I really don’t have time to write much about this great little film, The Matador, but you need to see it. It will surprise you at every turn, in subtle and unique ways. Brosnan’s character, Julian Noble, is quite intriguing, as are most of the characters, because they are all multi-dimensional and just when you think you have them and the rest of the plot pegged, they take another great sharp left turn. I admit, I had a hard time settling into the film because I kept worrying about where it was headed, but that slightly off-balance sensation ended up being great. I need to see this one again.

Also, it takes the practice of putting location names at the bottom of the screen in little type and flips it around by making them huge and neon colored, which I think is pretty great (I like type).

MPAA Review: Strong sexual content and language. Ad Exec Reviews: A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar…

Alisa and I saw V for Vendetta last night, and it’s a good film. Should you see it? Absolutely. It’s thought provoking, doesn’t shy away from shooting over the audience’s head to get them to think, and is a resolute exploration of an idea rather than a plot or characters. I want to make that clear first, because it’s also a very ’inaccurate’ adaptation of the comic, and I’m having a hard time seeing past that. The first time I read V for Vendetta was around ‘96 or ‘97 and I’ve read it many times since, so my vision of the tale is fairly calcified. To truly see the film on its own merits, I’ll probably need to see it one or two more times. Having said that, I have to sympathize with the comic’s author Alan Moore and assert that the movie is not as good as comic, but only if you believe the difference in medium does not prevent comparing the two. I’ll try to give it a fair look here. But, for me right now, most of the movie’s strengths become its weaknesses when compared to Moore’s original. Though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

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For those of you not familiar with it, Night Watch is the first of a Russian “epic horror trilogy” or “epic fantasy trilogy”, depending on which ads you read. Just check out the trailer. Then go see it, because it’s wild, original, and great.

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Wow! So busy this past month. Well, I’ve got a lot to write about and many of those subjects deserve more time than I have now, so I’ll just start off with this look at a flick Alisa and I rented.

Watching Ocean’s Twelve was like watching the second Matrix film. The unique feel and focus of the original, the very things that made it great, are eschewed for what seems like one-upmanship on every front. Ocean’s Eleven is a brilliant work of subtle, sly wit and grace. Ocean’s Twelve just trips on its own overly twisting and turning plot, largely because it also tries to be too clever and absract in the telling. On top of that, Soderbergh doesn’t seem to realize that we all don’t really get it or connect with it, so his nudge, nudge, wink, wink treatment that worked so superbly in the first film falls flat. Very flat.

The film works best when it gets back to the basics of the original, which it rarely does, and focuses on developing the interactions of the characters and one well-developed heist. Otherwise, you get the sense that they skipped every third line of the script in an attempt to add quirk and film three movies at the same time. Many of the individual tricks and conceits probably would’ve made a great focused movie on their own, but together it’s just a mess. Caper films work when the audience feels like part of the team, not like the hapless detective or uptight owner of the stolen treasure.

Don’t bother with this one and just watch Ocean’s Eleven again instead.

Alisa and I really enjoyed this little Norwegian film about Swedish scientists who travel to Norway to study the kitchen habits of bachelors there (which we rented because Alisa will be living in Oslo for a little while). Of course, to maintain the veracity of the scientific study, the Swedes are meant to not interfere with the men whose kitchens they literally perch. But, as the film demonstrates so well and so sweetly, this is a foolish notion. As the two men we’re focused on try to go about their lives acutely aware of each other, but avoiding direct interaction, the inevitable happens.*

Kitchen Stories is a like a perfect small slice of key lime pie. It’s short, sweet, and just right. It succeeds because it’s so self-contained and gently focused on doing one thing and hitting all of the right sensations. The story doesn’t tell us anything earth-shattering, it just carefully shows us a wonderful facet of humanity in its own heart-warming way.

It’s well designed, well acted, well written, and very touching. I recommend it for a weekend evening when you’re looking for a smile and a good story.

MPAA Review: Mild language

*There’s a subtext here, as the Norwegians split from Sweden to gain independence, which no doubt irks the Swedes.

Damn. Damn.

I admit, about 4 episodes in, I was a bit worried. The show seemed to be fragmenting and the plot looked like it was going to balloon out of control. Plots began to spin off sub-plots and the intrigue of the last episodes of season 1 branched out in unexpected ways (for me, at least).

I was a bit worried because season 1 was unadulterated sci-fi greatness. I found no flaws in any aspect. I love watching it. BSG is taking TV sci-fi (and on-screen sci-fi in general, arguably) in new directions with a stripped-down, gritty reality that many sci-fi shows eschew for well-oiled super technologies and smoothed-out space societies. Even so, season 2.0 is a different beast. From the intro score to the crushing realities of life in a fleet on the run after global holocaust, this was proving to be a very a different season. But as the episodes progressed and narrative threads split and merged, I think the show came out stronger, if a bit less consistent.

Spoiler warning: While I avoid revealing too much key information about season 2.0 (the first half of season 2 before the break), I’m going to assume you’ve seen all of season 1 and know the resolution of the Adama plot brought into play in the season finale. If not, read on at your own discretion.

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I almost forgot to post about this. I saw King Kong over the Christmas weekend and it exceeded my expectations, which were high but wary since I didn’t believe that it could be as good as I was hearing. Much as Michael Mann did with Heat, Jackson is closing the book on King Kong. Message from Jackson to world: “move on, this one is done.” I really don’t think any remake of King Kong would add anything to the narrative. He squeezed every ounce of emotion, depth, and thrill that an earnest telling of this tale could provide.

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We saw this flick over opening weekend, and I agree with my friend Steve Laniel, the first hour is an interesting and shaded experience with some intriguing characters, then it it flattens out and is about as plausible as a 10-year old in chain mail armor leading an army…wait.

Spoilers alert: If you haven’t read the books, you’ll read big plot points here you don’t know. But, honestly, how do you think this thing plays out?

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I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while on Thanksgiving vacation and it was a mixed bag. In some ways, it was one of the better movies: it didn’t shy away from the darker content of the book and it hit the feeling of the world throughout. In other ways, it was the first in the series to really suffer from the divergence of the films and the book, and highlight the great lengths the writers, director, and editor will have to go to from now on to make the movies work. In fact, this may be the film that forces them to actually change the storyline to accomodate the differing medium, or make more movies than books (doubtful). I have a feeling Harry Potter fans will be howling “avada kedavra” when The Order of the Phoenix goes up on the big screen because so much of the story, characters, and world will be cleaved off.

Spoiler Warning: In this post I assume you’ve read the book and won’t be surprised by the movie. I give away many plot points below.

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