July movie reviews

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the kind of guy who believes in and is waiting for true love, while Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is more of a enjoy life today, no-commitment kind of girl. They meet at work, and the movie follows the 500 days of their relationship. And tells you right off the bat that this is "not a love story". It's a more realistic look at a relationship, with the highs and lows, ups and downs. Here are two people that are both good, likeable people, but just not meant for each other. And the movie does something else very interesting by not following the story in chronological order: there's their meeting, breakup, fun times, bad days, shown in non-chronological order. It's an interesting tactic. It's a funny movie, well-acted, with a plot line you don't often see. Very enjoyable.

THE HURT LOCKER. The movie begins with a quote about how addictive war can be. The story follows the work of a bomb demolition team in Iraq as they go from threat to threat. One of the sergeants is bold and remains calm even during the most stressful situations, the second sergeant is cautious and by the book, and the third soldier is a young recruit who is afraid, admits he is afraid, and just wants to get out alive. And just like the characters, we know at any moment that their world could explode. But the movie's not about stuff exploding, it's about the men who do the work and how it affects them. This is terrific movie making, maintaining a high level of tension throughout the entire movie. Really good.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. This one has Harry continuing to fight the evil forces of Voldemort (with Dumbledore's assistance) while Draco Malfoy appears to be going over to the dark side. The Death Eaters are threatening Hogwarts; things are looking grim all over. And both Harry and Hermione have unrequited crushes on schoolmates. There is a new teacher, and more mysteries. I don't read the books, and I missed the last movie, so I have to admit I sometimes haven't a clear idea on all the nuances of what is going on. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this movie, the kids' growth into teenagers, and the especially the special effects. Although I could live without another Quidditch match.

HUMPDAY. This indie comedy begins with a young couple in bed. From their realistic conversation you immediately get the feeling that they are a really cool couple. In the middle of the night, a old friend of the husband's knocks on the door and crashes at their place. The friend is more the free-spirit, an artist who has been traveling the world. The next night, the husband and the friend end up at an bohemian party, where they hear about Humpfest, a movie festival of amateur porn. The two guys are getting quite drunk, and they start talking smack to each other, eventually each saying that they would have sex with each other (even though they are both straight), and make a very arty porn movie for the festival. When they sober up, neither wants to back down on their commitment to make the movie. The husband doesn't want to back down because he doesn't want to be seen as all traditional and ruled by his wife, and the friend doesn't want to back down because he doesn't want to be seen as someone who maybe isn't as free as he purports to be. So they keep talking about how they are actually going to make this movie. And talking about it, because neither wants to back out. Not a knee slapper, but a pretty amusing movie.

PUBLIC ENEMIES. The movie opens with John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) escaping from jail. The crime wave sweeping the county is making the FBI look bad, so J. Edgar Hoover appoints Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to track Dillinger (and others) down. The movie follows the two as their paths criss-cross until their final meeting. There are several loud gun battles. John apparently loves his coat-check girlfriend (Marion Cotillard). But other than that, I didn't learn much about the characters. And there is a large cast of characters that I found confusing (both all the FBI men and all the people in Dillinger's gang). To the movie's credit, it is well-researched and doesn't try to make Dillinger out to be a hero. But the movie was too long and for me, except for the girlfriend, lacked any emotional component. Not a bad movie, but with such a great cast, I guess I was expecting more.

IN THE LOOP. This British movie follows a group of British and American politicians and their toadie aides in the run up to an unnamed war in the Middle East. Things are moving very quickly before a U.N. vote. Some don't want war, some do, but most just want to make sure they keep their jobs and power. This political satire reminded me in some ways of a very fast paced Dr. Strangelove. Very smart movie, although at times the Brit slang lost me. But there are still plenty of funny lines, to be sure. Probably I would get even more out of it through a second viewing, but I am not sure I want to see it again anytime soon. The fast pace was pretty intense, actually. I need a breather.