Rick Derris Wrote:
Things I've seen lately:
Crazy Heart- There will be inevitable comparisons to "The Wrestler" on this. The broken down central character, the mixed up love interest, the failed parenthood, and the abuse of substances. Still, I thought this was great; especially as a music geek. There are enough great faux-outlaw country tunes here to make Kris Kristofferson blush. Bridges may not beat out Colin Firth in actuality this year but he 100% deserves the Oscar this year for sheer perseverence. "I Don't Know" and "Fallin and Flyin" are better than the songs up for Oscar. Props to Ryan Bingham. A career making move.
An Education - Who the fuck are these people?? Peter Sarsgaard is a pedo??? Still, even thoughts like that aren't enough to suppress Carey Mulligans performance. I have no idea how old she is but she is certainly NOT old enough to pull off this kind of mature/innocent role. So brutal yet so timeless. We all have to grow up sometime. Although I couldn't help but keep thinking what fucking horndog shitheads these guys were preying on this young girl (and jealous). Greatness.
Children Of Men- Been a few weeks since I've seen this but it still resonates. Such a great movie. Part warning, part action flick, and part philosophy lesson. A friend had told me this sucked so my expectations were low but it exceeded them in every way. An important piece of cinema.
A Serious Man To quote Variety magazine "this is the kind of movie you get to make after you win an Oscar". I mean, seriously??? This was the most boring, un-entertaining movie I've ever sat through by an Oscar winner (director/actor/writer/whatever). I read up on it afterwards and it became much more interesting to me. In fact, I watched it again with this knowledge and it was actually more interesting but I still couldn't escape the idea that this was a movie to be discussed rather than be enjoyed. This movie may be cited in senior thesis papers in the future but it will never get back it's chance to entertain me again.
The Lives Of Others- Easily the best movie I've seen since I sat through "Slumdog Millionaire". It never goes for cheap thrills or cheap action. Just a slow burn that wraps it's web around you until you are fucking paralyzed watching it. I wish I spoke German. Incredible.
Twilight - WTF???? I mean...............WTF???? I really tried and I really liked Kristen Stewart in "Adventureland" but WHAT.........THE.............FUCK?????? Awful. Pattinson should be anally raped immediately.
Carey Mulligan is twenty-four. You'll see her, again -- & I know you will, since you & the GARS are Oliver Stone completist -- in Wall Street: Greed Never Sleeps; she's Shia Le Boeuf's love-interest & Michael Douglas's daughter.
& totally agree on A Serious Man. Any thought to the Academy nominating that by mistake, when they meant A Single Man? I mean, three words can be so confusing.