28 Weeks Later (Opens this Friday). This movie makes my list as a nod to Rocket Jones; simply because we both enjoy classic Zombie movies, he more than I. I just love to make fun of them. Plot: The U.S. military has occupied Britain to make it habitable again and stamp out the last vestiges of the "rage" virus that decimated the land. Now it's "28 Weeks Later," and the troops are allowing refugees to repopulate the realm. Strengths: The zombie event of the year. Another reminder the undead gravitate to brains (i.e. quality filmmaking). Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, six years after his Sundance breakthrough, Intacto, continues to show style and guts. Six months after London is declared zombie-free, zombies ransack it again — then the U.S. military fly in to firebomb South Kensington — we get the sobering, hopeless finale 28 Days Later needed. Weaknesses: On the other hand — as fraudulent as that cheerful ending felt, it’s the kind of left-field risk you accept from an iconoclastic filmmaker like Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Millions). And guess what? No Danny Boyle this time (though he is producing). Oh, and the U.S. government is brought in to restore order when chaos sweeps a foreign land? The zombie genre always did like a touch of satire. A NYT reviewer wrote: "The Satire Is Biting, and So Are the Zombies"
Home Of The Brave (Opens this Friday). This movie follows four returning soldiers as they survive the ravages of war in a distant land and then try to come home to continue their lives. It was Robert Browning who said: "He who did well in war, earns the right to begin doing well in Peace." Many find that a difficult task. Strengths: The exceptional cast does a great job in portraying their respective roles. Weaknesses: It’s a little obvious, and ham-handed in places. But its opening a window onto a scene that we shouldn’t be ignoring. What it wants to do, storywise, and succeeds in doing more at times, compensates for the forgivable gaffes it stumbles into along the way. But that’s a civilian’s point of view anyway.
Away From Her (May 18). This is beautifully moving love story that deals with memory and the circuitous, unnamable paths of a long marriage. Married for almost 50 years, Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona's (Julie Christie) commitment to each other appears unwavering, and their everyday life is full of tenderness and humor until their relationship is challenged. Strengths: Summer’s unlikely art-house hit: A young Canadian actress (Sarah Polley, 28) adapts an emotionally nuanced story by Alice Munro about an elderly couple, Alzheimer’s, and nursing homes. The plot is human-interest material with substance: A husband checks his wife (Julie Christie) into a nursing home and 30 days later finds she has no memory of him. Christie stages a comeback Oscar won’t ignore. Weaknesses: If Evening doesn’t depress you, this definitely will. Classic autumn fare. As assured as the film is, Polley is no virtuoso — so far she strikes a couple of notes well. The strong performances and uncompromising tone risk pumping up its reputation way beyond reason.
I enjoyed 28 Days Later, especially the new fast zombies. Of course, they're only technically zombies... barely.
Posted by: Ted at May 11, 2007 05:02 AM