Tiny Furniture

So I remember seeing the trailer for this at SXSW in 2010 but I wasn't able to go see it because of my schedule. I had since forgotten about the movie even though it looked interesting but now it's on Netflix instant and I finally got to see it. It's sad the anticipation was better than the product. The movie, which is a microbudget indie made with $50,000 and written and directed by it's star Lena Dunham. The movie actually won best first screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards and was nominated for three other various awards.

The movie is about a post-grad, played by Dunham, who moves back home to New York City to live with her artist mother. She gets a job at a restaurant and hangs out with some friends. Okay that about sums up the whole movie.

Yes yes it's about the post-grad what-do-I-do-with-my-life syndrome, which means it's basically about nothing. Some of the characters have some witty observations about life, but they're few and far between. The movie borders on becoming a little mumblecore movie, but the nice cinematography seems to save it from that fate. I didn't find the main character very endearing, and rather whiny. Perhaps because I have children and real responsibilities I wasn't able to relate to this movie, but then again I still love The Graduate.

The camera lenses were soft when needed and focused in other shots. The angles were done nicely as well with interesting focus. Even with the smooth moves and interesting angles, it couldn't hide the fact that the characters were just rambling along with the plot.

I found the crazy friend Charlotte the most entertaining and endearing with her mysterious accent and no holds barred attitude. I also found the younger sister equally as entertaining with her passive-aggressive demeanor. Sadly, I did not find the main character entertaining, and seeing as she is in every scene of the movie, this was hard to work with. Not saying she didn't play the character well, I just wasn't interested in the character.

Sadly, I was very disappointed in this movie. Aside from the nice camera work and plot points that were almost discovered, the movie was quite boring in my opinion and this is coming from someone who loves movies about nothing. Perhaps it just wasn't for me. Apparently someone likes the movie since was nominated four times. I was also secretly disappointed there wasn't more tiny furniture in the movie. "I just don't think you should promise things you can't actually deliver"

Midnight in Paris

So I had been hearing so much about this movie since it opened up the Cannes festival this year and I thought it was about time I saw it. It has my favorite actress, or at least one of my top three, Marion Cotillard in it and it's a Woody Allen film. The movie has made about $145 million worldwide, thanks to a great performance overseas, and it was made with a budget of only $17 million. 

The movie is about a couple, played by Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, who are vacationing in Paris while McAdams' parents are there on business. One night Wilson's character finds himself drunk and lost in Paris at midnight when an old antique car comes to pick him up. He then finds himself in a timeslip back to 1920's Paris and rubbing elbows with Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, etc. Oh, did I mention that the movie also has Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen, and Carla Bruni?

The plot is obviously a little whimsical, but it was so much fun and was totally relatable. Everyone (almost) always thinks it would be so much simpler and easier to live in a time before their own. This plot explores that feeling. The dialogue and observations made by the characters are quite witty and spot on. Contrary to some other of Woody Allen's films, this plot was linear and worked towards a conclusion. 

The scenery shots in the movie were just beautiful, but Paris is beautiful itself. The timeslip sequences were equally as beautiful. The nostalgia was almost palpable in the movie. The score was perfect and featured Cole Porter which was simply awesome. 

Owen Wilson is almost like the modern day Woody Allen, with his rambling monologues and such. He did a good job in this movie. He was not different than most of his other roles but he wasn't over the top and let the movie take center stage. Rachel McAdams played the perfect distant and angry girlfriend. I loved Marion Cotillard's character and thought she was just super smooth and polished in this role. 

In the end, I really really liked this movie. It had witty observations but also hit a chord with the escapist inside of me. It really is symbolically and quite literally about escaping the droll present and was a fun ride to watch. It was beautiful, had a great story, showcased some of the greatest periods in modern history, and was all shot on location in Paris for goodness sakes. Props to Woody Allen, who can sometimes be hit or miss in my opinion at least. "The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence".