A couple of total wow movies
Today was a very good day in my particular Sundance world, with two truly excellent films I hope you’ll all keep an eye out for. (Yes, I end sentences with prepositions. All the time. It’s what I’m made of.)
The first is Sunshine Cleaning, starring Amy Adams (yay, Enchanted!) and Emily Blunt yay, The Devil Wears Prada!) as two sisters who begin a crime scene cleaning business–blood, guts, etc. But as Amy’s character points out, it’s really about being there for people after something really awful has happened to the ones they love. The film is funny, odd, informative (do you really know what goes into all that cleanup? You’d be surprised), and very touching and uplifting. That’s what we need more of around here–Sundance sort of specializes in dark, quirky films, with the emphasis on dark. I always love it when I can find a genuine comedy, like Wednesday’s Assassination of a High School President–give me more of that, please.
The other great film today was the one I just saw tonight–The Drummer, starring Jackie Chan’s son Jaycee Chan, and people, he may just be my new boyfriend. Even though he’s around 25. He’s just such a humble, warm, talented guy, and during the Q & A with him and the director after the movie, I kept raising my hand and the director kept not seeing me. So even though someone eventually asked my question so I stopped raising my hand, Jaycee made the director call on me anyway. What a gentleman!
And his performance is so spectacular–playing a Hong Kong gangster’s rebellious son who ends up joining a Zen drumming group in the mountains and transforming into this dignified, disciplined, quiet, gentle soul. The drumming troup is played by a real troup that the director saw perform seven years ago. He was so deeply moved by what they could do, he decided to write an entire feature film about what it’s like to train with them.
The movie was so mesmerizing and so touching even my non-movie-fan husband was there sniffling at the end. Score! I’m telling you, the drumming alone is a reason to see this film–but then director Kenneth Bi and actor Jaycee Chan give you about forty more layers to go on top of it. Total quality flick. Please write this one down.
Saw a stinker, too, but who cares? Averaging two great movies a day is more than most of us can hope for. It’s a great life up here in Movieland. I feel very fortunate to be here.
That’s it for now. Gotta hit the shower, hit the bed, get up for my 8:30 AM flick tomorrow.
I’m so happy I get to do this once a year!!!
Technorati Tags: Sundance Film Festival, Film Festivals, Films, Movies, Sunshine Cleaning, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, The Drummer, Jaycee Chan, Kenneth Bi
January 25th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I’m so jealous, but hopefully I’ll be able to get up there next year (by more likely the year after). We can hang out in our warm, practical jackets together.
And just cause I know you’ll be interested to hear - I’m going up to NYC this weekend, as TWO of my friends made it to the callbacks for College Jeopardy!
January 26th, 2008 at 6:17 am
There must be something in the collective unconscious. My friend Wendy Roberts has this awesome new book out called THE REMAINS OF THE DEAD, about a woman who does crime scene clean up and can speak to the dead while she’s doing it.
Check it out.
January 26th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Lizzie, I have no doubt you’ll be up here with a movie of your own in the not-too-distant future. I can’t wait! And yes, of course I need to know that your friends made callbacks for College Jeopardy! How cool! Please report on how that went.
Diana, that’s pretty funny, huh? But I think there is something about the collective unconscious–suddenly you’ll see four novels about the same topic, and they all come out around the same time, so you know they’re not copycats.
But I feel certain that you’re the only one writing a series about killer unicorns and the virgins who hunt them. Have I mentioned lately how awesome I think that is? Hurry up and write!
January 26th, 2008 at 10:46 am
YAY! SOunds fun! ^_^ thanks for keeping us updated! BTW r u aware it’s saturday? Friday was yesterday… just checking! XD