After the Wedding

My cousin Clare recommended After the Wedding so of course I had to see it. It is a Danish film that begins and ends in India but takes place mostly in Denmark. The plot is so compelling, that you really can't do anything while watching the movie except read the subtitles and watch the great acting. (No crosswords can be completed) I can't reveal anything here without spoiling the film for you but suffice it to say it is surprising. The lead actor Mads Mikkelsen is quite something to look at, I don't usually think of such a stern looking man as so handsome. The movie does get a tad too melodramatic at times, perhaps too soap opera-ish, but it's a page turner movie-style. Thanks Clare for the recommendation.

Two More Ryan Gosling Films: Stay and The Believer

In an effort to watch as many Ryan Gosling films as I can, I rented Stay and The Believer. Stay is pretty much an unwatchable arty, way-over-stylized supposedly psychological thriller. It’s not even explainable. It stars Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, and of course Ryan Gosling. And even though he is very freaky in Stay, he is still hard not to watch. Ewan McGregor makes a splash because of his el strango wardrobe that includes too-too short pants. Was it supposed to be funny?

Elizabeth Reiser, perhaps best known for being in Sweetland and Grey’s Anatomy, is also in both of these films. In The Believer, she plays a Jewish attorney with Ryan Gosling as the even freakier NeoNazi who is also Jewish. This movie, which was originally banned from be distributed because of it’s exceptionally disturbing anti-Jewish content, was finally shown first on Showtime. It’s no joy ride watching this cringe producing movie, but Ryan Gosling’s performance is remarkable. All of the movies that Ryan Gosling has been in so far are listed below. (Half Nelson is still the best of the bunch, I think)

1. Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
2. Fracture (2007)
3. Half Nelson (2006)
4. Stay (2005)
5. The Notebook (2004)
6. The United States of Leland (2003)
7. Murder by Numbers (2002) *
8. The Slaughter Rule (2002) *
9. The Believer (2001)
10. Remember the Titans (2000)

*Haven't seen these ones yet, maybe never

The Verdict #4 on AFI's Top Ten Courtroom Dramas

I decided to watch The Verdict after seeing it on American Film Institute's top 10 list of courtroom dramas. The beautiful Paul Newman looked a little haggard but was impressive as the alcoholic lawyer who takes one last stab at winning a case. My friends and I who watched the movie were struck by the datedness of the movie -- the slow pace-- the long camera shots -- the dial phone (printed out phone bill), the absence of computers, and the politically incorrect comments. I thought it was it going to be great, but I was only so so impressed with it. There was some falling asleep while we watched it (not me). Is it that we are so used to modern movies that we cannot sustain attention to the pace? After I learned that the movie was written by David Mamet, I thought, hmm, I should have paid better attention to the dialogue and should have been more impressed. Other AFI top ten in the courtroom dramas are . . .
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. Twelve Angry Men
3. Kramer Vs. Kramer
4. The Verdict
5. A Few Good Men
6. Witness for the Prosecution
7. Anatomy of a Murder
8. In Cold Blood
9. A Cry in the Dark
10. Judgment at Nuremburg

Joe Strummer, The Future is Unwritten

Joe Strummer, The Future is Unwritten captures the punkin', politican’, rockin' RAD Clash member through testimonies around the camp fire from former early band members, women who loved him, and celebs like John Cusak and Bono. I knew a lot about the music of the Clash but very little about Joe Strummer. This documentary, while all a mish mash of video clips, remembrances, and even scenes from the animated Animal Farm, gave me a good idea of who he was and what he was like. And Strummer seemed like the kind of guy who would be very fun to hang out with but not so easy to live with. I really enjoyed learning about this sad and crazy musician.

The Kite Runner

I finally saw The Kite Runner after meaning to see it for a while, but I was reluctant. After reading the book, I knew what gruesome and sad events that awaited me in the movie and never really felt like putting myself through that. (this was another movie that I kept moving down on my queue) I liked but didn’t love the book but found the movie to be a worthy recount of the book. The movie is definitely a tear jerker, esp. when the adopted and damaged boy Sohrab (sp.?) tries to assimilate into life in America. The young actor who plays this boy had such a sad look on his face that it is heartbreaking. The movie does a good job of putting you in another world; the view of Kabul and a city in Pakistan is fascinating and is one reason to see the movie.

Lawrence of Arabia

The American Film Institute extols Lawrence of Arabia as one of the greatest films, EVER. Since I had never seen it, I figured I'd better. Especially after I read somewhere that it was compared to Reds, which is one of my favorite films, EVER. It took me three nights to get through Lawrence, it is after all nearly 4 hours long. And while I liked all the cool desert visuals, and thought Peter O'Toole was super cute in it. I didn't really get its greatness. Actually, I didn't 100% get it, at all. There were a lot of battles that had to do with Arab tribes, Turks, stuffy British dudes, grunting camels etc. And it is one of the AFI's number one of ten top epic movies.
AFI Top 10 Epic Films
1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Ben-Hur
3. Schindler's List
4. Gone with the Wind
5. Spartacus
6. Titanic
7. All Quiet on the Western Front
8. Saving Private Ryan
9. Reds
10. The Ten Commandments

John Adams

John Adams, the HBO miniseries, is based on David McCullough's exhaustive biography of this signer of the declaration of independence and 2nd president. The miniseries tries to do justice to McCullough's tome by paying attention to all the details of America's conception, all the documents written involving Adams, all the conversations Adam's had with all the great men of the time, and all the settings where he negotiated, primarily Philadelphia and France. In addition, the miniseries chronicles the story of his marriage with the great Abigail with whom he relied on for counsel and reassurance. So it's interesting and thorough, but at times dull. I liked learning about all of these events but an instructive, beautifully detailed movie does necessarily make for a breathtaking thrill ride. It's no Reds, in other words. And, besides that, Paul Giamatti's Adams is such a dour grumpy-frumpy man, one tires of him. Laura Linney, even appears lifeless after a while, and I love her. So if you want to learn a lot and see some fantastic historically accurate sets, John Adams is right for you. Otherwise, I would pass.