Mini Movie Day

I went to River East for another full day of movies, but couldn’t time it out right to see three movies, so just stuck to two. They raised ticket prices again – now the pre-noon shows are $6 (and night screenings are $10 – ouch!)


FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
This was a pleasant diversion, but as with all of Christopher Guest’s movies, it felt slight. Lots of funny characters and situations, but nothing earth-shattering. Taking a stab at Hollywood types is pretty easy satire, after all. It’s definitely worth watching for Catherine O’Hara’s shocking and all-too-real transformation over the course of the film. You’ll know what I mean if you see it – I don’t quite know how she pulled it off, but it’s scary.


THE FOUNTAIN
This movie is getting mixed reviews, which is bound to happen since it’s an Art Film with a capital A. It’s definitely overblown and strains credibility, but I was extremely moved by it. All the special effects are done the old-fashioned way, with sculpted miniatures and manipulated microscopic images. When viewed as just a series of images, the movie is a staggering achievement, and one of the most artfully-filmed movies I’ve ever seen. It also has a twisty-turny narrative that quite frankly made little sense. But if you’re able to sit back and just let yourself get washed away, it’s mind-blowing. I was crying and devastated by the end of the film. Seriously, Darren Aronofsky deserves accolades for this movie – how many directors set out to make movies that are celestial, transcendant, elusive, and cerebral? He’s hitting big issues here head-on, and there are no easy answers. Gut-wrenching and eye-searing. Definitely in the top ten of the year.