Heaven (2002, Germany)

This was an enthralling, beautiful, sad, uplifting film. It is definitely one of a kind. Philippa seeks revenge for her husband's death by planting a bomb, but instead of killing the intended target, the victims are innocent bystanders instead. When she is arrested and interrogated as a terrorist (they don't believe her story about her husband), one of the officers is the young Filippo. He forms this inexplicable attachment to her and tries to help her escape.

Somehow the couple falls in love, and it seems improbable and inevitable all at once. They become twins, from their clothes to their hair to their situation to their already matching names to their quest for something more (perhaps the titular heaven). The effect is rather stunning, as is much of the composition. One shot of them standing under an enormous tree during a beautiful sunset is absolutely breathtaking. Their shadows meld together so that they become one person, a process begun by their previously mentioned physical transition.

Despite its simplicity, the plot seemed very confusing at times. I think this is probably because it was such a symbolic piece. The opening scene was especially jarring, though even it made sense in the end. I would give this a 3.5 because of its shaky plot foundations, but between the symbolism, the cinematography, and the powerful acting (Blanchett and Ribisi were incredible), this film really grabbed me somehow. A very pleasant surprise.

Rating: 4.0

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004, U.S.)

I'm not sure why I wanted to watch this film or what I expected from it. I figured it was a modern classic, since it had been released by Criterion. Also, I'd see anything with Cate Blanchett, because she's brilliant.

Mostly, I just found it to be odd. The plot was based on an entirely bizarre premise, and many of the developments didn't make much sense. The characters seemed mostly flat and their relationships forced. Ultimately, this famous comedy didn't strike me as funny at all.

I really just don't have much to say, because I'm still asking myself what just happened.

Rating: 2.5

Veronica Guerin (2003, U.S.)

Cate Blanchett is one of my all-time favorite actresses. No matter what part she's in, she's brilliant. This was no exception. She shone in the true story of Veronica Guerin, an Irish reporter who exposed the Dublin drug trade in the mid-1990s. She carries on through threats, a gunshot to the leg, and a beating, determined to clean up Dublin society. She's ultimately murdered in 1996.

Veronica Guerin obviously had to be a fearless, determined, and admirable woman, which Blanchett conveys well. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be sometimes convoluted and not fast-paced enough for the subject. Perhaps most Irish viewers familiar with the subject would have followed better that doesn't change the pacing.

Overall I found it educational, a great performance for Blanchett, but just too slow.

Rating: 3.0

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008, U.S.)

This film was truly stunning. It was creative and original. The cinematography was beautiful. The acting was fantastic. The makeup is a shoo-in for an Oscar for sure. The music could have been stronger, considering it was composed by Alexandre Desplat (one of my favorites), but it was really wonderful too.

I cannot say enough about Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt—they are truly phenomenal actors. Both play their characters from their mid-teens to very old age (although in Pitt's case, his external and internal ages are the exact opposite), and they do so in the most convincing manner, even down to aging their voices.

The plot of this film was multi-layered. On the one hand, you have a man who is discovering himself and life in a much different way than everyone else does. He is lonely and feels like an outcast because of his special circumstances. He is wise as a "young man" because he's learned so much from the perspective of an elderly man. On the other hand, you have a great love story about star-crossed lovers who have terrible timing but who are fated to be together. And if you had a third hand, on that hand would be the meaning of family and its discovery in unlikely places. Life lessons and romance all mixed together with a mostly serious—though sometimes playful—tone.

If I had to recommend one movie from 2008, this would probably be it. I look forward to seeing how many Oscars this one can grab!

Rating: 5.0

Pushing Tin (1999, U.S.)

Today I watched another one of those "Why have you not seen this yet?" movies. I mean, a flick with both Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie? I know I love my actors, but I really love my actresses. Especially those two. It was quite interesting to watch them both before they were big stars, playing characters that are so unlike the ones they play these days. Really reinforced my belief that they're two of the greatest actresses ever. Of course, the two of them together could not detract from the horror that is Billy Bob Thorton. I mean, he's not a terrible actor (though I don't think he's great), but looking at him just gives me a funny feeling. Like I need to go take a shower, or perhaps vomit. There's no explanation, that's just the way it is. John Cusack's good though.

Anyway, as to the film. I didn't expect to fall in love with it, and I didn't. It was okay, pretty entertaining, but it wasn't the movie of the century. The whole air traffic control world was quite fascinating, and I liked that they chose such an unusual career to demonstrate the effects of stress and overwork. They could have just as easily done surgeons or army generals or something similar, but it wouldn't have been as interesting. Or as personal, I don't think. I liked that the families were all very "Mr. and Mrs. Average and their children Bobby and Suzie."

Also, it was thought-provoking. Always a good quality in a movie, I think. What does stress make people do, and how do we cope? Good stuff.

Rating: 3.0

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, U.S.)

I had low expectations. The reality was much worse.

Never in my life have I seen such a classic part of American culture destroyed as utterly as this fourth installment did to Indiana Jones. It was terrible. Okay, so it took place in 1957 instead of 1938. There were (not-so-evil) Russian communists instead of (scum-of-the-planet) German Nazis. Harrison Ford is 66 years old. It took a bit of getting used to, but in the first 15 minutes or half hour, I thought I could handle it. Wrong.

First: Aliens. This is Indiana Jones, not Alien or ET or even Star Wars. Jones is an archaeologist, not some SETI freak. The whole crystal skull/alien intelligence/UFO plot line was so absolutely ridiculous and just wrong. It totally lacked in the history that I so loved about the series. I mean, ALIENS?

Second: Weird animals. There were the damn gophers that kept showing up everywhere, like they knew what was happening. Very Caddy Shack. Very lame. Then there were the monkeys swinging through the trees with Mutt. Silly. Worst of all were the man eating giant ants, who seemed to have human-like intelligence and who devoured men whole. Disgusting, and very King Kong. (And I didn't even like that whole man-eating bug scenario in King Kong, where it fit much better.)

Third: CGI. One of the greatest things about the original trilogy was how realistic and believable it was, because they used stuntmen instead of computer tricks. I know that we live in a modern world with new technology that can do great things for film, but. It's one thing to make distant planets or create lifeforms like Ents or unicorns, but when it comes to things that are meant to be part of our own reality, nothing will look better than the real thing. But maybe that's the point. Did I mention this movie was about aliens? Speaking of which, the ending was so far beyond stupid that I was left speechless. (Though I guess in terms of "appearances," it was realistic.) I miss the melting faces and the corny hyper-aging and the ripping out of hearts from my beloved '80s franchise.

Fourth: While talking action sequences... Travesty of all travesties, there was no whip-swinging. That is not Indiana Jones.

Fifth: Lack of witty dialogue. The old snappy Jones just wasn't there. (Although to be fair, I might have missed a line or two... or ten... because the speakers in the theater were so whacked I couldn't hear the talking over the music half the time.) This would have been a great time to reuse the whole "It's not the years, it's the mileage" line. It might have been redundant, but at least it would remind us that once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away, our favorite films about archeology didn't suck. And that George Lucas knew that the alien-hunting Harrison Ford was Han Solo, not Indiana Jones. Who knew I would ever long for the '80s? And David Koepp has written some great screenplays. What was this?

Sixth: Plot. Or was there one? It was so convoluted and senseless. The genius of the earlier films lay in their simplicity. "Don't mess with things you don't understand, respect history and every man's deities. And P.S., Nazis are evil." Sensible. "Quests to possess alien intelligence can only make your head explode." Not insensible, per se, but not normal either.

Seventh: Score. Yeah, it was John Williams. Yeah, some of the original themes were reused well. Yeah, it fit into the movie fairly well. But for the most part, it was kind of blah. I wonder if Williams is losing it.

There were some good points, I suppose. To be fair to the witty dialogue, there was one particularly great line: "Any last words?" "I like Ike." Lame but funny. Also, Jones climbs into a lead-lined refrigerator in order to protect himself from a nuclear test in the Nevada desert. Completely unbelievable, but somewhat entertaining.

In terms of characters... Shia LaBeouf's Mutt was very '50s, which helped remind the viewer of the new setting. (Corny name -- Indy named himself after his dog, Mutt essentially calls himself a dog.) Anyway, his relationship with Indy was a pretty interesting diversion from the horrible plot. (Although if you ask me, it could have been developed more.) The return of Marion Ravenwood was a thrill -- she was always my favorite of Indy's girls. (So she'd mostly lost her spark, but she could have been worse.) Cate Blanchett made an excellent Soviet scientist. Just when you thought she couldn't be any more versatile, she dons a black wig, grabs a rapier, and affects an Eastern European accent. I really do love her.

Someone who reviewed this movie on imdb.com said that it wasn't just bad, it was embarrassing. I definitely agree. So to quote this poster, wraith08: "This movie almost has to be seen to be believed. People sit in the theater with astonished looks on their faces, possibly thinking... 'After 19 years and several rejected scripts, George Lucas AND Steven Spielberg AND Harrison Ford all agreed and gave the green light on THIS SCRIPT???'"

I couldn't believe it myself. I sat gaping at the screen in shock, mouth open in horror. It was just that awful. The best I can do is rewatch the originals sometime in the next couple of weeks and hope that, over time, all knowledge of this wretched, embarrassing film will fade forever from my memory. Yeah, it's that bad. I'm still in pain.

Rating: 1.0