So I feel like there should be a thread to put thoughts on movies that you've seen recently but aren't new - and therefore don't belong in the 2010 thread - and you don't feel like devoting a whole new thread to each. And voila, here it is. I'll start us off. [b]The Living Wake[/b] (2007) [img=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EABuPIKLAtM/TH29OeeTBuI/AAAAAAAADYo/9uTSTlkJ2rc/s1600/Living+Wake+Poster.jpg] This is a small indie film that is currently streaming on Hulu. It's a dark absurdist comedy about a self-styled genius and drunkard, K. Roth Binew, who finds himself diagnosed with an unnamed disease that will kill him at a very precise moment. Knowing this, Binew and his "biographer" and essentially manservant (played by Jesse Eisenberg) have a day to set up and invite the people of his life to his "living wake," as well as try to find some sort of meaning to explain life. Style-wise it's a very good low-budget imitation of Wes Anderson, only more...absurd, and more poorly acted. I felt like I could have liked the film. There was a core vision there that I could have enjoyed, and also it reminded me at least a tiny bit of the movie [i]Big Fish[/i] (which I love). However, there was just too much standing in the way. The (over)acting from the main character (played by Mike O'Connell) was intensely irritating. K. Roth Binew is meant to be bombastic and self-important, but that shouldn't mean constant shouting and a horribly affected manner of speaking. If anybody else had played his part I think I could have liked the movie more. As for Eisenberg's role, well, the affected manner of speaking was there too, so I can only assume that it was meant to add to the impossible to place era and location or some such. Other than that, his understated acting was a very, very welcome relief from O'Connell's performance. The movie's meant to be a comedy, but to be honest there really wasn't very much humor that didn't fall flat. There were a few good comedic moments (the scene with the liquorsmith - which btw is my now preferred moniker for purveyors of alcohol - and the scene with the librarian are particularly what I had mind, if any of y'all ever watch it), and maybe even one surprisingly poignant scene that reminded me that there was a little bit of a charm and a quirk hidden somewhere in there. Ultimately, however, most of what it sets out to do it fails at. Flashbacks are poorly executed, different styles of acting were working against each other, the comedy could have worked but didn't due to such a poor lead performance, and the two musical numbers - aside from feeling out of place in the first place - fall completely flat. [b]Amélie[/b] (2001) [img=http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/KArbendZA/amelie.jpg] This particularly movie is very well spoken of, so I wasn't surprised that when I watched it for the first time it didn't reach quite the heights that everybody had told me it reached. I find, however, the long I think about it, the more I like it. Amelie is sweet and imaginative and has a childlike fascination with all sorts of wonderful things, and her quest to improve the lives of others and finally to work up the courage to meet the object of her affection is so joyful and whimsical you can't help but enjoy watching it and feel at least a little bit uplifted after watching it. The acting is great; Audrey Tautou, who plays the protagonist, comes across very likable, and is able to be extremely expressive and emotive without ever saying a word. In fact, I felt like the movie could have worked almost as well running on narration alone and not having any dialogue. All the supporting cast members fill their roles admirably as well and the whole movie feels vibrant with these characters inhabiting it. Visually it's just as rich and vibrant as the people who inhabit it (or is it vice versa), and the editing is clever and very well done. And the soundtrack! Oh man. I want Yann Tiersen to write the score to my life, holy cow. I can't stop listening to it. There's more movies I've seen recently but I'll leave it at that for now.