That was a lot of fun. A bit of a cop-out at the end, but still, a lot of fun. Also, I love seeing movies like this at the united artists on court street. The crowd there screams/laughs/comments on everything, which only made this movie better. Scary moments are a lot scarier when twenty people around you scream simultaneously. My favorite part of the movie: the unicorn, and I shall say no more.

I was worried at first; those first fifteen minutes had me dreading the next 75. Too obvious, boring, tedious, etc. But then something happened, though I’m not entirely sure what. The stakes were raised? Cecile de France? And then all of the sudden I was moved, incredibly. Why is she so forgiving? She still felt real to me. And Cyril…the Tree of Life might have all the flash, might say “God” more loudly and more often (also, just saw Days of Heaven - less than overwhelming), but this movie was the one with all the grace, with all the humanity. The symbols were there too, and though they were perhaps pedantic, they were nonetheless compelling. I’ve got to go check out the Dardenne brothers’ other stuff

now THAT’S going to make for a great tv movie. If I am ever at home with access to cable and a television on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and come across the hunger games playing on channel 136, I will totally half-watch the whole thing while also getting my taxes done or something. I did not bring my taxes to the theater, and so was somewhat bored at times. But also entertained! Without ever really being compelled, which is pretty much par for the course for Hollywood these days. Also, the costumes: was that really the best they could do?

a fantastic, gripping film, I was pleased it won the Oscar even though I hadn’t seen any of its competitors. Pitch-perfect in about every way, from shouting matches that made me wish they would never shut up to the quietly flawless formal execution of the whole thing (those shots of people speaking to the camera in the judge’s stead, primarily). Fascinating, too, in addition to its more visceral charms, distilling the complexities of contemporary life (Iranian and otherwise) down to cogency without losing their plurality. that killer ending, all windup, and the anticipation of a punch in the gut that’s at least as bad. Hollywood could learn a thing or five from this