June 2004

• Love Me if You Dare (Jeux d'enfants) (6/4, YSC)--Two children prod each other to outrageous behavior via alternating dares, and the behavior carries into adulthood. A film I admired more than really liked, because it takes the chance of presenting us with two central characters who are prickly at best, and sometimes despicable. Uses the Sunset Boulevard device of an opening voiceover narration by a dead guy. [40]
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azabakan (6/5, NoHa)--Saw it mostly because of the director, to see what the sensibilities of Y tu mamá también would bring to the Harry saga. It was perfectly OK, but I seem just not to be interested. I will say this: #3 is a damn sight better than #2, which I rented and watched so that I wouldn't be subject to any narrative gaps.
• The Day After Tomorrow (6/6, NoHa)--Went to this on Jennie's . . . well, "recommendation" would be an overstatement; went to it because she said that the negative reviews demonstrated nothing but ignorance of what to expect from a summer disaster thriller. I agree: the special effects did their job on me, and it was worth my $6.25. The story is absurd and the writing puerile, but hey: it's a summer disaster thriller!
• The Control Room (6/11, YSC)--A remarkable documentary about the Arabic satellite TV station Al Jazeera, specifically as it operated during the recent war in Iraq. Al Jazeera has been demonized, of course, by U.S. government officials (and some in the media) for presenting a slanted, pro-Arab view of events, but the representatives of the station, and the film, make a good case for throwing the same accusation back at U.S. media, with the difference that they claim not to have a point of view. The film has three real heroes: the president of the station, a reporter, and, surprisingly, a U.S. Army press liaison, who actually grows and learns in the course of the film. See this if you get a chance: one of the best things I've seen this year.
• The Mother (6/19, YSC)--The rare cinematic love story between a middle-aged woman and a younger man. Deals with illusion, self-delusion, and grudging acceptance of reality in a way that somehow manages to keep a sense of humor and not become just drearily depressing. A fine film, and a courageous performance by the woman who plays the title character.
• The Terminal (6/20, NoHa)--OK, Spielberg's a master of it, and Hanks is a good vehicle, so I can't deny that I got a little weepy, but this is a really disappointing film: sentimental pap without adequate focus or plausibility. One thing you have to do when your premise is implausible (Kafka's Metamorphosis is the benchmark) is to make everything follow naturally within the confines of that premise. Here, though, too much stuff just seems to follow because it has to for the needs of the plot. Particularly annoying are the evil-until-crunch-time immigration officer played by Stanley Tucci and the idiotic romantic subplot. Ugh.
• Coffee and Cigarettes (6/23, YSC)--Aptly titled series of vignettes in which people (usually just two) discuss everything and nothing while consuming the titular conversational stimulants. It doesn't always work, but the best bits are gems--Jack White explaining his Tesla coil to Meg under the terrifying gaze of a garishly colored portrait of Lee Marvin, e.g. Sort of like Seinfeld for the art-house crowd.
• Napoleon Dynamite (6/25, YSC)--A pleasantly quirky portrait of a more-or-less pleasantly quirky young Idahoan; quirkiness for quirkiness' sake.
• Fahrenheit 9/11 (6/26, Orange)--I applauded at the end; let's just leave it at that.