Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
All you see right now on TV are spots for the next wave of holiday films, and it’s obvious... the battle for your moviegoing dollar has begun in earnest. Which of the big studio movies are going to be worth your time this season, and which are going to be worth skipping completely? As reviews start to pour in, we’ll see which way the wind is blowing.
Our scooper today has had an early peek at two of the big films coming out in the weeks ahead. This first one, LOVE, ACTUALLY, is doing a nationwide studio sneak this Saturday, so I expect we’ll get in quite a few responses after that.
Hey Mor,
November's almost here where where supposedly the best, most "Oscar-type" movies start to come out. I've recently seen two of the more high profile releases coming out catering to two completely different audiences.
First one is...
LOVE ACTUALLY
As most of you know, "Love Actually" is the new romantic comedy (comedies?) written and directed by Richard Curtis. While it doesn't exactly transcend the genre (Punch-Drunk love), only the most hardened cynic could walk out of this movie without a smile on their face. It does have some flaws, but for the most part, almost every one of the nine stories (I don't know why some have reported as eight) hits on some level, whether its purely comedic, or has some emotional resonance as well.
Without a doubt the most crowd-pleasing story was the grieving widower (Liam Neeson) and his 11 year old stepson who has fallen in love with an american girl at school. Apparently test screening audiences felt the same way because this story is given significantly more screen time than the others. Hugh Grant as the prime minister is surprising perfect in his story. My personal favorite was Bill Nighy as Billy, an aging rock star who's trying to make a comeback. His new single "Christmas Is All Around" is crap and he admits it while promoting it, and the strategy ends up working better than he expects. Nighy is hilarious and a particularly great scene that I won't ruin takes place on a TRL-like television show and I missed most of the next scene due to laughing so hard.
One thing that caught everyone by surprise (albeit a pleasant surprise), is the substantial amount of nudity, which is not usually expected (at least by me) in a holiday-themed romantic comedy.
Also, during it's final musical cue/montage, I couldn't help but thinking of "Boogie Nights." You'll know what I mean when you see it.
However, an obvious problem is that some storylines aren't given a proper finish. The stories involving Nighy, Grant, and Neeson are given big climactic, satisfying conclusions. But, a few of the other stories are just given quick little scenes to wrap up everything. While noone else seemed to mind (judging by the huge round of applause at movie's end), I was disappointed that Laura Linney's storyline, one of the only ones to take risks and not go in the expected direction, was completely dropped about a half hour before the movie's end and never referenced again.
Despite these shortcomings, "Love Actually" is much more enjoyable and original (in its story structure) than any romantic comedy to come along in the last year or so, and is definitely worth checking out.
The other movie, which I saw on Monday morning is:
MASTER AND COMMANDER: The Far Side of the World
Before I say anything, let me announce up front that I have not read any of the books that this movie is based on. That said, I will say that I still found it extremely entertaining (though not without its slow spots) and one of the rare films where the old cliche "feels like you are actually there" applies for once.
Alas, other than the technical categories (including its unbelievable cinematography), I can't see this one picking up any Oscar nominations. Russell Crowe is solid, but his character has almost none of the development or emotional depth that his characters in "Gladiator", "The Insider", and "A Beautiful Mind" had.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, it is relatively simple. Crowe plays "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, the captain of his ship, the Surprise. Aubrey has an extremely close relationship with his ship's doctor, played by Paul Bettany. At the film's opening, the Surprise is attacked by a french ship. The rest of the movie's 2-hour 10-min running time consists of the Surprise traveling to the other side of the world to get revenge of the french ship. That's it. No extraneous subplots or love interests thank god.
Still, this is probably the reason why the producers chose not to edit out scenes that while enriching the relationships between some of the characters, will likely bore most audiences. One sequence that sticks out in my mind, is a scene where the ship stops on an island for a few days and Bettany's character observes various birds and reptiles. While it does eventually serve a purpose, it could have been edited down a bit.
Despite this, the action scenes and scenes during the storm are remarkable and worth the price of admission. The scene where Bettany is forced to operate on an unexpected patient is intense and is one of the best scenes I've scene in a movie lately.
There is some nice stuff involving Crowe's relationships with Bettany, an unhappy picked-on officer, and a few of the kids in the crew (particularly one who gets his arm amputated early in the film). However, while I may be wrong, I just can't imagine it hitting any audience members on an emotional level.
Overall, a fun, really well-made film worth plunking down your nine bucks for, though not the Oscar contender (at least in my opinion) that many are making it out to be.
Anyway, thats it for now. Thanks a lot
Raleigh St. Clair
I think I’ve got another MASTER & COMMANDER review rattling around the inbox for this morning. Also, there’s a screening of it soon that I may be attending, so hopefully I’ll be able to weigh in on it as well. I’m a huge Peter Weir fan, so my fingers are very, very crossed on this one...
"Moriarty" out.
