The Concert

Deb 9 Me 9

I love that the title is subtitled “Le Concert”, never would’ve figured that one out on my own. There’s not a lot of press on this one, apparently a Russian film that takes place in Russia and Paris (though I think it was shot in Austria). It is subtitled and the Russian language is very pretty to listen to. I like when I don’t know the actors, (at least most of them; two I’ve seen before) don’t know where the story is going and can sit back and enjoy the ride. This ride takes you through some fabulous scenery, political dynamics, great personal stories and some killer music.

I really liked it. The movie takes place in today’s times and reflects on times about thirty years ago when Brezhnev was in power in Russia. It follows a historical thread that I was unaware of and was fascinating.

There wasn’t a bad point to find. Out of 120 minutes there was less than one minute of confusion or distracting weirdness. Name the category, acting, set design, location, story, this was solid. It was great.

Flipped

Deb 8 Me 9

My motivation to see this was simply that it was a Rob Reiner film and rated PG. He usually makes terrific movies so it seemed like a safe bet. I was a little surprised to see all the people in the theater, most of the movies we see we are among an esoteric few who are willing to bet their two hours on little movie. But this is Rob Reiner, a lot of people showed up.

The movie is set in the late fifties, early sixties, the main people are about my brother’s age, so I have no trouble dialing in to the references presented here. It’s got a lot of narrative, sometimes that works and sometimes not, here it seemed a pretty essential part of telling the story.

This is not an action movie. It’s a story movie and with the narrative, it moves along at the pace of reading a story, not a lot of propulsion. This was fine with me, it was a good story, tight and well paced, and it didn’t need any more than what it gave you. The casting was good, they picked capable players who aren’t over used, in fact I haven’t seen some of them in decades. A lot of times big stars have signature moments, and you wait for the time when they become the actor instead of the charachter, and it distracts from the story. These are good performances. There were a couple goofs, and I think they were actual decisions to help make the movie more accessible to modern audiences, and not too big ‘o deal. The trailer plays Good Lovin’ by the Rascals, it was recorded years after the film’s setting and totally in appropriate because of its timing, but was fortunately not used in the movie. The soundtrack they did use was pretty great.

This is a sweet little coming of age tale, seen through the perspective of two evolving young people. There was a Juno-like person who was always interesting, smart and full of steam. It kept me involved all the way through. My mind wasn’t wandering around, wondering what was next or why they did this or that. In fact there are a few unanswered questions, but since it’s seen through the kid’s eyes, kids wouldn’t have known the answers.

I just really liked it. When it was done I thought, why don’t they make more movies like this? I’d go every day.

Get Low

Deb 10 Me 9

Robert Duvall and Bill Murray. From the moment I saw those names I knew this was a must see. For me, Duvall is defined by Santini, everything he has done is either a parody of Santini or an attempt to shake off the identity. Somehow he makes himself fit like a glove in just about every role he takes on. Here he manages to muster up a new persona that shows that he is a master of his craft. Bill Murray just seems to be comfortable wherever he is. I’ve always enjoyed watching him, and ever since The Razors Edge I’ve been taken with his ability as an actor. And what actress can stand among them? They picked Sissy Spacek who seemed to be a perfect match. These were supported by Bill Cobb who was just a treat, and a guy named Lucas Black as the token good looking guy who did a great job.

So the cast is in place, how about the rest of it? Set in 1930s Tennessee, it is a very pretty film. The art director looks like they had a good time, every scene is filled with subtle details. I really enjoyed the pacing of the movie; it enhanced the feeling of simpler times with out dragging.

Basically it’s a mystery. Duvall is a hermit, the subject of a million rumors, and has something to hide. Duvall seeks the help of Murray to clear things up by giving him a funeral party, which Duvall will attend. There is good story development, great characters, tension and release, a surprise or two and some laughs.

It’s a strong character driven movie. The story suffers in places. Toward the end I got a feeling a scene was cut and some sloppy splicing tried to cover the wound. This is why I dropped it to a 9. But the acting was so strong it over-rode any glitches or inconsistencies that occurred. And there were several. In the post-movie conversation a dozen problems came up, but none of them dampened the overall pleasure of watching the movie. It was a treat and it was the actors, director, art director and cinematographer that carried the weight.

Despicable Me

Deb 3 Me 7

This is flat out a kid’s movie. I don’t have much call to see movies for the younger set, and I don’t see that much animation for some reason, but there was an opportunity and I took it. The movie is rated PG for rude humor and mild action. I’m not sure what mild action is, the characters are supposed to move around in a movie, there has to be some kid of action or they might as well fade stills in and out. Anyway, there’s a guy who shoots people with a gun that turns them to ice. I suppose you tell the kids they defrost in about an hour and everything is okay. I just don’t like letting kids think pointing any kind of a gun at people and shooting them with anything is acceptable. Just not a good road to go down.

The thing that kept me going, astonished at times, were the surfaces of things. Metal, hair concrete, everything you looked at was beautifully rendered and it was a very pretty movie to watch. I didn’t recognize the actors voices, which I liked.

The story was complete, more so than many big budget adult movies. There was the overly cute stuff that adults seem to think kids need to see and there was a tender and moral side to it. I don’t know, it was just a nice little movie to see. I didn’t feel ripped off for spending one and a half valuable hours watching it.