Movies I Watched Instead of Writing Part 11

Big Doll House [1971] -- God bless Jack Hill. Pam Grier's first big movie. She wasn't given that much to do, but what she was given certainly gives her opportunity to stand out. A little slow moving, (ok, fine, I fell asleep) but all in all a respectable American entry into the chicks behind bars genre. Sadly, after Female Convict Scorpion, there really isn't much going back.

Syrianna [2005] -- The two most common complaints I've heard regarding this movie are that a) it's too hard to follow and b) it doesn't go far enough. Both of these complaints are pure and utter crap. If you find reading the newspaper confusing, then sure, maybe the movie could be hard for you to follow, but most people with half a brain in their heads should have no trouble. As for the other complaint, the fact is it's a film made with Hollywood money meant to appeal to a broad(ish) audience. To completely explain and examine the complicated issues surrounding the subject matter (oil) would require a television series that would need to run for about 10 years. As far as boiling down the basic points and putting them into context, I think the film did a great job, especially in tying each facet of the story to a character or characters we could really invest in. It also managed to avoid the soapier moments of Traffic (also written by Stephen Gaghan), and as a result I really prefer Syrianna. A self assured & throught provocking directorial debut.

Grizzly Man [2005] -- Werner Herzog doc on self-proclaimed "Guardian of the Grizzlies," Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers in the wilds of Alaska living with and documenting the native grizzly population before he and his girlfriend were mauled to death in 2003. As is expected, Herzog does an amazing job of first drawing our sympathies towards this sensitive crusader who would lecture in schools free of charge, before slowly peeling away at the fabricated persona to expose a much darker, confused soul, who by all accounts got what he perhaps subconsciously wanted.

Munich [2005] -- Nice try Spielberg, but no cigar. What starts off as a gripping, dark ode to gritty '70's films like The Conversation, quickly devolves into typical Hollywood melodrama. And he really did have me going, which is perhaps why the devolution which occurred irked me so much. Then again, maybe it's just that for me, there's no question. The assassinations were purely political, with Munich providing a nice excuse to rouse patriotism. Did we really need 3 hours to examine how futile the "eye for an eye" ideology is? I actually laughed out loud near the end during the big "sex/assassination" montage. However, I felt the performances were all very strong and I did appreciate the final shot of the Twin Towers. But, having just seen the intelligent and classy Syrianna, I have no idea what this movie is doing at the top of so many top 10 lists.

Wedding Crashers [2005] -- Much funnier than I expected, with a nice raucous John Landis sort of feel through much of it (they even use the Otis Day and the Knights version of "Shout" from Animal House)However, the Will Ferrell cameo near the end almost sank it for me. He was fine when he was inside the house, but given room to move around, the magic wore off very quickly. What happened to you Will Ferrell?! You were supposed to save comedy! You and Dave Chappelle were supposed to be our saviours!! Oh well, I guess it's up to Seth Rogen now.