Movie Heaven in 2007
The Curse of the Golden Flower
Zhang Yimou’s latest spectacle embodies operatic stagecraft at its
finest. The film sharply contrasts the beauty of the palace with the ugliness
of life inside of it, and condemns the corrupting concentration of absolute
power in the hands of one man. Both those who obey that power and those
who fight against it become corrupted and hateful in the process, and all
save the man on top lose in the end. Imagine a Greek tragedy without hubris,
and expect no happy ending. Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li as the emperor and
empress are outstanding.
Fever Pitch
Nick Hornby’s novels make good movies. (Well, at least three of them
have, anyway; I’m not so sure A Long Way Down would work.)
But High Fidelity (relocated to Chicago) and About a Boy were
great fun, and now this version of Fever Pitch can be added to the
list. (I say this version because a lesser known earlier movie starring
Colin Firth was made about a decade ago, but I haven’t yet seen that
film, so I can’t properly comment on it.) Stars Drew Barrymore and
Jimmy Fallon create very engaging characters, and directors Bobby and Peter
Farrelly, who relocated the story to Boston and changed the sport from soccer
to baseball, know how to direct underdog everyman comedies (see Kingpin
and Stuck on You). Plus the film has a surprise ending that surprised
even the actors and directors.
The Last King of Scotland
We saw this film weeks before the Oscars and knew Forest Whitaker (as Idi
Amin) would win the best actor prize — he really is that good —
but the lesser-known James McAvoy should not be overlooked. As the main
character, he appears in every scene and keeps pace with Whitaker as he
changes from star-struck fool to victim to undeserving survivor of Amin’s
regime. David Oyelowo, who played Danny Hunter on a favorite British show
of ours, MI-5 (Spooks), is entirely convincing and essentially
unrecognizable as an African doctor. Likewise Kerry Washington, whose portrayal
as Kay Amin made us assume this American actress was actually African. And
Gillian Anderson proves herself once again in a small but important role.
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