Gateway Cinephiles

Film Diary: Private Fears in Public Places (Coeurs)

2006
Director: Alain Resnais
Viewed: December 25, 2007
Format: DVD - IFC (2007)

Film Diary: SiCKO

2007
Director: Michael Moore
Viewed: December 24, 2007
Format: DVD - Weinstein (2007)

Film Diary: Once

2007
Director: John Carney
Viewed: December 24, 2007
Format: DVD - 20th Century Fox (2007)

I say this as a incurable cynic: Once is easily one of the best musicals and one of the best romances I’ve seen in years.  It’s a gut-punch of aching humanity, leanly crafted and magnificently acted.  A beautiful film about the way that people can connect and evolve through music.  A strong contender for my Best of 2007.

Film Diary: No End in Sight

2007
Director: Charles Ferguson
Viewed: December 24, 2007
Format: DVD - Magnolia (2007)

Film Diary: Black Book (Zwartboek)

2006
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Viewed: December 23, 2007
Format: DVD - Sony (2007)

Review: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

2007
Director: Tim Burton
Viewed: December 21, 2007
Format: Theatrical Print

Two disclaimers: First, I had never seen Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on the stage, although the story was familiar to me. Second, I am not generally a fan of musicals, whether live or on film. With these facts in mind, I found Tim Burton’s film adaptation of Sondheim’s musical to be the director’s most thoughtful, magnetic work since his superb 1990 gothic-suburban fable Edwards Scissorhands. Whether Burton deserves the credit for the achievement of this new Sweeney Todd is debatable. The wide adoration lavished upon Sondheim’s musical—from undiscriminating Broadway tourists and devotees of American music history alike—suggests that much of the film’s depth is a product of the source material. What Burton doubtlessly brings to the tale is his studied eye for sumptuous, gloomy detail and the bittersweet poignancy he coaxes from his performers. Sweeney Todd is, admittedly, heavy on the bitter, and mostly bereft of sweet. It serves up a vision of human behavior that is easily the most brutal and bleak that Burton has ever dabbled in.

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Film Diary: Zodiac

2007
Director: David Fincher
Viewed: December 22, 2007
Format: DVD - Paramount (2007)

Film Diary: Elizabeth

1998
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Viewed: December 22, 2007
Format: DVD - Universal (2002)

Film Diary: Cinderella Man

2005
Director: Ron Howard
Viewed: December 22, 2007
Format: DVD - Universal (2007)

I had been told by several varied yet reliable sources that I “had to see Cinderella Man.” I like a good sports movie, despite my lack of enthusiasm for the subject in real life, but I’m not a fan of Ron Howard movies, so it took me a while. Cinderella Man is deserving of all the hype it received on release. It was exciting, realistically emotional, funny, and the ending was ultimately satisfying, despite its predictability. Do yourself a favor–when you feel bad, watch this movie. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Film Diary: Year of the Dog

2007
Director: Mike White
Viewed: December 22, 2007
Format: DVD - Paramount (2007)