Catching flicks in the big city

Went to Seattle for ALA Midwinter. Since it didn't involve plane fare, Shawn came with. We caught two movies that probably won't come to Pullman-Moscow unless the K gets a grubby print right before DVD release ... Curse of the Golden Flower and Volver.

Golden Flower was OK, very beautiful to look at, stunning visually, but the plot was a bit weak, and it just is not as good as Hero or House of Flying Daggers.

Volver. This is Almodovar's best film since Todo sobre mi madre. (I liked Hable con ella but it wasn't as good as madre or Live Flesh or Flor de mi secreto, all masterpieces. And after Hable came Bad Education. Eesh, that was terrible. I remember being so mad about not getting to see it in the cinema, and having to wait for the DVD, and then being so disappointed.) Penelope Cruz is just luminous in this picture. Carmen Maura is playful. The characters are wonderful, the plot is funny and poignant, and he adds a touch of suspense for good measure. Even though she is apparently only lip-synching (the credits name Estrella Morente), the scene where Cruz sings the LePera/Gardel tango called "Volver" is just heart-wrenching. I can't wait for the DVD release so I can see this again!

December movies

Million Dollar Baby - still incredibly sad and moving

A Time to Kill - old movie based on a Grisham novel, OK not great

Scoop - recent Woody Allen, a funny one

Rashida - interesting film about a young woman and her mother tryng to escape the violence in Algeria

The Pelican Brief - another Grisham adaptation, one of my favorites

Six Degrees of Separation - hadn't seen this in years, holds up very well. Still a thought-provoking, funny/sad movie (funny/sad a la chaos/control :-)

The Interpreter - second viewing of this, felt more ambivalent about it this time

Groundhog Day - another one we hadn't seen in years, actually very funny

Batman Begins - second viewing of this, wasn't as enthralled as when I saw it for the first time

Ultra Violet - excellent campy fun

My Wife Maurice - funny French movie about mistaken identities and the meaning of love

She's the One - Edward Burns, Jennifer Aniston, 90s. Promptly listed for sale at half.com :-)

X2000 - a compilation of shorts by Francois Ozon, some very amusing, some rather odd

Schindler's List - hadn't seen this in a long while, holds up well. Ralph Fiennes is such a good bad guy here.

Vertigo - a good Hitchcock

Infernal Affairs - the Hong Kong movie that The Departed was based on. I will have to respectfully disagree with my friend Ryan that this was superior to the Scorsese film.

Girl with a Pearl Earring - another rerun, interesting and well-acted

The Age of Innocence - did Edith Wharton ever have any fun? Another wonderful story, but so depressing.

Eat Drink Man Woman - hadn't seen this one in a long time either, held up well

Artificial Intelligence - a lot of revisiting this month. Still don't know whether I like this one or not.

Superman Returns - yawn.

About a Boy - I have a soft spot for these kinds of romantic comedies. I usually like books better than the movie adaptations, but this one and High Fidelity, are imo, better than the books.

We also watched some Seinfeld and Frasier episodes on DVD.

We headed for the Oregon coast on December 23 and had access to cable TV, including the infamous Spike network which again was running Bond movies. In addition to bits and pieces of several Bond movies, we also saw The Sound of Music and Miracle on 34th Street. When Shawn's mom was there with us, we also watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We also caught parts of two cute romantic comedies that we'd never seen before, Never Been Kissed and Adam & Emma. The latter was pretty entertaining.

Back at home:

Hero - I never liked martial arts films until Crouching Tiger. This is a really good movie beyond the choreographic fighting.

12 Monkeys - starting to show a little wear, but still enjoyed it

Hanover Street - hadn't seen this in years....think of me when you drink tea, LOL!

Wonder Boys - one of my all time favorite movies, and another that I like better than the novel on which it is based

Afterglow - hadn't seen this for a long time either, an interesting portrait of 4 people dealing with marriage, infidelity, the desire for a child, the loss of a child.

Everyone Says I Love You - one of my favorite Woody Allens, just a real hoot!