Holiday Movies – Part 02

As with Thanksgiving, the Christmas/New Year’s break is a generally a time of much rejoicing and movie-going in the Daulton household. This year was no exception. Below, you will find my thoughts on the films I’ve taken in this holiday season.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King :: What can I say? As good as the first two were, RoTK was even better. There were a few sequences that felt light, but I’ve come to think of the theatrical release of the LoTR films as public previews of Peter Jackson’s actual vision which appears on the extended edition DVDs. So, I enjoyed the film regardless. I look forward to seeing it at least one more time in the theater. If Jackson and/or this film do not win an Oscar, there is a real problem.

Cold Mountain :: I’d read this book and was interested in seeing it brought to film. Anthony Minghella did not disappoint. Visually, it is a gorgeous film thanks to John Seale. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law give strong performances which I enjoyed, but Ren�e Zellweger and Kathy Baker really deserve Oscar consideration. Both showed what can be done with strong, rich roles for women. Natalie Portman and Gionvanni Ribisi were pleasant surprises in their brief appearances.

Paycheck :: I hate to admit it, but Ben Affleck is growing on me. I am starting to agree with Kevin Smith, who believes Affleck can play any role credibly. That said, Paycheck is a relatively faithful adaptation of the short story by Philip K. Dick, this film was great holiday fun but not John Woo’s best work. On a more base note, is it just me or is Uma Thurman getting hotter since she showed Ethan Hawke the door?

The Last Samurai :: I am still no big Tom Cruise fan, but this film was great. Well-scripted and beautifully shot, I particularly enjoyed the training and battle scenes. They felt authentic. Discussions of the samurai ethos were just right. So many films dealing with this subject matter are heavy handed. For a big budget Hollywood project, they used the principles of wabi and sabi reasonably well in the production.

Just Married [DVD] :: Good silly fun. And, any man who does not like watching Brittany Murphy on celluloid is just plain dead.

Bad Boys 2 [DVD] :: A typical, big budget Bruckenheimer actioner. It was OK. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had one really funny scene confronting the boyfriend of Lawrence’s teenage daughter. Gabrielle Union was gorgeous as always, but I think she has better, deeper roles in her.

Seabiscuit [DVD] :: I wanted to see this in the theater, but missed it during my move to Vegas and subsequent acclimation period. I grew up around horse racing and the track and all I can say is “Wow”. This film is amazing. It is visually beautiful and powerfully yet subtly acted. Tobey Maguire stretches his muscles beyond Spiderman. Jeff Bridges is excellent, as always, as an American everyman who makes good. And, Chris Cooper proves once again why he deserved his Oscar nod for last year’s Adaptation.

Holiday Movies – Part 01

Movie-going is a bit of a holiday tradition in my family. This Thanksgiving was no exception. Here are my thoughts on the three major releases I’ve seen so far.

The Missing :: This movie was excellent. Tommy Lee Jones delivers a strong, nuanced performance. As ever, Cate Blanchett is excellent. She and Gwyneth Paltrow are in a dead heat for the finest female actors of my generation. Val Kilmer also appears in what amounts to a cameo. Ron Howard pulls together another strong film. Check it out.

Gothika :: Halle Berry can act. She gets a lot of grief for being just a pretty face. Monster’s Ball showed she can act; this film extends that legacy. Don’t get me wrong, this is no great cinematic feat. It is a supernatural pot-boiler and, in truth, is rather formulaic. That said, strong performances by Berry and Penelope Cruz make this film worth your time and theater dollar.

Cat in The Hat (CitH) :: Don’t bother. Most of the funny stuff can be found in the trailer. This movie is easily my biggest movie-going disappointment since the over-glossy, inappropriately homo-erotic piece of tripe that was Batman and Robin. I curse the day Joel Schumacher became involved with the Batman franchise. But, I digress.

I am a huge Mike Meyers fan. That said, CitH was weak and derivative. Jim Carrey managed to get lost (in a good way) behind the green fur of The Grinch. Regrettably, CitH plays like a sanitized, dumbed-down SNL skit with Meyers in a furry suit. Sad really.