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

Avatar (2009, U.S.)

This was possibly the most underwhelming movie of the year. (Okay, maybe not fair to this movie. The Hurt Locker was worse.) It was not the biggest epic of all time, as all the hype would have you believe. Something tells me that the main reason for the hype is that it looked amazing on the big screen in 3-D. I do think it deserved its Oscars for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects, but Best Picture nomination? I don't think so.

Avatar is like a combination of the Matrix and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. (Actually, Dances with Wolves might be a better example, since the soldier goes native.) Not a good combo. A bunch of Americans colonize an alien planet in order to get their hands on this valuable rock, but they don't even bother to say why this rock is so valuable. It seems like they were so focused on visuals that they ignored the need for a clear plot. In addition to that, the blue people seem to be a racist mix of Native- and African-Americans. Terrible.

I've always been a fan of James Horner, but this score seemed very recycled. Some of the music sounded reminiscent of Titanic, which I guess isn't a huge surprise. But then there was a repeated strain that sounded identical to one from Troy. I looked it up, and lo and behold, Horner composed that score too. Seems like the well of creativity is dry. Not that it wasn't good, it just didn't seem original.

Overall, this movie was just one big disappointment. Visually beautiful, at least!

Rating: 2.5

Saving Private Ryan (1998, U.S.)

It only took me 11 years to see Saving Private Ryan. Travesty, I know. And this is really going to kill people, but it wasn't nearly as wonderful as I imagined it would be.

The concept was great. The score, beautiful. The acting, convincing. The cinematography, breathtaking. Yet somehow, it just didn't quite get me.

The opening scene was incredible. I thought it really captured the essence of war—the chaos, the fear, the horror. But then it kept going. And going. Perhaps the point was that war is like that. The horrors never end, and all that. But there were so many scenes that could have been just as effective if they were cut in half. Or even quartered. (Is this how other people felt about Australia?)

And I think this was really my primary quarrel with this film. While, as I mentioned before, the usual elements were in place to make this the kind of film I would love forever, instead it felt like it would just go on and on forever. I'm pretty disappointed to feel this way.

Rating: 3.0

Public Enemies (2009, U.S.)

Johnny Depp. End of review.

Seriously though, I was really looking forward to this film, and with good reason. Cinematography: check. Acting: double check. Score: check. Script: check. Even the historical accuracy, while not always perfect, is still quite good for Hollywood, and it gets a check too.

I can't say enough good things about this film. It was a very serious subject, and they treated it as such. However, there were also some awesome one liners, well-balanced with the rest of the content. The ones delivered by Johnny Depp with his classic straight face/beginnings of a smirk were the absolute best. "There is absolutely nothing I want to do in Indiana," he says. (Of course this is funnier to me than those who have never resided in the Hoosier state, but there are other great lines as well!) The action scenes are terrific, very suspenseful and well-choreographed, but not overly graphic. There was a touch of romance that didn't overpower the rest of the story. And all of the bank robbers were not idolized. They were portrayed as real people with real lives and feelings and problems. Of course you wanted Dillinger to win because he is such a charismatic guy, and you might want to turn to bank robbery too if you grew up poor in Morgan County. (Side note: this is the county where I have my internship.)

The casting was phenomenal. Aside from Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillard, there were countless others in more minor roles who were great—Emilie de Ravin, Billy Crudup, Channing Tatum, David Wenham, Giovanni Ribisi... we're talking good actors. Johnny stole the show, of course, but they still managed to hang in there.

The score was also incredible. Usually I'm not tempted to purchase scores from films with so much action (I prefer listening to quiet stuff when I'm listening to instrumental music at home), but this score tempts me. It fit the mood, it helped build tension in gunfights, the romantic theme was touching. Great stuff. I've never heard of Elliot Goldenthal, but apparently he won an Oscar for his Frida score. I'll be keeping an ear out for him.

I can't wait to see this one again.

Rating: 4.5