Napoleon Dynamite-DVD

Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Dir. Jared Hess

Everyone kept telling me how funny this movie is. How much I was going to love it. That's where the trouble started. I actually expected something wonderful from it. Actually, I'm not going to be too hard on this one. It was pretty decent. I just have a hard time looking at mouth breathers for long periods of time.

There is this wonderful matter-of-fact-ness about the writing that is really quite refreshing. It feels like they recorded some actual conversations of misfit kids and transcribed them straight into the script. And what's really wonderful, is that these kids- Napoleon, Deb, and Pedro- don't see any difference between themselves and the Summer Wheatleys of the world. They don't feel inferior in their school. They fight back and have real emotions and arguments like everyone else.

I also have an affinity for films in rural towns that don't harp on that fact. It reminds me of where I grew up. (kind of nostalgic, actually) Despite the FFA competition (which is disgusting, and funny, but I still relate to it), there isn't the feeling that any of these people are bumpkins. They could be in an urban setting and the human elements would remain pretty much the same.

One thing that confused me for the duration of the film was the time. What year is this supposed to be taking place? And what time of year? It almost seems like the film is suffering from the same condition as Uncle Rico: living in the past. At times it looks like the late 70's, other times the late 80's, and sometimes it could be today. But it seems to hinge on Rico's idea that if this one thing could have been different, his whole life would have been different. Only Napoleon takes his chance to work magic and possibly make life better for everyone.

First Daughter-DVD

First Daughter (2004), Dir. Forest Whitaker

Who knew Forest Whitaker was making films? I sure didn't. And unless he can improve from this, he should stick with acting. This movie was not good. I refrain from saying terrible, only because I loved the Vera Wang gowns. This film is almost an exact replica of the other not good film 'Chasing Liberty'. (I saw one person say "rip-off" on IMDB, but is it really a rip-off if the original isn't worth anything either?) Much like 'Liberty', this film contains some of the most god-awful writing I have seen in a long time. Note to Forest, if your actress can't say "abstinence" (it painfully came out as "absidence"), change the words. She sounds like a moron.

I'm sure the reality of being the President's daughter is something that is difficult to replicate, and it appears that replicating the White House is just as difficult, if not more. Every single shot of the big house looked completely fake, and fancy camera moves didn't hide anything. It only seemed more painful.

Before I sign off on this one, I have one more thing to say: I will never believe Michael Keaton as President. He will always be Mr. Mom to me.

Into the West-DVD

Into the West (1992), Dir. Mike Newell

I'll go ahead and say upfront that I am a sucker for horse movies. This one was actually pretty good. While it is a children's story, it doesn't bother to pander with some lame story line and a moral at the end. It's just a story with some kids and a horse.

What I really enjoyed about this picture was how laden it was with myth. There is the romantic myth of the cowboys that the boys learn about through old Westerns, along with the romantic myths of Ireland that the boys learn about from their grandfather. And they live both of them as earnestly as young boys can. These fabled stories are put right alongside the more immediate truth of settlers vs. travellers, and the knowledge that these travellers, who like to think they are cowboys, are not well liked by those who don't share their lifestyle. The story works hard to steep itself in the fantastical world of make-believe, rather than get bogged down in the world of rationale and logic. In this way, Newell is almost like the boys themselves. He is going on a journey of fantasy that has little to do with everyone else.

In short, I enjoyed this one. While there are a few technical snags in it that are a bit troubling, there's really not anything major to gripe about. Plus, Gabriel Byrne is awesome. As always.

Million Dollar Baby-Theater

Million Dollar Baby (2004), Dir. Clint Eastwood

Big sigh. It seems that ol' Clint can never disappoint. It seems like each film he turns out ends up being better than the last, even though you don't think it's possible. Scorsese has nothing on Eastwood, and if AVIATOR wins over this one, the whole thing is rigged. You heard it here first.

It is so nice and refreshing and fulfilling to watch a film that shows you the lives of characters that live and breathe and win and lose and hope and fear without any of the attempts at profundity and schmalz that brings so many films down. There is no attempt to manipulate your emotions. Oh, you want to cry, you want the fighter to get up and win so you can cry some more, but Eastwood isn't going to make you do it. You have to do it on your own. He's not sitting there pulling on your heartstrings so you'll tell all your friends how you cried at all the good parts. He's too busy just telling the story. How wonderful.

There are things to be learned (or not learned from this picture). But he's not shoveling them down your throat like preachy cough medicine. You have to take something away from it that will end up being only yours. I'd be willing to bet that every person walks out of the theater thinking about a different part of the story and what it meant, trying to put it all together.

While I could do with a little less realism when it comes to blood and bodily injuries, I'm still ok with it here. And as for the rest of the cinematography, it is obvious that the shots are being carefully chosen to let the actors live in their space, and not be dominated by it. In this world, they get to move around and act like real people. The camera isn't trying to hide anything. It's not trying to make something out of nothing. (never underestimate the power of great casting) It's never romanticizing anything. I never wanted to be a boxer, and I still don't. It still looks too painful. What it is doing is showing you how complicated people are (although I wish the family had been a little more complex). It's showing you that the answers you want aren't necessarily the ones you're going to get, and that's if you get any answers at all. Sometimes they are just questions.

This movie was definitely one of the best I have seen in quite a while. Nice one, Clint.

Interesting Film Review

Groundhog Day

Duck Soup-Theater

Duck Soup (1933), Dir. Leo McCarey

I've never seen a movie with the Marx brothers in it, and I must say, they were quite fun to watch. Their silliness is much appreciated, but the satire is even more appreciated. I couldn't help but be reminded of the lunacy that of current government that so nicely echoes the lunacy of the film.

There is something oddly alluring and magical about the 30's, and this film is no exception, despite it's sardonic humor and sight gag bit pieces. I can't help but get drawn into the fashion of the time, and I know that's lame, but that's the way it is. Sue me.

Anyway, it's not hard to see why the Marx's were so beloved; I'm sure they gave lots of people bellies full of laughter back in the day (except for Zeppo, who is an oddly good-looking sort of black sheep). I'm hoping I'll take the time to see this film again someday, because it seems like the kind of film that only grows on you the more you watch it.

So watch it. Again and again and again.

About Schmidt-DVD

About Schmidt (2002), Dir. Alexander Payne

Yet another sad, funny, quirky, scathing, soothing film from the director of SIDEWAYS and ELECTION. I must say, with every film of Payne's I see, I like him more and more. And more. I suppose he is the mature version of Zach Braff. He doesn't have to exaggerate reality so you'll 'get it'. He just plays it like it is and if you get it, fine. If not, what planet are you living on? He has an amazing gift for the vernacular in America. He can tell a wealth of emotion in a short scene where they discuss traffic in Denver. What they aren't saying speaks volumes about these characters, and simultaneously reminds us about the things we don't say in our lives. In this way, he makes his worlds spring to life.

When About Schmidt was released, I remember it being billed as a comedy. Well, it was a comedy. Sort of. But where the rest of Hollywood cheats to set up elaborate situations where they can make you laugh, Payne just lets his characters' lives unfold before. Sometimes it's hilarious, sometimes it's sad, and sometimes it's cynical. Regardless of the situation, Payne never pimps out his characters for cheap thrills. What they are going through is genuine and real, no matter what emotion it might evoke from you.

I look forward to more of his non-manipulative work.