As with everyone else, the holiday season was hectic for me. Between the 24th and today, I have spent five separate days traveling between one city and another (I fly out for the next, tomorrow). Still, I made efforts to see as many movies as I could in these ten days of traveling and visiting. What follows are the reviews of those movies that I actually managed to put aside some time to see.
Avatar (for the second time) – My parenthetic caption as well as my previous post have probably already given away that I more than enjoyed it. Hell; if you’ve seen it, I’d be surprised if you didn’t find something to enjoy about it. My brother hadn’t been to a theater in years, largely due to his inability to tune out 300 people simultaneously eating popcorn with their mouths open (I have to admit that as I age, I’m developing the same aversion). Within the first five minutes I was sucked in all over again. Recent 3D movies have been full of gimmicks to show off what things look like coming at you fast. Avatar, instead, wows you with depth. Any time there was a lingering camera shot, I found myself getting lost in the backgrounds and the gadgets that people were using, all beautifully enhanced by subtle uses of 3D rather than invasive. It is this depth that helps paint a vivid alien world. With this world being one of the more important characters in this moral tale, having this richness of character really makes the movie. Cameron has already proven his chops when it comes to directing action, and he doesn’t lose a step this time around either. Be warned: Avatar will feel familiar. A lot of times lately, this familiarity can be often accredited to lack of originality. Rest assured, Avatar is nothing if not original. It will be one of the unique experiences in your movie-going history. Needless to say, my brother was happy with his experience, and has even admitted that he will return to a movie theater before Avatar ends its 3D run. That’s monumental enough for me to give it top marks.
Sherlock Holmes – Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, was an introduction to the New British Cinema for many. Guy Ritchie grabbed North America by the bollocks and reminded everyone that UK cinema didn’t get boring once Michael Caine got old. End results – Jason Statham started his climb up the US action movie industry; Snatch came along and once again I had to face the reality that no matter how much I wanted to – no matter how much I should – I just couldn’t hate Brad Pitt; and then Madonna came along. Ritchie’s films never really grabbed me after that. But, Robert Downey Jr. has consistently proven that he can be entertaining no matter what. Hence, I gave in and actually got a little excited for the Holmes undertaking, despite being a fan of the written works (always a bad idea if you love a classic). I am happy to report that while certainly not perfect, Sherlock Holmes left me extremely satisfied and hungry for a sequel. The chemistry between Holmes and Watson, while entirely different from the books, is still one of the driving forces of this action take on a classic idea. Most surprising was Ritchie’s return to originality with an extremely successful fight gimmick. I found myself looking forward to fight scenes and smiling as soon as they started. If you’re a die-hard fan of Sir Doyle’s classics, don’t expect anything nearly equal in writing or story. Conversely, if you enjoy action films and can’t help but wish you were friends with RDJ, you will not be disappointed. Hopefully enough to sweep away some of Ritchie’s more forgettable ventures.
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus – Being a long-time fan of Terry Gilliam, I was worried that the content of the film might be lost amidst the shadow of its star Heath Ledger’s tragedy. At times if feels as if, given more time, there might have been additional scenes shot to serve as transitions between others. The story is so full of intricacies and reality changes that you can get lost at times. But then again, Gilliam can be just as confusing with all of the time in the world to finish something. Oddly enough, for fans of his past work, it is this “confusion” that is one of the most appealing aspects of his work. I wasn’t entirely familiar with the basic plot before walking in, and I enjoyed the story far more than I thought I would. A lot of this is due to Christopher Plummer’s solid performance and most especially due to Tom Waits’ excellently understated performance – other actors would have cheapened the role by hamming it up or phoning it in. Heath Ledger delivers exactly the performance we had come to expect, but this is not a Heath Ledger film. It is very much a Terry Gilliam film. It is that distinction that may decide whether or not you enjoy it. Again, being a Gilliam fan, I was happy. I’m not ranking it as his best, but I was happy with the result nonetheless.
Up In The Air – This was the film that had me worried. Worried I would miss it. It’s one of those films that you hear about alot, but somehow it’s never playing when and where you want. His father’s name aside, Thank You For Smoking first put Jason Reitman on my radar. Two years later, Juno put his fame on the map. With the saturation of the new teen angsty/comedy style (see anything with Michael Cera or Jesse Eisenberg) I was hoping for something different for Reitman’s follow up to Juno. Much like the aforementioned Pitt, I just can’t seem to hate George Clooney. The man knows how to deliver a line. When he and Sam Elliott were on screen together, I did not want it to end. (Along with a few others, these two could reinvent radio if they ever decided to give up film.) Reitman proves that he can bring out the charm in the autumn of his characters’ lives even better than the spring/summer that he tackled with Juno. I’ve always noticed Vera Farmiga and wanted to like her, but only now have I finally seen something that gives her the chance to really shine. Every single character and storyline in this film felt like it was handled exactly as it should be. Even turns and scenes that I predicted, still managed to satisfy. When all was said and done I felt like I had watched a complete film. From the stylish opening credits to the final narration, it felt like every “t” had been crossed and every “i” dotted; from location scouting to acting, every player in the film does their job exactly as it should be done. It was one of those examples of great storytelling where you sit down and enjoy a film much as you would a good book; from cover to cover. It helped, of course, to find myself drawing comparisons between my nomadic life and that of an extreme version. While a lot of movies this past year have excelled in very specific categories, it is this one that I find myself pulling for as a whole, and it’s only appropriate that it was the first movie I’ve seen of the new decade, and only days before I fly away from civilization.
– Pig
