Jan. 19, 2003 - 12:39 am

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The Hours (2002)

well i had to talk myself into going to see it. in preparation for all of the awards festivities coming up (everyone remember the Golden Globes are tomorrow night...the 19th). but i was amazed. this is one of the most nominated films of the year, as it should be. and of course it's one of the last ones to make an appearance here in town. well, save Nicholas Nickelby (2002) which will probably not be here until February.

this film takes place in three different places and eras simultaneously. it's almost a constant montage thanks to the editing style and use of a nearly constant soundtrack by Philip Glass. each time period's scenes are focused around the events in the life of a woman who is on the edge of sanity. they are all near suicide because the events in their lives have not put them where they want to be and they feel trapped. it's much deeper than that and the pain of this movie is nearly unbearable, but it's also as simple as that. it just depends on what you feel when you're watching.

i was a bit bothered by a comment made by one of my female friends after exiting the theater about how men would be less likely to understand this film than women, but i held my tongue and thought calmly to myself about how much generalization and idiocy could be pointed out in that comment.

as i said, i wasn't looking forward to this movie to any great extent. but i was amazed at how much i loved it. the performances were awesome. Ed Harris, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman all of them, just amazingly performed. i really don't know which one i enjoyed the most. and then, like i said the soundtrack from Philip Glass is outstanding. i could listen to one of his songs just repeat over and over for hours. he is the master of the looping melody.

so if i had to pick an absolute best drama for this year of the nominees for the Golden Globes, I would go with this one. although i think Gangs of New York (2002) might just get it. oh, and if you're watching, don't forget to skip the first hour or two of the show so that you don't have to watch all of their TV awards crap that they do.