The Fighter - This was better than I expected, but I had very low expectations. I'm not sure which is worse: Wahlberg's sleepwalking through his role, or Bale's (extremely overrated, as always) scenery-chewing. I get that he's portraying a clownish personality, but you gotta know when to dial it down a little. Maybe he was overcompensating for Wahlberg's apparent lack of interest. While we're talking about the performances, Melissa Leo doesn't deserve any nominations for this, and Amy Adams even less so. And the film is formulaic and clichéd to the extreme, right down to the training montages. And yet, it's an effective formula and I found myself engaged despite the lack of anything exceptional. I think what really works is the dynamic between the characters, the conflict between Micky's family life and his professional life. Again, it's nothing special... but it works. Surprisingly watchable, yet unremarkable. Rating: 6
Life is Beautiful - I was dead certain I would hate this movie. My fear was that at best, it would be sentimental tripe, and at worst, a highly offensive soft-pedaling of the Holocaust. And it is both of those things... but only to a small degree. What I was unprepared for is how well Benigni transcends these obstacles. It definitely wasn't the atrocity I envisioned (something like what I imagine The Day the Clown Cried to be). The film is really quite charming, often beautiful, and genuinely moving. The first hour (before all the shit hits the fan, to put it lightly) is especially good, with Benigni's courtship of Nicoletta Braschi providing some really fine moments of humor (and a couple of not-so-fine ones, but they're easily overlooked). Benigni seems a bit too delighted with himself, but he definitely has some talent for comedy, particularly in his use of callbacks. Continuing the comedy into the second half it something that just shouldn't work, but he pulls it off, and for the most part balances the lightness and tragedy very well. Admittedly, it's a fantasy version of a concentration camp, and it puts a bad taste in your mouth if you dwell on that fact too much. But if you accept the movie on its own terms, it has its rewards. Rating: 8