1) They always show the best movies.
I don't think AMC would ever show Lars Von Trier's shock horror film, Antichrist but the local independent theater sure as hell did.
2) Tickets are usually cheaper
These small theaters don't usually seem as profit driven as the larger chains are. I see movies for $5 at Gateway Film Center. AMC is $10. I can see two awesome films at Gateway for the price of 1 mediocre film at AMC.
3) Beat up film reels.
As previously stated, I love the look of a beat up 35mm. AMC has a lot of "Digital Presentations" now and that just doesn't fly with me. Another thing people should note about me is that I hate the fact that we as a film society are drifting towards 3D everything. The gimmick was cool when I went to the MGM Themepark to see the Terminator ride. Or seeing that Muppet video thing there. It was ages ago, I don't really remember except it was cool and in 3D. When I saw Avatar, I was like "Wow, this is cool!" For the first 10 minutes, then thought to myself, "Wow, I'm really over this... So the storyline doesn't get creative? It's ALL about the visuals? Damn. :("
The day that 35mm stops being shown OR the day that everything is in 3D will be the day I stop going to theaters to see movies.
Now that that's over, onto
My Movie Collection:
As of right now, I'm in between leases so I'm living at my parents' house. All of my films and books are in the basement in giant stacks. The picture to the left doesn't even do my collection justice. There are still 3 piles behind me. But you can imagine how frustrating it is to think, "I want to watch [insert film title]!" then have to sift through all of it. During the move, they ALL fell out of order (I usually keep them alphabetized on this big black bookshelf). I just wanted to share that with you all.
The Girl Who Played With Fire (Daniel Alfredson, 2009)
This is the second film in "The Millennium Trilogy" (These are film adaptations of the books by the same titles). The first being The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and the third being The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest.
IMDB captured the brief synopsis of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo quite nicely, so I'll just post that: A journalist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing -- or dead -- for forty years by a young female hacker.
So, that said, this is what The Girl Who Played With Fire is about: As computer hacker Lisbeth and journalist Mikael investigate a sex-trafficking ring, Lisbeth is accused of three murders, causing her to go on the run while Mikael works to clear her name.
I love mysteries (Film Noir w00t!) but I feel like I don't watch them enough; this trilogy has quenched that thirst. As the film unfolds, I found myself completely captivated and unsure of what was coming next. A lot of the film isn't necessarily edge-of-your-seat in the same sense as Rear Window, but my eyes were glued to the screen. Noomi Rapace (who has been in nothing I am familiar with) plays this cynical cyber-goth, Lisbeth Salander, perfectly. Although she is almost an antiheroine, it is so easy to connect with her and empathize with her plight, especially in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
A lot of the time with trilogies, the director makes an attempt to capture the essence of the first film and fails miserably. I must say, both of these films are equally as remarkable. I'm very excited to see The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest.
Before I forget, I should mention that these films are Swedish. That means nothing to me, but some people may be like, "WHY DIDN'T HE WARN ME I WOULD HAVE TO READ!?!?!? I HATE READING!!!!!! >:C" I bet if you are one of those people, you get to the end of my post and just punch a hole in your wall, don't you? "DAMN WORDS!!!!!!"
★★★★★ - Again, I feel really bad having given so many movies on this blog 5 stars, but this really deserves it. Incredible acting, very well written, captivating, and just all around exciting. Don't watch this without seeing the first one, though. It may be quite confusing. But, don't miss either of these if they are showing in your town. I think they may be streaming on Netflix too (the first one was, as of August 8th. I don't know if it still is or not).
Also should note: There is some fairly graphic violence and a lot of nudity in these films. Probably should warn you before you sit down with Grampappy to watch what you think is innocent fun.
This next film, I don't even really want to write about, but I watched it, so I will:
Junebug (Phil Morrison, 2005)
I blind-bought this movie because, well, just look at that cover. Indie beyond all reason! Just kidding. Ben McKenzie ("The O.C.", "Southland", 88 Minutes) was in it with Amy Adams (Enchanted, Doubt, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby). Both of them in an Indie comedy? Should be good. Only after starting it did I realize that Embeth Davidtz (Matilda, Army of Darkness, Schindler's List) was in it! She is the second most adorable actress ever! My number one will go to Audrey Tautou (Amélie, Priceless, The Libertine). I saw Matilda not too long ago for the first time in years and I was completely lovestruck with her as Ms. Honey. She is just so loving and empathetic towards Matilda, it's hard not to love her. I just wanted to picnic with her and watch clouds pass and hug her until I lost feeling in my arms. Back to Junebug.
Embeth Davidtz did an incredible job in this as the owner of this art gallery who is married to Ben McK-... You know what? WIKIPEDIA! SNAP SNAP: When newlywed Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), an art dealer, travels from Chicago to North Carolina to pursue a local, self-taught painter (Frank Hoyt Taylor) for her outsider art gallery she takes the opportunity to meet her husband George's (Alessandro Nivola) family, who live close by.
The film seems promising, but Ben McKenzie wasn't half as prominent as I wanted. And from the cover of the DVD, he looks all nice and sympathetic. Not the case at all! He's a dick in this. But he has a mustache so that counts for something, right? And Amy Adams' character was just too eccentric for me. I mean, I know it was written like that, but it was just too much for me. I did like how she interacted with Davidtz though. They had some really good awkward chemistry going on.
I feel like if films are going to go for that sort of awkward feel, make it as awkward as possible. Go big or go home. Nothing in this was cringeworthy, but it was sort of "Heh, that's kind of uncomfortable." Also, the beginning of the film is funny and pretty lighthearted with a few tense and sobering undertones, but then it just takes this horrid change into really serious. Like, fairly abruptly. I wasn't to keen on that.
★★½ - I gave it the ½ because Amy Adams delivers an amazing monologue. Very passionate and well acted. I wouldn't watch this again, but I think that may just be my own personal preference. I think if this interests you at all, watch it. I recommend not paying for it, but it's sort of worth a one time view.
After watching that, I needed to cleanse my pallet. So I figured I would get something that was funny, but also really depressing, because I'm into those kinds of films (if you haven't noticed).
Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2006)
I feel like what Junebug tried to do, Little Miss Sunshine does thrice-fold. The funny parts are really funny, the awkward parts are cringeworthy, and the sad parts are really sad. This film was marketed as a comedy, but I saw it as more of an indie drama than anything; nothing like the previews made it out to be.
This is today's "Favorite Role of Favorite Actor." I would say this is tied with Dan in Real Life for my favorite of Steve Carell's (Dinner For Schmucks, Date Night, The 40 Year Old Virgin), but this takes precedent because I saw it before I saw that one. He is so great at doing serious roles, I don't know why he constantly chooses these "Rent Films"* like Dinner For Schmucks. After doing 6 seasons of "The Office" and tons of other high grossing films, why doesn't he do more serious roles?
*Rent Film: films with poor scripts that will make a lot of money, so that you have enough money for rent until you can finish your next good film.
This is also the film that introduced me to Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, L.I.E., Fast Food Nation). Another favorite actor, but this wasn't my favorite role of his.
So, the plot of this one: A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus. Short and simple.
There is just so much about this film to love. The characters were all really well thought out, it has this really happy and cheerful outer shell with an incredibly depressing inner layer. I know I have used that analogy somewhere... <_< >_> but this fits it too. And I love films like that. These characters are comprised of such good actors, the interactions are flawless to how they should be.
★★★★★ - Yup. Another 5 star. Absolutely incredible. It was exactly what I was looking for when I finished watching Junebug. Plus, the band Devotchka did the music for it, which is awesome. If you aren't familiar with them, check this out:
Amazing.
Roll credits.
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