I’ve seen something like nine million movies since I last wrote a movie review so I figured sharing a little bit of the wealth would be a worthwhile endeavor. Since there are so many damned movies though capsules are going to be my modus operandi for the foreseeable future.
Amelie (French: Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain/The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain): Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (City of Lost Children, Delicatessen) and starring the unbearably cute Audrey Tatou, Amelie is seriously good. It bubbles over for its entire two hour length with life, humanity and, creativity. Highly, highly recommended.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (French: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) Very cool. Then again, how wrong can you go with a beautifully filmed musical featuring a young Catherine Denueve? She purty. My only gripe (and it’s not a real gripe) is that the entire movie is sung- opera style. Even the most mundane, unsingable elements are set to music. This isn’t some sort of terrible sin- it’s just, at times, somewhat distracting. You find yourself laughing at the wrong moments. Otherwise this is exactly the sort of film that deserves the loving restoration it received. Bringing this masterfully shot film with it’s extraordinary palette back to it’s original vibrant life is a job well done.
Get Carter (British) No, not that piece of shit Stallone remake. This marks the second time I’ve seen the 1971 original by Mike Hodges. Michael Caine kicks so much ass in this film it’s not even funny. Literally and figuratively Caine, as the ultimate British gangster Jack Carter, has got ass-kicking so wrapped up in this film they should have retired the phrase then and there. Rarely has watching a man on a kill-crazy rampage been so much fun.
Originally published in January 2003 on DrunkenFist.com.