Over Thanksgiving break, I went to three films, all of which are successful in its own terms. Beowulf is the 3-D epic, Enchanted is the box-office champ, and No Country for Old Men is one of the best films of the year. Here's the breakdown of the three.
Beowulf (*** Stars)Is it any good?: Well, even though at sometimes it looks like a cousin of the Final Fantasy series, the action is still wicked fun to watch.
Plot:Based on the famous book by an unknown author, Beowulf's (Ray Winstone) is King Leonidas mixed in a blender with Mr. Wolf. He is a warrior who comes in to take care of business and then gets the hell out. He comes in to fight the evil demon Grendel, kills him, then sleeps with his mother. O, I forgot to add that he is a nymphomaniac. When he marries the queen, he still has sex with a young blonde. But still, when he takes over Anthony Hopkins thrown, he tries to lead his people over their enemies and pass the fact that he slept with the creator of the monster who slaughtered half their village. Good for him.
Why See It: Same groundbreaking animation as The Polar Express, only this time the action disguises the underwritten characters.
Review in a nutshell: For those who miss 300 and need a friendly reminder.
Enchanted: (*** Stars)Is it any good?: It actually is. This is a big, pleasant surprise and proves that movie trailers can be completely hearsay.
Plot: A stereotypical princess from a 2-D animated world is thrown into present day New York. She meets McDreamy (who else would she meet) and together they realize that they may be right for eachother.
Why See It?: Amy Adams. Amy Adams. Amy Adams. Amy Adams.
Review in a Nutshell: AMY ADAMS MAKES THIS MOVIE, PURE AND SIMPLE.
No Country For Old Men: (**** Stars)Is it any good?: Damn right it's good. The Coen Brothers newest collaboration is an Oscar-worthy feat, one that cannot be ignored.
Plot: The plot is not the brilliance of this movie. It is a simple story of a drug deal gone wrong, with a random guy finding the money and the hitman looking for his score. It's not the outline of the film that will get you pumped up, but the moments spent with these characters. All are scared and helpless, and are doing everything they can to either protect themselves or a loved one. There are parts of this film with no dialogue for an excessive amount of time and it's more engaging than almost any other scene in films this year, including the ending. You will be shaken.
Why See It?: Because the Coen Brothers are masterful story tellers. The scenes between Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem's) and Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) are absolutely exhilarating, down to the very core of your bones. The tension in this movie is so direct that the chills down your spine won't stop. The entire cast is electric. Tommy Lee Jones is brilliantly funny and utterly heartbreaking as a man who loses touch with the world's fast pace and current violent culture. The title, No Country For Old Men is based around his character, Ed Tom Bell, clearly explaining that the times are not the way they were when he was young. All of the lead performances in this film are Oscar-worthy.
Review in a nutshell: To praise this film isn't enough, you have to see this masterpiece to believe it.
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