Cowboys and Aliens
I popped in the Blu-Ray and watched 2 hours of my life go down the proverbial drain, never to be retrieved. What producer genius green-lit this monstrosity? Look, I'm all for genre mash-ups, but this script was ill-conceived and fell super-flat in its execution.
Normally, I have no problem with suspending my disbelief when watching movies - obviously, seeing I just rented a movie about cowboys AND aliens - but don't expect me to suspend my logic in addition to my disbelief - that's lazy script writing and insulting to the audience. Everyone involved with this train wreck seemed to be on autopilot - the performances were drab and lifeless, the cinematography uninspiring, the soundtrack weak sauce. It's as if the cast already knew going in that this film was a lame duck. Even Daniel Craig's toned buttocks in leather chaps didn't distract me enough from this crapfest.
Strictly Ballroom
I recently revisited my love for this movie. It’s the first installment (and directorial debut) of Baz Lurhmann’s “Red Curtain” trilogy of theatre motif-related films – the 2nd and 3rd being “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge” respectively.
It's as light as cotton candy and just as sweet, with a heavy dash of quirky Australians, whipped to a campy froth. It's intentionally absurd but sincere at the same time, its romantic beating heart worn visibly and with pride on the sleeves of the bespangled Dayglo costumes. If you're not on your feet and stomping the Paso Doble at the final dance number, then you, my friend, have a heart blacker than Voldemort's. (Ps. the soundtrack is killer.)
