Apostrophe S

I’ve been falling behind on writing about movies I’ve seen, which is one of my favorite things to do with this place. So I’ll sum up in one paragraph (or less) my reviews for each movie.

“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005)

The second of two animated features I’ve been looking forward to in this quarter, after Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, was the feature-length debut of Wallace & Gromit. I enjoyed the short films they starred in before and I loved director Nick Park’s homage to the Great Escape, Chicken Run. So give me an hour and a half of W&G and I’m pretty happy. For some reason these clay characters come to life in a way that their computer-animated equivalent’s just can’t seem to do. The story is solid, the characters are lovable and the animation is expert.

“The Constant Gardener” (2005)

I like movies that take on issues, such as the drug masterpiece “Traffic.” In some ways, this is a similar film. Characters find their lives inextricably tied to a global conspiracy concerning the testing of new drugs on unwitting Africans. It’s a love story, but sadly during much of the film it is suggested that one of the characters has been unfaithful, causing us to question the relationship between the two protagonists. It’s hard to deny the message of this film is stronger than the story, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed it.

“Good Night, And Good Luck” (2005)

This is one of the movies I had been looking forward to the most this season. A) I like George Clooney. B) I like black and white movies. C) I think the defeat of McCarthyism is an interesting subject. D) I am a journalist.

Add all of these things together and you get a great movie. Tack on the “cool independent” -ness of it, and you’ve got a recipe for accomplishment. The intensity of television news during the ’50s is relayed well by the tight shots and lack of much background music. This movie is a testament not only to what good journalism should be, but also to what good filmmaking should be.