Production Value!!
July 6th – July 10th
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger — A decent, but far from great entry from Woody Allen. At this point, Allen’s films are like pizza and sex. Even when they aren’t great, they’re still pretty good. There were some good ideas and good characters here, but they didn’t quite go as far as they could’ve. In many ways, this one almost seemed like it would’ve played better as a stageplay.
Swingers — A classic. And one that, sometimes unknowingly, gets referenced in our household on at least a weekly basis. Now that’s money.
Mega Python vs. Gatoroid — Debbie Gibson and Tiffany. And a barely there Micky Dolenz. Wow. Just, wow. At least it was more entertaining than last week’s Countdown: Armageddon. But that’s about all I can say for it.
Bad Teacher — A decent summer comedy. But again it felt like it could’ve been better. It was definitely better than most mind-numbing summer comedies tend to be. And I really like Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal. And I’m really starting to like Lucy Bunch (who was also in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, wonderfully). This just needed a few more writing passes. It was a few drafts away from being either brilliantly funny or at least a really good movie.
Super 8 — Now THIS is a summer blockbuster. For the most part, it was a great blockbuster in the mode of Spielberg’s earlier stuff. Adventurous kids and aliens. It’s wonderful. Elle Fanning is stunningly good. All the kids are good, but she is a real standout. Like Best Supporting Actress good. It doesn’t quite reach Spielbergian heights, but it’s strong in its own right. And the kids’ film, which plays during the closing credits, encapsulates everything there is to love about movies and about the desire to make them yourself.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind — Well, after Super 8 we had to go back to the man himself, Spielberg. I had seen fragments of this film throughout my years. And of course the mashed potato sculpture and tonal light show are firmly fixed in the pop culture ether. But for the most part, I went into this one not remembering much of the movie as a whole. And was I stunned. I loved it. It’s quickly been catapulted into my shortlist of best movies of all time. I can’t believe it’s 34 years old. It’s nearly as old as me.
Oddly, my favorite part is how Roy Neary’s family reacts to him as he becomes more obsessed. His wife, played by Terri Garr, seems to become more distant. I couldn’t tell if it was bad acting or brilliant acting, either way it works. And the kids just start crying and acting out in response to losing their dad. That response is juxtaposed with Roy’s immediate connection, nearly passionate, with a fellow UFO-sighter played terrifically by Melinda Dillon.
