movie reviews - two digits raised skyward

OK, I will not be reviewing movies very often on this blog because, for one thing, I don't watch that many movies. And for another, I don't know what I'm talking about aside from knowing what I like. Which may often be unlike what others like.

Anyhow, despite having a really busy weekend, what with both kids, the husband of one, and the girlfriend of another in the house to celebrate my wife's upcoming birthday, and with said wife's pronouncement that we should do something all together aside from watching a movie (and so we played a rousing game of Scattergories, which is a good game, I must admit), I squeezed (squoze?) in two movies on my own anyway. The weather was pretty horrendous, so outside activities were ruled out. So anyhow, these two that I watched were among the most entertaining movies I have seen in some time.


First up was the Darjeeling Limited. This one is not for everybody. There is not a lot of plot; it is more about character development in an odd situation and setting. The basic premise: after their father's death, three brothers try to connect with one another (at the seeming urging of one of them in particular, who keeps asking if they can all agree to certain terms) as they ride along rural India in a train bearing the name of the movie. They are trying to reach their mother. I won't say much more, plot wise, except in general terms, they face some challenges. I think this movie was listed in the store where I rented it as a "comedy". It is not, really, a comedy. It defies categorization, I think. I mean, it has its light moments. But it is more just a journey.

The three brothers are played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. I think the fourth big star is the Indian countryside and its communities, shrines, and shacks that, at times, steal the spotlight. I also think that, in order to properly enjoy this film, you have to just sit back and go with the flow. There is a sort of flow to the whole thing, like a leisurely rail excursion, with a few bumps along the way.

It's directed by the inimitable Wes Anderson. I am not schooled in cinematography, but some of the sweeps or pans or whatever seem quite clever and serve the mood and plot, such as it is, very well. I think the same trick was employed on a ship in "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", another Anderson work. And Life Aquatic star Bill Murray makes a couple of cameos in Darjeeling along the way. So if you like a bit of quirk and off-mainstream in your movies, you might like this one.


Then yesterday afternoon I burned off two hours with the highly entertaining (at least to me) The Bourne Ultimatum. I suppose it took a little suspension of disbelief to swallow the whole conspiracy going down in movies like this. But once you allow yourself to do so, it's fun to just follow the chases, and marvel at the plot twists (or make a mental note that you saw the twist coming). As with Darjeeling, the sets were pretty foreign/exotic, although in this case, there is too much mayhem going on in the foreground to really avert your eyes and enjoy the centuries-old European architecture.

This is really Matt Damon's movie, but he gets help from a wide-eyed and pretty silent Julia Stiles, a very good, conflicted CIA boss guy played by David Stratheim, and another honcho played well by Joan Allen.

I am not a big fan of post-MTV frenetic camera shoots, but in the case of this movie, because the plot and action are frenetic, I thought they were captured well by the camera work and editing. I did not get a headache from the herky-jerkyness, and it served the mood of the flick well, I thought.

Anyhow, I recommend both movies, and although they are very, very different, both have a sort odd similarity in that they chronicle the journey of people in search of themselves, trying to reconnoiter with their less than savory past. Anyhow, because of the risk of copyright infringement, we must state that for both, it's two opposable digits extended skyward.