Interstellar

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Written by: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan









A lot of digital ink has already been spilled over this movie, so I'll keep my review fairly short.

I didn't want to like it, and I'll probably spend most of my time here pulling apart the things I didn't like. That being said, I actually liked this movie despite myself.

Things I didn't like.
-- It was too long. It was too short. Either way, it wasn't the right length. At nearly three hours, it definitely tested my patience. But there was so much in the movie that didn't feel developed enough (such as when Topher Grace's character showed up out of nowhere). Each of the three acts - Earth, Travel, Tesseract - could have been a separate movie in-and-of-itself.
--It took itself so darn seriously. I could feel the science-y pretentiousness oozing out of several scenes. For a science-fiction movie, it didn't have enough fun. (Exception: the robots - see below.) I'm not saying it needed to be "campy," but it might have benefited from someone telling the Nolan brothers to get over themselves.

Things I liked.
--The robots were the most unique and original element of the film. Fascinating design and execution. Just when you think there's no new ideas about robots in science fiction, along comes CASE and TARS.
--The imagery and cinematography were top of the line. Each shot was gorgeous.
--Matt Damon was an genuine surprise to me. I'd managed to avoid all spoilers, so I was shocked when he showed up. I was even more shocked when his character started to develop, but I'll save that for another time.

Jonathan and Christopher Nolan deserve credit for developing an original science fiction movie (aside from a few nods to "2001" here and a wink at "Alien" there). Without trying to sound like a cranky old man, I feel that sci-fi movies tend to be sequels, rip-offs, re-boots, or just plain copy-cats of prior work. In most cases, the prior work was better, and only in rare cases - the recent "Planet of the Apes" films jump to mind - are the newer works anywhere in the same league as the originals. "Interstellar" manages to be new while maintaining the feel of a classic.

Another sign of quality in "Interstellar's" favor is that I keep coming back to it in my thoughts and conversation. I keep wanting to discuss it and dissect it (both the good and the bad) and, who knows - maybe I'll watch it again.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Directed by: Andrew Dominik

Written by: Andrew Dominik (screenplay), Ron Hansen (novel)

There exists a large division between art films and star-powered features. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" manages to exist in the small area where the two can overlap. It's also amazing that the film is thoroughly entertaining despite the fact that the title gives away the outcome of the film.

Facing the end of his career, Jesse James (Pitt) takes in Robert Ford (Affleck) as part of his gang for his last few robberies, though it turns out that Ford has an unhealthy obsession with James's mythology. Later, as James's cautiousness deteriorates into paranoia, Ford is presented with an opportunity to collect a large reward to assassinate his hero.

This movie is big and grand, both in terms of its scope and in terms of its story. The movie may have bitten off more than it could chew - but most importantly, it feels that way.

Stylistically, the film is impressive. It's beautiful. The story is beautiful, the acting is beautiful, the cinematography is beautiful. It's all beautiful. But, even with all that beauty, it manages to maintain the grit and grime of the time period. It feels like the 1800s.

The performances of both Pitt and Affleck are fantastic, as has been discussed elsewhere. Pitt is especially powerful, given the limited amount of screen time he is given. He manages to evoke the overpowering presence of Jesse James, which is no easy feat.

The length of the film does become a bit of an issue. In the attempt to make a deep, full story with a trove of great characters, the story stretches on a bit. There are a few subplots and stories which, although great, could have been pared down. (But who am I to play editor, eh?)

I wanted to like this movie, but the actual experience was less than I had hoped. But on reflection, I can say that I enjoyed it more than I originally wanted to give it credit for. It's a decent western, but a much better character study.

I recommend it, if you like it. If you don't like it, don't say I didn't warn you.