Monday, January 28, 2019
Muriel's Wedding
- Commentary: I can't tell you when I first viewed this one. Obviously, sometime after 1994. I'm not sure if Mom ever saw it. I, however, fell in love with it on first viewing.
I was already a fan of Australian cinema. That started with my viewing of Outback/Wake in Fright, many years previous. It was, however, the beginning of my admiration of Toni Collette. And, my appreciation of Australian comedy. I remember, after initially viewing this movie, scouring our library for other Australian comedy gems, which is what brought me to Strictly Ballroom. Australian comedy has a surprisingly sharp edge that catches you unawares and that U.S. comedy lacks, I find, except in extraordinary instances. Let's see, do I own any of those "extraordinary [U.S.] instances"? A few. Adaptation, for one. Network, for another. If I wanted to stretch a point, Natural Born Killers takes U.S. comedy edge well beyond any Australian comedy edge I've yet seen. Buster Keaton, though, is probably the best example of U.S. comedy edge competitive with Australian comedy edge. I'd include Charlie Chaplin but he was a Brit who shaped U.S. movies into what they would, and continue to, become.
This movie, combined with Strictly Ballroom, brought to my awareness a slate of excellent Australian actors, one of whom, Bill Hunter is/was (sadly, he's dead) in four movies I own.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toni Collette Muriel Heslop Bill Hunter Bill Heslop Rachel Griffiths Rhonda Epinstall Sophie Lee Tania Degano Jeanie Drynan Betty Heslop Gennie Nevinson Deidre Chambers Daniel Lapaine David Van Arkle Matt Day Brice Nobes
Just in case, here's the link to the Wikipediea write-up.
Release Date: 1994
Directed by P. J. Hogan.
Labels: bill-hunter, comedy1, coming-of-age1, toni-collette, women's-movie1
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Little Miss Sunshine
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: I rented this movie for us out of curiosity. We both we so charmed by it that we decided, after watching the rental a second time in as many days, to purchase it. I was surprised at how much Mom enjoyed it. From the little I knew about it I thought I would love it and Mom would find it boring, so her interest in the movie surprised me. It's one of those movies I consider completely perfect and, of course, it features Toni Colette. It's easy for me to like movies in which she's featured. Even if the movie is a bomb (and, I have yet to consider one of the movies in which she's featured a bomb, although there are some that I wouldn't add to our collection, like In Her Shoes, which is pleasant enough but not something I'd seek to watch again), I always enjoy her performances.
Mom was, by the way, astonished at the girls' beauty pageant. "Something's not right about that," she said. I was pleased that she was struck by this.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Greg Kinnear Richard Hoover Steve Carell Dr. Frank Ginsberg Toni Collette Sheryl Hoover Paul Dano Dwayne Hoover Abigail Breslin Olive Hoover Alan Arkin Edwin Hoover Bryan Cranston Stan Grossman Dean Norris State Trooper McCleary
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2006
Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris.
Labels: female-director2, road-movie, satire1, shared-favorite, toni-collette
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
The Sixth Sense
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: I've assiduously avoided owning this movie for a long time, thus, although I was mesmerized by it when I saw it in the theater (not so much by the story, but the technique, the acting, and the interplay between the characters) and my intrigue about M. Night Shyamalan began with this movie, I just never thought I'd own it. Then, Mom expressed interest in it once when it was on cable and she was fascinated with it. Soon after, someone had it on deep sale, so I picked it up. Shyamalan has made enough movies now, so that my initial intrigue with his career has cooled considerably, starting with Signs. Although I am devoted to Unbreakable, I don't know, I was expecting something, hmmm...more, I guess, from him, and he hasn't delivered for me for a long time. I tried The Village, too, and it did nothing for me.
So, here I am, supposedly writing about The Sixth Sense, but saying absolutely nothing about it. I love Bruce Willis' performance. I love Toni Collette's performance. I love the way it's framed. I love what it promised about Shyamalan. I like the solution to the young medium's problem. Mom and I have watched it twice since I bought it and both watchings have been satisfying. When I watch it, though, I mourn my expectations of Shyamalan that this movie provoked and Unbreakable seemed to underline. Maybe he has more in him. I hope so.
Update 2/10/18: An unassuming super-hero, yes, but a super-hero nontheless. The entire movie, in fact, is devoted to one super-hero-of-sorts helping another nascent super-hero with his peculiar super-power.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Bruce Willis Malcolm Crowe Haley Joel Osment Cole Sear Toni Collette Lynn Sear Olivia Williams Amanda Crowe Donnie Wahlberg Vincent Grey Glenn Fitzgerald Sean Mischa Barton Kyra Collins M. Night Shyamalan Dr. Hill
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1999
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Labels: drama8, fantasy3, horror2, m-night-shyamalan, super-hero2, suspense2, toni-collette
Japanese Story
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: The above comment in the "Mentions" pretty much says it all, from which I'll take the liberty of quoting: Last night, Mom rearose as I was about 10 minutes into watching Japanese Story. This is one of those movies I rented, when it first came out on DVD, strictly on the strength of Toni Collette being in the cast. I fell so in love with the movie that I have continued to think of it since. Mom didn't watch it at that time. When I ran across a barely used (probably only watched once), cheap copy of it some days ago when turning in movies for credit at my favorite get-rid-of-DVDs-you-don't-want place, I snatched it using some of my accumulated credit. When Mom joined me last night, I told her what I was doing and restarted the movie. Although she expressed interest, I expected that at a point after about 15 minutes of watching the movie she'd become bored and I'd stop it for viewing at another alone-time. I was wrong. She was riveted, too. When the movie ended, she surprised me by saying, as the credits rolled, "I really enjoyed that! Let's buy that movie. I'd like to see it again."
We discussed it, mostly the landscape, about which Mom commented, more than a few times during the movie, "Where is this? Australia? We should move to Australia," despite me reminding her that we probably couldn't live in the environments shown in the movie with which she particularly fell in love [You can take the woman out of the desert, I guess, but you can't take the desert out of the woman]; and about the subtle appreciation that grew between the main characters (the wife of the businessman included, even though she appears only in the last quarter of the movie), despite their extreme cultural differences.
At one point I mentioned something about my reaction when I first saw the movie.
"You've seen this movie? Why don't I remember seeing it?"
"You didn't see it the first time, Mom. I wasn't sure you'd like it."
"Well, from now on, check with me before you decide what you think I'd like."
Yes m'am!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toni Collette Sandy Edwards Gotaro Tsunashima Hiromitsu Tachibana Matthew Dyktynski Bill Baird Lynette Curran Mum Yumiko Tanaka Yukiko Tachibana Kate Atkinson Jackie Bill Young Jimmy Smithers Reg Evans Bloke in a Boat
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2003
Directed by Sue Brooks.
Labels: drama9, dream1, female-director2, me-favorite2, toni-collette
Friday, February 10, 2006
About a Boy
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: This is just one of my favorite little fripperies that, sight unseen, I thought Mom (and I) would enjoy when I noticed it on ridiculous sale. I was right. I especially enjoy Toni Collette's performance, but, frankly, I'm a sucker for her in any film. Mom was charmed by the premise of the film and so surprised by the ending that she said, "Well, that's what I like to see. The guy doesn't necessarily get the girl, but gets something better." My sentiments exactly.
I like, too, that the title doesn't refer to a specific "boy". In truth, there are two "boys", one who can honorably wear the appellation and one who can't. The magic of the film is that both boys learn how to become men, one right on time, one a little late, but still accomplished.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Hugh Grant Will Freeman Nicholas Hoult Marcus Brewer Toni Collette Fiona Brewer Rachel Weisz Rachel Natalia Tena Ellie Sharon Small Christine Nicholas Hutchinson John Victoria Smurfit Suzie
Here's the link to the Wikipedia write-up for this film.
Release Date: 2002
Directed by Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz.
Labels: coming-of-age1, dramedy2, rachel-weisz, romance3, toni-collette
