Odds and Ends Vol. 1

Originally Posted 2/1/08:

First of all, Netflix is the most amazing thing ever. Not only do I get two DVDs at a time an unlimited number of times (realistically 3 or 4) a month for $13 (you can also get one at a time for $8), I also get unlimited access to, like, 6,000 movies and TV shows I can watch instantly on my computer that download in about 15 seconds on my relatively weak school internet access with mediocre but passable video quality. Awesome. Anyway, on with the show…

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly revisited
In thinking about this some more, I definitely overrated it. There just isn’t enough meat to the story to justify my enormously high praise. Still really good though. A-.

Cloverfield
I’m sure I’ll be in the minority on this, but I loved Cloverfield. I mean, I know the acting isn’t good, and I know the dialogue isn’t good, and it’s hard to believe that Hud (also the most annoying character) would carry the camera around the whole time, and that Blair Witch already did this, but none of that really stood in the way of my enjoyment. See, while the characters weren’t well drawn and the acting was pretty mediocre, the way the failed was in more of an artistic sense than in a “bullshit—there’s no way that’s actually happening” sense. So the acting and dialogue never took me out of the reality of the movie, nor did having to suspend my disbelief about Hud continuing to hold the camera (that actually didn’t take much for me, but I understand it did for a lot of others). That’s what was so compelling about Cloverfield for me: I always felt like what I was watching was actually happening. It was one of the more intense movies I’ve ever seen. I understand why others didn’t/won’t like it though. B+/B.

Rain Man
Rain Man is a pretty good movie, and Dustin Hoffman is really excellent as Tom Cruise’s autistic brother, but I found the movie lacking in a lot of important ways. I didn’t think Cruise’s character was all that well drawn—it’s a pretty standard cold yuppie learns to be nice kind of story—and while it was hopeful and sweet and all that, I wasn’t really moved by any of it. So it’s a pretty good movie, but not nearly Best-Picture worthy. B.

Titanic
I watched this for the first time in years the other day on TNT, and I did so fully expecting to get an opportunity to make fun of the Academy for giving 11 freaking Oscars to a trite love story that exploits one of the most famous events of the last century. I still think it’s absolutely bizarre that they gave it that many awards, basically anointing it an all-time great in their eyes, but it is actually a pretty damn good movie, in my opinion. It really is divided into two distinct halves—a pure against-all-odds rich-girl, poor guy love story before the iceberg hits, and then basically an action movie afterwards. I should point out that each half is basically a full-length movie in itself—it took me four freaking hours to watch it on TV—but that’s only a minor complaint. The love story is obviously not original, but it’s classic and well-done, and I didn’t find any of the parts too corny (though “I’m flying” came close). And though the historical milieu can get overbearing sometimes (Rose has a bunch of paintings from “some Picasso guy” really? This is the only way, James Cameron, you could think of to show that Rose had good taste in art?), but mostly it adds to the story rather than takes away from it. And then the action movie part is compelling, exciting, frustrating (in a good way), and emotionally affecting. That said, it does have two big flaws. The biggest is that there’s absolutely no way a “great” movie should have an important character so painfully banal, trite and flat as Rose’s fiancé, Cal. Secondly, I have no fucking clue why James Cameron thought it was necessary to have the story be told as a flashback on a ship searching for Rose’s diamond. It serves NO PURPOSE. There are a couple of moments in it that are okay, I guess, but nothing that comes close to being worth the extra half an hour it takes. Having her climb the ship and do the “I’m flying” thing again and drop the diamond into the ocean was an okay ending, but having Rose tell the guy on the dock her name was “Rose Dawson” and sort of figuratively walk off into the sunset would have been better and saved SOO much time. Anyway, it’s still a good movie. B+.

Lost Season Premiere
Awesome. Almost as good as last season's finale. A.

Coming soon…
At least 2 out of 3 of The Savages, Network and The French Connection, plus a review of the Pats victory celebration. .