Steel White Table

Some movies I saw over the past two weeks.

The Spiderwick Chronicles — A fantasy film in line with the first Chronicles of Narnia flick and Bridge to Terabithia, but a bit scarier and probably not suitable for kids under 10. The kids in this one spend most of their time running from and fighting against goblins and other forest creatures. There’s not much to the story, but it’s adventurous and fun. (Feb. 16/08)

Rosemary’s Baby — A newly-wed couple move into an apartment where all the tenants are unnaturally friendly, and after while it becomes apparent that everyone is up to something, possibly something sinister. Directed by Roman Polanski in 1968, Rosemary’s Baby has a dated Technicolor look and feel of a Hitchcock film, with an ending that’s more laughable than shocking. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat waiting for the final reveal (which doesn’t hold up well 30 years later), but it’s fun trying to figure what the hell’s going on in the meantime. (Feb. 13/08)

Crimes and Misdemeanors — One of several Woody Allen films that’s pretty damn close to a masterpiece. From Roger Ebert’s original review: Crimes and Misdemeanors “is a thriller about the dark nights of the soul. It shockingly answers the question most of us have asked ourselves from time to time: Could I live with the knowledge that I had murdered someone? Could I still get through the day and be close to my family and warm to my friends, knowing that because of my own cruel selfishness, someone who had loved me was lying dead in the grave? This is one of the central questions of human existence, and society is based on the fact that most of us are not willing to see ourselves as murderers. But in the world of this film, conventional piety is overturned and we see into the soul of a human monster… Actually, he seems like a pretty nice guy.” (Feb. 10/08)

The Sacrifice — The last film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and, as is the case with most of his films, it’s an interesting but extremely slow and challenging film for most audiences. I like it but only recommend it for fans of Tarkovsky. From Ebert’s review: The Sacrifice “is about a man who learns, or dreams, that the bombers have gone on their way to unleash World War III. He offers his own life as a sacrifice, if only his family can be spared… [Tarkovsky] uses a great many long shots — both long in duration, and with great distances between the camera and the subjects. Long shots inspire thoughtfulness from the audience. We are not so close that we are required to identify with a character. We stand back, and see everything, and have time to think about it.” (Feb. 09/08)

The King of Kong — A documentary about two guys going for a world record in Donkey Kong. One of them, Billy Mitchell, is such a conceited jerk, you want punch him in the nose and knock him down in the mud. (Check out the trailer.) It may not be an important documentary, but it presents an engaging story of good vs. evil, and it’s entertaining. (Feb. 7/08)

The Invasion of the Body Snatchers #4. — Nicole Kidman does her best not to fall asleep and become one of the Pod People in this science fiction thriller that adds nothing new to a story that’s been done too many times already. However, it does work as a contemporary B-movie. It’s so bad that it’s good. (Feb. 06/08)

All the movies I’ve seen so far this year are posted on Mud Songs.

 Email This Post

Comments RSS