Thoughts: My Weekend in Film

Normally I use my weekends as catch up time for all of the movie watching I failed to do during the week. However this past weekend was rather lackluster in terms of film. It was just too nice outside to spend my time indoors. I did manage a little movie and television watching though.

Saturday AM:



Before I managed to make it outside, I did spend some time on my couch recovering from Friday night's mischief. A couple hours of Scrubs did help me forget about my slight hangover.

I still really enjoy that show. They manage to create a nice blend of humorous situations and serious topics. It's not just another medical drama (although I am a fan of a couple of other medically themed shows. Like House) but it manages to deliver on the dramatic medical topics.

It's also possibly my favorite thing that Zach Braff has done. Garden State was okay I guess but I like him better in Scrubs. And Dr. Cox makes me happy to no end. He's by far my favorite character.



Unfortunately Comedy Central decided to air the movie Ladies Man after a couple of delightful hours of Scrubs. I don't have much to say about it other than it caused my headache to come back. It was good for one thing: it managed to motivate me to turn off the TV and move from the couch.

Saturday Early PM:



Before I finally left my house for bike riding and beach going, my roommate and I watched the first episode of season 1 of The Tudors. I know, I'm still on season 1. I have the excuse of not having Showtime but I do have Netflix. So The Tudors DVDs are slowly making their way to my living room.

I've so far watched the first two episodes, as well as a smattering of little bits from later in the season. I'm very excited for the series. It has an immensely talented cast, high production values, and it's about an incredibly fascinating period of history. Sex, war, intrigue. It delivers in every way that The Other Boleyn girl failed to. (If you've read my review of that, you know I was extremely disappointing with the awful adaptation of Phillipa Gregory's novel).

We only made it through the first episode. It was a gorgeous day and we do live only a mile from the beach after all. Couldn't spend the entire day in front of my TV!

Saturday PM:



So after all of this beach time and biking, not to mention continued hangover recovery, I definitely did not have the energy for an excessive Saturday night. So instead of too much crazy the roommates and I stuck in the, ah, entertaining Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

How exactly does one describe this movie? For my one roommate who watched it as a kid, she went back to a place of nostalgia and childhood fear. For me, having only seen it in the midst of my horror movie craze, I enjoy the cheese, am vaguely disturbed by horribleness of it, and mostly just laugh. For my other roommate, who had never seen it before, she was mostly just mystified by our giggles and saw it as only one of many bad 80's horror movies.

It's a sort of unique, sort of bizarre, mostly terrible genre film. It subscribes to most of the horror conventions of 80's horror and contains bits that are just down right bad (the hillbilly's accent and dialog any one? Ugh). At the same time... I mean, they wrap people in cotton candy and drain their blood. They shoot popcorn at people and chase people with balloon animals. They kill people with puppet shows. Who thinks of these things??? There are so many elaborate set-ups that I can't help but being reluctantly impressed.

And it's a movie about Killer Clowns! Clowns make you laugh! Lots of people are scared of them! The movie is horrible but it just has so much going for it that I can't help but be entertained.

That being said, I really don't recommend the special features on the DVD. At least not viewed directly after the film. There's only so much a sober brain can take.

If you're so inclined you can see more of the Chiodo brother's, the masterminds of Killer Klowns, at their website here.

Saturday Late PM:



My final viewing of the night, of the weekend in fact, was a late night screening of Disney's Aladdin. It was always one of my favorites as a kid so naturally I own the DVD.

There were a few years, when I was still a part of Disney's target audience, when it seemed like just could not miss. The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King. Each one presented us with stellar animation, engaging characters, songs that I still know the words to. Maybe it's just that I was the right age for them but personally I think it's more than that. I think they're all well crafted animated films that will continue to appeal to kids and parents for a long, long time.

Although, watching Aladdin again after not having seen it in a very long time, I did notice points that were not quite as cute as I remember them being. Aboo can be annoying and Gilbert Godfrey's charm has kind of worn off. (Um, Gilbert Godfrey has charm? Not exactly...)

I still enjoy singing along though. That at least will probably never change.

Sunday:

It was way too nice out yesterday to sit inside at all. And with no hangover, I had nothing to even tempt me to take up residence on the couch. So sorry, no Sunday movie watching to report!

On the slate for this week:

More Tudors for sure. I've got the next two episodes on disc 1. Then I'll send it back to Netflix for more!

Once: It's been on my To See List since I first heard about it and I've finally got it to watch. I'm excited.

There Will Be Blood: Possibly. The DVD came out last Tuesday and I picked it up over the weekend. I'm ready to watch it again. We all ready know that I love PTA. And I like milkshakes.

Other than that? Not sure yet. There are a few things I might try to catch in the theater. Juno comes out on DVD tomorrow. Who knows what will be on TV. Or how much time I'll have. There will be something though, there always is!

Thoughts: No Country For Old Men

Since I mentioned No Country yesterday while babbling about Paul Thomas Anderson, I feel like it's only fair to give it a bit of time as well. Yes, it's true my preference is for There Will Be Blood. However, that doesn't really have anything to do with my feelings towards No Country For Old Men.

I was a fan of the Coen brothers long before I came to appreciate PTA and I feel like I'd be a bit of a traitor if I didn't give them their due. While I might find PTA's work more inspiring in the moment, the Coen brothers are hugely responsible for my love of film. The Big Lebowski is still one of my favorite movies. And the summer that Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? came out they hijacked my movie watching and every night became an attempt to see Oh Brother. (A comedy of errors of sorts, it took me over a month to actually see the film. After it was released on video).



So yes, I bought No Country For Old Men the night it was released on DVD. My roommates had yet to see it so last night we burned a bunch of food, grabbed some comfy blankets, and settled in for the cinematic adventure that is No Country For Old Men.

It's a hard movie. It's violent, harsh, and unforgiving. While the violence can be slightly over the top, I don't feel like it's ever really campy. It just is. There are moments so tense I found myself clutching the pillow on my lap. And this was after I'd all ready seen it once, all ready knew what was coming.



It's well crafted, well told, and certainly well acted. The most complaints I've heard have to do with the ending. While I can see where people may be coming from, I think the ending is great. For me it brings the story full circle. People are dead, the ghost disappears, and we're left with an old men who can do nothing but accept what's coming.



Call it fate, call it destiny, call it what you will. Even though it feels like it, we are not the centers of the world, even our own world. There are events that happen outside of our control, outside of our awareness. We can look for what's coming. But rarely will we see it until it's there.

Anyway. No Country For Old Men is a great film. The Coen brothers continue to make me a very happy girl while they continuously reinforce my love of film. I watch the movies they make and I remember why I am in this industry.

Thoughts: Punch-Drunk Love

I love Paul Thomas Anderson. To the point being a little fangirl-ish. Normally I reserve my fangirl excitement for the cute faces of actors like Josh Hartnett or Johnny Depp. However, I occassionally get just as excited over someone working behind the scenes. The combination of Wong Kar Wei and Chris Doyle, for example.



PTA is by far my favorite of the moment. I loved There Will Be Blood with a fangirl's blindness. (What do you mean you liked No Country For Old Men Better????) I think Boogie Nights is utterly brilliant. And Magnolia? I may not ever completely understand the frogs but I still think it's genius.

With all of that, I've just now gotten around to seeing Punch-Drunk Love. Why the long wait? I have no idea. There are just so many movies out there that occasionally, or frequently, I don't come even close to seeing all of the ones I want to. Netflix helps but what I really need is more than 24 hours in a day.

Punch-Drunk Love is not my favorite PTA film. I think it's good, there are elements I think are great, but overall I found myself unable to fully connect with the story. The first half is incredibly slow and while Adam Sandler's performance is actually very good, I found the film lacking in humaness. I felt like I was being kept at a distance when I desperately wanted to be engaged.

As the story develops and more characters are introduced things improve. By the second half I was completely involved and very happily so. I think what really helped to crack the ice more than anything was Emily Watson. I think she's a great actress and she is beyond adorable in this movie. And while her wide eyes frequently convey a sense of childish wonder and innocence, she is capable of expressing an impressive range of emotion. I really feel like her performance in this film is spot on.

While this film is filled with the bits that I've come to look for in PTA's work, it's not his strongest film. Which I'm sure he all ready knows. However, with strong performances and visual style that grew on me as the film progressed, it's worth seeing. I don't think other fans of PTA will be disappointed.