Movies 97-104
Oct. 13th, 2011 12:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cwfilmbuffMovie 97: Devil in a Blue Dress
I'd read a couple of the Easy Rawlins novels so thought I'd check out the movie. It was an enjoyable adaptation, although there were a few subplots from the book that were referenced without being explored (so why include them?). Any problems with the script are made up for in casting though. Don Cheadle was spot-on as Mouse, and Denzel Washington does a great job playing the struggle of knowing he's in the right while also knowing that won't necessarily matter in 1950s LA. The result is a movie that, while not great overall, still has a lot going for it.
Movie 98: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
What could have been a cheesy cash-grab actually turned out to be one of the more interesting sci-fi movies I've seen recently. The story is given time to develop instead of being filled with unnecessary action sequences so that when there is an extended battle it is that much more effective.
Movie 99: The Guard
Very funny Irish action comedy, even if the pacing is a little slower than it needs to be at times.
Movie 100: Drive
After opening with one of the most tense and interesting car "chases" I've ever seen, the movie settles into a slow, quiet tone that only serves to heighten the the impact when things start to go wrong and get suddenly, very violent. Director Nicolas Winding Refn somehow managed to make a movie that is simultaneously action and art-house, the result being one of my favorite films of the year so far.
Movie 101: Beauty and the Beast
I swear one of the biggest challenges of raising daughters is going to be Disney movies. There are some great movies, which we want to share with our children, but it's also interesting trying to emphasize the good aspects of the inescapable princesses (Belle loves to read and is willing to fight to protect her family!) while downplaying the bad (Stockholm syndrom!).
Movie 102: 101 Dalmations
Two things I'd forgotten about this movie: how many dog designs they recycled from Lady and the Tramp, and how much I love the overall look of the animation.
Movie 103: The Searchers
There are three things that I had often heard about this movie before seeing it: It's one of John Wayne's best performances, the cinematography is amazing, and it's very unfortunately racist. All three turned out to be true. Wayne is indeed great - interesting to watch from start to finish. And John Ford's placement of the camera is incredible, capturing the grandeur of the environment while utilizing visual motifs to make connections the script doesn't need to spell out. The fact that this is such a great movie makes the portrayal of Native Americans even more unfortunate. It's hard to believe we're supposed to take the position that Ethan Edwards' world view is wrong when the movie treats them as backwards savages.
Movie 104: 50/50
A fun movie, and refreshing to see a different take on cancer, but it never quite lived up to the sum of its parts. It's not bad, but it felt like it could have been much better.
That gets me caught up through September. Now to see how many horror movies I can knock off my queue in October.
I'd read a couple of the Easy Rawlins novels so thought I'd check out the movie. It was an enjoyable adaptation, although there were a few subplots from the book that were referenced without being explored (so why include them?). Any problems with the script are made up for in casting though. Don Cheadle was spot-on as Mouse, and Denzel Washington does a great job playing the struggle of knowing he's in the right while also knowing that won't necessarily matter in 1950s LA. The result is a movie that, while not great overall, still has a lot going for it.
Movie 98: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
What could have been a cheesy cash-grab actually turned out to be one of the more interesting sci-fi movies I've seen recently. The story is given time to develop instead of being filled with unnecessary action sequences so that when there is an extended battle it is that much more effective.
Movie 99: The Guard
Very funny Irish action comedy, even if the pacing is a little slower than it needs to be at times.
Movie 100: Drive
After opening with one of the most tense and interesting car "chases" I've ever seen, the movie settles into a slow, quiet tone that only serves to heighten the the impact when things start to go wrong and get suddenly, very violent. Director Nicolas Winding Refn somehow managed to make a movie that is simultaneously action and art-house, the result being one of my favorite films of the year so far.
Movie 101: Beauty and the Beast
I swear one of the biggest challenges of raising daughters is going to be Disney movies. There are some great movies, which we want to share with our children, but it's also interesting trying to emphasize the good aspects of the inescapable princesses (Belle loves to read and is willing to fight to protect her family!) while downplaying the bad (Stockholm syndrom!).
Movie 102: 101 Dalmations
Two things I'd forgotten about this movie: how many dog designs they recycled from Lady and the Tramp, and how much I love the overall look of the animation.
Movie 103: The Searchers
There are three things that I had often heard about this movie before seeing it: It's one of John Wayne's best performances, the cinematography is amazing, and it's very unfortunately racist. All three turned out to be true. Wayne is indeed great - interesting to watch from start to finish. And John Ford's placement of the camera is incredible, capturing the grandeur of the environment while utilizing visual motifs to make connections the script doesn't need to spell out. The fact that this is such a great movie makes the portrayal of Native Americans even more unfortunate. It's hard to believe we're supposed to take the position that Ethan Edwards' world view is wrong when the movie treats them as backwards savages.
Movie 104: 50/50
A fun movie, and refreshing to see a different take on cancer, but it never quite lived up to the sum of its parts. It's not bad, but it felt like it could have been much better.
That gets me caught up through September. Now to see how many horror movies I can knock off my queue in October.
