As much as I hate to say it, summer is drawing to a close. The MLB race for the playoffs is on, the NFL preseason has begun, and the last major blockbuster of the summer has hit theaters with a dull thud. (I’m talking about The Expendables.) What does all of this mean? It means it’s time for me to start making my Christmas wish list! (Or Hanukah, as the case may be.) And I already know what I want more than anything else:
I want there to be no crappy seasonal Christmas movies to be made this year. As far as I’m concerned, the only good Christmas movie is Love Actually. Seriously, the only one. Not only are the overwhelming majority of these movies terrible, but they are only watchable for one, maybe two months of the year. Making them 1/6 or even 1/12 effective. I don’t understand why Hollywood keeps producing these, but they do.
All that being said, there are sometimes seasonal movies that can be effective. Take the Saw series for example. Yes, it is meant to be watched on Halloween, but it is still watchable at any point during the year. Summer blockbusters are meant to be watched (duh) during the summer, but can still be watched at any point.
Coming up are two very important dates for movie watching. First, September 11th. Yup. I know. On this date, every American should see the movie United 93. It is an unbelievable homage to the day, and the bravery of those on the fourth flight. It is respectfully made, and completely brilliant. Paul Greengrass is one of my favorite directors, as you already know if you read my trilogies posts.
The other date that is a little further off, and certainly less important to Americans, but perhaps more important to our friends across the pond, is November 5th, Guy Fawkes day. On that day, every year without fail, I watch V for Vendetta, another adaption of an Alan Moore graphic novel. So let’s get down to business with my four comments on the movie:
Comment 1: Natalie Portman looks better with short hair than I ever will. Also, her British accent is surprisingly good. For some reason, it seems that Brits do American accents better than Americans can do British accents. But Natalie pulls it off. Yes, I am biased. I have been a Portmaniac since she was 14, when she appeared in The Professional. I even think she was a redeeming quality to the new Star Wars trilogy. The point I’m trying to make is that she is very good in V for Vendetta. It’s worth seeing for her performance alone. But that’s not all, because...
Comment 2: Hugo Weaving is completely and totally the man. He made the second and third Matrix movies watchable. He did the same with The Wolfman. He was awesome in The Lord of the Rings. But his performance as V blows all of his other performances out of the water. Pretty impressive, considering that we never even see his face. If you read what I said about Valhalla Rising, you should know how much importance I place on an actor’s face. So when I say that Hugo Weaving’s performance is incredible even without his face, you know I mean it.
Comment 3: The effects are mindblowing. I can’t say why without revealing too much of the movie, but you’ll have to trust me. If you’ve ever been to London, prepare to be amazed. That’s all I’ll say.
Comment 4: Stephen Rea and John Hurt provide an unbelievable supporting cast. You know how I feel about supporting casts. I love John Hurt. I think his performance in The Proposition was one of the all-time great supporting performances. (Come to think of it, The Proposition had 3 nigh-perfect supporting performances, by John Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Danny Huston.) But if ever someone stole a show, it was Stephen Rea. If it wasn’t for him, the movie would merely be good, not great.
And that’s all for the graphic novels for now, folks. I hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
Until next time,
Harry
P.S. In terms of recommendation, I would say first V for Vendetta, second Sin City, and third Watchmen.
I want there to be no crappy seasonal Christmas movies to be made this year. As far as I’m concerned, the only good Christmas movie is Love Actually. Seriously, the only one. Not only are the overwhelming majority of these movies terrible, but they are only watchable for one, maybe two months of the year. Making them 1/6 or even 1/12 effective. I don’t understand why Hollywood keeps producing these, but they do.
All that being said, there are sometimes seasonal movies that can be effective. Take the Saw series for example. Yes, it is meant to be watched on Halloween, but it is still watchable at any point during the year. Summer blockbusters are meant to be watched (duh) during the summer, but can still be watched at any point.
Coming up are two very important dates for movie watching. First, September 11th. Yup. I know. On this date, every American should see the movie United 93. It is an unbelievable homage to the day, and the bravery of those on the fourth flight. It is respectfully made, and completely brilliant. Paul Greengrass is one of my favorite directors, as you already know if you read my trilogies posts.
The other date that is a little further off, and certainly less important to Americans, but perhaps more important to our friends across the pond, is November 5th, Guy Fawkes day. On that day, every year without fail, I watch V for Vendetta, another adaption of an Alan Moore graphic novel. So let’s get down to business with my four comments on the movie:
Comment 1: Natalie Portman looks better with short hair than I ever will. Also, her British accent is surprisingly good. For some reason, it seems that Brits do American accents better than Americans can do British accents. But Natalie pulls it off. Yes, I am biased. I have been a Portmaniac since she was 14, when she appeared in The Professional. I even think she was a redeeming quality to the new Star Wars trilogy. The point I’m trying to make is that she is very good in V for Vendetta. It’s worth seeing for her performance alone. But that’s not all, because...
Comment 2: Hugo Weaving is completely and totally the man. He made the second and third Matrix movies watchable. He did the same with The Wolfman. He was awesome in The Lord of the Rings. But his performance as V blows all of his other performances out of the water. Pretty impressive, considering that we never even see his face. If you read what I said about Valhalla Rising, you should know how much importance I place on an actor’s face. So when I say that Hugo Weaving’s performance is incredible even without his face, you know I mean it.
Comment 3: The effects are mindblowing. I can’t say why without revealing too much of the movie, but you’ll have to trust me. If you’ve ever been to London, prepare to be amazed. That’s all I’ll say.
Comment 4: Stephen Rea and John Hurt provide an unbelievable supporting cast. You know how I feel about supporting casts. I love John Hurt. I think his performance in The Proposition was one of the all-time great supporting performances. (Come to think of it, The Proposition had 3 nigh-perfect supporting performances, by John Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Danny Huston.) But if ever someone stole a show, it was Stephen Rea. If it wasn’t for him, the movie would merely be good, not great.
And that’s all for the graphic novels for now, folks. I hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
Until next time,
Harry
P.S. In terms of recommendation, I would say first V for Vendetta, second Sin City, and third Watchmen.
Love Actually is so good! I absolutely agree that it is the only Xmas movie worthwhile :)
ReplyDeleteI try to watch V for Vendetta every November 5th. It gets better every time! Good call, Harry.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Love Actually is one of my favorite movies. The opening scene never fails to bring a tear or three to my eye.
Thanks for finishing the graphic novel reviews! I just (re)watched Kickass last night and remembered to come check the blog. V for Vendetta is the probably the movie I've rewatched the most in the last 10 years; I'll be joining you on 11/5 =)
ReplyDeleteThink you'll see Scott Pilgrim in theaters (or have you already)?