The Netflix Triple Feature
Hell0-my name is Matt and I am a new subscriber to Netflix, which I now feel is the greatest invention on the planet-next to the iPod and Foreman Grill. I wanted to set it up so that I would always have movies coming to me, but it seems I'm going to have to make due with only 3 a week, and once in a while 4. It apparently takes movies a lot longer to get back to them, than it does for movies to get out to me. Last week, I got my first shipment, and I will review those three movies for you tonight-and you can expect that every week I will drop a new triple feature review once all new movies have been watched. But as usual, I'll probably forget to update from time to time. Without further ado, on to the movies.
Happiness directed by Todd Solondz.
Hmmm....This was definetely an interesitng movie. I watched it, I laughed throughout much of it, but still I walked away feeling incredibly dirty. Was it the two close ups of jizz hitting a wall? Perhaps. Was it a kid talking to his dad about his hopes of one day cumming? Getting closer. Was it the sight of Jon Lovitz? Not quite. You see, there were actually many redeeming qualities about this movie. The humor throughout was pretty funny, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman turns in one of his best performances to date. And believe it or not, Lovitz was actually good in his role, for all 5 minutes that he is in it. Truth is, there is a lot about this movie to like and a lot of interesting avenues explored. Every character in this movie is looking for happiness, and it turns out that most of is it fleeting. The happiness people experience throughout the movie are broken down into moments-such as having sex with a Russian kleptomaniac, or said child eventually cumming, or even a father anally raping two little children. Wait, what? And there it is-the thing about this movie that makes you feel dirty. Now a few months ago, I watched a film called The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon. This is a subtle movie about a man and his pedophilic urges. Subtlety is what made that movie good, and the brewing tension it built with that subtlety. Happiness is a movie that pulls no punches. Everything is frankly discussed, including a father's pedophilic urges. You can be guaranteed that almost any scene involving a child in this movie is going to make you feel a little weird. Do I reccommend this movie? I do. It's funny, and touching at times, but if you are squeamish about any of the things mentioned here-perhaps you should stay away. There isn't anything visually graphic in this movie, but the dialogue will make you want to gouge your brain out through your ear with a Q-Tip. Proceed with caution, you've been warned.
Big Fish directed by Tim Burton
I really wanted to like this movie more than I did. I am a big Tim Burton fan, but his latest offerings have left me puzzled. Planet of the Apes? More like Planet of the Shit. Sleepy Hollow, while incredibly atmospheric, really could have been a lot better. And the upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has me worried. But Big Fish looked like it was going to redeem the man. Unfrotunatelay it's a movie that takes the more "mature" approach to the Big Daddy ending. It really wants us to get off the couch and call our dads and profess our love for him. But as is the case for me, it is the little things in it that turned me off to the movie. Let's look at casting. Billy Crudup-quite good as the son who is forced to reevaulate his father and come to terms with hi feelings about him. Albert Finney does a great job as the dad who weaves intricate tales about his life. Jessica Lange is great as the mother, and even the French girl was an interesing choice as the wife of Billy Crudup. So what is my hang up? Ewan MacGregor. A Scottish man doing a Southern accent is almost as bad an idea as Nicolas Cage doing a Southern accent. MacGregor's natural accent pokes through almost immediately and just continued to annoy me throughout. He sounded so much like a bad Matthew McCaughnaey(sp?) that I got confused as to who I was listening to throughout most of the voice overs(and there are many). Burton fills this movie with wonderful images that are really quite enchanting. And this is a good movie-but I felt like this movie was one step away from having an on screen prompt telling you to pull out your phone and call your dad. I don't like my movies telling me what to do, and how to feel. Too much felt forced- it is really easy to come to terms with your father when he is dying-I want to see a movie where someone comes to terms with his dad without anything life threatening prompting him. Overall, I reccommend this movie, but just know that it could have been much better.
Stray Dog directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Now here is a movie. The plot is as basic as it comes-a cop has his gun stolen from him, it is used in a crime, and he tries to track it down. It was interesitng to see Kurosawa use a time period that isn't feudal Japan, bu actually a modern(for the time it was made)Japan. Toshiro Mifune is great as the cop who is desperately running around Tokyo trying to locate his gun. Every scene is filled with such tension, and a lot of desperation. You can see Mifune getting more and more discouraged and worn out throughout the entire movie, and he hardly ever takes the time to stop. Seeing this movie in 2005, I kept waiting for something bigger to happen-for some sort of consipiracy to unravel, but it never did. It never veered off the main plot, even though there were times when it seemed like it could have. And that is a testament to how great a movie Kurasawa has created. That something so simple could be so engaging and so gripping. We only see what the main character sees, so when he sees the culprits in the beginning of the movie, we don't see them again until Mifune sees them, and we are wondering just who exactly it is. Everything is revealed to the audience as it is revealed to Mifune. We are in the dark with him and that is what makes everything so exciting. When he finally catches the culprit, we breathe a sigh of relief right with him. This is a fantastic movie and I reccommend it highly. You wil not be dissappointed.
So I hope you enjoyed my reviews, and I hope my first review doesn't red flag me to the government as some kind of pervert. Don't blame me for the content-blame the twisted mind of Todd Solondz. I think he has some inner demons that the movies he makes helps to wrangle. Here's hoping he works through them. So for everyone here in my apartment, which is just me, I wish everyone a good week. Peace out.
Happiness directed by Todd Solondz.
Hmmm....This was definetely an interesitng movie. I watched it, I laughed throughout much of it, but still I walked away feeling incredibly dirty. Was it the two close ups of jizz hitting a wall? Perhaps. Was it a kid talking to his dad about his hopes of one day cumming? Getting closer. Was it the sight of Jon Lovitz? Not quite. You see, there were actually many redeeming qualities about this movie. The humor throughout was pretty funny, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman turns in one of his best performances to date. And believe it or not, Lovitz was actually good in his role, for all 5 minutes that he is in it. Truth is, there is a lot about this movie to like and a lot of interesting avenues explored. Every character in this movie is looking for happiness, and it turns out that most of is it fleeting. The happiness people experience throughout the movie are broken down into moments-such as having sex with a Russian kleptomaniac, or said child eventually cumming, or even a father anally raping two little children. Wait, what? And there it is-the thing about this movie that makes you feel dirty. Now a few months ago, I watched a film called The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon. This is a subtle movie about a man and his pedophilic urges. Subtlety is what made that movie good, and the brewing tension it built with that subtlety. Happiness is a movie that pulls no punches. Everything is frankly discussed, including a father's pedophilic urges. You can be guaranteed that almost any scene involving a child in this movie is going to make you feel a little weird. Do I reccommend this movie? I do. It's funny, and touching at times, but if you are squeamish about any of the things mentioned here-perhaps you should stay away. There isn't anything visually graphic in this movie, but the dialogue will make you want to gouge your brain out through your ear with a Q-Tip. Proceed with caution, you've been warned.
Big Fish directed by Tim Burton
I really wanted to like this movie more than I did. I am a big Tim Burton fan, but his latest offerings have left me puzzled. Planet of the Apes? More like Planet of the Shit. Sleepy Hollow, while incredibly atmospheric, really could have been a lot better. And the upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has me worried. But Big Fish looked like it was going to redeem the man. Unfrotunatelay it's a movie that takes the more "mature" approach to the Big Daddy ending. It really wants us to get off the couch and call our dads and profess our love for him. But as is the case for me, it is the little things in it that turned me off to the movie. Let's look at casting. Billy Crudup-quite good as the son who is forced to reevaulate his father and come to terms with hi feelings about him. Albert Finney does a great job as the dad who weaves intricate tales about his life. Jessica Lange is great as the mother, and even the French girl was an interesing choice as the wife of Billy Crudup. So what is my hang up? Ewan MacGregor. A Scottish man doing a Southern accent is almost as bad an idea as Nicolas Cage doing a Southern accent. MacGregor's natural accent pokes through almost immediately and just continued to annoy me throughout. He sounded so much like a bad Matthew McCaughnaey(sp?) that I got confused as to who I was listening to throughout most of the voice overs(and there are many). Burton fills this movie with wonderful images that are really quite enchanting. And this is a good movie-but I felt like this movie was one step away from having an on screen prompt telling you to pull out your phone and call your dad. I don't like my movies telling me what to do, and how to feel. Too much felt forced- it is really easy to come to terms with your father when he is dying-I want to see a movie where someone comes to terms with his dad without anything life threatening prompting him. Overall, I reccommend this movie, but just know that it could have been much better.
Stray Dog directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Now here is a movie. The plot is as basic as it comes-a cop has his gun stolen from him, it is used in a crime, and he tries to track it down. It was interesitng to see Kurosawa use a time period that isn't feudal Japan, bu actually a modern(for the time it was made)Japan. Toshiro Mifune is great as the cop who is desperately running around Tokyo trying to locate his gun. Every scene is filled with such tension, and a lot of desperation. You can see Mifune getting more and more discouraged and worn out throughout the entire movie, and he hardly ever takes the time to stop. Seeing this movie in 2005, I kept waiting for something bigger to happen-for some sort of consipiracy to unravel, but it never did. It never veered off the main plot, even though there were times when it seemed like it could have. And that is a testament to how great a movie Kurasawa has created. That something so simple could be so engaging and so gripping. We only see what the main character sees, so when he sees the culprits in the beginning of the movie, we don't see them again until Mifune sees them, and we are wondering just who exactly it is. Everything is revealed to the audience as it is revealed to Mifune. We are in the dark with him and that is what makes everything so exciting. When he finally catches the culprit, we breathe a sigh of relief right with him. This is a fantastic movie and I reccommend it highly. You wil not be dissappointed.
So I hope you enjoyed my reviews, and I hope my first review doesn't red flag me to the government as some kind of pervert. Don't blame me for the content-blame the twisted mind of Todd Solondz. I think he has some inner demons that the movies he makes helps to wrangle. Here's hoping he works through them. So for everyone here in my apartment, which is just me, I wish everyone a good week. Peace out.
posted by Matt Lemos @ 7:58 PM
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