So we were in Meijer late on Thursday night getting groceries (among other things) and I "accidentally" wandered into the Entertainment section and "accidentally" found these two movies which were on sale, so managed to drop them into the cart while no one was looking. (Actually, she was looking, but she didn't immediately throw them back onto the shelf, so that counts as a good thing.)
One of them was an ancient thing which we hadn't seen in many long years but remembered fondly, and the other was a recent production for which I'd been waiting a long time to obtain.
As we didn't have time to watch either of them that night, we postponed our viewing activity until a more opportune moment. Friday, for instance. Our traditional movie + pizza night.
When Friday night finally rolled around, we decided to show the first one. The kids weren't familiar with it, and were actually hoping to watch the other one, which they'd heard of (and at least one had already seen); but we wanted to share the older one first in the hope that it might give them insight into the influences of our early lives during those carefree days of yore. So they rolled their eyes and sighed and sat back with their bowls of popcorn and waited to be entertained and enlightened.
Beetlejuice (1988)
I had forgotten that Michael Keaton had such a mouth on him back in those days. He was one of those angry young comedians who had realized early on that shocking audiences was one way of becoming (in)famous. This was pre-"Batman" (1989), post-"Mr Mom" (1983), when he was really starting to make a name for himself. You might also remember him from "Night Shift" (1982), "Johnny Dangerously" (1984), and "Clean and Sober" (1984). Past 1988, you might not remember him for anything, because nothing since then has been as popular.
[He was also 'Dogberry' in "Much Ado about Nothing" in 1993, which allowed him to play an insane role in an otherwise unremarkable production of the play, but since most of his fans didn't share his affection for Shakespeare, it wasn't a box-office smash, so did nothing to solidify his acting credentials.]
Then there's Alec Baldwin. He was so good in this role, so understated. So skinny. Now he is not skinny. It's like a completely different person. Hard to remember this version of him when watching "30 Rock" (which I don't) or the numerous Saturday Night Live sketches (which I do). Even less so when listening to him hosting The New York Philharmonic on PBS, because his voice is much deeper and sonorous now, like a real radio announcer.
Not to forget Geena Davis. She has had a lot of good roles over the years. "Thelma and Louise", "Stuart Little", "Tootsie", "Fletch", "The Fly", "Earth Girls are Easy", "The Accidental Tourist", "A League of Their Own", "Cutthroat Island". (Okay, we'd really like to forget that last one; it was a total dud.)
And, of course, Winona Ryder, who's been in many notable movies, like "Heathers", "Edward Scisssorhands", "Mermaids", "Dracula", "Little Women", "Girl, Interrupted", "Star Trek", "Black Swan". She's always ... interesting. And quirky. Did you know she was raised in a commune? And considers San Francisco her home? Figures.
Rounding out the cast are, of course, Catherine O'Hara (whom I'll always and forever associate with SCTV) and Jeffrey Jones (actually Principal Edward Rooney in disguise), who can always be counted on for interesting character performances.
I don't think the kids were as impressed with it as we were back in the day. The humor is kind of off-kilter, kind of mean-spirited in a way that was novel and bizzare at the time - after all, it is Tim Burton! - but everyone has gotten used to it in the years since, so it is doesn't have the impact it once did.
And I was a bit embarrassed that by the language in that one scene where Beetlejuice loses his temper with the Maitlands and uses a very naughty word.
Not sure how often we'll re-watch that one.
True Grit (2010)
Language was actually the main draw for our next feature, which we watched tonight. When I saw this movie the first time (in the theater), I had to rush out and buy the book, just to see if it was written in the same style. The book is highly entertaining. The dialogue in the movie is incredible.
The quotes on the IMDB page don't really do them justice because you can't hear them being said. And that's where this movie just shines, in the way the actors deliver their lines. Dead-pan verbosity, the kind that drops you right into the middle of the American West in the 1870s and tells you exactly where you are.
It's all got a Mark Twain home-spun sound to it.
Jeff Bridges just disappears into this role as Rooster Cogburn. Sitting on the witness stand during the trial, dueling words with the lawyers and keeping his cool under pressure; sleeping in the backroom of the store where he seems to be eking out a pathetic living, living moment-to-moment; laying out the rope around his bedroll to keep the snakes away; his reaction to Mattie's and LaBoeuf's impetuousness; and his final rundown with the Pepper gang; they all add up to a rich and colorful character who comes completely alive in the viewer's mind.
Matt Damon has a bit of a struggle with his character, LaBoeuf, but that's mainly due to the fact that his is not immediately likeable, not in the "old rogue" sense that endears us to Rooster; instead, he's a relatively young opinionated egotistical snot of a person who rubs everyone the wrong way with his outlandish clothes and imperious manner. It's only in the last few scenes that we start to feel some sympathy for the man, but by then, his part is nearly done, and we never find out what happened to him after all.
Hailee Steinfeld's Mattie Ross hits it dead-on with her portrayal of the Girl on a Mission. No-nonsense, unswerving from her goal, and completely oblivious to the undercurrents of hostility between the adults. She captures the tone of the novel (which is being narrated by Mattie) perfectly.
It's the kind of movie that grabs your attention the first time, and then makes you want to sit through it again and again just to hear the marvelous delivery of dialogue.
One of them was an ancient thing which we hadn't seen in many long years but remembered fondly, and the other was a recent production for which I'd been waiting a long time to obtain.
As we didn't have time to watch either of them that night, we postponed our viewing activity until a more opportune moment. Friday, for instance. Our traditional movie + pizza night.
When Friday night finally rolled around, we decided to show the first one. The kids weren't familiar with it, and were actually hoping to watch the other one, which they'd heard of (and at least one had already seen); but we wanted to share the older one first in the hope that it might give them insight into the influences of our early lives during those carefree days of yore. So they rolled their eyes and sighed and sat back with their bowls of popcorn and waited to be entertained and enlightened.
Beetlejuice (1988)
I had forgotten that Michael Keaton had such a mouth on him back in those days. He was one of those angry young comedians who had realized early on that shocking audiences was one way of becoming (in)famous. This was pre-"Batman" (1989), post-"Mr Mom" (1983), when he was really starting to make a name for himself. You might also remember him from "Night Shift" (1982), "Johnny Dangerously" (1984), and "Clean and Sober" (1984). Past 1988, you might not remember him for anything, because nothing since then has been as popular.
[He was also 'Dogberry' in "Much Ado about Nothing" in 1993, which allowed him to play an insane role in an otherwise unremarkable production of the play, but since most of his fans didn't share his affection for Shakespeare, it wasn't a box-office smash, so did nothing to solidify his acting credentials.]
Then there's Alec Baldwin. He was so good in this role, so understated. So skinny. Now he is not skinny. It's like a completely different person. Hard to remember this version of him when watching "30 Rock" (which I don't) or the numerous Saturday Night Live sketches (which I do). Even less so when listening to him hosting The New York Philharmonic on PBS, because his voice is much deeper and sonorous now, like a real radio announcer.
Not to forget Geena Davis. She has had a lot of good roles over the years. "Thelma and Louise", "Stuart Little", "Tootsie", "Fletch", "The Fly", "Earth Girls are Easy", "The Accidental Tourist", "A League of Their Own", "Cutthroat Island". (Okay, we'd really like to forget that last one; it was a total dud.)
And, of course, Winona Ryder, who's been in many notable movies, like "Heathers", "Edward Scisssorhands", "Mermaids", "Dracula", "Little Women", "Girl, Interrupted", "Star Trek", "Black Swan". She's always ... interesting. And quirky. Did you know she was raised in a commune? And considers San Francisco her home? Figures.
Rounding out the cast are, of course, Catherine O'Hara (whom I'll always and forever associate with SCTV) and Jeffrey Jones (actually Principal Edward Rooney in disguise), who can always be counted on for interesting character performances.
I don't think the kids were as impressed with it as we were back in the day. The humor is kind of off-kilter, kind of mean-spirited in a way that was novel and bizzare at the time - after all, it is Tim Burton! - but everyone has gotten used to it in the years since, so it is doesn't have the impact it once did.
And I was a bit embarrassed that by the language in that one scene where Beetlejuice loses his temper with the Maitlands and uses a very naughty word.
Not sure how often we'll re-watch that one.
True Grit (2010)
Language was actually the main draw for our next feature, which we watched tonight. When I saw this movie the first time (in the theater), I had to rush out and buy the book, just to see if it was written in the same style. The book is highly entertaining. The dialogue in the movie is incredible.
The quotes on the IMDB page don't really do them justice because you can't hear them being said. And that's where this movie just shines, in the way the actors deliver their lines. Dead-pan verbosity, the kind that drops you right into the middle of the American West in the 1870s and tells you exactly where you are.
It's all got a Mark Twain home-spun sound to it.
Jeff Bridges just disappears into this role as Rooster Cogburn. Sitting on the witness stand during the trial, dueling words with the lawyers and keeping his cool under pressure; sleeping in the backroom of the store where he seems to be eking out a pathetic living, living moment-to-moment; laying out the rope around his bedroll to keep the snakes away; his reaction to Mattie's and LaBoeuf's impetuousness; and his final rundown with the Pepper gang; they all add up to a rich and colorful character who comes completely alive in the viewer's mind.
Matt Damon has a bit of a struggle with his character, LaBoeuf, but that's mainly due to the fact that his is not immediately likeable, not in the "old rogue" sense that endears us to Rooster; instead, he's a relatively young opinionated egotistical snot of a person who rubs everyone the wrong way with his outlandish clothes and imperious manner. It's only in the last few scenes that we start to feel some sympathy for the man, but by then, his part is nearly done, and we never find out what happened to him after all.
Hailee Steinfeld's Mattie Ross hits it dead-on with her portrayal of the Girl on a Mission. No-nonsense, unswerving from her goal, and completely oblivious to the undercurrents of hostility between the adults. She captures the tone of the novel (which is being narrated by Mattie) perfectly.
It's the kind of movie that grabs your attention the first time, and then makes you want to sit through it again and again just to hear the marvelous delivery of dialogue.
We'll definitely watch this one again soon. Although I might have to skip past the snake-pit scene. That one always makes me feel a bit queasy.
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