Whip It: Extremely entertaining, funny and genuine. Bliss Cavendar negotiates the Roller Derby track, first love and friendship in this plucky coming-of-age tale. The best part is that this movie doesn't pretend to be more than it is. It's not about finding your calling, meaning-of-life epiphanies or dramatic changes, it's about the fun, scary, heartbreaking, uplifting moments that can make being young wonderful and growing up satisfying. I recommend.
Paranormal Activity: So overrated! Not very scary until the last 5 minutes and somewhat boring the rest of the time. The premise is that a woman is being haunted by a malevolent spirit or demon. Her skeptical boyfriend sets up a video camera to record the activity in a Blair Witch Project-style stroke of genius. The problem is that much of what happens (doors open and close, girl gets dragged from her bed, etc.) is far more terrifying in theory than when you're actually watching it. Most of the scenes intended to freak the audience out did little more than leave me staring, mouth-agape, in genuine disbelief rather than fear, as I might if I were watching a documentary on bizarre mating habits or being told a scandalous story. Skippable.
Up in the Air: Good, if you don't hold fast to the hype created by critics and festival juries. If you expect this to be the best movie of the past x years, you'll be disappointed. It tells the story of a consultant whose job is traveling from company to company in order to fire people, but it also touches on the tale of many anonymous victims of the recession. The protagonist (played well by George Clooney) leads a life devoid of relationships, real intimacy and personal attachments. He's compelling and interesting in that he's unrepentant and unwavering about how he lives. He not only lives this way because he chooses to, he actually has a motivational speaking gig where he celebrates this vacuous existence and encourages others to get on board. And I guess the novelty here is that his lifestyle isn't the result of being burned, commitment phobia or other pseudo-psychological movie tropes. This is how he chooses to live because it's what makes sense, what he's become accustomed to and what he enjoys. Maybe it's a commentary on contemporary life. I just had a little trouble mustering anything more than half-hearted feelings about this movie and its characters, who aren't entirely likable or hatable or anything, really. They just are. And sometimes that's not enough for me. Worth seeing, though.
An Education: OK. Does a fair bit of moralizing, considering it sends mixed messages that ultimately prevented me from learning anything from it. Jenny, a London teen dates an older, cosmopolitan man, David, and it threatens her education (hopes of Oxford dance in her head). It was well-acted and directed, but again none of the characters were really likable (aside from the ditzy, but beautiful girlfriend of David's friend). Jenny seemed silly and pretentious (worse, a francophile!) and David comes off as a little too slimy for comfort. I say wait for the DVD, since seeing in theaters does little to enhance the experience.
Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces): Beautiful. I rarely see foreign films on the big screen because I'm always afraid I'll miss some of the subtitles and be a little lost. However, I'm not the least bit sorry I saw this one in theaters because I think that's the best way to experience it. The premise: a blind former film director reflects on the events that lead to the loss of his sight. The movie is compelling and intense without being heavy-handed, romantic and sexy without being gratuitous or syrupy, honest and tragic without being bleak. The camera and Almodovar love Penelope Cruz and, once again, it's easy to see why. It's vivid, sensuous, touching and sometimes funny. Please go see it.
And now, a reward for your diligent and faithful readership:
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