I’ve been too busy to watch much in the way of movies lately, and most importantly, to finish bad ones, but still it’s one thing I’ve done beyond working on Mike’s campaign. So here is a quick recap of what I’ve watched lately.
Vidas Privadas. This movie about a woman who returns to Argentina after 20 years on exile in Spain is just too unbelievable to make it worth your while. There are coincidences after coincidences, the whole tragedy of a nation is simplified and spoon fed and I’d even say the movie is an insult to those who survived the military dictatorship. In all, it mostly seemed exploitative and my whole reaction was “come on!”
National Treasure. This movie was so silly, so uninteresting, with such lack of character development as well as so improbable that I didn’t finish watching it.
Harem. This was a movie about an Italian girl (I think) who was brought into the harem of the Ottoman ruler in the last days of the caliphate. Mostly it involved harem politics, though there was some boring sex as well. Whatever major point it was supposed to have I didn’t get, and I didn’t finish it either.
Hellraiser V. I’d actually seen it so I didn’t bother with it. Hellraiser I was great, all the other ones sucked and I don’t know why I bother with them.
Tristan and Isolde. I’ve never seen the opera but I figured I should familiarize myself with the story. The story itself is quite simple and predictive – but being so old, what can you expect?. But the production values were great, and the story kept me interested the whole way (no small feat lately). Plus I love Rufus Sewell.
El Coronel no tiene quien le escriba. This was another of those Salma Hayek Mexican movies based on an important work of literature, this time a great novella by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Unfortunately the story did not have enough material to extend it to a full length movie (that’s why it’s a novella, not a novel) which meant the movie itself drag throughout it. I didn’t like the Mexico setting – why not keep it in Colombia – and mostly, I didn’t like how the last line was delibered. The last line carries the whole of the movie – as is often the case on Garcia Marquez books – so getting this right (aka how I read it myself) is what makes or breaks the story. In this case, it broke it.
The Tooth Fairy. Another lame, lame, lame horror movie. Not scary and very boring. Keep away.
Ocean’s Twelve. Why pull out a heist if you are not prepared to deal with the consequences and you fold as soon as you get threatened? Whatever. The second heist was lame and did not have the power and interest of the one from the first movie. Again, not worth your time.
so yes, I have had horrible lack in movies lately. I hope it changes.