Bringing Up Baby (1938, U.S.)

What can I say about this one? It's a classic—absolutely hilarious. I love Cary Grant, and I'm also quite fond of Katharine Hepburn. Add a domestic leopard, mistaken identities, and strange situations, and you can't go wrong.

This one just has to speak for itself. It's a classic, and if you want a good laugh, this will do it.

Rating: 4.5

Rancid Aluminium (2000, UK)

What a strange movie. I'm not sure if there was a point. There was a plot, but at the end all I could think was, "Why?" The major idea of the movie was that a man (Ifan)'s father dies and leaves him the family company, even though the son's best friend (Fiennes) put more work into the company. The friend is jealous and smart. So he convinces the son that they're going bankrupt and enlists Russian mobsters to (it seems) steal his friend's money and then kill him.

His motivations made no sense. The Russians' role made no sense. The son's affair with the mobster's daughter made no sense. The vague ending made no sense.

I guess this just wasn't my cup of tea, but it did have Joseph Fiennes in it, so I had to try. (Random note: I think they trimmed his eyelashes so he wasn't as attractive. Some attention to detail!) The best things about this one were the acting (of course) and the score. It was almost like the score was one big joke. It was overdramatic, diverse, and just plain odd. But it fit perfectly, and really added something. If you're big on original (by which I mean unique) film music, it's worth watching just for that.

Rating: 2.5

Speed Racer (2008, U.S.)

One guess why I watched this bit of silliness—yeah, that would be Matthew Fox. I love that man, and I loved him as Racer X. Add to that the brilliant, truly comic-book inspired score by Michael Giacchino, and the whole thing was worthwhile.

Don't get me wrong, this was a good family movie. The Wachowski brothers did a great job of creating this brightly-colored science fictional world, where car racing is a way of life. It was almost overwhelming to the point of distraction, all this color and such.

The movie's got great messages about family, fighting against the corrupt capitalist upper-class, doing the right thing, etc. The cast was really high-profile, which was a bit incongruous with this type of movie. (The last thing I saw Emile Hirsch in was Into the Wild, so seeing him now as Speed Racer was even stranger.) The plot was confusing at times, but it all became clear in the end.

As I seem to have really lost my gift for description, I think I'm going to give up on this review. Suffice is to say that for the type of movie this was, it was really good. Oh, and did I mention Matthew Fox?

Rating: 3.5

Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006, U.S.)

What an incredibly unique film. I didn't have any expectations going into this one; in fact, I only had a vague idea what it was about. But it was something special.

It's about a guy who commits suicide (presumably because his girlfriend leaves him). However, the afterlife for suicide victims is almost exactly like this life—only it's more drab, more depressing, filled with other suicides, and nobody is allowed to smile. So this guy finds out the girl he killed himself over committed suicide too, and he begins a journey to find her. Of course what he finds instead is himself, some friends, and, ironically, a little bit of meaning in life.

This was perhaps one of the most bizarre fantasies I've ever seen, from "miracles" to a black hole under the seat of a beat up car to accidental residents of a strange purgatory. The acting was great. The story was a fresh take on an old theme, the setting was fittingly drab, and the ending was both disheartening and uplifting all at once.

Brilliant.

Rating: 4.0

Hard Candy (2005, U.S.)

I just don't even know what to say about this one. A pedophile (or is he?) versus a 14-year-old girl (slash psychological torturer?). Who do you want to win this battle? I'm not sure.

The film's intense. Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson did some of the most brilliant acting I've seen in ages. The plot was intriguing, the suspense gripping. Really well done, and with a total of five actors (although most of the action dealt with only two).

It's an amazing film. I can't say that you will enjoy it because of its dark themes and how uncomfortable it will make you feel, but you can't argue against its value as a work. (Hence the lack of a strong rating one way or the other.)

I just don't have anything else to say. You'd have to see it for yourself.

Rating: 3.0

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971, UK)

After I saw Anne of the Thousand Days and didn't fall in love, I didn't have high hopes for this one, which was also directed by Charles Jarrott. But it was great.

Of course Vanessa Redgrave is a wonderful actress, and I've seen her in several films, but this was the best role I've seen her in, I think. And Glenda Jackson might be my all-time favorite Queen Elizabeth. I love Cate Blanchett, and I loved Bette Davis, but Glenda Jackson's Elizabeth was the most "real" characterization. She seemed like a regular person, but grouchy and headstrong and not entirely likable. Probably how she really was. (Side note: Jackson is now an MP. How cool is that?)

I liked that this film spanned many decades of their relationship and took the opposite approach than the usual one. I wish that there could have been more of everything... But that seems to have been the trend recently.

The score was typical of all period pieces from the late 1960s and early 70s, but it was still good. And Ian Holm as a young man with black hair and beard... too strange.

So overall, this was pretty much what you would expect from a film of its type, but a bit better. If you like this kind of thing, you'll like Mary, Queen of Scots.

Rating: 4.0

Lust, Caution / Se, jie (2007, China)

I wanted to see this because it's Ang Lee's newest film after Brokeback, and I haven't seen any of his Asian films besides Eat Drink Man Woman. Plus I'd heard pretty good things about it.

It was... okay. Elements of it were really great. The cinematography, the costumes, pretty much everything visual was wonderful. The score was also beautiful, and it stuck with me days after I watched it, and I only realized today that it is by one of my favorite composers, Alexandre Desplat.

The plot was incredibly intricate and hard to follow. This could have to do with the language. Even though I had subtitles (obviously), I sometimes find Asian films harder to follow than, say, French or German films. Perhaps because the intonation is just so different.

The historical detail was probably a bit much for the average viewer, but I liked it. I also liked the neo-noir feel.

Here's the thing. There was supposedly a lot of sex in this movie. Unfortunately, Blockbuster only had the R-rate (not NC-17) version, which meant a lot of these scenes were cut out (I'm assuming). I say "unfortunate," because I feel like I must have missed a lot of dialogue, etc. that would have helped me understand the characters, the plot, and just everything in general.

I think perhaps rewatching this one might give me a better impression—but I don't know if I feel up to it.

Rating: 3.0

Dances with Wolves (1990, U.S.)

I have fallen quite behind in posting, so my impressions on this (and the next few) film(s) isn't that fresh.

I watched this film because, as I always say, "the moms love it." "The" moms being women of my mother's generation in general. I'm not much of Kevin Costner fan, which is why it took me so long to see it.

I liked it. It was long, meandering, and often "boring," which are qualities I often value in a film when other people wouldn't. The biggest problem was the amount of psychological development going on in the main character which was probably more evident in the novel, but it was translated to the screen fairly well, for the most part.

I really just don't have much to say about this one. It's one of those movies you just have to see and experience yourself. You can't help but get invested in John Dunbar's life—hours pass by, and you forget there's a world outside the film. Sometimes, that's exactly what I want from a movie.

I think I would have rated this one higher if a) there was more—more everything, not that there was time for it, or b) if the ending was more satisfying somehow.

Rating: 3.5

Y tu mamá también (2001, Mexico)

I pretty much had the same reaction to Y tu mamá también as I did to The Human Stain. It was really quite wonderfully done, and yet I wished there was something more. And again, I couldn't quite put my finger on what that "more" would be.

Let me start by saying that I think Alfonso Cuarón is great. After all, he did direct my favorite of the first five Harry Potter films (Prisoner of Azkaban) as well as the absolutely brilliantly done Children of Men. Clearly, he has some flexible skills.

This film took a road trip sex-fest and turned it into an examination of life, love, and friendship. It's about growing up. It's about living the life you want to live before it's too late. It's about the stuff of friendships, especially those forged from opposite sides of the tracks. And in the background is the beauty of Mexico and traditional life and the changing nature of the country. Yet for all that, it's still funny in addition to being touching and dramatic.

Superb acting. Superb writing. Superb cinematography. I think that only two things are keeping me from giving this one a higher rating. First, the guys were just a little too "teenage" for me. Which was the point, I guess, and it wouldn't have worked any other way, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy the typical behavior of typical boys. Secondly, the ending left me reeling with questions. Mainly, "Why did their friendship turn out the way it did?" Definitely a thought-provoker, from the instant the credits start rolling.

Rating: 3.5

Love, Honour, and Obey (2000, UK)

What a weird one from Natural Nylon. But then, I guess you couldn't expect anything else. A clash of London gangters. Violence, profanity, sex jokes, friendships, love, marriage... Jonny Lee Miller narrates the film in a clown costume. Scenes of all of the characters singing karaoke are spliced into the main storyline. Jude and Jonny's friendship is paralleled to Sadie and Ray's pending nuptials. (Hence the "love, honour, and obey.")

I read a review of this on imdb, and the reviewer said "It wasn't bad. It wasn't good." And that's about what I thought of it. Parts of it were really brilliant—the time structure, the random karaoke and clown-narration scenes, the relationship foil, the ongoing erectile dysfunction side plot (now there was a surprise). On the other hand, it seemed too violent, too vulgar, too unrealistic, too pointless. So not good, not bad. On the other hand, I am curious to see some other Natural Nylon productions now.

I don't really know what else to say about this one. It is definitely one of a kind, if nothing else.

Rating: 3.0

The Human Stain (2003, U.S.)

I saw this movie on TV a couple of years ago and had an overall good impression of it, but I didn't see the whole thing from the beginning. So I decided to watch it again. (Also, I needed a bit of a Wentworth fix before Prison Break stated back on Monday... but that's a post for another day.)

To begin with, The Human Stain has a stellar cast—Sir Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Wentworth Miller, Gary Sinise. Even Ed Harris, who I normally could live without, is quite good in this film. Add to that a wonderful score by Rachel Portman, who's one of my favorites. (Little surprise here—Portman has been nominated for two Oscars and has won a third... the first woman to do so.) So all in all, the film just couldn't be bad.

And the plot is also quite great. Coleman Silk, a seemingly white man born of black parents, living his life as a Jewish classics professor, is accused of making a racist remark, which costs him his wife and his career. Nobody knows about his heritage, but the viewer discovers it through flashbacks of his young adulthood. (Enter Wentworth Miller, who was great in this role. Interestingly, Miller's father is supposedly black, though you may not know it to look at him. I bet this role was strange for him.) At this point, other people start coming into Silk's life. A white-trash woman (Kidman) with an abusive ex-husband (Harris) and a closet full of skeletons. A novelist (Sinise) suffering from writer's block and hiding out from the world.

Through his interactions with these people and the accompanying flashbacks, Silk's history slowly unfolds. It's about racial idenity and living a lie and how it changes a person and his life. It was really well crafted, yet I found myself wanting more. I felt like I was having to make to many connections / analyze too much myself. It just could have had more... something. I feel like I need to read the book to get the whole story now. In fact, I think I will.

So I liked it, but I could have liked it more.

Rating: 3.5