#4: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

My list is getting shorter for my top ten actors, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman makes this list (along with 21 Grams' (#3) lead actor Sean Penn). There's so much to say about Hoffman; his role in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is purely genius. Not to mention Ethan Hawke - to be honest, I think this might be one of his best movies. I thought the entire movie was riveting from start to finish. I really enjoyed the layout of the film. Even though I thought the film was depressing for each individual character, I couldn't really turn my head and stop watching at any point. This is yet another must see... at least go see it for the acting of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. Terrific acting, great idea and overall, a well-done movie.

Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10

- Josh Berg

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is one of those movies that I picked up at the movie store over and over again and never felt totally driven to watch it. As I watched it, I realized how much more depth the movie had than was written on the back of the box (this is always the case, but with this movie, the back of the box wasn't enough to make me even watch it) and I found it almost hard to follow at times. As Josh said, this movie is made by great acting. Hoffman is a prodigy. The man can pay almost any role with the perfect amount of subtlety and grittiness.

This was the forth movie in a row that we've watched that had a progression that was not chronological. In this context, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead was not as well-executed as the other movies we've talked about so far (Memento, Babel, and 21 Grams), but it did well enough to keep me with the plot.

I can't place what it is about this movie that leaves me feeling slightly unsatisfied, but I do. It could be the matter-of-factness of the ending that was so powerful and understated. It's not a movie I would expect to feel good about at the end, but it left me more unsettled than I feel it should have. Again, I'm not sure why. We could argue whether that's evidence of good filmmaking or bad filmmaking, but I'll leave it at this: I recommend this Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. I'm not sure why, but it seems like a movie people should see. My apologies for the lack of articulation - it's a rare movie that leaves me without words, if that says anything.

Overall Rating: 8.4 / 10


- Taylor Dobbs

#3: 21 Grams

Image: Salon.com

Wow.

Let's just say Sean Penn is a top 10 actor in my book and 21 Grams is refreshingly unpredictable with the directing! The way Penn pulls off his role in 21 Grams is truly remarkable. This movie is so intriguing from start to finish and may be one of the more depressing movies I've seen. But don't get me wrong, I thought it was very clever and and touching. 21 Grams' director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and writer, Guillermo Arriaga go on to collaborate with their other sophisticated film, Babel (#2). The difference is that 21 Grams may actually make you feel more pain for the families in this movie. All in all, 21 Grams is another must see, and if you like Sean Penn, you can't miss this one.

Overall Rating: 8.4 / 10

- Josh Berg

This was my first time seeing 21 Grams. I expected something similar in tone and composition to Babel, but beyond that, I had no idea what it was about before we watched it. As it turns out, I still wouldn't know what it was about until the end, when the significance of the phrase "21 Grams" is explained. Just like Babel, this movie doesn't make it abundantly clear what its message is. But with the genius writing of Guillermo Arriaga, I knew it was there somewhere.

My only complaint with the movie is that it was slightly harder to follow than Babel as everything played out. This was mostly remedied in the end when everything was expertly tied together.

This one I'll leave to you to figure out, but I will say it was very similar to Babel, and if you liked that film, you'll love this one. The cold, depressing hopelessness that the movie portrays is excellent and - unlike Babel - the film lacks any sort of music in the vast majority of scenes. The end effect is an experience that feels more real and harsh than Babel, and much closer to home. Watch it, love it.

Overall Rating: 8.1 / 10


-Taylor Dobbs