Marie Antoinette

It was fantastic.  Really, it was.  In the days since I first posted about it, I got little worried about my level of excitement..  I mean, when you’re anticipating something as much as I was this film, you’re usually let down.

Walking into the theatre for the 4:25 showing yesterday (the MA compact I bought at Versailles in hand), it was a good sign that it was going to be a fun evening when we saw that nobody else was there.  Nobody.  Sure, it’s not a good sign for Sofia Coppola or for Sony Pictures, but it was great for me and Jane.  I’d never been in a theatre alone before and it was pretty fun.  It took some adjustment really, getting used to being able to sit wherever we wanted, talk without having to consider others, laugh as loud as was warranted, but we got the hang of it quickly.

I’ve never taken photos in a theatre before!  This is Jane.

The first thing I loved about the movie was the music.  It opened with a great song that I am, unfortunately, unable to identify.  (I was more than a little ticked to find out when I got home that The Music Store does not sell the soundtrack.  Sucks.)  The music throughout was really great and probably about 80% was modern, recently made.  There is a song that I absolutely love and hear playing in my head all the time.  If you’ve watched the teaser, you know the one.  Again, no idea who it is or what it’s called.

Beyond the music, the most notably attractive features of the film were the costumes.  They were elaborate and wonderfully done.  They were authentic, but with a more modern twist.  The clothing, hair and make-up were just gorgeous throughout the entire movie, inspiring yet another blog post you can expect to read later this week.   Between the sets and the scenery the film was aesthetically thrilling, leaving both Jane and I gasping at the beauty many times throughout the 2 hours we were watching.

Kirsten Dunst.  I’m not a fan, never have been.  I’ve always found her to be on the annoying side and I’ve always been slightly bugged by just the look of her.  After seeing her as the Dauphine of France, I really came to appreciate her a lot more.  In fact, I’d say her performance erased any ill feelings I had towards her.  For now, anyway.  The entire cast was very well-suited to their roles and it was pleasure to see the characters unfold.  Between Shopgirl and Marie Antoinette, I think I’ve even developed a little crush on awkward little Jason Schwartzman.  He’s just so endearing.

All in all, I really like the way the story was handled.  I appreciated where it started and especially where it ended.  I like the modern edge that Coppola brought to it, the dialogue particularly.  Jane and I both applauded the way the whole ‘let them eat cake‘ issue was tackled.  I had wondered if it would be mentioned or not and indeed, it was.  That particular scene is a perfect example of the way the story was adapted to suit this day and age.   The history wasn’t actually changed, it was just altered to make it more real to its viewers which was cool.

I also thought the portrayal of Marie Antoinette in general was really well done.  There were a few scenes that hinted that her sanity may have been a little questionable.  I think the thing that has intrigued me most about her is just how far removed from reality she became as her time as the Queen.  As great as I thought the film was, I will say that I’d have liked to see more emphasis on that.  That’s about the only criticism I have but even that didn’t bother me too much.

All in all, I loved this movie.  I loved it enough to want to see it again.  I’ve asked Jane to write her own review which I will post as its own entry once it arrives in my inbox.  If you go out and see it yourself, I’d love to hear your thoughts too.

Let them eat cake…

Yes, I am well aware of the ongoing debate concerning the veracity of the above statement.  Forgive me, it just seemed to fit.

The first time I heard that Sofia Coppola was making a movie about Marie Antoinette was the night that I went to see Lost In Translation in the smallest theatre in the world with my friend Yann while I was in Paris.  That was in February.  It was also during that trip when I became totally intrigued with the Queen of France, on my visit to Versailles.  I’ve been on the edge of my seat waiting for the release of the film ever since and finally, the day has come.  That day is Friday.

I rarely get this excited about a movie.  I rarely get excited about a movie at all.  But, wouldn’t you know it… I have to work nights all weekend so I won’t get to see it until Monday.  And even though A-Mo’ll be out of town for our next few days off, I have a solidly reliable date in my dear close friend and travel enthusiast, Jane.  Can’t wait.

Watch this to get you in the mood.

The Break-Up

A few weeks ago, A-Mo and I took our first trip to the movies together.  The Break-Up was the film we decided on and I think it’s safe to say that we were not disappointed with our choice.

I’m a longtime Vince Vaughn fan and in the last few years, I’ve really developed an appreciation for Jennifer Aniston.  Given both of their histories, I was probably expecting something a little more on the comedic side of things.  It was pretty funny in parts, but it was also quite raw.  It was tough to go through that break-up with them and the way the movie was shot and played out really made it feel as though you were a part of it, as if they were friends of yours or as though you actually cared about them.

There are two scenes that really stick out in my mind.  One is close to the beginning when the actual break-up occurs.  It was very well played, so true.  Some of it was petty, some of it was below the belt, but all of it was nothing that anyone who has been in a relationship can’t understand.  It was real. 

The second really emotionally taxing scene was close to the end when Brooke walks in on a drunken Gary who has spent the evening hosting a pretty racy party in the apartment they still share.  As their eyes meet across the room, you know it’s the moment of no return, that it can’t be undone.  The scene is heavy with heartache and was really quite hard to watch.

After the film ended, I had to take a few extra moments in my seat before I was willing to leave.  As we walked side by side to the car, Aaron grabbed me, turned me around, wrapped his arms around me and said exactly what I’d been thinking.  "That movie made me realize that I don’t ever want us to break up and that I’ll do whatever I can to make sure it never happens."

Other random notes:
–Jon Favreau is as big as a house now (His character’s called Johnny O!)
-So is Vince D’Onofrio
-It was pretty cool to see an older Vince Vaughn’s character reacting to his brother who is a carbon copy of Vaughn’s 1996 Trent Walker.  I’m not sure if I’m reading too far into it, but it was funny to see how he looked at him.
-I was bugged by the vague ending at the time, but I’ve actually grown to like it a little since then.

Bottom line: if it’s still at a theatre near you, I think it’s worth the cost of a ticket.