Skipped this post last week because I was a bit busy and didn't feel like getting to it until now. But at least I am getting back to it, so that counts for something.
Moon (2009): Actually a much different movie than I expected, especially plot-wise, since I thought it would be one of those 2001-esque movies where the plot is mostly incidental to the ideas (and what little plot exists is not spoonfed to the viewer). The ideas and plot are of equal importance in this movie, though, which is usually what I prefer. :P Sam Rockwell is really good as the astronaut who has spent three years working alone on the moon and thinks he is starting to go crazy by the end of contracted work period ... until he finds something more sinister going on. I love everything about this movie -- the visuals, the sound, the pace, the acting, etc. -- except for the ending, which feels completely out of place with the story the movie tells. There's one part in particular that feels totally tacked on, and that is disappointing.
Bound (1996): Pretty good crime flick that knows the best movies of that type come when all the characters are uncommonly clever (and the spoils go to the person who manages to stay a step ahead at all times, even in the worst situations). There isn't much in this movie that wasn't inspired by other crime movies (except for the lesbians, maybe), but everything is executed well and with a good deal of style, and you could tell the Wachowskis had a hell of a time writing this and filming it.
Solaris (2002): I think I watched this too early in the morning, because I wasn't really into it at all. It's one of those slowly-paced, psychological hard science-fiction movies that you have to be in the right mood to watch, so I don't know if I can fairly evaluate it. It made me want to read Stanislaw Lem's original novel, though, so that's something.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004): Watched for purposes of Rifftrax. It's, uh, not as good as I remember it being before; however, it's at least bad in a "this is really freaking goofy" kind of way, unlike the first two movies, which are bad in a "holy mother of God I am so bored" kind of way. People criticized Alfonso Cuarón for "screwing up the book", but at least he had the balls to interpret the book's visuals his own way instead of just trying to throw the book onscreen. Adaptations are called "adaptations" for a reason.
Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006): Bit of a misnomer because just one guy cuts his wrists the entire movie. Anyway, the movie has an interesting premise: People who commit suicide find themselves in a weird sort of limbo world that is almost exactly like our own except a bit worse because everything is sort of lifeless. Ironic punishment ahoy! The main character, Zia (who is a dude played by Patrick Fugit), finds out that his ex-girlfriend killed herself a month after he committed suicide, so he goes on a journey to find her. There's a lot that could be done with something like this, but it comes off as if the creators blew all their creativity coming up with the movie and then adapted all their ideas into the form of a basic road trip movie. I wanted to enjoy it, but I couldn't.
On the queue for this week: In the Loop (2009)
Total Movies: 11 (The Taking of Pelham 123, The Station Agent, The Final Destination, Silent Movie, The African Queen, Departures, Moon, Bound, Solaris, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rifftrax), Wristcutters: A Love Story)
