Movie Weekend

Movie fans,

I spent the weekend catching up on movies that I should have seen earlier, and movies I should never have seen... twice.

Let's start with the one movie I saw in the theater, the much lauded Michael Clayton. Clooney delivered a very solid controlled performance that deserves the credit it is given. Wilkinson gave a performance unworthy of his name. Not that he was bad, but he was worse than I have ever seen him. He was playing a genius gone mad. Strangely, I didn't buy him as either a genius or a madman. I feel dirty saying it.

The other thing that bugged me about the movie was Clooney's character is supposed to be like The Wolf from Pulp Fiction (for a law firm, not a crime ring) and they constantly mention how great he is at his job, but throughout the entire movie, we don't see him successfully manage any situation for a client. The movie was also pretty choppy, but I might be biased. They showed a trailer for the Dark Knight prior to the movie, and I spent 10 minutes or so, during the movie, thinking several thoughts about the upcoming Batman movie. I'll spare you the details, but my emotions varied widely from rampant excitement for the new Batman movie to anger that they are capitalizing on the death of this guy. It's not a rational anger, so I settled on cautious optimism, except that I am very much looking forward to Ledger's performance and of course Bale's performance.

I also saw the instant classic, the Brothers Solomon with Will Arnett (G.O.B.,) about two socially challenged brothers who seek to meet women and have children. There were shades of Night at the Roxbury and both of the brothers were appropriately creepy. Overall, I could not in good conscience recommend the movie, but I did have a few laughs and so it wasn't a total waste. It was nothing like Date Movie or Epic Movie or what I imagine Meet the Spartans was like, thoroughly unwatchable. I just can't believe they made those two movies.

I then watched The Brave One, which was a solid vigilante flick. Because, who doesn't like a good vigilante film? (I have yet to see Kevin Bacon's revenge movie, but it's on my short list.) In the movie, she made Bernie Goetz look like a guy who didn't kill anyone. Jodie Foster was excellent as usual, in a familiar role for her; a victim who takes control of a situation, see The Accused, Hotel New Hampshire, Panic Room, Flightplan, and I'm sure there are others. But, when she plays it so well, why mess with it? I did believe her as a killer, and I even believed the Michael Corleone no handshaking in a crisis device that the movie employed. Not a great movie, but certainly a solid movie that delivers what it promises.

I also watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which was way too long. Pitt was good as Jesse James, but believe it or not, I actually preferred Collin Farrell's portrayal in American Outlaws, which was a more fun upbeat portrayal. (Despite his recent travesties, I was very proud of my early recognition of Farrell, who along with Vigo Mortenson in his stellar 2 minute devil performance in The Prophecy got me to look him up and wonder why he wasn't already a major star. He became a major star, shortly thereafter.) But, Pitt had all of the aura you could ask for, and he was both thoughtful and erratic, along with being fearless and ruthless. Ben Affleck's brother was satisfactory in his academy nominated performance, and I am surprised he got acclaim for this work. I have yet to see Gone Baby Gone, which is my top movie priority because a friend of mine actually described it to me as "a triumph." That's quite something. And the last time he co-wrote a screenplay, we got Good Will Hunting, so I definitely want to see what he came up with next. (Ben Affleck is also an excellent sidekick or 2 minute performer in a movie. See Boiler Room, Shakespeare in Love, Dogma, Armageddon, Good Will Hunting, and he was the bomb in Phantoms.)

But, the best movie I saw this weekend was a movie I rewatched, the dynamic and unique, Benny and Joon. Aiden Quinn plays Benny, a garage mechanic (business owner) who devotes his whole life to his psychologically challenged sister, played by Mary Stuart Masterson. We notice great performances by these two, until we meet Sam, the quirky, eccentric, creative, intellectually challenged Buster Keaton clone, played by the extraordinary Johnny Depp. Sam is written exceptionally well, as he does every day things in totally unique ways. But, the performance is beyond exceptional, as Depp half smiles before he reacts to any news. The directing catches his subtle eye motions and allows him to take over a movie that is titled for two other characters. I guess I would pigeonhole the movie as a romantic comedy, though it hits a lot of genres hard. Of the few movies I saw this weekend, this was easily my favorite.

This is an abbreviated blog entry because I was hardly inspired, and I'm working on a larger project, a detective story in parts. I'm thinking it will have audience participation and/or guest authors... probably just audience participation. I'll tell you more about it later.

That's all folks,
The Papa Bear