Nothing to see

It's been a while since I've gone to the theater, there's nothing worth seeing. The next movie I'm really looking forward to seeing is "Shine A Light", the Scorsese documentary about the Rolling Stones. Unfortunately that's still two weeks away, so I don't have anything new to write about. This has led me to watch more stuff at home over the the past two weeks, revisiting some old stand-bys and catching some stuff I've never seen before. Our public library is pretty good out here, so I have a good selection to choose from to fill in the gaps of my movie watching past-time. Here's some of what I have seen recently; "The Departed", I think this term is over-used, but this film really is an "instant classic". Twenty/fourty years from now when you want to watch a great film, "The Departed" will be an acceptable choice. "A Knights Tale", this film is fun, it's got charisma, and I just enjoy watching it. Of course it's different now that Heath Ledger is dead, maybe I'm feeling what eailier generations have felt when their young actors have died tragically. "Wimbledon", this was the first time I saw this movie, and it was also fun to watch. It's pretty much your typical, sweet, romantic comedy. What makes it stand out is that even though it deals with two professional tennis stars, overall it is down to earth in how they handle their lives. "Ratatouille", can I say "instant classic" again so soon? If you haven't seen this film yet then I don't know if we can be friends, there's really no excuse. Seriously, if yo have the electricity to be running your computer, then most likely you could figure out a way to see this great film. Each time I watch it I am further amazed by the depth, not just visually, but all aspects, from character developement, acting, sound, story, music, well you get the point. This film deserved to be noted in the Best Film category at the Oscars, that's how good it is. And finally this afternoon, on VHS I watched "The Age of Innocence". On one hand be sure to avoid viewing this film on a Sunday afternoon while lying on a couch, it is very challenging. On the other hand, it was very successful at completely capturing its subject. Daniel Day Lewis doesn't need to talk, and Scorsese knows how to make use of that fact. I was reminded of "Casablanca" where Rick has these feelings, emotions that are overwhelming. We as an audience see his point of view, even if we know morally that he would be wrong to follow through. Great films ask questions, and very rarely give us a clean answer. I was goin to say that they never give us an answer, but then I thought of "Braveheart" and had to change it up a little. "The Age Of Innocence" is kind of a nod to when movies like "Casablanca" were made. Things are left unsaid and undone. Sometimes this was because the standards of the time would not allow things to be said or done, but in the great films it was because the writers and directors understood the power of this technique. Scorsese has proven that he can work in the vernacular at hand. Sure his best has probably been the language and customs of gangsters, but with films like "The Age Of Innocence", "Gangs Of New York", ... what am I doing, this list could go on for a while, so goodnight.