the visitor

Though the title sounds like that of an alien horror movie, "The Visitor" is a wonderfully touching look at loneliness and the simple beauty in life itself. Director Thomas McCarthy, who also gave us the hug inducing "the station agent," has a knack for tapping into the human experience. A little more plot to propel the film this time, "The Vistor" follows Walter, a widower living an uninspired, quiet life. He comes home one evening to find an immigrant couple living in his apartment. With no place else to go, Walter allows the couple to stay for the night. As he slowly forms a unique relationship with his visitors, something gradually begins to awaken in Walter.
Though the movie is propelled by plot events, it is really about the characters. There's no good guy, no bad guy, but real, everyday people, with unique experiences, emotions, and motivations. With rhythmic, soulful drumming at the heartbeat of the film, "The Visitor" asks us to find the music within ourselves. (I promise, the movie is nowhere near as cheesy as that last line.) Simultaneously sad and uplifting, Thomas McCarthy delivers another gem.

Timeless

This is an incredibly beautiful film. The photography is jaw dropping. Pick a handful of stills from "2046" at random and you'd have an amazing photo gallery. This film puts 99% of Hollywood movies to damn shame, solidifying [my opinion of] Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai as one the best in our day. and thankful to be reminded of him. An allegory of love that weaves the writings of Chow with the characters and escapades in his own life, 2046 explores love in/and time/memory. A loosely linear plot leaves much to interpretation, and there's plenty of interesting plot details and frame composition for one to ponder. or the film student to write about :P I'm in love with the stark contrast of saturated colors split frame with dark shadows. It's tremendously affecting. and effective. 2046 is somewhat reminiscent of The Fountain (made later from another director fave Darren Aronofsky). Similar themes, comparable tone and photography... Beautiful film.

Forgetting Sarah Palin

Ok, the movie has nothing to do with sarah palin but at least i did forget about her for at least two hours while laughing, watching "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." (Ok Ok, it's a cheap and unsuccessful shot at a clever title). Anyway, there's just a tiny bit of unidentifiable something missing that keeps me from giving the movie a solid "It's Good," but it's definitely likable and keeps the laughs coming at steady pace. Yes, the plot is unoriginal and predictable, but it's forgivable here as it takes a backseat to the jokes it allows. And I do appreciate that the characters aren't completely one dimensional. Oh Hollywood romantic comedies, how you've lowered my standards so. Here at least the the guy you're suppose to be rooting against has redeeming qualities and the girl you're suppose to be rooting against has some humanity (and are possibly the more fun and interesting characters). Cast is decent, with all the main characters proving comedic chops. The fake show spoofs and vampire musical track were my high points (yes, vampire musical), adding at least a half star rating for those alone. Not a terribly memorable or great movie, but it's fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. All in all a good time.

the vp debate goshdarnit

this debate made realize just how low my expectations of sarah palin really were. my initial reaction was, "hey, not bad." then immediately, "are you shitting me?" i was impressed because she said "ahmadinejad" 3 times beautifully? the not so bright one time beauty queen put her training to use, smiling into the camera as she spoke, using big words to hide her lack of substance. she was well rehearsed, and 'performed' better than john mccain, at least engaging her opponent, and stayed more on topic than mccain did. of course she didn't always answer questions directly, spewing obviously rehearsed lines and slogans whenever possible. her circuitous reasoning, empty slogans, and contradictory points, like saying john mccain, the "maverick," "voted along party lines" 96% of the time, were not blaringly obvious. her smoke and mirrors technique, turning the question of her inexperience into a call to America about people and the government, was probably pretty effective. and hey, that's a talent in itself. and well let's face it, a large part of "politics." even though her "talking straight" was as straight as the Castro district on Halloween, and "everywhere like and the such as," she only let those of us down who were hoping she'd drool on herself and make a ms. south carolina snafu.
biden was a contrasting image. looking like he was about to fall asleep in the first half of the debate, he came alive in the second half when the discussion turned to foreign policy, his specialty. he became impassioned and focused, coming across with clear points. His reputation for rambling didn't make a showing tonight, and he did well by attacking mccain's past policy and statements which went largely unanswered. the highlight of the debate was when he called mccain's healthcare plan the "ultimate bridge to nowhere." on the whole, he sounded professional with solid points. though calls to home depot and Scranton made me cringe, an obvious attempt to appeal to the "average American." unfortunately, if being dumb and ignorant is more like the average american, well heck, palin has the advantage on that one.