American Beauty

 

American Beauty (1999) 122 mins.
directed by Sam Mendes
starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch

Meet the Burnham family.  Dad, Lester, is depressed and caught in a mid-life crisis.  Mom, Carolyn, is trying hard to project an image of success even as her life crumbles around her.  Daughter, Jane, is your typical confused, angry teen who wishes someone would put her Dad out of his misery. 

Q Says:

when this movie was released i had little interest in seeing it.  i liked the poster and i liked kevin spacey mainly ‘cos of “se7en” but i just didn’t care about the subject matter.

i had a projectionist friend who worked with me at the grand cinema and he was really excited about the movie.  he talked about it all the time and watched the trailer 10 times a day.  the night before it opened they were gonna show it and he asked me to stay and watch it with him.  i agreed reluctantly and was actually glad i stayed.

the movie has a slow haunting feel.  it felt like i was watching a ghost story.  i like the approach that sam mendes takes with each scene, setting them up perfectly and letting things just happen.  you are led subtly to things the director thinks are important, like, angela touching lester for the first time.  the score by thomas newman enhances this with a haunting, yet, quirky score.  the score for the fantasy sequences are just a little off-kilter so you know it isn’t real life.

kevin spacey is brilliant here.  his use of understatement with flashes of over-the-top are  perfect.  his transformation from milquetoast to “man” is perfectly paced and not overdone or overblown.  you can almost feel the drool from spacey when he first sees mena suvari.  spacey’s performance is very reminiscent of jack lemmon, who is one of my favorite actors especially in “save the tiger”.

annette bening is a powerhouse!  she literally chews up the screen: “what is this?  is this not a plant?”.  wes bentley is weird and creepy.  chris cooper is great as always.  thora birch is kinda annoying and suvari is really good as angela.

there are a few things that i don’t like about this movie.  one is the drug use.  call me a fuddy-duddy but i’ve never enjoyed seeing people get drunk or high in movies.  second is the “beautiful”  videos that bentley’s character talks about.  the stupid bag flying around is boring.

overall, this is a good movie.  at the time, i thought it deserved the oscar but now i think “the sixth sense” got robbed.

i will see this movie again…but it might be another few years.

L Says:
  In a word: overrated.
  In many words:  I have heard a lot about this movie.  "Oh, it is so great!  You should see it!  Kevin Spacey should win an Oscar!"  Usually, when people go on and on about a movie, I am reluctant to see it.  (Titanic, Avatar, Twilight, The Godfather)  This was my first time.  My first thought was, that it had a Twin Peaks feel.  Some dream-like sequences, families hiding secrets, a shocking murder.  I really liked the way it was shot.  I loved the way some of the scenes were framed.  For example, when Jane (Thora Birch) is asking Ricky (Wes Bentley) about what happened that got him sent to a mental hospital, she is filming him with a handheld camera, and it is playing on a TV just to the left of her.  Or, when Carolyn returns home that rainy night repeating, "I am not a victim", she pulls up in front of her house and across the yard and through the rain, we see the home's red door shining under the porch light.  It just feels like someone really paid attention to the look of the scene.
  I think this movie was excellently cast.  Kevin Spacey was pretty great as Lester.  He starts off quiet and walked all over, especially by his wife and daughter.  Then, he meets Jane's friend, Angela and it is like he has come out of a coma and found something to live for.  He quits his job, starts working out, and buys a mid-life crisis car.  Annette Bening as his cold-blooded wife is perfect.  The two have excellent chemistry and really give you the feeling of a marriage gone wrong.  I love the montage of her preparing for an open house.  She frantically cleans windows, vacuums, and scrubs tile, all while chanting one of her mantras.  There is a shot after she fails to sell the home of her, framed in front of the sliding glass door with the blinds closed, that is one of the best shots in the entire movie.  I liked whenever she came on screen and wanted to see more of her.  Thora Birch was good as a teenager.  Probably because she was a teenager when this movie was shot.  Mena Suvari's character was reminiscent of Sherilyn Fenn's character in Twin Peaks.  Both were made out to be these sexy, desirable young women.  In my opinion, Suvari is cute, but not quite sexy.  I like how she teases Lester and flirts with him.  Wes Bentley was kind of creepy with his secret filming of the family next door.  But, in a way, I could see what he was talking about when he said there was so much beauty in the world.  (I liked the plastic bag footage.)  Chris Cooper was excellent, as usual.  It took me the entire movie to realize that he was in it.
  Overrated, yes, but still a really, really good movie.  This is not a movie I would have bought, but I would not mind seeing it again.      

Amélie

Amélie (2001) 129 mins.
directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
starring Audrey Tautou, Matthew Kassovitz, Serge Merlin

Audrey Tautou plays Amélie, a young French girl who has constructed her own fantasy world around her.  In order, to get what she wants, she must face reality and do things she never thought she would be able to do.

Q Says:
  this was our first movie on the road that had subtitles.  i’ve never seen it before and at first i found it hard to eat, read the ‘titles and take notes all at once.  after i got done eating i was able to settle and focus.  i find it hard to watch foreign films that are subtitled because i feel like i miss the visual story being told.  it also seems that most of the ones i’ve seen are VERY visual (ie: “ crouching tiger, hidden dragon”) so i have to watch them more than once.  anyway…

 at the heart of the movie is audrey tautou and she is an absolute delight and fun.  if she wasn’t cast in this film it would not have been the same at all.  she totally makes the movie come to life and embodies this character perfectly.

 there are a few scenes that jump out in my memory.  one is the “game” that she plays with the boy she likes as they leave notes for each other all over the town and the revenge she takes on the mean produce guy was pretty funny.

 i have also noticed that it’s more difficult for me to write about movies i like as opposed those i do not.  it was easy for me to criticize “aladdin” because i believe that i pick up on the negative aspects of a movie more. 

 i didn’t find that many negatives in “amelie” and i really had to agonize on what to talk about.

 i thought this movie was original, quirky without trying too hard to be quirky, and wonderfully shot.  i would definitely see it again!!

L Says:
  Most people have a problem with foreign films.  They don't like subtitles and they hate dubbing.  Both can be a bit distracting.  When I was younger, I used to watch TV in my room with the captions on.  Always.  Just because I could.  So, I guess I'm used to watching and reading TV at the same time.  I like a lot of foreign films.  To me, most of them feel grittier or more real.  The filmmakers are more likely to push the envelope.  Watching Amélie was no problem at all.  I remember seeing this at the movie theater on Siegen (remember that place?).  I instantly fell in love with it.  At first, I think, it was because it was in french.  But, then I saw it again, and realized how great it really was.  I love the feel of it.  The best way for me to describe it is to say it feels like coming home.  I'm not sure if that makes much sense, but I'll try to explain.  At the end, (SPOILER ALERT!) when Nino shows up at Amélie's place and no words are spoken, no words need to be spoken.  She kisses his face and he kisses her face.  It's like he's come home.  She has been waiting all this time for him.  It's a beautiful moment.
  The whole movie is charming, a bit quirky and heartwarming.  It is shot with an artistic flair that really suits the style of the movie.  It also has a green and yellowish hue going which just enhances the magical feeling.  The soundtrack is perfection and adds to the overall feel.  Audrey Tautou IS Amélie.  There is no one else.  No one.  Without Audrey, Amélie would not exist.  Her character is a dreamer, unique, and brave.  She takes chances.  The games she plays are clever and fun.  One of my favorites, is the traveling gnome game she plays with her father.
  This is easily one of my favorite movies ever.  I love the feel of it.  Everytime I watch it, I wish I could live like Amélie in a small town, in a small apartment on my own.  This movie does exactly what movies are supposed to do and transports you into Amélie's life.  If you have not seen it, you are missing out.

Aladdin

 

Aladdin (1992) 90 mins.
directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
starring Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Jonathan Freeman, Linda Larkin

Aladdin is a street-urchin "diamond in the rough" who finds a magical lamp.  He teams up with the Genie of the lamp to make all his dreams come true.  

Q Says:

i haven’t seen this one in a long time and i remember enjoying it a lot more then.   firstly, the animation is just kinda bland and there’s heavy use of CGI which at the time may have been state of the art but now looks cheap.  nextly, the beginning is pretty boring.  it’s same old “oh, i’m a bum but i have a dream to be somebody” and “oh, my life of riches is actually kinda boring and unfufilling.”  typical stuff really.  i’m also gonna take a moment here to talk about my annoyance at voice actors not doing their own singing.  i find it…annoying.

next-nextly, the story doesn’t really kick in until robin williams shows up.  williams is both perfect and a total miscast at the same time.  he’s funny, of course, but way to reigned-in (it is a disney movie after all).  But with casting williams you lose all connection to the era they tried to replicate because all his humor is “current” (at least for that time…now it’s dated, especially the arsenio hall reference).  i would have liked to have seen a more faithful adaptation of the arabian nights, but whatcha gonna do??

i would probably watch this again, but it would be several years from now…or if ruby wants to watch it, i guess.

L Says:

   This used to be one of my favorite Disney movies.  However, watching it again, and I mean really watching it, it is hard for me to pinpoint why I liked it so much.  I like the story of Aladdin finding the lamp and discovering the Genie.  The movie isn't fun until Genie shows up.  Genie makes the movie and Robin Williams makes Genie.  Robin Williams is brilliantly out-of-control.  But, not too out-of-control.  This a Disney family movie after all.  Much of the dialogue between the characters is not that funny or interesting.  I read that Robin Williams improvised much of his dialogue.  So much, that the studio ended up with over 16 hours from him alone.  Jafar is the quintessential Disney villain with a twisty beard and snake-like demeanor.  Jasmine is the first "non-traditional" Disney princess.  And they made Aladdin a bit hunky so he could really appeal to the ladies.  And, no, I'm not joking about that.  The studio wanted him to resemble Tom Cruise. 

   The animation is not the best.  I know this is early 90's, but it just feels so bland and cheap.  The backgrounds were sorely lacking the detail you would come to expect from Disney. 

  Of course, the day is saved, Aladdin wins over Jasmine, Genie is freed and everyone lives happily ever after...until the straight to video sequel a couple of years later.  I probably will not be watching it again until Ruby is old enough.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) 126 mins.
directed by Terry Gilliam
starring John Neville, Eric Idle, and a young Sarah Polley

Baron Munchausen has some exciting tales to tell.  But, is it all true?

Q Says:

this is one of my favourite unsung movies of all time.  i don’t really talk about it or watch it all the time but i love it when i do.  terry gilliam is also one of my favourite unsung flimakers.  he has some great flicks but i don’t love everything he’s done much like john carpenter and unlike spielberg. 

the film follows the baron through his many unbelievable misadventures with his gifted companions as they reunite to save a town from destruction.  it’s kind of the third part of gilliams unofficial “stages of man” trilogy.  munchausen represents man’s elder years and does this with creative whimsy and dark despair as the baron first wants nothing more than to die then is invigorated with adventure.

i love this movie and everything about it.  it’s one of the perfect fantasy flicks of all time and unfortunately nothing like this will ever be filmed again.

L Says:

   Few directors today have the vision that Terry Gilliam has (Tarsem comes to mind).  There is one particular scene that always sticks out in my mind: The Baron and Salley have just crashed landed on the Moon.  The scene goes dark and a field of stars slowly comes into existence.  You think they must be in space.  Then, the stars and black sky begin to move ever so slightly, as if something is moving across the sky.  The stars fade, more light appears, and it is revealed to be waves of dark water, rippling as the Baron's ship passes through.  And very slowly, the ripples of dark water turn into ripples of dark sand.  It is then you realize that they have landed on the Moon.  It's beautifully shot.  Let's see you do that James Cameron sans 3-D!
   I love how over the top Baron's tales are.  At first, he seems kind of loony and senile.  But, we quickly learn that he is a man of action and adventure, and also a bit of a ladies man.  Sarah Polley does a great job as a young girl trying to save her family from the invading Turks.  She accompanies Baron Munchausen on a trip around the world as he rounds up his old buddies to help.  She also defeats Death twice!
   This was my second time seeing it and I would definitely watch it again.  It makes me want to check out more of Terry Gilliam's work, and especially the "triology" of Time Bandits and Brazil that goes along with this movie.

Aeon Flux

Aeon Flux (2005) 93 mins.
directed by Karyn Kusama
starring Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Sophie Okonedo

Bregna seems to be the perfect city, but there is unrest.  Aeon Flux is sent on a mission to eliminate the Chairman and discovers another mystery.

Q Says:

i never really had a desire to watch the cartoon (yea, i’m not gonna call it an animated series).  i tried, but i couldn’t get past the weird art.  so that means i have absolutely no clue what’s going on and to be honest the little note-thingies at the beginning that tell you the backstory that were seemingly written  for a 5 year old sound really silly.

the movie is VERY stylized and seems like it’s trying way too hard to be as “unique” as the cartoon show.  it felt way too stylized for me and kinda confusing, for instance, she goes to disrupt the surveillance equipment and it’s a pool of water and she causes some ripples and i really thought she was going to bathe ‘cos i had no idea that that was the surveillance thing.  couldn’t it just be a computer??  the over stylization made the story and acting seem weak but midway through the plot thickens and a little more action kicks in and it gets better.

basically it goes for style over substance to unique action movie and ending like a typical action movie.

charlize is HOT as usual and i am convinced she should do more action movies.

 overall i think the film was OK.  i may see it again, but it will be quite a while from now....and i would have to pretty bored with NOTHING else on TV.

L Says:

   I like this movie.  I know it did not do well and most people didn't really know what it was "about".  And to tell you the truth, I didn't really know what it was about.  I vaguely remember catching glimpses of the cartoon on MTV.  I knew Aeon was an assassin in all her spidery, sexiness.  She had really cool hair, but didn't seem to be so great at her job because she died a lot.  I knew nothing of the back story or who anyone else was.

   In the movie version, Charlize Theron plays Aeon.  And I don't know who else could have done it.  She's slender, beautiful, deadly.  With cool hair.  Most of the movie takes place inside the Citadel where the Goodchild brothers reign over the last city on Earth.  Aeon is sent to assassinate Trevor Goodchild except she fails her mission and everything changes.  We learn that there is much more going on than we could have ever thought.  The movie is highly stylized.  Perhaps a bit too stylized.  It does have an organic feel to it, but you kind of have to dig through some layers to see it.  I like that the movie doesn't waste a whole lot of time trying to explain things or establish relationships.  After all, it is only 93 minutes long.  Once you get past the fluff, it is your typical fantasy action film.  

  Trevor and Aeon save the day and perhaps all of mankind.  Considering I saw this in theaters and bought the DVD, it is safe to say I would definitely watch it again.

Adaptation

Adaptation  (2002) 114 mins.
directed by Spike Jonze
starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper

Nicolas Cage plays real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman who has the difficult task of adapting Susan Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief" for the big screen. 

Q Says:

this was a pretty good film.  spike jonze is a damn good director.  i appreciate the quirkiness of kaufman and his writing, but his insights into screenwriting is what i truly find interesting.  the dichotomy between charlie and his "brother" donald is the best part of the movie for me.  charlie is the true talent and donald is writing a thriller after going to a lecture and reading a book about how to write a screenplay.  this infuriates charlie who is struggling so hard to be original especially after donald successfully sells his work to charlie’s agent.

so, after many failed attempts charlie goes to donald for help and the film goes off the rails into thriller territory.  this totally goes against EVERYTHING charlie stands for, but he is so desperate that he follows along.

the cast does a great job, especially nic cage playing both charlie and donald.  this is one of the rare flicks that cage dosen’t “overact”  which is a nice change.  meryl streep is not one of my favourite actresses, but does fine here but chris cooper really steals the show as leroche.  he’s brilliant.

this is the second time i’ve watched this movie and i would watch it again, but not for a while.

L Says:
   My very first impression of this movie was it made me think of the Chuck Norris movie, The Octagon.  Lots of whispering voice over by the main character of Charlie Kaufman.  (Look it up, watch it, it is awesome).
   I found this movie to be a bit distracting, a bit slow and perhaps a bit long.  The first half of the movie was kind of painful as Charlie (played suprisingly well by Nicolas Cage, which is me saying alot because I normally don't like Nicolas Cage) agonizes over adapting a book about orchids into a watchable screenplay, fantasizing about women, and masturbating to said fantasies.  The second half goes all thriller on us as Charlie and his twin brother, Donald (also played by Nicolas Cage) head to Florida to see what they can find out about Susan Orlean, the author of the book and John Leroche, the star of her book.  Chris Cooper also does an excellent job as Leroche and steals the show.
  Then, some orchids are snorted, an alligator gets a midnight snack, and we learn why you should always wear your seatbelt, especially in a high speed car chase.
  Decent movie with some good performances.  I would probably not watch it again.