Defending Your Life (rewatch)

I don’t know what it was, but something compelled me to watch this today.  It’s got some funny stuff, but I’m not so into it now.  The romance is really hard to swallow.  Actually, it’s a bit narcissistic of Brooks, even if in a self-deprecating way.  He’s a shallow, nervous loser at life and she’s  confident, giving, nearly a saint… but she falls head over heels for him immediately because he tells a couple of good jokes?  Rating: 7

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Crash

Crash has its heart in the right place.  Unfortunately, it has practically nothing to say on the subject of racism, and certainly nothing new to say about it.  It’s so weighty and ham-fisted, I get the sense that the filmmakers think they’re going to change the world with their little movie.  For something that tries so hard to be controversial, there’s nothing controversial (or enlightening) about it.  Rating: 6

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Ping Pong

It’s been a weekend of good-but-not-great movies for me.  Ping Pong blends the teen drama genre with the sports movie genre, but somehow manages not to come off like Karate Kid with table tennis.  It’s more nuanced than that: the opposition isn’t just blatantly evil, and there’s more than one central hero to root for.  In fact, in the end the outcome of the “big game” doesn’t even matter that much.  However, that’s not to say that it isn’t dripping with clichés.  There’s the training montage, the wise old mentor with a mysterious past, the part where the hero gives up and needs to find his inspiration again, and so forth.  Fun to watch, but not especially new or satisfying.  Rating: 7

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El Bruto

Not a very Buñuellian film, but not bad.  It touches lightly on some of his pet themes — male brutality, femmes fatale, class warfare — but it’s pretty simplistic.  Rating: 7

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Nochnoy Dozor (Night Watch)

In a lot of ways, this isn’t very original.  The story is kind of like the book Good Omens mixed with standard vampire stuff.  In the first ten minutes, the film steals from Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, David Fincher and possibly Terry Gilliam and/or The Brothers Quay.  It continues, for the most part, leaning very heavily on the Matrix style, tinged with MTV influences — lots of quick cuts/zooms, overkill slo-mo, “C.S.I.”-type close-ups of mechanical processes, etc.  But it all comes together in a way that’s pretty entertaining and somehow manages to feel fresh, while simultaneously feeling like a rip-off of the past 10 years of Hollywood action/drama.  The special effects are occasionally less than convincing, but considering the relatively low budget, they’re passable.  Rating: 7

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Hell House

Let’s get this out of the way first: I don’t like Christians.  I know there are reasonable Christians out there, but I always have at least a little bit less respect for them than I would otherwise.  So I came into this film with my own set of pre-conceived notions.  And it did nothing to dispel them.  Although I think the director did an admirable job of keeping a non-judgmental tone, the things these people do in the name of their religion speak for themselves.  These folks are sick, deluded (and arguably evil) bastards.  Rating: 7 

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Forbidden Games

I don’t often like movies with children at the center, but these two actors were so natural that it really, really worked.  Besides being an all-around good, engaging film, it says a lot about war, religion and death.  The children integrate these things into of their world of games, but it’s far more sincere than the way the adults deal with them.  Quite original.  Rating: 8

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Pygmalion

Like most people, my primary knowledge of Shaw’s play comes from My Fair Lady (actually, most people nowadays probably aren’t even familiar with that).  Asquith’s rendition lacks the song and spectacle of the Audrey Hepburn/Rex Harrison movie, but the wit shines much brighter.  Leslie Howard (also a co-director) and Wendy Hiller are quite memorable in their roles, and the supporting cast is uniformly superb.  The film lacks a certain flourish, but makes up for it with the great performances, tight pacing, and of course Shaw’s brilliant words.  Rating: 9

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Hard Boiled (rewatch)

It’s John Woo, so let’s get the obvious out of the way: the action scenes are magnificently choreographed orgies of blood and bullets, gleefully over the top.  Unfortunately, the plot surrounding them is a clichéd cop story, chock full of horrible dialogue and stock characters.  Fun to watch once, but really has nothing to offer in the long run.  Also: terrible music.  Rating: 7

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Stardust Memories (rewatch)

It’s beautifully shot, has a few screamingly funny jokes, and the idea in itself is interesting.  Unfortunately it reeks of self-indulgence, the Fellini-isms get tired after a while, and it’s uncomfortably vicious towards Allen’s critics and fans.  I was actually prepared to rate this higher until I was reminded of the ending, an awkward and unfunny bit of business that carries the self-referential shtick one step too far.  Also, Charlotte Rampling looks like she stepped straight out of Birkenau.  We’re supposed to find this character alluring?  Rating: 6

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