Collected Thoughts #2

Cube (1997) is eerily similar to Saw, with complicated puzzling, gore, and a seemingly random group of people attempting to figure out how they got in the situation while attempting to survive it. Its premise is a little more interesting, as they're stuck in a gigantic cube, each room a cube with different cubes that lead into yet more cubes. Some of the rooms are safe, others are trapped and deadly. Math becomes important, as the victims try looking for clues, patterns, etc. While the idea itself is quite unique, the execution is lacking. Its obvious the film was done on a very low budget, the acting especially suffers, with all of the characters coming off archetypical and the performances ham-fisted. There's a lot of screaming. It has a sequel which I'll be cautiously watching soon.

Frozen River (2008) is powerful, unglamorous filmmaking. In its too brief running time of 97 minutes we're introduced to Ray, a mother of two young boys, who's husband has deserted, and her meager earnings at the local dollar store aren't quite cutting it. It deals with the pressures and lengths one will go to to provide for their own. Its a stark, gray film, cold as the icy environment that exists in it. I'd recommend it for those interested in human drama.

The Brothers Bloom (2008) is, at times, too clever for its own good. In that way, kind of poking at the conventions of film and storytelling. It's about two con-men, and although I'd be happy to not see another heist picture for a long time, it's done with a sly grin that adds a layer of appeal. I'm a big Mark Ruffalo fan, and like Adrien Brody, too; that helped influence my decision to watch it and I think most people can find something in it to appreciate. Rachel Weisz, who I didn't start paying attention to until The Fountain (2006), is also quite good is lonely heiress to a fortune but full of naiveté and aloofness.

I felt like This is It (2009) was alright but that you needed to be familar with Michael Jackson to really appreciate it fully. It wasn't an extensive career biopic or anything. But, if you don't like his stuff, or never heard of him, it'd likely do very little for you. I thought, at best, it showed heart, chiefly in the very opening scenes, when dancers from around the world shared their excitement about being able to share the stage with the undeniable king of pop music. It was interesting seeing the rehearsals, what they'd planned for a giant farewell tour that was not to be, cool to hear some of the old, familiar tunes (I especially liked the Jackson 5 song). Overall, though, unless you're a fan than it's not worth going out of your way for.

The Invention of Lying (2009) plays upon a really odd premise but works in its own quirky way. What if there was a world where there was no lying? It just didn't exist. That idea is rife with comedic potential: imagine a first date where, when you go to pick up the girl, she apologizes for not being fully ready because she was masturbating upstairs? That's just one of the many ways they explore and utilize the concept. I thought the ending was too saccharine sweet, but it's a romantic comedy, so I guess its forgivable. Ricky Gervais in the role of lovable loser is pretty easy to accept.

Public Enemies (2009) was mostly solid. No need to have squandered Christian Bale's talents in the role of Melvin Purvis. He was resolutely stone-faced and besides name value, they could have slipped any number of other people in there. Johnny Depp, though, as lead character John Dillinger has some really good moments. He and his love interest (played by Marion Cotillard) have good chemistry together on-screen, watch their eyes when they talk to each other, adds a layer of gravity to the performances for sure. The game of cat and mouse, with Dillinger always being on the run, is fairly engrossing even though history buffs know the end result.

The Hurt Locker (2009) -- wow. This movie hit me like an uppercut by a trained boxer to the gut. When these young men, a bomb squad, would go into missions in the middle of Iraq, each time I felt myself on the edge of the seat in ways I hadn't felt since the criminally underrated Judgment Night (1993). Jeremey Renner's portrayal of SSG William James is one of the best of '09. A guy whom, while having a wife and little boy back home (the isolationism he feels while grocery shopping after his tour is an incredibly strong moment), can't seem to think about anything else then deactivating deadly bombs in the hellish desert war zone. It's a great movie about real people, people faced incredibly difficult tasks, and people with real fears (I almost shed a tear when Anthony Mackie's character Sgt. Sanborn says: "I want a little boy!").

Entre les murs (2008) is a film that didn't generate a lot in me, it feels more like a snapshot than a complete narrative. Its about a teacher (played by François Bégaudeau in a good performance) dealing with a rough group of students. That summarization, while succinct, aptly tells the movie's tale. The film almost entirely takes place in the classroom, or in the teacher's lounge, and is purposefully made to feel like a documentary. I like quieter films about real people, I wouldn't say this one necessarily qualifies, while I was engaged with the goings-on it ultimately felt like a wasted opportunity to perhaps do more.