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Feb. 1st, 2008 01:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cwfilmbuffMovie 4: Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007)
There’s not really anything new here. It’s a legal thriller in which everyone’s lying to everyone else, and no one’s above using shady or illegal tactics to protect their interests. That said, the execution is very entertaining, and despite the fact that the film opens with scenes late in the action, we’re constantly kept wondering where things are going and what exactly people are up to. There are three performances that stand out, all of which are up for gold statues later this month: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, and Tilda Swinton. I don’t think it’s a great film, but it’s definitely a very good one, and fun to watch.
M5: Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)
This is a movie with a great beginning and a great end. Unfortunately, the journey from one to the other drags considerably. One of the things I found refreshing was that the film doesn’t rely on a twist ending. Typically when telling a story where almost all the characters are led believe something false, the audience is only shown what those characters see until the reveal at the end. In this one, the entire first act is spent setting up that erroneous belief, showing us multiple perspectives of events so we not only know what really happened, but why it’s so easy for everyone to believe otherwise. There are revelations at the end of the film, but they’re not meant to surprise so much as highlight the struggle of the characters - a move that provides the emotional impact that was missing for most of the second and third acts. Less than ideal pacing aside, there are a few other areas where the film shines. It’s beautifully shot, especially in a long and complicated tracking shot, and the score is one of the more inventive film scores I’ve heard lately, incorporating on-screen elements (most notably typewriter keys) into the music.
There’s not really anything new here. It’s a legal thriller in which everyone’s lying to everyone else, and no one’s above using shady or illegal tactics to protect their interests. That said, the execution is very entertaining, and despite the fact that the film opens with scenes late in the action, we’re constantly kept wondering where things are going and what exactly people are up to. There are three performances that stand out, all of which are up for gold statues later this month: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, and Tilda Swinton. I don’t think it’s a great film, but it’s definitely a very good one, and fun to watch.
M5: Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)
This is a movie with a great beginning and a great end. Unfortunately, the journey from one to the other drags considerably. One of the things I found refreshing was that the film doesn’t rely on a twist ending. Typically when telling a story where almost all the characters are led believe something false, the audience is only shown what those characters see until the reveal at the end. In this one, the entire first act is spent setting up that erroneous belief, showing us multiple perspectives of events so we not only know what really happened, but why it’s so easy for everyone to believe otherwise. There are revelations at the end of the film, but they’re not meant to surprise so much as highlight the struggle of the characters - a move that provides the emotional impact that was missing for most of the second and third acts. Less than ideal pacing aside, there are a few other areas where the film shines. It’s beautifully shot, especially in a long and complicated tracking shot, and the score is one of the more inventive film scores I’ve heard lately, incorporating on-screen elements (most notably typewriter keys) into the music.
