I spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening up at the Alamo Village.  While not my favorite Alamo, it holds a special place in my heart, as it's the first time I experienced the Alamo (for Donnie Darko).  It's still not my favorite, since it doesn't have the "stadium seating" which allows better viewing and the table spacing is more consistent. But the staff is friendly and helpful, just like the other Alamos.

I hadn't been to the movies in nearly a month, so it was high time to catch up, with three films I've heard very good things about. So in order of viewing:

Taken
I'd seen a quick comment from a facebook friend that it was very good, and the trailers intrigued me.  It lived up to that, mostly.  Liam Neeson's character reason and action was spot on, and for the most part, the characters were very well played. Only when he wasn't running or fighting, Neeson moved like an arthritic. And his hair drove me nuts. I'm weird, I know.

Maggie Grace did a fantastic job as his 17yo daughter, very coltish and carefree like a young girl should, in the beginning.  Unfortunately, in the last 10 minutes of the film, she had too much energy for someone who'd been so traumatized.  Still, it's worth the watch.  Neeson does a great job a  man who'll do anything to protect his little girl, and has the skills to back it up.

(And no, I haven't seen Last Chance Harvey, or Rachel Getting Married, you. So I can't compare.  You know who you are.)



The Wrestler
What makes this movie outstanding is the many unguarded moments captured on the characters faces, that say more backstory than any exposition could ever do. There is more suggested that what's told, and Aranofsky, a master filmmaker, does it exceptionally well. The grainy film, the handheld camera, all that makes it raw and personal, as if the viewer was the fly on the proverbial wall. 

It's almost painful to watch the downslide of a life that is Randy "The Ram", an aging wrestler whose identity is tied into his profession.  While you get a lot of insight into the professional wrestling circuit, it's about that profession as much as Slumdog Millionaire is about Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

While I still loved Slumdog more, The Wrestler is an outstanding film, and a terrific followup to Aranofksy's The Fountain. If I'd seen it in 2008, it would most definitely be in my top 10. Let me put it this way; if you don't see it, don't consider yourself a cinephile.

Unlike The Fountain, so intentional, like a well conducted symphony, The Wrestler is an after hours, back room solo the nearly forgotten singer doesn't realize anyone can hear, when the stage mask is off. 

Which is ironic, because Bruce Springsteen's song, which starts shortly before the credits, was shamefully not nominated for an Oscar. And unlike most of those songs, which only play in the credits, Springsteen's titular song is absolutely perfect for the ending, and it's a shame it won't get the recognition it deserves.



TimeCrimes
I missed Fantastic Fest 2007, so I missed this festival hit.  I did casually meet director Nacho Vigalondo, when he had to share some "food porn" with some mutual blogger friends. The guy is quite a character, and has a penchant for mixing the absurd with the scary, as seen in is Oscar nominated short, "7:35 de la mañana".

In this case, he takes a middle aged businessman at his new country home, a pair of binoculars, and a penchant for voyeurism, and it turns into a tangle of consequences.  And like some if his shorts, it mixes the absurd with the scary.

It's worth checking out, although I got very impatient about 2/3s through.  But I can't fault the story.  One little mistake and the consequences get completely out of control.  When you watch it, you'll realize how well it's titled.  And I can't fault the economy of the story; there are only four people, in a limited number of settings.  That one section brought me out of the story, and I couldn't quite get back into it enough to rave about the movie. But it's a very worthy effort.