Intermission

2003. Directed by John Crowley. Written by Mark O'Rowe. Starring Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell, Colm Meaney, Kelly MacDonald, Shirley Henderson, David Wilmot, and Brian F. O'Bryne.

I wasn't sure quite what to expect from Intermission. My dad and step-mom had loaned it to me a long time ago and told me it seemed like a "Keith movie." But I always had something higher on my list of things to watch. Yesterday morning, I put it in. The opening scene grabs you right away and the movie never fails to hold your attention throughout. The film revolves around many different characters and storylines that all have some connection to each other.

John (Cillian Murphy) tells his girlfriend Deirdre (Kelly MacDonald) they need time apart. It was supposed to be a test, she doesn't resist. A wealthy banker leaves his wife to move in with Deirdre. John's friend and co-worker, Oscar (David Wilmot), is getting desperate in his search for female companionship; at one point, he finds the banker's ex at a dance club and they hook up with mixed results. Oscar is smart enough to decline John's invitation into crime, where John hooks up with Lehiff (Colin Farrell). Their scheme involves these creepy masks where the mouths don't move. There is also a cop (Colm Meaney) who, among other things, finds tormenting Lehiff to be part of his job. Then there's Deirdre's sister who has an unfortunate mustache and an even worse experience with the opposite sex.

This all gets very interesting. The movie is far from perfect but it never fails to be interesting and exciting. The characters are all interesting, the plot flows swiftly, and the film has a lot of energy. I was very glad that I finally got around to watching it.

My grade: B+

Volver

2006. Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar. Starring Penelope Cruz, Lola Duenas, Carmen Maura, Yohana Cobo, and Blanca Portillo. Subtitled.

Maturity is a relative term and Pedrom Almodovar has indeed matured as a filmmaker. It is apparent in his brilliant stretch of films beginning with 1999’s All About My Mother and continuing with Talk to Her, Bad Education, and now Volver. Bad Education is a very good movie. The other three films are superb. There is more humanity and seriousness in Almodovar’s recent work. These films do not seek to shock you but instead lead you to compassion. The work is quieter, though as in maturity and seriousness, these are relative terms. Only compared to his earlier work would you think to call Almodovar quiet. He is still a bold and vivid storyteller but his focus is on the thoughts and struggles inside people.

Volver follows two sisters and looks at how they are dealing with what their lives have brought them. They had very different relationships with their mother, who they lost in a fire a few years ago. Sole (a terrific Lola Duenas) hears voices in her trunk and discovers what she assumes to be the ghost of her dead mother, who she takes in, cleans up, and puts to work in her hair salon. I am so willing to follow Almodovar anywhere that I didn’t even blink at the possibility of the smelly ghost of an old woman coming into her daughter’s home and hiding under her bed when the other sister visits. That sister, Raimunda (played wonderfully by Penelope Cruz), has big issues to deal with in her past and even bigger issues that face her in the present. Volver is about how these two sisters deal with their lives and the shocking discoveries that alters what they thought they knew.

The movie deals with some big issues and doesn’t take them lightly. At the same time, Almodovar makes his films enjoyable and you will smile and laugh often. Volver is a wonderful journey that you make along with the characters. It was one of the best films of 2006.

My Grade: A

Bourne Identity / Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Identity. 2002. Directed by Doug Liman. Screenplay by Tony Gilroy and W. Blake Herron, based on the novel by Robert Ludlum. Starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, and Julia Stiles.

The Bourne Supremacy. 2004. Directed by Paul Greengrass. Screenplay by Tony Gilroy, based on the novel by Robert Ludlum. Starring Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, and Julia Stiles.

The Bourne movies are not movies you absolutely need to see, but should you decide to, you should enjoy them thoroughly. They are intelligent action movies; suspenseful, interesting, filled with well crafted characters. I watched them very close to each other. If pressed, I would rank the first film as the better of the two but they are of fairly equal quality. Matt Damon does a nice job in the lead role as a trained assassin who awakes to discover that all memory of his identity is gone. He figures out quite easily what he used to be, based on the skills he possesses and the stash of cash in his safety deposit box. Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, and in the second film Joan Allen make a good collection of government officials as they oversee and then try to terminate a failed government experiment. I was engrossed throughout both films. Action films these days often allow you to check your brain at the door, feel free to bring your brain along for these thrillers.

Both films: B+

A four-year old's review of Shrek the Third

With some help from his daddy, Brady created his first movie review today.

What did you like? I liked the whole movie.

What was your favorite part? I liked the girls and the boys. All the movie was my favorite part.

What was the funniest part? Prince Charming running in the theatre (he is riding what is revealed to be a child's horse toy) and Puss and Donkey switching voices and tails.

Was the movie boring, okay, good, or awesome? It was an awesome, good movie!

Shrek the Third

2007. Animated. Directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui. Featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Justin Timberlake, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, and Eric Idle.

"Help, I've been kidnapped by a monster trying to relate to me."

My two year old has now been to the "big, dark theatre" as we call it. Both my children have become fond of the first two Shrek movies on DVD. We had planned on my wife taking Brady, our 4-year old, to Shrek but decided at the last minute that all four of us would go. I was fully prepared to be playing in the lobby or making a short trip to the library as Spencer has a strong unwillingness to sit still when he doesn't want to. But we decided it was worth a shot. He was ready to head back out to the lobby as soon as we walked to our seats. The five minutes prior to showtime was a continuous battle with him just to stay put, but once the theatre darkened and the previews rolled, Spencer was hooked. He watched with full attention almost the whole way through. There were a couple moments where he snuggled up with one of us with his back to the screen, but they were brief.

Shrek the Third is an uninspired sequel to a couple very good films. It is not unenjoyable, though it drags quite a bit in spots, but it is very mediocre as a whole. The returning voice cast is enjoyable (Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas do make a very fine match) and the ending is strong. I found myself laughing in several parts; Gingy sees his life flashing before him, Pinocchio walks around answers in a way that would make politicians proud as he desperately tries to keep his nose from growing, and Shrek has a nightmare bursting with children. I had heard about the Princess Squad and did enjoy this moment, but it was far briefer than I expected. Shrek the Third is a weak sequel but not a bad time at the movies. My enjoyment came mostly from how much my kids were enjoying it. Oh, and Spencer says it is "funny" and he likes "the bad trees."

My grade: B-

Little Children

2006. Directed by Todd Field. Screenplay by Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, based on Perrotta's novel. Starring Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Noah Emmerich, Jennifer Connelly, and Jane Adams.

Voice-over narration is often seen in the film world as a cover for a weak narrative. The narrative in Little Children isn't weak, yet the voice-over narration from an omniscient voice works completely against the story. The movie begins, ends, and fills up way too many spots in the middle with this extremely ineffective and even annoying voice-over telling us things we could often see easily in the actions of the actors. The narration isn't particularly well done and it adds nothing to the story.

Little Children follows two stay-at-home parents who feel distanced in their marriage and eventually find comfort in each other. They meet most days at a local park, then later at the town pool, and what started somewhat innocently ceases to be innocent. Also taking residence in this town is a sex offender and a former cop who makes it his duty to spend every spare second harassing him.

The film as a whole left me disappointed. It isn't bad. In fact, it has many very good parts including the acting which is uniformly good. There are scenes that are far better than the whole, including the sex offender's date with the the under appreciated Jane Adams (her character is not unlike the one she played in Happiness). I was always interested but never completely taken in. Every time I'd start to get really involved, that damn voice-over would come on again to pull me right back out.

My grade: B-