Movie Weekend
So I went with the Selkie to see The Illusionist, and I went to see the remake of Wicker Man with Froop, Monk, and the Martian Moon Crab.
Names have been changed to protect the guilty in my weblogging, by the way.
The Illusionist was fantastic for Rufus Sewell and Edward Norton, and Paul Giamatti was splendid. The only problem with the movie was bloody Jessica Biel, but to be fair the script didn’t give her much to work with anyway. As eye candy she’s all right–but as a Victorian-era duchess she’s just not believable.
But Edward Norton more than made up for it with a performance full of incandescent fire. He can make me disappear ANY day. And Rufus Sewell is my personal vote for Japhrimel nowadays, since I’ve seen him get scary, arrogant, intense, and humble in different movies. He’s just be-yooo-tiful, and he has Japh’s eyes. His Crown Prince Leopold was magnetic onscreen and both chilling and full of pathos.
The movie itself is nice, tightly-plotted, and had the virtue of being one film where the Selkie could lean over in the middle and say, “We don’t know where this is going!” in a shocked, awed whisper. So, I give it four out of five stars–one star taken off for Jessica Biel’s woodenness, even if it wasn’t her fault, the part of the Duchess being horribly miscast and also not very well written. Better luck next time.
The remake of the Wicker Man was a pleasant surprise. Not only did they not punk out at the last second, but you don’t see Nic Cage’s chest hair ONCE in the movie, thank God. (National Treasure should have listed his chestrug as a supporting character.) The movie is beautifully filmed, with wonderful performances by Ellen Burstyn, Molly Parker, and Frances Conroy. Nic Cage didn’t do badly either, carrying a movie whose first third is mostly exposition to get to the meat of the matter–a man in place where ordinary rules don’t apply.
The biggest weakness in the remake (next to the sheer unbelievability of the script in the first third–talk about info-dump!) is the performance of the beestung-lipped Kate Beahan. One can’t believe this bug-eyed nutter is someone Nic Cage could fall in love with, let alone get close enough to shag. LeeLee Sobieski would have been a better casting choice, even in her minor role one can’t look away from her feral intensity. Beahan’s Willow isn’t a character a man would go to the ends of the earth for, much less believe when she drops the “It’s your baby” on him.
Three out of five for the Wicker Man, if only for the gorgeous costumes and the wonderful performances turned in by the supporting cast. (I totally want Sister Rose’s crow costume. Sign me up.) I’ll add another half a star for Ellen Burstyn’s queen bee. All told, it’s worth matinee price, but it may not be worth the price of popcorn nowadays. I’d wait for Netflix.
Last but not least, I saw previews for The Prestige. Hugh Jackman? Christian Bale? Michael Caine? All in suits with handkerchiefs?
Sign me up. I probably won’t care if the plot is any good, if I can stare at Jackman and Bale.
Life is good.
September 18th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
I liked Biel okay in The Illusionist. I thought she did a good job. And really the main character is Eisenheim anyway.
My husband and I kept elbowing each other in the theater going ‘This is good’ in voices filled with joyful awe.
M
September 19th, 2006 at 1:32 am
Biel’s been holding me back from seeing that one. After reading your review, I think I might be able to handle it. Might. Mmm…Edward Norton.