Earlier this week I watched Casanova, starring Heath Ledger.  I watched it on the recommendation of my sister, who thought it was cute and funny and that Mr. Ledger was yummy.

"He can brokeback my mountain anytime." is what I remember her saying.

While Heath doesn't make me play the Dirty Old Lady Game*, I loved the movie.  It was laugh out loud funny, the performances were all good, the story was charming and wonderful and the end was about as satisfying as any I've seen in a long long time.

Oliver Platt blew me away.

He's usually very good, but he does play a type; brash, loud, funny and smart enough to overcome his looks.  This time he played someone completely different.  I think he wore a prosthetic nose and teeth to make him particularly ugly, but this was by far the most charming personality he's ever inhabited.  He actually oozed sweetness.  He broke my heart and then made me laugh.  My favorite scene in the movie is when the beautiful Lena Olin falls in love with him at first sight.  I completely bought it.

*I'm old enough to be his mother, for heavens sake!

Then last night I watched V for Vendetta.  It was fun and interesting.  Jay and Zack had seen it when it came out but they didn't like it.  Jay thought it confusing and dull and Zack found it's heavy handed bitch slapping of George W. Bush offensive and tiresome.

I liked it.  It was very Phantom of the Opera and every cold war movie ever made.  Yes, it did try really, really hard to say "this is what Bush's policies will come to" but that premise was too stupid to take seriously.  For instance, one character has a flag bearing a swastika and the phrase "coalition of the willing", which actually made me laugh out loud and there's a flashback scene where a character is describing political unrest in 2015 and protestors are carrying anti Bush signs.  Perhaps someone should explain constitutional term limits to the Wachowski  brothers.  On the other hand, these are the same idiots who wrote the Matrix trilogy (Um...I don't know what should happen next.  What do you think should happen next?) so I doubt if they could grasp the concept of "reality".  They certainly wouldn't understand how it could possibly matter. 

I thought Natalie Portman was very good.  She brought a lot of energy and emotion to this role:
      "I'm scared, help help...Oh Thanks! wait, you're nuts!  I guess I'll mace the cop, now.  Holy Cow, did I do that?  I'm so out of here...Crap, they got me!  My hair...my beautiful hair!  I'm not gonna eat that.   Ow!Ow!Owowow!  Fine.  Kill me, already.  I hate you!  No, wait...I love you!  Yeah, that's the ticket.  Is my hair ever gonna grow back?"  KaBoooom!

The fight scenes were cool. 

 

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