Sunday, January 27, 2008

Solaris 1972 Version

I just finished watching this netflix arrival. Thinking I was choosing the more recent version with George Clooney, it was with uncertainty that the play button was pushed. The Clooney version is one older son really likes, but the time I watched it a few years back, it didn't make a huge amount of sense or much impact on me. This viewing was to see if it did more in both arenas this time around.

After sitting there enraptured for 169 minutes -- yes 169 minutes -- without serious consideration of a bathroom break, you may have some idea that this version may be a tad more substantial than the maudlin sap I remember from from the later version.

What can I say without giving away too much? The movie begins out in the country, with some of the most stunning nature shots I've ever seen in a film that didn't involve stuff taken from planes or helicopters. Woodlands and water shots exquisite enough to make you cry. Any one of the freeze frames could be framed and hung on a wall. These scenes alone are worth seeing the movie for. Seriously!

The man walking through the woods is leaving the next morning for outer space, to a space station in orbit around a planet that I think must be called Solaris. The focus of the planet is its ocean. The man is not an astronaut. He's a psychologist. He is investigating the few men remaining on the space station and the phenomenon described by one of the astronauts who came back from the place years ago.

This is where any more of the plot being revealed ends. Hopefully it's enough to pique your interest. OK one more thing. This film will appeal to thinking and philosophizing minds, and the questions asked will get you to doing critical thinking right along with the characters.

That said, Solaris rates up there in the must see at least once and probably more category.

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Saturday, January 05, 2008

No Country for Old Men


I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie. All I heard was it had Tommy Lee Jones in it and was about a cowboy. When a friend mentioned she wanted to see it I took a quick gander at a plot summary that didn't give away any secrets. I had seen no trailers. You'd be better off not doing either either.

Tommy Lee Jones plays a small but powerful role. Woody Harrelson is exceptional. There are two real stars in this movie, but they aren't the two illustrious names above. I refuse to give away any of the plot, but Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem each have stage presence that unequivocally portend their presence upon many more screens in the future. Mark my words!

If you've seen any Coen brothers' directed movies you know that they can be ...... intense. This one is no exception. The plot twists and turns like a dragonfly on a hot day, and it is with delicious anticipation that one sits in their seat wondering what's going to happen next. Stay away from this movie if you're not into graphic violence.

There is a philosophical aspect to the movie that I chose not to explore on my first viewing of it. It is a film I hope to see at least a few more times.

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