Winter Break Movies
It’s winter break, meaning I have the free time to catch up with some movies I’ve been wanting to see. What I thought of each movie in the order that I saw them.
Man on Wire
Heavily praised documentary, perhaps overly so. It’s about a French high wire artist named Philippe Petit who walked, without safety nets, between the twin towers. The documentary recalls other impressive walks leading up to the WTC walk and the planning and implementation of the penultimate walk. It didn’t quite live up to all the hype, but was interesting nonetheless. Footage of Petit performing, both in film and in photographs, is mind blowing. A solid straightforward documentary of an incredible feat.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Early on, I remember hearing that this was the odds on favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar. After seeing it, I really hope it doesn’t win. For one, Slumdog Millionaire and Wall-E are far superior. However, it’s not a bad movie by any means, it’s just not a particularly memorable one. Heavy handed symbolism, irrelevant side stories, so-so acting, unnecessary story within a story structure, and an EXTREMELY slow start make this a huge disappointment. Still, the ending was okay, though it had potential to be so much more. With such a unique premise, I expected something less dull.
Tropic Thunder
The trailer was really funny. But the movie was just okay. Robert Downy Jr. was brilliant, as always, and everybody else acted well enough, but the movie was just really uneven. And they could have done more with Steve Coogan. My sister may have ruined the movie somewhat for me by telling me when the funny parts were coming so that I wasn’t really surprised by anything, but I think it was more than this. And less Ben Stiller would have been good.
Frost/Nixon
This movie is all about the acting. And boy is it good. Frank Langella as Nixon is mesmerizing, and Michael Sheen, a truly underrated actor, is equally good. Because it’s based on a play, this film has a lot of talking, which may be off putting to some people. But I found all the dialog interesting, and the final debate between Richard Nixon and David Frost was fascinating, exposing just who these people were.
Punch Drunk Love
This movie bored me to tears. It’s neurotic for the sake of being neurotic, and it features some of the most abrasive and unnatural writing I have ever come across. On top of this, most of the supporting cast is stiff and awkward. Adam Sandler, in what I believe was his first major dramatic role, is actually likable and appropriately understated, and he may be the one saving grace in this movie. Unfortunately, he wasn’t good enough, and I turned off my DVD player halfway through the movie. I just didn’t care anymore.
Still on my list of movies to see: Revolutionary Road, Let the Right One In, Waltz for Bashir, and Milk.
