The Truth About Celia

I watched three movies this weekend: two that had serious depressive possibilities, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself and Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School(MHBD&CS), and one that I kept thinking I didn't like, and that I'd turn off in a minute or two (The Very Thought of You, staring the oddly hot Joseph Fiennes).

I ended up liking the depressive ones a *lot*--both of them were surprisingly light and non-depressing, even though MHBD&CS is about a guy who goes to a dance class as the dying wish of a stranger he finds after a car wreck, and as promised in the title, Wilbur is repeatedly trying to kill himself and nearly succeeds a couple of times.

MHBD&CS is told in three time lines--the present, in full color, the recent past of the car wreck in a blue-wash, and the victim's childhood, shown in the faded colors and grain of old home movies. It's got a surprising number of relatively big names in it--the main character is Robert Carlyle from the Full Monty, and John Goodman is the victim, and Marisa Tomei is the love interest (and looking at the IMDB, it's actually ridiculous how many people were in it--Camryn Manheim, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny DeVito, Sean Astin), and the movie, while not anything earth shattering is sweet and sad in turn, and ends properly, and I very much recommend it.

Wilbur (Wants to Kill Himself) is by the Danish guy who wrote Flickering Lights (and directed by the same guy who did Italian for Beginners, which is coming now from netflix), and has everyone's favorite Danish guy, Mads Mikkelsen (Okay, so I just went through netflix and added Adam's Apples, Shake It all About, and After the Wedding to my queue solely because Mads is in them, so I should really say he's *my* favorite Danish guy. (also, I'm pissed that Prag isn't available here) ) I was actually rather disconcerted by the fact that it's in english, set maybe in Scotland? I can't remember if it was ever told. But basically, it's a guy who for reasons that aren't ever quite explained to us, has been repeatedly trying to kill himself for years--to the point that his sucide group therapy doesn't want him coming anymore. And it's also about his brother, who's been foiling his attempts for years, and the family his brother gets, and how that plays out with Wilbur. It's funny--I'm thinking back on it, and while it was 1.75 hours, I can't remember much more plot than that. It's a quiet little movie, really, and I think that's one reason I loved it so much.

And the Romcom, The Very Thought of You was mostly eh--one woman, flying to London and staying there for a few days, runs into three friends in entirely seperate incidences and has all three of them fall madly in love with her. I think I liked it best for what it should have been, but in practice had I been watching it at a more impatient time I would have given up and gone back to watching Stargate.

or Klassfesten

I *loved* it. So much. I miss it now. ;)

It's a 36-yr old guy who lost the love of his life just shortly before graduation. It's the scene that opens the movie--she asks him to run away with him, and he almost does. And instead it's 20 years later, and he's married, with a daughter, and a job as an insurance sales person. And then he gets an invitation to his 20th reunion. He decides against it, because they're always stupid and pointless, no one ever changes.

And his 16 yr old self starts showing up and taunting him. So he gives in and goes, hoping he'll get a chance to see Hillevi. And he gets there, and everyone has changed, but no one seems to have noticed it. Most of the cool kids are pretty pathetic--they peaked in school. And the kids who were nerds got jobs, got married, have things to talk about other than 'when they were in school' (which is my secret hope, though I'm also pretty sure there will be a generous dosing of 'I was always scared to talk to you in school"). And yet the cool kids still run the place. Hillevi does show up--late, but better than never. The reunion sucks, but he hooks up with Hillevi.

And it's the sort of movie that now I really want to watch over and over again. The way the ending was set up--and I didn't give it away, in cause you can ever find it--was beautiful, and unlike the last movie I saw, I think it can be imitated in text, so I need to be able to watch it a couple of times. Plus, it was just wonderful and I love it. But again, not available on video or DVD. Stupid people.

For those playing at home, my coal town story has another new name--"Company Man." Not much of a shift this time. And I havne't been able to work on it at all since I came down here. But maybe I'll get something done when I go home. And I talked about ways to make money with a couple of people, so even once my benefits run out, I may be able to get some money. And the sort of methods we discussed, even if i start them now, I shouldn't be ineligble for benefits anyway. So I may start with some of them after I apply to my colleges.

"the deuce you say" This is the world's weirdest movie. :) Perfect Tommy looks too much like Spike.

Saw another kick ass movie tonight. So far I'm 2 for 2 for the film festival. 3 for 3, really, as the movie we wanted to see yesterday (Amalie) was so good it sold out both days before we bought tickets. Luckily it will be showing in Dupont soon. Tonight's movie was Flickering Lights, a Danish movie. (http://washingtoncitypaper.com/showtimes/FLICKERING_LIGHTS.html http://www.blinkendelygter.dk/ )

I didn't remember what it was going to be about when we went to see it. I'd read the little blurbs about it, but not surprisingly, as with Under The Stars, it didn't really cover much at all.

Basically, it's a group of 4 bad guys. Not quite as bad at being bad as the Legion of Dim on Buffy, ( :) just had to work that in), but they weren't the level of the Usual suspects or anything. So they mess up a big deal, the leader's girlfriend gives him another copy of "Men are from Mars," and tells him that she's met someone new. Then he nearly shoots a friend at his birthday party, which is later crashed by the guys he owes money to.

So the group of them go to carry out a task for the Eskimo, which naturally doesn't work the way they want it too, and they end up deciding that they want to just run away. They're heading to Barcelona, but naturally, things still aren't working out right. Peter, who was shot in the robbery, has to get medical treatment, so they stop to stay at a truly nasty abandoned inn/pub.
And this is clearly the same place as the first couple minutes were, so you know it's significant, but you don't know how--past or present, the intro never comes right out and explains. Which is excellent, as it keeps you guessing. One by one, the guys start--healing, I guess. First Torkild, then Peter--both physically and mentally, then Arne, and finally Stefan. They each go back to the time that lead up to them meeting, in dream sequences of a sort.

The title comes from an Emily Dickinson poem, which I want to find somewhere, as I really liked it in the story. Unfortunately, I can't manage to find it anywhere on line, and don't remember enough of it to search for it more effectively. Basically, it said "our past belongs to blinking lights," and it really...dug into me. I don't even like her poetry but this poem is clinging to me. So if anyone can find a true on line collection of all of her works (not the complete poems, as that's not really. that's like 500 of the 1700.), let me know cause I can't find it anywhere and I really liked it.

They're clever--I think that's what I like the best about these movies. They aren't glide-through-without-paying-attention movies. But it's not as if you have to be a genius to get them or anything, it's just that you have to know things to watch them, and they use all sorts of themes and whatnot that tie everything together without you consciously noticing it. This one had a round four paned window in all of the boys' flashbacks, and a number of quirks that were carried through the story and explained in the flashbacks. It's very cyclical, I suppose. It wasn't fantastic, like Under the Stars was with its seaside carnival, but it still had at times, an otherworldly feel to it. I couldn't tell if it was just because it *is* another world, Denmark, or if it was more than that. A combination of both, I suppose.