Evening guys
Well, to top off my stellar week, I lost my temporary crown and thus, my mouth is sore. Thank god for Percocet is all I can say... haha.
So, did you watch the Oscars? I saw about half. I decided to go to the movies this afternoon. I went to see Taken. Good movie. As with many movies, you did have to suspend reality a bit in places but overall it had great pace and action without it getting boring.
While watching the lead in for a commercial during the Oscars, I heard a snip of a song by Aimee Man called Save Me. It is from a movie that is worth revisiting. It is called Magnolia.
I sure you have figured out by now that I like ensemble films. This wonderful film had so much to it that I cant possibly sum up everything in a couple of paragraphs. The director was PT Anderson. He takes his characters and weaves a story of interaction, connection and isolation and the walls we put up in our worlds to protect us from pain. Anderson spends small amounts of time with each set of characters but really develops them to the point that we are thoroughly invested in their lives and outcomes. The strength of the movie is the subtly. An expression. The tone the actors use when delivering a line and their appearance speak more to who they are as people than the words that they say.
Whether it be Frank TJ Mackey or Daniel Plainview, Anderson's characters are so disturbed by their own realizations of themselves and, in Mackey’s case, their past that they alienate those around them and themselves from the world. Mackey is so shut off from the world that he uses degrading women as a way of distancing himself from intimacy, which clearly pained him in his childhood. If we look at one of the more interesting, and astoundingly heartbreaking, relationships in the film (John C Reilly and Melora Walters) we see a couple that are so wounded by the world that they grasp at some form of happiness, even if that happiness would be more destructive than good.
The cast is rounded out by William H Macy, Julliane Moore, Tom Cruse, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymor Hoffman, Jason Robards, Alfred Molina and many more. It comes together to make not only a movie but a deep heart wrenching statement about ourselves, the damage we do to those we love, the mental scars left and finding a way through the pain to start healing.
You know that along with my love of a really good ensemble, I love a good soundtrack. This one is no exception. It is a beautifully written collection of songs by Aimee Mann. They are beautiful, touching and tragic.
I thought about soundtracks today. I wondered if you can have a crappy movie with a good soundtrack. Answer would be yes, I think so. BUT, can you have an excellent movie with a shit soundtrack...? Would this movie have been as powerful if it had ________(insert generic manufactured teen craptactular singer here)? Who knows.
All I can say is the music is a beautiful compliment to the movie and helps move the movie forward. Which is the goal of a good soundtrack. Its a bonus when it is completely listenable on it's own.
Alas my friends, the medication is finally kicking in so I think Im off to bed. Wish me luck at the dentists tomorrow. Yeeha. :(
No comments:
Post a Comment