Seeking a movie from 2007.
In the last week I have gone a little nuts with the movies as my wife has been working nights. I saw: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), Skyfall (2012), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Ocean's Thirteen (2007), Sunshine (2007), Atonement (2007), 300 (2007), The Host (2007), and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Oddly, this batch of movies has a couple of Keira Knightley sightings. She's pretty good in this and Atonement, however I think her comedy work in "Friend" is very natural and fun. This movie is very well written and touched a tone at the end that I didn't expect. It's a happy ending, more happy than bitter-sweet, where everyone in the movie dies. This movie holds up much better than expected because of the popularity of other end of the world themes in pop culture of recent years.
Noms: Knightley for acting, Lorene Scafaria for writing.
Skyfall
Something about this movie rubbed me the wrong way. As much as it does have some scenes that I really enjoy, I don't like the story structure of the movie how it unceremoniously kills off a Bond Girl who is a pretty interesting character, or that it seems to jump into being an older Bond years after Quantum of Solace even though that movie starts moments after Casino Royale. I do think this movie is a due for Daniel Craig to get recognition as Bond compared to other movies and the sound tack is a brassy beautiful Bond score. Adele's Oscar winning song is nice enough, although it doesn't blow me away.
Noms: Daniel Craig for acting, Music of the film.
3:10 to Yuma
I also saw a lot of Russell Crowe this last week from this and "Iron Fists." He's much more engaged in this movie, although Christian Bale's vulnerable father character is the highlight of the film. It's a nice enough movie but doesn't quite hold up because of the great fortune we've had in artistic westerns that have come out in the last 10 years
Noms: Christian Bale
Man With the Iron Fists
A lot of the actors didn't look like they really wanted to be in this and the story and characters get pretty muddled. I commend them for their ambition but I don't think it held up when it came out.
Noms: none.
Ocean's Thirteen
This holds up as a feel good movie for me to put on in an afternoon and enjoy. It might be the best movie from Steven Soderbergh's great career. The music is electrifying and none of the characters get lost in a script jammed with side characters.
Noms: Soderbergh for cinematography and directing, Matt Damon for acting, Music of the movie.
Sunshine
This is one of my favorite movies ever. The special effects and music hold up especially well. I especially enjoy the acting of Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans and Hiroyuki Sanada. On this viewing I thought to myself that I want to see Sanada in more of the movies that I watch. Rose Byrne is excellent as always.
Noms: Acting for Murphy, Evans, Byrne and Sanada. Directing for Boyle, Music and Special Effects for the film and Cinematography for Alwin Kuchler.
Atonement
It felt like it was missing something to be a complete, sweeping epic. I thought it was okay, not great, and nothing distinguished it to be a movie of note.
Noms: none.
300
Visual masterpiece. When I saw it in the theater I had to calm myself down before driving so that I didn't go 100 miles an hour on my way home. The acting is over the top but the special effects are incredible.
Noms: Special Effects
The Host
This doesn't hold up as a complete movie as I had remembered although it is very funny for a movie with a rather dark tone. The most admirable thing about this movie is how well the comedy is written into it.
Noms: writing for Baek Chul-hyun and Bong Joon-ho
Amazing Spider-Man
This one is tricky. On it's own, it's a wonderful Spider-Man movie that I had always hoped for with a great mixture of practical effects and stunts and CGI. The thing that gives me pause about this movie is that I remember a lot of its sequel that really missed the mark. Emma Stone breaks out as a star and not just a young supporting actor in this movie. Marc Webb should get some extra credit for doing the seemingly impossible and making a great Spider-Man movie compared to the five other attempts since 2001.
Noms: Special Effects and stunts, Emma Stone for acting, Marc Webb for directing.
