Sunday, April 29, 2007

The Invisible and The Sugarland Express

Anyone who's read my previous reviews, knows that I can't just talk about a movie as a movie, there's always something else going on in my mind as I write about my most recent viewing. Because I'm writing about two movies, seen by me on two different days, this could get a little complicated, so try to keep up...

My friend Rob and I talked about "The Invisible" the day before I went to see it. We both had similar impressions from watching the trailer, but where it intrigued me, it didn't do anything for Rob. I admitted that there was kind of that "The O.C." type look to the characters, the paranormal stuff has so been done before, and it might be kind of cheesy. But the trailer left a couple unanswered questions, and made this statement... Alright, alright, hold everything! I just watched the trailer again, to make sure I would get the quote right, and it turns out I had it all wrong. Maybe it's because I've seen the movie that I now understand the trailer, or maybe I just completely misheard the lines in the trailer, and I was expecting something different. This is all besides the point, if the trailer looked interesting to you, I think that you will find that the movie is even better than you expected. I liked that the relationship between the two main character unfolds the way it does, especially the night club scene, I really liked that part.

Oh yeah, before I go on I'v got to comment on the way I watch moves after being inundated by the media about the murders at Virginia Tech. My biggest concern is about the lives that are affected by this overwhelming act of violence. People are hurting, people are scared and some people are angry. I pray for the families and for the injured students. At the same time I can't escape the political fallout of that event. Of course there is the issue of gun control, but I am most concerned with the move to supress ideas and words. I think that our founding fathers believed that ideas and words are more powerful then guns in protecting freedom.
The reason I mention this in this review, is that "The Invisible" is a film that came from the mind of a "creative writer". The most interesting, and most powerful films come from people who are different, not just vanilla, cookie-cutter, average Americans. Before we start going after kids who scare us just in what the write, let's examine the situation a little deeper and see if there is a more direct solution to our problems.

Jess and I just watched "The Sugarland Express" on DVD. The only reason I bring up this film, is that it was on of Spielberg's first feature-length films. It satrs Goldie Hawn in a movie based on a true story about a couple who abduct a cop in an effort to get back their son. It was interesting to watch because Spielberg's style was so underdevoloped. It was his film right before "Jaws" (which I think was still kind of raw). It is a good example of Spielberg's sense of humor, and the camera angles he uses are fun. He still uses intersting camera angles, but not to this extreme and not as often as here. All in all it was an enjoyable film, and worth seeing, especially if you're a Spielberg fan.

3 comments:

mom said...

Hi Peter,
I've recently signed up for Netflix--don't know if you "approve" or not, but it sure beats standing around in the video store trying to pick a film you think you might like--and am always on the look-out for films you think I might enjoy. Grindhouse is definitely NOT on the list. Should Sugarland Express be? (The title makes me think it's about Willy Wonka on the Polar Express). I can put up to 500 movies into my queue! I've got about 50 in line.

Peter said...

If you have a lot of movies in your queue, then "The Sugarland Express" might as well be one of them, it's worthwhile to see Speilberg early in his career, plus it won't keep you from wanting to swim near Cape Cod.

I think Netflix is a great idea. I did the free trial offer with Blockbuster online... I watched so many moves in two weeks it almost boggles the mind. Then when my free trial period was up I cancelled the service. Take that corporate America!

Nate said...

I think that the Invisible looked like somthing out of the O.C. as well, but I haven't seen it. I haven't been to the movies since Grindhouse a month ago. I guess I just think that nothing can even compare. I have rented some movies though. I really liked Night At The Museum and after talking with mom last week, I got Arsinic? and Old Lace and To Catch a Thief. They are both really good. Grant is definetly my favorite actor from that time.