Black Death (2010, Germany)

Ew. Ick. Ugh. Why did I watch this movie? Oh yeah, medieval tale featuring Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne should have been a win.

Admittedly, the plague is not exactly a cheerful subject, but did it have to be quite so gory? And violent? And graphic? I've read a lot of reviews that talk about how detailed and well-written the plot was, but to me it was very thin and more of a loose frame for repeated and senseless violence. It was almost too simple and too complex (in the sense that it was a huge stretch to work out the point). Calling it "gothic horror" just seems too generous to me.

Of course, as I mentioned (and as should be obvious to anyone who follows my movie-viewing preferences), the main reason I watched this one was for the actors. Sean Bean is the man. Or he usually is. In this one he was just a gruff, violent fanatic with an agenda, and it didn't suit him at all. Eddie Redmayne (as evidenced in previous posts) is my newest favorite actor, and I've yet to see any role to which he didn't do justice. This one might have been the first. He was good, but not great. (Though to be fair, it could have been a poorly written script. It was a bit over the top.) Still, his normal talent shone through here and there. There's one spot in particular where he does something irrevocable (I won't go into further detail to avoid spoilers), and when he realizes what he's been manipulated into doing, his response is classic Redmayne. Well played.

Even the most devoted Bean/Redmayne fans probably want to avoid this one. I want to wash my eyeballs after seeing this violent plague-fest.

Rating: 1.5

Wanted (2008, U.S.)

So I would probably see this movie no matter what, because I have a HUGE girl-crush on Angelina Jolie. Also, Atonement got me interested in James McAvoy (only as an actor, I don't think he's gorgeous like some girls do), and I haven't seen him in anything else (with the exception of Wimbledon, in which he had a tiny role). Then there's Morgan Freeman, and you know how I feel about him. Add that all together with a really awesome preview, and I was pretty excited about it.

So here's my recommendation: if you have a weak stomach and want to see this one, bring something to vomit in. It was incredibly violent, and not the stylized, clean, Matrix-type violence I was expecting. It was more much more crude, like 300 but less fake, like No Country for Old Men but more thought out. It was disgusting.

Aside from the violence, everything else was great. The plot was interesting, engaging, and somewhat complex (in a good way); the violence was like a beautiful dance (well, plus the blood and gore); the narration was personal and yet distant (and spot on); and Angelina Jolie was, of course, beyond sexy. Morgan Freeman was in a somewhat god-like position, which is exactly where he belongs. I have definitely decided James McAvoy is a great actor. His character was vaguely reminiscent of Edward Norton's in Fight Club (see below), but it was still him. Great acting all around.

Oh, very interesting note here: while watching the credits, I was shocked to see "Music by Danny Elfman." Of course, I adore Danny Elfman. And I had really liked the score of Wanted. But never in a million years would I have put the two together. Usually I would describe his work as "whimsical," but this was harder, more driven. It almost made me think of techno. I definitely need to re-listen to the score and try to pick out the Elfman in it.

If I had to describe Wanted using other films, I would say that it was like The Matrix (styled violence, bullet time, etc.) mixed with Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Angelina Jolie, assassins, etc.) mixed with Fight Club (violence, narrative style, etc.) And yet it really was unique, one of a kind. Minus the extreme violence (which I just really can't handle), I would've given this one a 4.5. As it is, I can't quite do it. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it -- although I could have done either. Which leads us to our default rating.

Did I mention how sexy (and badass) Angelina Jolie was?

Rating: 3.5

No Country for Old Men (2007, U.S.)

I tried to like it, I really did. I'd heard great things, it won several Oscars... but I just didn't like it at all. Too much violence. Nothing but violence, really.

So here are my few notes on it: Minimalist score by Burwell was great, especially in the last scene/closing credits. Good acting, especially by Javier Bardem -- creepy! I didn't know this was based on a Cormac McCarthy book, but it reminded me of him. So when I found out it was based on one of his books, I can only assume they must have done a good job adapting it.

It's easy to forget over the course of a movie that seems predominantly about greed, but the main character never would have run into all the problems he did if he hadn't gone back to the scene where he'd found the money in order to give a dying man some water. No good deed goes unpunished, they say.

So overall, there was some good stuff in this movie. But it was entirely overshadowed by excessive violence. Which I guess was kind of the point, but that doesn't mean I had to like it.

Rating: 1.5