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kateelliottTo clarify, these are films I watched in 2008, not necessarily ones released in 2008. I'm just catching up. This is the second to last batch, after which we will move on to your regularly scheduled 2009.
Sia: The Dream of the Python
Sia is based on the story of Wagadu, which is the story of the fall of the empire of Ghana. Although set "in the past," the undertones of this story as told in a film have a resonance that is both timeless and contemporary. In a much earlier film post I wrote about the excellent production values of Michael Clayton. This film does not have that high level of production values: it is not slick; it is not glossy; it is not smooth and expensive looking. It is something infinitely more valuable: an honestly told and deeply powerful story about ambition and corruption with an ending (almost an epilogue) that works completely and which is entirely set up yet which I did not see coming. Highly recommended.
In the Valley of Elah
An Iraq War anti-war film about a young soldier fresh back from the war who, having survived all that, is murdered. Solid performances, especially from the always reliable Tommy Lee Jones as a grieving father and the surprisingly believable Charlize Theron as a police detective who is treated badly by her department but determined to see justice through. I thought it was good, and it was clearly meant to be wrenching, but there was an element I can’t quite put my finger on which made it seem a little predictable to me, and I wish I could figure out what that was.
Cat Soup
I tried this because![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
coniraya mentioned watching it. However, chibicharibdys and I had to turn it off after about 10 minutes because we both found it so disturbing. It is very very weird, and it full of things being sliced up or sliced open. For some people, I think, this is definitely an anime to see due to its extremely bizarre elements. For me, not so much.
Sia: The Dream of the Python
Sia is based on the story of Wagadu, which is the story of the fall of the empire of Ghana. Although set "in the past," the undertones of this story as told in a film have a resonance that is both timeless and contemporary. In a much earlier film post I wrote about the excellent production values of Michael Clayton. This film does not have that high level of production values: it is not slick; it is not glossy; it is not smooth and expensive looking. It is something infinitely more valuable: an honestly told and deeply powerful story about ambition and corruption with an ending (almost an epilogue) that works completely and which is entirely set up yet which I did not see coming. Highly recommended.
In the Valley of Elah
An Iraq War anti-war film about a young soldier fresh back from the war who, having survived all that, is murdered. Solid performances, especially from the always reliable Tommy Lee Jones as a grieving father and the surprisingly believable Charlize Theron as a police detective who is treated badly by her department but determined to see justice through. I thought it was good, and it was clearly meant to be wrenching, but there was an element I can’t quite put my finger on which made it seem a little predictable to me, and I wish I could figure out what that was.
Cat Soup
I tried this because
coniraya mentioned watching it. However, chibicharibdys and I had to turn it off after about 10 minutes because we both found it so disturbing. It is very very weird, and it full of things being sliced up or sliced open. For some people, I think, this is definitely an anime to see due to its extremely bizarre elements. For me, not so much.