Traffic

The only film I received for Christmas that I didn't ask for was Steven Soderbergh's Traffic: evidently it was in the bargain bin somewhere, so my dad picked it up to use as a stocking stuffer. I never really had much of a desire to see this movie, as I had previously put it in the category with other one-word-titled movies that came out around that time which I thought wouldn't interest me (often due to assuming they were about drugs)...films like Blow and Crash. That said, I saw Crash a couple years ago and loved it, so I thought that might happen here...

Not the case. Honestly, I'm not really sure why Traffic was nominated for so many awards...it really just feels like another typical crime movie, the sort that isn't much more than a long-format well-polished TV show with a big budget. Nothing was all that spectacular about the acting, cinematography, script, plot, or music, and I hate movies about drugs (that said, I haven't yet seen Requiem for a Dream, which might be my last hope for this genre). I mean, the film wasn't totally boring, but it wasn't memorable either. Still, it was a nice thoughtful stocking stuffer...certainly better than getting candy. =)