Two Movies Viewed

Recently I watched two films in my quest to watch all the movies nominated for Academy Awards... (I am a little behind.) The first one was Kinsey, one of many biopics nominated this year. I found the movie intriguing and certain to produce all kinds of good discussions among friends watching it in their living rooms or couples considering their sex lives. I was familiar with Dr. Kinsey but have never read any of his writing, nor did I know much about his actual study or the way he was received in this country. This movie is not for the faint of heart. What I mean is if you prefer your R rated movies to be chock full of violence instead of sexual scenes, or open discussions of a sexual nature, then this film will likely provide you with more gasps and head shaking than one typically finds. In the end, it didn't rank as an all-time favorite film but it did spark some curiousity about Kinsey. And Liam Neeson and Laura Linney did a fine job.



My second Oscar nominated film was A Very Long Engagement directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also created the masterpiece Amelie. Both are French films (yes, you must read subtitles) starring Audrey Tautou who is magnificent in Amelie and doesn't disappoint in this film. There is a characteristic touch that Jeunet places on his films (at least the two I've now seen) that sets it apart from others. The cinematography is beautiful and the use of color and light makes the story almost magical. Except for the flashbacks of the WWI trenche warfare. Those scenes were brutally violent and somehow necessary, since Mathilde is trying to discover what has happened to her young fiancee, Manech, who is supposed to have died at a trench known as Bingo Crepuscule. She is certain this is not the case because she knows she would be able to tell if he were not alive. She is devastated and has renewed hope repeatedly throughout the film and while the story is good it is the little touches that make it work for me. Jeunet is a master of fine details and small bits of humor that decorate life. There is some sexuality, as is the case in Amelie, but this movie is well worth a viewing (despite the cost of excess violence and brief sexual scenes)--or two, since there is a lot to follow. (moreso than in Amelie) She is unraveling a mystery and so are we as we watch. There are moments of clarity for Matilde that left me in the dust, rewinding a scene in order to catch what it is she discovers. However, if you've never seen Amelie.... start with that film.