Feb. 24, 2006 - 2:22 p.m.
Last Thursday I saw a great movie. It was about this kid who is a little street tough trying to make a name for himself outside of his little posse. His posse looks for him to tell them what to do and how to act. In the beginning they think he�s the shit. When they go out looking to rob someone in the first few minutes you are scared of Tsotsi. His eyes are full of menance and hatred, of hard life and scraping by any way he can. He walks down the street like a king. His posse flanking him but a few steps behind. The other thugs make fun of him, but you know they are a little scared of him also. As he scopes out the victim he is very much like a tiger casing his prey. He is cool and menancing. Beautiful but terrible. And then the robbery goes wrong. He may act like it was part of the plan all along, but for the instant when it all goes to hell in a hand basket you see his fear and almost hear him say �oh shit!� In that look of an instant you see his life flash before his eyes. He will never be the same. His posse will never be the same. From that moment on you are attached to him, you want things to turn out ok, for that one brief instance you saw that he was human. The movie after that is a set of cringing reactions and responses that he makes while trying to be the tough young thug again and trying to remain the king of his posse. His reactions are brutal. As the movie goes on he does some horrendus stuff but you get the feeling that he doesn�t want to do those things, but its all he knows. And you see him grow. You see him grow into a man and take responsibility for his actions. The movie is called Tsotsi after the main character and also after the weird jumble of languages that is the language of the slums of South Africa. The actor is amazing. He makes you laugh and cry and everything in between without talking. Its nominated for an Oscar as best foreign film from South Africa. It is one of those movies you go outside afterwards and notice the leaves on the trees, the stars in the sky, the sweet bitterness of the cold winter wind and appreciate them all the more.
(I got to see it for free and I got to meet the director and the actor afterwards as they stayed around for q�s and a�s after the movie. I love this city.)
Then I saw Good Night, and Good Luck. It isn�t a bad movie. Its not the greatest movie ever either. Its good. The directing was interesting, though they kept cutting to a singer for some reason and it really took you out of the movie. I think it was supposed to show what really happens in a news studio. Though I never understood if the singer was also part of the newscast or it was just something George Clooney threw in for good measure. And for the life of me I can�t figure out why he included the �marriage� of patricia clarkson and robert downey, jr. What did they have to do with the story? I understand the reason for subplots and things but it just seemed so weird to me. I feel the same way about the character that killed himself. Whoever played him played him excellently but it seemed so needless that he was mentioned in there. It was an ok movie. It�s the only best picture oscar nominated movie I�ve seen of this years crop and I must say that I wasn�t too impressed. I�m sorry. Maybe it was the $9.50 for a matinee showing that soured me to the whole movie. Maybe it was the hype. But let me say this. The acting was incredible. The set, costumes and direction was incredible. But the movie was ho-hum. If you haven�t seen it yet. Save your money and netflix it.
And since I�m on the topic of the oscars I can�t help but mention that Sin City wasn�t nominated for anything. Nothing. Nada. (we have nada 3!) Zip. Not even best editing. Damn you oscar nominating people. Damn you. It seriously was one of the most original movies to come out in years. Everyone was buzzing about it. I felt sure it would be mentioned somewhere in the oscars, but nope. Unless it will be praised to no end in the technical oscars. Oh I do hope so. If only for the fact that it had Clive Owen in it.
On an oscar free note:
This is what I found when I opened my door on Valentines Day:
I love you Beth B!!!
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