Satisfaction

Movie: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
My Rating: 4 stars

So, this was a pretty satisfying, if not very exciting, conclusion to Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.  The first film was an all-out mystery-thriller.  And the second was more about the danger and violence that lurks out there in the world of political corruption.  This third installment is really about the toll all this drama can take on the mental states of all the individuals involved.  After a while of dealing with all this excitement and peril, one's nerves are going to more than a little frayed.  And this volume really lets us get a glimpse into Lisbeth Salander's psyche the way the first two didn't.  So Lisbeth is finally going to get her day in court for of all of the pain and humiliation she's had to endure.  But, unfortunately, she's the accused.  To add insult to injury, instead of being able to bring the scumbags who have victimized her to justice, she's the one being charged with all manners of trumped up charges.  All fabricated, of course, and all designed to keep her quiet.

Other critics have complained about this movie, saying that Lisbeth is far too passive.  They don't like that she's not in control, the way she'd always been in the frist two films.  She starts this story in the hospital, then moves right to jail, awaiting her trial, where she's in the able hands of her lawyer.  But, I don't see Lisbeth as passive in this story at all.  She makes it very clear to her lawyer what strategies she's willing to take, and what she absolutely will not allow.  I mean, anyone who has the guts to wear that to a trial looking into her character and fitness wins a few bonus points in my book.  Lisbeth's such a bad-ass chick.  I love that leather and a mowhawk is her idea of formal-wear.  She's gotta be one of my favorite characters of all time--mental issues and all.  So, I suppose I understand why all the other characters are so drawn to her.  And, Lisbeth doesn't budge one inch in the face of the dozens of bad guys that are all conspiring against her.  I find this volume of the trilogy to be very revealing of the mental strain Lisbeth has been under throughout the whole story.  She's only shown us her hard-as-nails exterior up to this point--all spikes and chains and mohawks--but underneath all this is a little girl who is deeply suspicious of anyone who shows interest in her.  Because that's never led to anything good in the past.  She's attracted the interest of the worst kind of villain, so she's closed herself off to the world, refusing to form any connection with anyone.  Although, strangely enough, everyone seems to love Lisbeth.  Mike, the journalist who has helped her throughout the whole story clearly loves her . . . but so do people who've only just met her for the first time--the doctor that's treating her for the wounds she received at the end of the second installment, and her prison guards, and her lawyer.  All these good people see Lisbeth suffering, and they want to reach out and help--but she doesn't know what to do with all this good will.  Her natural instinct is to try to shut them out too, even when her reason is telling her that that's not the right thing to do.  And you can read all of this torment on Noomi Rapace's face.  It's pretty moving stuff.

The first film was a good, old fashioned mystery.  The second was more of an action film.  And this final installment is your adrenaline-pumping courtroom drama.  You know everything is going to work out the way it should but you can still feel your heart pounding in your chest as Lisbeth's ace attorney presents one piece of evidence after another.  But what I like about this film is that it never feels fake or cheesy.  Things work out the way they should, but they don't end up perfect.  Lisbeth has been deeply hurt by all the abuse she's suffered, and she's still going to have to work through her issues.  She still doesn't trust anyone, but at least we see that she knows it's something she needs to work on.  She sees that there are people in the world who want to give her things and ask nothing in return.  And she appreciates it, even if she's not ready to show them yet.

Dating Advice From Movies: Two Days in Paris

When it comes to dating troubles, most people complain about how hard it is to find a decent mate—or about how hard it is to get something started with that suitable person once they’ve found them.  But, those aren’t the only problems to be found out there in the dating world.  Some people are all too familiar with the dangers of getting a little too comfortable in a relationship.  So, that when little cracks start to appear—your boyfriend likes to put you down in front of his friends, or your girlfriend like to flirt with strangers—these habits get shrugged off as just part of the relationship “maturing.”  And, of course, this “maturing” is a real thing.  That starry-eyed, hormone-fueled, bliss-fest phase can only last for so long.  But, some people get so secure in their relationship (or at least are so risk averse) that they aren’t willing to look at this new tension as a sign that maybe they aren’t as compatible with their “true love” as they had hoped.  It’s like that proverbial frog, slowly boiling in his pot of water.

I think this is the dynamic we’re witnessing between Adam Goldberg and Julie Deply in Two Days in Paris.  I’ve discussed this movie before, but I just realized that it has plenty of lessons to teach us.  It’s clear that these two people were once hot for each other.  And, that each one probably thought they had scored pretty well (he’s successful and charming, and she’s exotic and French).  But, now they just irritate each other—seemingly on purpose sometimes.  Anyone viewing this relationship from the outside can see that it’s clearly toxic.  Goldberg has pretty much stopped seeing Deply as a sexual creature.  She’s just his batty girlfriend, and he makes sure to let her know that he doesn’t take her very seriously.  And, Deply takes every opportunity she gets to humiliate Goldberg in public.  She’ll ditch him at parties to flirt with other men, or circulate the racy photos she took of him amongst her friends and family.  But, it’s usually really hard to see how poisonous things have become from the inside of a relationship.  There are emotions and history at play . . . or the fear of never finding someone better if you do decide to break up.  It’s a really difficult situation, and one that’s almost impossible to extricate oneself from on one’s own.

I guess what I’d suggest in a situation like this—where you’re kinda miserable, but not sure whether to break up or not—is to take some time to work on yourself.  Do something you really love, or have always wanted to do, and make sure to do it by yourself.  Now, this isn’t a license to go off on a romance novel and ice cream binge.  It has to be something productive—something that will make you better.  Maybe start exercising . . . or writing.  There’s no need to make a tough decision about your relationship right away.  But, it’s really easy to make that decision when you’ve learned what it feels like to be happy again.  And, getting happy, and picking up a sweet new skill usually makes you more attractive to other people too, so it will help you when you hit the dating market again.

Predictably Good

Movie: Shutter Island
My Rating: 4 stars

Ok, this movie was good.  But, that was no surprise because just about all of these big-budget, big-director, big-actor, Hollywood movies are.  And all the critics pretty much universally loved it--a point the movie studio made sure to bring up over and over again in all the marketing material.  So, I knew it wasn't going to be a question of whether or not I'd like this film.  Leonardo DiCaprio tends to make pretty good decisions.  And, I really go for these creepy stories set in menacing mental institutions.  It was really going to boil down to whether or not I'd be as blown away by the "crazy twist ending," as all the trailers suggested I'd be.  Because, I've been promised crazy twist endings before, and I've been disappointed.  So, I guess the twist is pretty satisfying.  I don't know.  I think I was probably hoping for something a little more sinister.  Something really grotesque and unthinkable.  But then, I have been watching a lot of horror films lately.  And this film is set in a prison for the criminally insane.  Those crazy people!  They always make for good entertainment.

It's really clear that a lot of money went into this film.  The cast is awesome, and the visuals are stunning.  And, the story is pretty solid too.  Scorsese really creates a very ominous, haunting atmosphere in this piece.  It's impossible to relax while watching this movie, and I found myself as tense as all the characters in the film.  The film is going for a pretty edgy, horror vibe, but somehow it always feels like Hollywood to me.  Hollywood is never going to let anything too awful happen.  It may toy with your emotions for a little while, but it's never going to kick you in the gut, and leave you for dead the way that European or Asian horror films tend to do.  But, I think I was craving a little more misery from this movie.  However, I do appreciate how air tight the plot is.  Some "twist" films really phone it in, and never bother to develop anything more intriguing than a spooky premise.  But, this film doesn't suffer from that problem.  The writers clearly knew where they were going right from the beginning, and the story really delivers.  This is a really enjoyable movie, even if it does play things a little safe.

Quality Remake

Movie: Dawn of the Dead (1978 and 2004)
My Rating: 4 stars

I like a good remake.  The mark of a good one is that it borrows enough material from the original story to be recognizable, but updates enough of the details to keep it interesting.  And, I think Zack Snyder's tribute to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead does this pretty cleverly.  These films appeal to me because I like the idea of holing up in a shopping mall when the zombie apocalypse hits.  You'd have just about everything you'd need to hold tight and wait until things calmed down a little outside--food, water, clothes, maybe access to information, probably hospital supplies.  Plus, all the extra, fun stuff there would give you the opportunity to go a little wild, and entertain yourself--maybe forget your worries for a little while.  As long as you can manage to keep everyone else out, and keep the people inside from going crazy, you'll probably be safe for a little while.  But, things never go that easily, do they?  Those zombies have the mindless determination, and sheer numbers that will eventually wear down any barrier (a Leiningen versus the Ants situation).  And uninfected people tend to crack under this kind of extreme pressure.  (I mean, after a couple weeks of eating nothing but Orange Julius and Hot Dog on a Stick, anyone's mind would start to play tricks on them.)  It's kind of a toss up, which group would get you killed first.

I like the new film a lot better than the older one, but it's for pretty simple, obvious reasons.  For one thing, the special effects on the '78 version are almost bad enough to ruin the film.  I almost didn't know if I was supposed to be scared or laughing, they were so cheesy--all that bad makeup, and fake blood.  And, I really have a hard time taking anyone wearing those old 70s clothes and hairstyles very seriously.  But, the newer film wouldn't really mean as much without the original there for reference.  It'd be just another pretty solid selection in the sea of other, similar films.  Plus,  it's just fun to match up scenes and concepts from the two movies.  They're not always one-to-one.  There'll be a theme here, or a visual effect there.  Snyder exercises some restraint--the way it should be.  Sometimes there's not much point in watching both the original film and it's remake.  Often times, films get updated because they were based on a good idea, but don't really work anymore, or never realized their full potential.  In other situations, the original is far superior (as is the case with The Day the Earth Stood Still).  I just can't stand it when directors decide to remake films that are still perfectly awesome (like Let The Right one In, or the upcoming Girl With the Dragon Tattoo--Will Smith has threatened to remake Oldboy too).  But, this is an instance where it makes sense to watch both.

High Hopes

Movie: The Time Traveler's Wife
My Rating: 3 stars

There are a lot of films out there that I'm pretty sure I'd have enjoyed a lot more had I not read the book first.  That was certainly the case for me with Blindness and The Road, and it's true for this film as well.  Of course, there are plenty of films that work just fine in both formats, no matter which order you experience them in.  The Harry Potter movies tend to hold up pretty well.  Little Children.  The Secret Life of Bees.  And, darn it if I don't like all the Roald Dahl Movies.  But, I think that these stories that create drama and stir up feelings by really getting into the heads of different characters, and exploring their inner torment, don't really translate very well to the screen.  But, in this case, I think the problem is that this story is just wildly too complicated to try to confine to a ninety minute feature film.  This is a pretty sprawling story, recording the lives and loves of two peoples' entire lifetimes--oh, and it's told entirely out of order.  Because, as the title suggests, this is a time travel movie.  And we all know I'm a sucker for a good time travel story.

So, how to sum up this totally unconventional, non-linear story?  Well, Clare (Rachel Mc Adams) and Henry (Eric Bana) are destined for each other.  These two are going to get married and there's no force of nature that can stop them.  Clare has known Henry all her life because he started visiting her when she was a little girl.  But funnily, he only first meets her in his late twenties.  All this is because Henry is a time traveller, and when he is older, he would go back in time and visit Clare at various times in her life.So, when they first meet, Henry has no idea who this girl is, but Clare already has a fill life's history with him.  Talk about expectations.  But he can't control these visits.  They're caused by a rare genetic disorder, and when he becomes particularly stressed or overwhelmed, he will travel involuntarily.  This makes for a pretty unpredictable love life, but a predictably rocky one.  The story is about human nature and emotions, and the book's many timelines have been impeccably researched and synchronized.  It makes my head hurt thinking about all of them.  It's a great piece of work, and I enjoyed every page of the book.

Unfortunately, director Robert Schwentke took this passionate and sometimes troubled love story, and turned it into something more generic, relying on cheap gimmicks to stand in for some of the more emotionally trying sequences from the book.  It's impossible for me to know how I would have felt about some of these scenes had I not already come to the film with so many expectations.  But, I just can't imagine that they create the same quality of story that Audrey Niffenegger wrote.  Something needs to be done about this lamentable situation.  Now, I'm not about to give up my reading, so Hollywood is just going to have to step up to the plate with better adaptations.

An Aging Master

Movie: Ponyo
My Rating: 3 stars

So, even though Hayao Miyazaki's films have stopped making sense long ago, I'm kinda committed to watching all of them.  I have fond memories of some of his better achievements, so I automatically reach for these later films when they come out.  So, when this one came out on DVD, I dutifully added it to my Netflix queue.  I watched it, pondered its meaning for awhile, deliberated about what I should rate it, and then settled on three stars . . . out of respect for the artist mostly.  Because this movie is pretty weird.  Three stars may even be a bit of a stretch for this one.  This is a feature length film, but I honestly can't tell you where all the time went.  And, not because time flies when you're having fun.  It's just that little scenes would come and go, one after another, and none of them would ever lead to anything.  It felt like the movie equivalent of cotton candy dissolving in your mouth.  All until the end of course.  Ghibli has become quite a fan of wrapping up stories quickly with the absolutely shameless and flagrant use of deus ex machina.  I should sorta expect this by now, but it always catches me off guard, because all of a sudden, the movie is just OVER.

But the movie isn't totally without merit.  It's quite charming to watch little Sosuke and Ponyo frolic about.  They are pretty cute.  The story is (very) loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.  Sosuke meets Ponyo when she's a little mer-creature, but ever since she got a taste of human blood (creepy, huh?), she's dreamt of becoming one too.  And Sosuke's there to help her.  Because he's in love.  He's gonna marry that fish girl, or die trying.  And, of course, Ponyo's father is more than happy to ensure that it's the latter.  Wow, I never realized how dark this film really was until I saw the whole synopsis written out like that.  It never really feels like it.  If you decide to watch this movie, don't expect too much.  Just enjoy watching the sweet little children acting like kids--because the rest of the movie doesn't really make much sense.

A Rough Job Market

Movie: I Sell the Dead
My Rating: 3 stars

Now, this movie is truly bizarre.  But, the synopsis I read made it sound simply irresistible.  Dominic Monaghan plays Arthur, a 19th century grave robber.  You know, back when England was filthy and industrial, and when there weren't any serious child labor, or public health laws.  Medical students are going to need something to practice their new skills on, so there's a pretty bustling trade in fresh corpses.  There's good money in the business, so competition is fierce.  Grave robbers make for pretty rough company, and they'd be perfectly happy to add their adversaries to the inventory list for the night.  But, Arthur soon learns that these vicious characters are the least of his worries when he notices that a fair percentage of his chattels are refusing to stay dead.  All those tales about vampires and zombies and werewolves that he'd thought were just stories to scare children back into their beds happen out to be true after all.  It's a little more than he'd bargained for.  But, with his limited job skills, and the steady bar tab he's been racking up, our man Arthur's just going to have to find a way to make it work.

This movie is shockingly funny.  It's some of the darkest gallows humor you're likely to run across, but if you're up for a little good-humored blasphemy (as I always am), this is a fun, little find.  But, the film isn't perfect.  It's got some serious pacing issues, and I don't think it makes a very smooth transition between the main body of the story and the climax.  I love meeting all the demented characters in this world, and peeking into Arthur's early forays into his sordid, new profession, but when it comes time to bring all the action to a head, the story kinda runs out of control.  Now, this is a legitimately independent film, and so it may have suffered from some of the usual time and money constraints (although it does have a pretty impressive cast).  And, I did actually like it a lot.  I'd watch this movie again in a heartbeat, so I'm inclined to be pretty forgiving.  But, I'm always a little disappointed to see wasted potential.

A Cryin' Shame

Movie: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
My Rating: 3 stars

Oh boy.  Where do I start with this one?  This movie is kind of a train wreck.  But then, I guess it's supposed to be . . . to some extent.  That's what you get when you make a deal with the devil, after all.  I think I have such a problem with this movie because it's a narrative mess.  Granted, Terry Gilliam did have to get pretty creative in the editing room to work around the limited amount of footage he had of Heath Ledger, but it does make the story pretty hard to follow.  It's too bad, because I usually go for these big, fantastical movies about inner- religious or philosophical turmoil.  And, this one certainly has that really lush, exotic look, and plenty of moral soul searching.

So, Dr. Parnassus has made a deal with the devil, and the price is his lovely daughter.  When the deal comes due, and Lucifer comes knocking, Parnassus is understandably reluctant to hand her over.  Now, the devil is always willing to go double or nothing on his bets, so he agrees to forgo his reward if Parnassus can convince ten people to choose the side of morality and temperance, before the devil can tempt ten with his offer of sensuality and comfort.  A difficult task indeed, in these modern times of materiality and instant gratification.  His task is made even harder when Parnassus' little theater-company/persuasion-troupe picks up the charming and roguish Tony (Ledger--along with Depp, Law, and Farrell).  He initially seems to be helping the band with its impossible mission, but they soon discover that his motives may be less than pure.

And, I'm guessing that this is the point where Gilliam ran out of footage of Heath Ledger.  Because, it's where things start getting pretty bizarre.  Now, the dream world where Parnassus escorts the people he's trying to win over is definitely supposed to be pretty disorienting, and it does follow crazy dream logic, but I don't think that's that part I object to.  About halfway through, the film just gets far too disjointed, and it's hard to make much sense of it.  And, it's really a shame because the beginning is quite promising.  But I guess I'm glad that Terry Gilliam decided to finish this project instead of scraping it, and I think he probably made the best of a pretty unfortunate situation.

The Folly of Man

Movie: North Face
My Rating: 3 stars

This movie made me feel cold deep down in my bones.  And it made me swear that I'd never leave the warm safety of my toasty, comfortable living-room ever again.  I made sure to crank up my electric blanket extra high after I was done watching this one.  This film gives us a rather romanticized and sanitized account of the disastrous 1936 German/Austrian attempt against the Eiger's infamous North Face.  I say that this is a sanitized version of the story because while this expedition is historically known as a Nazi attempt to prove the racial superiority or the Aryan race, this movie assures us that the strapping, young mountain-climbers we are rooting for have no ties to the Nazi party or ideology whatsoever.  In fact, it features more than one scene in which each of our heroes very specifically cuts ties with the government's agenda.  Whether it happend that way in real life, I don't know.  And whether this story featured the romantic subplot that this film presents, is the subject of mere speculation.  But viewers at home can feel comfortable rooting for our handsome, young heros and their loved ones, safe with the knowledge that they aren't fascists.  And once that's established, we can sit back and watch them all proceed to slowly freeze to death.  The film reenacts an actual, historical expedition, and reports the details pretty accurately, so I don't feel bad revealing that tidbit of information.  Because, the real drama in this film comes from watching just how the climb goes so horribly wrong.  Frostbite is an ugly thing.  Mountain-climbers today have a hard time avoiding death on the Eiger, even with all their high-tech fibers, and fancy equipment--not to mention all the fixed ropes.  So poor Toni and Andi in this film never stand a chance, with their canvas jackets, loose-weave, woolen mittens, and what look like bowling shoes.  There are no face masks, no crampons, and no moisture-repelling materials.  It's almost too painful to watch.  But your morbid curiosity will definitely get the better of you.  This film does a pretty good job creating dramatic arcs capable of holding the audience's interest.  That seems pretty mandatory for these films that reenact historical events.  Since everyone already knows what's going to happen, directors need to differentiate their particular telling of the tale by highlighting interesting human elements.  And, Philipp Stolzl does a pretty good job of that.  So, crank up the heat, make yourself some hot cocoa, and enjoy!

Real-World Zombies

Movie: You, The Living
My Rating: 3 stars

Well, this was a totally bizarre and quirky find.  This little Swedish film explores the absurdity of human nature in a series of short vignettes, and it displays the wretched, yet often quite funny nature of our daily struggles.  Typically, our days follow pretty set patterns.  We visit the same offices, restaurants, and bars.  We meet up with the same people, and gripe about all the same, old grievances.  It's all pretty simple and meaningless, but it's all in pursuit of our own, little slice of happiness.  The film follows around about half a dozen regular, working Swedish folk, and observes them as they bumble through life, suffering minor setbacks, and never really accomplishing their dreams.  These people always sense that there's got to be more to life than this, and often dream of a world in which the rules are different, yet they're content to follow the same script day after day.  This sounds like it may be the makings of a pretty bleak, depressing film, but actually, the overall tone is pretty lighthearted and silly.  All the characters go about their normal business, but they indulge themselves with some pretty ridiculous, self-conscious, spoken monologues as if they half suspect how comical all these futile attempts really are.  These totally mundane scenes roll in and out like the tide.  All the vignettes are marginally connected to one another, but the film doesn't really follow any dramatic arc.  I guess the movie is designed to mimic the rhythm of life.  The small details may change from day to day, but the pace stays more or less the same.  I didn't really know what to expect from this film when I popped it in, but it turned out to be pretty interesting.  The director, Roy Andersson, certainly has a lot to say about the human condition.  And, I think he probably gets most things right.

Shivering With Fright

Movie: Frozen
My Rating: 3 stars

So, this isn't the best horror film ever made.  In fact, there are plenty of parts that don't even stand up to the laugh test.  But, I still liked it anyway.  I guess I was just really intrigued by the premise.  Three friends accidentally get stranded on a chair lift overnight when the lift operator forgets he let them on for one last run, and leaves for the weekend.  Since this is a ski park in the Northeast (and not one of those lovely, temperate West Coast resorts), once the sun goes down, the temperature drops to a frigid and deathly low.  Everyone who's ever ridden a chair lift has imagined himself being stranded on one--and, imagined what it'd be like to have to jump.  All it takes is one slowpoke missing the seat to bring the whole lift to a grinding halt, leaving all the chairs (and everyone's imaginations) swinging in the breeze.  Tensions are already running high between these kids--their party is made up of a lovey-dovey couple, and the bitter third-wheel, who's resentful that some girl could steal away his best friend.  And, this added stress sends them all over the tipping point.  This movie really plays with the audience's imagination by tapping into fears we've all had at one time or other.  The characters go through all the classic stages of grief as they start realize the gravity of the situation they're in, and as they try to decide whether they're going to slowly wait for their deaths, or potentially speed things up, by attempting to jump for help.  And, it's once our characters decide on action that the movie starts to suffer from problems of execution.  This is often where so many films fall short.  These directors and writers may start with a pretty interesting premise, but the follow-through often just ends up feeling kinda gimmicky or unbelievable.  This film definitely reaches that point when the wolves appear.  That was the element that really ruined it for me.  In most situations, simpler is better.  But that bit of cheesiness wasn't enough to kill the film for me entirely.  It's still a pretty exciting horror film.  But, it would have been way scarier with a little more realism.

Pressure Cooker

Movie: Exam
My Rating: 4 stars

I love discovering these sleeper hits.  This film is one of those pure psychological thrillers.  All the drama takes place in one, very sparsely furnished room, so there are no outside variables to distract our characters.  No, these folks are perfectly capable of providing those for themselves.  Eight, nameless individuals are brought together in the final phase of the most rigorous job interview process imaginable.  The earlier stages are only hinted at, but if this final test gives us anything to judge by, it's been tough.  Only one job is available, but if the rumors going around are correct, this is the kind of position most of us can only dream about--a job worth getting down and dirty for.

The candidates are escorted into a Spartan testing room, and given very few, but very strict instructions.  They are not allowed to communicate with the testing administrators (or the armed guard in the room), they aren't allowed to leave the room, and they aren't allowed to "spoil" their papers, either intentionally or accidentally.  Everything else is fair game.  These very capable (and disproportionately attractive) individuals only have to answer one question, but this detail proves to be the most difficult of all, because they immediately discover that their testing sheets are empty.  So, it's a race with the clock--not only to come up with the the answer, but to discover the question they're supposed to be addressing in the first place.

These are smart kids, so they immediately determine all the things that they are allowed to do.  But that doesn't meen they trust one another.  They are in competition for the same position, after all.  And, things start to get ugly really fast.  It's amazing the kinds of trouble eight people can get into with only some paper, pencils, and few pieces of rudimentary office furniture.  They really spend the majority of their time just destroying things, and it doesn't get them any closer to a solution.  And, as the minutes tick down, the tension only grows.  It's pretty exciting.  I'm always disappointed in movies that start with a really cool concept like this, but that don't deliver with an awesome, twist ending.  But, this one manages to stay strong 'til the end.  Every new idea the characters come up with feels legitimately fresh, and all the twists throw us for just as much of a loop as they do them.  I was pleased.  And, I think this film is definitely worthwhile.

Heck, Yeah!

Movie: Kick Ass
My Rating: 5 stars

I don't know why I waited so long to see this movie.  I guess it's because I thought it was going to be something different.  I though it was just going to be another silly movie about comic book fans acting out their fantasies by getting all gussied up, and conducting "covert operations" in abandoned allies around town.  But, this movie turned out to be something far more spectacular than that--and it's amazingly funny.  I generally like my comedy to be a little demented.  The more inappropriate, the better.  And, Nicholas Cage testing out a bullet-proof vest by shooting his little daughter in the chest with a handgun definitely fits the bill (that guy's freaking crazy).  So, this movie does start off with one geeky superfan who's just having a little fun playing super-hero in his scuba suit.  But, he's quickly put in his place when he has a chance run-in with a pair of hard-core, vigilante warriors who happen to be the real thing.  This father/daughter duo can handle their vast arsenal of weapons with ease, and they don't think twice about taking down a whole roomful of bad guys.  This isn't the most traditional education for a 10-year-old girl (but, there's nothing more heartwarming than a little poppet with a gun).  It's total insanity.

This movie is bold, gutsy, gratuitously violent, and shockingly farcical.  The fighting is pretty intense, and our heroes continue to place themselves in recklessly inadvisable situations, but it's always in the spirit of good entertainment.  And, the action just keeps getting more and more outrageous as the film goes on.  I was quite pleased with this little gem, hiding in plain sight.  And, to think--I would have let this one linger in the depths of my Netflix queue if my brother hadn't spoken up, and declare his shock that I hadn't seen it already (what with my peculiar tastes, and all).  And, he wasn't wrong.  This movie is great.  Perfect, if you're in the mood for something a little quirky, and totally absurd.

Dating Advice From Movies: An Education

Movie: An Education
My Rating: 4 stars

There are many dating pitfalls for us ladies to fall into.  And most of them are caused by our propensity to fall in love to easily.  It can sometimes be difficult for a guy to get women to pay attention to him, but once a fellow has managed to pique a girl’s interest, she tends to fall hard—and fast.  Jenny (Carey Mulligan), and English school-girl, certainly learns that lesson the hard way in An Education, when she meets the handsome, sophisticated, older man, David (Peter Sarsgaard), and starts off on a whirlwind romance.  Maybe it has something to do with ladies’ active imaginations.  We’ve already raced so far ahead in our minds, that we’ve forgotten that things are just getting started in real life.  And, predictably, this can lead to trouble.  Because, ladies don’t always make the best decisions when they’re punch-drunk with love.  They might engage in all of rash behavior, such as getting a tattoo of her beloved’s name, e-mailing racy photos to him, or dropping out of school to follow the man of her dreams.  A girl’s got to be vigilant.  Things will probably be ok if she ends up with a nice guy, but there are plenty of unscrupulous men out there who would be just delighted at the opportunity to take advantage of a vulnerable, love-struck, young thing.

In this film David is witty, and charming, and he knows how to put Jenny and her parents right at ease.  He’s certainly more exciting than the awkward, studious boys she knows from school.  And, of course, once sex becomes involved Jenny’s ability to think straight and assess the relationship with a suspicious eye goes right out the window.  An Oxford education doesn’t look quite as lustrous as it once did in comparison with the flashy cars, nightclubs, and weekend trips to Paris that David is offering. 

The mind is a funny thing, and it often plays tricks on us.  A perfectly sober and sensible person can find herself doing totally impulsive things once her brain is awash in those mischievous love hormones.  She can even recognize that she’s doing just the sort of thing she’s sworn she’d never do, but she’s powerless to stop herself when up against the formidable adversary that is her brain chemistry.  But hey, that’s just the way we’re wired.  Humans have been doing idiotic things in the name of love as long as we’ve walked the earth.  It’s certainly why every couple on the planet is convinced that no one has ever been more in love than they are.  But, I guess it’s got evolutionary benefits.  And, the phenomenon has certainly inspired many great works of art.  Romeo and Juliet certainly weren’t thinking about the logical implications of their actions.

But none of this means that there’s nothing girls can do to protect themselves.  Just recognizing this inclination is a good first step.  It will at least put her in the right mindset to examine her actions to determine whether she’s about to do something she’d regret if this love turns out not to be quite as “special” as she believes it to be.  And, I guess, if a girl’s been burned before she’ll be on her guard in the future.  Jenny definitely matures a lot over the course of this film.  And, that’s what we all want from a troubled love story—characters who grow, and who learn the lessons that life has to teach them.

Joke's On Us

Movie: Exit Through the Gift Shop
My Rating: 5 stars

I enjoyed this documentary a lot.  It’s the kind of film where you can’t believe half the things you’re seeing on the screen, because the situations just keep getting more and more ridiculous.  Someone must have been having a joke here, but I’m not quite sure, yet, who it’s on.  As one of my fellow moviegoers commented, “This documentary is brilliant because it’s about the very fine line between art and fraud.”  And it seems like there’s a fair amount of both going on here.  There are definitely some very strong “Emperor’s New Clothes” themes running through it. 

The film starts off as a documentary about street art, following around several of the most famous artists—like Borf, Space Invader, Shepard Fairey, and the elusive Banksy—as they sneak around at night, installing their masterpieces in different urban centers, and evading the law.  But, about halfway through, the focus shifts, and begins to examine the dynamics and hype of the art world itself.  It takes a look at what it takes to become an artistic icon, and at the commercial frenzy that follows once one has achieved this status.  The general public has always been more than willing to go along with the hottest new thing.  And, most people want to be told what they like.  The whole concept of “culture” has always been a little intimidating, and people don’t always trust their own judgment, preferring to defer to that of supposed “experts.”  I guess this stems from our socio-biological impulse to fit in with our peers, and avoid ridicule.  So, pretty much, the hipster who postures the loudest, and who’s the first to denounce “inferior” art becomes the de facto tastemaker.  And there’s no shortage of unconfident art lovers who are eager to eat up every word.

But all this description just makes the film sound like a thousand documentaries you’ve seen before.  But, this one really stands apart because it manages to present this material in an entirely novel way—by showing, rather than explaining.  The film tracks the efforts of a no-name, half-crazy, filmmaker as he attempts to recreate the success of some of the well-established street artists by mimicking their methods.  He’s so audacious and unflinching in his presentation of his work that the media and public are pretty much willing to accept him as the real deal.  You’ll be pretty dumbstruck as you watch the whole debacle unfold.  But, the film really is a riot.  You won’t be disappointed.