confessions of an amateur cineaste

Me being me, I spent my day off yesterday at the movies. I started with my second most anticipated film of the year, Children of Men, which was well worth the wait. I think everyone knows — it’s set in the near future, where all women are infertile, and it is just brilliant. I should probably read the book now, but the film was so well done and so real that I want to hang on to that for a while longer. It was very much a world I can see our world becoming, a future arrived at organically. Beautifully shot, with amazing visual detail and great use of the handheld typical of Cuarón, and one of those great scripts that -seems- effortless in how natural it is, but is actually carefully put together.

(Also, can I just say, Clive Owen is painfully attractive. Not news — we’ve all known it since Croupier at the very least — but still worth mentioning.)

Then, against my better judgment, I saw The Good German. Since I have gone, I can spare you all the experience. I know, I know, you’ll think, “It has people I like! And it’s shot in black and white — that should be cool!” But you should not think these things. You should think about how, when he was asked on “The Daily Show”, George Clooney couldn’t come up with a reason why they had made the movie aside from the fact that they could. That’s a red flag right there, folks.

At least I didn’t pay for it.

(Oh my GOD. It was LUCA. From the BABY-SITTERS CLUB. No wonder he looked familiar. Aiiee.)

A week ago I had no stand-up-and-cheer favorite film of the year. Now, all that has changed, for mine eyes have seen The History Boys. Seriously, you guys. It is better than Dead Poets Society. For those of you who don’t like DPS, it’s DPS with working class boys and minus the over-the-top angst. For those of you who like DPS, it’s DPS, but English, canon gay, and better writing. For the three people on the planet who don’t know, it’s the film of the play starring the original cast. And for all of you, it is FANTASTIC. I might be a little obsessed. Fair warning. It was all I could do when it was over to not turn right around and go see it again.

(That said, I still think there is something oddly unfinished about Stephen Campbell Moore. Perhaps it’s that he has no lips. I still like him! And he is excellent in this role. Everyone is excellent!)

I was stoked to get passes to a free screening of The Pursuit of Happyness because I am huge Will Smith fan. I can’t help it. And the film in particular had me all sniffly in trailers alone. He was great, and his son was fantastic and adorable as well. It’s interesting — the film has pacing issues and some meandering in the narrative drive, as it were, but I respect that the filmmakers didn’t change the particulars of Chris’s life to make for an artificially more compelling story, and, rather, let it be compelling in its truth. It’s the second most American film I saw this year (after Little Miss Sunshine) for its honesty — while not being preachy — regarding class in America.

Next up… I had been hesitant to see The Departed, not because I don’t like Scorsese…. or the cast, really… but because I was such a huge fan of the original. This definitely held up, though. I was completely invested in the fate of the characters and pulled in to the drama of it all, even though I knew how it would play out. Great script with very snappy dialogue, and good use of several bits and tells from Infernal Affairs. I’ve heard a lot of buzz around Leonardo, and it’s well-deserved, but he suffers in comparison to Tony Leung. Nicholson eats all the scenery, but that’s what he does, Mark Wahlberg got all the best lines, and I’ve always loved Matt Damon. All in all, pretty darn great.

* Fellowship of the Ring. Seriously. Does this actually need any commentary? I think not. I think we all know how I feel about this movie.

* The Village was better than I had expected it to be, especially since I had been spoiled for it. Of course, I’m the only person I know who loved Unbreakable, so there you go.

* “Six Feet Under” - Season 5. I cannot believe it is over! Woe.

* Serenity. Remember the first time you saw this? The thrill of seeing it all on the big screen? The thrill of it existing at all? I’ve said it before, but seriously. It’s not actually that often that I anticipate a film as much as I did this one, and then was -still- blown away. So good.

* Slither is bad in a great way, and it knows it. Be sure to check out the extras for Nathan Fillion being, well, Nathan.

* School Ties includes everyone when they were wee. Even Anthony Rapp! N’aw.

* Clerks 2 was great! Crude, but what else do you expect? Surprisingly thoughtful and touching.

* but on the dark side of the sequel, More American Grafitti was just unwatchable. I quit a half hour in, as I decided the character epilogues from the first film were sufficient. It is a classic for good reason.

Volver was probably my most-anticipated film of the year, so of course I went to see it the day it came out, despite being dead sleepy from an oddly brutal short week. It was worth it, too. Gorgeous, moving, funny, colorful, and totally Almodóvar. He and Penélope Cruz have a little mutual admiration society happening, and much deserved for both of them. He’s right — Hollywood doesn’t know what to do with her, which is fine by me if it means she’ll spend more time working with him. Also, it was lovely to see Carmen Maura working with him again.

Now, a mental 180 for Casino Royale, which was frickin’ awesome. A complex Bond! Who doesn’t rely on cheesy gadgets! I can’t wait for more. I -knew- it would be great, through all the damned nay-sayers since Craig was cast. Please to be allowing me a victory lap. Thank you.

So, Babel was coming out, but I felt that I should watch Iñárritu’s previous feature two films. Possibly because I am a crazy person. First up was Amores Perros, which is a gritty and violent film about love, told in 3 interrelated stories (a hallmark of Iñárritu).

Next came 21 Grams, which I think is my favorite of the bunch. From my impression of the marketing I had expected it to be a much more spiritual/religious film than it really was. It’s much twistier than the other two, but certainly compelling, so I had no trouble following it.

Finally, Babel was an intense and devastating film, one of those pieces that makes you wonder why anyone attempts to communicate at all, since it is so clearly doomed to failure.

(In looking up Iñárritu, by the way, I also discovered that he directed one of the most memorable segments of 11′09″01, a collection of shorts very much worth watching.)