LADY IN THE WATER.  Meh. It's just missing something, like most of his other films that were a step or two from being really good. Some je ne sais quoi. Rushed in the writing, definitely. Somebody was right when they said he should stop using his kids as his focus group. On the plus side, it's not at all what I thought it was going to be about from the marketing (on which they spent $70 million!). Night is the Michael Jackson of filmmaking. Has an abusive upbringing (Disney, who were wise to dis this script), a big hit, and then everything following kind of drowns (pardon the pun) in its own cleverness for lack of execution. A guy with a fantastical imagination, plus a big enough ego and industry clout to bring the visions to life, despite his megalomania. Guy even looks like him, for god's sake.
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL.  What, no Best Supporting Actress nod for the sex doll? Pretty decent. Gosling's awesome as always. Really odd to see Kelli Garner in a non-sexed-up role, though. There are some story problems, too, but overall it's a pretty standard indie with good acting. Even the opening musical notes tell you you're watching an indie, somehow.
LAST DAYS.  I felt like blowing my own head off after sitting through this. Michael Pitt is one of my favorite actors, but the "script" had him muttering to himself most of the time as he tried to fix breakfast or stumble through the Seattle woods. Might make a nice anti-heroin ad (if we ever saw him shoot any). It certainly makes Van Sant's previous film Elephant look like Citizen goddamn Kane in comparison.
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND.  Awful title, good movie. I was really expecting to see a lot more violence from Idi Amin. They talk about it, but it's not as big a part of the film as I expected; we see much more of his childishness than his bloodlust. Then again, it's from his doctor's POV, and he was shielded from a lot of this stuff. Whitaker deserves a nomination, but . . . uh, he's not the lead actor . . .
LEAVING LAS VEGAS. Nic Cage's inconsistency can be maddening – equally capable of brilliance as dreck – but this finds him at his best as a failed screenwriter who drinks himself to death. Talk about an unredeeming character, this last-days Arthur: charmingly toasted one moment and dry-heaving the next. Somehow Elizabeth Shue manages to pull off her role as the jaded, damaged hooker with nurturing tendencies. Her acceptance of his decision is not believable as their relationship begins, but she wins us over. I also like the song. Not Sheryl Crow's, I mean the boozy one Sting croons throughout.
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.  Best vampire movie ever made, period. Too bad it's Swedish, so few will ever see it. All the conventions are there, but given fresh life through a middle-school tale of awkward love, bullying, and revenge. Everyone is vulnerable. Wonderful music and understated acting complement painterly available-light winter cinematography, with a few iconic shots that permanently etch themselves onto the screen inside your head.
LICENSE TO WED. Are you fucking kidding me? The engaged couple has zero chemistry, and Robin Williams rehashes some Nicholson-ian Anger Management shtick. Making the priest a little bit hip doesn’t really count as character development, and Mandy Moore’s role is a nag no one could love.
LITTLE CHILDREN. Well acted. Something unsettling about it, though, and it wasn't just the subject matter, which was a little bit like Happiness without the dark humor (even has Jane Adams in it). Kind of forced with some of the morality a la Crash. Some good suburban housewife commentary, which is becoming cliché these days. The annoying narration's gotta go, too, and it seems to be pervasive (and totally unnecessary) in many recent films.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Very decent, but no way it earned even a sniff at a Best Picture nod. Gramps is hilarious, and the girl is charming of course, but the mute misanthropic teen is too much of a caricature, as is their ambitious father. Put the whole family together, though, and you've got something, as do the dysfunctional Bluths on Arrested Development.
LONESOME JIM. Lethargic, apathetic protagonists just don't work for me. Same reason I couldn't get into Garden State. This is a bit like a lo-fi Chumscrubber, which I actually did like. When they go for humor, it really is funny, and the one-dimensional characters work at some level, as does the depressing atmosphere. But, I need stuff to . . . happen. The guy has no ambition (and thus no plot), other than to be a writer, a pursuit we see no real evidence of. So now both Affleck brothers have knocked boots with Liv Tyler on screen while getting walked in on by kids. Should they make a Syd Barrett biopic soon, Casey would be a dead ringer. They made it for $500K, so that's pretty cool.
THE LOOKOUT. Damn, that's some sharp writing. Gordon-Levitt is awesome as always, and even got a charismatic villain in there. Being from Kansas City, I'd say they did a good job of recreating our feel even though they shot the whole thing in Canada (even got our local beer on the tappers). And Isla Fisher, mmm-mm; now if only I could wrest her away from Borat's clutches. . .
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