I finally got to see Up. The boys saw it at the theater one day when I was working and very studiously avoided spoiling it for me until I could finally see it on DVD. Pixar is really the Studio Ghibli of America; even their minor films are far superior to the rest of the dreck out there, and this is not one of their minor films. I've heard some complaint of the lack of female characters in this, which I think is ridiculous. His wife may die in the opening of the movie, but her presence is felt all over it. I know because she made me cry at least three times. Which is a good thing.
Leatherheads I got just for George Clooney. It didn't disappoint. The Proposal I got just for Sandra Bullock. It did. (Although Ryan Reynolds was funny, and Betty White. It had some good scenes, but they didn't for me add up to a satisfying movie).
Finally saw Star Trek. Yep, it was all kinds of awesome. My boys have watched it a couple of times now.
Girlfight is a bit older, the first movie from Michelle Rodriguez as a girl who wants to learn to box. I loved the real quality of it, and her character is wonderfully complex and matures in a believable way. I would recommend this one if you like me missed it before.
Even older still is Shane. To be honest, we picked this one up from the library after hearing an old Bill Hicks number about something Jack Palance's character does in this movie. Something that he, in fact, doesn't actually do. A quick search of the internet shows I'm not the only one confused. It's an interesting movie, although the main character is way too pretty to be believable as a cowboy.
We've been working our way through the Alfred Hitchcock catalogue, and in November this meant Strangers on a Train and The Trouble with Harry. The boys like thrillers so they were engrossed by Strangers on a Train, but it was The Trouble with Harry that had them talking for days. We also caught the last Marx Brothers' movie, Love Happy. This can more properly be called a Harpo Marx movie. Which suits me fine (have I mentioned that I'm crushing on Harpo? Yeah, even here when he's just past 60, he's still a little cutie).
We've also been watching all the Buster Keaton movies we can find. The Cameraman was our first, and it's very cool. I knew before that Keaton was a master of physical comedy and in particular taking hard falls. And he does a lot of that here, hopping onto moving fire trucks and diving into pools. But what I didn't know going in was how much of an engineer's mind he had. He set up really elaborate gags and camera shots that are incredibly impressive. Although for my money the funniest scene in this movie is when he and a big galoot are both changing into swimsuits in the same tiny, tiny closet, getting in each other's way and getting their suits mixed up.
The Spite Marriage had some wonderful moments as well, particularly a hapless Keaton trying to put his new passed-out-drunk wife to bed. But even better is The General. In this movie Keaton is a train engineer that is turned down by the Confederate army because they need him as a trainman, but when his paramour is kidnapped by Union soldiers hijacking a train he gives chase all the way past the Mason-Dixon line, and then runs south again after rescuing her, Union soldiers in hot pursuit. So essentially the movie is all one long train chase, and everything they do to try to throw off the train behind them, and everything Keaton does to thwart them. And the girl trying to help but always making things more complicated. The General came with two of his short films, Cops, which is a Keystone cops thing, and The Playhouse, which opens with multiple Buster Keatons. Five of him are on the stage, dancing. Four more are in the orchestra pit, playing instruments. The audience seems at a glance to be men, women and children, but on closer look they are all Buster Keaton as well. Don't let the silent movie thing turn you off; these movies are awesome.
Free and Easy, by comparison, is a Buster Keaton talkie. He has a marvelous speaking voice, and he even did his own Spanish, German and French versions for the overseas markets. Alas, the movie is not all that great. It has what we around these parts call a Bollywood ending; the character we've grown to love puts his own feelings aside and lets the girl go off into the sunset with his rival. This ending is incredibly moving when done correctly. Alas, this movie isn't an example of done correctly.
I've been intending to see Pedro Almodovar's films since pretty much high school. (And yes, the movies people were recommending to me in high school do seem strange when I finally get around to seeing them. I'm not sure how I was coming across to people.) At any rate, this month I finally saw Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It was an interesting movie filled with complicated women. Of course the real highlight is Antonio Banderas. He must be 20 or 21 here, but already has amazing screen presence.
I watched four Bollywood movies, all starring Aamir Khan. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikhandar with schools competing in a sports thing was fun. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I kind of wish it had been a closer retelling as Omkara was of Othello. Awwal Number was about terrorism and cricket. It could've used more cricket. Sarfarosh was also about terrorism, but was much more interesting and watchable, largely due to Naseeruddin Shah as the bad guy.
Still, none of these had a really mindblowing musical number, so this month's video clip is from The Big Store. It's not one of the better Marx Brothers movies, but I do love this bit. You can really tell here that they are brothers (and you can really tell which one is the little brother). The Marx Brothers really existed just to amuse each other; the fact that the audience was also enjoying it was quite incidental.
