I watched several “modern movies” (post-1970 by the TMP definition) in April, but found I didn’t have a whole lot to say about most of them, so in this month’s recap I’ll just be highlighting one which I would very much recommend. My favorite modern movie of the month.
Films that won’t be covered in any depth:
- Barbershop: The Next Cut (not great, not terrible)
- Mother’s Day (worse than Valentine’s Day but not as bad as New Year’s Eve)
- Keanu (which is worth watching for the running joke about George Michael and for the adorable kitten, at the very least — it got quite a few laughs out of me).
On to the favorite:
Perfect Sense (2011) – I was intrigued by the premise of this film when I ran across it on Netflix. Similar to TiMER and Frequencies, a couple of other Netflix discoveries of mine, it blends science fiction with romance. An epidemic is taking over the world, which is causing people to suddenly lose their senses. A chef (Ewan McGregor) and a scientist (Eva Green) who lives near his restaurant find themselves falling in love in the midst of this global crisis. And “crisis” really is the best way to put it. Some of what happens is pretty disturbing to watch. Perfect Sense is a fascinating take on the future, and the script lives up to its potential. The performances are very good, and the story engrosses the viewer from start to finish. Perhaps the most striking thing about the film is Eva Green’s narration, which explains the loss of senses to the audience as each loss occurs. These very effectively-crafted scenes (such as one in which she describes the loss of smell, over a montage of photographs of memories that one may connect to smell, like a bonfire) allow the audience to understand the depth of loss that is being felt by those losing their senses. The film on the whole is heartbreaking — not one that’ll be leaving my mind any time soon!
The Motion Pictures 