Holiday Viewing

I've watched a bunch of movies over the holiday week.  It was a nice break from homework and stress.  Originally, I thought that I'd make a post for each individual movie, but let's be honest, that's way too ambitious for an exceedingly good procrastinator like myself.

Holiday Movie Viewing:

Leaves of Grass (2009)


Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is one of my favorite works of the written word.  It is the only book that I always have with me whenever I travel.  My copy has been with me in Latin America, Europe and Asia.  It's dog-eared, heavily annotated and the perfect traveling companion.  Basically what I'm saying is that if you are going to name a movie after that work of art, it had better be damned good.  And the Leaves of Grass (movie) was not anywhere close.  The whole thing felt cheap to me.  While I thought that Edward Norton did a good job playing the twins, I never really felt as if the movie actually explored the two brothers.  We are more told than shown (which I hate) and we know the characters only on the surface.  I understand that it's supposed to be a comedy and that character exploration was not the point, but I think that a lot of the reason some movies work and some don't (especially comedies) is because we understand and empathize with the characters.

It's a shame this movie lacks so much.  There are some great actors in it (Keri Russell makes my heart pitter-patter) and when I read the synopsis, I was expecting much.  Instead, I was given a movie that I laughed at only a few times and never felt as if it's potential was really achieved.

Days of Heaven (1978)

What can I say about Terrence Malick that has not been said a hundred times much more eloquently?  I decided to watch Days of Heaven one night early last week because I had not watched it in about a year or so.  I love the lyrical quality, the sparseness of dialogue and the wonderful shots of the land and the people.  There is a verity contained within the simplicity of some of those shots.



The Reader (2008)


Last night I watched The Reader for the second time.  Though I haven't seen it as much as I've seen some other movies, I think it is probably one of my favorites of the last few years.  I can't help but fall in love with the relationship that Michael and Hanna begin and it is not hard to see why the summer impacted Michael so much.  It's wonderful to watch Michael reading to Hanna in her apartment with the warm orange glow of the light.  I really like the lighting when the two are together in her apartment.  It always looks warm and safe, which is a strict contrast to the sterile lighting and colors of the scenes that occur when Michael grows older.

The movie does such an excellent job of exploring the complexity of love, loss and forgiveness on the backdrop of big questions about morality, law, murder and the holocaust.  Roger Ebert said that The Reader is really about not speaking up when we know we should.  I don't disagree.  I find the ending to be infinitely sad and haunting, but I appreciate the fact that this movie never prevaricates or even hedges.  I am already looking forward to watching it again.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)


This another movie that I've seen a few times.  Jerzy was in town and wanted to watch something sci-fi and, since he had never seen any Ghost in the Shell, we decided to watch it.  Honestly, I found this movie to be much more interesting when I first saw it 4 or 5 years ago.  Nevertheless, I'll probably watch the sequel again soon and will write more then.  I always like Ghost in the Shell: Innocence much better anyway.  It feels as if the original is really just setting up the second movie.