Remember, Remember the 5th of November

I finally saw V for Vendetta - as you may recall, movies don't come cheap around these parts. As a whole, I liked the film. That said, I think I came into it predisposed, or at least wanting to like the film given that it was a Wachowski product. (I'm letting them off the hook for the Matrix sequels.) I won't attempt to construct a review, or consider how it compares to the graphic novel - the rest of you can do that far better than I can. But a few thoughts:

-I found the entire plot far too overt, as though the Wachowski's had a list of hot button political topics they were committed to checking off as each scene progressed. Terrorism and biological warfare. Check. U.S. International relations (particularly with the Middle East). Check. Gay marriage/homosexuality. Check. Wire tapping. Check. In fairness, I tend to feel this way about most of the movies I see, so it may be that I just like working a little harder to decipher a film. I guess it could have been worse, a la Oscar favorite Crash. And speaking of overt references to racism, where was that in V? At least we can look forward to racial harmony as our metropolis crumbles in 20 years.

-Is anyone else finding it harder and harder to hate Natalie Portman over time? It was so easy when she was going to Harvard and making those stupid Star Wars films (sorry guys). Now she's actually acting quite well (particularly in the scenes in which she is held captive), delivering a British accent that exceeded my low expectations (far better than Jude Law's American twang in I Heart Huckabees), and looking borderline hot in the pre-shaved scenes. I may need to find a new Harvard grad to hate. Any nominees?

-The American and British press seem to be responding to this film quite differently. In the U.S., it seems like the film is earning a respectable B average from critics - definitely worth seeing, but admittedly flawed. In England, I've found the reaction to be much more negative. I'm not sure if it's just that the issues the movie addresses are so clearly American in nature, or if Brits are simply annoyed that American filmmakers had the audacity to destroy parliament on the big screen. A few examples: In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw's review finds the film condescending toward London and Britain (although he does get points for calling the filmmakers out on the weird Beauty and the Beast(iality) thing at the end), while the review on easyCinema (I know, a literary gem) considers the actors' performances largely, well, rubbish.

In other movie news - I saw a trailer on iTunes for Brick, which apparently generated a lot of buzz at Sundance. Anyone seen it? If my one college film class taught me anything (unlikely), it appears to be a modern take on film noir. And the girl in the preview looks a lot like Summer from the O.C. But then again, these days, who doesn't?