Atonement

I saw Atonement last night, even though I had seen a trailer months ago and thought it looked pretty sappy. However, it exceeded my expectations. It had some clever twists and turns, and some mystery to it.

For an 'epic love story,' the two lovers (James McAvoy and Kierra Knightley) were rarely in the same scene, but the separate stories going on made it more than just a romance film. It is a war movie, and a story about betrayal and regret. It was told well, and though it was at times confusing, the plot eventually clarified itself.

While I found the final scenes somewhat bizarre, I am unable to think of another way to tell the ending that would create the same effect on the audience.

The movie did have a little bit of humor despite the somber trailer I had seen. I don't want to say much about the plot, but I am glad I saw it.

On Sunday this film won two Golden Globes for Best Drama and Best Original Score. The film failed to win in the five other categories it was nominated for, which were Best Actress (Knightley), Best Actor (McAvory), Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan) and Best Screenplay.

Remembering 2007

For me, 2007 will not be an easy year to forget. There's a good reason I didn't post much this year: I just didn't feel like it. In early February my Mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We were soon told it was an aggressive malignant type of tumor that could only be treated but not cured. Watching her slow decline as she dealt with her body and mind failing her made 2007 easily the worst year of my young life. Mom died in November, it took less than a year. With Christmas reminding us of her absence even more, these last few days have been especially hard, but I've been trying to remember how she was special to me.

     I love talking about movies; I will talk to anyone, anytime about any movie. My wife puts up with my endless babbling about how fantastic Martin Scorsese is, most of my friends enjoy discussing recent films they've seen, I've turned my sister into an addict, I even get my dad to watch a new movie once in a while. I get excited when I talk about a good movie, very few things truly garner my emotions and my friends and family all understand that. And whenever I would tell Mom about an upcoming movie or what I saw the night before, she would listen, and comment and sometimes she would get excited too.

     Coming from a family of librarians and writers, I've learned to appreciate the value of the written word. Mom loved books, reading, writing, language and storytelling. Movies have long been my preferred medium for storytelling, yet I always knew I could count on her to watch something with me, if I thought she might enjoy it of course. Likewise Mom introduced me to many of her favorites. Whenever I watch Charade, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, A Christmas Story, or her favorite: American Graffiti; those films will always make me think of her.
     Mom was always able to connect with me about my interests. Maybe that came easy to her, she was my Mom after all. But it's going to take a while for me to accept that there is one less person in the world who understands me. She will be missed.


Best of the Year
I didn't get out to see many movies this year but here is a list of the ones I did (note: many of these I didn't see until they were on DVD).

Catch and Release
Zodiac
300
Reign Over Me
Meet the Robinsons
Grindhouse
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
Hot Fuzz
Spider-man 3
Shrek the Third
Knocked Up
Ratatouille
Transformers
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Simpsons Movie
The Bourne Ultimatum
3:10 to Yuma
No Country for Old men
The Golden Compass
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Juno*

I've been trying to keep up on all the year end reviews and top ten lists for 2007, and what I keep hearing is that this was the best year for film in a long time. Many have compared it to the great years of the 1970's. I wish I could say I had noticed but I simply wasn't paying much attention.

Since I didn't see very much I will give you my top seven films of the year.

1. No Country for Old men
2. Zodiac
3. Knocked Up
4. Ratatouille
5. The Bourne Ultimatum
6. Juno*

7. 3:10 to Yuma
8. Grindhouse

Here's a look back at my 2006 movie list. I still think that was a pretty good year.

*Update 12/31: I got to see Juno on Saturday and it was good; better than most of what I've seen this year.

Movies I've Seen Recently

Good Luck Chuck

I saw this Dane Cook flick last night. It had its moments, but man is it a chick flick. I felt like I was losing some respect for Cook just hearing some of the more cheesey dialogue coming from his mouth. But it was cute, and I would deem it a good date movie.

The premise is, Chuck is a good luck charm for women; every woman who has ever been with him ended up marrying the next guy they dated. Once women start realizing this, Chuck becomes a very sought-after guy. Watch out for the gross-out factor with a couple of the conquests Chuck seeks in order to break his curse. Jessica Alba does well as the cute-but-klutzy girl Chuck falls for.


Reign Over Me

I remember this movie came out around my birthday in March and I really wanted to see it. It never came to a theatre around where I live, so I was happy to see it on DVD at last.

Adam Sandler is heart-breaking as Charlie Fineman, a man who lost his wife and three daughters in 9/11. Director Mike Binder, I was warned, has been criticized for tending to beat his audience over the head with an overall message or theme. There was definitely a theme in this movie, of redemption and finding peace of mind, but I think it was tastefully done.

Don Cheadle plays his former college roommate who meets up with Fineman again on the street. When he realizes Charlie is not doing well, he gets involved with his life and tries to help him out. It also helps Cheadle's character, who complains early on to Liv Tyler, who plays a therapist, about not having anything in his life but work.

Bonus: Donald Sutherland as the no-nonsense judge in a later scene. B.J. Novak plays a lawyer you'll want to hit.


Across the Universe

I had been looking forward to seeing Julie Taymor's Beatles musical for months. I really enjoyed it, because it was beautifully done and had some really creative sequences. The best part, of course, was the music. The worst, however, was the character development. Maybe Taymor didn't have enough time to expand them the way she may have wanted, but I think some parts could have been taken out (like the unusual "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" scene early on) to allow for better quality characters.

The "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" sequence, which shows hundreds of young men being drafted to fight in Vietnam carrying the Statue of Liberty, is so strong it will make your hair stand on end. The "Strawberry Fields" scene, where the main character pins and smashes strawberries onto a canvas as his friend sees carnage in the wasteland of Vietnam, is surely commentary on today's situation in Iraq.

I liked it a lot, but I found myself wanting more. This is an unusual feeling to walk away with, after a 131 minute film.

3:10 to Yuma

Owen and I saw 3:10 to Yuma last week.

Russell Crowe plays a great bad guy. A friend pointed out that you can't go wrong with Crowe in a period piece. After Yuma, I have to add to that: you also can't go wrong with Crowe as a nasty "rotten as hell" thief.

Bale is heart-breaking as the crippled, down-on-his-luck rancher with a family that doesn't respect him. He is also the most likeable character in the film.

I am a fan of westerns, but some can't help but have parts that seem to drag a little. This film is devoid of those parts. Every second holds interest and progresses character development. The characters are unpredictable and yet entirely believable.

This movie is a remake, but I have not yet seen the original. Reviews I read, however, claim the recent version blows the original out of the water.

Edit: Also this movie has the most fantastic poster I've seen all year.
-Owen