Movie #383 - Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted
1999 - Rated R - 2 hr 7 min
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg, Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall, Elisabeth Moss, Vanessa Redgrave, Jared Leto, Jeffrey Tambor, Angela Bettis, Jillian Armenante

Ryder plays Susanna Kaysen, the author of the autobiographical book detailing her 18 months in a psychiatric ward.  A colorful cast of women join her -- some greatly outshining her in fact, like Jolie's Lisa, an Oscar-winning performance.

As one of the least crazy women in the ward, Kaysen needs to do the most personal reflection.  Her depression, she realizes, can be overcome... but it takes her a while to get to that finishing line.  No thanks to Lisa, the rowdy, authority-challenging "bad girl" of the ward.  They become friends and, while Kaysen ultimately sees lessons to be learned from the friendship, at first it threatens to lead her down exactly the wrong path.

Whoopi Goldberg is fantastic here as well, playing the head nurse of the ward -- a tough woman remniscent of Chicago's Mama Morten who puts up with a lot of back-talk but knows when its time to speak up.  A great scene between her and Ryder is among my favorites.

So many great performances here -- Brittany Murphy among them -- and it's definitely a great new addition to the wall.

Movie #332 - American Psycho

American Psycho
2000 - Rated NC-17 - 1 hr 42 min
Director: Mary Harron
Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Therouz, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe

I must be some kind of sicko, because I think this movie is freaking genius.  And the gore is amazing.  Weird, right?  (SPOILER ALERT)

If you can watch this movie in the way the filmmaker intended you too, however, it has so much to say.  The general gratuitousness of the 1980's lifestyle, the dark secluded recesses of our minds that most of us don't indulge, the two-sidedness of the human condition, and the corruptness and idleness at the top of the corporate chain... Bateman's fantasies are blended seamlessly into the true scenes of the movie, so your experience is the way he'd like to tell it to you. He believes he's done these things, and by the end of the movie, you'll be confused about it yourself.

In fact, the "did he or didn't he" conversation happens nearly every time we watch the movie.  They never explain it in the film, but his friends' refusal to believe him and the whole "his victims are still alive" thing clears it up pretty well.  But as I said, the murder scenes are depicted so realistically, I can see where the confusion comes in.

Anyway. I love this movie, even if that does make me a little sick.

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...