THE SOPRANOS: SEASON 2 - Like I mentioned before, Jenny and I have recently been discovering the greatness of this series. Now after having finished Season 2 I can officially say we're hooked, and we'll most likely be renting all the remaining series to finish the stories out. Great acting, great writing, great show all the way around.
CHIGAGO 10 - This is a documentary about the political protests around the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Parts of the film are compiled of archival footage of the days before and after the convention, and other parts of the film are made up of animated recreations of the court proceedings. I guess the overall intent of the film is to give the message of the Chicago 10 appeal for today's generation of young people. In my mind however it just doesn't work. I didn't find the Chicago 10 (really they were 8) worth rooting for, and I thought the mix of animation became more annoying than effective. Overall, this is one of those film I ask myself after watching it..."what was I thinking?" Skip this one for sure.
CASSANDRA'S DREAM - This is another one of those recent Woody Allen movies set in England. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor play two brothers who become tied up in a criminal scheme that will benefit their uncle, (played by Tom Wilkinson.) Several elements are played out here that we've seen before in previous Allen movies (love, betrayal, greed, etc.) so there's nothing new here...just a change of scenery (London instead of New York). I guess overall this movie is okay, and any Woody Allen fan should see it. But I'm getting tired of Allen's recent phase of British movies (MATCH POINT, SCOOP). In my opinion, Allen's characters and dialouge still feel very New York, and watching all of that play out in another setting seems very odd at times. This one was okay...but definately not on the same level of greatness as CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS or MANHATTAN.
THE MIST - This movie is based on the Stephen King novella of the same name (originally published as a short story in the book SKELETON CREW in 1985). It is about a mysterious mist that envelopes a small town in Maine. Soon the townsfolk discover that those who come in contact with the mist die a most gruesome death, and come in contact with creatures not from this earth. The main heart of the story takes place in a supermarket where a hundred townsfolk find themselves trapped inside. Some fear the mist, and others think it's just a freak weather phenomena. The story has always been one of my favorites from King. I can remember being blown away by it when I read it in high school (man...has it been that long?) The movie does a pretty good job of staying close to the book, and overall I thought it was a good depiction. I would recommend this one for anyone looking for a fun scare...and definately for all King fans out there. Worth checking out for the price of a rental.
WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY - This is the story of the musical career of the ficticious Dewey Cox, played by John C. Reilly. When we first meet him he is the next Ritchie Valens sometime in the 50's. Then his musical journey takes him from hanging out with the Beatles, to being a Dylan-esque songwriter, to a Johnny Cash wanna-be...and so on. There's enough jokes here to keep you entertained. I found myself laughing out loud at the first 10 minutes especially (Dewey's childhood). I've always found Reilly to be the poor man's Will Ferrell, and this movie is a perfect example. You can almost see Ferrell in this role, and probably doing a better job of it. But still though...this movie is pretty good and definately has enough funny moments to warrant a recommendation.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD - I know...I know. I'm just now getting to this one. In fact, it sat in a Netflix pouch on my TV for what seemed like 3 months. So I finally devoted some time to checking it out...and boy was it worth the wait. The story as most of you know already follows the book OIL, by Upton Sinclair. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, the cunning and hell-bent silver prospector-turned oil man. He scours southern California scooping up land for his oil ambitions, refusing to let anything or anyone get in his way. Paul Dano plays his adversary, a peace-loving preacher who is also open to the lure of money. The story moves rather slowly, but it works just fine because the images on screen deserve your full attention. In fact, it seemed like I was watching a Steinbeck book come to life. Tragic characters set against a vast barren landscape. Most of all the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis makes this movie a must-see by itself. Very deserving of the Oscar he won for the role earlier this year. I'm glad I finally got around to watching this one.
THE DARJEELING LIMITED - Written and Directed by Wes Anderson, this movie is part drama, part comedy, and follows the same formula as a lot of Anderson's other films (RUSHMOORE, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS). Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman are three brothers who all decide to take a spiritual journey together through India. On their travels they try to mend their own ties with one another, as well as deal with the loss of their father . RUSHMOORE is my favorite Anderson movie, but I tend to like all of his films on some level...and this one is no exception. I think any Anderson fan will find enough here to be satisfied. There are some moments here where the film starts to really drag (especially in the 3rd act), but overall I enjoyed it.
