film flam: stardust, becoming jane, bourne ultimatum

all of these movies were seen in the theatre! i’d like to think that it’s a new trend, but i shall just say, for now, that it is merely the way the planets aligned in the last week or so and hope for continued luck.

stardust: directed by the layer cake guy, matthew vaughn. this is a nice surprise and makes me curious to see what he’ll do next. also written by neil gaiman, which i guess i don’t totally see his influence. i would guess his influence is darker, but what do i know? in all, i declare stardust is an enjoyable fluff of escapism. 0h! michelle pfeiffer and robert de niro really make the movie. i liked the feeling that i got that the whole thing was made up of a story rather than a concept, which is not a very good way of expressing how dissatisfied i’m becoming with current cinematic trends. i’d like to be wrong, but so many big movies are all about where they can stick in the special effects. there were plenty special effects in stardust, but the story never stopped for them to happen. even though i was without joshy, i can imagine it would be a great date movie. only complaint: the main kids, claire danes and charlie cox were a little on the bland side.

becoming jane: i’m just going to start out by saying that i cried and cried during this movie? overactive hormones? i don’t know, man, it just got me. i’ve heard reports of other criers. i went by myself and was the youngest person in the place, which is more than a little scary. there was the definite aroma of old lady perfume filling the theatre. i soldiered on through the aroma and chattering of old women and thoroughly enjoyed the many “inside jokes” throughout the film for readers familiar with jane auston’s books. ann hathaway is more than convincing and the thing was well acted and smart. the film seduces with beautifully produced production design, costumes, music and performances. i liked that it was faithful to auston’s genteel spirit and repressed passions. mcavoy shines as a good hearted rogue. i’m not saying he’s my new boyfriend, lord knows i’m a total ho for the brittish/scottish/irish actors. at the very least, i’ll be on a mcavoy kick. he’s relatively newish so that won’t be too many movies. anyhoo. i liked this movie, if for nothing else, it gave me great opportunity to weep like a baby.

the bourne ultimatum: i agree with everything i’ve read or heard about the final bourne, it is simply a great action movie. it offers a rush of action and suspense with super-amped up energy, like a roller coaster ride. it is crazy fast paced and doesn’t let up. there is very little fat, although i was confused by the girl character. the surveillance scene is especially edge-of-your-seat. damon said maybe 27 words in the entire film. although the story held together quite well, there were moments when i felt like the filmmakers were barely ahead of the viewers. also, for the love of all that is holy and hand held, why oh why are action directors ignoring the stationary camera? i like hand held when used well. i like fight scenes that mix hand held with stationary so you can, you know, actually. see. what. the. fighters. are. doing. it just gets too crazy and dizzying when the camera is moving and the fighters are moving and the editing is all cut-cut-cut. sheesh. i am a fan of the old school fight scene as choreographed dance so i want to see some action rather than just feeling it. but, that’s really a small complaint.