Category Archives: Movies in Bed
Movies in Bed: Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by Mark T. Locker.
People fall into two camps: those who love Wes Anderson and those who do not. And those who do not tend to voraciously not like him.
Okay, maybe I’m oversimplifying it a bit. I don’t love Wes Anderson. But I like some of his movies. Well, I had been told that this movie would be the great crossover hit that would win Wes naysayers over to team Wes. I guess the argument was that this was the least Wes Anderson film that Wes Anderson has made.
I don’t know about that. The Fantastic Mr. Fox was pretty unhip. Actually, I thought this had a lot of the same quirkiness that rubs people the wrong way (or what I assume does) what with the particular way everything is arranged and shot and the characters who seem weird for no particular reason. But on the other hand, the plot seemed like a normal plot! And for me, that was a very good thing.
In Grand Budapest Hotel, Ray Fiennes plays M. Gustave, the concierge of the hotel, a perfect gentleman and incredibly suave. He plays the role wonderfully as does Tony Revolori, who plays the young lobby boy Zero who is taken under Gustave’s wing. As with all Wes Anderson movies, the cast is peppered with many beloved actors, some appearing only for a moment. But I always grin when Bill Murray appears, even if briefly. I’d say this movie is worth watching if you aren’t a staunch anti-Anderson fanatic. It’s got a great story, likable characters, and everything is okay in the end.
Movies in Bed: Prometheus
I don’t get the opportunity to watch movies all that often. And when the opportunity arises, I tend to completely freeze at the pressure of making the right decision. An unexpected day off provided this at once exciting and daunting opportunity. Thankfully, I received hundreds of DVDs from a good friend of mine, offering endless cinematic choices. I nearly reached for Revenge of the Sith, since I have yet to watch it. But instead I opted for Prometheus, the prequel to the Alien series. I don’t know. I don’t think there was a winning choice in the few options I gave myself. But what could I do? My Chinese food was going to get cold!
Unless you live under a rock, you are likely familiar with the Alien/Aliens movies. Big, slimy aliens with lots of nasty teeth and acid blood eat a lot of people. But did you ever wonder where these creepy creatures came from? I didn’t! But let’s find out.
This is the bit I love best about this movie. As an Ancient Aliens enthusiast, one of the more outlandish theories I’ve come across is that we were bred by aliens from a distant star, possibly bred with early humans and it was this alien bit that made us the conscious, creative, technological people we are today. Well, Prometheus decides to run with this one. Two scientists discover that cave paintings and other ancient art all contain references to a distant cluster of stars, one completely invisible to the naked eye. One of those tiny dots is a moon which appears capable of supporting life. Armed with this intriguing bit of evidence, they manage to get a spaceship and a whole crew to go check it out. SPOILER ALERT: they totally share the same genetic makeup as us. We are totally bred from these creepy humanoids! But the planet seems dead. What happened to them all? Any guesses? Maybe there are slimy snakelike guys who will latch on to your face! (SPOILER ALERT: of course there are!)
Much of this movie made little sense to me and a great deal was simply not addressed. But, they definitely primed themselves for a sequel so maybe they can hash out all the weird stuff from the first movie in the second.
Happy watching!
Movies in Bed: Princess Mononoke
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Princess Mononoke came out in 1999. I remember seeing that it was playing at the cinema in Redon, France where I was living at the time but I paid it no mind. I was not a fan of anime. For many years I have regretted that decision. When I finally saw it, it was a badly reproduced and spottily subtitled version on a computer screen. Nevertheless, I was captivated. I will never forget the feeling I had as I watched it. I had no idea that a cartoon, for all intents and purposes, could be beautiful. And made with such an eye toward details. Every time I watch this, I eagerly await the scene where the wind blows across the tall grasses.
Of all the films by Hayao Miyazaki, this is hands-down my favorite. Spirited Away is a close second but it’s nothing compared to the beautiful, funny, sad epic that is Princess Mononoke. Although many of his films are totally fine for kids, I haven’t shown this one to my son yet. There is a lot of violence and a lot of really intense activity. I can’t wait till he is old enough because it’s so awesome. And he will absolutely love San, the fierce human child adopted by the great wolf gods of the great and ancient forest. Decked out in furs and war paint, riding a giant white wolf, she is not one to be trifled with.
The happy news is that in honor of Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, the local theater aired all his movies in the original 35mm and I got to make up for the regrettable decision I made fifteen years ago. It was totally worth the wait.
Movies in Bed: Classic Workplace Comedy!
Post by Mark T. Locker.
If you work in any kind of office environment, chances are good that references to the movie Office Space will crop up on more than one occasion. Whether someone is struggling with a printer or you are, like me, being oddly possessive of your stapler, there are endless opportunities to reference this movie. And for years, I have been at a disadvantage. Somehow this movie simply never crossed my path. And since for years I did not work in an office environment, I never felt I’d missed out on much. But now that I work in an office-like world (nothing like the business in Office Space, thank goodness!) I’m finding the references more than I can gloss over at this point.
Something HAD to be done.
I picked up a copy from my local public library.
Office Space was written and directed by Mike Judge, known also for the low-brow 90s cartoon Beavis and Butthead. That show never appealed to me in the slightest which may have added to my reticence to see this one. It’s about a guy named Peter who loathes his office job. When he is convinced to go to a hypnotherapist to address his issues, he is placed in a trance and told to put all his worries and cares aside. Unfortunately the hypnotherapist keels over and never draws Peter back out. So he sleeps through work, shows up with an i-don’t-care attitude, and—voilà!—everything starts turning out great for him!
It’s a pretty funny movie, with lots of notable characters, especially the verging on psychopathy stapler guy. If you are in the minority of people who hasn’t seen this and works in an office space, you should probably go see Office Space.
Movies in Bed: The Neverending Story
Post by Mark T. Locker.
The Neverending Story. Classic fantasy film of the 80s. Kid alone in an attic reading a large, mysterious tome. In the story, a young man on a mission to save his world from annihilation. From the Nothing. Unwilling to go to class, he hides out in some weird darkened room full of old stuff and reads.And what an exciting book young Bastian has discovered. The magical world of Fantasia is exciting and scary! Luck Dragons! Pink furry ears and an eerie pink, scaly back. Giant rock eaters! Big naked Sphinxes with lazer beam eyes! And the most exciting/terrifying thing of all? Bastian is PART of the story! The characters feel his woes. His belief or lack thereof is all that stands between their world and obliteration.
We finally broke down and watched this with our so-close-to-six-we-should-just-call-him-six-year-old. I think the biggest worry was watching that poor horsey get sucked down into the Swamps of Sadness. Poor sad, drowned horsey! Well that didn’t seem to bother him in the least. I guess we had nothing to worry about, or we waited just the right amount of time. I’d forgotten how much I liked most of the movie. The funny pointy-eared old man and his wife. With their telescope, watching him try to best the Sphinx. And how Bastian gets to scare the pants of the bullies by chasing them down on the luck dragon.
Everyone is always crazy about retro stuff, especially stuff from the 80s. So if you are feeling ironic or whimsical, or if you have a kid or you don’t have a kid, The Neverending Story is still a fun and fantasy-filled adventure well worth revisiting.
