a three movie day: sunshine, sicko, and zodiac
SUNSHINE (dir. Danny Boyle, 2007)
I liked this, despite myself. The story was pretty standard for a space-movie. The plot had a few holes. The characters overall, could've used a bit more development (esp. the captain of icarus 1, i had no idea what his logic was). Performances were all in all, alright (I did like Cillian Murphy more than the rest). But damn, did this have style. Most of the time. For the first 3/4s of the movie it's thoughtful, foreboding, with hints and jabs at what's to come. In other words, lots of tension. When it finally does let loose, it's a flurry of chaos, mostly to cover the dubious plot. Apparently the budget was small, which you'd assume from a movie of the director/production company, but it doesn't show. What I liked was that all the theatrics really took me for a spin. Aside from a few moments of movie-science talk, I couldn't look away. There were several glimpses of the sublime, little snippets of something beautiful, and I think it's those snippets that really made Sunshine an experience I won't soon forget. It's one of those things that only a movie can do, and that's why I go in the first place.
Final Grade: B+
(high? yes. but it's relative. live in syracuse long enough, and you'll really appreciate the Sunshines that somehow magically make their way here. It beats a threequel.)
SiCKO (dir. Michael Moore, 2007, 2nd viewing)
First time around, I was really hit on a personal level (being young and uninsured, with a terrible diet and no exercise). Second time around, much more objective. Of course, there's the typical Michael Moore one-sidedness, but here it's a side that everyone can be on. It'd be nice if he had actually explained how the international systems he looked at really worked, and what it would mean if we were to adopt a universal system of our own, but that could be a whole other movie. And he never addressed some of the big reasons that America's as unhealthy as it is (see Super Size Me, for a hint at what that might be). But that's not how Michael Moore works. I was never really crazy about him. I always thought of him as more of a pest. But this time around, the changes to his formula (stay off camera most of the time, let the stories tell themselves, sympathize with your subjects), really helped me warm up to him. Plus the fact that since he's made sicko, he's started to take his own health into consideration. Which is something we should all start doing. That and voting. If there's anything I walked away with from Sicko, that's it.
Original Grade: A-, Revised grade: B+
ZODIAC (dir. David Fincher, 2007, 2nd viewing)
It really lives up to the hype. And it holds up. What more can you ask for? The two and a half hours whizzed by, yet again. Despite knowing the ending, I still got caught up in the hunt. It deserves the praise it's been getting. The second time around may have been more exciting. This time around I ended up really listening to the movie. One particularly interesting moment is Gyllenhaal's visit to Downey Jr, where a broken game of pong loops in the background. The digital ball hits the wall and leaves, over and over again. And sure enough, Jake gets nowhere with Robert, and leaves. As far as an overarching sound system, the first half of the film (the serial-killer movie, the media frenzy, the beginning of the investigation) is packed with the constant sound of ringing phones. But as the public interest thins out, this gradually fades to a near silence. And the tension escalates. It reaches a peak when all of a sudden, one phone rings. And we know who's calling.
Original Grade: A- Revised grade: same, A-.
I liked this, despite myself. The story was pretty standard for a space-movie. The plot had a few holes. The characters overall, could've used a bit more development (esp. the captain of icarus 1, i had no idea what his logic was). Performances were all in all, alright (I did like Cillian Murphy more than the rest). But damn, did this have style. Most of the time. For the first 3/4s of the movie it's thoughtful, foreboding, with hints and jabs at what's to come. In other words, lots of tension. When it finally does let loose, it's a flurry of chaos, mostly to cover the dubious plot. Apparently the budget was small, which you'd assume from a movie of the director/production company, but it doesn't show. What I liked was that all the theatrics really took me for a spin. Aside from a few moments of movie-science talk, I couldn't look away. There were several glimpses of the sublime, little snippets of something beautiful, and I think it's those snippets that really made Sunshine an experience I won't soon forget. It's one of those things that only a movie can do, and that's why I go in the first place.
Final Grade: B+
(high? yes. but it's relative. live in syracuse long enough, and you'll really appreciate the Sunshines that somehow magically make their way here. It beats a threequel.)
SiCKO (dir. Michael Moore, 2007, 2nd viewing)
First time around, I was really hit on a personal level (being young and uninsured, with a terrible diet and no exercise). Second time around, much more objective. Of course, there's the typical Michael Moore one-sidedness, but here it's a side that everyone can be on. It'd be nice if he had actually explained how the international systems he looked at really worked, and what it would mean if we were to adopt a universal system of our own, but that could be a whole other movie. And he never addressed some of the big reasons that America's as unhealthy as it is (see Super Size Me, for a hint at what that might be). But that's not how Michael Moore works. I was never really crazy about him. I always thought of him as more of a pest. But this time around, the changes to his formula (stay off camera most of the time, let the stories tell themselves, sympathize with your subjects), really helped me warm up to him. Plus the fact that since he's made sicko, he's started to take his own health into consideration. Which is something we should all start doing. That and voting. If there's anything I walked away with from Sicko, that's it.
Original Grade: A-, Revised grade: B+
ZODIAC (dir. David Fincher, 2007, 2nd viewing)
It really lives up to the hype. And it holds up. What more can you ask for? The two and a half hours whizzed by, yet again. Despite knowing the ending, I still got caught up in the hunt. It deserves the praise it's been getting. The second time around may have been more exciting. This time around I ended up really listening to the movie. One particularly interesting moment is Gyllenhaal's visit to Downey Jr, where a broken game of pong loops in the background. The digital ball hits the wall and leaves, over and over again. And sure enough, Jake gets nowhere with Robert, and leaves. As far as an overarching sound system, the first half of the film (the serial-killer movie, the media frenzy, the beginning of the investigation) is packed with the constant sound of ringing phones. But as the public interest thins out, this gradually fades to a near silence. And the tension escalates. It reaches a peak when all of a sudden, one phone rings. And we know who's calling.
Original Grade: A- Revised grade: same, A-.
posted by js munoz at
11:36 PM
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