Movies Update

I've recently gone to the movies quite a bit, trying to catch up with the list of movies I'd like to see. I used to watch so many, but then we got the kids, and I got this job, and now when Friday comes, I'm so tired, I just want to stay in. Anyway, here's my quick recap/commentary.

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

Directed by George Clooney, the film tells the story of the face-off between TV star/reporter Edward Murrow, superbly played by David Strathairn, and Senator McCarthy, the creator of the infamous Hollywood black list of communist sympathizers that destroyed many careers based on speculation and gossip instead of tangible proof.

Clooney does a very good job directing the star studded cast (Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels) and the movie, thanks in part to the black and white photography, looks and feels like a movie from the 50s.

The screenplay is very well written and very much current, and offers us a reminder of what happens when some politician decides to use the public's fear to his or her benefit. Back then it was the fear of the Communists. Today it's the fear of the terrorists. Then it was McCarthy, today it's Bush. No matter the times, a morally corrupt politician will stop at nothing to pursue his agenda.

Grade: 7/10

CAPOTE

Great portrayal of a famous writer that I cannot say I know. Philip Seymour Hoffman is absolutely excellent in the title role and he'll certainly get a phone call the morning the Academy Awards nominations are announced. Deservedly.

The story recounts Capote's slow investigation and information gathering process about the life of two small town murderers in order to write his new book. He befriends the criminals and makes them believe he's doing all he can to help save them, when in reality...

Hoffman's tortured, selfish, slimy, and careless portrayal is the year's best and most certainly one for the Acting Annals.

Grade: 8/10

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

This adaptation of C.S. Lewis' first book of the Narnia series comes on the heels of the adaptation of his friend J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a fact that certainly played no small part in the whole production coming to a theater near you.

The movie is nowhere near the heights of any of the Rings' trilogy, but is nonetheless enjoyable. The script seems a little light and sort of all over the place, but I never read the book, so it might just be because it's a faithful adaptation. In any case, the story never gives Narnia the pathos felt watching The Lord of the Rings, and in the end this movie turns out to be just a pleasant kid movie, close to the first Harry Potter movie (the only one I ever saw).

The acting is average, and Tilda Swinton is downright fabulous as the ice queen holding on to her diminishing power. The visual effects are not spectacular, although the lion does look very good. Given the enormous amount of money the movie earned so far, we're definitely going to see the other books in the series adapted as well, but overall, I'd say this one was just ok (I did read somewhere that the book itself was quite short and left a lot to the imagination, but still, they could have done more with this chapter).

Grade: 6.5

MUNICH

Awesome. This is by far the best movie ever by Steven Spielberg. Don't get me wrong, I love Jurassic Park, E.T., Jaws, The Color Purple, Schindler's List, and on and on and on, but this is the first time I can't find a single flaw with the final product.

In most of Spielberg's movies you can find the feel good scene or the happy ending, or you can feel the desire on the part of the director to leave the audience with a happy feeling, instead of, for instance anguish (Schindler's List) or sadness (E.T.). With Munich, Spielberg has made a movie in the best vein of Hollywood's tradition, a movie that can stand the test of time and doesn't need any explanation whatsoever. It speaks for itself.

Munich tells the story of a group of Israeli agents sent on a revenge mission: to kill all the Palestinians involved in the kidnapping and subsequent execution of the Israeli athletes participating at the Olympic games in Munich in 1972. The mission isn't easy or simple and the agents aren't specialists in the field either, but they take on the mission nonetheless.

The movie is so tense and action packed it leaves you exhausted, but it's worth the effort. The script is excellent and takes the time to develop the main characters among all the action. The acting is top notch and the direction flawless. In the end though, it's the story itself that will linger with you for days. Don't miss it.

Grade: 9/10

SYRIANA

Another great movie, again dealing with the Middle East, but very much current, although based purely on fiction. It's a mosaic of different stories that all converge in the end in a finished, polished, beautiful albeit terrifying picture.

The cast is again star studded and the acting is great. Again, lots of action, very well written, masterfully edited and directed. I actually saw Munich and Syriana the same night, back to back, and when I left the theater I was exhausted and sickened by the way the Middle East has turned out to be.

Among the many stories the movie tells are that of a CIA agent dealing with terrorists; of the rivalry between two princes, heir to the Emir throne; of an economic advisor having to juggle work and family; of a multi-billion dollar merger that seems at best shady; of the inner workings of government oversight. As you can see, there is a lot to juggle, but Stephen Gaghan, the write/director does an excellent job and the end result is stunning to say the least. Definitely one of the years' best.

Grade: 8.5/10

Since in my list of movies I include those watched on TV, I'll mention also 50 First Dates, with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, with Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate. They're not really my kind of movies, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first one, which actually I liked quite a bit. The second one was really just a forgettable waste of time. Grades: 7/10 and 6/10 respectively.

Overall, 2005 has been one of the worst years on record for Hollywood, both financially and in terms of the quality of the productions, but at least the end of the year releases are giving us hope that Tinseltown can still razzle-dazzle us with it's wizardry.

Personally, the movie at the top of my list for 2005 was Million Dollar Baby (which I only got to see sometime last January and therefore doesn't count toward the 2004 batch of pictures), Clint Eastwood's achingly crepuscular flick about euthanasia, followed by Hotel Rwanda, which bravely and without holding back told the story of the Rwandan massacre most of the world turned its back to. Grades: 9.5/10 and 9/10 respectively.

At the bottom of my list, ended up War of the Worlds, Spielberg's other movie of 2005, a remake of the original with the same name. I never saw the original, and probably for its time, it was great, but this one, although showcasing updated visual effects, was simply stupid. The concept is good, but the script was chock full of implausible and ridiculous situations that just weren't believable and therefore interrupted the fundamental requirement for any sci-fi movie: immersion in a world of make-believe. Grade: 3.5/10