The best movies I haven’t seen yet…
Ok, I know, how can they be the best if I haven’t seen them yet? But these are the ones that are getting all the buzz, and yet I haven’t managed to get to them. As is usually the case, a mad burst of movies happens right around the holidays and, between actually doing the holiday thing (with relatives, friends, etc.) and surviving the holiday thing (colds, flu, shopping and TRYING to relax) somehow I never have enough time to get to most of these. Add in the good ones that are still lingering around from the Fall, when Dani either had no interest in going to the movies (a seasonal burn-out sort of thing for her) or no interest in seeing particular movies, and there are simply a bunch of movies that I just haven’t had time to get to.
So, in no particular order, here goes…
Mystic River. I swear I don’t remember the glowing reviews this movie’s getting when it first came out. Maybe selective memory on my part. Maybe the performances that everyone’s raving about have started to sway the opinions that weren’t impressed. Maybe it’s that group mind in action, where it’s just obvious that this is a good movie, no matter what we thought a few months ago. Whatever, I still haven’t had a chance to catch it, though I’m not terribly worried, since it’s almost certain to get some kind of Academy nomination so will be around in theatres (or coming back to theatres) for a while yet.
Lost in Translation. Another of those gotta see films that I just haven’t found time for. Could be that I’m not the biggest Bill Murray fan. Or maybe it’s that Netflix thing getting in the way again. There’s a part of me that knows I won’t be missing much seeing this one at home, whereas Return of the King must be seen on the big screen. (Independent film buffs everywhere are shaking their heads in contempt, even as we speak.) Since it’s showing at the theatre around the corner, I’ve got one less excuse for not seeing it now.
The Cooler. This one was more a victim of timing than apathy. I really want to see this one. Unfortunatley, I missed it when it was conveniently playing across the street and now I think the only place I can find it is Arclight. Which is not nearly as convenient. And even more expensive than The Grove.
Cold Mountain. I’m not that interested in this one, but Dani really wants to see it. And, once again, it’s getting a lot of awards season attention, so I’ll probably end up checking it out. I’m just in no hurry. (Maybe it’s because it’s a Minghella film. I realize now that I wasn’t terribly interested in The English Patient—fell asleep in the middle of it—nor The Talented Mr. Ripley. Looks like a three-peat for me.)
House of Sand & Fog. This one I actually do want to see and even took a shot at catching it last week. I ended up seeing 21 Grams instead, simply because the showtimes were more convenient. But this is definitely still on my must see list—I like the sound of this one, filled with all kinds of ambiguities and messiness. Should be fun, in a dark and twisted sort of way.
Monster. I know this one is showing somewhere nearby (I live just outside Hollywood, for Christ’s sake!) but I have yet to see it playing at any theater in the area. I’m going to have to track it down, when I’m feeling REALLY brave, ‘cause I know this one’s not going to be fun, even in a dark sort of way. But I have to see Charlize Theron’s performance in this one.
Girl with a Pearl Earring. Not sure if this one belongs here. I haven’t heard any big hype about what a great movie this is—frankly I haven’t heard much about this one at all. But it looks and sounds kind of interesting, so it’s on my “maybe I’ll try and catch it before it goes to video” list.
American Splendor. I don’t care how many critics rave about this film. I still can’t generate any interest in it. I’ll probably stumble across it on Showtime in six months and be forced to grudgingly acknowledge its brilliance. But I can wait.
Seabiscuit. This one kind of falls into the American Splendor category. I’ve heard good things about it, but I can’t find any real interest in seeing it. And, frankly, if I catch it on Showtime in six months, I’m just as likely to change the channel as I am to keep watching it.
21 Grams. Yes, I actually did see this one, and have to acknowledge that there are some great performances here. Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn deserve all the praise that’s been lavished on them. And the movie was interesting—dwelling on loss and redemption. But for some reason I was left—not unmoved, since this is the kind of movie that tends to rattle around in the back of your mind for days and weeks—just somewhat nonplussed. I didn’t dislike it, but I’m not running around telling anyone that they’ve got to bite the bullet and see this movie.
In my head, I keep comparing it, for some reason, to Requiem for a Dream from a few years ago, and it comes up lacking. (Be brave. Follow the link. One of the more interesting uses of Flash animation I've seen.) Not entirely sure why I keep comparing the two films either, except for a similar kind of bleakness in tone. But Dream was the kind of film that I would warn people wasn’t for everyone, but was one of the most powerful films I’d seen in a long time and encourage them to see. I don’t feel that same power here. Maybe it’s an unfair comparison.
I also found the inside-out directing style a bit distracting. (I’ve heard comparisons to Memento on this one, though it’s not as extreme.) The problem for me was that it jumped around the timeline so much, and for so long, that it felt like nearly a half-hour into the film before I was able to start to get a grasp on where things were fitting into the timeline. I understand that’s the whole point, but I have to wonder if this isn’t just simply a cool directing trick. To go back to Memento for a moment, if you string the scenes together in chronological order, you get a pretty straightforward, not particularly surprising story, the major plot twist of which ends up revealed in the first third of the movie. I wonder if there isn’t a little of that here, as well… jumble the timeline to add tension where it might be lacking in a more straightforward story. (I also noticed that, since the movie was "unstuck in time" I had no real sense of when the movie was about to end. It made it seem, somehow, longer that way. But maybe I just wasn't caught up enough in it.)
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