Finally watched Saving Private Ryan. It was good, but I think some interesting directorial choices definitely detracted from the story. I also think some of those monologues could be cut.
Keeping with my J film (and Tadanobu Asano) film fest, I just finished Kurosawa's Bright Future. While reading the reviews there were so many that expressed their confusion. I saw the same with Pulse. Perhaps I'm just as weird as Kurosawa, but his stuff always makes sense to me. His films hit such basic human emotions and fears that I'm always confused by people who walk away wondering what the point was. This is a brilliant look at generation gaps that leave parents and children feeling alienated from one another and living in two different worlds. It's about how we sometimes fail to grasp that the most important thing is to accept until it's too late. Most importantly, it's about not taking second chances for granted and loving even when you don't understand and it might come back to sting you. It's another one that I'll be thinking about for a long time.
The Black Widow - So bad it was good! A movie experiment written and directed by Willem Dafoe and his wife. Good for Dafoe fans.
Mulholland Drive - Directed by David Lynch. Exasperating to watch, with clue after clue after clue .... Excellent roles for Naomi Watts and Laura Harring.
Watched Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead last night. I liked the plot and the way in which it was filmed (starting in the middle and then flashing back and following three separate individuals actions leading up to and beyond the middle). It just couldn’t hold my attention and I felt like I didn’t connect with any of the characters. I really wanted to like it given the concept and actors, but I’d only give it 2.5 stars.