Friday, December 26, 2008

FINCHER DELIVERS AGAIN

David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (****) is a masterpiece. Not much more needs to be said at the moment. After seeing the film today, it's been impossible to not think about. It's a film of uncompromising beauty -- it's easily one of the most gorgeous films I've ever seen in my lifetime of movie watching. But at the center of the experience is a tender, incredibly romantic love story, which is one of the best (and one of my favorites) in recent memory. I can't wait to delve into my full review for this work of art. I plan on seeing it again before writing anything official. I am only slightly hesitant to say that it's the best film I've seen this year, because I truly feel that THE FALL is a one-of-a-kind cinematic effort and like nothing I've ever seen. However, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON marks a massive leap for Fincher as an artist and storyteller; a best director Oscar nomination is certainly in the cards. Eric Roth, yet again, demonstrates his masterly touch with words, story, and structure, crafting an impeccable, literate, deeply emotional screenplay. The production design and cinematography are things of movie-magic -- you've never seen a film look quite like this before. And the visual effects, at once both subtle and epic, are some of the best ever created. Oh, and did I mention a quietly moving and possible career-best performance from Brad Pitt and, surprise-surprise, yet another stellar piece of acting from Cate Blanchett? This film has it all. It's a film to see with someone who's important to you.

2 comments:

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Joel said...

Agree with everything you said here. Not gonna say anything, but the last images are particularly moving in a way that I did not think they'd be. For a split second, I thought that they would be by-the-numbers, but Fincher made them absolutely perfect. The whole movie's that way for me: scenes could've gone one way and went the best way they possibly could have. And Pitt and Blanchett gave two of the best performances this year. Work of a master. Exceeded expectations.