Starring Bill Pullman, Julia Ormond, Pell James, French Stewart, Cheri Oteri, and Kent Harper
Directed by Jennifer Lynch
Directed by Jennifer Lynch
Two people have been urging me to see this movie since they both saw it at the Philly Film Festival last April. My comment on another blog said something along the lines of "I'm not a David Lynch fan, and if his daughter's just as weird, I'm not sure about this one." Well, I was right that flick was a tad weird, but I really, really loved this movie.
For the most part, it's a straightforward flick with two FBI agents (Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond) investigating a series of murders in some small town out in Middle America. As they interrogate three witnesses, the crime unfolds in a series of flashbacks.
**A spoiler in the broadest sense of the term follows. Still, I'd skip the next paragraph if you're interested in seeing this film at all.**
I must admit that I didn't see the ending coming at all. Thinking back on it, I'm kicking myself for not seeing it, but when the big revelation of the flick occurs, I let out an audible gasp, followed by the words "Holy Fuck." Pardon my French (and I'm not talking about French Stewart of 3rd Rock from the Sun fame even though he was pretty awesome in this as a twisted cop), but it was a guttural reaction. I was floored. Like I said, it's not as if it should have been completely surprising, but it really surprised the hell out of me.
**END OF SPOILERS**
Yes, it's certainly true that the acting was kind of silly and forced by a lot of folks here, but it didn't really bother me in the slightest. Jennifer Lynch and her co-writer Kent Harper (who also plays a crooked cop) had me hooked from the very beginning. From the opening credit sequence which is interspersed with a murder to the interrogation scenes to the flashbacks, there wasn't a minute that I was bored during this movie. So, despite some less than stellar acting, the story here won me over and completely helped to overshadow some minor problems. Yes, it certainly turns twisted and Lynchian (there's a scene towards the end that was extremely disturbing to me which I'll spoil in the comments), but I really enjoyed the heck out of this movie. At this point, without a doubt, one of my favorites of the year. If this is what the film festival has in store for me next year, I'm gonna love it.
The RyMickey Rating: A-
Comments closed due to massive amounts of spamming.
***VERY BIG SPOILER AHEAD***
ReplyDeleteSo, I was completely made uncomfortable (in a good way, I guess), by the scene at the end where Pullman and Ormond start to become sexually aroused by everything going on around them. Now, that in and of itself didn't bother me, but when Ormond begins to make out with the hot chick and then Pullman chokes her with the belt, and then as the chick dies, Ormond kisses her, sucking the fucking last breaths out of the girl...what the fuck?!?!
Incredibly weird and twisted and yet it felt so right in this (generally straightforward) flick.
It wasn't so much the choking of her or the arousal of Ormond and Pullman by killing her, but it was the fucking kiss...Ormond even says something like "She's almost there," an obviously sexual connotation, but here meaning she's almost dead and then she fucking kisses her?!?!?
Blew my mind...twisted, sick, and I loved it because I've never seen anything like it...I don't know what that says about me...
that's entirely inappropriate and unnecessary jeff. your usage of vulgar language doesn't add anything to your post or your comments. it lessens the impact of your points jeff. sometimes it's okay and even adds, but this is too much in my opinion.
ReplyDeletetsk. tsk.
Gregory -- It's what I said...I didn't make it up...it was an amazing scene...
ReplyDeletesome things are better left unsaid to the public.
ReplyDeleteand the supplementary ones outside of your quotation have no excuse. you had time to digest and come up with more creative descriptions of the emotions you had at that time.
Gregory, I'm just impressed that you used the word "supplementary."
ReplyDeleteBut, there's only one curse word uttered on the main page...the comments section was intended solely for the two guys that have seen the movie...I'm sure they understand the vulgarity...that was a shocking scene and I wrote that comment within mere minutes of watching the flick. I'm still reeling from it.
I know you're a saint...
And, Thomas, I'm psyched for it, man.
I've always read what G says as sarcasm...
ReplyDeletethank you justin. at least you have some sense.
ReplyDeletemany of my comments are just to irk jeff a bit. and clearly it worked because he resorted to attacking my intelligence without a grain of humor in there. (except that there was humor there. i think i need to have a little *sarcasm* alert. does that clear things up [*sarmcasm*]?)
thomas, honey, i think you need to take a step back and realize that i'm just giving him a hard time. your friend can defend himself too. in the few times i've been around you, i think i've made clear that this is how we act. and kind of how you two act. and i'm sure you'd do the same thing if he gave you the looks he gives me. i'm not actually arguing with him. he likes the traffic on his blog. i'm just joshing him. i make good comments sometimes, and goofy ones other times. but without me, you be stuck seriously commenting on Halloween II's merits as an allegory for the need for young people to exercise and be able to run long distances right now.
i would think that with you two reviewing as many movies as you do, you'd be more adroit at sensing what was intended purely as a humorous quip. zing! *sarcasm*
and this is where you say. "huh huh, well maybe if it was funny we would."
and i would reply "boy, that was a pretty stereotypical response. much like those you see in all those crappy movies. wow. i guess you're about as skillful a writer as the people that wrote those screenplays." *sarcasm*
are you guys really taking offense to this!!?!?!?? *sarcasm*
FUCK, gentlemen! grow a goddamn pair. shit. damn. poo. ass. crap. bitch. bollocks. hell.
look at all the comments, jeff!!!!!!
Tehehehehe... He said poo.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying this immensely...please, by all means, continue...
ReplyDeletesorry thomas, never watched halloween II. doubt i ever will. never watched this movie. i don't watch every movie that comes out. and if i did, i'd have the testicular fortitude to complete the yearlong [galaxy] quest (*cough cough*...jeff). maybe jeff would suggest movies to me and let me watch them when he rents them, but alas, he is too eager to receive his next movie in the mail to give me the opportunity.
ReplyDeletewe all know the real reason that jeff enjoyed the movie so much was due to his professional infatuation with bill pullman that came around once Casper came out.
you're exactly right though, thomas. i do not really have anything to say. and yet you continue to do this adorable thing by responding with inane arguments in your attempt to refute my...non-points(?).
first of all, i didn't get angry that someone came to my brother's defense. i'm just saying that he can take care of himself. MOSTLY BECAUSE THERE IS NO ARGUMENT.
also, i did not soil myself at all. i have normal bladder control and have no problem with inadvertent bowel movements.
when did justin chime in when someone attacked you? i believe the line of posts went jeff, g, jeff, g, thomas. you were not mentioned by me or attacked in any way before justin's post. your logic is chock full of fallacy.
what type of comedy would you prefer i use in this medium. unfortunately, slapstick doesn't work all that well in written form. if you'll note in various posts throughout the blog, i use various forms of humor. irony, caricature, parody, etc.
also, your link didn't work. i believe, though, that you intended to post this link.
i read the article. but it loses points for being full of crazy british reasoning. i mean, come on. i enjoy the brits. oftentimes i'll even sport a nice british accent for fun. but his concluding line in itself is illogical. he basically says that you should be excessively sarcastic to people that are sarcastic. which, to any person with willpower would create an endless loop of insincerity which would continue into eternity.
as far as my not seeing the sarcasm in your original post. i suppose that's because it wasn't good...and, in my eyes, nonexistent. no one else here seemed to realize that your post was of the jocular nature either. it even provoked justin's comment on the typical nature of my posts as so you would not get riled up any further. maybe you should re-read that article on the bbc.
are you unclear that i don't give a SHIT about cursing? my taking offense to it was purely out of jest. jeff and I routinely have little jokes about doing it on his blog. it's a running joke. in all seriousness, sometimes it takes away from your point. and sometimes it adds. but i feel no need to seriously argue the proper usage of vulgarity in print, on a blog. especially rymickey.blogspot.com .
maybe on bethejudgeofthat.com . but certainly not here.
now as for your halloween II comment. i think you misinterpreted my point. obviously the underlying message of the film was that obesity and laziness are running rampant through today's youth (seen in there waiting in rooms for their deaths). this, thusly, suggests the need for them to exercise and build up running speed and endurance.
as for justin and i being fast friends. probably not. because according to you, all i do is make fun of people. i'll probably make fun of him too. and i'll be forced to defend it. ah. screw it. piss into the wind for once.
hey justin, you suck. i have no idea who you are or what you look like, but you smell like bat guano and like to eat stale cat food. wait....am i joking!!!!???!? ahhh. am i not??!?!? how will we ever know??? is there a british magazine article to tell me??!?!? how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop!?!?!?!
the world may never know.
...Ouch... I'm getting attacked by everyone.
ReplyDeleteWoe is me..
Also:
ReplyDeleteYou'll also notice Justin chimed in because someone was attacking me... how fun!
http://tinyurl.com/669dty
Aww...Justin...don't feel bad...just sit back and enjoy this little tête-a-tête between these two great (sarcastic) minds...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I just noticed something:
ReplyDeleteWho the fuck is Pell James and why is she getting higher billing than French Mother-Fuckin' Made This Movie Stewart?
I was pretty darn surprised that Pell James got billing on the poster. In this movie, she's the druggie girlfriend...a substantial role, for sure, but billing on the poster?
ReplyDeleteShe was also in Shrink earlier this year (and was decent in that, too).
Watched it tonight...saw it coming...
ReplyDeletenot sure if it's because of my exposure to the fact that there was a 'big' surprise in talking about it with you (because I had to, of course, know all about the tiff - which, in fairness, you baited me to)
I'd say fairly early on, too. Around the point of the coroner's report appearing (is that fairly early on?)
When you get a comment notification, does it tell you within the notification/email who it the post iw from or what it says? I hope it doesn't. Rather - it should just say which of your posts it appears on and then you should have to go to it to see. Because then maybe you'll have thought that the hashed was being rehashed and the dead horse rolled back out. That would have be nice.
ReplyDelete