Four films in six days. That's right, you heard me. Oscar season is upon us and all those great films that I've been hearing about for months settle into town at the exact same time. It would have been 5 films, but due to lengthy showtimes, I couldn't get the schedule to work out. This week I'm hoping to hit atleast 3, if not 4 more.
Last King Of Scotland:
Forrest W. deserves his Oscar nom with his performance. He is both charming and disturbing in his role. He was totally denied for his work in Ghost Dog so I hope he wins this year. Also quite good is up and coming James McAvoy who has to play opposite the big man. James holds his own and I'm looking forward to seeing the next couple of films he has coming out this year.
Pan's Labyrinth:
Wow. A film that beautifully shifts back and forth between the horror of a fairy talke quest and Fascism in '44 Spain. Even with the disturbing creatures that make up the quest, the most frightening evil persona in the movie is the fascist captain.
Perfume:
It's weird, but it's Tom Tkwyer (sp?) the man behind Run Lola Run, Winter Sleepers and The Princess and The Warrior (3 major faves of mine). 1800's France was seriously disgusting I must say. The basic premise revolves around a man born with an extraordinary ability to smell. He becomes obsessed with preserving what, to him, was the perfect scent. And, he goes to some hard core extremes in order to do so. The eerie bit is he isn't killing women out of hatred, he's killing them to achieve the ultimate beautiful expression in his mind. The last 15 or so minutes are very strange. All I will say is I want to know which nudist colonies he talked to in order to get that many naked people together in one place.
Little Children:
I want to be Kate Winslet. She is freaking amazing in everything she does. She deserves the Oscar nom, in fact she deserves to win. Let's just give Helen Mirren her own award ('cuz she deserves it too) and let Kate get this one. Directed by Todd Field, who so achingly captured the fragility of a family in the aftermath of tragedy (oohhh...didn't that sound all review-y and shit), Little Children takes a look at the suburban landscape with just as much of an acute eye. Kate is spectacular as an unfufilled housewife. It is really rare to see a woman being honest enough with herself when she questions just how awe inspiring having a child really is and how much she misses her old life. She cares about her daughter, but she feels like she has missed out on something and she struggles everyday to find some sort of balance. Kate's character, Sarah, falls into an affair with a stay at home dad (called The Prom King by the shallow mommies at the playground) played with real skill by Patrick Wilson. Wilson was amazing in Hard Candy earlier this year.
Most of the characters in Little Children have yet to grow up even though they are leading very adult lives. Sarah's character has a gut wrenching arc throughout the movie that makes you love, understand, and respect her. I'm at a loss to think of another actress who could have done this part with such grace and talent.
Hopefully this week I will be seeing the following:
Babel
Volver
Letters From Iwo Jima
Notes On A Scandal
On a different note, to refer back to my work story involving the "waiting and waiting..." guy. I talked to the woman who first helped him. She says she went back to the line to tell the guy his books were in and he'd hung up. She then tried calling the number he'd given on his order and NO ONE ANSWERED THE PHONE!!! Big poo head.
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