oscars 2007

Ellen De Generes was boring, Scorcese hit it big by stealing a Chinese movie and they went on until 1:30am. I'm almost on the verge of complete disenchantment. Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson gave the only speeches with any hint of sincerity and genuine surprise, and I liked the little film about writers in the movies. the Morricone tribute was excruciatingly long. oh well, back to watching trashy movies until next fall...

bridge to terabithia

another entry in the fantasy genre with put-upon kids using their imagination to escape the harsher realities of life, this movie is sad and very watchable. the two main characters are excellent, especially AnnaSophia Robb, who seems to have grown up a lot since Winn Dixie.

half nelson

I loved how understated this movie was. describing the movie to a friend afterwards, I suddenly realized it had no plot, and I hadn't even noticed. most of the characters and dialogue feel excruciatingly real, particularly the scenes in the high school staff room. Ryan Gosling's history teacher schools his young, captive audience with sophisticated philosophical and political ideas, and has no interest whatsoever in self-improvement. Shareeka Epps rises to the challenge, matching Gosling's star presence with her own inscrutable gazing and tough exterior.

pan's labyrinth

I wasn't prepared for the sadness and violence of this movie about fascist Spain, but it was so beautifully conceived and acted that I could bear it for the most part, with just a few scenes I couldn't watch at all. strong female actors dominate the film and the bleak setting highlights the pettiness and pride of the the protagonist's evil stepfather, the fascist captain.

movies in st lucia

sadly the one movie theatre on the island, cinema 2000, shut down a while ago (the last movie that showed there was Snakes on a Plane). rumor has it a 6-plex is going up, opening TBD. for now it's all cable television, DVDs, and VHS. the one movie I managed to catch that I hadn't seen before was Cursed, Wes Craven's werewolf movie starring the lovely and talented Cristina Ricci. the movie was cute but way over the top, especially after seeing werewolves done so well on angel/buffy.

felicity

I'm sad to have finished this short but very satisying series. the last 5 episodes elevated it from a totally enjoyable show to a really interesting one, foreshadowing J.J. Abrams' later work. the last 10 minutes of the whole thing, however, were ridiculous. also, what now? after finishing 13 seasons of buffy/angel, now felicity and alias, freaks and geeks and undeclared, are there any more great shows to throw myself into?

catch and release

on a personal note, it was highly disconcerting to watch this movie about someone dying days before their wedding, especially in a kayaking accident. but even more disconcerting was how un-romantic and un-comedic this romantic comedy was. I'm a die-hard Alias fan but Jennifer Garner had nothing to do as the lead in this flick. Juliette Lewis was typecast, once again, as a brainless hot chick. Timothy Olyphant was cute but he completely lost every vestige of his personality 10 minutes into the movie, thereby making it possible for the main characters to fall in love. Kevin Smith said dude a lot and Sam Jaeger exuded absolutely no sign of being an actual human being. [spoiler:] weird story abot a guy who lied and cheated, dies, and then all his best friends get his girls. skip it.

mirror mask

written by comic book artist extraordinaire and author Neil Gaiman, this fantasy film about a little girl stuck in an alternate universe gone bad is visually entrancing. with only a few actors playing multiple roles, the movie embodies the frustration of its characters trapped in situations beyond their control. Stephanie Leonidas is very cute as the daughter of circus parents and an evil queen.

invincible

Marky Mark must embody the cinematic version of the everyman. in this movie, he reprises his Rock Star role of the average guy who gets to live his dream by joining the rock band/football team he worships. it's hard to go wrong with a plot like this, and Disney does a fine job, although there wasn't much suspense - would they really make a movie about someone who tried out for the team and failed?