L.A. Confidential

Upon my first viewing of this film I hated it. Flat out didn't like it. I was not captivated and I was not entertained at all. This was another film that we watched for my Film and Lit class, so the next day of class, which was a few days later, we had the obligatory discussion that follows every film we watch in that class. I had had time to digest the film and when we started discussing it, i fell more and more in love with the movie. We analyzed scenes, discussed themes, plot details and character arcs. At the end of the discussion, I was thoroughly convinced that L.A. Confidential is a masterpiece of modern American cinema. I still had not enjoyed the movie, though, so now I am dying to see it again to determine if I will enjoy it better now that I understand the nuanced details of the film. I dare say I will. This is a film directed by Curtis Hanson, and he has crafted an unbelievable movie here. The character arcs are perfect and the movie has an extremely original feel in that it depicts L.A., but not in a nostalgic way. It's just simply L.A. The acting is incredible, though I have to say that Kim Basinger's Oscar win for this kind of perplexes me, but I will need to see it again to know why. I would thoroughly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys movies in the slightest. It is a great fun and impressive ride.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a swedish film based on the book of the same name by Stieg Larsson. I went to see it at an art-house theater in DC since its kind of a small foreign film. Let me say: This is the best movie yet of the 2010 Oscar Season. It is an incredibly original crime thriller. I have not seen a movie that was plot based so thoroughly develop character arcs or spend time on creative details in addition to having a killer plot. The film is subtitled but after a few minutes you will feel as though you are learning swedish. I loved this movie. Movies of this nature and feel are rarely made in America, or in English for that matter. If you can stomach some strong violence then you will throughly enjoy this movie. I need to see it again so I can better deconstruct and comment on the directing, cinematography and music. But I can say that Noomi Rapache's rendition of the girl with the dragon tattoo was some incredible acting. She got way into character and this turn will captivate and haunt you. This was an enjoyable film that was a thrill to watch.

Bowling For Columbine

Hulu is a great place to watch some off-beat movies that are not huge blockbusters, but are good little flicks anyway. Tonight I watched Bowling For Columbine, the hugely controversial documentary that won Michael Moore an Oscar. It was a dark, quirky little movie. There are definitely a few claims made by Moore that are sketchy at best. But where the movie really hits its strides is in the abstract philosophizing that Moore includes about the root of violence in America. Yes this is on the surface, a movie about gun control. But it is more deeply a blistering indictment of the culture that has developed in the media of selling news for profit. Fear sells is Moore's point. He repeatedly asks the question why does America have 11,000 firearm related homicides a year when other countries like Germany U.K. and France have from 65-380. In the end I don't think he makes the argument about gun control. It's more about the culture of fear that is promoted by the news networks. While certainly not a factually perfect film, (Moore uses some sketchy data about U.S. funding of foreign militaries and makes some accusations about U.S. backed assassinations that are less than factual.) this documentary has heart.

Moore somehow gets great access to some people that are central to the debates. He has an interview with Charlton Heston, with Marilyn Manson, with survivors of the Columbine shooting, with the freed Olson brother who was involved in the OK city bombing and even Dick Clark (for a few seconds). This movie was enthralling to watch. Moore is certainly a master of the documentary format. He knows how to weave a narrative that gets his point across. This film succeeds the most when it uses quiet thought and real people to contemplate the ideas that Moore has. This is not the inflammatory mockunetary that Farenheight 9/11 was. It is a very thoughtful exploration of the root cause of violence in America. It is a very poignant tribute to the victims of the Columbine high school shooting and it was a great documentary to watch.