“Howdy folks. Long time no talk. This is actually the first (of what will certainly be many many many) update from the Cave Of Wonders. The move is actually my excuse for being so far behind on my updates. I’d manage to find time to run down to my new home theatre, the AMC Lowes Harvard Square, but as soon as I’d get home, I had a loooong list of things to set up, clean, unpack, tweak, etc around the place. But, pending a few frames in the mail for things, I have declared the apartment done. The plan for tonight is to work backwards thru as many write ups as I can while watching the Emmys. Technically, I’m watching the preshow at the moment, but I’m sure by the time I get into the heart of write up number one, the show will be underway. Disclaimer that these might not be as extensive as I’d like. My goal is really to just get myself back into the habit. So without any further ado…
I love that the Kendall Square Cinema is now a 20 minute walk away. It replaces Coolidge Corner as my go to place for indies. I love Coolidge Corner, but this one gives me twice the number of screens, so more than double the movie options. Love. Today’s Sunday afternoon found me watching The Debt.
From the initial trailers I’d seen, my thought was that if I found myself with time and caught up on all high priority movies, I’d consider it. But, as is often the case, I heard some great buzz and curiosity got the best of me. I dont know if it was quite worth all the talk, but it was definitely intriguing and a worthy way of spending my Sunday afternoon.
I very much loved how the story played out. Much espionage and intrigue and edge of the seat suspense. Amazing twist that changed the entire game. Some of the early scenes were a bit confusing, but the way they were replayed later was brilliant. I dont know how many times I’ve watched a movie and wanted to rewatch the beginning once I knew what I did towards the end. This film did that for you. Sort of. Not telling what that means.
The downside was that the pace was a bit slow. Also, some of the intricacies of the plot were a bit lost on me. You’d think with all the movies I’ve seen my world history skillz would be a bit sharper. I dont think I really missed too much other than the usual margin of confusion that tends to come with a lotta movies.
As far as the cast, this was all about the girls. I absolutely adore Helen Mirren (and that’s that I haven’t even seen The Queen yet, even though it’s been on my lookout list for a while). This was a great dark turn for her. Jessica Chastain has been grabbing more and more attention with each role she has. The Debt added another dimension to her, and Im so psyched to see what else this girl can bring to the big screen.
Yeah so I think if the pace had just been picked up a wee bit more, this woulda been one fantastic film. As it is, it’s still pretty good, just a bit shy of getting a full endorsement from me.
The Debt – \m/ \m/ \m/