Weird.

Thinking about '08 in the movies, I am not sure how accurate my impression is, but it is this:  the year was a strange split between (a) cartoon and superhero movies (Batman, Ironman) (b) silly comedies (the Apatow bunch) and (c) little indie movies that could (Vicky Christina Barcelona, Slumdog Millionaire).  Oh, and the obligatory Bond movie.

I had always considered indie=good a terrible cliche.  There are things to be appreciated in the first two categories of movies.  The stunning thing is that it seems that the big studios completely gave up on any ambition to make movies with lasting substance, as if outsourcing that whole bit to the smaller production houses.  Which, I supposed is totally fine, as long as there's a way for obscure film makers to patch together funding to make movies.  I am just annoyed I have to go to old dirty subterranean Angelika to see them.

All of which is to say, Slumdog is as good as everyone says it is, and better.  For me, above all, it was a spectacular production of a terrific script.  Funnily, it closes with a Bollywood dance, as if to make light of all the horrific images of India which I suspect are truer to form than the movie would need you to believe.   And that's the clever thing about Slumdog:  it is not trying to make a statement about India or serve as a critique.  Instead, it is a love story, with the country - raw and ugly - as its backdrop.  

Virgin Worship.

I flew Virgin Atlantic for the first time this holiday and I loved it.  And not because they give you fun free stuff and they are actually nice and friendly (they do and they are) but because of the selection of movies and music they have on board, which brings me to the motivation for this post - the 2 movies I saw on board.  

The first, Brideshead Revisited, turns out to be a remake of a 1980s mini series adaptation of a British Classic novel.  I had never heard about either and definitely have to investigate.  As for this movie, while the story is great and the talent is striking (Emma Thompson, amazing as always; Matthew Goode, the most under appreciated hottie in the English speaking world), what almost reduced me to tears on board of that flight was the music, 2 songs in particular.  Thanks to iTunes, you can find them here and here.  

The second movie, In Search of a Midnight Kiss, is particularly well timed as it is about a blind date taking place on New Years Eve.  Despite its simple premise - a couple meets on New Years and sorta falls in love - and execution - the camera follows them around LA all day as they are getting to know each other - it was one of the most interesting American movies I have seen in a while.  And not "interesting" in the Charlie Kaufman I will make you regret the day you were born sort of way.  

Go Netflix them both.

The Big Screen.

After a long hiatus - which is truly bizzare for me - I went to Sunshine Landmark to see one of the most unbearable, self-indulgent, ridiculous movies ever made - Synecdoche, New York.  Maybe I'm getting old and impatient, but when I spend 2 hours of my life in a movie theater, I expect more than a clever/cheeky concept and a few precious ideas sprinkled around.  

BUT the silver lining of that horrid experience was the preview of Waltz with Bashir, hat tip to VSL for reminding me of that today.  Looks really good.

While we're on the topic of movies, I was pleasantly surprised by the general quality of the Golden Globes nominations; like, I almost didn't realize what a good year it was in movies.   A few complaints though: (1) only 1 nomination for Milk - I think it deserved more (2) I can't decide if Vicky Christina Barcelona is supposed to have been a comedy or a musical, but the nominations committee clearly thinks it's one of the two (3) 24 is not a mini series (4) Meryl Streep - come on - 2 nods?  On a more constructive note, I definitely need to watch Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire, Doubt, The Reader, I've Love You So Long and, if the winter is very long, Revolutionary Road.

Angel-Headed Hipster on My Mind

The best live-action mainstream American movie that I have seen this year...  Harvey Milk was an intriguing, inspiring figure. “Milk” is a marvel.

Quite a rave from A. O. Scott.  Christopher Orr over at TNR's Plank, while liking the movie, makes the following criticism:

So why did the movie leave me so cold? Largely, I suppose, it is a question of belatedness. Milk was murdered 30 years ago. The exceptional The Times of Harvey Milk won the Oscar for Best Documentary 24 years ago. The Dead Kennedys recorded their Dan White-themed "I Fought the Law (and I Won)" 21 years ago. Yet, all this time later, after the world has shifted under our feet, Hollywood wants us to applaud its courage for finally--finally--telling this story? Really? I can't help but think there will be something cheap about the inevitable Oscar nominations (and probable victories) with which the movie industry will advertise its moral elevation come February.

Good point.  Regardless, I can't wait to see it tonight.

007 is soooo '07.

A rare PLAY post for once after watching the new Bond movie, inspired not by the qualities of the movie (which there are surprisingly quite a few) but by the context in which it is taking place and the fact that by the time the movie hit the screens, it is already outdated.  Consider the following references: expensive oil; green energy; a bribe executed in Euros, because "the dollar is not what it used to be."  Clearly, the screenplay was conceived in 2007 and early 2008; by now it feels strangely nostalgic that 6 months ago, those were our concerns.

PLAY: 4 Reasons to See "Mamma Mia!"

My "Meryl rule", roughly speaking, states that I will pay to see Meryl Streep standing quietly on a sidewalk, so as far as I'm concerned whatever movie she's in is fair game. So, as such, I simply had to go see Mamma Mia! last Friday, despite all the bad reviews. And yes, many of the criticisms are spot on. But through all the moments of awkwardness, occasional bad cuts, and some amateurish photoshop scenes, this was one of the funnest movie experiences in a long time. So what makes the movie worth every single one of the 12 bucks that I paid for it?

1. The women - Meryl Streep takes silly to a whole new level - even more so than in Death Becomes Her - and her relentless energy and sheer physical strength make me wonder if the the elixir of youth from the said 1992 movie was more than just a plot element. Her on-screen craziness is outdone only by Christine Baranski and Julie Walters who both contribute with memorable musical numbers. But the real star of the movie is Amanda Seyfried, who arguably has the most to prove - and does so stunningly. Who knew that the cousin-fucking weather-forecasting blondie in Mean Girls was secretly in possession of this amazing voice and radiant yet not annoying personality?

2. The men - While not as musically impressive or entertaining as the women in the flick, they deserve a few nods: for having the courage to sing (in the case of Pierce Brosnan), for exposing themselves in cringe-inducing ways (Stellan Skarsgård, Colin Firth), for being hot (Juan Pablo Di Pace) or even-hotter-than-you-knew (Dominic Cooper).

3. ABBA - This may be quite obvious but the music is fun fun fun! - which I admit may be lost on those that didn't grow up listening to ABBA and can't sing along to every song in the movie. Apart from doing just that, I wanted to get up and dance - almost as much as I actually did during the Goran Bregovic concert not too long ago.. unfortunately the theater was full of civilized gays - not nearly as uninhibited as the Balkan folks who rocked out in the isles of Avery Fisher hall during Bregovic.

4. Greece - the stunningly gorgeous scenery clearly boosts the feel-good quotient of the movie and makes everyone look beautiful and happy - and will make you want to take a vacation immediately. No, this is no cerebral affair.

So I say: read the reviews (my favourite is A. O. Scott), adjust your expectations accordingly and go have fun - it's summertime!