Now Playing: plus some news.
It saddens me to report that the writing isn't going as well as I'd hoped, so in the near future I'll probably begin posting longer reviews again (longer as in 250-300 words). But should inspiration decide to stop by and stay awhile, we'll be back to the shorties. Anyhoo...
CLOSER (2004, Mike Nichols)- a valiant effort, but the drama doesn't really work due to the film's structure- basically a series of meetings, confrontations, and breakups- that turns the characters into little more than case studies. The result is misanthropic but not incisive, though the opening sequence is nicely done and Clive Owen is flat-out great here. Rating: **.
ENDURING LOVE (2004, Roger Michell)- Merely pretty good as a thriller, but fascinating as a study of two opposing worldviews- Joe (Daniel Craig), who approaches life using logic, and his stalker Jed (Rhys Ifans), who is consumed by passion and love. The opening hot air balloon incident is perfectly directed (I love the slightly unreal way it just sort of drifts down to the ground), and the versatile Craig is emerging as one of the best British actors of his generation. Rating: **1/2.
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE (2004, Stephen Hillenburg)- a diverting kiddie movie (it reminded me a little of PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, complete with a scene in a biker bar) that is entertaining throughout, with a number of awesome moments: Patrick's "baby hunt" goofing, David Hasselhoff, Spongebob rocking out to Twisted Sister, the pirates, and especially the early scene in which diminutive baddie Plankton gets stepped on by the title character and shrieks in agony as he gets dragged across the pavement. Not sophisticated by any means, but lots of fun in a REN AND STIMPY sort of way, and a nice surprise for a non-fan like me. Rating: **1/2.
NIGHTJOHN (1996, Charles Burnett)- a bit of a shocker to find out this was made for the Disney Channel: such a literate and impactful film is rare coming from anywhere, much less the Mouse. A fairy-tale movie in the best sense, in which the characters must use their intelligence to overcome a horrible situation- in this case, a slave girl on a plantation in the 1830s South is taught to read by an older newcomer. NIGHTJOHN is beautifully acted, surprisingly hard-hitting on the issue of slavery (though never exploitative), and above all it delivers its message in an inspiring way without ever resorting to cheap tactics. Rating: ***1/2.
SMALL CHANGE (1976, Francois Truffaut)- Truffaut was one of the great directors of children, and his gifts are in great abundance here, a rich tapestry of childhood that only sporadically feels as though an adult's hand is steering the vehicle. A few on-the-nose screenplay moments (the teacher's climactic monologue comes to mind) are forgivable admist many seemingly spontaneous scenes portraying (or capturing?) the behavior of children. Rating: ***1/2.
THE BUTTERFLY (2003, Philippe Muyl)- yet another in a seemingly endless array of old man/young kid odd-couple movies, this one is fairly harmless, but not really memorable either. Michel Serrault is solid as the old man, but too many plot contrivances get in the way of this being a better movie, in particular an Idiot Plot involving the young heroine's alleged kidnapping. Rating: **.
MAKDEE: WEB OF THE WITCH (2002, Vishal Bhardwaj)- I tend to enjoy Bollywood movies, but in retrospect this one was a letdown in large part because it lacked the gentleness of tone I usually like in family movies. The protagonist, Munni, is a pill, and while she redeems herself by the end of the film, the early scenes left a bad taste in my mouth, and no amount of (forgettable) song and dance number or kiddie heroics could change that. Kind of fun, I suppose, but not enough. Rating: **.
Posted by hkoreeda
at 1:50 AM EST
