Movie Quickies

I was looking at the movies that are currently gracing the theaters and realized that a lot of people might miss what I consider the best movies to be seen right now. Being the self-important person that I am, I also figured that you would want to know my opinion on the subject.

Rather delusional, aren't I?

Anyway, what follows is a list of the three movies you should see along with mini-reviews. Enjoy.

Big Fish
Tim Burton movies are a mixed bag for me. There are times when he is brilliant and times when he is far too clever for his own good. At his best, watching his movies is to partake in his magical world and to laugh along with his jokes. At his worst, it simply feels as if you've become the butt of his joke and the target of his laughter.

Big Fish, though, is of the former category. It's heartfelt and magical and on par with his best work. In fact, it may be his best work. It is as warm as Edward Scissorhands, and, if not quite as visually magnificent, still a treat for the eyes.

The cast is amazing. Sometimes, name-dropping the cast is just an exercise in publicity, but this time the many talented actors show up for more than that. Ewan McGregor is not only an attractive leading man, but also one of the most charismatic actors to be seen and Albert Finney is almost deserving of an academy award in a bigger-than-life role. Jessica Lange is given a small role, but inhabits it beautifully as Finney's wife. Helena Bonham Carter is her usual brilliant self, and almost unrecognizable in her various guises. Last, but not least, is Steve Buscemi for all of us fans of this bug-eyed and exceptional actor.

Truly funny, engrossing, earnest, and gorgeous.

(View film clips here.)

House of Sand and Fog
Overly melodramatic music, unrelentingly depressing, and a little on the lengthy side, this is still a movie to be seen. The story, as perfectly contrived as it is, still manages to be thought provoking. It has that magical power to encourage an after-movie conversation about the nature of obligation, responsibility, destiny, and right and wrong.

While you may find yourself disliking the characters at times, they do feel like real people responding to horrible events. Most horrific, many of those events are of their own creation--and, seemingly, completely beyond escape.

Beyond that, there are two reasons to fall in love with this movie: the images and the acting. Visually, this is one of the most attractive movies of the year. Not in the same way that a Tim Burton movie or Return of the King is gorgeous, but in the same way that a great photo is beautiful. These are sights that you might see, perfectly captured and giving even more gravity to a story that no one would ever call light-weight.

And the acting. This is the movie where I would likely pick a few of my favorite performances of the year--utterly and completely award-worthy. Jennifer Connelly has always been beautiful, but she's seemed hell-bent on proving her talent lately. The scene where she calls her brother for help is heartbreakingly perfect. Her name never overshadows the character, and that is high praise indeed--she simply is the broken, flawed women that we see on screen.

Opposite her is the inestimable Ben Kingsley. His character is as hard as rocks, and, in many ways, just as flawed as Connelly's. His performance is subtle and nuanced where necessary, dynamic and angry where demanded. The scene where he casts a vitriolic glance at an old socialist poster in a lawyer's office speaks volumes about his character without a single word spoken. His support from his wife Nadi, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, and his son Esmail, played by Jonathan Ahdout, is up to the challenge of being on the same screen as Connelly and Kingsley.

In fact, one of the biggest downfalls of the movie is the performance of Ron Eldard as the police officer who tries to help Connelly. Nearly every time he is on screen, the audience is served a tiny reminder that this is only a movie. Where every other character is perfectly inhabited, Eldard is simply an actor. His performance may have been good enough if the other parts weren't so wonderfully played. Unfortunately for him, and for us, that just isn't the case.

(View film clips here.)

Peter Pan
This isn't, in many ways, the same Peter Pan that most of us grew up with. This isn't the light, wonderful, happy thing that Disney served up, but a darker tale of growing up and the necessity of change and responsibility in life.

A pretty film in the sense of a dream or a fantastic painting, it recalls its stage origins wonderfully. It's intoxicating and glorious. The actors are fine and funny and invested; the children are glowingly perfect. Of special note is Jason Isaacs as both Mr. Darling (Wendy's father) and Captain Hook.

Given to flights of fancy, the movie feels like both a fairy tale and a morality tale. Captain Hook, while still the bad guy, is balanced nicely by Peter Pan who is no longer the unblemished hero that we are used to. In fact, the most painful aspect of the movie is its indictment of Pan's inability and fear of growing up.

Pan says, when Wendy tries to convince him to come back from Never Never Land, "I want always to be a boy and have fun." Wendy's response is almost tragic in its insight. "You say so, but I think it is your biggest pretend." (See this scene here.)

Peter Pan is all bravado and bluster in this--and, of course, funny and charming and the perfect boy. But for all his wonder, he will never be more than that, and for all her adolescent love, Wendy quickly realizes that what Pan is would never be enough for the woman that she will one day be.

I'll still enjoy all the other Peter Pan films, but this one truly stands above all others.

Posted by zombyboy at January 11, 2004 08:54 PM | TrackBack