Waltz with Bashir

I knew I wanted to see Waltz With Bashir, mostly because I'd loved last year's Persepolis so much. Like Persepolis, Waltz With Bashir is an animated film exploring explicitly adult themes of war, guilt, regret and healing. Also like Persepolis, Waltz with Bashir is deeply autobiographical for Director Ari Forman, who deserves his Golden Globe nod. I sure do hope it makes the Oscar cut.

My rating: Worth $10. You have to see it on the big screen.

Doubt

There is no doubt that Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis (who not only cries on screen, but gets her nose to run--how did she do that?), will garner lots and lots of award nominations. All the actors, in fact, received nominations for Golden Globe acting awards.

But I found the play-turned-movie to be too small for the big screen. On a stage, you're limited by the available space; in films, there are no such limitations. Unfortunately, the playwright, John Patrick Shanley, also wrote the screen play and directed the film. I think he forgot that film is expansive.


My review: Worth Renting or Worth a Matinee to see extraordinary acting skill from all the main actors, but especially Viola Davis. And the added bonus, if you're Catholic, you'll laugh throughout this heavy drama as a few women did during the screening Wednesday night. Definitely don't pay full-price for Doubt.

Last Chance Harvey

If you live in one of the lucky places that gets to see Last Chance Harvey when it opens for you on Christmas day, and if you like to see movies on Christmas like we do, don't dampen your spirit with some of the deeper, intense and morbid films that'll sweep the Oscars in three months. See Last Chance Harvey on Christmas. The rest of you will have to wait until late January, when it opens for those of us who live in less desirable markets.

Last Chance Harvey is an atypical romantic comedy that satisfyingly skirts some of the common Hollywood cliches. It stars Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, but instead of the director relying on their star power, such as it is, the actors pull off compelling and likable characters without manipulative music or splashy special effects. They've earned their Golden Globe nominations for their performances.

I don't recommend this movie to you lightly. I go to romantic comedies mostly because if I want to do something I love (go to movies) with the one I love (Liz), I'm most likely going to see a romantic comedy. I wouldn't typically go to such a chick flick without her prompting.

My rating: Worth a Matinee. You don't need to see this on the big screen, but you'll want to see it in an audience.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I won't waste any of my time on this review, and I'll give you the best advice I can give.

If you liked Forrest Gump, you'll also like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. My favorite reviewer liked it to, so you probably won't be disappointed. Button and Gump had the same screenwriter.

I, for one, hated Forrest Gump. I used to think that my feelings, bordering on resentment, for that film had to do with circumstances, but now I know it's because Gump isn't written for me. I didn't know Button was written by the same guy, and still saw the resemblance between the two films throughout.

And once again, I wanted those two hours of my life back.

Three Quick Reviews

JCVD, a funny and self-referential movie starring Jean-Claude van Damme as himself, surprised me with its depth and cunning. I wouldn't have gone to this film of my own accord and am glad I went. My rating: Worth a Matinee.

I'll talk about Defiance in a later post where I'll talk about three films out this season, all about the Holocaust. But briefly, my rating: Worth Renting.

Finally, I've already told lots of people what I thought about Milk, Gus van Sant's film about Harvey Milk. Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey Milk shows his acting chops. Penn plays Milk with subtlety and intensity. My rating: Worth $10 because Penn's performance needs to be experienced on the big screen and with others.

Slumdog Millionaire

Imagine if a Bollywood director, taking a page from Charles Dickens, made a movie about a very poor kid who moves through life first trying to survive then trying to save a girl he loves, but the story is told through an episode of India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Then you'll have Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. Boyle directed one of my favorite 2004 films Millions. Slumdog is no quaint English tale, though. The main character, Jamal, literally walks through human shit in one scene and is tortured in another. Its backdrop, the vast Indian slums where children are mutilated to evoke pity from tourists, serves as enough plot motivation for Jamal. You want him to survive and eventually thrive.

The good news: he does. But not until you go on the narrative ride of your life. This movie is all story. The characters are dim compared to the action at times.

My favorite film reviewer literally swooned over Slumdog, and my praise of the film is a little less exuberant precisely because the female protagonist, Latika, exists only in service of the plot and is not a fully realized character herself in the way the two boys are.

I still say it's Worth $10 because you have to see it on the big screen and you won't regret the ride.

Australia

Got to see Australia tonight, Baz Luhrman's epic Australian western which evokes Hollywood greats like "Gone With the Wind" and "Lawrence of Arabia" but tells a 1940s love story (love in all its forms) through a 2008 lens of racial and ethnic justice.

I stood in line for a long time waiting to get into the Mall of America's new VIP theater holding huge home theater seating, more than generous legroom and, for tonight anyway, Australian wine, which was good in a generic wine sort of way, and free popcorn. Colin had a much larger entourage with him tonight--I think I saw "14" by his name before they crossed it off and wrote "12" after my guest and I checked-in.

By the end of the almost three-hour-long film, I made a note to myself: see everything Baz Luhrman directs because he sure does know how to tell a story.

Today, I read a New York Times piece about the death of the American story in all its forms (film, book and stage) and clearly, the author and those concerned about storytelling had not seen Australia. With vast vistas and characters you care about and a plot that keeps you rooting for those you like and against those you don't, you can't lose.

If you liked Moulin Rouge, also directed by Luhrman, as much as I did, you'll see a few similar themes. There's a bad guy so bad and his evil efforts so dogged, he's impossible to like. There's the love that can't be bought. But, not to spoil it for you, Australia is no tragedy.

Luhrman jumped from scene to scene too quickly for me in places, which worked really well in Moulin Rouge but not as well here. Luckily, the story carried me away and made me forget this minor distraction.

Can you guess my rating?

Definitely Worth $10 (plus $5 popcorn and a babysitter). You have to see it on the big screen with an audience who will cry and cheer right next to you.