Movies: Cheese, Murder, and Romance

I have mixed feelings about Nicolas Cage. Sometimes he picks crappy parts and all I can see is a cheeseball with bad hair. But then comes along a movie like The Weather Man (or Lord of War, or Adaptation), and I find myself impressed with his ability to become a character. It just so happens that in this movie Cage's cheeseball-ness came to his advantage-- because no one is cheesier than the local weather man. This film was a pleasant surprise; it was subtle, humorous, and endearing. I don't think any other actor could have pulled it off. But that doesn't mean I forgive him for naming his son after Superman's Kryptonian birth name. Ass.


Capote was great, as expected. Philip Seymour Hoffman truly deserved the Oscar, but he has always been a brilliant actor so this came as no great shock. What I found most intriguing about this movie was the story of the Kansas Clutter Family murders. I'm obsessed with crimes and criminals; I can't even flip my remote to A&E because I will undoubtedly become entranced with the latest edition of American Justice or some similar program. Truman Capote seemed interesting and all, but the film mostly made me anxious to read In Cold Blood and get even more details about the killers. What I also love about this movie was the fact that Dan Futterman (you may know him from The Birdcage) wrote the screenplay! Way to go Dan!


I actually went to the theater this weekend and saw V for Vendetta. It had many political themes--with obvious contemporary implications-- but not in an obnoxious way. In fact, I felt that film's underlying message really rang true. When the government starts monitoring and controlling peoples' lives in the name of national security, totalitarianism is only a few steps away. It's eerie to think how easily the government can play upon the public's fear of terrorism these days. But on another note, V had a very romantic feel as well. I loved the Phantom of the Opera-like romance between Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving's characters; it gave the film another dimension.