Movies we’ve seen lately-

I’ve been negligent with posting of my movie reviews lately and I don’t know what that means. Maybe the movies are just forgettable, maybe I’ve been lazy, or perhaps I’ve just been busy and my writing has slacked off. Probably its some combination of all the above excuses, er, reasons. But, its Academy Awards weekend upcoming, so maybe its time I tell you about the movies that have sucked in my entertainment dollars. Also, the Foresite Film Festival is upcoming in Ogden shortly and if I hope to be invited as a member of the press again, I better sharpen my skills and make myself visible.

A couple weekends back, the BSU and I went to see what all the Academy nomination hoopla is all about for the movie, There Will be Blood.

Let’s be clear, this movie was not made for blockbuster ticket sales but for the sake of story telling and movie making. It is a blustering story about an oilman- Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day-Lewis who discovers that he has a penchant for digging oil out of the ground in the beginning of the 20th century and finds his big strike on a dusty patch of California dirt outside a tiny village called New Boston. The movie is based upon the story, Oil by Upton Sinclair. Plainview insinuates himself into New Boston using his cash, his soft-spoken promises and intimidations and buys up all the land where oil seemingly seeps out of the hillsides. His efforts and wealth are continually roughly scraped against a young religious zealot and preacher of the only church in town and their conflict escalates throughout the tale.

This is a big story of a frontier era in America’s past with panoramic vistas, gritty individuals with a hunger for success and wealth and the steely determination to get what they want, at whatever the cost. Plainview runs over everyone that stands in his way of his ever-increasing wealth; the man-boy preacher played by Paul Dane, other oilmen, landowners and politicians, strangers and family alike with seemingly little pleasure in either the wealth or the results. He does seem to enjoy the process of extracting oil out of the ground but he appears to have no pleasure from the results of his labors. Instead he takes what he wants, bends the rules and arms of those that stall him and alienates his son and everyone that might have befriended him.

This is an exciting movie and I really enjoyed it. The spouse didn’t hate it but it will never make her “10 Best” list. It is violent in places, sad and tragic too but ultimately it’s a story of hard work in a gritty period of American industrial history and the men that created the oil industry. It is intense both in story and scenery and you should expect that it will win at least some of the 8 Oscars that it has been nominated for, including Best Picture. Looking at the list of Best Picture nominated movies, it appears that I have seen all of them except Atonement and There Will be Blood is the most memorable and remarkable of the choices, so that’s my choice for Best Picture. If American Gangster was in this list, which I think it should be, then my choice would almost be a toss-up between the two films.

Fool’s Gold

Here’s a movie, Fool's Gold that won’t be receiving any Academy Award nominations unless there is a new category instituted for “Best Hairless, Hunky Chest”. (Ugh, I can’t believe I just wrote that!) We saw it this past weekend. This one is a mighty light movie.

Matthew McConaughey plays Finnegan, a down-on-his luck, sun bleached and clueless treasure hunter, searching for valuables in the sands underwater off the Florida Keys. He looses his boat to an inconvenient fire, (is there any other kind?), spends a night adrift and makes it to the judge’s chambers just minutes too late to speak his part at the divorce proceedings separating him maritally from Tess Finnegan, played by Kate Hudson.

Finnegan charms his way onto the luxury yacht that Kate works on as a steward, and convinces the globe-trotting owner, Nigel Honeycutt, played by Donald Sutherland, to take up the treasure hunt based upon the latest piece of a plate that he has found and Kate’s knowledge from research they did during their honeymoon.

So a search ensues and along the way, Finn’s old treasure hunting teacher shows up, hired by the bumbling bad guys that own the island where the search is centered. There are explosions, Scooby-Doo type clues and bikini shots throughout. There’s even a Vespa motorscooter that plays a critical role by providing a headlight that must be powered by the Energizer Bunny for its ability to provide clue digging and reading light for an entire night.

Its all fun and games after that and eventually ends up with all the lost Spanish gold and jewelry found where it was hidden in the most unlikely and dangerous place on the island but it is recovered and placed on display for the world to see and admire. Finn and Tess rediscover their love for each other and treasure hunting, the ditzy, socialite daughter, Gemma figures out that her daddy, Nigel really does love her and the bad guys get sent packing from the island.

How is it as a movie? Well, think Scooby-Doo with prettier people and scenery. Its light and painless and “better than she expected” according to the spouse. I found a terrific quote researching this post; A golden-hued film populated by a bunch of fools”“, that is pretty accurate. I did feel bad for Donald Sutherland as he seemed to be playing the globe-trotting senior character without much enthusiasm. He seemed like the aging All-Star player that gets sent to the minors to stay active while the rookies get all the playing time. In particular, Alexis Dziena, (who?) as Gemma seems to tax Sutherland’s decades of acting tolerance and I couldn’t help but feeling that he had been roped into the only adult role in a cast full of youngsters that he wouldn’t normally associate with. It seemed like he got roped into role he didn’t really want to play.

The rest of the cast is pretty but not winning any Academy Awards for their skills. McConaughey is handsome and charming, (I suppose) and seemingly made for the glib, male role in the modern romantic comedy that brings people’s dollars into the box office. Kate Hudson is pretty enough but seems to me to be made of cotton candy- sweet but not much substance. And Alexis Dziena, who the heck is she? I have to say that the spoiled, bratty, not very smart socialite part she plays doesn’t seem like much of a stretch so I don’t see any Oscars in her immediate future.

So go see it for the scenery and the silly tale and enjoy your popcorn. Its no classic but its not too bad and the warm Caribbean scenery will warm up your winter chilled spirit.