I had dim memories of liking this movie, and it being my introduction to Robbie Coltrane.
On re-watching, I found it still enjoyable, and was surprised to realize it also starred Eric Idle, funny what the mind forgets vs remembers. Anywho, the interesting bit to me was how, in the end credits, Eric and Robbie get a second credit line for the last drag-outfits they wore, as separate actors by their character names.
I wonder if any other movie does that.
Hi, Dharma! is a nice little film from South Korea. The premise is simple, gangsters on the run end up hiding out at a monastery. It’s a cliched plot really, with the twist being that instead of some dusty pueblo church’s sanctuary a la spaghetti western tradition, it’s a Buddhist monastery on top of a lush mountain.
I’m no expert on Buddhism, so I can only suspect that much of the movie’s “point” is showing how the monks need a more practical grounding for their faith, while the gangsters need some spiritual uplifting.
As with any foreign film, there are some idioms that are lost in translation, while other jokes are universally understandable. I still don’t get the foreign student character, at least not past the most superficial layers.
I was entertained.
Hot Tub Time Machine
The dialogue was mostly terrible, the blood splatters and spurts were over the top, and they do most of the movie in the shadows, so you can barely see what’s going on a lot of the time. Still, I was entertained.
Made it out to Cinerama to see the Avatar movie, finally. Dunno why I assumed they would be showing it in 3D.
Visually stunning is an understatement. Q~ and I both remarked at how vertigo inducing some of the scenes were, when a character would look over the edge of a great height.
Plot holes big enough to drive one of those warbeasts through, but still highly entertaining.
This weekend, I watched the documentary, Man In The Sand. It’s ostensibly about the recording of the album Mermaid Avenue, but really it’s more about Billy Bragg exploring the legacy of Woody Guthrie. Some really good moments, like when Billy get’s quite suprised at a singer’s improv lyrics. Well worth the rent.
More touching than expected. Lots of the obvious comedy you’d expect from the trailer, with more plot than you might expect from the premise. They of course have to make a dig on copyright issues with Signorney’s character.
Strange, the last words on screen are a statement that no one got paid for using tobacco in the film.
I was impressed with the movie persepolis, an interesting animated feature. It tells the tale of growing up in Iran, thru the revolution and beyond, from the perspective of a little girl. It was an unusual animation style, that worked well for the story. Definetly worth watching.