The Visitor and Baby Mama

Ooh! What an odd combo of movies I watched this weekend. I am going to start with The Visitor because I just finished it and it left me feeling sad and wanting to talk to someone about it. The movie potrays a middle-aged economics professor stuck in his joyless life and recovering from the death of his wife. His life changes when he encounters an exuberant Syrian drummer who is crashing in his New York apartment. The movie moves from being a story about drumming to a story about trying to save Tareq, the drummer, from being deported. This movie does not have a sunshiny view of how the good professor saves the immigrants from their doom -- sadly that is not even possible. The reality of life for immigrants in America after 911 is bleak and The Visitor examines this reality. But the movie didn't just bum me out about how are justice system can work, it also left me feeling like playing the drums or at least getting in touch with my inner drum beat!

Baby Mama, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, is a lightweight, sit-comesque comedy. It's kinda funny in parts and makes some interesting commentary about our me-centered American culture, but it is pretty forgettable which I say regrettably since I love Tina Fey and think 30 Rock is awesome, but BabyMama isn't as clever as that show or Mean Girls, another Tina Fey movie.

Bernard and Doris

Bernard and Doris tells about the real life heiress Doris Duke and her devoted butler. Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes play the lead roles and attack these roles pretty admirably. I wanted to watch this HBO movie when I heard it nominated at the Emmys. Again, here's another movie with great acting and an interesting plot potential that falls flat. You don't even really care what happens between these two flawed people at the end.

The Duchess

The Duchess has everything I like in a movie: a period piece with great acting and gorgeous landscapes. And yet, I thought it was only so so. I thought Ralph Fiennes' dry cold humor is amusing, Kiera Knightly is lovely and the story of the Duchess Georgiana is fascinating, and yet, the movie didn't wow me. Georgiana, the main character, was known for being an 18th century Hollywood-like star -- everywhere she went people were awed by her wittiness and her magnificent outfits--but Knightly didn't seem to have the fire needed to play this big character. Knightly is definitely fantastically adorned and has many clever lines but she is too understated as this attention-seeking diva. I don't know. I liked it, I guess, but I just wasn't wowed.

Wired

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't seen any movies and my only DVD entertainment has been the fourth season of the Wire. It's so good I am savoring it by watching just one or two episodes at a time. This season's focus is on a really messed up Baltimore middle school. More later.