didn't move me much. Probably Milla Jovovich's best acting performance, though. Good music.

300 7/10
I gave this film a much higher score when I saw it in the theater, but unless you have a ginormous high def tv and sound system then, sorry folks, you missed it.

Short Cuts 10/10
I've watched this movie many times and I just love it. A Robert Altman film that is possibly the first of the latter day star-studded films with multi-adjacent plot lines (a la, Traffic, Crash, Babel, etc.). P had never seen it before so I wanted to watch it with him. He found it depressing and I suppose it is...depending on your outlook on life. Me, not so much. There's a lot of comedy in the film. P found it a plus to see Madeleine Stowe completely naked and Julianne Moore walking around arguing with her husband with no clothes on from the waist down - and yes, I mean NO clothes on. But it's real, for the situation, you know? That's one thing I really love about this film - it has a very natural, uncinematic quality to it that makes it very immediate. A few of the stories do end in various stages of tragedy, but that is very real, too. Plus, Tom Waits is in it which is worth 2-3 stars alone in my book. I highly recommend this film if you haven't seen it. It is a little lengthy - about 3 hours, I think, but it's worth it.

Apocalypto 8/10
I truly didn't know what to expect from this one. #1 - it is a great film and I admire Mel Gibson for making it. It is a "huge" film made without grandeur or epic proportions. The performances are very believable yet bold. My only criticism is that I didn't get to know the main characters well enough to invest a lot of empathy in them. Not that it didn't stir up my emotions - quite to the contrary the village invasion scene was incredibly disturbing to me. I almost couldn't continue to watch it. P loves this film (he had seen it before) and it puzzles me why he found Short Cuts depressing but not this one, lol. (I'm still pondering that one - perhaps because the people in Short Cuts are modern day folks like us...but I am digressing..) There were a few other things that irked me a little in this film, but they're not worth going into. As far as filmcraft goes, I thought it was stellar. I recommend it.

08-08-2007, 07:48 AM	#2139 (permalink)
mixedmedia has all her shots. Location: Florida	I've watched a few movies over the last couple of weeks: The Aviator 8/10 I expected to be left underwhelmed by this movie but actually found it to be quite entertaining. Leonardo DiCaprio does an outstanding job of portraying this very complex and inscrutable figure in the American parade of eccentric characters. The Stepford Wives 6/10 I was hanging with this movie for a while. I loved the whole campy, schticky feel of it. But about halfway in it started to lose me. There are huge, gaping plot holes and it just lost the sparkle it had in the first half. But the bit where Roger Bart whispers 'She's fabulous!' during Glenn Close's big Norma Desmond scene was, well, fabulous! Otherwise, I really disliked the ending. I'm not sure how the original book ended, but it just seemed gratuitous and really, really Hollywood. The Million Dollar Hotel 7/10 I hoped to like this movie better, but...eh. Normally I'm a big fan of Wim Wenders' films but this one just didn't move me much. Probably Milla Jovovich's best acting performance, though. Good music. 300 7/10 I gave this film a much higher score when I saw it in the theater, but unless you have a ginormous high def tv and sound system then, sorry folks, you missed it. Short Cuts 10/10 I've watched this movie many times and I just love it. A Robert Altman film that is possibly the first of the latter day star-studded films with multi-adjacent plot lines (a la, Traffic, Crash, Babel, etc.). P had never seen it before so I wanted to watch it with him. He found it depressing and I suppose it is...depending on your outlook on life. Me, not so much. There's a lot of comedy in the film. P found it a plus to see Madeleine Stowe completely naked and Julianne Moore walking around arguing with her husband with no clothes on from the waist down - and yes, I mean NO clothes on. But it's real, for the situation, you know? That's one thing I really love about this film - it has a very natural, uncinematic quality to it that makes it very immediate. A few of the stories do end in various stages of tragedy, but that is very real, too. Plus, Tom Waits is in it which is worth 2-3 stars alone in my book. I highly recommend this film if you haven't seen it. It is a little lengthy - about 3 hours, I think, but it's worth it. Apocalypto 8/10 I truly didn't know what to expect from this one. #1 - it is a great film and I admire Mel Gibson for making it. It is a "huge" film made without grandeur or epic proportions. The performances are very believable yet bold. My only criticism is that I didn't get to know the main characters well enough to invest a lot of empathy in them. Not that it didn't stir up my emotions - quite to the contrary the village invasion scene was incredibly disturbing to me. I almost couldn't continue to watch it. P loves this film (he had seen it before) and it puzzles me why he found Short Cuts depressing but not this one, lol. (I'm still pondering that one - perhaps because the people in Short Cuts are modern day folks like us...but I am digressing..) There were a few other things that irked me a little in this film, but they're not worth going into. As far as filmcraft goes, I thought it was stellar. I recommend it. __________________ Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce Last edited by mixedmedia; 08-08-2007 at 07:52 AM..