Thursday, December 24, 2009

DVD Review: Everything is Illuminated, Wristcutters, Silent Movie, and Paris, je t'aime

Everything is Illuminated
This film was recommended to me by Sarah and Stefany after we discussed it in one of Sarah's Dailybooth threads a week or so ago. So I decided to check it out. I had heard about it prior to this, but I can't recall what I had heard.
So, I sat down to watch it with my parents and we all enjoyed it. A few brief things that I enjoyed:

  • The music: The Eastern European songs just called to me.
  • Alex: I didn't know much about Eugene Huntz, the lead singer of Gogol Bordello. I didn't know that he could act. But he left a great impression on me while watching this film.
  • The transitions: I quite liked how the transitions made the film nice and chapter-like, with the fades to and from white.
  • Elijah Wood: His face is just so expressive. And he portrayed Jonathan's quirkiness quite well!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I applaud Liev Schrieber on a well-done directorial debut.


Wristcutters
This was also recommended to me by Stefany in the same thread. I had heard of it within the last few years, but didn't make much of an effort to go out and find it. I should have sooner.
I thoroughly enjoyed a few things including Tom Waits, Will Arnett's cameo, Patrick Fugit, and the happenstance coincidences that make the movie work. Along with the death flashbacks.

Silent Movie
I'm a Mel Brooks enthusiast and I hadn't seen this one yet. So I did.
I enjoyed myself while watching this flick. Yes, it wasn't the side-splitting Mel Brooks that you're used to, but it is filled with chuckles and plenty of well-done celebrity cameos. And I quite liked the meta-breaking the 4th wall story.

Paris, je t'aime
Stefany also recommended this to me, but in another thread.
The film itself is a series of 18 vignettes, each with a different director and a different crew, so it's a little different to review as a whole. Some of the vignettes I enjoyed included the Coen Brothers's segment (I'm a Coen Brothers fan. What can I say?), the segment with the husband and his dying wife (Made me cry.), the segment with Elijah Wood (I loved the color and the look.), the segment with Bob Hoskins, and the segment with Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazarra.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I watched 'Paris, je t'aime'! I told my dad not to return it when I was chatting with you on Yahoo (a little late-fee never hurt anyone). I didn't want to tell you since I had no time to watch it last night.

Anyway...

My favorites were 'Tuileries' (the Coen Brother's vignette... I loved it's cleverness. Very tongue-in-cheek), 'Bastille' (with the man and his dying wife... loved the interesting leads), 'Place Des Victoires' (with Juliette Binoche... the scenes with the horse were so dreamy. The message of hope was touching), 'Tour Eiffel' (with the mimes... I wish it was longer! I could watch it all day), 'Place Des Fetes' (with the African American couple... I loved the communication between their eyes. And that camera lingering over the coffee cups was awfully sad... in a perfect, perfect way), 'Quartier De La Madeleine' (with Elijah Wood... so 'Sin City' esque. Twas eerie, yet I found myself wanting more. I loved its coolness), 'Faubourg Saint-Denis' (with Natalie Portman... I loved the vignette's execution and its fast pace), and lastly, '14 Arrondissement' (last vignette with the woman from the states... she felt the most real to me. Almost what Paris is all about. Her character summed up the film rather brilliantly).

All in all, I love this film! Oh, and I hope you're having a nice time in Costa Rica. Have a happy new year, Jason!

~Stefany

Jason said...

I didn't quite feel for 'Place de Fetes'. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed the others you mentioned.
Ah, we must continue this discussion at a later date.
I definitely am, Stef, and thank you!
-Jason