Apocalypto and Notes on a Scandal
Saw two movies in December that I forgot to write about.
First, Apocalypto. The first third of the movie — showing ancient Mayan society, wars fought with stone and wooden weapons, the famous pyramids being built — is pretty interesting. I have heard that it’s full of historical inaccuracies, but one hardly expects anything different from Mel Gibson. Still, it’s entertaining. The problem is the second two thirds of the movie, which entirely consists of a long, fairly boring chase scene through the jungle. A good guy runs, the bad guys chase, and after an hour the audience starts yawning. IMHO, there simply isn’t enough content in the film to justify the ticket price.
I also watched Notes on a Scandal just before New Year. Now, that is an interesting picture. Barbara Covett, an old, experienced schoolteacher, befriends her younger colleague Sheba Hart, with view to turning the friendship into something more. But it seems Sheba isn’t attracted to older women — in fact, her tastes run to 15-year-old boys… The whole thing is narrated from Barbara’s point of view; the movie hinges on the discrepancies between what the audience sees, the way that Barbara interprets the events in her journal, and the way the other characters react. The acting is utterly flawless. The only problem, really, is that Barbara, the main character and narrator, is an utterly despicable human being. Since the acting is good, Barbara’s flaws hit you hard. In any case, the film is excellent. Go watch it.