Chinatown

Chinatown was the best of the film noirs we watched in my book, greatly because of the acting. I thought Jack Nicholson did a great job making JJ Gittes a really believable character. He got himself deeply involved in the Mulray case which helped me get into it. Faye Dunaway did a good job being the strong woman character in the beginning, not being emotionally affected by the men. Though, later let her emototions start getting in the way and breaking down. I also thought her acting stood out as a nice part of the movie. The incest between Evelyn and her father was beyond strange, and I wondered if it was really a neccessary part of the film. Anyhow, after a rather slow paced plot throughout the movie, the ending zoomed by. This was a nice change of pace, though seemed out of the ordinary. Although the ending was very pessimistic, I liked the feeling of closure and the surprise that Evelyn did actually get shot and died. I am used to the typical good guy gets away endings. The plot was complex which was a benefit to the slow pace and keep me thinking. In my opionon, the ending does actually come together pretty well, even though it is a little twisted.

Kiss Me Deadly?

Kiss Me Deadly is the ultimate film noir? Ya right! This movie from beginning to end was too unrealistic and frankly rather weird. The girl from the beginning of the movie seemed to have a whole different plot than the rest of the movie. Also, what was the heavy breathing from her all about? That was too weird. Mike Hammer was another story. He went around slapping people to get information out of them, which actually may have been the bright spot in the movie because how hilarious it was. The build up to the entire movie ended in a glowing box of doom. A glowing box of doom?! Inside the glowing box of doom was a ball of fire? How disappointing is that! We wait the whole movie for this secret box and its a mystical thing. After that I didn't care for either ending. If i chose one it would be the one where they died because it made me feel better that no one survived. Mike Hammer and Velda didn't deserve to survive the glowing ball of fire. Also, this ending provided more closure to me as it left the idea that nothing would survive all the explosions kept increasing. Maybe this was just the primitive idea to nuclear destruction, though, a glowing ball of fire is all the writers came up with? I was disappointed to say the least. In my view, Kiss Me Deadly was not the ultimate film noir, not at all.

Out of the Past

I don't think it is Jacques Tourneur's fault that I didn't enjoy this movie, but rather the fault of the genre. Film noir doesn't interest me like it does seem. The bluntness of the characters, the excessive smoking by Jeff, Kathie, and Whit, as well as the deaths by the hero at the end didn't sit well with me. Even the "action" was boring to me. I am the type of person that likes the high paced computer generated movies of today. I am the type of person that wants the hero to overcome all circumstances in his way and survive - like the Bourne movies. There's no way Matt Damon would stand a chance to survive what he underwent, but I don't care, the hero needs to live. Jeff Bailley was a likeable guy and was a bright spot in the movie, so thats why I felt even more frustrated when he died at the end. Kathie's manipulation and lies got old. I can see why some people enjoy film noirs, but you won't find me at Blockbuster renting another one.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This was my favorite movie of the year thus far. Eternal Sunshine of the spotlight had a cast that I really enjoyed led by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslett. They both played roles I usually wouldn't expect, especially Carrey, who did an exceptional job. I found the movie very thought provoking in ideas such as what if a mind erasing experience was a reality. Would people do it? Would I do it? I also found the actual relationship story between Jim and Kate to be very accurate and believable. It is easy for viewers to see why they started dating, as well as to see why they broke up. They have contrasting personalities that came together well most of the time, but can also be very difficult to overcome. At the end I think the director did a good job leaving some interpretation open to the viewers, but at the same time keeping it rather optimistic. This is a movie I may have to go out and rent some night!