jeuneidiot

Tim Burton takes an A-list cast including Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Natalie Portman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jack Black in an early role, Rod Steiger, Michael J. Fox and several others and attempts to send up the cheap, campy science fiction movies of the 50 and 60s. I think he watched too many Ed Wood movies and had this idea spring forth fully formed from his forehead.

Martians attack the earth, pretend to be friendly and then start zapping earthlings and wreaking destruction far and wide. My favorite part: When the martians get the translator machine and carry it around with them shouting, do not run, we are your friends, while simultaneously zapping everyone they see. It's campy and clichéd as was intended. The question is though, what makes a spoof of something superior to what it is spoofing? This movie is like green jello with shaved carrots made in a mold to resemble a clover and served at an upscale party to mock the parochial bourgeois of the midwest and Utah. Everyone has a good laugh and samples a bit to understand what it means to have such poor taste. But all said and done, it is still green jello with carrots shaved into it, and it's not that good and it is midwest potluck food (I've lived near Des Moines and Salt Lake City and know plenty about jello) and although done in the spirit of mockery or spoof, doesn't taste any better than the real thing which wasn't that good to begin with. 5/10

This Belge film from 2005 won the Palme D'or in Cannes and was nominated for 4 Césars, so I was anxious to see if it were really that good. Talk about messed up lives. Sonia comes home from the hospital with her newborn, to find that her petty thief boyfriend Bruno has rented out her apartment to a couple as a sex getaway while she was giving birth. She can't move back in until their lease expires in a couple more days. She goes to find him, excited to back with him, but unfortunately she interrupts a purse snatching planned by Bruno so he has no money. She lets Bruno watch the baby for a few minutes while she runs an errand, he calls a contact and sells the baby for about 5000 euros. When she comes back and he tells her what happened, she passes out and ends up in the hospital. Bruno realizes she's not going to just let this go, so goes about trying to get the baby back.

The inexperienced actors and the true-to-life dialogue made this movie strong. Other than the fact that Sonia could run pretty fast, considering the birth was a week earlier, it was realistic, open and engaging. To realize that there are those who really are so stupid and opportunistic in the world makes it more astounding. Luckily for each other, they begin to mature towards the end of the film. We are allowed to see into a slice of life, served up unembellished and it draws you in.

This movie is like crème fraiche. It has a slight sourness and acidity to it, but that makes it all the more appetizing and delicious. The texture is perfect for toast or fruit, yet it is natural, clean tasting and subtle. 7/10

This Christopher Guest movie is a send up of the movie business, just like his previous films were send ups of heavy metal bands, small town theatre productions, dog shows and folk music. Movie people seem to love movies about movie making, acting and the movie life. Regular people only seem to really care about the stars and their behavior. The best movie about film-making that I know is 8 1/2 because it was really about the director's existential struggle. Other movies about the business such as Dangerous Game with Harvey Keitel and Madonna or Be Cool with John Travolta and Uma Thurman seem as if they were greenlighted by studio people who think the making of movies is what everyone in the world eats and breathes. Often in the book world you hear new literary authors referred to as a writer's writer, which means only pedants will want to buy this book, movies about movies appeal mainly to movie people, which means mostly narcissists want to see these films.

But this is what Christopher Guest is good at, skewering obsessed fringe groups. Starring most of his regulars, this film takes a group of people involved in the filming of a little independent film called Home for Purim. Well before long, there is some Oscar buzz around one of the actors and then another and then around the movie as a whole. The suits get involved, want the Jewishness toned downs and it turns into Home for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile the 3 stars who are getting the Oscar buzz are acting differently, especially the two older veteran stars. This segment where the stars are influenced by the chance for a nomination was dead on and hilarious(normal people can relate to star behavior and movie maker clichés).

This movie is like foie gras. You might be confused by this since foie gras is a renowned delicacy. Well, I don't know much about foie gras. I'm sure if I understood the delicacy of it, the divine taste of a sautéed piece of foie gras with a subtle sauce to complement it, I would love it, as I would love this movie if I were in the movie biz. But I don't know good foie gras, I can't describe it to you, as I can't really describe what goes on behind the scenes during filming. This was a good movie, but wasn't able to pass Best in Show as my favorite Christopher Guest film. 6/10