the curious case of benjamin button

i really love David Fincher (director of Se7en and Fight Club, and his cinematographer, Claudio Miranda, who worked on the same films. and Cate Blanchett is perhaps my favorite actress, ever. really. i can't think of any character of hers i wasn't impressed with. her character of Jude in I'm Not There still gives me chills. but that's another story, entirely.

and i really do like Brad Pitt. he was fantastic in Babel and Fight Club ... and sometimes I think he is overrated, but not for his acting. just because he's one of those A-list stars who is guaranteed to draw a crowd. and while i am also a fan of his handsome good looks, i can't say that's why i go see the movies he's in.

i have been wanting to see this movie since i saw the trailer a few months ago and was stunned. it looked gorgeous.

and it was.

though it's nothing like the short story (from which the screenplay was adapted, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald) other than the basic storyline of a man being born around age 80 and getting younger and younger, it bears the same title.

it was everything i wanted it to be.

anybody that talks to me about movies knows i am big on the colors of the film. it's use of color was outstanding - the color palette was comprised of rich and dark tones, with just the right tones of brightness when the characters and story line called for it. coloring of a film is so important. it sets the mood, visually, and acts like a silent character that you barely notice, but makes you continue to want to watch the movie. that's why cinematographers are brilliant, beyond the actual framing of the physical shot.

ANYWAY.

it was subtly magical, sad, happy, hopeful and true. fantastical but utterly believable.

it floored me.

so few movies really do this to me, and from the opening scenes to the last it was almost too much for me. but it was riveting. i mean, i saw this movie on Saturday, and here it is Monday, and i'm still thinking about it. that might be due to the fact that i have this week off, and am sitting home reading and planning a syllabus for next semester, so i have copious amounts of time on my hand, but (more importantly) it's because of how powerful this movie really was.

i want to see it again. and again.

so, you should go. it's definitely worth it, trust me. and let me know what you think.