MC: Fourth Film

I switched my weekend up yesterday, taking Saturday off with the intention to work today instead of focusing Saturday on work. After my rowing and Zumba classes (yes, Zumba--as seen on TV (sorta a salsa/aerobics class)), I spent the afternoon with another movie: Michael Clayton.

It was good. But it was thriller good--not Oscar good. It was not a lot different than FX's new series that I love, Damages, but frankly, I think Damages does a better job of handling the mystery needed for a good thriller. Michael Clayton, on the other hand, never hid anything from the viewer. (there was a very small bit at the end, but it was so small, and so short-lived, that it wasn't the "gotcha" moment in most thrillers.) Or maybe they planned for the opening scene to play out as a thriller throughout the movie. I could see that being a goal, but things were too obvious to me, perhaps. "Who done it" seemed quite obvious to me all along.

Or maybe this is not supposed to be a thriller at all. Maybe this is supposed to just say something about big business and big law firms? Maybe this is supposed to say something about the lengths people go to? Maybe I'm a cynic, but is any of that news? (Or maybe it's just because I know too many lawyers, and this will be news to a lot of people.)

So I will admit that I don't have enough knowledge about movies to understand why this was nominated. Well, perhaps, says the cynic in me, speaking up again, it has to do with someone who was owed a favor? I don't know. What I do know is that while this film was certainly good and enjoyable, it was far from the cinematic class of the other three nominees I've seen.

Speaking of those other movies, I can say that the night after watching There Will be Blood, I liked it even more. And the day after, the movie was even better. Odd--I needed distance from the film to like it so much. It is still an odd movie, but I do rate it higher now than just after seeing it.

As for Michael Clayton, yes, George Clooney did a good job. But again, it was nothing close to the acting of Daniel Day Lewis from There Will be Blood. Sure, Clooney's character is quite deep; we get to see many aspects of who he is: father, ex-husband, son, brother, attorney. But it still wasn't a performance that really struck me as extraordinary--to me, something needed to get that golden statue.

I have one more film left to see (Juno)to reach my goal of seeing all five Best Picture nominated films before next Sunday night. I'll let you know when I see it!

(As for that rowing class, I had my personal best class yesterday, rowing over 8,400 meters! I'm over 40,000 now, with two weeks to go. WooHoo! I'll surely meet my goal of qualifying at 50,000, and I've really improved the intensity with which I row, giving me a much better workout each class.)

Okay, making my intentions good, it's time for some work!