Catching up

Did you all miss me?

Gone Baby Gone has to be one of the best surprises I've had at the movies this year. I giggled-- I don't think anybody can help but to giggle at the Directed by Ben Affleck credit, but he really delivers in his first film. It drips with atmosphere and authenticity-- Affleck obviously knows Boston and wants to put a part of the city on screen that we haven't seen before. But this would be all for nothing if it wasn't for the story. About an hour in I was convinced the film was over and terribly disappointed. Then the story kept going and the second half of the film made me rethink everything I was feeling in the first half. Every time I felt like I had a grip on what was going to happen next, the story took another turn. It finally ended on an unexpected note that left me grasping for answers to the questions the film posed. The cast is great, especially Casey Affleck, who's having a hell of a year. Michelle Monaghan is really the only weak spot, but I think that's because she isn't given a whole lot to do. With Michael Clayton, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and now Gone Baby Gone 2007 is turning out to be an incredible year if you like mature thrillers.

It's difficult to talk about Margot at the Wedding after Gone Baby Gone, not because Margot is bad [SPOILER: it isn't] but because something feels missing from it. Margot is very funny in it's own absurd way, but it falls flat on its face when it reaches for drama. I didn't really feel it when anyone cried in the film, and they cry a lot. I felt at times like it was pointless to wallow in the lives of these dysfunctional people. I think the comedy bits make the film worth seeing, and Jack Black makes up for a lot, but it won't stick with you.