Month of Movies: February 2018

Total Films Watched: 8. Ocean's Eleven, 8 1/2, Creed, On Body and Soul, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Three Colors: Blue, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Good Time.

Top Two Films: Creed and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find time to drive half an hour to watch Black Panther. Instead I decided to rewatch one of my favorite movies of 2015 and one that got me incredibly pumped the first time I saw it. Creed remains an incredibly well-made and impressive film. The fight scenes are well done and he builds the characters of the film well. The editing in the movie keeps everything running smoothly, from the montages to the smaller scenes. Without knowing much about the Rocky series, I found this an easy starting point and an interesting interpretation of Rocky Balboa's future.

Of course I'm a big fan of Holy Grail. I am exactly the kind of nerd that finds this movie delightfully weird. Having now seen all three feature-length Monty Python movies and a good chuck of their show, you do start seeing the seams and patterns. You know some of the throwaway jokes will turn into absurd running gags, Gilliam will make animated interludes, and some sketch will be based on jargon and 'proper' English. This is still probably the best use of their talents, although I'm also quite fond of Life of Brian. Whenever they can hang all their insane jokes on a decently strong storyline, it makes their comedy feel more cinematic.

Movie Death Match: Female-led foreign language films- On Body and Soul or Three Colors: Blue? Absolutely going with the Kieslowski here. I went into that movie not knowing much about it except that it was the saddest of the Three Colors trilogy and that it starred Juliette Binoche. It lived up to every part of that reputation. Binoche plays the widow of a famous composer, moving on with her life by trying to separate herself from anything that reminds her of her past. The performance is remarkable, but what really stood out to me was the technical expertise. Kieslowski moves the camera in really interesting ways and captures some remarkable shots, like the reflections in eyes. The music in the movie is also wonderful. Eventually the unfinished symphony of this deceased composer becomes a key plot point and the score lives up to those high expectations.

On Body and Soul is interesting but much messier. The dream sequences are wonderful and include some surprisingly emotional deer acting. The rest of the movie is a very slow-burning workplace romance that has cute moments but doesn't totally hang together. Honestly, I'd rather see the flattened Hollywood remake of this movie. It would tone down the alienating edges of the female lead, who plays a woman on the spectrum with very inconsistent social skills. The mainstream version would probably also eliminate the two gratuitiously violent scenes.

Longer Thoughts About: Ocean's Eleven. This was a strong month for re-watching films that I love- both of my top two of the month and this qualify. I watched this movie as soon as I realizes that it had come to Netflix. I have a soft spot for anything involving heists and complex plans- from the Ocean's films to Thomas Crown and the classic TV show Leverage. Part of that is knowing that there will be twists and double crosses and trying to find how those are going to work. But it's also the banter on the team, which is usually a group of gentlemen with huge ambitions and unbelievable cockiness. It's a genre the relies largely on the charm of the actors and the direction.

Ocean's Eleven is a great example of all those things working together well. The cast here is deeply stacked and the movie gives most of them something to do. Scott Caan and Casey Affleck get the short end because they're always bickering with each other, so their characters are only defined by their dynamic. On the other end, Brad Pitt is possibly my favorite because you can see him working and trying different things. Clooney is coasting on charm a little more, while Pitt has the look and physical tics that make him such a great character actor.