The Dark Of The Matinee

I watched In The Valley Of Elah last evening. It stars Academy Award winners Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, and it tells the story of a father on the search for his son who has gone AWOL upon his return from Iraq. Despite adhering to Academy Award winner Paul Haggis's proven formula and winning widespread critical acclaim, the film didn't manage to strike a chord with moviegoers the same way his previous Oscar winning efforts Crash and Million Dollar Baby did.

There was some debate as to what exactly the turn-off factor was. Some say the subject matter (the Iraq war), citing low box office receipts for other war-related films released in the last several months. Other attributed it to the confusing title, an obscure David & Goliath reference plucked from the movie. And still more cite the issue as a combination of the two. It's actually hard to pin-point, and I don't have an answer...despite bringing it up. My theory is that it's a combination of the two. While the movies title didn't grab my attention, I was still interested after reading about it. But I can see where most people don't take the time to read up on a film, relying on the title and posters to tell them what it is. I also feel like people just don't want to hear any more about Iraq than they already do.

The "controversy" surrounding this film aside, though, I must say that I loved it. In the past, I have avoided a lot of movies based on the fact Tommy Lee Jones was in it, but that's changed with his two major films this year. Both of his 2007 films, In The Valley Of Elah and No Country For Old Men, feel remarkably similar, so it's probably not a stretch to say that if you like one you'll probably enjoy the other.

*Both of his characters (Mike Deerfield in In The Valley... and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell in No Country...) are men on the hunt for a killer.

*On top of starring Tommy Lee Jones, they both offer up performances from Josh Brolin and Kathy Lamkin.

While Tommy mustered up an Oscar nomination for his role in ITVoE for a heartfelt performance, co-star Theron wasn't so lucky. Something tells me that if Haggis had stuck two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank in that role the film would have garnered another acting nod.

So the point of this whole post is really just to suggest going to see this movie. Most people skipped it while it was in theatres, but check it out when it drops as a DVD.