Day 104
Rushmore
1998
First of all, just because I know you're all thinking it...
"...Oh, are they?"
Do you feel better now? I do : ) That's honestly the only thing I remember about this movie from when it was advertised on television. Frankly, at the time, I'm not even sure I recognized the man in scrubs to be Luke Wilson.
But as is so often the case with Wes Anderson's films, the dialogue in Rushmore is just rampantly fantastic.
However, I'd have to say this movie strikes me as perhaps the least accessible of Mr. Anderson's work. I'm not really even sure why, other than that I guess you just know things are rather ill-fated from the start. Surely nothing could ever fully live up to the ideals of Max Fischer, and it's sometimes a little rough to watch things fall through. I guess that's just how that whole coming-of-age-thing goes, though...
Speaking of rough, Mr. Murray can play a broken-down man like no one's business. It's impressive, to say the least. And it's just inexplicably endearing. Something about his eyes...(Also, in half-assedly researching for this blog entry, I found that Mr. Murray shares a birthday with Mr. Wilson, wouldntchaknow...)
Really all of the characters in this film are incredibly endearing...save for the Blume twins.
Truly I apologize for the lackluster blog entry here, but words honestly fail me in talking about this movie. If someone asked me, "What's that one about?" I'm not even sure I'd know how to answer.
Maybe I'd just say, "Best play ever, man." But more likely, I'd just tell you to see it for yourself. Truly, as with most great movies, I like this one more and more everytime I watch it.
Mere's Official Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Surely there's a Sandwich Connoisseurs club in there somewhere...
12.27.2010
12.09.2010
Updates galore...
Ok, I'm officially falling behind with my blogging endeavor. The holidays, man. What can you do?
A lot's been going on behind the scenes of The Luke Wilson Merethon, though. Here're the updates:
Update #1: I watched the next film on the list, Home Fries.
Actually, I "accidently" subjected my sister and mother to an all-out Wilson Brother film-fest. It truly wasn't planned. Just coincindence. (Providence.)
Anyways....My parents have some free movie channels for the time being, thanks to their having recently switched to the AT&T U-verse set-up. (I cannot confirm what effect, if any, Luke Wilson had on their decision.) By chance, Marley and Me was beginning on one of these said channels just as my mom, sister and I went to work on our baby quilts for Miss Ellie. (Say what you will, but I love that movie. It's just adorable.)
After this, my mom and sister suggested we watch the Netflix movie that I had brought with me, which happened to be Home Fries.
Then finally, to round out the trio, right when we switched off the DVD player, Whip It (featuring eldest Wilson brother, Andrew) just haaappened to be starting on another movie channel.
Fantastic, no?!?!
Anyways, I will be relaying the review of Home Fries here in just a moment.
Update #2: I had intended to continue on with Rushmore after Home Fries, however, I convinced myself to wait another couple weeks.
Matt has watched this movie after every semester of his college education (well, except for one). A ritual if you will. As I was going to borrow the movie from him in the first place, I figured I should probably watch it with him, too. Truly I love an excuse to watch movies with the boyfriend, anyway. However, the end of the semester is not for another week yet, and I can't buck tradition and ask him to watch it early on this, his very LAST semester, right?! (Congrats, by the way! : ). So rest assured this movie will be watched sometime soon over the holiday season.
Update #3: ...The last one, I swear!
Having decided to wait on Matt for Rushmore, I thought I would just skip to the next film, Kill the Man. Unfortunately, this was not to be. I tried everywhere!
Netflix. The library. The good folks at Liberty Hall.
Even Blockbuster. No dice.
Jenna and I looked it up on Amazon and I quickly decided I was not willing to spend $15 for a DVD of a movie I've never seen and which could very well be terrible. (Not even for you, Mr. Wilson.)
Luckily, we've found it's available for a few dollars less...perhaps just a fistful of dollars, if you will...on VHS.
To be honest, I'd forgotten what you even call the machine that plays VHS tapes. I kept saying, "a VHS player." It never even occurred to me that there was any other way to say it until my sister told me she had a VCR (duh) that I could borrow. Anyways, I am moments away from ordering my very own VHS of Kill of the Man via the interwebs. I will keep you posted.
Ok, I think that's enough updates for one post. A girl's got to have some secrets, right?
A lot's been going on behind the scenes of The Luke Wilson Merethon, though. Here're the updates:
Update #1: I watched the next film on the list, Home Fries.
Actually, I "accidently" subjected my sister and mother to an all-out Wilson Brother film-fest. It truly wasn't planned. Just coincindence. (Providence.)
Anyways....My parents have some free movie channels for the time being, thanks to their having recently switched to the AT&T U-verse set-up. (I cannot confirm what effect, if any, Luke Wilson had on their decision.) By chance, Marley and Me was beginning on one of these said channels just as my mom, sister and I went to work on our baby quilts for Miss Ellie. (Say what you will, but I love that movie. It's just adorable.)
After this, my mom and sister suggested we watch the Netflix movie that I had brought with me, which happened to be Home Fries.
Then finally, to round out the trio, right when we switched off the DVD player, Whip It (featuring eldest Wilson brother, Andrew) just haaappened to be starting on another movie channel.
Fantastic, no?!?!
Anyways, I will be relaying the review of Home Fries here in just a moment.
Update #2: I had intended to continue on with Rushmore after Home Fries, however, I convinced myself to wait another couple weeks.
Matt has watched this movie after every semester of his college education (well, except for one). A ritual if you will. As I was going to borrow the movie from him in the first place, I figured I should probably watch it with him, too. Truly I love an excuse to watch movies with the boyfriend, anyway. However, the end of the semester is not for another week yet, and I can't buck tradition and ask him to watch it early on this, his very LAST semester, right?! (Congrats, by the way! : ). So rest assured this movie will be watched sometime soon over the holiday season.
Update #3: ...The last one, I swear!
Having decided to wait on Matt for Rushmore, I thought I would just skip to the next film, Kill the Man. Unfortunately, this was not to be. I tried everywhere!
Netflix. The library. The good folks at Liberty Hall.
Even Blockbuster. No dice.
Jenna and I looked it up on Amazon and I quickly decided I was not willing to spend $15 for a DVD of a movie I've never seen and which could very well be terrible. (Not even for you, Mr. Wilson.)
Luckily, we've found it's available for a few dollars less...perhaps just a fistful of dollars, if you will...on VHS.
To be honest, I'd forgotten what you even call the machine that plays VHS tapes. I kept saying, "a VHS player." It never even occurred to me that there was any other way to say it until my sister told me she had a VCR (duh) that I could borrow. Anyways, I am moments away from ordering my very own VHS of Kill of the Man via the interwebs. I will keep you posted.
Ok, I think that's enough updates for one post. A girl's got to have some secrets, right?
Day 84
Home Fries
1998
Oh Home Fries...
I can't help but contemplate the possibility that the director/writer/producer of this movie just woke up one morning, called his friends and said, "Hey, I have a helicopter! Let's make a movie!!"
Secondly, I don't think it's fair when a movie preview purposefully leaves out any and all indication of the actual plot. I mean, sure you want to have some suspense. You can't give away everything, but I'd like to have some idea of what I'm getting in to.
My sister and I watched the preview on the special features of the DVD and I don't think they ever once mentioned the helicopter, or the crazy step-mother/step-brother plot. They were totally hoping you'd believe it was just a cute, little unconventional love-story about a pregnant girl working at a burger joint. Not so, my friends. Not so.
However, as I've already said many-a-time in this blog, this is certainly not the worst movie I've ever seen.
Drew Barrymore is her usual adorable self.
Mr. Wilson looks as lovely as ever, though perhaps a little on the thin side...
I also love that Shelley Duvall made the cast, but I can't say I've ever been able to think of her as anyone other than Mrs. Torrance.
And then there's even a plot, implausible and unfortunate though it may be...
I'd really like to think the movie could have stood on it's own without the helicopter and all the step-family drama. Although, maybe I should be applauding the filmmakers for not settling for just another romantic comedy. But maybe that'd be easier to do if I had liked the movie...
It all started out innocently enough, but soon thereafter, just went well beyond quirky to land somewhere closer to awkward and outrageous.
Maybe they really did set out to make just a simple, romantic comedy, but somewhere on the editing floor decided a helicopter and crazy step-mother were really the spice this film was missing.
I dare say you could have done better, folks, but you also certainly could have done a whole lot worse.
Mere's Official Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Maybe sub-ing out the sandwich for a burger would help...
Up Next....Rushmore?
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