"Seems like everyone's an actor or an actor's best friend
I wonder what was wrong to begin with that they should all have to pretend."
~ Ani DiFranco
Surveillance (2008) - apparently darkness is genetic, as this film by director Jennifer Lynch is every bit as disturbing as anything her father, David, ever created. I was just a touch distracted by the casting of Cheri Oteri, but otherwise mesmerized by this really freaky tale. Recommended if you can stomach it - make sure you stick through the somewhat slow beginning, as the payoff is definitely worth it.
Knowing (2009) - Boy, this was a much better film than I anticipated! I'll admit to not expecting anything great from Nicholas Cage movies of late, but this one was a pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved the little girl who played Lucinda/Abby, and thought the story was quite intriguing. Of course, the religious implications of determinism vs. randomness always make for good debate, and I enjoyed the multiple interpretations the movie allowed. I wasn't completely impressed with the special effects, but the end was quite powerful. In all, I definitely enjoyed it.
Push (2009) - another movie that was much better than I expected. After the Nazis began experimenting on people to enhance psychic powers, a group called The Division continued their work, resulting in Movers - able to move objects with their mind; Watchers - able to see the future; Stitchers - able to heal; Sniffers - able to see an object's history by smell; Shadows - able to hide things from anyone; and Pushers - able to make you believe anything. Nick is a Mover, Cassie a Watcher, Kira a Pusher, and they are involved in a crazy chase through Hong Kong to find a mysterious case that can help bring down The Division. I was very impressed with Dakota Fanning as Cassie, although Camilla Belle as Kira was pretty emotionless. The movie left things open for a sequel, and I think there are a lot of interesting ideas still to explore, so I would definitely watch another movie about Nick and Cassie!
Race to Witch Mountain (2009) - so.....not as successful. Probably suffered from being the third sci-fi in a row, this one just didn't seem to be as strong. Also possibly because the whole movie seemed to be one long chase scene, which doesn't usually hold my interest. I did enjoy the kids, and Tom Everett Scott (who will always be Guy from That Thing You Do!).
The Soloist (2009) - This story of a journalist who befriends a homeless schizophrenic man with a remarkable musical talent was extremely hard for me to watch, due to my personal experiences with the topic. However, the scene in which the journalist takes the homeless man to the symphony, and he sees the music in color - that was amazing. This is a very good movie.
6 comments:
I loved The Soloist (the book and the movie) too.
wow, i guess we're sharing a brain again, because i just recently watched the soloist (hmm, i was underwhelmed. thought it was just ok), surveillance (woah, that was MESSED UP. which of course i like...) and knowing (yeah, it actually wasn't too bad, was it??)
:)
I saw all but Surveillance. I didn't like Push or Soloist. Oh well. I listed my movies as well, but I've only reviewed 2 of them. :)
A lot of these look like great movies, especially Push and Surveillance. I am going to put most of these in my Netflix queue and see what I think. Thanks!
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I haven't seen any of these, but I need to see The Soloist because it was based on his time spent here in Cleveland and some of it was filmed here.
Knowing came from Netflix last week amd when we went to watch it it didn't work. Waiting for our replacement. Looks like we'll enjoy it.
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