Review – Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Perhaps the book was more entertaining. Or perhaps at least with the book it was harder to tell if game show creator and host Chuck Barris was really serious about being a contract killer for the CIA. In the movie the only challenge is trying to figure out if the guy’s an imaginative liar or a drug-addled nutjob. Honestly, when he says goodbye to “Lee” and “Jack” at the end of secret assassin school, well, it’s impossible to take it seriously after that (not that it was all that easy before). Overall the production comes across as the tale of a celebrity undone by his own mental illness, kind of like Auto Focus only Barris is still alive so the film-makers couldn’t be quite as unflinching with him as they were with Bob Crane. See if desperate

Review – O Brother Where Art Thou?

Take The Odyssey, twist it around a bit, plunk it down in the Depression-era South, and turn it over to the Coen brothers. If you’re a fan of music appropriate to the time and place, you should find this picture pure magic from start to finish. Even if the soundtrack doesn’t do it for you, there’s plenty of solid screenwriting and good visuals to keep you entertained. The Coens appear to be borrowing tricks from John Sayles and a handful of other directors, and as a result this is probably the most polished movie they’ve made to date. Even George Clooney isn’t too bad in the lead, though it isn’t much of a stretch for him to play a guy who’s nowhere near as charming as he thinks he is. The story’s a little hard on the animals in a couple of places, but other than that this is a genuinely enjoyable production. Worth seeing

Review – About Schmidt

Normally a sappy tale about a recently-retired insurance executive coming to grips with the aging process would lie squarely outside my viewing schedule. However, I’d heard good things about this movie, and eventually curiosity got the better of me. I just had to see for myself whether or not Jack Nicholson could pull off a role more than a little outside his usual type. But I was pleasantly surprised to watch everything come together. The plot bounces back and forth between clever and awkward, though even the awkward spots usually contribute nicely to character development. Mildly amusing

Review – Winged Migration

One and for all I’d like someone who makes wildlife documentaries to explain the compulsion among such people to portray their subjects dying violently. This unsavory element is particularly intrusive in this production. I found myself absolutely entranced by the footage of migratory birds (mostly geese) flying across breathtaking landscapes. The camerawork alone is enough to guarantee that you’ll never look at birds the same way again. But then bang! Out of nowhere we’ve got hunters killing the birds in midair. Then a goose dying in an oil slick. Then a smaller bird with a broken wing being killed and eaten by crabs. Then a baby penguin being killed by another bird. What makes matters even worse is that some of the close-ups of the birds were achieved by imprinting young geese so they’d trust the film-makers, trust that was evidently betrayed when the hunting shots were set up. As a result I seriously dispute the movie’s G rating. Further, this is the first time in my movie-reviewing career that a film has gone from four stars to two (and flirted with one) as rapidly as this one did. And that’s a real shame, because if the grim death was removed this would be a spellbinding masterpiece of cinematography not to mention a decent documentary. Mildly amusing

Review – Punch Drunk Love

This movie is actually kinda hard to review. It almost goes without saying that it’s likely to disappoint many of Adam Sandler’s fans, but that’s fine with me. It’s too film-school arty by far, but I’m used to that. The principal problem here is that most of the production is exceptionally annoying. We’re watching the world from the perspective of an emotionally-differently-abled small business owner, and his stiff, awkward outlook on life gives his story an unpleasant flavor. The dialogue seems contrived, the plot uneven, and even the soundtrack is so abrasive that at points it set my teeth on edge. But then came the conclusion. In the last few minutes of the movie everything comes together so nicely that by some miracle the whole thing turns out worthwhile. So if anyone ever tells you the end doesn’t justify the means, you might suggest this as a possible exception to the rule. It also served to remind me of the importance of watching movies all the way through. Mildly amusing