Brook K
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2000
- Messages
- 9,467
Time Of The Wolf - Michael Haneke's beautifully shot moodpiece set in an unexplained post-Apocalyptic France is never less than compelling viewing, even if it lacks the thematic firepower of his previous works - The Piano Teacher, Code Unknown, & Funny Games. - B+
Closer - While filled with all sorts of actorly fireworks and enjoyably cynical dialogue, Closer trips up in failing to provide adequate grounding for its characters. Their personalities shift so wildly within the film, that it is impossible to know when a character is actually being sincere, thus making it difficult to invest any amount of true affinity for the movie. Worth seeing, but nothing special. B-
Finding Neverland - Touching story about the redemptive power of art and its ability to inspire and entertain. Johnny Depp once again delivers a noteworthy performance as a man who tries his hardest to remain untouched by the cynicism and disappointments of adulthood. The film has superb character moments and high production values, but falters a bit structurally in its balance between a children's world full of fun and creativity and an adult world of silent betrayals and profit and loss. It reduces much of the "adult" story to distracting filler material. But there is no denying that the film achieves the magic that is always a rare find. A-
Code 46 - Michael Winterbottom creates an intriguingly simple vision of a future society where he places a story of romance and mystery. Unfortunately, Tim Robbins isn't really the best choice for a romantic lead. His stiffness alongside Samantha Morton's exuberance never really gels into chemistry between the actors. I loved the look and shooting style of the film and the "Gattaesque" future that looks very similar to the present, but it fails the "Brook Kennon Test" for a good romantic film: Am I rooting for the leads to get together? In Code 46 the answer is "Not really". B
Troy - Far more compelling and entertaining than I thought it would be, Troy brought forth some of my long buried enthusiasm for Greek Mythology. I felt a bit of the same charge I got from LOTR in seeing favorite literary characters like Achilles, Ajax and Hector on screen. The battles and political scenes are sharply directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The romantic scenes don't fare quite as well, but it really isn't until the last 20m-30m that the film flags a bit in finally succumbing to Hollywoodisms that it had avoided until that point. Still I would call this a pleasant surprise. B
Next Up: still a few catchups, The Forgotten (wife fell asleep during this last night so I had to turn it off), Sky Captain, Rosenstrasse
Closer - While filled with all sorts of actorly fireworks and enjoyably cynical dialogue, Closer trips up in failing to provide adequate grounding for its characters. Their personalities shift so wildly within the film, that it is impossible to know when a character is actually being sincere, thus making it difficult to invest any amount of true affinity for the movie. Worth seeing, but nothing special. B-
Finding Neverland - Touching story about the redemptive power of art and its ability to inspire and entertain. Johnny Depp once again delivers a noteworthy performance as a man who tries his hardest to remain untouched by the cynicism and disappointments of adulthood. The film has superb character moments and high production values, but falters a bit structurally in its balance between a children's world full of fun and creativity and an adult world of silent betrayals and profit and loss. It reduces much of the "adult" story to distracting filler material. But there is no denying that the film achieves the magic that is always a rare find. A-
Code 46 - Michael Winterbottom creates an intriguingly simple vision of a future society where he places a story of romance and mystery. Unfortunately, Tim Robbins isn't really the best choice for a romantic lead. His stiffness alongside Samantha Morton's exuberance never really gels into chemistry between the actors. I loved the look and shooting style of the film and the "Gattaesque" future that looks very similar to the present, but it fails the "Brook Kennon Test" for a good romantic film: Am I rooting for the leads to get together? In Code 46 the answer is "Not really". B
Troy - Far more compelling and entertaining than I thought it would be, Troy brought forth some of my long buried enthusiasm for Greek Mythology. I felt a bit of the same charge I got from LOTR in seeing favorite literary characters like Achilles, Ajax and Hector on screen. The battles and political scenes are sharply directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The romantic scenes don't fare quite as well, but it really isn't until the last 20m-30m that the film flags a bit in finally succumbing to Hollywoodisms that it had avoided until that point. Still I would call this a pleasant surprise. B
Next Up: still a few catchups, The Forgotten (wife fell asleep during this last night so I had to turn it off), Sky Captain, Rosenstrasse