Picked up 3:10 to Yuma on DVD and watched it in the afternoon yesterday before going to see Cloverfield in the evening.
3:10 to Yuma (***1/2)
A western that reminded me somewhat in tone (if not so much story) of Open Range, 3:10 to Yuma is an enthralling western that combines some great gunfighting and action sequences with an interesting presence. Russel Crowe and Christian Bale star in what could be considered the roles of the villain and hero respectively if you had to sum the movie up in one sentence, but the film is very morally ambiguous and more complex than a good vs. evil story.
The film opens with Crowe's character, Ben Wade, leading a gang of outlaws as they rob a train full of railroad money, and kill the pinkertons assigned to guard it in the process. Meanwhile, Christian Bale's character, Dan Evans, is a rancher and Civil War veteran (who lost a good part of his foot in said war) in debt to people who don't have much sympathy for debtors. Their stories intertwine as Christian Bale witnesses the robbery, which eventually leads to Ben Wade's captor. Wade is scheduled to be transported by train (the 3:10 to Yuma specifically, hence the title) to where he'll be tried (and hung since his guilt of numerous crimes is obvious). In the meantime, however, Wade's tremendously imposing gang is scheming to free Wade from his captors. Evans agrees to guard Wade until he can be put on the train and collect a reward for his service.
Evans's oldest son William has always thought his father to be somewhat of a coward, and is somewhat seduced by Ben Wade's much more direct and violent way of handling situations. Wade and Evans, also develop a "two sides of the same coin" sort of relationship, as they realize they respect certain aspect of each other's character, even if their moral fabric is not much alike. As the film develops it becomes more about Evans's struggle to save his ranch by collecting the reward for the delivery of Wade, rather than Wade himself being brought to justice. At times, Wade seems to show a genuine sympathy for Evans's plight. In this way, the film is a lot like a Sergio Leone movie, in that its not so much about a heroic figure bringing evil men to justice on behalf of the townspeople, as it is a story with very complex and individualistic characters who seem to exist outside of the realm of the "commonfolk."
3:10 to Yuma also sports some beautiful cinematography, and takes time to show the beauty of the setting, and has some great shots that visually match the tone of the story. The only thing that may be off-putting to some is that in a few climactic action sequences the film seems to develop a case of "Bad Boys syndrome," and becomes more focused with the violence and body count itself rather than why its happening.
Cloverfield (**1/2)
Cloverfield is a movie that's not quite like any movie that's been made before, and that's not entirely a good thing. On one hand, it's a great technical achievement, combining state-of-the-art computer effects with a very "ground level" documentary style. At the same time, however, there really isn't much substance to the film besides the experience that this combination creates, and while it was fun to watch the first time, I can't really imagine the film having a lot of staying power. There's a couple genuinely terrifying moments, but at other times the entire thing almost seems too surreal for it to even register as fear.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
2007 Top Ten list
Like the other ones, expect this to be edited from time to time as I getting to seeing other '07 movies in the future.
1. Juno - An amazingly well written movie that takes a story about a teenage girl getting pregnant and spins it into a broader exploration into what happens when someone who is a complete non-conformist has to deal with some huge societal issues. Plus, it's really funny.
2. Michael Clayton - Awesome legal triller that both gets you involved in the plot while also offering a scathing commentary on the whole system in which corporate lawyers thrive.
3. No Country for Old Men - A movie with a lot of subtleties that I'm not sure I picked up on fully watching for the first time, but even at face value its a great cat and mouse story with a terrifying "the world is meaningless so I might as well kill everyone" sort of villain.
4, There Will Be Blood - Even though it looks like a period piece with a grand message about what it meant to live in that place and that era, this is in fact a movie that looks inward at its black-hearted, nihilistic main character. Daniel Day Lewis's performance is fantastic.
5. American Gangster - A lot of people called this a new Scarface, but Denzel Washington's character is more quiet and calculating than was Tony Montana, and Russel Crowe's parallel story as an honest cop in a dishonest city adds a lot.
6. Sweeney Todd - Great black humor and great visuals from Tim Burton. A musical for all of us who feel musicals are too sappy.
7. Once - Review of this coming soon. A very low-key and simple film about two people who randomly meet and realize that together they make a great musical voice.
8. Black Book - An intense film taking place in occupied Holland in World War II. An exciting espionage movie, and simultaneously a melancholy personal story.
9. Knocked Up - Judd Apatow's dialog is some of the funniest ever put to paper.
10. Zodiac - David Fincher, whose Seven was creepy as hell because of its black atmosphere, makes another creepy and intriguing movie here, and does it this time by sticking very close to the facts of a real life case. Probably one of most interesting murder mysteries out there.
-------------------------------------------------------------
11. 310 to Yuma
12. Hot Fuzz
13. Bourne Ultimatum
14. Superbad
15. 300
The Darjeeling Limited
Breach
Transformers
Spiderman 3
Beowulf
Pirates 3
Movies I have not seen that I suspect could make the list: There Will Be Blood, Eastern Promises, Paprika, Persepolis, No End in Sight, Grindhouse, King of Kong, and probably some more.
1. Juno - An amazingly well written movie that takes a story about a teenage girl getting pregnant and spins it into a broader exploration into what happens when someone who is a complete non-conformist has to deal with some huge societal issues. Plus, it's really funny.
2. Michael Clayton - Awesome legal triller that both gets you involved in the plot while also offering a scathing commentary on the whole system in which corporate lawyers thrive.
3. No Country for Old Men - A movie with a lot of subtleties that I'm not sure I picked up on fully watching for the first time, but even at face value its a great cat and mouse story with a terrifying "the world is meaningless so I might as well kill everyone" sort of villain.
4, There Will Be Blood - Even though it looks like a period piece with a grand message about what it meant to live in that place and that era, this is in fact a movie that looks inward at its black-hearted, nihilistic main character. Daniel Day Lewis's performance is fantastic.
5. American Gangster - A lot of people called this a new Scarface, but Denzel Washington's character is more quiet and calculating than was Tony Montana, and Russel Crowe's parallel story as an honest cop in a dishonest city adds a lot.
6. Sweeney Todd - Great black humor and great visuals from Tim Burton. A musical for all of us who feel musicals are too sappy.
7. Once - Review of this coming soon. A very low-key and simple film about two people who randomly meet and realize that together they make a great musical voice.
8. Black Book - An intense film taking place in occupied Holland in World War II. An exciting espionage movie, and simultaneously a melancholy personal story.
9. Knocked Up - Judd Apatow's dialog is some of the funniest ever put to paper.
10. Zodiac - David Fincher, whose Seven was creepy as hell because of its black atmosphere, makes another creepy and intriguing movie here, and does it this time by sticking very close to the facts of a real life case. Probably one of most interesting murder mysteries out there.
-------------------------------------------------------------
11. 310 to Yuma
12. Hot Fuzz
13. Bourne Ultimatum
14. Superbad
15. 300
The Darjeeling Limited
Breach
Transformers
Spiderman 3
Beowulf
Pirates 3
Movies I have not seen that I suspect could make the list: There Will Be Blood, Eastern Promises, Paprika, Persepolis, No End in Sight, Grindhouse, King of Kong, and probably some more.
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (***1/2)
More musicals need wanton, graphic violence. That's my conclusion upon seeing Tim Burton's movie adaptation of Sweeney Todd, originally a Tony award winning musical. Johnny Depp, oft-used in Tim Burton films, stars here as the title character who was once a barber in industrialized London, before a corrupt judge (Alan Rickman) sentences him to a false charge out of envy for his wife. The judge ends up raping his wife and keeping his daughter as his ward. Years later, Todd returns to London hellbent on revenge. He meets Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who has taken over his old barber shop and converted it to the self-proclaimed worst meat pie shop in London. Sweeney retrieves his old barber's shears, which he seems to treat like a samurai would treat his katana, buried underneath the floor on the upper level. He's set to slit the judge's throat with them, but he finds the judge difficult to get to. Eventually Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett get sidetracked and devise a scheme which significantly increases the reputation of Mrs. Lovett's shop, while at the same time turns the tables on the wealthy elite in London and finds them at the mercy of the poor, in a manner of speaking. Mrs. Lovett is eventually convinced that she and Sweeney can start a new, if somewhat bizarre, life with each other, while in the meantime a young sailor attempts to steal away Joanna, Sweeney's daughter from the captivity of the judge.
I like some of the songs in Sweeney Todd better than others, but then again I'm really not much for musicals in general, and I have to admit that at its best the film's music is pretty damn good. The setting of industrialized London is perfect for Tim Burton to run wild with the dark, Gothic style he's become known for. Some of the set pieces are fantastic, and if anything some of them are actually too "loud" and distract from the characters to an extent.
Overall, Sweeney Todd is a lot of fun with brilliant macabre humor and social commentary with a lot of fun, outside-of-the-norm musical numbers.
More musicals need wanton, graphic violence. That's my conclusion upon seeing Tim Burton's movie adaptation of Sweeney Todd, originally a Tony award winning musical. Johnny Depp, oft-used in Tim Burton films, stars here as the title character who was once a barber in industrialized London, before a corrupt judge (Alan Rickman) sentences him to a false charge out of envy for his wife. The judge ends up raping his wife and keeping his daughter as his ward. Years later, Todd returns to London hellbent on revenge. He meets Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who has taken over his old barber shop and converted it to the self-proclaimed worst meat pie shop in London. Sweeney retrieves his old barber's shears, which he seems to treat like a samurai would treat his katana, buried underneath the floor on the upper level. He's set to slit the judge's throat with them, but he finds the judge difficult to get to. Eventually Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett get sidetracked and devise a scheme which significantly increases the reputation of Mrs. Lovett's shop, while at the same time turns the tables on the wealthy elite in London and finds them at the mercy of the poor, in a manner of speaking. Mrs. Lovett is eventually convinced that she and Sweeney can start a new, if somewhat bizarre, life with each other, while in the meantime a young sailor attempts to steal away Joanna, Sweeney's daughter from the captivity of the judge.
I like some of the songs in Sweeney Todd better than others, but then again I'm really not much for musicals in general, and I have to admit that at its best the film's music is pretty damn good. The setting of industrialized London is perfect for Tim Burton to run wild with the dark, Gothic style he's become known for. Some of the set pieces are fantastic, and if anything some of them are actually too "loud" and distract from the characters to an extent.
Overall, Sweeney Todd is a lot of fun with brilliant macabre humor and social commentary with a lot of fun, outside-of-the-norm musical numbers.
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