Ghost World

One of the few, I-Like-It-Better-Than-The-Book Movies.

Of course, the book is one of those angst-ridden realism graphic novels.  They also change a lot of the plot around with the movie, while leaving the characters and setting almost freakishly similar to the drawings in the book.

The plot is the life of Enid and Rebecca after high school, neither with any big plans besides hanging around their hometown and eventually getting an apartment together.

In fact, it’s almost entirely different.  What a perfect comparison, when Lifetime was marketing this movie as “Starring Scarlett Johansson” before she really became Scarlett Johansson and her character is strictly a sideline best friend.  It’s a very “Uh, duh” role really, while there is a milieu of other characters are more interesting.

But that’s something else too– the graphic novel was about the relationship between Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), while the film creates this relationship between Enid and Seymour (Steve Buscemi) and the friendship aspect hits a back burner.

Again, it’s not really depressing for the film to be so different from the graphic novel.    The film has more power to it, whether from the addition of music to the strengthening of characters and relationships, a better development of plotlines.  Instead of hyper-realism, we are presented with a sad world saturated with fake colors.

I can understand it well enough.  The graphic novel wouldn’t work as movie, might as well change it to work.  The same themes are hit, but with considerably different effects.  I recommend watching it if you happen to hold too much hope for current society.

Roarin’ Racecars: Easy Virtue

One of those movies where the orchestration between casting, scenery, costuming, and soundtrack was absolutely perfect.

I had some fun at the movies this week.  Easy Virtue is British Wit, but also Brideshead Revisited-lite, for your consideration.

John (Ben Barnes) is bringing home his American wife, Larita (Jessica Biel) for the first time after their affairs and such on the Cote d’Azur.  The Matriarchal area (Kristin Scott Thomas) of his family is greatly displeased with his floozy and spends the rest of the film trying to convince them to get a divorce.  What adds a dramatic layer is the Whittaker father, Jim (Colin Firth) who deftly proclaims himself as part of the Lost Generation from World War I and who never wanted to return to the family estate.  While the rest of the family is putting Larita in the deep freeze, she hits it off with Jim who understands what the outsider position in that family really means.

The whole thing screams “BRITISH!” from the rooftops, from the setting to the British Wit dialogue.  I don’t know why, but the Butler character, who is hilarious in dry humor, also seems very British to me.  Dry humored butler character… anyone see where I’m coming from with this?

The entirety of the film is about stagnation versus change during the tumultous 1920s.  While Larita and Jim represent changing attitudes and moralities, the rest of the Whittaker family represent the old norms, going as far back as using marriage to save the family lands.  This comes to a climax at a New Year’s Ball and a sensual tango between Larita and Jim.

I think my only problem during the film was that I got distracted by myself.  Drinking coffee during a movie is not the best of ideas, the caffeine leaving me scatterbrained.  Whenever another member of the audience did anything, my attention shifted.  So here’s a lesson, ladies and gents: Caffeine and focus during a movie are not mutual acquaintances.

In terms of cast, I really liked everyone.  Except for Ben Barnes as the clueless Whittaker son/recent groom.  I don’t know why, but his performance was kind of take it or leave it, most likely just the fault of his character.  I came for Colin Firth, but was really impressed by Jessica Biel.  She gives a great perfomance throughout the film, funny and tragic in all of the right points.

One Last Note:

Love the motorcycle scene during the Hunt.

I Can’t Decide!

I’m going to be seeing a movie tomorrow with fellow film geek Jordan, but I can’t decide which one to see! After almost a month of nothing interesting at my local theaters, we got a slosh of cool stuff.

“Easy Virtue”
“Public Enemies”
“Cheri”
“The Soloist” (at the $1.50. Yes, I know I’m running late on this)
“Away We Go”

I can’t decide! Anyone out there want to weigh in on this? I promise a review of whatever movie we end up seeing.

The Musketeer

What’s this? Why I do believe it is a stupid action movie that has wormed its way into my heart.

“The Musketeer” (2001)
Directed by Peter Hyams
Starring: Justin Chambers, Catherine Deneuve, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Tim Roth

My dang DVD-buying addiction struck up again the other day after Second Job (I’m a hostess at an Asian restaurant two nights out of the week) when I went to drop off the car at my brother’s work.

What can I say about “The Musketeer” and not sound horribly snarky about it?
…
Ah well. Long live the snark. It really is a stupid action movie and should be taken as such. It was not designed to be the next Cannes winner, but I still feel like they could have worked a little harder producing a decent script.

Or have different actors deliver the lines– this criticism is directed mainly at Justin Chambers (Our D’Artagnan, messieurs and mesdames) and Mena Suvari (the Love Interest. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that her performance wasn’t her fault, but rather the poorly written quality of her character).

There are a literal shitload of movies out there based on “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas, so what makes this one special? Kick ass fight scenes. They were choreographed by Xin-Xin Xiong of the Wire Fu style, which is damn entertaining to watch in 17th century costumes. Other than that, it’s a loose interpretation of the novel. Very loose. So loose that I could suggest that Dumas-pere was rolling in his grave while they were filming it, but that seems rude.

Let’s say, for a second, that this movie is like a new boyfriend. I’ve just been introduced to this movie, we’ve only just made it through the first date. Now, while I feel like he’s a fun guy, he’s a little dim around the edges, but still manages to get to my heart in a clumsy-cute sort of way.

You know, women out there, what kind of guy I’m talking about.

That’s what this movie was like. While there were scenes that made me cringe or laugh, I felt like the movie was almost laughing at itself. It knew it wasn’t the grandest of historical pieces or the most accurate of film adaptations. It was just fun, enjoying the ride while it could.
…
(Oh this is kind of lulzy, I just realized that all of the blurbs they used on the DVD case are about the action sequences. Well, they are the highlight of the movie).

I just want to say: Catherine Deneuve and Tim Roth. YOU COULD HAVE TRIED HARDER! I get the sinking suspicion that Mr. Roth was having fun being a cartoon crazy villain in this role, but Ms. Deneuve, you were the frickin’ Queen of France. You could have DONE something with that!

For a good bitch whine moan, just focus on the script.  Oh Lord, that script.  I don’t think there was any once of logic inserted into that thing.  For example, D’Artagnan and Love Interest decide to do the Sex about an hour after they narrowly avoided Supervillain Le Febre (Roth).  There’s… really no reason for it plotwise, other than for Le Febre to find them unarmed.  Just clumsy scenes like that take me out of the story.  It wouldn’t be that big of a problem if it was the one scene, but half of “The Musketeer” feels like that.  Everything is roughly shod together, from the tenous relationship between D’Artagnan and the musketeers to the scenes that are supposed to drive the plot.

Clumsy, Lazy, but dammit, it was fun.  A cheer goes up for crazy fight scenes everywhere.

An Unwritten Life: The Brothers Bloom

Directed by Rian Johnson

Starring: Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, Rinko Kikuchi

Simultaneously a movie I love, but I’m afraid to see again.

Premise: Stephen and Bloom (his first name) have been grifters since they were children, but Bloom (Adrien Brody) wants out, in order to drink by himself in Montengro.  But his brother  convinces him to do one last con.

I’m paraphrasing this, but it’s an important quote: “My brother writes cons like a Russian writes novels… and I’m the vulnerable anti-hero,” Bloom says at one of their usual haunts in Berlin.  Stephen creates plans for their jobs that are so complex, they couldn’t work in real life.  The relationship between the brothers seems almost crafted by Stephen as well, since he knows Bloom well enough to predict his every move and every motivation.

Their last job: Swindle the inheritance of an eccentric heiress, Penelope(Weisz), by letting her have an adventure.  This becomes a wonderful trip to Prague, all scenes and score reminiscent of old French films we sometimes dream about, but find they never really existed in the morning.

All of the dialogue seems as stolen as the rare prayer book they’re after in Prague, but delivered with a light humor that’s juxtaposed with the near-mute Bang Bang (Kikuchi), the Brothers’ assistant and explosive expert.

As my first summer film (it only just made it to my local theater), it matched the great film cliche: It had everything in it that is looked for in a film.  There was action, romance, humor, a heist, travel… Bloom falls for Penelope, seeming to almost sabotage himself in the process.

There’s a lot to love from this film: Thematically black and white costumes, watching Bloom steal a brilliant red apple then run dizzingly down a hill, blowing up a castle in Prague, Bang Bang singing karaoke in Tokyo, card tricks, the brother’s mentor Diamond Dog who Stephen took his right eye out with an antique sword in St. Petersburg, and the achingly adorable relationship between Bloom and Penelope.

And from all of the brother’s lies, the ones that seem the most unbelievable are really the truth.

What I’m afraid of when it comes to this film is whether I would like it the second time around.  A lot of the joy comes from the surprises that wait, hiding in the plot, the twists and turns, and the great final scene.  After seeing it once, how could I possibly recreate that feeling again?  Short of mild amnesia, that is.

Some Blogging Clean Up

Argh! For summer, this blog is really gathering dust bunnies! *Gets a broom, starts clearing away the cobwebs* Aaaaanyway, for my next project and as a means of getting more out of the film blog in the months ahead, I’m going to go through my collection of DVDs and type up reviews of the ones… I haven’t already reviewed. I thus title this: The Bookshelf Project!

In other news, I got into a great seminar for next year: Avant Garde Cinema, looking at an international level of the Underground Film movement.

Swallowed by Light: Vincent and Theo

An analysis of relationships more than the growth of an artist.  And that’s good!

picture from http://dryden.eastmanhouse.org/media/vincent.jpg

Vincent and Theo was directed by Robert Altman, made in 1990.  Starring Tim Roth and Paul Rhys as the brothers Van Gogh.  It was orginally going to be a BBC miniseries covering the full life of the artist, but was trimmed down to cover only the later years.

Altman opens very well, crossing the sale of Sunflowers at Christies for 22.5 million pounds with Vincent’s declaration that he would become an artist to his brother Theo.

Throughout the film, I couldn’t help but make comparisons between Vincent and Theo and Lust for Life, another Van Gogh biopic starring Kirk Douglas.  In both cases, the actors greatly resemble Van Gogh, but they contrast how the artist was.  Lust for Life is Van Gogh idealized, chatty, romantic, even in his crazy moments.  Vincent and Theo is realism, choked with brothels and insanity from both of the brothers.

It’s a movie you have to be patient with.  The fact that it is built on relationships as driving forces makes the viewer sit up to focus on the nuances between the characters.  In most cases, it’s straighforward, especially with Vincent: He is the starving artist who is at odds with the world, in both art and sanity.  Vincent dips his hands into dry paint with utter concentration on his face, then wipes the dust off as if he couldn’t remember doing it.

Theo is more shouty.  Well, honestly, they’re both shouty.  With Vincent, the shouts are cut by painting, at least.  Theo has nothing to do except shout and whine about being an art dealer, sending is brother money, getting married.  It was unique to see a film explore the brothers’ relationship rather than solely the artist’s life, mostly because we wouldn’t have ever heard of Van Gogh if it wasn’t for his brother’s family.

I had to sit back at times and stare.  Both characters act manically throughout the film, and perhaps they both have a combination of syphilis and bipolarism– who knows?  That’s what you’re in for.  Also, the weirdest soundtrack for it’s subject.  At points, the music sounds like rejections of the Psycho theme.  Then it ends with a discordant bass note, thumping along in a B-movie from the 80s style.

The scene with the sunflowers will haunt me in my sleep.  Gah…

New Purchases

Once more, with feeling, I will discuss my DVD habit (Movies are my Antidrug… because without them, I’d actually have drug money).

On Amazon I got myself The Lives of Others for a decent price and I couldn’t resist buying Vincent and Theo because the manufacturer’s discontinued the DVD.  Had to snatch it up quick after my snafu with an old version of The Last Metro.   The lesson is: Grab cheap DVDs while you can, otherwise you’ll return to Amazon and find yourself facing a $44 pricetag on a movie that was about $15 two weeks ago. 

So.  Vincent and Theo for about $5.   Good price, must admit.

And today at my local Suncoast, I grabbed a used copy of Benny and Joon for $7 and the original Batman to boot, which made me feel pleased.

(Although, on the ride home, I realized I could have gotten Howl’s Moving Castle or Four Rooms or etc etc etc).

This is what I mean.  I have a problem.  Yeah, I like movies, but it’s getting to be too much.  When the addict realizes it for herself, it must mean that it’s all the more apparent in the real world.

But man, someone out there has got to help me with this problem!  I keep buying DVDs, and then nothing else!  No clothes or food or anything… which isn’t a problem yet, but might continue to  be so in my futre!

And then, there’s my list: List o’ Films to Buy

Because I’ll be damned if I miss out on a DVD of Dr. Horrible.  And, you know… just because the addict realizes she’s got a problem, doesn’t mean that she has the ability to fix it any time soon.

Scenes In Cinema That Get My Heart Going

When the red thumbprint is seen at the end of the “Lazlo” report in “The Lives of Others.”

Beautiful Film.

Like a Proud Parent

I love that my top post right now is “Interstate-60″.  I watched the movie recently with the audio commentary running and found out why no one knows about it– the studio went out of business before it could be distributed, so it never really reached theaters.  But the amount of views and the fact that more people know about it makes me really happy.  I-60 is one of those films that people should see and have fun with and relax with.  It’s really great on summer nights too, since road trips are often equated with summer vacations.

So, here’s my advice to you young’uns out there: Go rent “Interstate 60.”  Make yourself your favorite movie-time snack, whether it be popcorn or an ice cream sundae.  Turn the lights off, your cell off, get comfy during the annoying DVD credits so that you are at optimum comfot level during the film.  But DON’T turn your brain off!  There are some seriously beautiful moments in this film, and they are hard to pin down with what exactly makes them beautiful or thought provoking, but they’re worth thinking about.

Most importantly, enjoy.