Movies instead of TV this time. While I’m not in love with the Oscar nominations this year, my inner geek generally drives me to see most of them. And, you know, some other crap along the way. Was going to do these in “60 words per” style, but figure movies are twice as long, so the reviews can be, too:
It’s 2027 and the world has gone to hell because all women are infertile. A miracle mother appears on the scene, and who does it fall to to protect her?
Clive Owen, in disaffected shaggy former hero mode.
While this is pretty bleak and British stuff, it’s absolutely fantastic. Expect a little more exposition than you’d like at the beginning, but pretty quick it’s off and running. The vision of the future is chillingly realistic, as is the way it’s shot. Most of the movie is rough and handheld, culminating with an uninterrupted sequence that might make
Scorsese jealous. After reinvigorating the
Harry Potter series (with
Prisoner of Azkaban)
Alfonso Cuaron really comes into his own with this masterpiece.
Ben Stiller’s a divorced dad in need of a job, so signs up to be a night watchman at the
Museum of Natural History. Which is more surprising, that the exhibits come to life at night or that the events of the movie rekindle the relationship with his son?
That said, good(ish) special effects, a handful of laughs, and a nice “those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it message” make for mildly amusing and harmless fun. Stiller cranks out his standard humor,
Owen Wilson does his schtick,
Carla Gugino is lovely as always, and of particular note –
Dick Van Dyke and
Mickey Rooney are, in fact, alive.
Jennifer Garner’s wedding becomes a wake when her fiancé dies unexpectedly. Even more surprising is the fact that it turns out he fathered a child with a New Age massage therapist from LA. As you might guess, complications (romantic and otherwise) ensue.
C & R is a messy movie about a messy situation, and while it’s not terrifically successful, its heart is in the right place. Garner’s great – good to see she can handle a movie without handling a gun.
Timothy Olyphant’s solid as the unlikely love interest.
Kevin Smith steps out from behind the camera to play almost a parody of himself, and while it’s pretty broad, it’s also pretty funny. Not high art, but not bad either.
The global diamond-mining crisis, complete with warring clans and chopped off hands, gets boiled down into sort of a buddy movie. Kind of like if you crossed
Lethal Weapon 2 with
Kanye West’s “Diamonds from Sierra Leone.”
Despite the fact that it feels a bit pat, Blood Diamond’s really quite good.
Leo rocks a Rhodesian accent (at least I assume so, having never heard one before),
Djimon Hounsou’s terrific in everything he’s in, and
Jennifer Connelly, while not terribly compelling as a hard-as-nails journalist, is pretty enough to get a pass.
Edward Zwick directed, and this feels a lot like his recent Last Samurai, where the overarching backdrop is secondary to two men bonding. Liked it, didn’t love it.
...an Ansel Adams show...
...and the Chihuly lobby and conservatory. 
Wrapped up the day at The Wynn, where I caught John O' Hurley in the Vegas version of Spamalot.
Hurley drew on his Dancing with the Stars experience to be a worthy King Arthur compared to the original Tim Curry. The rest of the cast fared less well tho, particularly Nikki Someoneorother as The Lady of The Lake, a far cry from Sara Ramirez, who you prolly know better as Dirty Hot Callie on Grey's. Also, to condense the show to an hour and a half with no intermission, a couple songs got chopped, but nothing essential. Anyway, good stuff overall.
