Donnie Brasco

Watched this one sometime in the past week or two, really can't remember when. It was pretty good, but I didn't have much to say about it then (which means I have even less to say now). Pretty much all I can come up with is that it's a (basically) true story about the NYC mafia and an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates it.

Al Pacino is the quintessential movie gangster. It's hard to remember he's played other types of roles.

Water for Elephants

I was disappointed in this movie. I mean, it wasn't completely horrible (it's based on a pretty good book, and Robert Pattinson is in it!! How bad could it be? Oh, wait . . . ) but I just didn't think it was that great. I don't know how much of my disappointment I should attribute to high expectations, and how much was due to my unusual frame of mind while I was watching it.

My main complaint is that the whole thing seemed overdone. The acting was so serious and heavy-handed, and the lines (while not necessarily corny) were just So Dang Dramatic. OK, maybe my friend BR had a point--it's set in a circus. Of course it's overdone. But I could have gone for just a dash of subtlety and a smidge of figure-it-out-yourself, because it kind of sucks when a movie ALWAYS spells EVERYTHING out for you.

All movie adaptations are going to leave out some parts of the book, but two scenes stood out to me as very watered-down. This actually didn't bother me a bit, as they were scenes I really could have done without reading (walking in on a midget jacking off, and a highly detailed description of what went on in the "cooch tent"). Of course, I'm sure those scenes had to be attenuated because the movie was rated PG-13. But what the heck is that all about? ALL MOVIES WITH ROBERT PATTINSON IN THEM SHOULD BE X-RATED!!

Speaking of Robert Pattinson, though, I have finally noticed that he always plays the same character in every movie, and that is . . . Robert Pattinson. Edward Norton he is not. But at least he is smokin' hot. That makes up for a lot.

If you  have to pick between the book and the movie, read the book. Just get the movie cover version so you can picture RP as Jacob all the way through.

Taxi Driver

Yet another movie Hud told me I wouldn't want to watch, but he was wrong. (I am one step closer to watching The Godfather.) Yes, there's a child hooker and a date to the porn theater and a bloody shootout for a climax, and I wouldn't want to watch it with my mom, but I survived it and was even intrigued by it.

I can't help but compare this one to Midnight Cowboy. Not that they tried to tell the same story, but they're both about the seedy side of New York. However, Taxi Driver is a far better movie, and I think I can attribute that to Robert DeNiro vs. Jon Voight. Though I'm sure some of the credit is also due to Martin Scorsese vs. John Schlesinger. (Who?)

So here's an interesting question. (The Sixth Sense ruined me, by the way.) Did Travis Bickle really survive that shootout? And win the acclaim of the world, including Betsy? I can't help but wonder if that was all his dying fantasy.

Dogtooth

Don't tell my mom I watched this movie. In fact, you probably shouldn't even tell her it exists.

This is the story of a Greek family of five who, except for the father who holds a job in the real world, live in complete isolation from the rest of society. It is WEIRD and DISTURBING and, well, frequently so weird and disturbing that it's funny. Don't get me wrong, it is not a comedy. But who wouldn't laugh to see the terrified son stalking a clearly deadly housecat with a huge pair of garden shears? Albeit while simultaneously cringing at the thought of what will come next, of course.

This is a movie I won't soon forget.

Midnight Cowboy

This is pretty much one of those "seen it, mark it off the list" movies. Kind of an oddity or a curiosity, but nowhere near a Best Movies Ever movie. Though it does have quite a GROOVY soundtrack. (But I suppose I can't blame 1969.)

I guess this is the youngest I've ever seen Jon Voight. I never knew he could move his facial muscles back then! I have seen Deliverance, which was made only three years later, but I really can't recall whether he was already wooden-faced in 1972. I was probably too worried about the poor guy squealing like a pig for Voight to make much of an impression on me in that movie.

I also never noticed how much of Angelina Jolie is evident in Voight's younger face. They've got the same jaw and chin, the same lips, the same eyes. Kinda freaky, actually.

Movie in a nutshell: Young Texas loser Joe Buck moves to New York City to hit it big as a male prostitute but ends up paying for sex or giving it away for free more often than he earns anything from it. The men seem to want him more than the women do. His greasy, crippled friend Ratzo ("Hey! I'm walkin' here!") is the best thing in his life, and life just doesn't turn out like he'd planned.

Alice in Wonderland

I think it took me about three weeks to watch this movie. That's really not so much an insult to the film as it is a testament to the fact that my mind was elsewhere. But. If it had been truly compelling I would have made a point of watching it over a much more brief time span.

"Visually stunning" is such a cliché, but that's what this movie is. Everywhere you look your eye is drawn to strange, wild, vivid scenery and the oddest of characters. The images quite overwhelm the story itself. I almost wonder if it wouldn't be just as entertaining if watched with no sound. Or maybe with a Pink Floyd album as a soundtrack . . . ?

Despite the source material, this movie really isn't for kids. Not that there's anything especially inappropriate or scary in it, but my guess is that most kids would prefer the good old Disney animated version over this one.

Did you recognize the Knave of Hearts? I did. (Hello! McFly!)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules

The kids and I went to see this movie nearly two weeks ago. Obviously I didn't find myself with much to say about it, if it's taken me this long to write a post. It was cute, stuck with the spirit of the book, and my kids enjoyed it. If you don't have kids, skip it.

But there are two things I remember from this movie:

1. During the previews, I saw that they are making a movie from Mr Popper's Penguins! I loved that book when I was little.

2. I can't believe I dropped $44 just to take my kids to the movie theater. What made it *really* painful is that I had to go to the gas station in the same weekend. I may have to take out a loan for our next trip to the cinema.