My weekends are usually pretty busy- not that I do a whole lot, but there’s usually housecleaning to do, shopping to get done, clothes to launder, bills to pay. There’s usually time spent with family, and time spent with friends. And all that before Sunday night, when it’s time to start getting ready for the work week ahead.
Well, this past weekend I did none of that. It was cold, dark, and rainy, and I just didn’t feel like doing anything. I even took off Monday, with the intention of doing absolutely nothing. So, instead of doing anything productive, I watched movies. Lots of movies. Here’s the roundup:
Saturday I saw “Body of Lies”, the new Ridley Scott “political thriller” with DiCaprio and Crowe. And those three men are the entire reasons I wanted to see this flick. After all, with clout like that, how bad can it be?? “Quite” would be a good answer. It’s long, dull, and for the most part un-thriller like. There’s nothing special about the direction. The actors are adequate but not great (Leo and Mark Strong as “Hanni” being the exceptions). And the script has a vague “been there, done that” feel. Body of lies? Hmph. Body of poo. Skip it.
It has been said (ok, sung- thank you Frank-N-Furter) that “a mental mind fuck can be nice!” That’s really the only way I can describe Sunday’s foray into moviedom. I watched two flicks back-to-back that probably should never be watched together by anyone, ever again.
“21 Grams” is so much more than I thought it would be. I don’t know why it took so long for me to see it, except that I have to be in a mood for thoroughly depressing movies about human suffering, and this one tops almost all of them. The casting is brilliant (Sean Penn is always amazing, but I had no idea that Naomi Watts could do that), and the shots looks great. Just one quibble…that technique of showing the film all cut up and out of chronological order? Yeah…stop it. There are very few films that really pull this off- “Pulp Fiction” comes to mind, and I’ll get to another one (by this same director) shortly- but there are SO many cuts and time warps that all emotional arc is lost to the mercy of the technique. It’s heartbreaking as is…but it would be absolutely devastating told from beginning to end.
After taking a few minutes to grab a stiff drink and try to get that one out of my head, I watched “Donnie Darko.” Mind fuck, I tell ya. This one doesn’t so much jump around in time as it does show what happens when time splits off in another direction. It’s extremely dark, sometimes very disturbing, completely fascinating, and not really so hard to follow if you take time to freeze-frame and read the entries from the book that “explains” things. I saw the director’s cut; I’ve been told that I need to see the original version. All in good time, my little pretty. All in good time. The brain can only take so much.
And finally, Monday I watched one of the most lauded films of 2001, “Amores Perros”, directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, who directed the aforementioned “21 Grams.” I have to say that this was my favorite of the weekend. It has layers; I LOVE layers. The technique of showing things out of order works to perfection, showing us a single accident from the points of view of three different sets of characters affected by the tragedy, while allowing each section to complete the arc needed for us to become emotionally involved. It’s fast, brutal, honest, and beautifully played out. And beyond all the pain and suffering, the ending manages to be uplifting, even hopeful. The applause is well-earned.
Now I’m really looking forward to a flick that goes from beginning to end for a change. Hey, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” looks interesting…
Well, this past weekend I did none of that. It was cold, dark, and rainy, and I just didn’t feel like doing anything. I even took off Monday, with the intention of doing absolutely nothing. So, instead of doing anything productive, I watched movies. Lots of movies. Here’s the roundup:
Saturday I saw “Body of Lies”, the new Ridley Scott “political thriller” with DiCaprio and Crowe. And those three men are the entire reasons I wanted to see this flick. After all, with clout like that, how bad can it be?? “Quite” would be a good answer. It’s long, dull, and for the most part un-thriller like. There’s nothing special about the direction. The actors are adequate but not great (Leo and Mark Strong as “Hanni” being the exceptions). And the script has a vague “been there, done that” feel. Body of lies? Hmph. Body of poo. Skip it.
It has been said (ok, sung- thank you Frank-N-Furter) that “a mental mind fuck can be nice!” That’s really the only way I can describe Sunday’s foray into moviedom. I watched two flicks back-to-back that probably should never be watched together by anyone, ever again.
“21 Grams” is so much more than I thought it would be. I don’t know why it took so long for me to see it, except that I have to be in a mood for thoroughly depressing movies about human suffering, and this one tops almost all of them. The casting is brilliant (Sean Penn is always amazing, but I had no idea that Naomi Watts could do that), and the shots looks great. Just one quibble…that technique of showing the film all cut up and out of chronological order? Yeah…stop it. There are very few films that really pull this off- “Pulp Fiction” comes to mind, and I’ll get to another one (by this same director) shortly- but there are SO many cuts and time warps that all emotional arc is lost to the mercy of the technique. It’s heartbreaking as is…but it would be absolutely devastating told from beginning to end.
After taking a few minutes to grab a stiff drink and try to get that one out of my head, I watched “Donnie Darko.” Mind fuck, I tell ya. This one doesn’t so much jump around in time as it does show what happens when time splits off in another direction. It’s extremely dark, sometimes very disturbing, completely fascinating, and not really so hard to follow if you take time to freeze-frame and read the entries from the book that “explains” things. I saw the director’s cut; I’ve been told that I need to see the original version. All in good time, my little pretty. All in good time. The brain can only take so much.
And finally, Monday I watched one of the most lauded films of 2001, “Amores Perros”, directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, who directed the aforementioned “21 Grams.” I have to say that this was my favorite of the weekend. It has layers; I LOVE layers. The technique of showing things out of order works to perfection, showing us a single accident from the points of view of three different sets of characters affected by the tragedy, while allowing each section to complete the arc needed for us to become emotionally involved. It’s fast, brutal, honest, and beautifully played out. And beyond all the pain and suffering, the ending manages to be uplifting, even hopeful. The applause is well-earned.
Now I’m really looking forward to a flick that goes from beginning to end for a change. Hey, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” looks interesting…
2 comments:
Body of Lies looks like a boring Tony Scott movie, not an exciting Ridley Scott movie, I'll wait for video on that one.
On everything else I agree with except the part about 21 GRAMS. I think if the film was shown in order it would lost it's effectivenss and emotional complexity and that would of been devestating. The reason it works for me is because during every scene I don't know something that has happened to a charcter before that current moment and then I know something that is going to happen to them in the next moment that they don't know is going to happen to themselves. That makes it a much richer experience I think. I dont think that ARRIAGA and INARRITU use this techinque as just a gimmick, there's a reason that Arriaga wrote it that way and even though I'm not certain I think that was the reason and I think his instincts were right on.
PULP FICTION would of just been deadly dull and boring without using this techinique for the same exact reasons. And I think MEMENTO did a very nice job of splitting the narrative as well.
Benjamin Button does look appealing, David Fincher made the best movie of the year last year, maybe he can do it again this year.
You must be full from your gluttonous weekend of films. Cold, rainy days are perfect for that level of consumption. I admire your free time.
Ridley is not above shitting out a terrible film. The trailer alone for “Body of Lies” convinced me to skip it in the theaters. You have added to that avoidance.
Structure molesting in “21 Grams” will be an endless argument with Mr. Suggs. I advise you to play nice.
“Donnie Darko” is frustrating in that it is such a great movie; there is no explanation why the director decided to film his next project with The Rock, Sarah Michelle Buttwipe, and Mandy Moore.
“Amorres Perros” inspired Michel Vick.
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