It is now time to get back to the good ole movie summarizing that this fella likes to do so much. I have been a busy boy and haven't had much time for movie watching, but I snuck in a few here and there and in between moments and have lived to tell about it. I have to say that sometimes you just don't feel like watching a movie. Sometimes I want to read a book (like It Still Moves or Kevin Zraly's Windows of the World Wine Course)
Jean Luc Godard's Band of Outsiders (1964)I know, I know what you're thinking..."French movies are so unbearable to watch!" and "These old movies are so sloooooooooow" or even "I can't stand having to read subtitles". ANYWAY, now that we have that out of the way, please understand that this movie is an absolute delight in every way. Godard was a big fan of the dime-store novel crime stories and this is what came out of his fascination. It is a crime story involving a love-triangle-plagued group of restless young adults who aren't quite sure what to do with themselves. It is gorgeously shot, meticulously written, and funny as all get-out (I don't really know what "all get-out is", but I think it's REALLY funny.) This is a bona-fide classic movie for all the right reasons. Perfect cast, perfect script and the dancing scene which has been cribbed by a boat-load of folks, especially Tarantino in Pulp Fiction, is one of the most fun scenes ever put onto magnetic tape. And that's no hyperbole.
Garth Jennings' Son of Rambow (2007)I hadn't initially heard a whole lot about this one other than the fact that it had made quite the splash on the festival circuit and that it was quickly becoming a critical darling. The basic premise of the movie is that this boy is in an uber-conservative family that suppresses him on every angle and he rebels and starts re-making the classic testosto-fest Rambo. He enlists the help of an unlikely friend and the movie chronicles the making of their movie. I'm sure Jennings' didn't intend for it to be this way, but the movie comes across as a near-retread of the recent Michel Gondry flick Be Kind Rewind in style (editors note: Gondry's flick only came out 2 months before so the idea that it directly steals from it is ludicrous but the similarities are definitely there). All that aside, it was quite the fun little movie and I think it was a good idea with an even greater execution. Definitely worth seeing.
Jody Hill's The Foot Fist Way (2006)I am one who distrusts hype. The nature of the great hype-machine is a false sentiment. Most of the time, the hype about a movie or song or whatever can be traced back to a benefitting party (i.e. a studio, label, etc). But, there are times when I let some hope in my heart that a movie or record or whatever will be as good, if not better, than I hear it is. I had heard quite a bit about The Foot Fist Way and was excited about it mostly because I think it's lead character Danny McBride is downright hilarious. He was in the brilliant All the Real Girls by David Gordon Green, and this supposed-star-turning vehicle for him was so well recieved at the festivals that Will Ferrell himself financed it's wide release. To make a long story longer, it was pretty disappointing. That's not to say that it had its moments of pure hilarity for sure, but the film lacked a definitive character development and played out much like the man-child disintegration story that Will Ferrell has bank-rolled on. Also, the adult-themed nature of some of the segments kind of killed the fun of it at times as well. Oh well.
Band of Outsiders- Rating: A
Son of Rambow- Rating: B
The Foot Fist Way- Rating: C+
Enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment