There have been some good flicks (and some so-so flicks) passing through the queue these days, and I thought I'd make a record of them here.
Let the Right One In: My first thought was, "A weird Swedish vampire flick? Really?", but after I swished it around in my brain a bit, it has quickly become one of the more intriguing films I've seen lately. The American version is slightly inaccurate, as there was some issue of changing the meaning slightly in the subtitles for no apparent reason, but I don't think it mars the message of this thoughtful film. It's based on a book that actually translates to "Let Me In," which falls more in line with the whole vampire-can't-cross-the-threshold thing. Though I haven't read the book, and heard that it is more graphic and emotional, I suspect that this film is a decent, if not outright good adaptation.
The story basically centers around a young, socially ostracized boy and a mysterious child that moves into his apartment complex. As the two form a bond, mysterious vampirical happenings ensue around them. What starts as an awkward, impossible relationship, blossoms into something strangely like true love.
JCVD: I'm going to be honest here. I didn't think Jean Claude Van Damme had a chance in hell of pulling any role off that wasn't as a big, dumb, pseudo-affected killing machine. Turns out, he has a bit of skill in playing a role that makes fun of his typecast career. Ultimate irony? Not really, but close. This indie casts the "Muscle from Brussels" as a version of himself, a washed up B-movie action hero who has lost a custody battle for his kid. Broken in bank and in spirit, he goes back to his hometown in Brussels (the film is in French) to get his head straight. He vanishes into a bank, which two minutes later is taken under seige and Van Damme is the prime suspect.
The film is surprisingly good. Van Damme turns in a great performance—so great, in fact, that even though the movie references him as Van Damme every three seconds, you actually forget that it's Jean Claude Van Damme. The plot and performances are funny but equally serious, and Van Damme's monologue toward the end made my jaw hang open for a bit. The movie does have an indie feel, and unless you understand French, you'll be reading subtitles (I don't believe in dubbing).
Birds of America: Since I was honest with the last two films, I'll be honest here. I didn't get this movie. At all. The only reason I rented it was because I worked on this film, and saw myself in the trailer. Matthew Perry leads what one could conceivably call an "all-star" cast, including Ginnifer Goodwin, Hilary Swank and Lauren Graham.
It seemed like the movie was trying too hard to be "indie," which means a mix of forced writing and forced acting. But maybe that's because I didn't get it, as I'm willing to admit. RM didn't get it either, and he's the one who explains stuff to me when I don't get it. The plot, as far as I could tell, was that Matthew Perry plays a severely repressed 40-year-old who was stuck raising his emotionally unstable brother and sister at age 18 when his parents died. He's up for tenure at the university where he teaches physics, but his status is only guaranteed if he can suck up to his obnoxious neighbor, who's on the board. His crazy siblings descend on him and jeopardize his chances. Meanwhile, he hasn't taken a crap in months. The plot is all about finding that "release." Even though I just shat on this movie, the ending is pretty hilarious, for what it is.
And I was in it:
No comments:
Post a Comment