Once again I find myself falling behind in my movie-reviewing responsibilities. Let's knock a few off right now.
Last night Andy and I went on a date! Out! Without the kids! First we saw "Breach," which just opened this week—it has been a long time since I was among the first to see a new movie! We just love Chris Cooper, and he didn't disappoint in this one either. It's the retelling of the story of how they caught Robert Hanssen, the FBI lifer who turned out to be the biggest Soviet spy in U.S. history. Laura Linney was great; Ryan Phillippe was fine but didn't really stand out. The movie was very interesting and suspenseful, with pretty much nothing scary or violent in it. It's rated PG-13, but I was still surprised (and, I admit, disapproving) when I saw one of Steph's classmates there. For one thing, the movie didn't get out till 10:00; but more importantly, it just isn't appropriate subject matter for a kid. It's not a "spy movie" of the kind that a 10-year-old would want to see—he probably didn't even understand most of it. Plus there's a subplot where they're also trying to nab Hanssen on Internet porn charges, which is really inappropriate for kids to be exposed to. Suffice it to say that he and his brother were the only kids in the packed house, so I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't think that kids belong at that kind of movie on a Saturday night. Oh, and afterward we had yet another excellent meal at Legal's.*
And on to the rentals:
I enjoyed "Memoirs of a Geisha," but I have a feeling that if I'd read the book, I'd have been disappointed, as is usually the case. I suspect that the life of the geisha as presented here is more than a little sugar-coated. It really didn't seem all that bad, frankly, and the beauty of the cinematography, actresses, and costumes only added to that. Oh, the actresses! Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh all together in the same frames! Be still, my heart. (I recall that there was quite an uproar when three Chinese actresses were cast for this Japanese film, but I was very happy to have a chance to see them all again—and not in a martial arts film, for a change!) I also just love Ken Watanabe, so that was a pleasure. I guess I ended up feeling that this was a lightweight movie, made to be appear more beautiful than the lives it depicted actually were, but I still liked it.
I went into the 2005 remake of "Pride and Prejudice" with fear and loathing, as you may recall. Most of my concerns were founded, I'm sorry to say. Concern the first: Keira Knightley is not Elizabeth Bennet. She just isn't. And you know what else? I don't like her, and her simpy smile makes me gag. As Andy said, "It's a sorry thing when you have to say that someone is pretty until she smiles." Jennifer Ehle in the 1995 BBC version was just right for the role. Concern the second: Where the hell did they find this Matthew McFadyen guy, and who the hell thought he could play Mr. Darcy? My God, he was awful. There is no way anyone (no matter how desperate for a husband) could have fallen for him. He was Caspar Milquetoast to the nth degree. As anyone who's seen the BBC version will attest, there can never be another Darcy besides Colin Firth. It's just been done. My other complaints are not huge ones. For instance, it's obvious that a 2-hour movie is going to leave out a lot that a 5-hour movie was able to keep in, so I missed lots of plot moments from the book—Elizabeth never even gets to go to London in this one! But I understand that that's the nature of movies, and that wouldn't have been a deal-breaker if they'd managed to do a better casting job. Oh, but speaking of casting, I did enjoy Brenda Blethyn and Judi Dench and Rupert Friend in this one. Overall, if you have never seen the BBC version—and, moreover, if you've never read the book—you will probably like this. The scenery and costumes are luscious; the story is of course interesting. But it is far inferior to the original.
Oy, "Derailed" was creepy! Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston have a near-fling that turns into a nightmare when a Bad Guy catches them in the act and blackmails them. This got mostly lousy reviews, but I liked it. Good performances all around, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and an interesting plot. It's a thriller—although perhaps not all that thrilling—that held my attention from beginning to end.
I am a long-time fan of the comedies put out by Christopher Guest et al. That brand of humor is right up my alley. If you've never seen any of them, you are in for a real treat. That is, if you appreciate the kind of subtle humor that Guest, Harry Shearer, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, and the rest are known for. Those are movies I'm happy to see on DVD because I frequently need to hit "pause" just so I can finish laughing without missing the next funny moment. With all of them, it helps if you have some experience with the subject matter, but it doesn't hurt if you don't. For instance, if you've ever watched the Westminster Dog Show—particularly in the days when it was hosted by Joe Garagiola—you'll appreciate "Best in Show" that much more; "Waiting for Guffman" probably hits home more for those who've been involved in community theatre productions (I have not); and "A Mighty Wind" is even funnier to us folkies. So we were very excited to watch their latest project, "For Your Consideration," which tells the story of the making of a small indie movie that suddenly starts getting a lot of Oscar-buzz press. (Public Service Announcement: If you're drinking something right now, swallow first before you read on, or you might spray it all over your keyboard.) The movie is set in the Deep South in the 1940s and is called "Home for Purim." I couldn't stop giggling every time one of the characters said something in Yiddish with a Southern accent. That being said, though, this was, for me, far and away the least successful of the Guest movies. It was certainly worth watching—and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, particularly with Willard and Lynch as hosts of an "Entertainment Tonight"-style show—but it lacked something, some punch. It pains me to report that it was just not nearly as funny as the others.
*I forgot to mention last week that while we were up in NH, Andy's parents babysat the kids so we could go out to dinner! That means—drumroll, please—that we went on two dates in the same one-week period! Unprecedented. Also wonderful.