I've seen three movies on DVD in the past three days. Ok, technically four. Five in five, really. But I really wanted to write "trifecta." So Neener.
First up was Saved, which I've mentioned in the past. It's a movie that makes fun of people that take their religion much too seriously. There's no part of that description that doesn't appeal to me, and the movie's good, too. On top of that, it's got a song from one of my favorite little bands, Bishop Allen, in it. So it's all around good.
Next came Samurai Fiction or, as it's Japanese title would have it, SF: Episode One. My theory is that it's called Samurai Fiction in the States because of the Pulp Fiction connection. Not that the movie's anything like Pulp Fiction, but whatever. It's a samurai movie, done all in black and white, but with two key oddities about it. First, the entire soundtrack is done on electric guitar. And included a brief riff of dueling banjos. Second, it had an anime-esque sense of melodrama (nose-bleeds and all) rather than a samurai movie sense of understatement. Very fun, very worth seeing.
Third was Van Helsing. Upon peril of your mortal soul, do not see this movie. Ok, really? It was nice to look at. Mostly. But everything else about the movie was bad. I found that it was much better if I pretended that the main character had a whip instead of a crossbow, that his name was Simon Belmont rather than Van Helsing and if the movie had been called Castlevania rather than the same.
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence was the fourth movie and it was both cool and a fair departure from the first movie. Whereas the first one was action cyberpunk, this was much more noir-styled cyberpunk. So, a very different tone, but also very good. Animation was excellent, pacing was deliberate. The only problem with it was that most of the dialogue in the last half of the movie was quotations from various sources that they never named. That was lame.
Finally, I watched About Schmidt. I've seen this one before. It's pretty interesting, but I think it'll really appeal to me most when I get older. Which is, I guess, what it was designed to do. I've got a theory that About Schmidt is the equivalent of the last chapted of Superman: Secret Identity. In this set up, Garden State is akin to the second chapter. I'm still trying to work out what movies the first and third chapters would be. Anyone with experience in all these things have any ideas?
Comments (5)
the only one ive seen is van helsing and even tough i recognize it was a bad movie its was nevertheless entertaining.
I did like it when he turned into a werewolf and started to toss the vampire around :)
Posted by gus | January 24, 2005 8:14 AM
Posted on January 24, 2005 08:14
"First up was Saved, which I've mentioned in the past. It's a movie that makes fun of people that take their religion much too seriously. There's no part of that description that doesn't appeal to me, and the movie's good, too."
Did we watch the same movie? I think that's rather misleading. First of all the main character takes her religion very seriously and continues to do so and the point is that it's a good thing. Also, Patrick is the character who is the most put together and the most likeable is also the most religious. Saved! doesn't make fun of those who are religious, it points out the absurdity (and makes fun of) those people who are so caught up in TRYING to be religious that they don't even notice they are being non-Christian (this applies to other religions as well, I am sure, but the movie focuses on Christianity). Hilary Faye _is_ very religious and it doesn't fault her for that, in fact some of the most poignant scenes of hers involve her praying...BUT, her vanity began to take over and she lost her center. Pastor Skip isn't funny because he has strong faith, he is absurd because he is trying to hard to make others feel that faith that he's trying to be things that he's not. And all the strange characters lose perspective of the humanity of religion. The movie isn't say "Hey you, if you are very religious you are stupid," it's saying "Hey you, if you are Christian but think of yourself as better than others...you are stupid. If you are Christian and you persecute people for being gay, that's stupid, because what about the whole love and no judging thing? If you blindly accept everything at face value without questioning, that's not faith that's being stupid." That kind of stuff. It's similar to Dogma in that respect; people thought Dogma was anti-Catholocism and it wasn't in any way. What it was was something that pointed out the weirder parts and made people think about them.
"Finally, I watched About Schmidt. I've seen this one before. It's pretty interesting, but I think it'll really appeal to me most when I get older. Which is, I guess, what it was designed to do. I've got a theory that About Schmidt is the equivalent of the last chapted of Superman: Secret Identity. In this set up, Garden State is akin to the second chapter. I'm still trying to work out what movies the first and third chapters would be. Anyone with experience in all these things have any ideas?"
Well I know movies but not Superman. What are those chapters about? Judging from your choices I'd say Lost in Translation would be good for Chapter Three. This is based purely on the grounds that Garden State is about trying to find yourself as you come into adulthood, and About Schmidt is about finding meaning and the things that have seemingly disappeared as you grow old (Bubba Ho Tep may be a better fit for SuperM though). So, why not have Chapter Three be a movie about being middle aged (or young and newly married) at the point where you expect everything should have come together and you should be happy, but somehow you still feel lost.
Posted by Ogre | January 24, 2005 8:21 AM
Posted on January 24, 2005 08:21
Mmm, perhaps "much too seriously" was a misleading turn of phrase. "Much too dogmatically" or "as the sole source of order, even above one's own thoughts" might have been better. You made the Dogma comparrison, which I was going to do myself when I first typed up my description of the movie. I'm 100% with you there.
Mary and Patrick both were able to question their faith and put it in an appropriate (i.e. non-judgemental, non-domineering) context - in other words, to let it guide them rather than rule them. Hilary Faye and Pastor Skip were not able to do the same.
Superman: Secret Identity is about a kid in the real world (named Clark Kent, with all the baggage attached) who one day gets all the powers of Superman. The book's far from about the powers, it's about the search for identity - trying to find yourself and deal with what you have and what you've lost.
Secret Identity goes through four age ranges in the four chapters - teenager, young adult, about to have a child and finally old age. It's far, far more about the character and the personal questions he has to grapple with - the questions he would have had to grapple with anyway, regardless of his powers, but that his powers cause to take on a new light - than it is about his powers. The core question of chapter 3 is "what will you sacrifice to protect your family?"
Posted by Jason | January 24, 2005 9:26 AM
Posted on January 24, 2005 09:26
That's a tough theme to find in movies in a modern context barring superhero movies, movies in wartorn countries or action/crime movies. Face/Off? :) What is the theme of teenager?
Posted by The Ogre | January 26, 2005 8:07 AM
Posted on January 26, 2005 08:07
Uhm... No, not Face/Off. I was, strangely, thinking about either Baby Boom or She's Having a Baby, but I don't know that either of them is quite perfect, the way Schmidt and Garden State are.
The theme of the teenager story is privacy/identity vs. popularity. Does Clark reveal his powers to the world in order to get wealth, fame, the girl he likes, &c. or does he keep it a secret and let himself be picked on because of his name in order to have a life of his own?
Posted by Jason | January 26, 2005 10:22 AM
Posted on January 26, 2005 10:22