This movie has a lot of quirky, funny moments. Iggy Pop Meeting Tom
Waits, for instance, and just jawing about whether they're on the
jukebox or not, and the White Stripes talking about Tesla coils and the
resonance of the earth. It's an arty film, and if arty films are your
bag, you've found the right place. If you like Jarmusch, you've also
found the right place. There are a number of recurring themes that
resound nicely. Certain cups, certain patterns on tables, and certain
lines of dialogue are mentioned. Originally this sprang from a 6 minute
short in 1988, and the theme and tone of that first piece, the one with
Wright and Benigni, is kept well. There is also a scene with Cate
Blanchett that I didn't realize was two Cate Blanchetts until the end of
the film, which made me feel both remarkably stupid and impressed, where
she talks with herself, as her own cousin. Cousins are another great
recurring theme, including this great scene with Alfred Molina,
otherwise known as Doc Ock.
It IS, embarrassingly
so, an art film. It tries too hard to be arty, there's no real
solidifying gel for the story other than the resonance of the Earth, and
the point is not to be found. If you don't mind that, if you like open
ended surrealistic literary jumping from stone to stone, you'd like
this. It reminds me of Mulholland Drive. A lot of good, cool imagery, a
lot of interesting ideas, little cohesion. For some people, this is
great. For others, it distracts from the enjoyment. Another example of
how it can work is Being Human, a story with recurring themes and a
continually similar story. It works well there, here, not so much. I
love certain arty films. Limey, that's a good one. It is risky with the
camerawork, it has some interesting themes, but it's all wrapped up. It
all depends on what you want, like I say, but one this one, it
detracted.
For all the bagging I just did, it's a really interesting little film. I
don't think I'd buy it, but I WOULD watch it again if I was sitting
around over 9 of 10 other movies. It was funny, it killed the time and
didn't make me say "I WANT IT BACK!", and were it down my favorite line
of movie types, this would probably be a new classic. So if you like
this kind of arty movie, go nuts, you'll love this. And if you don't,
you'll still enjoy it. DEFINITELY worth at least a rent.
This
film was made over a 17-year period. The Roberto Benigni and 'Steven
Wright' segment was filmed in 1987. The Tom Waits and Iggy Pop
segment was shot in 1992.
This movie has a lot of quirky, funny moments. Iggy Pop Meeting Tom
Waits, for instance, and just jawing about whether they're on the
jukebox or not, and the White Stripes talking about Tesla coils and the
resonance of the earth. It's an arty film, and if arty films are your
bag, you've found the right place. If you like Jarmusch, you've also
found the right place. There are a number of recurring themes that
resound nicely. Certain cups, certain patterns on tables, and certain
lines of dialogue are mentioned. Originally this sprang from a 6 minute
short in 1988, and the theme and tone of that first piece, the one with
Wright and Benigni, is kept well. There is also a scene with Cate
Blanchett that I didn't realize was two Cate Blanchetts until the end of
the film, which made me feel both remarkably stupid and impressed, where
she talks with herself, as her own cousin. Cousins are another great
recurring theme, including this great scene with Alfred Molina,
otherwise known as Doc Ock.
It IS, embarrassingly
so, an art film. It tries too hard to be arty, there's no real
solidifying gel for the story other than the resonance of the Earth, and
the point is not to be found. If you don't mind that, if you like open
ended surrealistic literary jumping from stone to stone, you'd like
this. It reminds me of Mulholland Drive. A lot of good, cool imagery, a
lot of interesting ideas, little cohesion. For some people, this is
great. For others, it distracts from the enjoyment. Another example of
how it can work is Being Human, a story with recurring themes and a
continually similar story. It works well there, here, not so much. I
love certain arty films. Limey, that's a good one. It is risky with the
camerawork, it has some interesting themes, but it's all wrapped up. It
all depends on what you want, like I say, but one this one, it
detracted.
For all the bagging I just did, it's a really interesting little film. I
don't think I'd buy it, but I WOULD watch it again if I was sitting
around over 9 of 10 other movies. It was funny, it killed the time and
didn't make me say "I WANT IT BACK!", and were it down my favorite line
of movie types, this would probably be a new classic. So if you like
this kind of arty movie, go nuts, you'll love this. And if you don't,
you'll still enjoy it. DEFINITELY worth at least a rent.
