Movie #301 - In Bruges

In Bruges
2008 - Rated R - 1 hr 47 min
Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Elizabeth Berrington, Ralph Fiennes, Eric Godon

On a quick side note, welcome to the 300s of our wild movie ride! I've got another hundred titles behind me and we're almost halfway there (at which point we'll absolutely be 'Livin' on a Prayer' - just fyi).  Anyway,  here's a great movie to kick off this new batch of 100!

I love In Bruges and even though it's got a plot that can't really be summed up properly in a blog post - it's just that kind of movie - it is so good, it's ridiculous.  So Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are two hired killers hiding out in Bruges, Belgium, waiting for word from their boss, played expertly by Ralph Fiennes.  The basic joke is that Fiennes' character things Bruges is the best place to vacation on earth, a Fairytale land. And Farrell likens it unto hell.

As things progress, we start to find out why these two are in hiding, what Farrell did to get them there, and what Fiennes wants to do about it.  A few colorful characters get introduced along the way - including a racist dwarf - and there are a few hysterical scenes strewn throughout this dark comedy to keep you laughing.  The overall tone is very bleak and dark, but with vibrant characters and a simple-but-complicated plot (I realize that's contradictory, but I promise that makes sense), everything falls into place to make this one enjoyable watch from beginning to end.

Movie #298 - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
2009 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 3 min
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell

Admittedly, this movie's plot is kinda complicated and the style is fairly artsy and pretty fantastical.  But it's Terry Gilliam. And Christopher Plummer. And Heath Ledger's last movie.  And although the plot seems complicated, the theme is the simplest there is: good versus evil. 

The movie centers on a traveling stage act where immortal Christoper Plummer allows spectators to enter his Imaginarium.  Inside, they must face a temptation found in their own imagination and choose between the good and the evil choice.  A wager between Dr. Parnassus (Plummer) and Nick (aka the Devil) becomes the central plot, as Parnassus' daughter and friends face their own battles. 

If you hadn't heard about this one yet, Heath Ledger died before filming was complete.  Depp, Law, and Farrell stepped in to help finish the movie, free of charge, as friends of the late actor.  How does that work? Pretty ingeniusly, actually.  Ledger completed all the "real world" shots but not the scenes inside the imaginarium.  The three fill-in actors take turns playing his character inside the fantasy world, where your appearance can be changed by your imagination.  This minor obstacle is worked seamlessly into the fill and not overexplained or hidden.  Each fill-in actor is meant to look as close to Ledger as possible, but it's not a big deal that they're not exact.  Surprisingly, it's not as jarring as you might think.

For all its artisticness and its subbing in of other actors, I really do enjoy this movie a lot.  Although set in modern times, The Imaginarium transports you into another world where all these fantasy elements seem quite commonplace.  Really well done, all around.

Movie #143 - Daredevil

Daredevil
20th Century Fox
2003 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 43 min
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell,
Michael Clarke Duncan, Jon Favreau, Ellen Pompeo, Joe Pantoliano

Do you think Ben and Jen watch this movie like its a home video? 

"Look, kids! This is how your mother and I met!"

"Dad, you're a superhero?"
"Only on TV. But look, it's our first kiss, Jen!"

"Ben, you know that was like, Take 15 or 20, right?"

"No one needs to know that, honey."

See, I've got the whole awkward scene in my head now.  In any event, this movie's one of those comic-book-turned-film messes. It's not all bad - it does have Stan Lee in it, can you spot him? - and the fighting scenes kick ass.  But really, is my life enriched by this movie? Not particularly.  I'm glad it was useful for Hollywood match-making (and to let Jennifer Garner take Alias to the big screen, more or less), but I could live without it. You know?

Movie #138 - Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart
Fox Searchlight Pictures
2009 - Rated R - 1 hr 52 min
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell

This was my first viewing of Crazy Heart which we received as a gift, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was basically in the same tone as those musician biopics that started coming out with Ray and Walk the Line, but this one isn't as bleak and dark.  It could have been, if it wanted to, but something about Jeff Bridges's performance lets you see the 'realness' without getting bogged down by it.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is my favorite part of this movie - and I feel like she won a Golden Globe or something last year for this role.  If that's true, then it's well deserved. If that's not true, she was robbed.  Her character, a writer and single mom who gets tangled up in Bad Blake's (Bridges) insanity, is realistic, guarded, and protective of her only son. When she finally draws a line in the sand, you know she's not kidding.

As "life" movies go, this is a good one.  It's not a favorite, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Movie #20 - Alexander (Director's Cut)

Alexander (Director's Cut)
Warner Bros Pictures
2004 - Rated R - 2 hr 47 min
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto

The best thing they did while making this movie was to choose a little boy who looks like like a young Colin Farrell. The worst thing they did while making this movie... hold on, I'm gonna need a minute here... I really can't decide which is the worst. Why don't you decide?

Is it...

A. Dyeing Colin Farrell's hair blonde?

B. Making Angelina Jolie have a Russian accent? In Macedonia, no less.

C. Casting Colin Farrell, who brought his Irish accent with him?

D. Filming a slapping match between Colin Farrell and Rosario Dawson?

E. Turning an epic war hero into a whiney bitch?

My biggest beef with the movie is probably Jared Leto and that whole lover subplot. It is speculated that Alexander might have "lain with men," but so did everyone else! Instead of making it part of the story, it takes over the whole second half of the movie. It was an aspect of his life--maybe--but the way this movie depicts it, the relationship was largely scandalous. Ummm... probably not. That's probably modern culture painting its own perceptions onto this story, which takes place in an era when sexual relations (with anyone) were much more accepted. Some may applaud it for being so "open" about it, but I think they went overboard. I hope that makes sense without insulting anyone.

Beyond that, the movie is toooooo long, jumps back and forth too much, and doesn't really paint Alexander the Great in a favorable light... his father (Val Kilmer) either, for that matter.

But oh, the actor who plays Thomas Boleyn on The Tudors is in this. Cool.

That's all I got on this one...