The Propesition (2005)

Gritty "western" of the Australian outback has been called by Joe Firmage a "little masterpiece". I don't quite agree with that statement but I can see where he is coming from. It's moody, nicely shot, and ham-fistedly existential. The characters however, with the exception of two, are really underdeveloped and hence not compelling enough for me to really care about. Mostly it just reminded me of a lot of other movies ranging from Unforgiven to Stingeree. Great character part in it for Jon Hurt though.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004)

In the top 50% of Will Ferrell's work, I'm thinking Judd Aptow's involvement might be responsible for elevating this over say that Ricky Bobby movie (which I couldn't finish). Ferrell is great at throwing himself into a character and this is probably, oddly, one of his more well rounded. Strong supporting cast, including Christina Appelgate in probably the best performance of her career. Loved the Tim Robbins cameo as a reporter for public television.

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Steve McQueen and Paul Newman were friendly rivals both behind and in front of the camera in this Irwin Allen disaster extravaganza. The movie is just plain fun, in fact I was actually surprised that it maintained my interest so well over its roughly 2 hr 40 minute run. It's not that the film is all special effects and melodrama without any real subtext, it is after all a movie about foolish hubris, essentially a retelling of the Tower of Babel, though the cut on Fay Dunaway's dress might be more appropriate for Babylon.

The Nativity Story (2006)

Direct and likable adaptation of the story of the birth of Jesus. The film is largely made viable by the engaging performance of Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary, her characterization is endearing and sympathetic, and her dynamic with Joseph brings out the whole, stunned young couple aspect, that the Biblical narrative always implies but doesn't sketch out in any detail. I've seen other interpretations of the Magi that were more compelling however.

Collateral (2004)

Michael Mann is a director I’ve never paid that much attention to, though just a casual awareness of his work gives you a good idea about his style. It’s a style that I found worked in Collateral, a film that’s both violent and relatively contemplative. Jamie Foxx got an arguably deserved but ultimately unnecessary Oscar nod for this performance the same year he did Ray (good performance boring movie that one). Also it was refreshing to see Tom Cruse do something so different. Certain aspects of the films end stretched things a little bit, but on the whole I liked it.

Tootsie (1982)

You know I’d never seen Tootsie until last night and it really does deserve its much praise. A highly respected comedy it also succeeds, perhaps surprisingly, at its intended objective of communicating the world of women to men. I’m not saying the film presents any great breakthroughs in that area, or even that I learned anything that I didn’t already know, but the empathy of the story, for all sides involved, save maybe Dabney Colmen’s (happy 76th by the way), comes through remarkably well. Plus now I know where the cheesy 80’s ballad “It Might Be You” comes from.

Stardust (2007)

Stardust was a totally satisfying movie, a fact made even more surprising to me because I thought I’d already seen my engaging revisionist fantasy for the year in Enchanted, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Credit for Stardust’s success goes equally to the unique vision of Neil Gaimen whose “Amazing Screw on Head” first clued me into his quirky sensibilities. Second off it goes to the hammy fun had by Michelle Pfiffer and especially Robert De Nero, whose transvestite sky captain was the high point of the movie, and the movie was consistently engaging, lacking in the lags that usually accompany fantasy films. Worth your time, though the films light but not wholly traditional sexual attitudes might offend some Huckabee voters.