Some movies I got stuck watching this week...

They were all on HBO. You know, you're channel surfing, nothing great is on, and even if you don't want to, you are caught up and end up watching a movie...

So here's three quick reviews.


LA Confidential
Rating: 9/10

I think this was considered one of my top ten favorite movies of all time at one time or another. That list always changes and if its going to change again, add this to the list. This movie could have come across as ‘campy’. The dialogue was fit for the times. Guy Pearce seemed very comic bookish to me. And the voice over editorial commentary by Danny Devito was a little corny. But it all worked. Stylistically it worked, tone, everything. Kevin Spacey’s character was my favorite of the three main cops. I wanted more of Kevin Spacey and they totally pulled a surprise on us by killing him off - one of the main and more dynamic characters of the movie. Each character had depth and goals and interior conflicts that they were desperate to resolve or redeem. Kim Basinger was beautiful but I felt she looked a little aged in this movie. But an aged Kim Basinger is still beautiful don’t get me wrong.

Great rental if you’re in need of one!


Eternal Sunshine of a Spotloss Mind
Rating: 10/10

INT. JOEL'S APARTMENT - DAY

It's raining out. Joel is reading, slouched in a chair. He
looks over at Clementine, stretched out on her belly in her
underwear. She's reading, too.

                VOICE-OVER
        She's so sexy.

                JOEL
        I loved you on this day. I love this
        memory. The rain. Us just hanging.

Clementine looks over at him, smiles. Her brow furrows in
thought.

                CLEMENTINE
        What if you hide me?

                JOEL
        What do you mean?

                CLEMENTINE
        (formulating)
        Well... if they're looking for me in
        memories I'm in, what if you take me to a
        memory I'm not in?
        (proud)
        And we can hide there till morning.

Joel ponders this. The scene and Clementine are beginning to
dissolve. Joel grabs Clementine's hand. She giggles with
glee. He pulls her out of the scene as it degrades.

                JOEL
        Where? Where? Where?

He drags her through the landscape of already decayed
memories and turns off into: READ IT HERE

Could there be a more perfect movie? This is definitely one of my top ten favorites of all time. Or at least it should be. I felt it was a flawless movie in a movie that could well be filled with a ton of flaws. The desperation of Jim Carrey’s character was nightmarish. It was so real. His struggles seemed so searing I felt the pain the longing. When he pleaded ‘please let me just have this one memory!’ it was as if I had the same feelings as I was forced to escape a dream.


Titanic

I hated this movie because of Billy Zane’s character was so plastic so irritatingly emotionless. I mean, every scene his face was the same. If he was angry, he was smiling. If he was being sinister he still had that stupid smile on his face. If he was scared he still had that smile. If he was trying to act like a good Samaritan he still had that stupid smile on his stupid face. It just pisses me off.

I hated this movie because the dialogue was so bad it made me want to throw up. Especially the incredible amount of times Leonardo said “Rose” as they tried to escape stupid Billy Zane and the water that flooded the ship. Run Rose. Come on Rose. Let’s go Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose! Ugh.

I hated this movie because it was such a blatant attempt to make EVERYONE cry at the end when they really didn’t need to try that hard to do it.

I hated this movie because I could not, for the life of me, buy the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet fell in love.

I hated this movie because it was the sappest love story ever told.

That being said…

I loved this movie because its got to be ONE of the most perfect love stories ever told.

Blech. Rating: 8/10. Yes, I give it an 8.