Tuesday, July 27, 2010

PROMISES TO BE INTENSE


3 comments:

Joel said...

So, I figured I'd give you some major updates in my movie-watching recently. And also one huge one in my life, since I haven't told you this yet.

The life change is that I'm joining the Air Force in November/December. I've already sworn in, and plan to be stationed somewhere in Italy this time next year, after hopefully studying for a position in Public Affairs (which would allow me to follow my dream as a writer about film, actually).

Anyway, the updates about movies:

From Friday through Monday, my parents were out of town, so I took advantage of some downloaded movies a friend put on my PS3. On Friday, the first of two was Zack Snyder's extremely solid "Dawn of the Dead." It offered up some good scares and gore and stylish director choices from Snider. Now I just need to see "300." The other one I watched that evening was Danny Boyle's stark, uncompromising, brutal masterwork "28 Days Later." Loved every single second of it. Possibly one of the best films I've ever seen. And then on Monday, I finally watched Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia," which I really, really liked. It wasn't perfect, but it was damn good. Amazing turn by Robin Williams.

Speaking of Williams, said friend and I watched Mark Romanek's literally perfect "One Hour Photo," which I can't stop thinking about. Williams's best performance. Also watched Jody Hill's absolutely fucking amazing "Observe and Report," which never missed a beat. Seth Rogen was perfection. Next up was "28 Weeks Later," which I also absolutely loved, but SLIGHTLY less than "28 Days Later."

As for theatrical stuff, "Salt" was a lot of fun. I loved Noyce's "Clear and Present Danger," and always have; "Salt" is about on that level. Been hearing stuff said about it being "preposterous," but I didn't really think so. I for one didn't see the BIG twist coming at all. The one not directly involving Salt, I mean.

"Cyrus" was pretty much a knockout in every way. Saw it yesterday, and can't stop thinking about it. Great work from John C. Reilly and especially Jonah Hill, but I think Marisa Tomei's was the unsung performance in the film.

Probably seeing "The Kids Are All Right" tomorrow.

Actionman said...

Re: the Air Force decision -- wow, dude! Congrats -- big move -- and sounds like an amazing experience/opportunity. I hope you'll still have a min or two to read my blog when you're in Italy (can't wait to visit that country...)

Re: your movie reactions -- I echo pretty much everything you stated. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Cyrus and The Kids are All Right was totally wonderful. I've been meaning to do a summer movie review round-up so look for that soon. I also had a lot of fun with Predators, despite some of its limitations. Salt was like a big-budget episode of 24 shot with a semi-Bourne aesthetic; as such, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Jolie is the ONLY actress I buy as an action hero; Noyce is a solid craftsman within this genre (as you said, Clear and Present Danger is phenomenal) but I highly recommend you seeing Rabbit Proof Fence. It's a fucking tour de force, and one of the most emotionally moving stories I've ever seen. Couldn't stop crying. It's a once-a-year type film for me. And wait a minute -- you haven't seen 300?!?!?!?!

Joel said...

Hey, maybe when you visit Italy, you can shoot me an e-mail (my address is probably somewhere in the back end of the site for you) and we can meet face-to-face.

And what's cool about the Air Force is that, because literally everything is free or close to it, the only thing I plan to pay for is a Netflix account, since I don't have one currently. That way I can see the movies I've missed over my lifetime. Like "Pathfinder," of course! :)

But speaking seriously, "300" is gonna be one of those. Snyder's an incredible craftsman. "Dawn of the Dead" and "Watchmen" are both masterpieces, and I expect nothing less of one out of "300."

VERY glad you "LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Cyrus." I really cannot wait to see that one again. I found it to be smarter than most of the big-budget stuff out there right now.

But "Inception" is still the best film of the year. I've seen it twice (OR HAVE I???) and it's probably the best second-viewing movie ever made, right behind "Synecdoche, New York" (which I've seen three times).