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Reviews
Sin City (2005)
Grade-A Grit
Sin City reminded me of only one other film I've ever seen: Kill Bill, vol. 1, which ranks as one of my all-time favorites. The founding mythologies of the two movies are completely different, and I prefer Tarantino's Shaolin legends to Miller's noir graphic novels--but not by much. There's an awful lot to fall for in Sin City, from the ridiculous cars to the even more ridiculously alluring women.
The best thing about the movie, though, is the three leading male heroes, two of whom are just as cold-blooded as their depraved and just-as-memorable foils, who gleefully inhabit depths of the human soul usually only hinted at by movies. Willis, Rourke, and Owen each give memorable performances that force you to accept the moral logic of Sin City, which despite the consistent displays of gore shines through every scene of the movie. As with Kill Bill, anyone who tells you that this movie is itself morally bankrupt or meaningless simply wasn't paying any attention.
If you've got the stomach for it, and are willing to suspend your disbelief and accept Miller's gritty universe, you absolutely won't regret spending your $9 to see Sin City in the theater.
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)
Grappling with a Difficult Film
If you possess an especially smug view of history's finality, this film may not do a great deal to impress you. For the rest of us, however, Errol Morris presents a truly complex picture of a clearly complex man.
Many of the reviews I read of the film complain that there doesn't seem to be a main point that emerges from the film or its eleven "lessons," which are admittedly too cute by half in many cases. The point, though, is the complexity itself. The point is that history is bigger than its main players, and inscrutably difficult to judge in a definitive moral sense. I don't think I will ever forget McNamara's probing, clearly emotional questioning of the rules of war or the lack thereof, when he discusses how one evening he and general Curtis LeMay decided to burn to death 100,000 people in the Tokyo firebombing. The portrait of McNamara, as well as the two presidents he served, is one of human beings through and through, with all the fallibility and conflictedness that entails. The central quandary of war emerges for the viewer to see: it is the business of killing people, and that means that mistakes cause people to die needlessly.
As I said, this film, taken in the right spirit, is deeply challenging. I would recommend it to anyone who has grappled with the enormity and awfulness of the history of the twentieth century.
Heist (2001)
A Very Successful Exercise in Style
Heist is not a movie that can be taken as a representation of reality, but that's not its point. Every single line in this movie sounds like it is being spoken by an actor in a David Mamet movie. Gene Hackman, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sam Rockwell, Delroy Lindo, and Danny DeVito all deliver memorable performances, but the show-stealer is Mamet's consistent collaborator, Ricky Jay, who has several lines as good as any I can think of. This movie is up there with Resevoir Dogs in the vanguard of movies made for their own sake. It has enough great lines and surprising plot twists to make it worth everyone's time.
Very Bad Things (1998)
A Very Bad Movie
This movie is in bad taste, it didn't make me laugh once, and it is the worst use of a competent cast I have ever seen. I can't think of any redeeming qualities, to be honest. You will, in short, be happier not seeing this movie.
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
A Good Way to Spend Two Hours
The Fabulous Baker Boys is a film that creates a mood to match its music. It certainly won't change anybody's life, but if ever you have enjoyed a lounge singer, this movie shouldn't be a let down. Michelle Pfeiffer is mesmerizing, and Jeff Bridges, as always, is perhaps the most likable actor in Hollywood. This is a good movie.
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Scorsese at his most contemplative
The Last Temptation of Christ is a very rare film in that it is a serious work of philosophy which merits very serious thinking. A radical reinterpretation of the gospels, the film offers what is basically the most serious look at Jesus of Nazareth I have ever encountered. This is a film for people who are fascinated by religion but less than eager to believe in miracles--Jesus was a man who made the decision to be the messiah. I just read another user review that proclaimed that all of the roles in this film were miscast, but nothing could be further from the truth. Dafoe is captivating as Jesus, utterly believable as a tortured man rather than a biblical caricature. Harvey Keitel's Judas is one of the most memorable performances I have ever seen. The score and the cinematography are as good as in any of Scorsese's other works. In short, anyone who thinks seriously about both film and religion should find that The Last Temptation of Christ will be among their favorites.
Wandafuru raifu (1998)
A Simple, Happy Reflection
After Life does what so few American films today are brave enough to do--it addresses metaphysical issues and offers its own modest solution. I can't say that I find the philosophy advanced by the film to be terribly useful or even informative in any meaningful sense. It is, without a doubt, somewhat frivolous. But what a happy frivolity! What a nice thought to toss around. Not to mention that the film will make you think of all of the happiest moments in your own life, which is something to be grateful for. In the last analysis, After Life is a sweeping success because it affirms the value of human experiences of all kinds. I can't imagine anyone would regret seeing this film.