1:03 pm
Thursday
Oct 13
I happened to catch it coming on last night just as I was sitting down to spin the last 4 ounces of Adrian’s gorgeous moody garden roving. I had a few thoughts about it.
Completely superficial observation: Ethan Hawke has aged very badly. What the hell was Uma doing to him? Or did he do it to himself? I dunno but he looks like he’s spent the last ten years in a very dark bar in a dry climate drinking whiskey and chainsmoking in between sessions of making hugely animated faces while singing the blues. Frequently forgetting to wash his face, allowing the dirt and smoke to grind right into his pores, carving lines that make him look far older than his early thirties. I mean damn I never had a crush on him but I had friends who did and I’m cringing on their behalf. Probably as they are on mine about Benicio’s aging process but he was never what someone would call pretty - which to me was half the charm.
Julie Delpy on the other hand looks great. I think she’s actually gotten better-looking with age. I particularly enjoyed her singing and the little dance she was doing at the very end. But she comes off as pretty charming even when she’s playing a werewolf.
Have to say that I didn’t really like Before Sunrise when I watched it ten years ago. I thought it was dull and self-indulgent. Or maybe that’s how I felt about Hawke. Either way it did feed some Vienna eyecandy, a place I’ve wanted to visit since I was an early teen reading old John Irving novels. It was so dull though that I haven’t watched it since.
But I enjoyed this one. It might be because I’m older and have a much better attention span. Or it might be a better movie. I couldn’t say. No, I think it’s a better movie. People in their thirties are generally more interesting to listen to than people in their early twenties, even to people in their own age group. (*SPOILER* Even when they’re smack in the middle of a cliched failing shotgun marriage and aboug to cheat on their wives with an old French flame */SPOILER*) No offense twentysomethings.
And Richard Linklater, whose movies usually direcly hit or completely miss with me, can pick a hell of a soundtrack. In Before Sunset’s case a lot of it was so subtle you didn’t even notice there was music but it added something. But it’s hard to mess up with Nina Simone, hell even that American La Femme Nikita remake was good primarily because of her music.
I didn’t really get to appreciate the visuals as much as I think I should have, but I was doing crafty stuff. This is also why I haven’t watched a subtitled foreign language movie in the last eight months. I’m usually looking elsewhere but am listening intently. So I guess I listened to Finding Neverland the other night, not exactly watched it. And in that regard, Johnny Depp nailed that Scottish accent down to the friggin ground.
Almost twenty years ago I was clandestinely taping 21 Jumpstreet, watching the tapes late at night in my room. Now he’s making these interesting characters come alive. And making it look easy. On the other hand, twenty years ago I made no effort to hide my crush on Nicolas Cage, punk rock boy and crazy 20s era mobster. Now look at his stupid action movie sap ass reproducing with women half his age and naming them after comic book characters (and not even the interesting ones!) self. One of my friends in Santa Fe had a theory that seems more plausible each year about how Cage sold his soul to the devil so he could be an actor, one that specified he could be in good movies for the first ten-fifteen years or so then he would have to spend the rest of his life making absolute crap. Spooky isn’t it?
Finding Neverland was good. Very good. Sweet and sad and charming. Kind of like Peter Pan. Julie Christie almost stole the show too. (She certainly did in Afterglow) And Kate Winslet didn’t. Which was kind of a relief, sometimes she can make a movie exhausting. This isn’t her fault really she’s just got a light inside that takes over sometimes - which can make watching a movie with her very tiring. I think as she’s gotten older she’s learned to control that a little. Which is nice.
Oh there’s an IMDB poll today about which Robert Altman movie is your favorite so go vote. I, of course, voted for Gosford Park. My sister will probably vote for Nashville. Which Altman movie is your favorite?
Ok I’m done now. I’m fantasy shopping at Patternworks. If you haven’t subscribed to their catalog you really really should because it’s like KNITTING PORN. And really GOOD knitting porn because you could open the catalog to any page and find something desirable. Try that with any other catalog or knitting book. Or porn if that’s your thing. I’m not here to judge. Not you anyway.
Yeah, Ethan hasn’t done so well over the last few years. Julie Delpey has always been fantastic though, so I really should rent that movie. When it came out, I was worried that watching it would spoil my memories of the first movie. From your review, I’m guessing that I should get over that fear and watch it.