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The Hunt - I keep thinking of my hatred for Alejandro González Iñárritu's movies (see my Babel review for a taste of that) in the wake of watching Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt, and trying to decipher why exactly Vinterberg's film, which is also about the inevitability of shit being heaped upon good people, didn't piss me off like Iñárritu's movies do. I want to say it's the strength of Mads Mikkelsen's performance, which is terribly moving and raw, but there are performances in Iñárritu's films that I love too. I suppose it's a small tweak to that aforementioned shit inevitability - all goodness and light isn't trampled in the wake of Vinterberg's intentions. The relationship between Lucas and his little accuser never falters, and remains tender and loving even in the face of unremitting outside cruelty trying its damndest to capsize it - Vinterberg sees the forest for the trees and doesn't get caught up in a maelstrom of his own inhumanity. Still the second half, while powerful and stomach-churning, does get a little pat - lines are drawn awfully clear; walking in the foot-steps of preconceived notions can bear out that sense of sinking fate, but it also scrubs off some surprise from the proceedings. But that's a killer ending.
I'm So Excited - My expectations were basement low for this high-flying return to "comedy" for Pedro Almodovar, so I was super happy to find myself charmed and surprisingly moved by the experience. I think the problem of expectations might've marred some people's reactions in another sense - it's much less a broad comedy than its Pointer Sisters inflected trailer let on. (It's also seriously rapey.) But I found this plane full of characters and their over (and under) lapping romantic foibles irresistible - it was silly and soapy and totally depressing all at once. Not to mention sexy as all get out - when the pills kick in and the aeroplane starts a'rocking... you know how it goes. Just make sure I'm seated next to Miguel Ángel Silvestre, please.
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Jason, somehow I missed your review of "Babel" nearly seven years ago, and having now read it I have to share that you articulated by very own feelings about that film precisely. However, I did like "21 Grams" (I am hard-pressed to not like anything Naomi Watts is in), so perhaps my feelings about Inarritu are slightly less hostile than yours. No matter how good "Amores Perros" may (or may not) be, I will never EVER watch that movie because the scenes of canine abuse will be too upsetting for me to sit through, and they are apparently too integral to the film as a whole for me to excuse myself for a potty break during those scenes. Bottom line -- the jury is still out with me on Inarritu.
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