13 Going on 30 (2004)

Dir: Gary Winick
Writers: John Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Mark Ruffalo, Andy Serkis

On Saturday I met my friend Jaime for brunch and when we realized that the L train was not running into Manhattan from Brooklyn, we decided to spend the afternoon on the couch watching movies. While I was scanning my DVD collection, I mentioned, "Well, you've probably already seen 13 Going on 30..." and to my astonishment, she had not. I popped in the DVD and gleefully jumped onto the couch next to her, to watch her watch it for the first time.

I want to say that this movie was critical to my adolesence, but since it came out when I was 21-years-old, I think that statement is probably pushing it. There are many things wrong with the 'rom-com' genre, but I absolutely love some of them--usually the least offensive ones to my tastes as a woman who likes good comedy.

13 Going on 30 is probably one of the most sugary rom-coms in existence - it stars Jennifer Garner as Jenna Rink, a girl who at 13 faces all those awful mean girls, and then wakes up at age 30 in a swanky apartment with her dream job--but finds out all the things she wanted at 13 aren't as glossy as they seemed. Garner is absolutely perfect in her role; I may even use the word delightful.

I've loved Garner since the tv show ALIAS, and this movie made me love her even more. She plays the 13-year-old brain in a 30-year old body so well! Add in perennial sidekick Judy Greer (who really needs a starring role already, she's so good) and  a romantic interest played by Mark Ruffalo (hubba hubba - I am not ashamed), I'm smiling the whole way through!

The plot sure is sweet, but I enjoy the lighthearted every once in a while. Garner and cast are pretty convincing, and in the land of the woeful rom-com, it's 10 stars. When it was over, Jaime exclaimed, "Why haven't I seen that?!" in the way that one does when she's a rom-com lover that hasn't seen a good one in a while.

Best: Garner, in every scene. There are so many good scenes to love, too. The scene where she wakes up as a 30-year-old, the scene where she makes an entire elitist party of magazine snobs dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the scene where she has a sleepover with other 13-year-olds as a 30-year-old and teaches them that "love is a battlefield," or the scene where she finds her massive walk-in closet--I can't choose!

Fact: The girl who plays young Jenna Rink is currently on my favorite new television show, Revenge, and also played the younger Jennifer Garner in Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past--an example of a truly terrible, no good rom-com.

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Reprise (2006)

Dir: Joachim Trier
Writers: Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
Starring: Anders Danielsen Lie, Espen Klouman-Høiner, Viktoria Winge

While packing for Paris, I looked at my DVD collection scanning for something that Jesse and I could watch together. I picked Reprise because Jesse grew up watching foreign movies with his father (it's Norwegian), and there are a few important sequences that happen in Paris that I wanted to rewatch. On our third night in Paris, after three days of constant walking and exploring and reveling in the nightlife, we chose to get into our comfortable hotel bed and watch the movie.

The film centers on two best friends, Phillip and Erik, who are writers. The film opens with both of them dropping their novel manuscripts in a mailbox in Oslo, Norway. From that moment the viewer jumps to an imaginary sequence (narrated) about their impending fame from being intellectual writers with published novels, to the reality set six months after that fateful send-off. It's an interesting premise, and the characters and setting of Oslo really guide the film through it's many plots and subplots.

What's most relevant among these plots is the major theme (the titular subject) that sometimes we'd like to do things over. That perhaps we don't have regrets, because through no fault of our own, something disastrous lay in the path we had set for ourselves and we can't go back. One character tries to adjust to his new path, the other tries to repeat everything as it was when it was 'good.' It's definitely a universal feeling, to want things to turn out differently--but, sometimes it simply doesn't.

It's not the best film in the world, but it's an interesting film from a young filmmaker. It finds influences in Jean-Luc Godard's French New Wave style and even Jean-Pierre Jeunet's more updated slick directing. But though it has many elements that sometimes collide over the narrative, I love it. It's sometimes frenetic, sometimes slow, but I'm always curious as to where the story and the characters will go next. The movie may have its flaws, but it's successful. I probably love it more because of it's weird nuances. And I'm looking forward to Trier's next endeavor.

On a sidenote, the subject matter of the film, and perhaps even the way it is filmed was particularly inspiring to me when I saw it a couple of years ago on a random Netflix recommendation. I was then working on my first attempt at a novel (NaNoWriMo), and I thought back to this movie frequently and believe it did motivate me and influence the narrative in certain ways.

The Best: There's really so many great elements in the film, from the interesting voice-over narration and quick cuts to the performances. I suppose the sequence I enjoyed the most was the heartbreaking 'reprise' trip to Paris that Phillip takes with his ex-girlfriend Kari, played with alien beauty by Viktoria Winge. It made me shudder with relatable emotion.

Fact:  In the movie, there is a reclusive Norwegian author both Phillip and Erik idolize and want very much to meet and follow in his footsteps. In the movie his name is Sten Egil Dahl, and apparently he's based on Norwegian writer Tor Ulven. Ulven gave only one interview in his career, but he is regarded as one of the most important writers in Norway during the eighties and nineties.

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Before Sunset (2004)

Dir: Richard Linklater
Writers: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater
Starring: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke

Perhaps one of the best sequels ever made--isn't it rare to get a sequel to a genuine, romantic film? Most of them seem to fade away into their happy endings. Before Sunrise's ambiguous ending left so much room for a follow-up, and follow up these creators did. This time actors Hawke and Delpy helped write the script (and they were Oscar-nominated for it!) and their characters Jesse and Céline meet again--somewhat by chance--in Paris.

This film happens in 'real time' - they have a 90 minute conversation as they walk through Paris, catching up. We learn that Jesse was indeed waiting for Céline in Vienna nine years ago. Céline never showed up, but there's more to it than that. Hearing the two characters catch up was fascinating as we, too, were catching up with them. They've matured, but still harbor this remembrance for that one night. It's almost as if they feel silly for holding onto this one memory from their youths, but it was just as genuine for the other.

As I am about to embark on my own trip to Paris tonight, I watched this film and still love it so much. There's much here about relationships and missed opportunities and taking chances. I've worked my own Before Sunset Tour into our itinerary in Paris--I want to meet like them at the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore and walk by the Seine and sit on a bench on the Promenade Plantee. And we shall.

The Best: The script is beautiful; it still feels like two regular people talking, but in a way that you know this is not how they talk to other people. Jesse and Céline each have their own brilliant moments (Jesse's talking about how he might break apart if someone were to touch him, Céline discussing the sad cynicism that came with getting older). I become wistful just thinking of these two and this movie and their conversation. The two ending lines are perhaps my favorite two ending lines of ANY movie. Bravo to the three writers, bravo!



Fact: It only took 15 days to film this movie.

Rating: ********** (10 out of 10)

Before Sunrise (1995)

Dir: Richard Linklater

Writers: Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

This movie is a conversation. If you're interested in fast-paced or action-packed movies--this movie is not for you. Young, American 20-something Jesse (Hawke) is on a European rail when he meets Céline, a beautiful French girl. They talk. Everybody at some point has felt that energy when your conversation with a person just goes on and on and there's no pause or stalling. Those conversations are quite honestly some of life's best moments, aren't they?

And so we get to witness Jesse and Céline's. He asks her to spend the day with him in Vienna before he flies back to America, and she accepts even though she's on her way back home to Paris via the train. What ensues is a beautiful, spontaneous series of activities with Jesse and Céline as we listen in on their conversation--oh, and Vienna, Austria is the background.

Their characters seem so genuine and they are funny and flawed but I want to be their friends. I want them to be together. By the end of the movie, they decide not to share their phone numbers and addresses but because their connection is so strong they make a pact to meet back at the Vienna train station in exactly six months. The ambiguous ending leaves it all up to the viewer: do Jesse and Céline rejoin and continue their burgeoning romance? Does one make it and the other doesn't? Do neither make it out to Vienna? It's almost a Rorschach test for how idealist or realist you are as a person. I always thought they'd meet back up.

The Best: The chemistry between these two characters just oozes off the screen! I love them both and they are both played wonderfully by Hawke and Delpy.

Fact: Linklater based the film on an evening he spent with a woman in Philadelphia. That just makes me think he probably took the Amtrak, on a line I'm very familiar with, and it amazes me when I think about how un-magical Philadelphia and the Northeast Corridor rail-line is in comparison to Vienna, Austria. The backdrop really adds to the movie's magic.

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

2 Days in the Valley (1996)

Dir: John Herzfeld
Writer: John Herzfeld
Starring: James Spader, Danny Aiello, Jeff Daniels, Eric Stoltz, Teri Hatcher, Charlize Theron

This movie isn't quite remembered by many people. It's odd, given that it's a decent movie, but perhaps it's because it was trying to be as slick as Tarantino after Pulp Fiction. Not very many movies come close to that one. It's got some comedy simmering there beneath the crime thriller it's masquerading as.

The many characters in the film are all caught up in a web of intrigue starting with two hitmen (Spader and Aiello) whose interests diverge, so to speak, after the first scene. The movie then follows the cool (to the point of frigid) and stylish Spader to his waiting-in-the-wings girlfriend played by Charlize Theron in one of her first roles. Aiello ends up in a less-controlled situation and his bumbling character Dasmo falls into some bad luck but also the funniest parts of the movie.

And then there's Eric Stoltz and Jeff Daniels, vice cops who stumble on the hitmen's work. Daniels is so ferociously angry, it's strange after seeing him in something like Dumb and Dumber. He does it well, though. Stoltz seems to have been playing the same role for years, but his perceptive cop gets him into trouble, too.

The ride is enjoyable, but this writer/director did nothing quite as good as this. This type of movie was, in my opinion, later perfected with Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight, and to an extent, Ocean's Eleven. 2 Days in the Valley goes just a bit more grittier in the California heat, but Soderbergh was able to slick it up. In the end, the movie plays well, but I can't help but compare it to all the better movies that came before and after.

Best: I have to give it to Danny Aiello and his scenes with Glenne Headly. He's a lovable gangster and defends Headly's assistant character from her mean-spirited boss. Plus, he's the best comic relief in the movie.

Fact: This was Charlize Theron's first credited role in a film; previously she had an uncredited role as Young Woman in Children of the Corn III. Later in 1996 she appeared in That Thing You Do! and the following year in The Devil's Advocate.

Rating: ******* (7 out of 10)

Rango (2011)

Dir: Gore Verbinski

Writers: John Logan, Gore Verbinski, John Ward Byrkit

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant

What a strange, enjoyable film! Last year when I saw the previews, I was like, oh that looks like it'll probably be an interesting children's movie. However, upon my husband's insistence that I watch the movie--he even went out and bought the blu-ray DVD to make me--I did. He had seen the movie on a flight last year, and as he is a lover of Westerns, he thought this captured the fun of a Western in an animated movie. Also, who doesn't love Johnny Depp?

But here was my first reaction upon completion of the movie: wow, that is NOT a movie for children. Directed by Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Carribean), the tale of Rango the lizard starts out with a scene that would never keep a child's attention: a monologue. And in this monologue, most of Depp's career roles have been dusted off for the tongue-in-cheekness, and there's even an appearance at some point in the movie by Hunter S. Thompson and his lawyer. Yeah, not exactly kids stuff.

Which is probably why this movie, while making a lot of money, did not resonate well with audiences. You have to be adult-minded and enjoy animation (which is really wonderful, by the way). This is not The Incredibles or Wall-E, which are children's movies with enough jokes to fly over kids' heads to hit the parents with enjoyment. Nope. The story moves like a Western, and while comedic, there are storylines you have to piece together along with our hero. It requires a lot of comprehension skills. That said, the character of Rango and his assimilation in the town of Dirt are endearing and I enjoyed it though there were some parts that felt a little long.

Good job, husband.

The Best: The animation was superb! And I also have to say that I giggled every time the little owl mariachi band narrated the story, and about how the hero was obviously going to die the whole way through.

Fact: The Mayor's suspenders, hat, shirt, and voice is an homage to Noah Cross, the character John Huston portrayed in the movie Chinatown. Chinatown's plot also revolved around a mystery about stolen water. (Oddly, I don't own Chinatown though I would consider it one of my favorite movies. Maybe I should remedy that.)

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)

Belle de Jour (1967)

Dir: Luis Buñuel
Writer: Joseph Kessel (novel), Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Pierre Clémenti

I remember seeing this movie as a teenager, and though it's not particularly racy, it was still about something taboo to me at the time. It was also my introduction to one of my favorite French actresses, Catherine Deneuve.

The film centers on Séverine (a name I've come to love, it's so French!), the frigid and elegant housewife to Pierre, a handsome surgeon. They look the perfect couple, but Séverine has a lot of inner turmoil regarding her sensuality - she brushes off her adoring husband constantly, but dreams of being dominated sexually. So, she does what anybody would do and decides to become a prostitute--but only during the day! Thus, Belle de Jour is her name.

Directed by Buñuel, who was famous for working on psychological and surrealist films with Dalí (Un Chen Andalou - I'll never forget that eye-slicing shot!), the plot definitely fits with his asthetic. He loves exploring the inner mind and the reasons people do what they do. The movie is not abstract but has abstract moments of daydreams, quick cuts, and silence as Séverine ponders her existence. It still has a very '60s feel, and I enjoyed it for that, but also because I was intrigued by this female central character and her motivations.

The film looks great, and that also extends to the beautiful Deneuve, whose profile is mesmerizing. I recently saw a screening of the 1965 Polanski film Repulsion and she was in attendance--she's still gorgeous. The DVD was just released on Criterion, and I bought it with good reason since I know I'll be watching this movie several times over and make new observations each time.

The Best: Deneuve, the center of the film, whose seemingly vacant stares evoke so much more to the viewer than to her clueless husband.

Fact: "Belle de jour" is a day lily in French, a flower that blooms only by day, as Séverine is available only during the afternoons. "Belle de jour" is also a sort of pun, as it reminds us of "belle de nuit," an euphemism for prostitute.

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)