Re: 2006 Film List
That's on my Netflix soon, guess I'll prepare for a letdown ending.
Pursuit of Happiness
9 of 10
I have to say that I was concerned about spending 2 hours watching a guy suffer over and over, but for me this film was really uplifting. I came from somewhat similar circumstances so I really related to their situation. The acting is very strong and Will's kid deserves the praise he got. It's great to see Will in more rewarding roles like this, less showy but ultimately a more impressive effort.
The tension was well-paced and honestly every step felt as real as it was supposed to be, rather than ramped up drama. The looking for his shoe moment, for example, felt completely real and frantic rather than over the top.
Obviously this true story ends with a happy ending, with him making it, otherwise it wouldn't be a story (at least not one I could bear), but for me it felt earned by the character every step of the way as well as constantly in jeopardy of not working out.
Other DVD viewings from the last few months that I didn't get back here and mention...
Apocalypto
9 of 10
Beautifully shot, incredible art direction. Only drawback is Mel's infatuation with torture/violence and a story that's a bit simple and classical H'wood narrative (ie not particularly clever or subtle)
Blood Diamond
9 of 10
Brilliant work by Leo, certainly worth the Oscar consideration, strong film overall. Like Apocalypto it sometimes follows script conventions too closely, for example the ending. But mostly outstanding.
Curse of the Golden Flower
7 of 10
Beautiful but just too self-indulgent on his part. The charm of stuff like Flying Daggers or Hero is lost here.
Employee of the Month
3 of 10
Actually could have been fun with the corny premise, but mostly it settles for being schlock. Not the kind of project Cook should have gone with.
Happy Feet
4 of 10
Bizarre use of CGI and mostly feels like it's just cribbing from what Moulin Rouge did, except MR had a true vision and had a real point to the gimmick musical blending. Here it's forced, and then the ending...the subtle manipulation of a bat upside the head.
The Holiday
5 of 10
Not sure 5 is even fair. It's so cliched and manipulative, as well as predictable and disjointed. I guess some of the acting is about all that saved it for me.
Invincible
8 of 10
No surprise to the story and it's standard sports underdog makes good stuff, but Wahlberg continues to deliver good performances and I loved Kinnear in the Vermeil subplot.
Marie Antoinette
9 of 10
More of what made Sophia's Lost in Translation so good. Sure she's stylish but it has a point and does apply to the character. It was consistantly beautifully shot and works very well as a character piece.
Night at the Museum
2.5 of 10
Just not funny. Could have been, should have been, but wasn't. Waste of a brilliant story idea. Robin Williams continues to be a warning sign rather than a selling point.
Open Season
6 of 10
Mundane animal animation story using the cliched fish out of water plotline. Funny enough at times to be mildly pleasant, but mostly forgettable.
Snakes on a Plane
5.5 of 10
Almost a good idea. Back off the stupid CGI work and CGI-driven scenes and you've almost got a great popcorn action/thriller. People scoffed at the concept, but actually that's one of the best parts of the film. It's the production that ends up letting it down. Didn't someone else have this in development and ended up giving up when he was asked to tone it down? I remember something like that being part of the problem.
Tenacious D
6 of 10
Great at times, but like the TV show it's very hit and miss. I wish there were more strong songs in the film and it's a shame that the best song is left for the credit roll (The Metal).
All of those updates have my 2006 film count up to 71, only about 30 shy of where I hope to get. Not as bad as it first looked for me.
