Critical Disarray Edition #1

Generay Disarray (née Jeffé) watches more movies than almost anyone I know, or at least, I make that presumption by all the Netflix Movie Notes I receive from him. But I like reading his summaries; they're succinct with just a dash of opinion. He can be a little bitchy sometimes, or underserving sentimental...perfect for a movie critic with a little column -- THIS one! So, without further adieu, I introduce:

Edition #1: 28 March 2007

Babel
A nice surprise. Thinking it would be another Crash it turned out to be the film Crash wished it had the restraint and subtlety to be. By far Inarritu's finest film to date.
(In theaters)

Half Nelson
Gosling is rather excellent in this surprise seemingly formulaic film with a unique twist. However, there is little else to praise except a strong performance by young Shareeka Epps.
(In theaters)

Kind Hearts and Coronets
Wonderful classic dark comedy with Sir Alec Guiness playing more than half of an outstanding cast of characters. A lot of fun.

300
Exactly as advertised. Beautiful slow motion battles with much brawn, blood and badassity. Relentless.
In theaters)

Marie Antoinette
Beautiful film. Beautiful costumes. Beautiful setting. Beautiful score. Beautiful people. No story.

Memories of Murder
A miraculous mixture of suspense, horror, mystery, comedy and drama, this fact-based Korean thriller is a wholy unique film for me. Well shot with great characters and great atmosphere.

Mutual Appreciation
Awkward and unsophisticated, Bujalski's second film is a very fun look at the life of a musician trying to get through life, have some fun and play music every now and then.

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Nice story with some really beautiful cinematography of China. Glad I got a glimpse of it before it's covered in high-rises. Ken Takakura is also excellent.

Three Times
The first two vignettes of the film are hauntingly beatiful little tales in themselves. The way they work together only heightens their perfection. Unfortunately, the third was just too jarring for me

Trust the Man
Yes, I rented a romantic comedy. And this one wasn't half bad. Funny, actually. However, because it belongs to the Romantic Comedy Union it was forced into that ugly pitfall ending that they all suffer from.

Zodiac
Just ok. Not dark and stylish as Se7en was. More like All the President's Men, but drawn-out and flat with less star-power.
(In theaters)

Comments

[General Disarray]

I like the banner. I'll keep them coming. No worries there.

[p-natty]

Christ! Like I need Jeff's movie notes here as well as in my inbox. Apparently there is no escape. Like a Spartan's capacity for violence, Jeff (qua movie-watching, movie-reviewing juggernaut) is unrelenting.

[the polish princess]

Excellent! Thanks General. I hope your column becomes a regular edition here at BG. BTW, if you do end up doing a longer format, consider keeping these 2-line summaries for short-attention span readers like me! Love it.