Silver Screen in a Red Envelope: A Diary of Time Wasted

 I wasn't expecting that. Although you can read almost the entirety of the plot in the back of the case (or the blurb at IMDB.com), moments came as a complete surprise. I was never quite sure of the characters, as back-stories blurred, and acting became more nuanced and complex. I tell you, I think the case is badly done. All that white makes it feel like a comedy gone wrong, when this film is much more of an Edwardian period-piece (much along the same vein as Enchanted April (1992)) than a comedy, or scrooge story. The characters were less dynamic, and more . . . emergent? I cried. Should I admit it? Although the premise is sublimely ridiculous, the story itself overflows with warmth and interest. Be patient. Grab your knitting. Stick it out. This film is worth it.

 This movie, apparently a more positive remake of the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers ,  has several things in its favor for the general, female audience. Both Daniel Craig and Jeremy Northam give passable performances (acting in a film full of stepford-zombies is a tricky proposition for anyone), and Nicole Kidman gets in on the indomitable mother-love fun. Always a crowd-pleaser. Truthfully, though, the film resonated unpleasantness from the nasty brain-eating slasher previews to the distrust and misery in the final pseudo happy-ending scene. Nicole Kidman's acting was better than, say, the opening third of Australia , but worse than her playful Moulin Rouge . Boys may enjoy an early scene in which Kidman does a Meg Ryan/catwalk strut commando under her pyjamas. I found it a little nauseating. I suppose my socio-economic background calls for granny-panties. The strut is probably what irritated me. I don't like Meg Ryan either. A few nit-picky points include unrealist...