Rabbit Hole

A reasonably respectful and realistic look at grief.  I appreciated that, except for one or two brief scenes, it didn’t reach for grandiose emotional moments.  I have a couple of gripes, though.  Casting the impossibly attractive Kidman and Eckhart really hinders one’s identification with these characters, which is crucial to a film of this nature.  Especially Kidman, who just looks way too “Hollywood”, and it doesn’t help that her performance is the phoniest of the lot.  The tinkly piano score is a bit hokey, too.  I’m dealing in a huge double standard, however, because I adore Ordinary People and that movie is loaded with “Canon in D” (not to mention some “grandiose emotional moments”).  I’ll have to sort that one out later.  At any rate, it’s a thoughtful film, and it’s always nice to see Giancarlo Esposito and Dianne Wiest.  Rating: 7

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Red Riding: 1983

This is so closely tied to the first movie that it makes the second feel almost entirely superfluous.  I’m not going to waste much time on this review… there’s some intriguing developments, but a lot of ridiculous bullshit.  The introduction of a paranormal element really irked me, for one thing.  Some of the plot developments felt way too contrived, and ultimately it’s just cynicism taken to absurd extremes.  Also, deliberately obfuscating the distinction between the present and flashback is an annoying trick.  Kind of annoyed with myself for spending such a large chunk of my Saturday on this trilogy.  Rating: 6

IMDb

Red Riding: 1980

A step up from 1974.  Again, not much of a serial killer movie (I guess I was led astray in that regard) but the corruption angle is much more intriguing, and the connections to the plot of the first movie are handled well.  There’s some genuine tension and Marsh is good at establishing mood.  It wiped away a lot of the hesitation I felt about watching the whole trilogy.  Still, although it’s not quite as predictable as the first, there’s nothing all that surprising here, nor anything too original.  Rating: 7

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Red Riding: 1974

I love a good serial killer movie.  This isn’t one.  Perhaps if the film had actually been made in 1974, it would have felt fresh for its time.  It starts off promising but devolves into a cliché and predictable story of exposing government corruption.  Headstrong young journalist is warned off the story, gets handed mysterious envelopes, up against forces he doesn’t understand, beaten up by police, blah blah blah.  Almost every scene felt familiar.  This really could have used some more compelling forensic work and investigative intuition.  Terrible sound mixing as well, and uninspiring performances.  I’ll still watch the other two, because they’re different plots, directors and actors, but so far, I’m disappointed.  Rating: 5

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The Tillman Story

I need to start watching some happier documentaries.  It’s depressing to be reminded over and over again that our country is so severely flawed.  Corrupt, self-serving, lying individuals at every level of government, trigger-happy maniacs in the military (or possibly a more sinister explanation), a frustratingly uncurious media who simply parrot the party line, and a gullible public easily comforted by trumped-up stories of “heroism”.  Give me a story about crossword puzzles or kids winning spelling bees or something.  Rating: 9

IMDb

The Garment Jungle

Director Robert Aldrich was replaced by Vincent Sherman midway through the production.  Given that, and the fact that I’ve been underwhelmed by the noir from both of these guys before (I’m willing to give Kiss Me Deadly a second look), it’s no surprise that this is pretty much a dud.  I appreciate the pro-labor sentiment, but it’s such a lackluster execution.  The script is ham-handed and hacky, the music is corny, and except for a couple of supporting players, the performances are lousy.  Even Lee J. Cobb is a disappointment, barely phoning it in.  There’s a few really nice shots (Aldrich’s work, I’m assuming) but for the most part it’s strictly by the numbers cinematography, rarely taking advantage of the wide frame.  Bleh.  Rating: 4

IMDb

The Scent of Green Papaya (rewatch)

Director Robert Aldrich was replaced by Vincent Sherman midway through the production.  Given that, and the fact that I’ve been underwhelmed by the noir from both of these guys before (I’m willing to give Kiss Me Deadly a second look), it’s no surprise that this is pretty much a dud.  I appreciate the pro-labor sentiment, but it’s such a lackluster execution.  The script is ham-handed and hacky, the music is corny, and except for a couple of supporting players, the performances are lousy.  Even Lee J. Cobb is a disappointment, barely phoning it in.  There’s a few really nice shots (Aldrich’s work, I’m assuming) but for the most part it’s strictly by the numbers cinematography, rarely taking advantage of the wide frame.  Bleh.  Rating: 4

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A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

While I’m glad this isn’t another lovely-but-unsatisfying Zhang Yimou wuxia epic, I wish it was closer to his small-scale dramas.  Blood Simple remade as a slapstick set in period (1600′s? 1700′s?) China doesn’t even sound like a good idea.  What works are the twisty plot points lifted from the original.  What doesn’t work is just about everything else.  The tone shifts between manic, annoying farce and rather dull crime drama.  The characterizations are flat and boring.  The visuals are occasionally dazzling, but their appeal wears off after a while, especially as overly flashy shots keep alternating with drab scenes in the noodle shop cellar.  Stick with the Coens.  Fortunately Zhang’s following movie, Under the Hawthorn Tree, looks more promising.  Rating: 5

IMDb

Paper Moon

Very fine road movie.  I enjoyed all the adventures and misadventures that these two got themselves into, with some fun short con work, amusing detours and scrapes with the law.  Ryan and Tatum have a charming chemistry together (naturally) and the film is wittier than one would expect, although the hardships of the Great Depression always linger underneath.  The black and white photography by Laszlo Kovacs is beautiful, evoking the era but with a modern sensibility.  I kind of view this film as a bridge between The Kid and Leon, or at least it shares the same basic motif.  While I can’t say it’s a new favorite of mine or anything, it’s the best I’ve seen from Bogdanovich and I wouldn’t mind checking it out again sometime.  Rating: 8

IMDb

Jackass 3D

I didn’t get to actually see this in 3D, but I don’t feel like I’m missing too much.  A few shots were obviously catered to the 3D audience, but for the most part it works fine without.  I have yet to watch an episode of the TV show, but I must admit I got some joy out of the first two movies.  If I were to see any of these things in the context of any other movie, I’d probably hate it, but it’s the distilled purity of the stupidity that makes it endearing.  That, and the unbridled joy of the participants as they subject themselves to danger, pain, disgust, and humiliation.  I wouldn’t want to hang out with these people, but there’s an infectious glee from their good-natured abuse of each other.  The Jackass crew are at their best when their victims are themselves.  As always, the worst scenes are those involving innocent bystanders (pretty much any time Johnny Knoxville puts on the grandpa makeup, you know you’re in for a lame bit).  Fortunately, there aren’t too many of those in this installment.  However, a lot of the other stunts/pranks fall flat, too.  Maybe the guys are running out of steam or running out of ideas, but there just weren’t as many laughs this time around.  Still, when the laughs do come, they come hard.  The guiltiest of guilty pleasures.  Rating: 6

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