Some Catch-Up

Brideshead Revisited (Julian Jarrold, 2008) - B

Catholicism is the villain, a monster capable of consuming entire families. Took me a while to realize this was where the movie was going -- I haven't read the Evelyn Waugh novel -- but then it all sort of came together. Before that I couldn't figure out if this was supposed to be a doomed love story (in which case it was an awfully languid, dispassionate one) or a Faulkneresque saga of an aristocratic clan's gradual downfall (in which case the dully good-natured protagonist was a meaningless distraction); in reality it's sort of a combination of the two, with religion as the unexpected focus, which turns out to make a lot more sense. Ben Whishaw remarkable; Matthew Goode a blank slate.

The Wackness (Jonathan Levine, 2008) - C+

Couldn't quite get behind this morose bit of 90s nostalgia, despite being intrigued by the notion of 90s nostalgia -- could this be the first avowed example of same? Too aggressive with the cultural signifiers, straining to shoehorn them in where they don't really fit, and the quirkiness seems forced; it's hard, from a screenwriter's perspective, to make a character like Ben Kingsley's "weird old guy" work, and Levine's not up to the challenge -- "weird old guy" is all he ever is. Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby are winners, and the movie rose at least half a grade in its last five minutes. But were summers in New York City in the early 90s really this depressing?

Mamma Mia! (Phyllida Lloyd, 2008) - B-

ABBA songs + Meryl Streep = entertainment. That's about all I have to say about this one. Stupid, laughable even, but the music is great, the director seems to have had a pulse, and the cheese factor and Pierce Brosnan's inability to sing a note are part of the charm. However, it's stupid to sing "Chiquitita" to someone not named Chiquitita.

Swing Vote (Joshua Michael Stern, 2008) - C-

First of all, dreadful as a character piece -- the swing voter is an insufferable, irredeemable dimwit, and there's nothing remotely charming (or human) about him. For a while, I thought it would be serviceable as political commentary, a statement on the way modern politics makes it impossible for anyone involved with it in any capacity to hold on to a shred of dignity and principle. But then it ends with a weird bit of ass-kissing, Costner suddenly telling both candidates how much he admires them and wishes he were more like them -- what? That's your ending? Talk about pulling your punches. Also not very funny, though Lane, Tucci, Grammer and Hopper are entertaining to watch, as usual.