Movie: In the Valley of Elah

After assiduously watching Million Dollar Baby, Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, and hearing an interview with Paul Haggis (who wrote them all) lamenting this film's nosedive at the box office, my interest was piqued. My expectation that it was going to be some top down intrigue potboiler ascribing evil to the brass…

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Movie: Little Children (second time)

Without looking back at my entry upon seeing it in the theatre, I think I liked it less this second time (on DVD).  The forcings of the plot seemed more inexcusable, although I did see that it has these fable-like trappings that try to pave the way for that.  At the time I think I…

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Movie: My Kid Could Paint That

Came away feeling a lot of respect for the sincerity of the filmmaker, which is very odd, given that the thing you admire him for is for apparently going with his instinct and turning against the subjects of his film. But it is persuasive, and seemingly not so manipulative, when you see the paintings Marla…

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Anthony Minghella RIP

Was sad to learn that Anthony Minghella died today. While I just couldn't stand The English Patient, after seeing "Truly Madly Deeply" an early film he both wrote and directed, I felt here was a unique sensibility. I got a lot out of that film.

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Movie: Michael Clayton

Inspired genre piece. A bit of a temporal confusion for me about when the flashforward ended at the beginning, but not a biggy. All scenes tight and suspenseful. Like a good genre piece, however, the elements were pretty bare, there to serve, but not so much intrinsically whole. Tilda Swinton was the put-upon villain, Tom…

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