Sunday, November 04, 2007

Cinema Nouveau

My movie-watching habits have declined quite a bit in recent months, but over the past week, I've been three times. Sunday, a group of us went to see The Darjeeling Limited. Stylistically, it's obviously a Wes Anderson film, with a stellar soundtrack and an almost innocent look to it. It's a very heartwarming film, not as good as The Royal Tenenbaums, but better than Life Aquatic. I love when his films concentrate on family relationships.
Thursday, I saw Lars and the Real Girl, starring Ryan Gosling, a very promising actor. (Have you seen Half Nelson? Amazing!) This was one of the sweetest films I've seen in a long time. It was endearing without being sappy, which is a hard rope to walk.
Yesterday, I went to see Gone Baby Gone, a very heavy film that raised some interesting moral issues. I don't know which I appreciate more--Casey Affleck's performance or Ben Affleck's direction. Both are grounded, assured, and accurate. This was based on a book by Dennis Lehane, the same guy who wrote Mystic River. I thought that film was a little overrated, but this one is subtle, dark, and moving.
I'll probably slack off on movies for a while, but there are a few more due to be released this year that I will be catching. Among them, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Juno, There Will Be Blood, and No Country For Old Men.

No comments: