mini-reviews
Recently seen flicks (with thanks to Enji for the Netflix!):
The Edukators
Smart little film about anti-capitalist 20-somethings who make a big mistake. The heart of the movie is the dialogue between these idealists and a 50-something former-idealist, exposing the tension between conservatism and progressivism. I think it treats both fairly, without a clear bias, which is a rare thing to see. Also the scenery is lovely (and I’m not just talking about Julia Jentsch) and the ending is not obvious. Or wasn’t to me, anyway (though I was disappointed, as the bias does come out then).
300
Saw this in an IMAX theater. Full of gore and throaty bravado and lovely CGI and either (a) a story of courage in the face of incredible injustice or (b) a story about how homosexuals and brown people are less than human. I don’t think the filmmakers had (b) in mind, but it’s hard not to see it that way. It’s odd but the ending credits give an entirely different flavor to the whole movie and if they’d treated the opening credits the same way, I would have approached it differently.
Sherrybaby
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a mother just released from prison. She struggles to adjust to her new reality. That’s pretty much the story. Gyllenhaal is brilliant; the movie is just okay.
The Day After Tomorrow
I saw this once before and it’s just as ridiculous the second time. But kinda fun, too.
Secretary
While we’re talking Gyllenhaal, I saw this movie again last night (or most of it—it was on Oxygen or something). I liked it more the second time. Again, Maggie is brilliant. I don’t usually like James Spader, but I should give him more credit. He manages to make a confusing character almost entirely opaque. No no, I kid. He does good.
The Promise
Kung Fu Hustle meets Hero meets some CCTV soap opera with CGI apparently done on an Amiga. Sooooo bad. Don’t even bother.