How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

At the movies, of course! Where else would you find a movie dweeb with 11 days on his hands to do [almost] whatever he wants? Saw lots of them, at home and at the cinema. Some new, some old. Some I had seen before [some many times before] and some I had never seen. So here's the rundown with my ratings and forth:

In Theaters:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 8.5
A Dangerous Method - 7.5
The Artist - 8.0
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - 8.5
Hugo - 8.5

At home, on cable or dvd:

Tron : Legacy - 7.0 [ 2010 ]
How Do You Know ? - 6.0 [ 2010 ]
The Green Hornet - 7.5 [ 2011 ]
All Night Long - 9.0 [ 1981 ]
Tightrope - 7.5 [ 1984 ]

Of all these I was most surprised by The Green Hornet. It is a subversive action-hero movie in that it is played for laughs most of the time, with Kaito the real hero and Seth Rogen's Hornet making jokes, running from the bad guys yet taking credit for the super hero stuff that he didn't do. I found it refreshing and I laughed often while watching. The most disappointing had to be How Do You Know? With a stellar cast of Reese, Owen, Rudd [always worth watching] and the mighty Capt. Jack Nicholson, what could go wrong? And with Oscar winner James Brooks at the helm as writer/director! Well, as it turns out, a lot. This romcom started out very sluggish, the first hour being especially tough to get with. However, it did get better as it went, the second hour improving on the first, and it had a nice ending too. Tron: Legacy was somewhat of a mistake; I didn't really wanna see it, but one morning it was on and my girlfriend [a confirmed SF dweeb] and I just went with it. And found that it wasn't bad. A pleasant surprise. And Mr Bridges, a holdover from 1982's original Tron [yes Virginia, this is a sequel], is always worth watching. He has made some junk in his career, and after a 40 year career who wouldn't, but he is usually the best thing in his films, weather they are good or bad movies.

Of the new stuff I saw in theaters I guess Dragon Tattoo was the most riveting. Fincher is one of the most outstanding filmmakers working today. His films usually bend toward the dark...well hell, I'm convinced he lives in the dark! Only Benjamin Button was a somewhat light affair - and compared to the rest of his output, it was a regular fucking Disney flick. At least two scenes made me flinch, and the end of the film took about ten to twelve minutes too long [though necessary] to wrap up, it still is a wonderful addition to his already impressive canon. Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method about Freud and Jung and the patient that comes between them, is a somewhat dry and, yes, methodical, piece of filmmaking from a creator who seldom bores. Like Fincher, Cronenberg is one of the few who seems to work on challenging subjects that must be of some interest to him. Unlike his last film, 2007's Eastern Promises, Method is deliberate filmmaking, almost Eastwood-like in its pacing. Scorsese's Hugo was immensely enjoyable. Though sold as a kid's movie, it really is an adult movie about kids. And about the movies. The main plot of the film is Hugo's attempt to help the embittered toy store owner of the train depot where Hugo lives. The toy store owner is none other that George Melies, an early 20th century French filmmaker who fears his work has been forgotten and is apparently lost forever. Of course this is just honey to an old cinema-bee like me, so I was entranced. The Artist, a French-silent black & white film that takes place in old Hollywood of 1927-1932 just when talkies were taking over, should've been my favorite of the holidays and maybe a contender for an all-time favorite. But alas, such was not the case. Enjoyable and diverting as it was, I felt that The Artist's plot was tired and left wanting, a cross between Singing in the Rain and a little bit of Sunset Blvd thrown in. However, the performances, photography, musical score and audacity [a B&W, silent film: OMG] were all first-rate. And the ending was particularly enchanting as it ends as a musical with expert hoofing from the two likeable leads. My only hope is that the director next makes a all singing, all dancing picture. That film would be tremendous.

Tinker, Tailor was an excellent, yet somewhat confusing tale of espionage and the double cross. Though at times tough to follow [almost a must for all spy films], the plot is deceptive, because it is simple and basic: A mole has infiltrated British intelligence and Gary Oldman's George Smiley must weed him out. From the performances to the writing to the sets and photography, Tinker Tailor is low-key, dark and somber which fits the story and mood of the piece to a T.

So now I'm off to try to catch Fellini's directorial debut, Variety Lights, which I've got from Netflix, if I can only find the time.