Beowulf
— At first, it just seemed like a normal hero story with a super-arrogant lead character—kind of a Van Damme in animation. But it kept me interested and the payoff was worth it—I noted at the end that it’s a Neil Gaiman script. The animation was really distracting, though. I kept thinking that it should be Shrek. 3/5
Seventh Seal
— Honestly, I’m about ready to give up on Ingmar Bergman. I’ve seen three or four of his, and none of them were compelling for me. This one was probably the most interesting, but in the end, I just didn’t care about what happened to any of them. I did really enjoy Gunnar Bjornstrand as a classic fool, but the basic message of life as being a prelude to death has been done better, in my opinion. 3/5
Reservoir Dogs
-- The seeds of QT’s style is here, certainly. But it doesn’t deal with any of the important themes that Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill deal with. Completely intense, though. 3.5/5
Bottle Rocket
—It was interesting watching this right after Reservoir Dogs. Both deal with heists that get screwed up, but the tone of the movies couldn’t be more different. I really enjoyed Wes Anderson’s direction here, perhaps the best I’ve seen of him. The Wilson brothers are funny (although Owen was better in The Life Aquatic) but I’ve never cared for the “I’m so stupid I’m funny” shtick. Overall, though, it’s really enjoyable. 3.5/5
Redbeard
—Easily the best film I’ve seen in more than a month. It pulls you from comedy to pathos to admiration to tears of happiness. (I still had tears seeping from my eyes a half hour after the movie). The more Kurosawa films I see, the more amazed I become. Everything he touches, it seems, is gold. He can do serious drama, comedy, war, and it all draws me in. Here, a medical drama in rural Japan, he deals with compassion and how it changes the world for good. Every character was perfect, each storyline laid out with precision, each conversation was compelling. Even the martial arts scene in the middle of the film was wonderful—I think it was a nod to Mifune’s early career of playing warriors—Yes, it broke the stream of the film, but it was hilarious. The only distracting thing in the film was Mifune’s habit of stroking his beard. Well, I suppose Mifune has to have something over the top in each film. The outstanding actor, in my opinion, is Terumi Niki who played the 12 year old who is rescued from a brothel. Every scene she was in was I will be sorely disappointed when I have no more Kurosawa films to watch. But I guess I still have about ten to go.
5/5
Let The Right One In
—I figured I’d check out one more off beat horror film. This Swedish film was made well, and it was often surprising, but rather than being horror- or dread-inducing, I ended it being deeply disturbed over it. Throughout, it takes such a casual stance on murder—that perhaps it is awful, but it was necessary. It is trying to develop such a sense of sympathy for a serial killer, and then we are supposed to be content with a small boy taking the place of the older man who murdered for the eternal twelve year old. There is no sacrifice, no real heroism. Just a casual mood of, “it’s sad, but that’s just the way it is.” Again, a good film, great acting, good direction, and I liked the town covered in snow throughout, but I can’t recommend it. I suppose this is why I don’t watch or read vampire stories anymore. 4/5 or 1/5