Cloud Atlas

A movie in six sections, three of which were directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski, and three of which were directed by Tom Tykwer.  I loved the Tykwer portions of this film: "Letters from Zedelghem," "Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery," and "The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish." Of the Wachowski sections, I liked the the very Matrix-y "An Orison of Sonmi-451," the most but, in general, I felt that the philosophical underpinnings of their sections took away from the storytelling. Basically, I liked this movie as cinema a lot more than I liked it as philosophy. It's worth seeing, though, even though there are portions that border on the worst excesses of the Matrix sequels. But it's not predictable, it's visually stunning, and it's ambitious. Jim Broadbent is perfect as Timothy Cavendish, and Halle Berry should always have 1970s hair and clothing. Good score, as well, also by Tykwer.

Another Year

I think Mike Leigh, as he ages, is exploring notions of happiness, and this film does it better than Happy Go Lucky. There is plenty of misery in this movie but the central characters are a happily married functional couple played by Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen. The film traces a year in their lives, each season marked by a dinner party that includes one or another, or several, of their unhappy friends. The acting is lived-in and remarkable, the structure almost classical, and the end-result is just about perfect.