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elements of a film (+ a thought)
Today I had the opportunity to watch two films -- one I've always hated and one I've always loved. Obviously, I couldn't bear through watching the former again, and five minutes with The Sweetest Thing was really pushing it, but as I was watching Pleasantville, I began to wonder... what really was it about the film that's always made it such a pleasure?
Let's be frank here -- I'm no movie critic (hell, I feel I barely pass as a game critic at times), but even I know that it's not a strong film through and through. It goes from being a neat little tale of propaganda and the idolization of the 1950's lifestyle to just plain preachy at the drop of a fedora. Like with many movies I watch, I feel my interest wane when I hit the point where I think they're just dragging things out too far (courthouse scene? it got things done, but I was already finished by then). Its saving grace are two things: the cast and the cinematography.
It's weird when you think about so many films made that just fall flat despite the obvious amount of talent onscreen, but I just feel that the casting in Pleasantville was spot-on. I've always had a soft spot for both Reese Witherspoon and especially Tobey Maguire, but throwing William H. Macy and Joan Allen in the mix as the hapless parents was brilliance. Normally, I'm not the biggest Jeff Daniels fan, but in a role that could've been easily hammed up, the subtle sorrow that he brings to soda fountain proprietor Mr. Daniels makes what could be a forgettable role just magical.
Really, though, the whole thing wouldn't have been the same without the brilliant imagery that carries the film. From the varied angles to the splashes of color randomly appearing in the visually desolate town, everything just worked. I can't stress how strong I think the scenes where George comes home to an empty house and the subsequent ones with the bowling alley, the soda fountain, and Lovers' Lane are. I think that the visual climax of those for me have to be when you see Big Bob standing in front of the scoreboard, rallying his paranoid and bewildered troops together. It's the moment where you're undoubtedly shown his role in the grand scheme of things (like you ever doubted that to begin with), and it's almost the exact same shot used when he's heading his exclusive town meetings.
So... yes. I love Pleasantville. I wish I could fit into my grandmother's cocktail dresses and sport the glasses that Jennifer finally dons to assume her place in that society. We can't have everything though.
In another thread of thought... I miss kissing. Probably not quite in the way you think (yes, I know, I'll see him soon enough, blah blah), so hear me out here.
It seems that once you hit a certain age and a certain point in relationships, kissing isn't what it used to be. I remember laying on the couch or snuggling in a car, just spending long moments making out. Nothing more, nothing less. Okay, maybe some heavy petting, but still. Kissing. No sex.
I miss that. I miss those days when kissing didn't necessarily have to lead to something more, when it wasn't a prelude to a fuck, for lack of better terms. It was always a point of contention in my last relationship, where kissing was seen as just that. I always saw it as something that had the potential to be just as passionate as actual sex, and at times more enjoyable than sex itself. It was about building up something, the tease of it all, being intimate without actually having to put all of yourself out there for show. Honestly, it seemed that when I gave up my virginity (I didn't lose it, I was conscious of my decision), there was some unspoken clause, some fine print I missed that said that making out could never be the way it used to.
Even though being an angsty teenager was enough for me (being an angsty adult is more than enough), that's probably the thing I miss the most, really. That, and my friends. heh, what a shortlist. heh, what a post... bet you didn't expect to read anything like this.
Let's be frank here -- I'm no movie critic (hell, I feel I barely pass as a game critic at times), but even I know that it's not a strong film through and through. It goes from being a neat little tale of propaganda and the idolization of the 1950's lifestyle to just plain preachy at the drop of a fedora. Like with many movies I watch, I feel my interest wane when I hit the point where I think they're just dragging things out too far (courthouse scene? it got things done, but I was already finished by then). Its saving grace are two things: the cast and the cinematography.
It's weird when you think about so many films made that just fall flat despite the obvious amount of talent onscreen, but I just feel that the casting in Pleasantville was spot-on. I've always had a soft spot for both Reese Witherspoon and especially Tobey Maguire, but throwing William H. Macy and Joan Allen in the mix as the hapless parents was brilliance. Normally, I'm not the biggest Jeff Daniels fan, but in a role that could've been easily hammed up, the subtle sorrow that he brings to soda fountain proprietor Mr. Daniels makes what could be a forgettable role just magical.
Really, though, the whole thing wouldn't have been the same without the brilliant imagery that carries the film. From the varied angles to the splashes of color randomly appearing in the visually desolate town, everything just worked. I can't stress how strong I think the scenes where George comes home to an empty house and the subsequent ones with the bowling alley, the soda fountain, and Lovers' Lane are. I think that the visual climax of those for me have to be when you see Big Bob standing in front of the scoreboard, rallying his paranoid and bewildered troops together. It's the moment where you're undoubtedly shown his role in the grand scheme of things (like you ever doubted that to begin with), and it's almost the exact same shot used when he's heading his exclusive town meetings.
So... yes. I love Pleasantville. I wish I could fit into my grandmother's cocktail dresses and sport the glasses that Jennifer finally dons to assume her place in that society. We can't have everything though.
=======
In another thread of thought... I miss kissing. Probably not quite in the way you think (yes, I know, I'll see him soon enough, blah blah), so hear me out here.
It seems that once you hit a certain age and a certain point in relationships, kissing isn't what it used to be. I remember laying on the couch or snuggling in a car, just spending long moments making out. Nothing more, nothing less. Okay, maybe some heavy petting, but still. Kissing. No sex.
I miss that. I miss those days when kissing didn't necessarily have to lead to something more, when it wasn't a prelude to a fuck, for lack of better terms. It was always a point of contention in my last relationship, where kissing was seen as just that. I always saw it as something that had the potential to be just as passionate as actual sex, and at times more enjoyable than sex itself. It was about building up something, the tease of it all, being intimate without actually having to put all of yourself out there for show. Honestly, it seemed that when I gave up my virginity (I didn't lose it, I was conscious of my decision), there was some unspoken clause, some fine print I missed that said that making out could never be the way it used to.
Even though being an angsty teenager was enough for me (being an angsty adult is more than enough), that's probably the thing I miss the most, really. That, and my friends. heh, what a shortlist. heh, what a post... bet you didn't expect to read anything like this.
