Paris - Manhattan

Deb 10       Me 9

This was a really sweet little film. French with subtitles. When we sat down I had no idea what it was about or where it was going, but we both really enjoyed the ride. An odd thing was Woody Allen is one of the actors, not the auteur. Its not a Woody Allen movie, he's just in it. This might be something never done before. I mean Woody doesn't even act in his own movies these days, so to see him as an actor was a actually a treat. But Woody's presence is all through the film and couldn't exist without him. The story is like a distillation of his finer works, Manhattan and Annie Hall (and perhaps others) that showcases some of Allen's brilliance without the tedium of his insecurities.
Being French, the movie is filled with good looking people in the beautiful setting that is France. It's a nice story, with a few unexplained holes (which is why I dropped it to 9), but if you just accept what they give you I think you'll really enjoy watching it.

The Company You Keep

Deb 5     Me 5

We wanted to like this one, actually had a pretty good preview. It's a Robert Redford movie and you gotta remember he's the king of the indie, it's just that a lot of his films are so huge you'd think they were big studio productions. So this one is about a bunch of anti-war activists forty years after the fact and a young pup journalist ferreting them out, trying to get in their 60's heads with contemporary sensibilities. It was a slow version of the Fugitive with bad music. There were some good moments, a fairly straightforward story muddled up with atmosphere and and convoluted twists. Acting was fine, but 76 year old Redford having an 11 year old daughter pushed the credibility limits right away and the rest of the story suffered. I think this is one of those "cause" movies. The producers have a "cause" and they enlist actors of like mind, who either share the views of the script or are sympathetic towards the"cause". But like so many "causes" sometimes the most sincere intentions are lost in their execution their and it's the same with this movie.  There was some dabbling in 60's sentiment and philosophy, but they bounced between apologizing and atoning for the past, alternating attempts to reconcile or resolve history and offering some vague and dubious counseling to today's up and comers. Seems like an opportunity missed.

Renoir

Deb 8     Me 7

This is an exploration of the great painter's later years, his family, personality and the times he lived in. It assumes a lot of facts not in evidence, that is, the more you know going in, the happier you'll be coming out. With that said there were still a lot of unanswered questions and issues raised and not resolved, that's why I gave it a 7 and not higher. What they did present of Renoir the painter was pretty great, the shots of him working were very convincing. There's also some skin, which I like, good healthy bodies being celebrated on canvas. I learned some from this film, was entertained and my interest level was maintained. It is slow, but it allows you time to soak in the lovely cinematography.

On The Road

Deb 8        Me 7

Movies like this are kinda scary, that is, seeing things that are near the heart and a tiny bit sacred interpreted by others is a bit scary. I knew from the previews that they edited one of the great passages from On the Road and this set doubt into my mind that was hard to overcome. Before the movie started I decided to forget what I know and just watch what they give me. Forget Cassady's face that has been chiseled into my Rushmore for half a century, forget each phrase that Kerouac has burned into my noggin' and set me on the path. 

So it begins. Immediately I'm a bit surprised it's in color and lit pretty flat. There were a few shots that were artfully done in a sort of film noir style, but I expected it to look more like the films of the 40s and 50s, the time the movie is set in. It didn't and I got over it. The casting was fine, they didn't attempt to go for ringers, which works fine, although the Ginsberg character was easy to pick out. In fact the Ginsberg role was one of the more fully formed people in the movies. 

This wasn't such a movie of the book On the Road, but recreations of the scenes described in the book. I mean, the book was landmark not so much for the stories told, but the innovative way they were told. The scat prose and wonderfully poetic delivery of these events helped make this a cultural phenomenon. There were only hints at Kerouac's creative writing. It really turns out to be sort of a biopic of Kerouac and Cassady and company, with few references to the great talents they possessed; except Ginsberg. What happens with a lot of these movies is they accurately recreate everything, but there's just no heart, very clinical.

In the end it was a fine movie and many of the landmark things in the book are retold but not with Kerouac's beauty and radiance.

Koch

Deb 7     Me 7

We live in Orange County California. I couldn't tell you much about a mayor in Los Angeles, let alone a mayor in New York. I guess that's why we went to see Koch, the three term Mayor of NYC from the late 70s through the late 80s. This is something I enjoy about a well done documentary, take a subject you know or care little about and teach you in a way that you now care about it. I have no affection for the mayor after seeing this well done film, but I have a better grip on NYC and some of the things it has gone through, continues to go through and things it has overcome. I felt like this was pretty even handed, not a poster for his triumphs, but showcased his detractors as much as his advocates and the entire populace in between. Sometimes he kicked ass, sometimes he blew chunks, but he seemed sincere in his decisions, good or bad. It was a neat movie to watch.

Life of Pi 3-D

Deb 10    Me 10

So after seeing this in 2-D we were persuaded to see this in 3-D. We both really dug the movie so we saw it again with enthusiasm. Afterward we both said the exact same thing, "Whatta great movie, 3-D did nothing to improve it". One friend remarked that the new 3-D is so real that you forget about it after a few minutes. Well, I didn't forget about it but it didn't change the story or really enhance the experience. The surprises were still surprises, the beautiful effects were still beautiful regardless of the amount of Ds added. 

If you like symbols and metaphors, then this is a great movie, it's filled with 'em. If you ask me, there's more than they imply. I've talked to people who were less than impressed with the movie and their criticisms were just wrong; its very good.

Movie 43

Deb 0     Me 2

So here's a weird little flick that's billed as a weird one. It's about a dozen vignettes loosely tied together and done by an equal amount of directors. It has an impressive cast including Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Seth MacFarlane, Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet. I think they're trying to push some limits and get outside the old box, which they do, but in a train wreck sort of way. There are parts that are funny, but it's just so sophomoric, so moronic that its just bad. It kinda reminded me of Kentucky Fried Movie, the first movie by Jim Abrahms and the Zucker boys, directed by John Landis and equally tasteless, but it had the advantage of being first. So I'll add lack of originality to the list of objections to the movie, although I DID laugh, I just don't want to admit it.