SOMETHING ISN'T FLOWING HERE
Mystical, Indeed
Mystic River (2003)
Nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, "Mystic River" tells the story of Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), a man who must struggle with his desire to seek vengeance for the death of his daughter. The event causes Jimmy to be reunited with his childhood friends, though perhaps not under the most ideal circumstances.
Excepting Sean Penn (who steals every ounce of his performance from Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando), this film is incredibly well-acted. Tim Robbins and Marcia Gay Harden are just phenomenal and the cop duo of Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne now ranks as my all-time favorite. The strong supporting cast justifies an otherwise excessive runtime.
Director Clint Eastwood tells his story very well in "Mystic River." The question is, is this a story really worth telling? Not really. If you remove Eastwood and Penn's names from the billing, you're left with a high-budget, over-glorified, made-for-TV crime drama that wouldn't get the Academy's notice. "Mystic River" is a great movie, but Best Picture nominee it ain't.
FLAWED, BUT TOUCHING NONETHELESS
Translation: Great Movie
Lost in Translation (2003)
In "Lost in Translation" (another "Best Picture" nominee) Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and actor Bob Harris (Bill Murray) are two lonely-but-married Americans who find each other while visiting Japan. The film is largely autobiographical of the writer and director, Sophia Coppola.
The biggest weakness of this movie is its technical flaws. Some of it is poorly shot. The writing is weak as well; too often we get the sense that Coppola is trying to speak directly to us through her characters. In fact, overall the film is wrought with New York snobbery. "Lost in Translation" feels very much like a film made by a writer-director who is still getting her start.
That said, the story is both original and touching. Both Murray and Johansson personalize their roles so well that it is nearly impossible not to empathize with them. I would rank "Lost in Translation" toward the lower end of the Best Picture nominees, but nonetheless it makes for a really great story about coping with loneliness.
EVEN THE SET WAS CRAP
Order up... and out
The Order (2003)
In "The Order," rogue catholic priest Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger) discovers the darkest of truths when investigating the death of his beloved mentor. With knowledge of the truth and himself obtained, Bernier is faced with the most important decision he'll ever make.
Dull, uninspired and pointless. Everything from the acting to the set design lacked even the slightest glimmer of a human quality. The movie takes itself and its ridiculous premise so seriously that even the average movie-goer is likely to be snickering to himself.
If you like these sorts of melodramatic "theological thrillers," this movie is for you. For the rest of us with good taste in movies, the $7 is better spent on socks or oatmeal.
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