The Frame » film-comedy http://frame.the-frame.com from the pen of Jandy Stone Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:17:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 #92: Amelie http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/10/08/92-amelie/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/10/08/92-amelie/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:03:41 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=431 This post is part of a project to watch the Film Bloggers’ 100 Favorite Non-English Films.

AMELIE-20

Amélie
France 2001; dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
screened 4/6/08; DVD

Previous Viewing Experience: I’ve seen this at least four times, but most of them were pretty soon after it came out on DVD, so it’s probably been four or five years. Wow, that makes me feel old.

Previous Reactions: I pretty much fell in love with this movie when I first saw it (hence the seeing it again so often so soon). The colors, the music, the quirk, the charm. Mostly the colors, if I’m honest.

Brief Synopsis: Amelie Poulain lives and works in Montmartre, but doesn’t connect very deeply with other people. When she finds a long-lost box of toys and successfully finds the overjoyed owner, she decides to do random acts of kindness (and meanness, in one case) – one of which may lead to romance if she doesn’t chicken out first.

Response: Interesting reaction this time. I’m still charmed by the film, and for all the same reasons as before. But I found myself also a little disappointed at its obviousness. Which I think is a function of having seen several Krzysztof Kieslowski films over the past year. Jeunet’s use of vibrant color seems directly borrowed from Kieslowski’s later films (the French ones), and since the cinematography is one of my favorite things about both Amelie and Kieslowski’s work, I couldn’t help comparing them in my head. And Kieslowski is better. Amelie’s problem is that she’s afraid of connecting meaningfully with other people. That’s why she spends more time pulling pranks and tricking everyone else in the story (whether for their good or ill) rather than concentrate on her own life. Ultimately, that’s why she constructs elaborate schemes and false identities that keep her in contact with yet also distanced from Bobo. And that’s great, it’s a fine storyline. But then Jeunet introduces a brittle painter who can’t quite capture one girl’s expression in the Renoir he’s copying. Why? Because she’s in a group of people and yet not connected to them. Over and over the fact that this girl and Amelie are the same is reiterated. Over and over the painter explicitly pushes Amelie to take the risk, to open herself up to others. Again, not a bad thing in and of itself, but Kieslowski takes a similar storyline of people who have cut themselves off from the world emotionally in Red and carries it out with much greater subtlety and ambiguity. Perhaps that’s why Amelie is #92 on this list and Red is down at #39.

I still love Amelie, don’t get me wrong. It’s delightful, and it remains one of the two or three best introductions to foreign films for the subtitle-phobic. But it’s a gateway drug to world cinema, and if you like it, move on to the harder stuff.

Overall Rating: Well Above Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/10/08/92-amelie/feed/ 0 Be Kind, Rewind http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/08/29/be-kind-rewind/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/08/29/be-kind-rewind/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:43:12 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=424 In a struggling New York-area city stands a dying building. It has been condemned, ready to be taken over by fancy apartment developers unless its owner Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) can turn a profit on his VHS rental store to make the necessary repairs. When he takes a research trip to find out how to improve business (leading to some nice jabs at Blockbuster-style megastores), he leaves his adopted son Mike (Mos Def) in charge, warning him to keep his hapless friend Jerry (Jack Black) out of the store. Of course, Jerry doesn’t stay out of the store, and having been temporarily magnetized in an accident (don’t ask), he erases all the tapes. Rather than admit defeat, the pair grab a camera and film short versions of the movies – Ghostbusters, RoboCop, even Driving Miss Daisy – which, incredibly, become more popular than the actual films among patrons soon willing to line up and pay $20 to have their favorite movies “sweded.” Anyone who’s ever made films in their backyard or known people who did will likely be charmed by the town coming together over the process of making and exhibiting homemade films. I was, though I still feel that Gondry’s ideas aren’t quite as good in execution as they are in his head. Thankfully, he does realize his concept much more fully and satisfactorily than in The Science of Sleep. However, once home moviemaking rallies the town, the film just stops abruptly, a move likely to annoy any viewers who aren’t convinced by Gondry’s belief in the power of cinema – any cinema.
Above Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/08/29/be-kind-rewind/feed/ 0 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/07/27/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/07/27/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:16:55 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=418 Fabulous. But then, you pretty much have to call any half-way decent film about three drag queens driving a bus (the eponymous Priscilla) through the Australian outback in outlandish costumes (and sometimes lipsynching to opera while sitting in an enormous shoe strapped on top of the bus) fabulous. Hugo Weaving is the one with the secret former marriage and son, Terence Stamp the aging one who tends to be somewhat bitter but can also be the consummate lady, and Guy Pearce is the flamboyant youth. As they move through the Outback toward their next proposed gig as lipsynching dancers, they run into mechanical difficulties, bigotry, and interpersonal conflicts. Ultimately, though, it’s a fun journey, at least for the audience if not necessarily for the three guys. Let me just say, though, that Hugo Weaving makes one ugly woman. Also interesting to see Guy Pearce before his big Hollywood roles – you have to wonder who saw this film and thought, “you know what, I bet he’d be perfect for that straight-laced cop in L.A. Confidential!”
Above Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/07/27/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert/feed/ 0 Dazed and Confused http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/07/27/dazed-and-confused/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/07/27/dazed-and-confused/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:07:48 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=415 My experience with other Linklater films had me anticipating this one to a possibly unhealthy degree, and it didn’t live up to my expectations. I think he does better with college and later than with high school, because Dazed and Confused was all right, but not great. Basically it follows a couple of freshmen as they try to survive the hazing given them by the older students and ingratiate themselves into the booze-and-drug ridden high school world. Yay! *eyeroll* It’s not that that story couldn’t work, it’s just that it doesn’t – it doesn’t go anywhere, and in a much less satisfying way than the way, say, Slacker didn’t go anywhere. I think because it felt like it was meant to go somewhere, whereas Slacker fit the meandering style much better. Plus, any movie wherein Matthew McConaughey (who I usually can’t stand) is the most entertaining part? Yeah.
Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/07/27/dazed-and-confused/feed/ 0 Enchanted http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/03/29/enchanted/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/03/29/enchanted/#comments Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:38:17 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=19 EnchantedEnchanted was the number one box office hit of the holiday weekend, with something like the fifth highest Thanksgiving opening ever. So, chances are you and your family have already seen it.

However, if you haven’t, do. I’ve been nervously excited for it since I heard about it, but feared that the story of an animated princess being thrust into the real-life world of New York City would end up being either hopelessly silly or nauseatingly saccharine. But Enchanted is neither of those things. I’ll admit there are moments when it started to slip toward one or the other, but it always came back to being heartwarmingly adorable before much damage was done.

Amy Adams is absolutely perfect as would-be princess Giselle, pushed into a portal-well by her wicked stepmother-in-law-to-be on the eve of her wedding to Prince Edward (James Marsden). Her performance starts out with every action overdone, as befitting her animated past, but gradually becomes more nuanced as Giselle learns to navigate the real world, where princes don’t always catch you when you fall, where suddenly bursting out into song doesn’t guarantee that that special someone will love you back, where not everyone appreciates woodland animals in their homes and restaurants, and where marriages don’t last happily ever after (Robert, who helps her in New York, is a divorce lawyer). Yet coming to terms with the real world doesn’t mean the loss of Giselle’s innocence; rather, her openness and belief in love transforms everyone she comes into contact with, as well. The musical numbers help, too.

Okay, see, now I’m starting to make it sound like one of those family films with a super obvious message that I always rail against. But it isn’t like that. I hardly ever like family films (except Pixar and Aardman), and I haven’t liked a non-Pixar Disney film for quite some time, so that should tell you something. Enchanted is refreshing; a film that both kids and their parents can (probably) enjoy. I put “probably” in there because you should probably check any latent cynicism at the door. But you should do that anyway. Cynicism is overrated. ;)

Speaking of Disney, any fans of Disney’s animated history will be in for a treat, since nearly all of Disney’s classics are referenced. Giselle is quite obviously a mix of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, with a pinch of Belle and a smidgen of Cinderella. The evil stepmother is half Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent and half Snow White’s wicked queen. Lump up all the various Prince Charmings and you’ve got Edward. And there are sight references to Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, and I’m sure many others that I didn’t catch the first time around. The film is tender towards Disney’s history and conventions, but also gently parodic and willing to laugh at itself, which goes a long way toward guarding against the maudlin tendency.

All in all, if you have kids, especially girls, and haven’t taken them to see Enchanted, I highly recommend you do so. Or go yourself. Because I and my three grad student friends enjoyed it greatly. And did I mention how good Amy Adams is? I know, every review has pointed that out. But it’s worth saying over and over. In fact, I have decided that pretty much every movie would at least 72% better if Amy Adams were in it.

edit: I forgot the one bad thing. Idina Menzel is in it, and she didn’t sing! I mean, COME ON! That’s like having Kristin Chenoweth in the cast of Pushing Daisies and not having her sing every week. Wait… But seriously, as soon as I recognized her, I started waiting for her musical number, and there wasn’t one. So don’t hold your breath for that. But Amy Adams does her own singing, too, and very, very well I might add. This is why we need more musicals, folks! Actors have hidden musical talent that I want to know about.

Well Above Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/03/29/enchanted/feed/ 0 Operation Petticoat http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/03/28/operation-petticoat/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/03/28/operation-petticoat/#comments Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:32:42 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=116 Enjoyable but not particularly memorable farce. Cary Grant is the captain of a submarine, Tony Curtis a recently-assigned officer whose entire military experience has thus far involved social planning for at-home military personnel. Despite his dandified manners, though, he turns out to be quite adept at “requisitioning” needed supplies via unorthodox means. Along the way, the sub picks up a group of stranded nurses from a Pacific island, which causes no end of difficulty, since, after all, subs aren’t really made for co-ed arrangements, at least not during WWII. The film continues episodically from these two situational premises. It was a quite good diversion for the afternoon, and Grant is, as usual, perfect.
Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/03/28/operation-petticoat/feed/ 0 What a Way to Go! http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/what-a-way-to-go/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/what-a-way-to-go/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:34:29 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=163 Slight but enjoyable Shirley MacLaine vehicle from the ’60s. She’s unlucky in love, in the sense that every time she falls in love and gets married, her husband suddenly makes a fortune, stops paying attention to her, and dies. An astounding array of men play her serial spouses: Dick Van Dyke, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Gene Kelly, and Dean Martin. Nice haul. The most interesting thing about it is that each marriage is introduced with a different filmmaking style. Her life with Dick Van Dyke is done as a silent film; she meets painter Paul Newman in Paris, so they’re a European sex comedy; Mitchum is rich already and their life together is a glamorous Hollywood lifestyle; Gene Kelly, obviously a musical. These vignettes are never taken far enough to be really ground-breaking, though, making them a clever addition to a mildly entertaining film, when they could have marked a highly innovative postmodern experiment if they’d been pushed to the limit. Ah, well. Expecting too much from 1960s Hollywood, I guess.
Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/what-a-way-to-go/feed/ 0 Running With Scissors http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/running-with-scissors/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/running-with-scissors/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:16:00 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=160 I must’ve paused this to go hang out elsewhere at least three times, out of pure exhaustion from sitting through it. I mean, it certainly isn’t the worst movie I’ve seen. But it’s interminable. The kid who plays Augusten Burroughs is actually pretty good, and there are enough wacky things going on that it should have been interesting. But it isn’t. The doctor’s family that Augusten goes to stay with while his mother has a nervous breakdown is supposed to be quirky-crazy but instead is just crazy-annoying; Annette Bening threatens to negate most of the great performances she’s given over the years as Augusten’s insane bitch of a mom; Augusten’s relationship with Joseph Fiennes is just creepy (although it also in a weird way seems like the most healthy thing in the film, which actually makes it MORE creepy); and did I mention interminable? It goes on forever and never gets anywhere. Evan Rachel Wood is a bright spot, but she can’t overcome everything else.
Below Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/running-with-scissors/feed/ 0 Radio Days http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/radio-days/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/radio-days/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:05:11 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=155 This essentially plotless Woody Allen film consists of a series of nostalgic vignettes about a 1940s working class New York family. The title comes from their love for the radio, the center of pop culture at the time; the radio also provides the subplot following Mia Farrow as a wanna-be radio singer who gets mixed up with gangsters. Like Broadway Danny Rose, it’s not particularly deep, but it’s also very enjoyable. Having Allen only doing the voiceover (his alter-ego character is a played by a very young Seth Green) is probably a good thing.
Above Average

]]> http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/02/23/radio-days/feed/ 0 Juno http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/01/05/juno/ http://frame.the-frame.com/2008/01/05/juno/#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2008 03:04:22 +0000 Jandy http://frame.the-frame.com/?p=187 It’s been hailed by critics everywhere, it’s been called this year’s Little Miss Sunshine (it isn’t; it’s less calculating), Ellen Page has been acclaimed for her performance as the unexpectedly pregnant teenager Juno. What should I say except that it lived up to all I’d heard, Page impressed me even above my expectations, and the script is one of the cleverest of the year, though it does stoop to the occasional easy joke. But the show is Ellen Page’s from start to finish. Juno is smart, snarky, and independent, but a good portion of her persona masks her vulnerability and her fear of creating a doomed relationship. Subtle expressions of affected apathy and deep caring shift across Page’s face from second to second. If she doesn’t win an Oscar for something within the next five years, I’ll eat my shoe (Juno isn’t an isolated triumph for her; she was also incredible a couple of years ago in Hard Candy). Meanwhile, the pregnancy plot isn’t sugar-coated, nor is it vulgarized; it might be said that Juno is the answer to the decidedly male-centric Knocked Up, which hardly allowed Allison to be a round character at all. I pretty much agree, but I can imagine that Knocked Up’s supporters will point out that Juno’s teenaged father (Michael Cera) is given a bit of a short shrift here, as a father at least, if perhaps not as a potential boyfriend. He has very little say in the decisions Juno makes about the baby’s future. I will point out that of the three big unplanned pregnancy comedies this year (Waitress is the third), Juno is the only one that even acknowledges the concept of abortion. I’m not in favor of abortion, but the fact that Juno considered it and rejected it, instead choosing to find an adoptive couple, felt a lot more realistic than Waitress’s offhanded rejection and Knocked Up’s obliviousness of it.
Superior

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