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The Hurt Locker (2008)
Some tension, no story
I had this movie on my "virtual shelf" for a long time and was meaning to watch it after hearing all the rave reviews, but somehow eventually only got to view it after the Oscar. And it was an ever bigger disappointment for it.
Kathryn Bigelow has directed a no-nonsense film here which is straightforward, tense and feels realistic(which, reading war veterans' reviews, it really isn't, but hey, it's Hollywood after all). The bomb defusal and sniping scenes, with the help of some shakycam and a great score, create a lot of tension, and along with the glimpses of life within a soldier's camp can really suck you into this grim world. I actually felt worse and worse watching this movie partly because of this, which might be a good thing in this case. (The other part though is unforgivable - but see the fourth indent for that.)
It has its clear imperfections - what's a soldier doing hitting a superior with so little reason? How do you hit a running target with a sniper rifle? How many Iraqis would put a bomb inside a dead body? These are the sorts of unreal moments that even the Hollywood-trained viewer can hardly tolerate.
But the really bad thing is the total lack of story here. The Hurt Locker plays like a fake documentary, portraying war just for the sake of portraying war and nothing else. What really happens in the film? Think about it. Someone tries to defuse a bomb and gets blown up. Army camp scene. Someone successfully defuses a bomb. Army camp scene. Go back to Step 1.
In the end, you are left empty-handed. What was the film trying to say? Nothing. It's hard to be a soldier, and even harder if you have an estranged ex-wife at home. Right. Is that all? Did it give you anything to take with? Any moral conclusions, anything? No.
I am puzzled by all the people calling The Hurt Locker "near-perfect" and "brilliant" and such. It is very, very far from perfect and the zero-story attitude is easy to see from early on. Editing is good, cinematography is good, sounds are great, but The Hurt Locker is just the sum of its parts, nothing more. And there aren't too many parts here to put together.
A Serious Man (2009)
Black without the comedy
Okay, so you've read the long reviews here on IMDb, half of which are about physics theories and religious references. Many people seem to either idolize this film and give it a 10/10 or hate it to the bone.
I tried to look for one single review that was actually written from a "normal" moviegoer's point of view, but didn't find any. So late as it is, here goes.
The Coen Brothers' latest film is an unusual piece even for this duo. Depending on what you expect and the kind of intellect you have, you will find it to be either much better or much worse then any of their movies so far. Some people will like the the film's religious and scientific aspects and the underlying message, and will think about it and try to solve its puzzles long after the credits roll.
If, on the other hand, if you are simply looking for a "fun" black comedy in the vein of "The Big Lebowski" or even "The Devil's Crossing", you won't find it here.
The film's main characters are quite forgettable - they don't live up to most Coen characters. The actors are generally good, but their characters are not so remarkable. I couldn't really empathize with even Larry Gopnik, the protagonist - sure, he is the little man getting in unexpected trouble and wandering around the entire film cluelessly that we know and love from other Coen films, but there was just something cold about the guy that I couldn't really feel for him. Also there are only one or two little-known faces here, actors are lacking that little something, that on-screen presence that most of the Coens' actors like Jeff Bridges or John Turturro possess.
The story has deeper roots indeed, but it doesn't bring much entertainment with it. Remember The Matrix? You could think and debate about its theories for months, but it was a highly entertaining film at the same time.
Not trying to draw comparisons with the above mentioned though as this is a much simpler and a generally low-key film, but it seems to miss the fun part in a big way. I watched the whole movie with a straight face - I didn't find any scenes I could have even smiled at. Granted, this might depend on one's sense of humor, but this is definitely not the place to look for the hilariousness you'd expect from the Coens.
All in all: if you are interested about Judaism, quantum physics, or are the kind of person who would care about the "Schrödinger's Cat" theory, this movie could just be for you. But if you simply expect an entertaining dark comedy - with emphasis on the comedy part - look elsewhere.