Gateway Cinephiles

Film Diary: The Italian (Italianetz)

2005
Director: Andrei Kravchuk
Viewed: December 28, 2007
Format: DVD - Sony (2007)

Film Diary: Offside

2006
Director: Jafar Panahi
Viewed: December 28, 2007
Format: DVD - Sony (2007)

Review: Gone Baby Gone

2007
Director: Ben Affleck
Viewed: December 27, 2007
Format: Theatrical Print

In a year that gave us Zodiac, I almost feel bad for other crime thrillers. David Fincher’s masterpiece is a hard act to follow. Despite the long shadow over the genre in 2007, however, Gone Baby Gone stands as a remarkably effective work, shot through with flashes of genuine virtuosity. It’s a sleek slice of noir filmmaking that showcases the flowering talent of Casey Affleck and a captivating, blistered performance from Amy Ryan. Just as interesting is what the film portends for the future work of its director, an Oscar-winning screenwriter who does a bit of acting on the side. You may have heard of him? Ben Affleck?

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Film Diary: Benny and Joon

1993
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Viewed: December 28, 2007
Format: DVD - MGM (2001)

Film Diary: The Namesake

2007
Director: Mira Nair
Viewed: December 27, 2007
Format: DVD - 20th Century Fox (2007)

Film Diary: Gone Baby Gone

2007
Director: Ben Affleck
Viewed: December 27, 2007
Format: Theatrical Print

Ben needs to continue directing and leave the acting to his brother Casey. The direction in this movie is tight and interesting. Clearly, there’s a lot of potential for growth, but Ben proves to be gifted behind the camera. The visually adoring portrayal of Dorchester is full of character. Casey Affleck’s performance, though completely different from his turn in The Assassination of Jesse James…, was just as inspired. A great movie.

Review: Juno

2007
Director: Jason Reitman
Viewed: December 26, 2007
Format: Theatrical Print

What to make of Juno? The second comedy this year about unplanned pregnancy, Juno aims for a far trickier target than does its fratboy cousin, Knocked Up. Judd Apatow’s film was elevated by its perceptive and sensitive script, even as it coaxed forth conventional belly-laughs. Director Jason Reitman takes a riskier and altogether different track with Juno, plunging headfirst into a screenplay so densely packed with verbal acrobatics and hipster lingo that it risks unintentional self-parody. It might have, that is, if Diablo Cody’s script hadn’t also delivered such startling sucker-punches of genuine humanity, if the actors weren’t one of the best comedic ensemble casts I’ve seen in years, and if Reitman hadn’t brought it all together with such graceful efficiency and engrossing whimsy.

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Film Diary: Bug

2007
Director: William Friedkin
Viewed: December 26, 2007
Format: DVD - Lionsgate (2007)

Film Diary: Eastern Promises

2007
Director: David Cronenberg
Viewed: December 25, 2007
Format: DVD - Universal (2007)

Film Diary: Scrooge

1970
Director: Ronald Neame
Viewed: December 25, 2007
Format: Videocassette - CBS/Paramount (2001)

I watch my favorite version of A Christmas Carol every year. Albert Finney’s performance is nearly perfect. He balances Scrooge’s utter repugnance with a childlike wonder that is both disturbing and sad. You dislike Scrooge before his epiphany, but at the same time you pity him for his foolishness. Finney creates pathos and fear, and by the end convinces you to love this man. The physical transformation is astounding as well. Finney was only 34 when he made Scrooge, but his body language suggests age and infirmity. There is no movie that more beautifully extols the joys of Christmas.