Me First!

Movie #18, The Departed

OK, I totally saw this like three weeks ago and then never posted about it. So now I'm in the familiar position of writing, "Yeah. What Maya said." Sigh. Well anyway, this is my favorite movie of the year, easily. If Scorcese doesn't win this time around, etc., etc.

Also, I can't believe we both agree that Leo turned in the best performance, considering the company he's in (*cough* Matt Damon *cough*). While critics want to either dismiss him as a pretty boy or crown him as the great actor of his generation, I tend to think he's been a little bit of both. Not once in The Aviator did I feel that Leo lost himself in the role – it was "Leonardo DiCaprio plays Howard Hughes." But then there's What's Eating Gilbert Grape. In that film, the vulnerability comes across as real, whereas in The Aviator, Leo just communicates it through a series of tics, without letting it go deeper. That vulnerability is really what sells this character in The Departed. We've all seen undercover cops in movies and on TV, but this sense of despair sets this performance apart. I can't believe I'm saying this, but... maybe, possibly, (if you refuse to acknowledge Ryan Gosling), you should sorta... give the man an Oscar. At least a nomination.

Movie #19, The Prestige
I saw this on Sunday too, so it's possible Maya saw it before me, but still! If I had just been quicker on the draw, it would have seemed like I was first.

I didn't see The Illusionist, and I also haven't seen reviews that claimed it was better than The Prestige. Their Rotten Tomatoes ratings are just about identical. But here's what I know: the actors really match up well in terms of talent, but not in terms of looks, so I'm going to give this round to The Prestige. Also, I will love Christopher Nolan until the day I die for giving me my first true movie obsession (as anyone who talked to me between the months of January-July of 2001 can attest).

At any rate, I totally figured out half of the twist within the first 30 minutes, but it's a credit to the filmmaking that I didn't stop second guessing until the very end. This one gets a thumbs up, at least partially because Christian Bale = pretty.