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I knew this was coming up but it wasn’t top of my list to see until I saw this review today.
The fact that I can get this easily ‘off topic’ when discussing the movie is part of what thrills me about it. This is what a great movie does; it doesn’t just sit in the theater, entertaining you briefly before you move on to something else. It becomes part of you, burrowing into your brain and demanding constant attention. A great movie needs your brain turned on, because a great movie is looking to change the way you think. A great movie engages and stimulates and challenges you, and Zero Dark Thirty does all of those things.
It also thrills. Zero Dark Thirty is cerebral and journalistic, but that doesn’t make it boring. The character work, while nuanced, is engrossing. You don’t need to know about Maya’s whole background to understand who she is and to like her. You don’t need lots of character set up to care about the men in Seal Team Six. And you can know everything that happens in the film – the deaths, the triumphs, the horrors – and still be on the edge of your seat.
- Women sense my power and they seek the life essence.
Still not really on my radar. I think it’s probably because of the Hurt Locker – I don’t think that movie is as good as everyone said. I mean, I liked it, but I was left with a really cold feeling afterwards, and was like, “Oh, that’s it? Ok, not bad.” Then it started winning all these awards and was really surprised. I like Kathryn Bigelow quite a bit, too – I still think Point Break and Strange Days are two of my favorite movies that came out of the 90’s, but it still baffles me how Hurt Locker got so much attention.
I will say that this looks good, but already on people’s lists for best of the year? Highly skeptical.
I’m with you about Bigelow, which is why it wasn’t on the top of my list before. But perhaps the point I should have made about my response to the review is that it’s by Devin Faraci, who also agrees with us about Bigelow (Hurt Locker wasn’t even in his Top 15 of that year). And is maybe the film writer I trust the most on the internet. Not because I agree with him every time, but because he’s a really way-above-average writer about film and I get him every time.
- Women sense my power and they seek the life essence.
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