BLINDNESS
CAROLINE: The new movie “Blindness” is based on a very boring book that I read after several friends recommended it. Actually, I didn’t read it; I had to stop after about 80 pages because I was so bored. And I never do that.
RYAN: Wow, I’m glad I never even picked it up.
CAROLINE: It stars Julianne Moore, who I’m lukewarm on these days.
RYAN: I thought you always liked her.
CAROLINE: I certainly don’t hate her, but I don’t love her either. She’s talented, but she doesn’t really do it for me.
RYAN: I know what you mean. I remember all the buzz around her after “Boogie Nights” when she became such a big deal. I’ve always appreciated her, but like you, I don’t love her.
CAROLINE: I do, however, love Mark Ruffalo who plays her husband in the movie. Interestingly no one’s character has a name; he’s The Doctor and she’s The Doctor’s Wife. And it’s all about people who suddenly go blind for no reason.
RYAN: And then it turns into “Lord of the Flies” and almost a holocaust movie. They all turn on each other and there’s a struggle for power and food and sex.
CAROLINE: It’s very apocalyptic and pretty disturbing and frankly not that fun to watch. I kinda knew what to expect from the part of the book that I read, but after about 25 minutes of people unexpectedly going blind, I was like, “Enough! Show me something else.”
RYAN: It reminded me a little of 2006’s “Children of Men” but not as good. It was also way too long. There were several times when I thought, “This movie needs to end right now.” Then you think it’s ending but it’s not, and it just kept going and going. Then something cool happens then something boring happens, and you’re like, “Are they really keeping this movie going for that?”
CAROLINE: Clearly it’s meant to be about human struggle in the face of disaster. What happens to these people is not unlike a terrorist attack in some ways. And everyone is forced to see how they’ll react in a situation where they’re quarantined and have barely any food.
RYAN: There’s the looting and the raping and the pillaging, which is all fine and to be expected, but I don’t want to see it on the big screen.
CAROLINE: Exactly. It’s not a pleasant movie-going experience even though the acting is good and it’s made by Fernando Meirelles who did “The Constant Gardener.” He’s obviously an amazing director but I kept thinking, “Who is really going to enjoy this movie?”
RYAN: There are some interesting visual things in the movie, like dissolves and transitions, that give you a sense of what it’s like to go blind or recover from being blind. But the story just isn’t that entertaining.
CAROLINE: Danny Glover is also in it, as is Alice Braga who was in “I Am Legend.” Everyone acted it well, but it’s just a profoundly disturbing movie and not fun.
RYAN: If the violent parts weren’t as graphic and if it had been 30 minutes shorter, I might have liked it better. Bottom line?
CAROLINE: It’s a full two hours, which feels really long for a movie like this. And even though it’s well made, I can’t really recommend it. It’s apocalyptic and depressing and dull. And the scenes that are really well done are usually so horrifying in topic that you can’t enjoy them.
RYAN: I liked the first fifteen minutes, but at it’s best it was like a good episode of “Fringe.” Then it got weird and there’s about a half hour in the middle that’s like a horror movie. I was kind of scared and into it… but then it got boring again. I don’t recommend it either.
CAROLINE: It totally reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening,” which is not a good thing. Creepy, inexplicable stuff going on and then very little resolution.