Lucky Number Slevin

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National Treasure: Book of Secrets

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Bridge to Terabithia

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Duane Hopwood

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Ratatouille

It is pretty amazing what has been done with animation since I was a kid. First of all, back then (the early 80s or so) kids were lucky if a new animated film came out every 3 years or so. Now there are loads every year, so many that there is an entire Oscar category for animation. That also means that there are a lot of shit cartoons put out. However, Ratatouille is not one of them. Excellent animation, cute story. The computer-generated rats are so lifelike that they actually made me shudder at times, as I often do when I see those gross tails. 

It was thus necessary to suspend disbelief when thinking about a rat becoming a 5-star chef in Paris, albeit surreptitiously. All in all, highly enjoyable and a must see. 

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No Country For Old Men

The first theater movie I have taken in this year, and I was not disappointed. Having wanted to see this film for at least 3 months now, I was psyched that I got to see while it was still out. Needless to say, I was blown away. Javier Bardem is terrifying as a murderer with arguably one of the oddest moral codes seen on screen in awhile. Josh Brolin also delivers as the fortuitous blue collar Texan who finds $2 million out in the West Texas scrub brush.

I guess you could say I'm a film buff, and I know my movie trivia fairly well, but I'm certainly not a fanatical fan of one director or actor or genre. I watch a lot of movies, I pick up on directors and whatnot, but I wouldn't last very long in one of those snobby conversations about how brilliant the Coen Bros are and how the plot nuances in Fargo clearly continue into their latter day work, blah, blah, blah...
That said, I have to say No Country for Old Men is my favorite Coen Bros offering since Lebowski. It certainly felt like one of their films as far as quirkiness and moments of dark humor go, but at other times it was something completely different than I have seen from them. Better storytelling, better plot flow, and really just an intensity that was present from the onset.

While I haven't seen too many of the other probable Oscar candidate flicks yet, it would take something extraordinary to knock this one off as my favorite thus far...

The Queen

The Royal Family doesn't really fascinate me that much, and I grew weary of Princess Di stuff long ago, but despite that, The Queen was a nice movie. It is easy to see why Helen Mirren won the Oscar for her performance. Completely convincing as Queen Elizabeth II. The story revolves around the aforementioned Royals during the week following Diana's death in 1997 (I remember it well; I was at Burning Man), and how the Queen deals with the public anguish over the event and the ensuing backlash at her apparent cold reaction. It is a very intimate and fresh perspective on the Royal Family's tenuous relationship with Diana (and with one another). I remember reviews of the film when it first came out described it as more of a TV movie than a theatrical release. That would perhaps be a fair assessment if not for Mirren's performance.

On a personal note, the same actor that plays the Queen's personal aide (Roger Allam - he looks a hell of a lot like Christopher Hitchens) also plays a crucial role in The Wind That Shakes the Barley. I will try and point out these small things I notice, not because I think I am being especially perceptive, but just to try and draw threads that can extend through my movie-watching. Hopefully I can make more connections.