Black Books (2000-2004, UK)

I just finished watching the entire show Black Books, a very short British sitcom of three series, six episodes each. It was hilarious. It's written by the man who plays the main character, an Irish comedian by the name of Dylan Moran.

Moran plays Bernard Black, the owner of the store Black Books. He doesn't like customers, but he does like to smoke, drink, and live in absolute filth. He is grouchy and grumpy and just too funny for words, perhaps one of the best characters I have seen in a sitcom / episodic show for quite some time. (I can't count the characters of my beloved serials, of course.)

If you need a laugh, watch this one. Seriously.

Rating: 4.5

Dinotopia (2002, U.S.)

One guess as to why I picked this one out. The correct answer would be Wentworth Miller. I finished re-watching the first three seasons of Prison Break this summer break, and I was ready for a Wentworth fix. Since season four doesn't start for another week, I started looking for films. And I discovered this rare gem of a kid's movie, made-for-tv, and starring a 30-year-old Went as one of two teenage brothers who are in a plane crash and find themselves on a strange island called Dinotopia. The inhabitants of this island include both humans and dinosaurs, who coexist in peace. It's based on a series of books for children.

And it was actually quite great, as kids' movies go. Quite refreshing after some of the crap Disney has churned out in recent years. What an amazing undertaking. Nearly 3/4 of the film had to have some sort of CGI becauses of all the dinousaurs, and the actors did an amazing job of acting to the air, I think. Of course, the CGI dinosaurs were not what you would expect were you thinking Jurassic Park. They're much less terrifying—even the T Rexes. Even their appearance is brief and as minimally frightening as possible.

Of course, you have to give it a little flexibility in judgement, since it is a non-rated movie for children. For instance, as an older viewer, I would have liked to know what brother the girl chose in the end, since one of them kissed her and one of them told her he was falling in love with her. I guess the younger viewers don't care about those things though. Or the fact that some of the dialogue was exceedingly cheesy. Or the fact that the story really beats you over the head with its "lesson."

But despite these things, or maybe because of them, I really did like this movie. It was really a great fantasy world for children, with beautiful scenery that could really insipire a young imagination. It was four hours long, and I found myself wishing that it could be even longer. In fact, I liked it so much that before I even got to disk two, I was asking my mom if she would be allowed to show this movie to her fourth-graders.

Perhaps I've just had so much adult-type stress in my life recently that I needed to feel like a kid again. This was the way to go.

Ratin: 4.0

The Machinist (2004, Spain)

Apparently The Machinist is a Spanish film, and its official name is El Maquinista—and here I always assumed it was American. (It does take place in Los Angeles.) Spain seems to be more open to brilliant filmmaking than all of the Hollywood studios that turned this one down. And it was brilliant. I can't say that I loved it, because my spine was crawling throughout the entire film, but I can say that it was bloody brilliant filmmaking. At the end, all I could do was stare at the screen in a dumbfounded manner, stifling the urge to voice random strings of expletives. It was just that mind-boggling.

The plot was complex and twisted and left one guessing. Everything you thought you knew about it turns out to be wrong. While you can guess some plot twists, others just hit you like a ton of bricks. As psychological thrillers go, this one is tops. (Although I think "thriller" is the wrong word. I don't know what's better.) Aside from the well-written script, the primary driving forces behind the suspense were an eerie score and incredibly ominous camera angles—if one can describe camera angles as such. Taking all of these elements together... One hell of a ride. Add to that some interesting symbolism, a lesson in morality, and great acting—did I say brilliant?

And we can't review this without mentioning Christian Bale and his unhealthy devotion to perfecting a role. The loss of 63 pounds, to the point where he looked that malnourished, is both impressive and revolting. True, it really did add to the role, but he is still a great actor without the physical modifications. Weight loss aside, this really was one of the best roles I've ever seen him in. He really looked like he was slowly losing his mind. Wow.

A final summary: truly terrifying. It will give you goosebumps and make you look over your shoulder in the dark, but in the end the only thing that's there to scare is what's inside the human mind. Which makes the film that much more effective.

Rating: 4.0 (not entirely sure about this)

Gone Baby Gone (2007, U.S.)

I have to agree with what a lot of people have been saying—Ben Affleck makes a much better director than actor. His brother is definitely the better actor. Still, even though I'd seen Casey Affleck in plenty of movies before, since seeing The Assassination of Jesse James, I've been unable to think of him as anyone but Robert Ford. Once I get used to him as a new character, I definitely begin to enjoy the new movie more.

I don't have much to say about this film. It was okay. It wasn't quite "just another mystery," but it was close. There were definitely more (and better) twists, but I spent a lot of the movie not quite sure what was going on, so it was hard to enjoy. Once I got to the ending and it all came together, I thought "Wow, good stuff." It just took too long to get there. The ending definitely leaves you something to think about and discuss over the dinner table though.

Other positive aspects of the movie: cast/acting, score by Harry Gregson-Williams (who I've loved since the brilliant Kingdom of Heaven score)—especially "Opening," end credits song by Alexi Murdoch (who I also love, and I wish I could get my hands on this new song), and... that's about it. So pretty much the cast and the music.

Besides the deep philosophical/moral questions I was left with after this film, I did have one other question: why does every movie I see that takes place in Boston involve squalor, crime, and corrupted cops/politicians, etc.? I used to think Boston was a nice place, until I started watching movies. Hmmm.

Rating: 3.0

Mamma Mia! (2008, U.S.)

I didn't have very strong feelings about this film one way or the other, but there hasn't been much else to see in the theater this summer, and my ABBA-fan friend needed some serious cheering up, so I decided to take her to Mamma Mia!. I do not regret it at all.

I love musicals, of course. The '70s, on the other hand, I am not so fond of. Consequently, I've never listened to ABBA. Big mistake. All of the numbers in Mamma Mia! are catchy and fun—so fun that you might just want to run home and buy the soundtrack, like I did. The dance sequences are just absolutely ridiculous (and often hilarious), but they work really well. It's obvious that the script was written for the music rather than the music being written for the script, but it worked well that way.

Of course I have nothing but good things to say about the actors. Amanda Seyfried probably has a good career ahead of her, and she has a beautiful voice. Meryl Streep I like more and more as she gets older. Of course I love Colin Firth, and he was great. And I was so excited to see Stellan Skarsgård in a part where he wasn't a bad guy or some such (i.e. Bootstrap Bill)—actually, he was so adorable in this film I could just eat him up. Of the three "dads" in the movie, Pierce Brosnan was my least favorite. I've never been a big Brosnan fan, but he was still pretty good. I don't know about his singing though. Well, to be fair, his voice wasn't awful, but he sure does make funny faces when he sings. I think it's from trying to maintain an American accent.

So I don't know what else to say. Great music. Beautiful scenery. Fun dancing. Hilarious situational comedy. Stellar cast. Ends with a twist. Good, good stuff.

Rating: 4.0

Breakfast on Pluto (2005, Ireland)

Now these are the kinds of things I watch when my odd (but wonderful!) friends recommend films to me. We have Jeff to thank for this one.

Breakfast on Pluto is the story of Patrick "Kitten" Braden, whose mother abandons him after his birth—he is the illegitimate child of the priest in the small Irish village. He begins cross-dressing from a young age. He hangs out with other unusual kids—a bohemian girl, a boy with Down's Syndrome, and a future IRA revolutionary. He causes a lot of trouble in his Catholic school. In other words, he's just an odd duck. But he always, always stays true to who he is inside, no matter how much external forces threaten him or not take him seriously. (He continually has to tell people that he can take things seriously, but that they are too serious.)

So Kitten tells the story of how he sets out for England to find his long-lost mother, the strange things that happen to him along the way, and what he really finds in the end. It's about his character, and it's about his journey. That, combined with the interesting method of story-telling (he actually gives chapter titles and tells his own "autobiography") and the "big" themes (gender identity, cultural/Irish national identity), make this film unique. There are touching moments, funny moments, uncomfortable moments... It's just great.

And Cillian Murphy? Wonderful.

Rating: 3.5

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969, UK)

Here's another one of those movies that it seems like I should have seen by now. It's one of Jennifer's favorites and it's about Tudor England. My kind of movie.

As far as portrayals of Anne Boleyn go, I thought this one was pretty good. She was shown as a strong, self-willed woman who wasn't going to let anyone tell her what to do, be he king or kin. That's the norm for her character I guess, but I thought that Geneviève Bujold did an exceptional job with this facet. However, I thought her relationship with the Earl of Northumberland could have been significantly strengthened. They seemed to be in love, but she gave up quite easily. Her relationship with Mary was also non-existant, but I guess we come to expect otherwise with the recent release of The Other Boleyn Girl.

The casting of Richard Burton as Henry VIII seems so obvious. Don't get me wrong, he was okay, but I just don't think he pulled it off, charisma-wise. (Come to think of it, I can't say that anyone has done Henry justice; perhaps Burton does come the closest.) The chemistry between Bujold and Burton was weak, I thought, so that didn't help matters.

Otherwise, this film was exactly what you'd expect of such an undertaking. Often oversimplified and cliched, but still entertaining. The "thousand days" of the title were quickly glossed over too. Most of the film was the courtship, then Elizabeth was born, then she was 3 and Anne was executed. Those 1000 days just flew right by! Anne apprently sacrifices herself so that Elizabeth won't be a bastard; she's all nobility and craziness. (Oh, how historical aftersight can futher dramatize these things!) I thought it was overdone, though well done. Then there was the ending, where young Elizabeth hears the cannons signalling her mother's death, and she goes walking off into the garden, away from the camera. Quite corny, but still touching. I appreciated that this filmmaker didn't feel the need to put an awful caption beneath the image of the toddler.

One more note: The score to this film was composed by Georges Delerue, who I am very familiar with, since he composed a boatload of scores for François Truffaut. It was a bit over the top, as his scores often are, but it fit quite well.

Overall, entertaining if taken a bit too quickly and with less emotion than this story requires. (It was not the "passionate and shocking love story" of the tagline.)

Rating: 3.5

Batman Begins (2005, U.S.)

I saw this film once at a party at my apartment junior year of college, but there was a lot going on and I didn't really see most of it. That might be because the first 45 minutes or so are kind of a drag. Really, that was my main complaint with this one. If the first 45 minutes were squashed into 10, the whole thing would be better. (Unlike The Dark Knight, which was even longer but never felt that way.)

Otherwise, I have only good things to say about it. Some of my favorite actors, a collaboration of two of my favorite composers, and my favorite bad guy from the "Batman" TV series I watched as a kid—the Scarecrow. I say he was my favorite... He scared me to death, but then isn't that what bad guys are supposed to do? Not to mention, Cillian Murphy is on the top of my all time creepiest actors list. Don't get me wrong, I love him. He is absolutely fantastic. But even the movies I've seen him in where he played a good guy, like Cold Mountain or The Wind that Shakes the Barley, he still gave me the creeps. Probably because the first thing I ever saw him in was either 28 Days Later or Red Eye. Now that was some perfect casting.

Christian Bale is also a very strong actor. I've been watching more and more of his work recently, and I don't think I've seen anything that I haven't liked. If only he wasn't paired with an awful actress like Katie Holmes... Maggie Gyllenhaal was a great replacement there.

The last thing I'll say is about the visuals of the film. They're great. The way that they created Gotham was amazing, exactly as I've always imagined it—dark and dirty, but with some unexpected beauty here and there. Perfect playground for Batman. In fact, I think that's the one thing that was better in this film that in Dark Knight. The mood of the city, a very "Gotham" feeling. Good stuff.

Rating: 4.0

Newsies (1992, U.S.)

Newsies is my friend Jennifer's favorite movie. It's a musical. It's historical. So why haven't I seen it before now? Good question! I was about two minutes into the film when I decided that I was just going to have to like it. Everything about it was great, from the opening credits to the final number. And 18-year-old (pre-Little Women!) Christian Bale... what's not to like? He was actually quite a good singer and dancer, although it seemed like they left him out of as many dance sequences as possible. Strange.

The main thing I had to complain about was that there could have been more musical numbers. And a bit of the choreography was pretty lame, but most of it was amazing and fresh, for lack of a better word.

Really, I don't know what else to say about this film. One of a kind. Makes me yearn for the glory days of Disney, when they had class. Now it's garbage like Hannah Montana. Oh, to be young again.

Rating: 4.0

Jack and Sarah (1995, UK)

This must have been another one of those films that Blockbuster recommended, because I don't know why I'd see it otherwise. Well, to be fair, it did have a stellar cast—Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Imogen Stubbs, Eileen Atkins... but those were all the supporting roles. The main characters, especially the girl, were awful. The dialogue was often stupid, and there was some horrible, horrible acting.

The premise was good. A (British) man's wife dies in childbirth and he's left to raise his baby daughter by himself. Enter the mess of an American nanny, and instant romantic comedy. Pretty serious subject matter for a romantic comedy, though.

Like I said, the leads weren't great, but the premise was good and there were some very funny parts. But overall, I could have lived my life without seeing it and I would have been okay.

Rating: 3.0