La Moustache Video Review

The new RoboCop PSA is kinda off...

 

Here is a link to the PSA

La Cage Aux Folles

Directed by Edouard Molinaro. Written by Jean Poiret, Francis Veber, Edouard Molinaro, and Marcello Danon. Starring Ugo Tognazzi (Renato Baldi) and Michel Serrault (Albin Mougeotte).

Bottom line: If you've seen The Birdcage, you've already seen this movie.

3.5/4

La Cage Aux Folles is about a gay couple living in St. Tropez. The one, Albin (Serrault) is the star of a drag club called La Cage Aux Folles and, the other, Renato (Tognazzi), is the owner of the club. The movie begins on an ordinary, busy night at the club; Albin is throwing a hilarious hissy fit in the most flamboyant way possible, much to the disapproval of his partner, before going on stage. While Albin is on stage, Renato's son arrives and announces his engagement. His fiancee's parents are staunchly conservative; her father, for example, is the vice president of “The Party for Moral Order.” Unfortunately, the future in-laws are coming to St. Tropez so the son requests that Renato and Albin change their appearance to something more conservative.

Granted, it doesn't sound like that much of a story but the execution is splendid (and I'm not usually a comedy person). Albin's antics are almost over-the-top but it serves as a contrast between the more tempered Renato. A big factor in determining whether or not you'd like La Cage Aux Folles is if you like awkward humor. The dinner scene between the two sets of parents is a barrage of cringe-worthy situations.

I found it fascinating how closely this version matches it's American remake, The Birdcage, starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams. I'd call it more of a translation than a remake, quite frankly; situations, scenes, lines, and even actions are replicated. There are understandable changes (like casting) which do have a surprising impact on the tone of the story, particularly the actor who plays the son.

In The Birdcage, Dan Futterman plays Renato's son. His narrow features and cool demeanor come across as, if anything, sinister. Whenever I saw him, I expected to hear something cold and self-absorbed which detracted from the humor of the movie. La Cage Aux Folles' Remi Laurent, however, comes across as innocent. He's like a “dreamy” version of Eric (Topher Grace) from The 70's Show. The lighting on Laurent is soft which gives him aura. His request still self-serving but his intentions feel different. He is so transfixed on marrying this young woman that he is blinded to the fact that his request is unfair. He doesn't want to scare his future in-laws aways. In The Birdcage without that lighting and without that softness, the son comes across as a jerk.

Overall, I found La Cage Aux Folles to be a really funny movie. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you haven't seen The Birdcage. However, if you have seen The Birdcage, I must inquire as to whether or not you liked it. If you didn't, steer clear of this one. If you did, then by all means, see La Cage Aux Folles. I thought La Cage Aux Folles' ending was funnier and you might find it interesting to see the similarities and [the few] differences.

The Secret World of Arreitty (Kari-gurashi no Arietti)

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Written by Mary Norton (novel), Hayao Miyazaki, and Keiko Niwa.

Bottom line: Beautiful animated movie that I would highly recommend to anyone especially with children.

4/4

The Secret World of Arreitty is based on the novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton. You might be familiar with the 1997 adaptation The Borrowers starring John Goodman and Jim Broadbent. Jim Broadbent is one Harry Potter professor who tells Tom Riddle about that secret spell. Speaking of Harry Potter, do you know else is in that movie? Draco Malfoy! Or, rather, Tom Felton. Anyway, The Secret World of Arrietty is the Japanese version of that movie. It is made by, Studio Gibli, the same people who did Spirited Away (among other really great movies).

The story is about these two-inch-tall people called Borrowers. They are called Borrowers because they borrow what they need from humans to survive. They only take what would be easily missed (like sugar or a tissue) so as to remain hidden from the human world. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, “They are not borrowing. They are stealing.” The Thieves doesn't quite have the same children's movie ring to it.

Two of the things I love about Miyazaki films is that there is a strong female lead and a unique good vs evil theme. In an interview, he explains that in life there isn't really “good vs. evil” in the classical sense, but rather, that evil exists within us all. Haru, the maid, is the closest thing we have to a villain. She calls the Borrowers thieves and wants to capture them. She doesn't want to kill or harm them. She just wants to catch them. In the 1997 film, the driving force is that the family of Borrowers have to escape the villainous exterminator (Goodman). This threat of death doesn't exist in The Secret World of Arreitty. Primarily, it is a coming of age story; Arreitty learns the importance of family and friendship.

This is an incredibly beautiful movie. The animation is light and relaxing. In the future, I suspect that I will put it on in the background just so I can look up from time to time and see it. There is a shot early in the movie of a snarling cat which chases after Arrietty. Even though it is a ferocious image, it still has a happy and fun feel. The music by Cécile Corbel, with harp and acoustic guitar, matches the tone of the movie perfectly.

If you are familiar with Disney movies, you are probably familiar with their plot line pattern. I believe I may have mentioned this in a previous review but, in any case, the movie goes: happy, happy, sad, happy, happy, sad, happy. There is always a point before the happy ending where everything seems to go wrong for the protagonist. That scene probably has a thunderstorm in it.

In The Secret World of Arrietty, it never really gets too sad. It's like if you are planning a picnic for a gorgeous spring afternoon. You are preparing everything in the morning but then it starts to drizzle. It isn't a thunderstorm and the rain is itself picturesque but you can't exactly eat outside. Fortunately, the rain clears and, by late afternoon, everything is dry enough for you to continue with your picnic plans. If this were a typical Disney movie, you might've gotten caught in a torrent. The food would be ruined and you'd be soaked. Somehow, by the time the storm ends, things would wind up alright. You'd probably make a new friend and find a new restaurant.

If you are familiar with my reviews, you might know I like to make an analogy between film and food. The Secret World of Arrietty is like a perfectly ripe strawberry. It is a pleasure to look at, smell, and even hold. When you taste it, it is smooth, sweet, and healthy and, with a run time of only nintey-five minutes, it is a snack that won't leave you stuffed. If you have children or know anyone with children, point them to this movie. Even if you don't have children, check out The Secret World of Arrietty.

The Highlander

Directed by Russell Mulcahy. Written by Gregory Widen, Peter Bellwood, and Larry Ferguson. Starring Christopher Lambert (Connor ‘The Highlander’ Macleod/ Russell Edwin Nash), Clancy Brown (Victor Kruger/The Kurgan), and Sean Connery (Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez).

 

Bottom line: I am baffled as to why this movie is so famous let alone why it started a franchise.

1.5/4

We learn The Highlander's story from Sean Connery who plays, I kid you not, a 2000 year old Egyptian/Spaniard named Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez. That right there should give you an indication of the caliber The Highlander. Anyway, the story is that there exist “Immortals” who roam the Earth hunting each other. They can’t be killed unless they are beheaded. At some arbitrary time in history (which turns out to be 1984), they will be drawn to a far off country to partake in what’s called “The Gathering” where they will fight for “The Prize” which only one can have hence the famous line “There can only be one.”

I found the bizarre transitions somewhat entertaining. That is, they are entertaining in the way a car crash is entertaining; it is more of a morbid curiosity than joy. A shot of the bottom of a lake in Scotland circa 1500, for example, wipes to the bottom of a fish tank. To signal a flashback to WWII the image on the screen shatters with the sound of cannon fire.

In terms of acting, we have three main characters, The Highlander (Lambert), Sean Connery, and Victor Kruger (Brown). I've never been a big Christopher Lambert fan particularly because of his laugh. It makes me feel like kind of a bad person if I dislike the guy because of his laugh, but have you heard it?! It always sounds forced and what is more unfortunate is that he laughs at inappropriate times throughout the movie. It reminded me of Tommy Wassau's laughing in The Room.

I included Sean Connery as a character instead of his ludicrous character name because he's just being Sean Connery in a fluffy red suit. I have a soft spot in my heart for Sean Connery so I'm down for his role as The Highlander's instructor. I never grew emotionally attached to his character, but I could say that about everything in this film.

Victor Kruger is “the Ultimate Warrior,” according to Sean Connery. He is a Russian who has traveled across the world hunting Immortals. Clancy Brown's baritone voice fits the character of Kruger perfectly. I believe one of my favorite scenes in the movie is Kruger's modern day entrance. He is listening to the radio while driving in a 1975 Cadillac Coup DeVille. A reporter is commenting on a series of recent decapitations saying, “Police currently have no suspects.” “I know who it is,” Kruger bellows. He proceeds turn on a cassette of Queen's “Gimme the Prize.” If ever there was a scene in a movie that characterized the 80's. Now, even though he fits the role, there isn't much Brown can do to salvage the movie. His dialog, much like the rest of the dialog, is lacking.

Now, I found Kruger and Connery entertaining but they aren't enough to save this movie. Cheesy special effects are all fine and dandy, in moderation, but there has to be something to balance it out; The Highlander's choreography is on par with some of Star Trek's fight scenes. The cinematography isn't very appealing either. Most of the odd camera angles seem unnecessary and, without any sort of justification, they are more distracting than anything.

Overall, The Highlander is a very 80's fantasy action movie. Would I recommend it? No, not really. The cinematography is blah, as is the acting and dialog. When it comes down to your Friday night movie, there can only be one...so don't let it be The Highlander.

The Shonen Merikensakku (The Brass Knuckle Boys)

Written and directed by Kankurô Kudô. Starring Aoi Miyazaki (Kanna Kurita), Yûichi Kimura (Haruo), Ryô Katsuji (Masaru), Tomorowo Taguchi (Jimmy), and Hiroki Miyake (Young).

Bottom line: I really wanted to like it and it had the potential to be solid but The Shonen Merikensakku ultimately became a series of stupid jokes and with a disappointing punchline.

Kanna Kurita (Miyazaki) is a young talent scout for a record label in Japan. She stumbles upon a video of a punk band called The Shonen Merikensakku (The Brass Knuckle Boys). By “punk” I mean Sex Pistols not Sum 41. They are singing a song that sounds like “Surfin' to pass the time.” She shows it to her boss, fully expecting to be fired. Her less than successful contract will soon be ending anyway so she plans on helping run her father's sushi shop. To her dismay, before starting the record label, her boss was actually in a punk rock band. She is ordered to manage a comeback tour. She reluctantly accepts but soon realizes that the video clip is twenty five years old. The rockers are old and tired (compared to the youths in the video, that is). The Shonen Merikensakku is the adventure of Kanna and the band coming together to discover (or rediscover) themselves and punk rock.

Throughout the movie Kanna documents their travels with a Sony HD camera (more on the product placement later). Elements of her videos, like interviews, give the film a This is Spinal Tap-vibe but this isn't a documentary or a mockumentary (a documentary parody).

The best part, and frankly, one of the few positive things about this movie is the catchy music. “Surfin' to pass the time” is a really cool song and it is played throughout the movie. We learn that the guitarist, Haruo (Kimura), and vocalist, Jimmy (Taguchi), first started in the music industry as teen idols (a category of boy bands). Accompanying this information, we watch a segment of one of their music videos. In the words of Shonen Merikensakku's original manager: “There wasn't a word for 'dorky' at the time but it was dorky.” It is short and silly and illustrates why these guys wanted to break away and do punk. My major qualm with the musical genre is that the songs are often too long. In Shonen Merikensakku, I actually wished they were longer. If only the rest of the movie was as good as the music.

As I write this, I am trying to decide on what to comment on first: the silliness, the toilet humor or the miserable ending. The movie is full of toilet humor and fart jokes which are irrelevant and distracting. At one point, for example, Kanna establishes a rule that if someone farts that person is fined 500 yen. That's comedy gold, folks... The acting overall is way too silly for my tastes. By throwing the sophomoric humor all over, it's like the movie is compensating for something. Compensating for what I don't know, but whatever it is, it isn't worth it.

The art style is fine but it feels a little forced. It's like a lot of elements are put together to fit the definition of punk:

“Alright, we need spiked hair.”

“Check.”

“Studded coat.”

“Check.”

“Noisy music.”

“Check.”

The most offensive thing about Shonen Merikensakku is the ending, mind yourself of spoilers for this part. I usually try not talk about endings but this one made me so mad, I just have to. It reminded me of that Gordon Levitt movie Premium Rush (the one where he is a bicycle courier in New York). The final lines were something like, “Someday I'll have a suit and tie job but not today! Today, I'm riding my bike.” The idealistic, romantic attitude of the movie is dashed with this single line. Why couldn't he say, “I will always ride my bike because that's what I love to do.” Disney's Brave pulled similar shenanigans. The strong-willed, independent princess concluded with the sentiment, “Someday I'll get married...but not until I'm ready!” Why does she have to say that? She could've easily said, “I'm not getting married today and I might not ever want but that's OK because I am being me.” It's like the movies are saying, being young and hopeful and energetic is all fine and dandy until you grow up. When you grow up, you have to put away your little toys and dreams to toil away until you die.

The whole reason Kanna accepts the job to manage the band is because she is making a living doing what she really likes. She doesn't want to run her father's sushi shop; she wants to tour with a band. In the final moments of the movie, we see Kanna working in her father's sushi shop. She runs out the door saying that she has a gig. We cut to the band starting their set with Kanna eagerly watching in the audience. By working part-time in the sushi shop and part-time as the band's manager, her passion is being relegated to the position of hobby. It gets better. The band is playing and they begin fighting each other (fighting each other is their shtick). The bass player swings his guitar at the guitarist but accidentally hits Jimmy, knocking him out. On Jimmy's butt is a patch that says “END.” Some pop music fades in and the movie ends. Twenty Five years ago, during their final performance, a similar blow to the head paralyzed Jimmy and, in effect, disbanding the group. With this, the movie is saying Kanna couldn't even manage the punk group as a passion! It is time for her to grow up and work in her father's sushi shop. After this entire two hour movie, that's what you're giving me, The Shonen Merikensakku? I'm not buying it.

Speaking of buying, there is an odd amount of product placement in this movie. Sony was obviously a major sponsor because we have clear shots of several Sony HD Digital Cameras and Kanna's Sony VAIO laptop. I understand that product placement is everywhere, but I prefer it if it was subtle.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend The Shonen Merikensakku. The music is solid but it couldn't possibly salvage the movie as a whole and just thinking about the ending and the stupid humor makes me mad. Pass on this and check out Burst City or This is Spinal Tap.

Burst City

Directed by Gakuryu Ishii. Written by Jûgatsu Toi (based on the novel by). Starring Michirou Endo, Shigeru Izumiya, Takanori Jinnai.

Bottom line: This is a really really strange movie but I find its enthusiasm kind of endearing.

3.5/4

The premise of the story is vague and there seems to be a couple different plot lines. First, a pimp and one of his girls are trying to get out of the slums. He pimps her out to a crime boss whose into S&M. That boss and his syndicate are trying to destroy the slums in a crooked construction scheme. For labor, the syndicate enslaves the city’s population of mentally disabled homeless. Meanwhile, two rival gangs/bands drag race, fight, and crash each other’s gigs to dominate the punk rock scene. The rivals are also fighting against the police because, well, you know, it’s the police. 

Burst City uses a lot of shaky hand-held camera-work. Not because they were going for some aesthetic effect but because it’s cheap. In much the same way, there is an overall lack of lighting. Burst City jumps between plot lines and characters spending little time establishing either. The combination results in a movie that has the potential to be very confusing, if not incoherent.

In all honesty, I’ve seen this one and a half times. A few years ago, I attempted to watch it but I was too sleepy. I couldn’t concentrate. This time I watched it on a flight from Baton Rouge to Lincoln. Unfortunately, I was a little sleepy this time too. I zoned out for just a minute and when I zoned back in, some character (I didn’t know who) was killed (somehow) by someone (probably the syndicate) and, in response, the two rival gangs started fighting each other. The character was never mentioned again so I don’t think it was that important.

“80’s Japanese Sci-fi Punk Rock Musical, need I say more?” I wanted that to be my bottom line but I thought it might be a little misleading. Sometimes it can be fun to get together with some friends, get some pizza, and put on a low budget movie. But when you do that, you ought to choose a movie that is easy to watch. After all, the focus is hanging out with friends. This won’t work if you try it with Burst City. It may just be a little too much to simply throw on the TV. That said, I give it a 3.5/4 because of its spirit.

From what I’ve read, Burst City was created by a couple punk bands who wanted to put out a movie featuring their music. The film’s potential shortcomings are necessary evils when you consider this motivation. They didn’t have the budget for smooth sophisticated cinematography or lighting but so what? They wanted to make a movie and they did it. It also helps that the music is awesome.

After watching this movie, I got into a punk rock mood so I re-watched the big budget, mainstream, Brass Knuckle Boys which is about a punk band from the 80’s reuniting and rediscovering punk. Speaking of Brass Knuckle Boys, looking over my posts, it seems I never wrote a review about it. I will post that soon as well. Anyway, I am working on a post the compares and contrasts the depiction of punk rock in Burst City and Brass Knuckle Boys. In the meantime, I would recommend Burst City particularly if you are a fan of punk rock; it is a cool movie.