Movie Reviews

ALL THE REAL GIRLS:
One of my all-time favorite movies is a little-known indie called "All The Real Girls". This is the kind of movie that you can let wash over you, get comfortable with, and feel lazy and nostalgic about your young-adulthood. Every scene is punctuated with the banality of hick-town life, but also infused with unmediated and tangible realism. These characters get into situations that are very recognizable, and say things that I wish I'd had the courage or inclination to say when I was in similar situations. The lead, Paul Schneider, makes the best of his dialogue and scenes, bringing a quirky and intimate style to his character. His dancing clown scene in the hospital never fails to make me laugh out loud. I'm just a little bit in love with the guy. Also, I never felt that this movie was trying to be highbrow or profound - it just feels so natural and real (hence the title). What also made it so moving for me was the use of music throughout - dark and brooding indie rock guitar, and the opening song by Will Oldham sets the tone for the backwoods grit feel throughout.



RUSHMORE:
Another movie that I will never get enough of is Rushmore. In my opinion, this is Wes Anderson's finest hour in filmmaking. He got every scene right, every character to a T, a perfect meld of everything that makes a movie unforgettable. This movie makes me happy, like kid-in-a-candy-store happy, so whenever I happen to catch it on cable, I settle in for a good couple hours of perfect entertainment. The basic story is of an eccentric prep-schooler Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzmann), his friendship with an older and successful industrialist Henry (Bill Murray), and their mutual crush on a grade school teacher at Rushmore, Rosemary (Olivia Cross). The score (Mark Mothersbaugh, genius) is a heady amalgamation of original songs and perfect picks from 1960's British Invasion bands (The Stones, The Kinks, The Faces, The Who). Every song seems to be custom-made for each scene it accompanies, and the music is almost like a supporting character throughout. It's a soundtrack I keep in my car on on my iTunes at all times.