Movie Musings - 09 March 2009

There seems to be a theme amongst a majority of the films I muse about in this entry:  they feature adorable actresses that I cannot resist.  The presence of those actresses usually guarantees a decent level of enjoyment when viewing their films, and that's not just because I find them beautiful.  I appreciate and admire their talent as well.  They just have an effortless way of winning me over.  Anyway, I know you understand my way of thinking, Justin.  I'm pretty sure we agree on these three actresses' high quality.  On we go!

How to Steal a Million (1966) - directed by William Wyler.

Date Viewed: 08 March 2009.  My Rating:  3 1/2 stars.

It's been a good time for movie watching lately.  I found myself invited to watch this film with a group of people Sunday afternoon so I accepted the invitation.  Unfortunately, losing an hour of sleep made it impossible for me to stay awake throughout the entire film.  There was a good portion of the middle-third of the film that I missed.  Nonetheless, what I saw was quite good, but that's pretty much a given with an Audrey Hepburn film.  If there is one woman in this world that I would travel back in time to marry, it would be Audrey Hepburn.  She is simply irresistibly adorable in her films, and, to make things even better, she was a fantastic person in real life.  She is her normal adorable self in this film, and it is a pretty good romantic comedy/heist film.  There is good chemistry between Audrey and Peter O'Toole, as well as many comedic moments.  Just a very fun movie overall.

Batman Begins (2005) - directed by Christopher Nolan.

Date Viewed:  08 March 2009.  My Rating:  4 stars.

I happened to watch this on TV Sunday night.  I was chilling with some homeboys, and we were hoping to find something to do around our apartment complex.  Nothing really turned up so we watched the movie as we waited futilely.  This is a very solid movie, and Christian Bale delivers a fantastic performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman.  As a character study, it succeeds admirably.  I actually wish The Dark Knight had spent a little more time delving into Bruce Wayne's psychology a little more.  While I don't think this movie was groundbreaking --- other than revitalizing the Batman series --- I like it a lot and can't really find many faults with it.  Bale has a very good supporting cast, and a director that seems to really care about the franchise.  I am excited, albeit somewhat reserved, to see how well the third Nolan-directed Batman will turn out. 

Happenstance (2000) - directed by Laurent Firode.

Date Viewed:  08 March 2009.  My Rating: 3 1/2 stars.

Well, another French movie.  This one features the adorable Audrey Tautou, and any film she is in will get at least an extra 1/2 star just for her presence.  She is basically our generation's Audrey Hepburn, and the two actresses share more than just a first name.  She is always so appealing and has such grace on screen.  Even when her characters might not seem like the most empathetic person, it's hard to think too poorly of them.  I always find myself enraptured with her characters.  I wonder how I'd react if she were to portray a truly reprehensible person onscreen.  Anyway, this movie was worth watching just to see how cute Ms. Tautou is when her character says, "Oui," within the first five minutes of the film.  I would pretty much do anything for a female capable of looking so beautiful, bashful, and innocent while saying, "Yes."  It's true.

The film itself is about how interconnected the lives of human beings truly are.  The film highlights how even the smallest decision someone makes can affect the lives of others around them.  It works better at times than it does at others, but it is an enjoyable little film.  My Audrey Tautou bias had me wanting to see her character onscreen more frequently, but the restrictions employed by the narrative required that the other characters get their fair share of screen time.  I understand why the writer and director chose to take the story one way, but some of the characters just seem unnecessary.  Certain plot developments just seem forced in order to continue the interconnected motif.  Still, the film is quite charming, and Audrey Tautou is as lovely as ever.

Winter Passing (2005) - directed by Adam Rapp.

Date Viewed: 09 March 2009.  My Rating: 4 stars.

This is an excellent independent film; it is very well-acted, subtle and moving.  And it features Zooey Deschanel in the lead performance, and she has many of the same qualities as Audrey Tautou described above.  Zooey is definitely one of my favorite actresses, and she doesn't disappoint in this film.  She plays Reese, the daughter of two intellectual novelist parents working as an actor in the New York.  The film picks up shortly after her mother's death.  Reese is somewhat estranged from her family, and when an editor offers her a large sum of money to publish her parents love letters, Reese is forced to confront some emotional issues as she returns to the family home in Michigan.  Ed Harris is excellent as her father, and Will Ferrell is pretty good in an offbeat, but low key role as a boarder in her home.

I really, really liked Zooey's performance in this film.  Her character is far from perfect and struggles to deal with some emotional issues throughout the film, but Zooey's portrayal is honest and poignant.  She is able to communicate so much without saying a word.  She really is extremely talented (and she can sing too!).  Perhaps the perfect woman...  Curse you, Ben Gibbard.  

Justin, I don't know if you'll find this in Hollywood Video, but it is available for online watching at Netflix until March 15th.

We Own the Night (2007) - directed by James Gray.

Date Viewed:  09 March 2009.  My Rating: 2 1/2 stars.

When I first heard the premise for the film and saw the trailer, I had high hopes for this film.  Then it was poorly received critically, and my desire to see the film basically disappeared.  I threw it on my Netflix queue and basically forgot about it.  I finally got around to streaming it online.  The acting is decent in the film, but that's expected with a cast like Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, and Robert Duvall.  The film tries so hard to be epic, but it never reaches the heights it aspires to.  And I kept getting distracted by the soundtrack.  They kept returning to this motif that sounded like a music box or child's lullaby or something; it just seemed really out of place for a film about the Russian mafia and New York officers of the law.  The film was barely entertaining, and I struggled to remain interested in any of the characters.  I don't see myself returning to this film any time soon, if ever.