One Mutha of a Film Festival, Day Three
As the "One Mutha of a Film Festival" continues, today's theme is "The Kids Are Alright": movies about kids or for kids that reveal something complex, true, interesting about the experience of growing-up.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
There ain't no touching the original here. Don't get me wrong -- I love me some Johnny Depp, but the most recent version of this film was down-right silly (and I don't mean that in a good way). I had the great good fortune of seeing the original as a child in the movie theater and I still remember the feeling when Gene Wilder (Willie Wonka) made his entrance with the cane and then the somersault, fear and wonder all at once. The story was changed for the screenplay from the wonderful original book (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), but in ways that stay true to Dahl's understanding of children and their ability to grasp both the simple and the sublime. The art design (no computer graphics here folks), the songs, the pacing all stand up so well against the test of time. And did I mention you can lick the wallpaper?
My Bodyguard
No -- not The Bodyguard, My Bodyguard. No Whitney here.
This movie came out when I was making that crucial, painful move from junior high to highschool and I have felt a debt of gratitude to it ever since. It is a gentle story about how the new kid in school navigates around the threats of a bully (played by a 15-year-old Matt Dillon) by befriending the mysterious, troubled kid that even the bully is afraid of. Ruth Gordon as the wacky but wise grandmother is the cherry on top.
Say Anything
A movie to memorize, and I have. Say Anything is certainly a formulaic teen flick in many ways, but the dialogue and cast take it way beyond that. John Cusack is the relentless Lloyd Dobbler, the ultra-sincere thinking teen's teen, who not only takes us along on his journey through first love, but lets us meet his eccentric band of friends and family too. So many scenes to love, but one that stays with me always takes place at the Gas 'n' Sip and includes one guy's advice for getting over a broken heart: "Find a girl that looks just like her, nail her, then dump her, man."
The Outsiders
How the hell did Matt Dillon end up on here twice? My only explanation is that everyone is in this movie. It seems, they rounded up every good-looking white male between the ages of 15 and 25 and cast them right away, including Patrick Swayzee (way before Dirty Dancing and Ghost, don't worry), Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Ralph Macchio (you know, the Karate Kid. Not good looking, but as the most sorrowful character, he doesn't need to be). Although it has its own pulp fiction under current, the film captures the tightly wound energy of teen-agers looking down the barrel of dead-end lives. These young actors play off each so well you believe they have grown up together, while at the same time communicating a heart-breaking sense of loneliness.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Okay, now I can get my Johnny Depp love in here -- but he is not my favorite part of this movie. It is Leonardo DeCaprio, who is astounding as the retarded younger brother. But Depp brings a real tenderness to that relationship, as with his morbidly obese mother, and goes on to tell a moving story about how an odd-ball parentified kid might try to move on and live a life of his own.
posted by Mutha @ 5:26 PM
9 Comments:
I loved WIlly Wonka and still do. The new movie was doomed for me even before Johnny Depp started channeling Michael Jackson.
My bodyguard was fantastic.
Say Anything and Willy Wonka are two of my fave films of all time. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory doesn't hold a candle to the original.
And Say Anything. I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen. Need I say more?:)
Doug: Oooo you're right about the Depp-Jackson connection. Creepy doesn't even begin to describe it.
And not all that many people know My Bodyguard -- thanks for being one of the few!
Janet: Ah the PEN! Cusak can't stop with the scenes in the rain --he has a good one in High Fidelity too. But we'll have to talk about that on another day of the Film Fest!
I'm not surprised to find you offering good advice here to parents and young people, because--
You are BLOCHALELA! Kind and generous to a fault, you have empathy for all living things, and especially those less fortunate than you. By the same token, you are quick to jump into a fray if you believe injustice is being done. On the whole you are worthy of more praise than censure, but beware a tendency to meddle, and remember to take care of yourself, along with the rest of the world!
To see Blochalela, go here. If you click on the picture, you will get to it on flickr.com, and you can download whichever size you want. If you don't like that picture, simply scroll through the archives till you find one you do like. But I like the blue hair. Shortly afterwards, Mall Diva died it black, so the later pictures are not as striking.
On second thought, maybe you'd like this closeup of her face better. It's a crop of the other.
Thanks Weirsdo! The Blue Hair is not so easy to pull off, but I think I'm up to the task.
Kristen: The entire string of songs performed at the party scene in Say Anything are amazing ( my favorite may be "That'll NEVER BE ME! NO!"
But I don't know the other Cusack flick -- I will have to add it to my, to-be-rented list. Thanks!
This certainly broadens my horizons. I only know the Willy Wonka movie (the original). I'll have to look for these other films. We have lots of dvds of Disney films
You know, Disney is a real mixed bag for me -- which is probably why no Disney flicks made it into the Mutha Film Fest. For instance, Quick Quiz: How many Disney characters have mothers? Of the one's that have mothers, how many of them die? It's a little freaky when you think about it.
"Fantasia" is up there -- but that might have to be for the "Drugs" theme day.
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