I’m a sucker for 18th Century costume dramas, especially if part of the time is spent in sailing ships. This one, despite being landlocked, is heads above most.
All in Drama
Alex Proyas' KNOWING
In KNOWING director Proyas (Dark City, I, Robot, Garage Days) takes disparate elements (end of world, numerology, randomness vs. determinism, single father raising son alone, calamity, Nicolas Cage, and some of the most visceral and amazing special effects I’ve seen since Benjamin Button) and weaves them into a mix you’ll either love or hate.
It’s a pleasure watching an intelligent adult film. It’s even better to see one that treats a difficult subject with great clarity despite underlying moral and legal ambiguities. Most of all, it’s great to see such a film with a great cast working from a great script.
Although visually arresting, I thought Tarsem Singh’s THE CELL was inuman, inhumane, and tawdry. THE FALL is also visually gorgeous. It’s also clever, imaginative, and touching.
Mamoru Oshii's “THE SKY CRAWLERS”
Wonderfully animated, this moody anime adventure combines elements of 1984 (perpetual warfare), Blade Runner (androids with fuzzy memories), Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (alternate history and retro-futuristic aircraft), and Dark City (constant recycling of character experiences and events).
The “invisible aliens among us” story has been done many times before. This one focuses less on wild histrionics than continually escalating terror.
Yoji Yamada's LOVE AND HONOR
A young samurai lives comfortably with his wife in an apartment on the grounds of a rich, aged feudal lord. His complaint: his job as a royal food taster leaves him dissatisfied and longing for more challenging and personally rewarding responsibilities.
David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
The special effects are the most impressive I’ve seen since Peter Jackson’s King Kong.
Spike Lee's “MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA”
There’s enough creativity, truth, history, drama, and excitement here for three movies.
Farah Khan's “OM SHANTI OM”
This is the most entertaining movie I have seen since Andrew Stanton’s WALL-E.
Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING
Many of the scenes in the Theatrical Return beg for more exposition. I don’t know if that’s because the story has been too highly compressed, or if I’m just aware that an Extended Edition is due out in a couple of months. Probably a bit of both.
Walter Salles' THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
What a great film this is. It’s a thoughtful, contemplative, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, road picture.
Alex Proyas' GARAGE DAYS
Alex Proyas’ GARAGE DAYS is light years distant from DARK CITY. First of all, it’s a comedy. Second, it’s also a melodrama that concentrates on characters, sort of a “tale of death of youthful optimism” crossed with “sex drugs and rock ‘n roll.”
Zhang Yimou's CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
Garish, melodramatic, architectonic, fantastic. Ultimately boring.
Alex Proyas' “DARK CITY”
This is what I wrote in my blog when, once upon a time in Indiana, I found myself working late at night with the TV turned on:
The story is simple: in the early 1920’s a young German mail-order bride, gramophone in hand, comes to rural Minnesota to meet her Norwegian husband to be.
Halfway through I thought about stopping but I’ve decided to give this movie another chance after reading the Netflix reviews.
Steven Spielberg's AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
I grew up with the science fiction of Clarke, Asimov, and Heinlein. At their best they wrestled with humans coming to terms with very large ideas and concepts in stories that spanned years and vast distances. I especially loved depictions of the far future.
Brad Bird's RATATOUILLE
Number One Daughter was home for the weekend from college. We packed ourself into the family chariot and located the one theater in the Northern Virginia area that was still showing Ratatouille ($3 per ticket - cash only).