The Little Movies That Could

Amongst all the blockbuster, high action, computer generated, explosion driven, super hero, sci-fi testosterone fests that clog up our cinemas lately, every now and then we get something that is actually worth watching, and even rarer still is something that is worth watching more than once!

This week, I was extremely privileged to see two as a comedy, and the other is a sentimental feel-good movie such movies! One is a drama that masquerades as a comedy. Similar, but entirely different in presentation. Both, however are small, quirky movies that that are more interested in the characters than the action.

Juno is a wonderful movie that made me smile throughout, with a powerful cast that deserve every bit of credit and praise that they are currently receiving. The humour is bang on, and the story is, in my opinion, riveting. The cinematography was beautiful, full of subtle references and wonderful choices of camera angles and movement. There is really very little I want to say about this movie, bar advising you to go see it. I don't want to talk about the story or characters, and there is very little else to discuss. I will warn you that Claire did not enjoy it. She found the movie just didn't grab her, and she made no connection with the story or characters. While I laugh loudly at the few moments in the movie geared toward that response, she just found them mildly amusing. Eh. To each their own. I loved it, and look forward to seeing it again. It reminds me very much of Garden State, another fine example of a quirky American black comedy.


Be Kind, Rewind, however, is much closer to being a quirky British comedy than an American one, yet it is entirely American. Well, almost entirely. It is directed by Michel Gondry, who is best known for his strange and interesting Björk music videos and the wonderfully odd Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Be Kind starts off slow, but escalates into a wildly hysterical ride through a series of old favourite movies being refilmed. Despite strong performances from everyone involved, including an entirely watchable Jack Black, it is the change of pace in the story that makes this movie so incredible. Again, rather like Juno, I hate to talk about this movie too much, suffice it to say, it is a far more intelligent movie than a simple spoof written to poke fun at classics from Driving Miss Daisy to Ghostbusters to Rush Hour 2, as the trailers suggest! I will say that in the case of this movie, it benefits the final product that the trailers only focus on the first half of the plot, as the shift in the final movie has more impact because we see nothing of what is to come prior to it happening on-screen. All that aside, the spoofs are incredible! Watch out for moments like Mos Deaf falling from a building during Rush Hour 2, or Jack Black doing a remake of King Kong! Priceless!

Two in one week! I needs to get my geek on! Come on Iron Man, time to get the adrenaline pumping.