That’s a command. It’s time to watch some movies in theaters, people. And I don’t mean Season of the Witch. So here’s a few new releases worth your time, as well as the films you’ve gotta see before awards season shifts into high gear. (I still need to find time for The King’s Speech and Mike Leigh’s latest, Another Year.)
Guy and Madeline on the Park Bench just opened at the Northwest Film Forum (or reopened, if you count the 2009 film’s couple screenings during that year’s Earshot Jazz Fest). Warning: it is musical-ish, but if you can handle the occasional breaking into song and/or tap dance-off, Damien Chazelle’s debut is supercute. It’s pegged as “Godard meets Cassavetes meets jazz,” which just means boys loving and losing girls in shaky handheld black and white. Charming.
I recommend Somewhere, but I know Sofia Coppola’s latest hotel flick is not for everyone. But as much as I was frustrated with Black Swan, that’s how much I enjoyed the experience of Somewhere. You call it slow, I call it patient–potayto, potahto. Somewhere goes nowhere, but there are some lovely moments along the way.
I saw Blue Valentine a year ago (yaaaawwwwwwnnn), so enough time’s passed that I could see it again. It’s not a pleasant or by any means easy film to watch, but the raw, true performances by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling make it so worthwhile.
If you were excited at the prospect of the Coen Brothers making a Western, you will enjoy True Grit. Simple as that. As to The Fighter: Christian Bale, please accept your Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, here’s your noms too. Mark Wahlberg…say hi to your mother for me.
We’ve all already seen The Social Network, yes? If not, it’s back in theaters as of this weekend, locally at the Meridian, the Varsity, Oaktree, and the Big Picture, and out on DVD on the 11th.
I think that I’ve decided that I “liked” Black Swan Or at least I appreciated how well it succeeded in being a crazy movie about a crazy person. On those grounds, it was very effective, to the degree that I have no idea about what “actually” happened versus what we saw on screen. I don’t think that it was especially profound, and some of the imagery was overkill to the point of inadvertent (maybe?) humor, but it mostly worked for me as an experience in unreliable narration.
Somewhere, though, I loved without reservations. I sort of went into it worried that I might not like it, but my guarded skepticism melted pretty quickly under its charms. Still, I can imagine why people might not like it and I probably wouldn’t even hold those reasons against them. But there’s something great about a movie whose whole plot fits in a two minute trailer being so pleasurable and affecting as a two hour meditation. It’s just so well done, I’d happily see it again very soon.
Just for the record, I’ve been told by a couple actual dancers now that it’s oddly realistic and accurate. Make of that what you will…