I guess the time has come to bite the bullet/grasp the nettle/get cracking/pull myself together/get my finger out (enough from my bag of cliches!) and start trying to blog again on a semi-regular basis. It has been an emotionally draining time since I last wrote, so to start off with an easy exercise, let me run through some of the movies that I have managed to stay awake through on what now seems like an endless run of transatlantic flights over the last month (with several more to come later this summer):
The Brave One (2007): We have Jodie Foster in Charles Bronson-vigilante mode here after a vicious Central Park mugging with detective Terrence Howard on her tail -- a rather unpleasant and unmemorable outing. To accommodate modern sensibilities, the viewer is meant to sympathise completely with her outlawry.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007): Something of a disappointment from creative director Anderson with Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman as unlikely and somewhat estranged brothers on a bonding journey in India. Lovely to look at, but dramatically rather forced and ever so slightly too twee.
Away from Her (2006): Canadian actress Sarah Polley wrote and directed this depressing tale which showcases Julie Christie as an Alzheimer victim and showered her with acting kudos. As good as she was, for my money Gordon Pinsent playing her long-suffering husband was the real talent standout.
27 Dresses (2008): I tried the first twenty minutes of "There Will be Blood" but was far from being in the right frame of mind to watch anything so intense, so I watched this completely disposable piece of fluff with likeable Katherine Heigl playing the gal who is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Just don't ask me to remember much about it...
Charlie Wilson's War (2007): An acting powerhouse from Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and a memorable Philip Semour Hoffman in the supposedly true tale of how one louche U.S. Congressman helped get the Russians out of Afghanistan (and land us all with the continuing Taleban mess -- which is not part of what is meant to be an uplifting story).
The Heartbreak Kid (2007): A completely unnecessary remake from Ben Stiller of the amusing 1972 Neil Simon play, with its enthnicity removed -- to nogood effect -- as our desperate 40ish hero marries Malin Akerman in haste and falls for Michelle Monaghan on his honeymoon. Pretty dire stuff!
Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story (2007): I gave up on this one halfway through since a little of John C. Reilly spoofing a Johnny Cash-type star makes a little go too long a way.
Semi-Pro (2008): Yet another sporting movie from increasingly-unfunny Will Ferrell as a pop star who buys and plays with an underdog basketball team. Woody Harrelson and Andre Benjamin don't add much in support and it's probably about time that Mr. Ferrell searches for a new string to his bow.
And that's just some of the generally lightish offerings that I viewed in the sky, in the pursuit of getting myself back in the groove. Hopefully one of these days I will be...
2 comments:
I wanted to watch Semi-pro, but I don't think I'll bother now. Will Ferrell has never Again risen to the dizzy heights he reached with Anchorman.
Considering the standard of the viewing platform, you would have been better off
closing your eyes and trying to sleep since you will need to see most of them again to find out just what they were really about.
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