True Grit

Westerns as a genre have been declared dead more than once, but this film proves otherwise. A remake of John Wayne's 1969 pic of the same name, True Grit follows a young girl as she seeks to avenge her father's death, enlisting a U.S. marshall to help her and getting a Texas Ranger thrown in for free. Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon give superb performances in their respective roles as does Hailee Steinfeld.

This movie was visually stunning. The narrative was poignant and funny and terrifying and I loved it. But, as with most Cohen brothers films, the ending left me wanting. That being said, I would definitely rank it in my top 5, maybe even my top 3, of the year. A must-see.

Moon

It's been far too long since I've written anything that wasn't due for a class. It's kind of tragic.

Anyway, after a couple weeks of constant social engagement, I decided to pass up plans tonight and stay in by myself. It was a much needed break. I planned on finishing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (I'm re-reading the series...in preparation for the seventh film or something). However, I did not. Instead I flicked on the streaming Netflix and watched the next movie in our queue, which happened to be Moon, with Sam Rockwell. It was a fateful decision.

The film is kind of a re-imagining of 2001: A Space Odyssey, mixed with a bit of Truman Showism (I hope I didn't ruin anything for anyone there.), and it left me feeling a bit existential. I used to say that I defined myself by my relationships with those around me, and I meant it as a kind of self-effacingly sad comment about my lack of self-justification. Watching this movie, though made me wonder if I wasn't on to something. So, here's some original thought for anyone who happens to stumble across it:

Our lives on earth are in fact defined by our interactions with others. A life spent in study or entertainment, if it doesn't include meaningful relationships or some kind of service to humanity, is, as far as I can see, completely meaningless. That's a terrifying thought, and a very good reason for me to stop watching existential movies on my own.

Other thoughts: Sam Rockwell is fantastic; also, I wonder how much I'd like myself if there were two of me.

The Imaginarium of a Really Long Title and Heath Ledger's Last Stand

So I saw the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus tonight. It was interesting. I'd read about it quite a bit before going, and I still wasn't really sure what to expect. What I got was unexpected.

In the beginning, the whole thing feels like a farce. The characters act in ways I don't really get, which makes them hard to believe, and the whole timeless present-ness of it, mixed with everything else, made me uneasy more than anything else.

I don't want this to sound postured, but the thing does actually start to come together when Heath enters. The story seems to speed up a bit, but still, while there are some wonderful moments of characterization and art, in the end some of the characters feel more sketched than molded, and the girl (I can't think of her name for the life of me--I keep thinking Valentina, but I'm sure that's not right) comes off as shallow, one dimensional, and a little erratic.

Overall, I think a lot of things worked, but it didn't really feel complete. It was unsettling, which is far from a harsh criticism, but I'm not sure it was unsettling in the right way, and I'm left wishing I could see what the film would have been like if Heath hadn't left us midway through filming. I will most definitely see it again, and if you haven't seen it yet, you should do so ASAP, and tell me what you think.

Cry-Baby

Too young to be square... Too tough to be shocked... Too late to be saved

Such is the tag-line of the 1990 film, Cry-Baby, a movie I'd heard of over the years, but never seen until yesterday. In order to understand my reaction to the film, I believe it's necessary to understand the preconceived notions I had of it before yesterday.

So, I was a bit obsessed with Johnny Depp in high school, and championed films like Edward Scisorhands, Benny & Joon, and even Don Juan de Marco. While cyber-stalking my celeb crush, I came across pictures from cry-baby, but it was always the same picture--a tortured looking Depp, greased hair and leather jacket, with a single tear descending his cheek. From this, I deduced that the movie was about a greaser. I also saw short plot descriptions saying things like this one from IMDB: "Drape" (or Greaser) Wade Walker, also known as Cry-Baby for his ability to shed a single tear, falls head over heels for square Allison Vernon-Williams who, incidentally, is tired of being good." In my mind I pictured a cross between The Outsiders and Grease--an idea that was slightly shaken when a friend of mine referred to it as a musical, but not displaced.

That brings us to the time I sat down, on my own, and watched the movie, compliments of Hulu. It opens with a scene of high school kids waiting in line for immunizations of some kind, being given from the biggest needle I've ever seen. About two minutes in, the bubbly atmosphere is broken when a girl, admired by two boys, turns around to reveal the most repulsive face I've ever seen on a woman, made even worse by the contortions it went through as she talked, and the "switchblade" she carried (not really a switchblade as the blade was at least a foot long). At that point, I though, maybe this is just the intro?

I was mistaken. Things just got worse from there, and the introduction to cry-baby's hillbilly family (a cross between the Adams Family and Beverly Hillbillies) did not make things more pleasant. I realize now that the movie was a spoof, but that didn't make me feel any better about it. I sat through the whole thing, but it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I guess that's what I get for not figuring out exactly what I was getting myself into ahead of time. From now on I'll take a glance at the genre before seeing a film.