OCTOBER MOVIE ROUNDUP
CRASH
I heard many good things about this film and a few bad. How you like it depends on how receptive you are to the melodrama that is heavily dished. I really liked it. There were a lot of great moments which welled up some real emotion in me. It wasn't all that believable, but it had me at hello and I enjoyed the ride.
IN AMERICA
Just the opposite - this film never captured my full attention. It was overly serious and just not all that exciting. It reminded me a little of ANGELA'S ASHES which just kept showing me things happening in a crowded apartment without showing me anything terribly interesting.
LOVE LIZA
This may not be a great film, but I enjoy Phillip Seymour Hoffman enough to give it a look, and I liked it. A guy I went to a Dodgers game with a couple of years ago had a bit role, so I've been wanting to see it. It was not exactly a fast-moving story, but Hoffman sells the character and we watch his descent. The story begins with him soon after his wife has killed herself. He is really depressed and ends up addicted to sniffing gasoline. To explain away the smell on him, he makes up a story that he flies toy planes. The lie grows and he soon finds some meaning in the toy plane flying community, but ultimately there is no Hollywood ending. It is an interesting character study.
OLD BOY
Another ultra-violent Asian movie, this time out of South Korea. Lots of stars at Netflix and an intriguing premise was enough to get me to bite. I didn't like it and don't recommend it.
LAYER CAKE
Again I followed great reviews hoping to find an indie gem. I wasn't all that impressed, though it did give me a good glimpse of the next James Bond.
1 comment:
I'll have CRASH reviewed in my October post tonight.
Of the others, I've only seen IN AMERICA which I found anachronistic with an early 80s setting and Lion King billboards on Times Square. And it was a bit politically correct too. I liked it better than Angela's Ashes because they didn't go back to Ireland and even more filth.
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