Reviews

I watched Kitchen Confidential and How I Met Your Mother side by side (taping one, watching the other), and I do not understand how How I Met Your Mother can be considered the better of the two unless some serious finagling is happening in the background. Really too bad, since it's actually a funny sitcom and happening in a kitchen - something that rarely happens and something I did not expect at all. I almost forgot that this was based on the real Anthony Bourdain - the main actor is very sexy and very cute. The storyline about the famous chef who wants to eat himself to death (played by John Laroquette) was the best one so far. Too bad major networks don't have the time anymore to give a rookie sitcom some time to develop an audience.

I don't enjoy violence in movies, especially if it's unnecessary. But this movie was justified in its use. Calling this movie very violent or bloody is misunderstanding the movie - it's taking the focus away from what matters in the movie: the landscape, the directing, the music, the characters as they are being acted out the story as it's unfolding. The violence connects you with the feelings and thoughts of the characters and conveys the the mood of the era - I came away feeling as if I had experienced living in "wild" Queensland. The story is simple but it's very well executed. And needless to say, I've learned from every single Guy Pearce movie I've seen. Ray Winstone was incredible, Emily Watson very effective, and John Hurt was a pleasurable bonus.

The ending is poetic and beautifully done.

Watching this documentary isn't simply watching a film about someone writing something negative about George W. Bush. Bush takes a backseat to the story of the two individuals who believed in freedom of the press and freedom of attempting to find the truth. The question of how the PERCEIVED credibility of writers and publishers affects a written product is surfaced and the connection is (justifiably so) questioned. I thought the movie really showed how the written word is not judged by its content but rather by its environment, something that most people working in the literary profession would like to deny. And I wish Sanders Hicks all the best - he comes across as a very mature calm man despite his youthful antifa looks and behaviour.

At some point in the movie, I could not help but shake the feeling that writing truthfully about Bush was like a mummy's curse - which is rather eery considering that these are based on ancient myths and legends.

Mind you, I like movies that leave me with the urge to find out more and to analyze. I spent countless hours reading and reflecting on Mulholland Drive and Momento (and enjoy doing it!). This isn't one of those movies. I started out thinking it but realized very quickly that I don't care to figure it out. The truth is all there but it's not that important, really. I think it was a wonderful movie. Some people won't "get it", but then again, how can a movie be that great if it's designed to please everyone? Tim Burton has created a movie that speaks to people with a unique attitude about life, and I for one enjoyed it, from deep deep down my gut. Once you put aside wanting to figure out what's real and what's not, it's superb entertainment with great stories (I'm a sucker for good stories), great acting (I'm a sucker for MacGregor, Bonham-Carter, Buscemi) and wonderful imagery. It's a love story between a father and a son (along with a love story between men and women), and I have yet to see many movies that can handle this topic with such delicacy, humour and caring devotion.