The Reader, Doubt, Gran Torino

So this was a pretty busy week in terms of movie watching. I've felt myself falling behind so this post will cover three movies: The Reader, Doubt, and Gran Torino.

Lets start with The Reader. Overall, I found it to be a reasonably enjoyable movie if and only because we get to watch this generation's greatest actress at work. Kate Winslett is her usual terrific self in this one. This covers about 25 - 30 (or so - it's been a couple days) years in her life and she is believable at every age. Every last detail is top notch. When she is a senior, she moves slowly like a senior. She's really great. Unfortunately we run into some problems outside of Kate Winslett. The movie is plodding and perhaps suffers from WWII fatigue - at least on my part. I've probably seen a half dozen WWII movies this year alone. The biggest issue is that they lay some pretty terrific groundwork that doesn't go as far as I'd like. A good portion of the second act deals with Kate's trial. She is accused of being party to the burning down of a church containing 300 Jews during the war. The interesting aspect of this movie is that they try to explain how most of Germany could get caught up in this horror and not have the wherewithall to change anything. The problem is, the trial ends in an unsatisfactory manner (in terms of story). Kate is such an important character we are left wondering what else is under there. Add on to this a rather tacked on ending and we have a movie that warrents no less than 2 pre wrapped straws.



Next, Doubt. It is the story of a progressive priest accused of an improper relationship with a gay youth by a principal who is struggling with a changing world. This was nothing more than a showcase for two rather terrific actors. I get what the play was trying to achieve; they want the audience to feel the doubt the characters feel. That is thoroughly achieved, but that is also the problem. Nothing is really accomplished other than we get to witness three characters handle a situation in ways their character determine. The result is believable but it's tough to believe they accomplished anything. I'm not sure what I got from that other than further proof that Phillip Seymore Hoffman and Meryl Streep can, indeed, act. This film deserves no more than 2.5 pre wrapped straws.



The last movie I saw this week was Gran Torino. Prejudice Clint Eastwood recently lost his wife. His children, who generally don't like him, wonder how he'll handle himself in his neighborhood that has changed over the years to have a large population of Hmong people. The interesting thing about Clint Eastwood he is only racist insofar as he uses a great deal of racist language. He's from a time where that thing is accepted. We learn early on that he isn't someone who can't accept another race or creed, he just uses long outdated terminology to describe them. What is also true is that he's broken. He is a Korean War veteren who has never and will never get over the things he's seen and done during his time serving there. This has naturally had a great effect on his life and we get the pleasure to watch how something like this effects a person. Despite the fact that Clint reminds me a lot of his character in Million Dollar Baby, it really works. He really is, and would fit in, grumpy old man. The thrust of the story involves a young Hmong boy who tries to steal is car to allow him into a gang. Clint finds with these people the family he wishes he had and does what he can to protect them from this gang. This movie deals with the difficulties involved with immigrants not fitting in to western society and does a very good job. The only noteable problem is that a lot of the actors are first timers - and it shows. If the casting people did their job it'd almost be a great film. Otherwise I can't give it less than 1.5 prewrapped straws.



Until next time get the hell of the internet and go watch a movie.

The Tudors Season II

Contrary to Four Christmases, somebody involved with this has some serious talent. Season two revolves around Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn and the nullification of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. It's a fantastically complicated season that exists entirely in a shade of grey. It''s beautifully written and does a fantastic job of trying to provide a why to a rather complicated era in history.

Just for a refresher, Henry was on a desperate search for a male heir and Catherine had been unable to provide one. Henry decided to create his own church in order to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. The main goal is a son. Read up on your history to find out the specifics. It should suffice to say, however, that his marriage with Anne Boleyn is finished by the end of the season.

My favorite character in the show is Catherine of Aragon. One of the truly great characters. Despite how horrible Henry is to her, she remains resolute in her devotion to him. That perhaps is her only flaw. The final few episodes that contain her are heartbreaking. If you only have time a few minutes of television, these are the episodes to be watched.

Henry's development is remarkable. It's so easy to hate him. He has more people killed than cancer, he treats his eldest daughter horribly, ignores the person most devoted to him, but when all is said and done you also see the incredible stress he's under. You almost get the sense that he would rather not be king some of the time. Anne is also a rather well developed character. She has tremendous depth, her acts, while horrible, are out of desperation for a son and almost seem understandable in that context. She's just out of her league in this world and is only in it because she was dragged into it by her father. She spent her whole time on this show looking for acceptance and acting childish in searching for it. Her final moments on the show are full of class and are about as triumphant as they possibly could be...given the circumstances of course.

I tried watching it on broadcast TV but have found that The Tudors works well if you immerse yourself in the entire season over a day or two - should you have the time. I feel you develope a deeper connection with the characters this way. Anyhow, give it a shot. It's well worth your time.

I give it:

Four Christmases review

So I finally got around to seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey. I've been avoiding seeing this movie for years because I know enough about it to know it's long and a great deal of work. I haven't really had the time to devote to it since I bought it on Blu Ray.

Well I just had a chance to watch it and it's fantastic. Hypnotic, beautiful, and thought provoking. It also made me hate Four Christmases that much more. It's astonishing to go from a movie with such depth to a movie with almost none. Seth Gordon says that people don't need to go to film school to make movies - and maybe so - but he sure as hell does.

Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) have been deliriously happy for three years enjoying their entirely selfish lifestyle. They have no intention to ever get married or have kids as one might imagine this becomes a point of contention between the two. Every Christmas they visit an exotic locale in an attempt to avoid their crazy divorced families when this year they are hoodwinked by dense fog and are forced to visit all four of their families Christmas day.

Brad's mother and father's families are both certifiable. His brothers are UFC fighters and his father is a world class jerk. His mother is somewhat normal but also happens to be dating Brad's best friend. After 3o pointless minutes getting to know them we move on to Kate' s families. They tend to be wealthier and at least somewhat normal. Kates mother and father are all pretty normal people but not particularly funny. There's not one child in this entire movie that doesn't belong in Juvi.

Somehow, however, after a non-preganancy scare and most of the day spent with the Children of the Corn this prompts Kate to want to have children eventually and maybe even get married (despite the fact that noone we've met all day has a healthy relationship). Naturally Brad doesn't want this and they break up (temporarily you ask? Of course!). Naturally everything ends well after some soul searching - apparently.

As you might surmise, I didn't like this movie. It wasn't remotely funny. It isn't a movie like Epic Movie and the like where you can spot where the humour is supposed to be it just isn't done very well. This movie has no descernable humour in it. Brad gets beat up a lot, there are a lot of awkward moments and Brad and Kate are condescending and somewhere in there laughs are supposed to happen but I'll be damned if I can find out where.

There is also no conflict in this movie save for the superficial conflict between them and their families but we know that can't be the major conflict because it's never resolved. The two have brief little arguments but they don't stick. Even the climax was way too short to really show the audience that these characters have gone through any lasting changes. They argued a brief moment about their future then Brad left to see his father (who is a particularly horrible human being) and realized that he could end up lonely like him if he's not careful but that isn't the least bit evident. This, for some reason makes him realize that he loves Kate. Here's the problem, love was never the problem. All this means is that he realized that he'd rather be with Kate than be like his father and if he has to put up with marriage and kids, so be it. Brad doesn't progress as a person at all and for that matter neither does Kate.

So we have no character arc, no likeable characters, no climax, no humour. So I'd say avoid it. If however, it's a choice between this and Twilight, go with this...and use the time to prepare your taxes or something. It certainly won't keep your attention.

So there you have it, my first post. Now get the hell off the internet and go watch a movie. I give it:

Now before anybody gets too confused, I HATE pre-wrapped straws so my scale goes from 1 to 5 but five is the lowest grade which will be given to the worst of the worst and zero pre-wrapped straws given to only movies (or TV episodes) that are instant classics.