Random Harvest

As 2007 comes to an end, some quick thoughts on movies I haven't addressed here. No Country for Old Men: The Coen brothers go earnest (except for Beth Grant's Vicki Lawrence–like shtick as Josh Brolin's mother-in-law) and wind up making a Clint Eastwood movie, specifically this one. The Band's Visit: cloying. The Israeli version of played-out American quirk. The Savages: the year's wittiest dialogue. Steal a Pencil for Me : Who knew you could still make a surprising Holocaust documentary? No End in Sight: Who knew you could still make a surprising Iraq documentary? Redacted: justifiably furious, inexcusably stupid. I'm Not There: inventive, at times dazzling, but not all there. Attica: This harrowing account of the 1971 upstate New York prison riot that left forty people dead returned for one night in Manhattan, thirty-three years after its premiere. Rerelease and DVD coming soon? Wristcutters: A Love Story: O.K., maybe quirk isn't entirely played out. Eastern Promises: Cronenberg has finally found his muse. The Lives of Others: aptly summed up by a friend: "Bad Communists!" Zodiac: Silence of the Lambs meets All the President's Men. Absolutely brilliant.

Comments

[Brendan]

Anybody else notice the parallel between Anton Chiguhr in NCFOM and Leonard Smalls in RAISING ARIZONA? The Coens sure love the "exterminating angel" type. Both are caricatures, but Bardem's ain't so funny.

[sdfaf]

Hey Levi

I know you have a kid and all, but that can't be eating up all your time. Some new content, please...