White
As many movies as I watch, it takes a lot for a movie to really impress me these days (sort of like a stamp collector actually being amused by something he saw affixed to an envelope).
As such, and particularly after a very disappointing Matrix experience a few days back (I don't feel the need to elaborate, as just about every other site I frequent also gave it scathing reviews), I was particularly startled at my enjoyment of Trois Couleurs: Blanc last night.
A quick aside on how I ran across these movies: I'd heard about the trilogy before in passing references, and after seeing Red in the IMDB top 250, and subsequently adding it to my must-see list, I'd placed all three, in order, on my Netflix queue (yes, I admit it — my whole entertainment experience is a FIFO of various lists and queues on the web — scary).
After watching Blue, and concurring that this was quality film-making, for sure, I decided the trilogy on DVD would make a wholly appropriate gift for a francophile buddy of mine who's developed an especially sincere appreciation for French movies as of late, and I ordered it from Amazon.com. As these things often turn out (and this was no exception), the birthday approached, and the movies still hadn't shipped. Two days before his party, I checked again to confirm that the order was still being filled, and planned to stop at a movie store or two on the way home, and, if I found the boxed set, cancel the still unshipped order upon getting back. Fortunately, I indeed found the movies the first place I checked. Unfortunately, 45 minutes later, the order had already shipped.
Sure, I could send the movies back, but the set wasn't expensive, and they have decent replay value, so I decided to keep the second set whenever it arrived (at least it felt like my own birthday all over again, since I got to remove the gift wrapping I'd requested at the time that it was still intended to be my friend's present).
Anyway, last night after doing my yoga and taking some valerian root after my attempt to go to bed early didn't really work out, I decided that chilling out on the couch with a movie would be a good way to wind myself down. I should have known better. Of course I watched the whole thing (have I ever not?).
Regardless, as I mentioned initially, White immediately jumped onto my mental Top 10 Favorite Movies list (not sure what they all are, but currently it's populated by the likes of The Big Lebowski, Amelie, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, High Fidelity, and a handful of others that seem to actually add up to more than 10 — oh well).
Perhaps it was the whole "kind-hearted meek little dude gets utterly trounced by a presumptuous young attractive wife using him to make herself feel better, only to spend years plotting a spectacularly playing-field-leveling way to get even" kind of resonance that it had with regard to several experiences of mine earlier in life. Or perhaps I just found it really funny, sad, suspenseful, engaging, well-filmed, terrifically-acted, and enlightening. (A little of both, probably, as I'm sure you've assumed).
A great movie, through and through. Not quite so arty (or highly rated, in that regard) as the other two in the trilogy, it seems, but high on entertainment value for a film of this caliber, and not likely to disappoint. Persons who complain about "too much effort required to read subtitles" need not apply, as is my usual disclaimer.
And hey, even if you don't like it, you can get to the end and say, "All right, well, now we know what kind of movies makes Matt all happy inside, so it wasn't a total waste." There you go. . . . A little bit of visibility into what makes me tick, for the low low price of a single movie rental. Take it or leave it, folks.
As such, and particularly after a very disappointing Matrix experience a few days back (I don't feel the need to elaborate, as just about every other site I frequent also gave it scathing reviews), I was particularly startled at my enjoyment of Trois Couleurs: Blanc last night.
A quick aside on how I ran across these movies: I'd heard about the trilogy before in passing references, and after seeing Red in the IMDB top 250, and subsequently adding it to my must-see list, I'd placed all three, in order, on my Netflix queue (yes, I admit it — my whole entertainment experience is a FIFO of various lists and queues on the web — scary).
After watching Blue, and concurring that this was quality film-making, for sure, I decided the trilogy on DVD would make a wholly appropriate gift for a francophile buddy of mine who's developed an especially sincere appreciation for French movies as of late, and I ordered it from Amazon.com. As these things often turn out (and this was no exception), the birthday approached, and the movies still hadn't shipped. Two days before his party, I checked again to confirm that the order was still being filled, and planned to stop at a movie store or two on the way home, and, if I found the boxed set, cancel the still unshipped order upon getting back. Fortunately, I indeed found the movies the first place I checked. Unfortunately, 45 minutes later, the order had already shipped.
Sure, I could send the movies back, but the set wasn't expensive, and they have decent replay value, so I decided to keep the second set whenever it arrived (at least it felt like my own birthday all over again, since I got to remove the gift wrapping I'd requested at the time that it was still intended to be my friend's present).
Anyway, last night after doing my yoga and taking some valerian root after my attempt to go to bed early didn't really work out, I decided that chilling out on the couch with a movie would be a good way to wind myself down. I should have known better. Of course I watched the whole thing (have I ever not?).
Regardless, as I mentioned initially, White immediately jumped onto my mental Top 10 Favorite Movies list (not sure what they all are, but currently it's populated by the likes of The Big Lebowski, Amelie, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, High Fidelity, and a handful of others that seem to actually add up to more than 10 — oh well).
Perhaps it was the whole "kind-hearted meek little dude gets utterly trounced by a presumptuous young attractive wife using him to make herself feel better, only to spend years plotting a spectacularly playing-field-leveling way to get even" kind of resonance that it had with regard to several experiences of mine earlier in life. Or perhaps I just found it really funny, sad, suspenseful, engaging, well-filmed, terrifically-acted, and enlightening. (A little of both, probably, as I'm sure you've assumed).
A great movie, through and through. Not quite so arty (or highly rated, in that regard) as the other two in the trilogy, it seems, but high on entertainment value for a film of this caliber, and not likely to disappoint. Persons who complain about "too much effort required to read subtitles" need not apply, as is my usual disclaimer.
And hey, even if you don't like it, you can get to the end and say, "All right, well, now we know what kind of movies makes Matt all happy inside, so it wasn't a total waste." There you go. . . . A little bit of visibility into what makes me tick, for the low low price of a single movie rental. Take it or leave it, folks.