So I picked up a couple more of my movie magazines, and have started finding out from people what's out there now that's worth seeing. (Especially anything with Soul Food content? I missed MIRACLE AT ST ANNA, looking forward to DOUBT, anything else with God stuff this fall?) Any tips?
Here are the results of one such conversation, from Soul Food afficionado Peter Mogan...
As promised, Peter's top five of the past few months:
Rachel Getting Married - nothing short of brilliant. Outstanding performances from every actor, with special applause for Anne Hathaway in a career performance. Think of Vinterberg's THE CELEBRATION for feel and genre. Jonathan Damme has delivered the complete movie: story, acting, cinematography.
I've Loved You for So Long - a masterpiece of acting by Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein. You must see this movie asap. I can't tell you why but when you see it, it'll make sense as to why and why I can't tell you. French with subtitles. Currently at the Park. Seriously, you must see this.
Tell No One - another French flick with Kristin Scott Thomas in a supporting role. This movie is another winner: amazing story, fantastic performances from the leading roles, great twists and turns without Hollywood melodrama. I was mesmerized.
Brideshead Revisited - good story, strong acting, yes but this is a cinematographic masterpiece. Every frame is an art piece. Amazing.
Dark Knight - what preachers try to do from the pulpit - teach about sin and the human condition - is done far more meaningfully and grippingly by Heath Ledger's Joker. Like Clockwork Orange this movie uses very disturbing scenes to engage the audience in a very important question about good and evil.
Finally saw a third French flick, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly which I really appreciated.
Blessings
Peter
I need to give DARK KNIGHT another shot: I had terrible seats, and the dialogue was mostly inaudible.
But Peter's definitely right about DIVING BELL: gorgeous. Why is it that one of the most cinematic films imaginable came from the most unfilmable novels imaginable? Which makes one think of ADAPTATION...
2 comments:
Synecdoche, New York has some interesting God stuff to it, especially toward the end. It's a bit of a mind game, but it's a fun one.
Doc that is coming out slowly (not to Seattle til next year, who knows about Canada): Pray the Devil Back to Hell - about the women of Liberia who stood up to demand peace during the 14 year civil war there. Another doc that I have no idea if it will be picked up for distribution is The World We Want about middle school kids who take on problems in their communities and make a difference.
Definitely looking forward to SYNECDOCHE. I'll see anything by Charlie Kaufman, and given my new love affair with New York, and my long-time relationship (is it an affair? is it a marriage? it's complicated) with theatre... "A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play."
I have friends who've been working in Liberia for twenty years, so I'll need to see the DEVIL doc for sure. And will add TWWW to my look-out list as well. Thanks, Darrel!
And if anything brings you up to the Northwest again (we call it "South Of The Border," by the way), see if you can get a bit further north and I'll sneak you into a show at pacific theatre.
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