Oh Renée, Mel, and Shirley...

Miss Potter(dir. Chris Noonan)
Too cutesy. The sad moments in this film could possibly pass off as the happy moments in another bleaker film. The characterization was shallow, but the film was still kind of whimsical in it's overtly cute way. It seems almost drunk on it's cuteness. How cute.
**1/2 out of ****
Apocalypto(dir. Mel Gibson)
I really don't know what to say about this film. It feels wrong, but I got some enjoyment out of it. Mel obviously isn't a very subtle director and obviously loves to fuck around with slow mo a lot. The characters are all pretty over the top and while some will think the violence is disgusting, it seems almost comic-book-ish. It reminds me of a videogame like Mortal Kombat and if Mel ever played that, he was probably a fan of Kano's fatality. The violence is just there. The cinematography looks TV-ish probably due to using digital. The jungle is probably lush and beautiful, but the film doesn't really make it look all that beautiful. The New World? This is not. It's like a mindless action movie masquerading as a National Geographic documentary. It's almost scary that people actually watch this and feel like they're learning about Mayan culture. The film has a mad genius to it in terms of it's scope and attention to detail. I slightly recommend?
**1/2 out of ****
24 Hour Party People(dir. Michael Winterbottom)
I'm a fan of Joy Division. Just wanted to get that out of the way. One review I've read concerning this film talked about how it doesn't really give you a completely truthful view of the era. I'd understand that especially how nonsensical the film can become especially with it's more fantastical scenes like pidgeons dying for no apparent reason and a UFO sighting re-enacted. These scenes, thankfully, have a very artificial feel so it never feels like it's totally trying to interwine these events with the storyline, but makes them seem like playful excursions. The film as a whole is playful in terms of it's self-reflexive nature. The style is excessive, but so are the characters on display. I really liked it.
***1/2 out of ****