Songbird
Oct
23
3 for 1 – Film Reviews
Filed Under Film Box
Pip here and fine, ok, I admit it: I’ve been lazy. I’ve seen films on the independent side that I’ve not shared. Well this travesty shall continue on no more! Unfortunately, most of these are gone so you’ll have to Netflix ’em. Onward then, with the three reviews at once!
When I mentioned this one, lil Rach’ wasn’t so sure, in fact the look on her face was anything but sure when I explained the premise. A doc’ about a bunch of old video game geeks are trying to break the Donkey Kong record……… I’ll let you pause and take that one in. At first I thought it was like those guys that did the doc’ about the staring contest championship. Little did lil Rach’ know, that this was going to be a damn good documentary.
Really, as with any sport – yeah that’s right I said sport – the formula is the same. Either the underdog wins, or he don’t because the underdog needed to learn an important life lesson. So why the hell do we love this stuff so much? It must be something primal, like eating meat from a bone. It just brings the animal out of ya. This one’s no different really, except that the cast of characters are at once so bizarre and so lovable you just can’t help but to laugh and cry right along with them.
Some people might be inclined to point and laugh at the silly geeks. Of course I easily identified with them. At first the folks in the audience would poke fun, or chuckle when they said something about video games that can only be said about ‘real’ sports. Soon though, they latched on to our hero and were along for the ride. I’d highly recommend this one to anyone that likes a good underdog story, but if you love documentaries or video games or both at once, you have no excuse but to seek this out when it hits DVD sometime next year.
Here’s a movie I’d recommend to my mother, in fact I did. This is one hilarious film that looks at love and the label of marriage pretty darn realistically. Well really that’s the rub of the film: marriage vs. love. Some of the characters have been together forever, some don’t love each other openly, some think they love each other, some are just getting started and of course everyone is tangled up with everyone else. It’s a wild romp of romantic comedy proportions that follows no formula and damnit if Abby is just cute as a button.
I really loved all the players in this one, all the people were living and breathing spewing witty – but not overly written witty – dialogue that had myself and my party laughing out loud on a regular basis. It takes concepts we normally attribute to certain legal contracts and disconnects those things a little, which might maybe stick in a few folks craw I suppose. Hey, if you can have sex without love, you can have marriage without love damnit! Back off! Oppressor!
Fellas, wanna score points? Well then remember Ira and Abby for your queue. Ladies, if you’re looking for a fella to come at you with a romantic comedy… just put down the fantasy and come back to reality. I tried with my scoring points thing, but really… asking a guy to rent a romantic comedy without some sort of compromise or sexual bribery is just plain silly. Unless of course the guy is like me, then he’s just freakin’ awesome.
Ok so I had no idea that this one is based on a true story going into this, and really I’m not sure if that knowledge would have enhanced even more the amazing experience that is this film or not. I tell you this because you should know. That’s right, I’m playing God with your mind right now, you can’t deny that kind of power.
Anyway, I can’t remember another film that instigated as long of a conversation as this one. It’s an amazing story, one that makes it even more poignant knowing this stuff really happened. In the beginning I had my pet peeves pushed – I’m not a huge fan of constant back and forth flashback storytelling unless it’s done right. Even when it is done right, sometimes I take longer than others to get into it. That was me at first during this film. But about 20 minutes in, I was hooked. I don’t really agree with a lot of the things that the guy did, but man I sure understood where he was coming from. That total selfishness the main character exhibited was the reason conversation after the film was dominated by his actions. Every person he came across is unforgettable and he is unforgettable to them, but still on his quest forward into the great unknown he constantly abandons until he realizes what he’s done.
I can really relate to the call of the wild. Sometimes I get this desire to just drop everything and run out into the woods… but then that silly reverie is shattered when I click on the StumbleUpon button again and again and again in hopes of finding a funnier video on YouTube. Maybe that means woe for our future… I say our future is going to be all electronic. Tectonic. Break it down.
Until next time – and I’ll try and work on my promptness – Pip signing out.
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Rachel - Music, FilmAggregator Love
read the book into the wild… very very good.
Yeah I heard the book was amazing…I just hate reading books after I saw the movie but I could see it being just fine with this true story. If you have read the book I recommend the film.
Great reviews Pip! :)
Interesting films, Pip. I will definitely have to check out Ira and Abby. It seems like our society runs on an underlying assumption that only one kind of relationship — or one kind of marriage — is “right.” I think that’s nonsense. There are a lot of ways for different people to make their lives work. And every one of those choices has its price tag.
The best movie I ever saw about competition was Searching for Bobby Fisher. Every parent should see this movie, and everyone else should probably see it too.
I think I have that same achy, sniffly thing that you had a few days ago Rachel. It is quite horrible.
They are interesting… wish I thought of ’em! I think you’ll like King of Kong, too Cel. And g the film really is wonderful, I’ll get around the book someday I’m sure… add it to the list Jeeves!