Wednesday, October 24, 2012
MAGIC PICTURES
Today's film was Martin Scorcese's
Yes. I am just catching up with last year's films.
This one is an homage to the startup of the moving light image. Movie pioneers. Some nice original footage. Although it doesn't seem that way at first.
In fact, it is a bit difficult to see how we got there from what seemed to be a movie about a boy who lives in the clockworks of a train station.
Roundabout.
But charming. The film is driven by whimsey. Relentlessly. Is this really the same guy who stuffed bodies into car trunks and had a taxi driver who was a social menace. Yes.
I have enjoyed Scorcese's music films, documentaries, very much. Not so much the killer films.
This is a third category. Rich with images and cross references, it seems to be a living cartoon film with many well known actors showing up for cameos. Johnny Depp shows up in a jazz quartet playing the guitar and never speaks a line. He is also a producer.
I liked it. It got to me. I didn't want it to but it did. I am not big on whimsey. But there it is. It worked. The director's skill.
Ben Kingsley is gruff then turns to sweet too quickly. Jude Law makes a nice dad. The kid is cute. His girlfriend more of pain in the ass, actually. Emily Mortimer, Sasha Baron Cohen (playing it straight for once) and others flesh it all out.
I was disappointed to find that the automaton never actually gets to draw a picture. A letdown.
Once was enough for me though. A 3 out of Netflix5.
