This weekend, SharkBoy and I basically hit the “Reset” button after one week of vacation and two weeks of being sick. We did the photo challenge on Monday, as you might have seen, but we also saw an incredible amount of movies over the weekend. Here are some mini reviews, because you value my internet opinion, don’t you!?

Monsieur Lazhar: Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Oscars for good reason: It’s subtle, powerful, thoughtful and interesting. It’s a movie that stays with you a few days after you see it, making you realize nuances within it’s minimalist style. I had one story structure complaint but can’t discuss it without spoiling it. It’s not a huge thing, just a personal preference hoobly doo that really doesn’t kill the story. All the kids in the movie did such an amazing job with their roles and characters that I feel they deserve to be shipped to LA for the Oscars, a la Slumdog.

Hawaii (1966 – Home DVD): This movie, while beautifully shot, made me angry. An epic when it was released, I had never heard of it before this weekend. SharkBoy bought it as part of this “We’re going to Hawaii on our Tenth Anniversary or ELSE” kick he’s on right now. A very young and rigid Max von Sydow plays a strict Missionary sent to the lush island of Hawaii in the mid-1800s, to “turn the savages to God” and winds up falling in love with his protegees and their ways. A bit Dances With Wolves, but not so heavy handed. I got angry because of the script: lots of broken “He make big stink no walls in church!” kind of talk from the “natives” and Max’s character was an asshole, for the most part of the movie. The long… long… movie. But still, it was a Cinemascope visual treat!

Speaking of Hawaii, we saw The Descendants too. I knew nothing about this movie other than what I gleaned from the trailer – which was nothing other than George Clooney trying to look at his daughter from afar. Which as it turns out, is only 1/10th of the movie. I cried a couple times – it was hard not to relate to Matt (Clooney) as his wife died after being taken off life support. However, I loved every single second of this movie: the secrets discovered, the release of anger, the acceptance of responsibility in the face of adversity – it made me happy. Also it was easy to like each and every character in this movie, including the stupid, stoner boyfriend. I hope it wins a couple Oscars.

Sunday, we got up early and avoided apartment chores by going to see Chronicle. The similarities to Akira are pretty rampant… If someone were to say that Chronicle was the official US version of Akira remake, I’d be satisfied – it hit all the plot points and felt like it was influenced enough to be accepted as it’s own movie, and not a ridiculous rip off of the Japanese classic. Chronicle uses “found footage” style (think Cloverfield, Blair Witch, etc.) and never once did it slip up with jump cuts or switching camera sources. I’d give it 8 out of 10 and may buy it when it comes out.

And finally, we met up with Sean and Josh to catch up, chat and see the movie The Woman In Black. Which I disliked. Not “hate”, mind you. I guess I’ve never really gotten into ghost story movies. I find they ask too much of me to suspend my disbelief that ghosts exist, let alone do harm to someone. Other than making you pee your pants, I guess. I loved how this movie was shot, don’t get me wrong – it was like an Edward Gorey book come to life, complete with a mansion high on a hill, secluded daily by tides and tracks of mud and muck surrounding it. Did I “notice” Harry Potter all through it? I’m happy to say no. Daniel Radcliffe may slip away from this albatross around his career’s neck but he needs to bring some of that Broadway character variety to his screen career. No more ghosts and supernatural stuff, please.

There was TV in there too – SharkBoy is on a Fantasy Island kick right now and I’m amused by how Mr Roarke’s character is nearly god-like, mystical, in it. Also, I’m 3 disks away from finishing Battlestar Galactica so don’t anyone tell me who the last Cylon is.

From regular reader (oh god thank you) and local grumpyguts, postbear, comes this video. I could watch it for hours.

Yesterday, SharkBoy and I spent the day consuming a lot of media.

In other words, we didn’t get our lazy asses off the couch, much. We’re both teetering on bronchitis, both of us inflicted with some phlemmy parasite that some horrid child must have given us while at Disney World. Early yesterday morning we decided that we weren’t going to do any chores and just watch movies.

We started with the Criterion release of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, the one with the restored footage and the depressing ending. I remember when I first saw this movie, the roommate I had at the time back in ’85, went to the theatre manager to complain about the actual movie. With tears streaming down her face she logically explained that the ending was so sad that she deserved her money back. I’ve never seen this kind of reaction from anyone over a movie ever again in my life. Well, close second was my ex-boyfriend at the time after seeing The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover – he spent the last half of that movie crossing and uncrossing his legs and making disapproving little “Tsk” noises, which led to a huge fight in the parking lot. So now, I either talk all the way through it or walk out or both if the movie is contentious.

Me? I thought Brazil was awesome. Then and more so now, after trying to pick out details in the corners of the action. The visual jokes abound in it – like all the duct work (in Sam’s mother’s home, all the antique lamps have ducts leading into them) or the slogans on the posters in the background.

Then we actually did get off our asses and went to the Lightbox to see Johnny Guitar with Joan Crawford. I have to say I love seeing movies there. The chairs are comfy, the auditoriums are near perfect for sound quality and who doesn’t like seeing Joan up on a big screen, back when camp was king? One thing though, if you arrive late for the show, that’s fine, sit down fast and settle in but for fucks sake DO NOT CHECK YOUR PHONE FOR TEXTS after you sit down. You lost that fucking right when you entered the theatre late, you stupid shaggy dick mongrel.

Johnny Guitar on the big screen was amazing. We both noticed how all the actors spent most of the movie standing in one spot, delivering their lines, looking amazing in their costumes while standing on hugely elaborate sets. And how awesome Mercedes McCambridge’s acting was, when put up against Mrs Crawford. Especially her voice which was a cross between The Wicked Witch of the West and Ethel Merman.

We then hoofed it back home to the couch again to see Muppets From Space. Yeah a real Oscar winner. But at least it had 99% more Pepe the King Prawn in it than the last film.

All this time on the couch I created this little gem of a movie of our day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios completely on my iPad (see, I was getting to that, Mr Title Referencer…).

My point for all this is that I didn’t spend any time yesterday working on pictures for today’s post, so enjoy the movie!

Via BoingBoing, via FreeInfoSociety, comes the Disney Monorail Operator guide.

My lunch hour is not occupied.