March 06, 2004
Movie update
While foamtotem.org was down, I saw a lot of movies. Actually, I've been seeing a lot of movies lately. Here are some of the ones that I can think of right now that I particularly enjoyed.
Theatre:
Big Fish (IMDb 8.0/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 76%)Some of the reviewers complained that Tim Burton's latest effort was sappy or maudlin. I couldn't disagree more-- I found Big Fish to be charming, whimsical, and very sweet. There are far worse ways to spend an evening than watching this excellent cast (notably, Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, and Helena Bonham Carter). The one element that may have scarred me for life: Danny DeVito's naked butt.
Triplets of Belleville (IMDb 7.5/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 94%)
When Chris and I went to see Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, they showed a preview for Triplets of Belleville. I knew nothing about the plot, but from the moment that I saw the animation and art, I knew that I had to see this film. It is, without a doubt, one of the strangest little films that I've ever seen, but in a cute and amusing way (as opposed to a scary, disturbing, David Lynch-sort-of-way-- more on that later). This film should have won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, not Finding Nemo. The sequences involving Bruno the dog are incredibly imaginative and truly funny. And I've had that dang tune stuck in my head for weeks…
The Station Agent (IMDb 8.2/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 95%)
This is another case where I knew nothing about the plot. I wanted to see this for two reasons-- the excellent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and because we saw Peter Dinklage on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I wasn't disappointed. The Station Agent is not a comedy, but it has some wonderfully funny moments, great dialogue, and a likeable cast of characters. The plot, while believeable, is neither simplistic nor moralistic. Dinklage is brilliant as Finbar McBride, and I couldn't help but identify with talkative, gregarious, food-centric Joe (played by Bobby Cannavale). Go see this.
DVD:
Mystery Men (IMDb 5.8/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 60%)This movie is too good to be called a guilty pleasure. I honestly don't know why it has such mixed reviews-- I really like it. Admittedly, I worship the ground that Janeane Garofalo walks on, and William H. Macy is priceless in this film. "We've got a blind date with Destiny-- and it looks like she's ordered the lobster." My new favorite quote from The Shoveler: "We struck down evil with the mighty sword of teamwork… and the hammer of not bickering." Wannabe (loser) superheroes, Tom Waits as a non-lethal weapons designer, and Geoffrey Rush as a super-villain… what's not to like? It's been on Chris's Wish List for months, so I finally bought it for his birthday.
Galaxy Quest (IMDb 7.2/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 87%)
As with Mystery Men, I often find myself quoting lines from this film (or, in some cases, about this film-- Rock: "Sigourney Weaver was a blonde?"). Gwen DeMarco/ Lt. Tawny Madison: "Look, I have one job on this lousy ship. It's stupid, but I'm gonna do it, okay?" Alexander Dane/ Dr. Lazarus: "I see you've managed to get your shirt off." It's parody, it's meta-humor, it's a loving tribute to the wonderful cheesiness of sci-fi (and the wonderful geekiness of fandom), and it's terribly silly. This one wasn't on Chris's Wish List, but I got it for him anyway.
TiVo:
Y Tu Mamá También (IMDb 7.8/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 93%)I had wanted to see this when it first came out, but missed it when it was in theatres. I knew that Jenn had raved about it (but this is not always enough to get me to go see a film). I had no idea what to expect (and I was surprised at how sexually explicit it was…). (No complaints, though-- Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal are both fine to look at. Jenn was actually contemplating seeing Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights solely because Diego Luna is in it.) I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I thought that it ended rather abruptly and that the denouement was a bit of a cop-out. Definitely worth watching, but go see The Station Agent first.
The Sting (IMDb 8.3/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 100%)
I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I had never seen this film. But then again, I only saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid a few years ago. And I still haven't watched Casablanca (although Denis and Karen gave us a videocassette, so now we have no excuse). The Sting is a classic in the true sense of the word, and a heckuva of a lot of fun to watch. The scene with the high-stakes poker game is a riot: "What was I supposed to do-- call him for cheating better than me, in front of the others?" Long-overdue, but worth the wait.
Mullholland Drive (IMDb 8.0/10.0 | Rotten Tomatoes 79%)
This movie encapsulates everything that I love and hate about David Lynch. As we were watching it, I kept having Twin Peaks-flashbacks… the red curtains, the midget, the pretty blonde, the hallucinations… I knew that this had been originally conceived as the pilot for a never-picked-up TV series, so I wasn't expecting it to wrap up all pretty (but this was bizarre even by Lynchian standards). I was mostly keeping up with it until the last third of the film, where I completely lost the plot. The film is visually interesting, with great use of color. Naomi Watts and Laura Harring's performances are intense. There are lots of twists and turns that draw you into the story (just like Twin Peaks) and it completely goes off the deep end in the final 20 minutes (just like Twin Peaks!). I think I need to watch this again so I can figure out what the heck I think of it.