up in the air... finally

The last movie I saw worth writing about was Up in the Air. The only problem is that I don't find it worth writing about. It's one of those movies where you feel more inspired by the commercial than you do the actual movie. I actually feel that way about one of the movies I've worked on (and I think it had everything to do with the music), but that's beside the point.

George Clooney is a man who distances himself from everything, especially family. He flies around firing people, and his success is being part of elite clubs because of loyalty. He meets a woman in his travels who shares this same interest. It's about sex at first, but he brings her to his younger sister's wedding (because he decided to give his family a chance.) Parallel to this, a new girl at his company is revolutionizing things--firing people over the internet.

With both plot lines he learns, and that's nice, but not quite as nice as my expectations had hoped it would be. Moral--don't wait till it's too late to value what matters most.

Back to the commercial, it also includes the best cinematography. So save yourself some time and a little bit of heartbreak.

remember me

this movie may seem mediocre, but the end makes the whole experience. i can't write about it without spoiling it so if you haven't seen it, go watch it. and don't read on.

yes, the movie is slow, but it's real. it's about life. and family issues. and love. and disasters that can shatter all that in a moment. and for that reason, it's wonderful, and i think it may be a favorite of mine. i appreciate it even more after seeing it a second time.

this time it was with reiel and alisha. alisha was visiting to watch a good chick flick, and reiel and i had been kind of watching the mtv movie awards, and remember me was such a shift from all of that. but that's the kind of movies i want to make. ones that hit people in the heart and the head.

i refuse to say anymore because i don't want to ruin the moment at which you will realize that this movie is fantastic. (like the sixth sense was for me, making it impossible to ever fully appreciate.)

the p's

so i wanted to start this blog when i watched the new pride and prejudice at a relief society sleepover. i thought about it again when i finished watching phoebe in wonderland tonight. and as to not make it coincidence, but pattern, i decided to add punch drunk love to the list.

i came home from a wrap party tonight after talking with a friend for a while and feeling very contemplative. i didn't want to watch mindless t.v. as i often do with my roommate. i wanted to watch something meaningful and satisfying. at first, i suggested the hurt locker. it was made by the first oscar-winning female director. that in itself is satisfying. but she didn't sound too into it. i had already been browsing netflix for a while and had considered instant playing a foreign film, but settled on phoebe in wonderland, a recommendation from a film friend and t.a.

the main character has an obsessive-compulsive form of tourettes, and seems to only be able to control it when concentrating on something else. in this case, it's the school play, alice in wonderland. her parents are both writers, and both phoebe and her sister are kind of brilliant, but they've all got their issues. her disease seemed almost contagious, but i must've been noticing the similarities between her parents once her problem became more obvious. her parents are honest and they talk about things. i love that. communication was never a big thing in my household. and their opening up is the semi-resolution along with the show going on (as it must) despite her theater teacher being fired. the whole "the man" theme always intrigues me, and there was definitely a lot of "the man" suppressing differentness.

it was good. but not in the way i wanted. it was beautifully lit, and the acting was fantastic, especially by dakota's little sister, elle. but i felt dark and confused. probably as the little girl did, but that's not what i was looking for. it was all the better for making me feel as the character did, just as in punch drunk love (but i hated it for that reason). it should be regarded as filmmaking at its best, and it is, but it makes me feel awful. lucky for me, it wrapped it up a little at the end--but don't get me wrong, i like sad, and even unresolved, movie endings--however it wasn't enough to bring me back up from what i'd been brought down to.

it's the same with punch drunk love. the message of the film, although uplifting, was not strong enough to support the darkness that had preceded, and essentially filled, the movie.

next time i'll go with my first instinct, which tonight was to watch o'horten, a movie by the same person who did the delightful, yet depressing, swedish film kitchen stories.