Movie Monday #12
1) Walker: This darkly comedic movie is a lot smarter than me. I kind of wish I had studied before I watched it. I understand in broad terms what it's about, but I was often confused by individual scenes. This is partly because I couldn't hear what anyone was saying a lot of the time. Whether that's a sound mixing issue or a me issue remains to be seen. Anyway, this is a movie about US meddling in and exploitation of Latin America, and the ongoing blind eye we turned toward the fallout. Ed Harris is perfect as the psychopathic embodiment of American principles. His bone structure is unparalleled. Marlee Matlin is in this movie for about ten minutes and she's exquisite in every one of them. It's a good movie. Recommended.
2) Aatma (2006): I don't really know what to say about this movie. I think this is the only Indian horror film I've seen, so I'm not an educated viewer and probably lack some historical context for the genre. What I can say is, if you remember the NBC soap opera Passions, this movie was like a long episode of that, or a condensed version of the Days of Our Lives storyline where Dr. Marlena Evans is possessed by a demon, which my grandmother complained about FOR YEARS after it was over. I didn't dislike this movie, but I also didn't particularly like it. It could've been campier or weirder and I would have liked it better. It had a couple of good musical numbers, but fewer than I would have expected. Recommended for horror fans who want to try something different. Your mileage may vary, but it's worth a watch.
3) Velvet Goldmine: Because this was the 90s playing the 70s, everyone in this movie is VERY VERY THIN! I really did like this movie. Jonathan Rhys-Myers and Ewan MacGregor play kinda David Bowie (plus others) and kinda Iggy Pop. Ewan MacGregor is more than KINDA Iggy Pop. His physicality is uncanny. They are also both surprisingly good singers, especially Jonathan Rhys-Myers! Whatever happened to him? I hope he's ok. The movie is modelled after Citizen Kane, which I did watch in preparation because I am a serious film critic. I think it maps successfully onto Citizen Kane without being corny. There's an alien motif that is somewhat poorly integrated, but I still liked it because it was silly and weird. I also liked that everyone is gay. Recommended!