The Road

So let me get this straight: the world shattering event wiped out all the…bicycles? I have to imagine that this story worked better on the page than on the screen, as the depiction here simply shows too many internal story contradictions to truly give the viewer a worthwhile experience. By the tale’s own internal logic, these characters should have starved to death long before the narrative ever begins. More problematic is the movie’s core concept: things are awful, then they’re awful some more, and then, finally, they’re still awful—with perhaps the suggestion that things might get better, but maybe not. One has to wonder, what exactly is the redeeming value of telling such a story? It comes across as a simple exercise in misanthropic speculation, as virtually no one in the tale comes across very well. Even the worst curmudgeon among us must believe that, even in such dire circumstances, more people than not would choose to do right by others, rather than resort to, among other things, cannibalism. Really, this story seems like a work that pretends to offer wisdom and a deep understanding of humanity, but in fact it just indulges in an unrelentingly bleak outlook simply for the sake of bleakness. And, finally, I am biased against people who say “papa” instead of “dad”; just a quirk of mine. No amount of emotional heavy lifting from Viggo Mortenson is enough to overcome this film’s fatal, fundamental flaws. I suggest skipping this trip—and if you do find yourself forced onto this journey, maybe be sure to use that one bullet you have left sooner rather than later. 

Green Book

Good, in a low-key way. For a Best Picture winner, it never really rises to exceptional heights, but remains consistently engaging and entertaining throughout.  Most of the appeal rides with the work of the leads; Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen come through with strong work that raises the bar high enough to create an admirable if not standout piece of cinema. I suspect the movie's success was augmented greatly by its civil rights theme, but I think that angle actually lessens the film's appeal; the moralizing makes it more of an exercise in virtue-signaling rather than entertainment. If you let that aspect slide and look a little closer, maintaining focus on the core relationship for its own sake, that makes for a much more satisfying viewing experience. All in all, not an all-time great, but certainly worth one's time.

Captain Fantastic

Beauty and sadness. Those seem to be the twin currents that run through this story. There is great joy in this story of a man and his children living free from the constraints of the everyday world, yet it is also tinged with a lot of sorrow. Part of that sorrow comes from what seems to be the underlying point of this movie: namely, that life as an outsider is ultimately fraught with perils, and may very well be impossible in this world of today. Of course it's Viggo Mortensen who plays the part of the iconoclastic father to a tribe of free-range children; perhaps no other actor working today would fit such a role so well. It is to the filmmakers' credit that this movie does not entirely take the protagonist's side; there is enough doubt, problems, and general lack of wisdom that you can see the 'normal' world's side of things, too. This is really strong stuff, engrossing and enjoyable and thought-provoking, and not to be missed if you are anything close to a questioner of the world we see around us.

A History of Violence

An interestingly ambiguous movie. It takes a while for you to figure out what this movie is really about, and in this case that's a good thing. There's a couple of misdirections that are not overly complex nor too clever and self-conscious, which may be the best indication that this film has much deeper things on its mind. Once the story actually does shake down and the viewer realizes "This is what it is," you realize that you've been given a good dose of insight into the consequences of the thing, and that makes the ultimate ambiguity that much more effective. Definitely worth your time and consideration.

Hidalgo

There are problems, including inconsistency in the script (a jumble of languages spoken somewhat randomly) and most notably a long and unnecessary digression in the middle of the movie. So why the positive review? Mostly on the strengths: the movie's visually impressive presentation, a solid core story, and Viggo Mortensen's excellent, understated performance as Frank T. Hopkins. This is the kind of expansive epic adventure that used to be done so well, and with a little tighter focus, this one might have joined those classic ranks. It still deserves a look.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

They got it mostly right, veering off from the hard and true only in little, forgivable touches. Most impressive of all, the spectacle never really overwhelms the "human" story; the emotions are present and true. A bang up way to end a three-year-long, wild and exciting ride.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

That PURR is perilously close to a MEOW. The movie still rates as a positive viewing experience, with brilliant visualizations, impressive scenery and composition, eye-catching battle scenes, wonderfully strong characters--including the astounding presentation of Sméagol-Gollum--and some very nice allegorical touches (I particularly dig the "Nature fighting back" undercurrent of the Ent storyline). Despite all of those pluses, there are a number of divergences from the written story which are distracting and disappointing; unlike in TFOTR, where the differences are more "complimentary," filling in the gaps in the narrative, this movie's alterations fundamentally change several characters and their motivations, uniformly for the worse. It's still a good movie, but it comes alarmingly close to being less than its potential.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

Upon a second viewing I conclude that this film is indeed as good as I originally thought. The differences from Tolkien's story don't deviate so much as fill in the blanks. The only negative note: Cate Blanchett is awful as Galadriel.