The Savages

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney star in the well acted, directed and rather downer of a film The Savages. It's about two 40-something siblings dealing with the rapid onset of dementia in their estranged father. It's about as much fun as it sounds. They feel guilt and obligation - complicated by the fact that it seems that Dad wasn't really much of a father when they needed him to be one. I've seen critics write that it was somewhat uplifting, ended on an upbeat note, etc. I need to look-up those reviews so I can disregard future ones from their authors. While it's true that the characters seem better for their journey and find a measure of healing that didn't make it an "entertaining" film. It's depressing - period. If you want to see a film about this subject matter this might be the thing for you. But if you're just looking for something to strictly with the goal of putting you in an unpleasant mood I'd suggest Atonement instead. Something in a downer but almost starring Hoffman? You might prefer Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. In many ways this is a good film with respect to script, acting, direction, etc. - it just so violates my current goal of not seeing films that are either fascinating or fun to watch that I can't really recommend.

The Kite Runner

If for some reason you were on the fence with respect to your view of the Taliban here's a movie that will put you over the edge.

I haven't read the book on which the film is based so I can't say whether this does a good job being faithful to the written version. But judged as a standalone work this is a film well worth seeing. It tells the story of a boy who grows up in Afghanistan before the Russian invasion and then is drawn back to face some personal demons in the present day. It really drew me in even though you basically know what's going to happen for much of the storyline. I can't put my finger on exactly how but I feel as though I've seen many of the pieces that makeup The Kite Runner in other films. It still makes for an involved and compelling story. One of the best films I've seen during the end of year period.

Best and Worst Lists

This will probably be subject to some updates over the next few days. But I thought it'd make sense to look back over the past year's viewings and pick some best/worst. I won't limit it to ten, nor will I number them. I really just don't know how to rank films that explicitly. But I can probably pick out some of my favorites. The best viewed in 2007 will stay on the right side of the blog for a bit with links to their IMDB pages.

They're not in order - really! :-)

Favorite screenings

• The Missing Star
• Juno
• Congorama
• Michael Clayton
• Superbad
• The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
• Never Again as Before
• Four Minutes
• The Boss of it All
• French for Beginners
• My Best Friend
• The Host
  

Least favorite screenings (which isn't totally fair as I'm not a critic who's forced to see practically everything that's out. These are things I thought I wanted to see)

• Offscreen
  
• One Day Like Rain
  
• Lions for Lambs
• Expired
• I Really Hate this Job
• Elizabeth the Golden Age

Favorite documentaries

• King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
• No End in Sight
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• The Champagne Spy
• Crazy Love

Films I sort of liked - but can't explain why

• Madrigal
• Southland Tales
• Dasepo's Naughty Girls
  

Some of these are available already on DVD at Amazon.com. You'll need a region free DVD player for several.

Juno

Capped off the three movie weekend with Juno - everyone's pic for cute little end of the year indie. I was a little nervous going in that it wouldn't live up to the hype. But I was pleasantly surprised to see it held up well. This isn't necessarily one for the ages - but it was a lot of fun with some very clever dialog. I almost want to see it again to better remember all the clever back and forth. Definitely my hands down pick for the weekend.

Plenty of known actors throughout - all doing a pretty good job. A lot of attention has been focused on the lead actress - Ellen Page. It's all deserved. She makes the film. Olivia Thirlby is also quite entertaining as her friend with very little in the way of a filter between brain and mouth.

The story is pretty simple. Young girl gets pregnant. Decides to give the baby to a couple she meets through the local Pennysaver. Learns various lessons about herself, her parents and relationships in general. Manages to work in dialog that's so fast and sharp it makes the Gilmore Girls folks seem dim witted at times. All this and a super catchy soundtrack. Watch the trailer - if it seems like it's your cup of tea then go out and see it. 'nuff said.

I am Legend

Will Smith and his very photogenic dog star in this Castaway meets Night of the Living Dead film. Will Smith is the last person alive in Manhattan after a genetically engineered virus wiped out most of humanity. As a military scientist somehow immune he continues to work in his (bizarrely) well equipped basement bio-lab to find a cure. All the while avoiding the light-phobic "virus crazed zombies" (to quote the NYTimes) who own the darkened reaches of the city. During daylight he prowls the city in an array of vehicles foraging for prepared food, survivors and DVD's. Once in a while stopping to hunt the deer that run through the city. The movie is (at least somewhat) based on Richard Matheson's novel of the same name (you can pickup the book here). It's been made into a film at least once before as The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston.

The filmmakers did a terrific job giving the feeling that Manhattan was abandoned and turned back to nature. I occasionally found myself wondering about the thinking that went on during product placement sales meetings, "Sure, Will will look cool barrelling through mid-town in the new red Mustang - but does our target demographic think of themselves at the type of folks who'd hunt deer and run down zombies after a bio-Armageddon?" Though it was good to see that Avenue Q stayed open right up until the apocalypse.

I'm really not sure how to vote in terms of recommending this film. The backdrops/mood setup are dead perfect. Will Smith definitely gives a good performance - very watchable, interesting and entertaining at the right times. But at the same time I was left feeling a little lukewarm towards it. The first portion of the film is quite a bit more interesting than the second where the focus shifts more to an attacking monster genre sort of thing. I don't regret seeing it - but it probably won't make my top 10 for the year. Probably worth a look though before you succumb to National Treasure. No link provided for that on purpose - don't want to encourage anyone. ;-)

Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson's War is a big Hollwood style story of a drinking, womanizing congressman from Texas who seems to single handedly take on the Soviet Union via a proxy war in Afganistan. Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in this screenplay by Aaron Sorkin based on the book of the same name. Sure, it's a serious topic film that tells the backstory of 9/11, Iraq and the current "war on terror." But that doesn't keep Sorkin from throwing in entertaining dialog, and some gratuitous nudity. Don't go for the history lesson. Do go to watch one of the better big Hollywood releases this year. Usually I'm pretty mild on Philip Seymour Hoffman - but this time he steals the show. As a bonus you can argue with your friends over coffee if the the "less moral" but actively engaged Wilson may be a better deal for the country than certain "ultra moral" but mentally checked out leaders. Entertaining to watch, sad to think about where the story has gone. Definitely worth adding to your holiday to-do list...