Day: March 3, 2012
2012 in Film: #60 – The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cent Coups)
2012 in Film: #60
The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cent Coups) (1959) | Directed by François Truffaut
Grade: A
Thoughts: Triffaut’s first film is his most personal, and I sound like the back of the Criterion Blu-ray I watched it on. They have a point though. Exploring adolescent angst on the screen is never easy, because it’ll almost always look totally ridiculous and trite on the screen, one notable exception being the films of John Hughes. So, I like to think of this film as the French New Wave John Hughes film. Of course, it’s much better than that. It’s tender, sensitive, and beautifully shot. What I like about Truffaut is that he seems to lack the inherent pretension of his nouvelle vague colleague Godard; Truffaut is just honest and wants to tell a story. One that’ll shatter your heart. (Yes, I cried at the end.)
2012 in Film: #59 – Moneyball
2012 in Film: #59
Moneyball (2011) | Directed by Bennett Miller
Grade: C-
Thoughts: Booooorrrrriiiinnnngggggg. Not even Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue could make it interesting. Bored me to absolute tears. Legit, I was crying from being so damn bored. (It does not help that I can’t stand baseball.)
2012 in Film: #58 – Juno
2012 in Film: #58
Juno (2006) | Directed by Jason Reitman
Grade: B+
Thoughts: Diablo Cody’s, erm, interesting jargon is extremely grating for the first fifteen minutes or so of the film, but as Ellen Page’s nuanced character begins to realize the enormity of her situation, the language, as do the characters, tone it back a bit to give more vulnerable performances. JK Simmons and Alison Janney, as Juno’s parents, give the best performances, with every line totally amusing. Jennifer Garner is surprisingly moving in the film.
2012 in Film: #57 – Babel
2012 in Film: #57
Babel (2006) | Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Grade: A-
Thoughts: A beautiful, infuriating, and heartbreaking film about communication. Splendid acting from the ensemble cast. Loved the interwoven plot lines, even though the way that they were connected was a bit predictable.
2012 in Film: #56 – Back to the Future Part II
2012 in Film: #56
Back to the Future Part II (1989) | Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Grade: C+
Thoughts: While more palatable than the first entry, the acting doesn’t get much better, and nor does the storyline. It becomes way too ridiculous even for my taste, and a bit convoluted towards the end of the second act. I didn’t bother watching the third one, because this one felt like a built in commercial for the third one.
I Like Things That Look Like Mistakes 