Beadie Blog

The Golden Compass

December 19th, 2007

The casting in The Golden Compass is great, the set and costume design is beautiful and truly captures Lyra’s world, and it follows the story of the book fairly closely. The CGI was very well-utilized: no effects were added in “just because it’s so cool”, it’s there where required, and it blends seamlessly (though the daemons can look a bit cartoonish at times). And I loved the bears — these are no cuddly, Coca-cola hawking polar bears, but warriors, and the “climactic” battle between Iorek and Ragnar was great. But that “climactic” hints at the problem I had with the movie: it somehow lacks the epic sense of drama, of building to an inevitable end, that the author managed throughout the book. It is true that the book (in addition to being very long) is fairly complicated and intricate, so to remain true to the narrative, there was a lot (too much?) to convey on screen, leaving little time to build any sense of growing tension, no building towards any climax – it just seems to jerk along from one chapter to the next. This jerkiness also makes some of the plot twists (which fit very well into the overall narrative of the book) seem artificial and overly convenient. The end result is a movie that, I suspect, would not appeal to anyone who hadn’t read the book. For fans, it’s a nice companion to the book. However , I do take issue with the fact (and maybe this is a spoiler, but maybe just fair warning) that the movie ends several chapters before the book does, which made me reflect on how much I really liked Pullman’s ending.

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Picture of our visit with Santa …

December 17th, 2007

Merry Christmas

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Bee Movie

November 18th, 2007

Oh the things we endure in the name of parenthood. Because Bee Movie is a movie to be endured, not enjoyed. This was just boring, and the jokes were painfully unfunny. Even my seven-year-old didn’t laugh once. A sad little footnote to what had been a brilliant career for Jerry Seinfeld.

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American Gangster

November 18th, 2007

Is American Gangster imitation as the sincerest form of flattery, or is it just imitation? An homage to the old, gritty gangster/druglord movies, American Gangster is a bit long and a bit formulaic, featuring some very overwrought and overacted performances. I also found the tone distracting; knowing that Frank Lucas was involved in the production, there are too many places where it seems somewhat self-aggrandizing, portraying Frank Lucas as the most innovative, the most cutthroat, the most violent. It’s like listening to exaggerated old war stories — you know there’s some truth there, but its also so fantastical that you hold it at a distance. I think the movie’s strongest feature is in the supporting cast, a veritable who’s who of talented black actors, but they don’t quite rescue this from its length and ego.

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Give One Get One — 13 days left

November 14th, 2007

Time is running out to get the coolest new laptop/social consciousness status-symbol: the XO laptop. If you haven’t heard of this, the XO is a rugged, low-power, open-source and kid-friendly laptop available only for purchase in pairs: for $399, you get one for yourself, and one goes to a child in a developing country. It’s the brainstorm of Nick Negroponte, M.I.T. computer science uber-geek and founder of the organization called OLPC (One Laptop Per Child).

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Dan in Real Life

November 2nd, 2007

When I walked into the theater for Dan in Real Life, there were no ads or “pre-show entertainment”, or whatever it’s called, and it almost seemed like a Steve Carell-worthy deliberately uncomfortable silence, which I actually found amusing. Sadly, it wasn’t an indication of what was to come. Dan in Real Life is a sweet little rom-com, making full use of far too many standard rom-com movie cliches (the date montage, the wisdom-spouting child, the nostalgic family football game, etc), some multiple times. In this light, it could have been better. Still, it does do a lot right: Steve Carell is very good here, not going for big laughs but rather portraying a likable, believable and sympathic character, a widower raising three daughters who finally, after many years, meets a woman he connects with. Rom-com ensues. But in addition to Carell being likable, it’s a nice change that his family is (thankfully) not dysfunctional, but rather appears to be “normal”, loving and supportive without being cloying or fake. The end result is basically just cute and pleasant; it’s not quite a mainstream sellout, but it’s close. Worth seeing, but be warned that it’s not what you’d expect from Carell.

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Gone Baby Gone

November 2nd, 2007

It’s the Affleck brothers’ power hour! Seriously, Gone Baby Gone is Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, directing his younger brother, Casey, as the lead in a movie adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel. That being the case, it’s difficult not to compare it to that other Lehane adaptation, Mystic River. It’s a comparison that, surprisingly, benefits both Afflecks. Gone Baby Gone is somehow grittier but at the same time more hopeful, and Affleck directs the dark subject matter with a respectably light hand (which could not be said for Sean Penn). Likewise, Casey Affleck, in the lead, is also restrained and relatable – there’s no chest-beating, hair-pulling theatrics, and no false-macho bravado. I’ve heard complaints that the slight, babyfaced actor lacks the gravitas to play a private detective, but I think it works. The two brothers clearly work well together, and their connection to South Boston gives this movie a much stronger sense of place than Mystic River had; it almost makes the setting into an additional character, on screen at all times. Overall, I think this was a very good movie. However, be warned: Lehane’s novels, and this movie, tackle dark, unpleasant subjects, and he doesn’t offer easy solutions, so it can be a bit of a downer.

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Michael Clayton

October 31st, 2007

Michael Clayton is a very good, tight thriller. It’s all about the cloak-and-dagger machinations of a few big-business hotshot lawyers, and though that may not initially sound great, the movie features some top-notch talent (George Clooney, thankfully not in smirk mode, Tom Wilkinson, and Tilda Swinton), a good script, and a nice, brisk pace at the hand of first-time director Tony Gilroy (who has script credits on some other smart thrillers). It’s the type of smart and entertaining “intellectual” thriller that you don’t often see anymore, which leads to my only complaint: it feels a little deja vu – you could easily envision this movie with Glenn Close, Michael Douglas and, say, Dustin Hoffman. Still, it’s a good movie, easily worth a rental.

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Pure Nerd

October 26th, 2007

Apparently, I’m a ”Pure Nerd”

My score: 65 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 13% Dork

THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

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Eastern Promises

September 26th, 2007

Eastern Promises has all the hallmarks of a David Cronenberg movie: it’s not Hollywood-glossy, it can be unflinchingly gruesome, and it’s gritty and pretty dark, but most importantly (and most worthwhile): it’s an actor’s movie. Cronenberg likes to explore internal, psychological battles, and he’s picked three great actors to do it. Viggo Mortensen exudes a feral, impersonal kind of menace, but hints at greater depths; Naomi Watts gives one of the best performances of her career; and Vincent Cassel is absolutley unhinged, both pathetic and scary at the same time. But, okay, you’re not really interested in the characters, are you? You want to know about the fight scene in the bath house … Well, yes, it is worth nine bucks by itself, but the rest of the movie is also pretty good, too.

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The Golden Compass

Picture of our visit with Santa …

Bee Movie

American Gangster

Give One Get One — 13 days left

Dan in Real Life

Gone Baby Gone

Michael Clayton

Pure Nerd

Eastern Promises

Random Movie Quotes

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