9. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

Me and You and Everyone We Know

Written and directed by Miranda July

Starring John Hawkes, Miranda July

This film incorporates a series of characters all searching for a way to connect with someone. This film follows Christine, a video artist/taxi driver of elderly people, as she falls in love with Richard, a recently separated father of two who is trying to relate to his sons while waiting for something interesting to happen in his life. The youngest son becomes involved in a sexual-cyber (or cyber-sexual) relationship with a middle-aged businesswoman, while his brother befriends a young girl who is obsessed with domestic appliances and is also used by two teenage girls “coming to terms with their sexuality” by experimenting on him and his intrigued neighbor, who strangely enough, works with Richard at the department store’s shoe section. See? Lots of stuff goin’ on.

I think the characters are really trying to connect with themselves in some way, not only someone else. They are trying to fully realize who they are and what their existence means. And while I think everyone contemplates these very same issues, including myself, I still found it very hard to relate to the characters and all that was going on.

I agree with Nicole that there are certain little things about the movie that are easy to love, but the film in it’s entirety isn’t all that memorable. For an example, there is one scene when Christine is driving in her car, upset after she found out about Richard’s soon-to-be ex-wife. While crying and repeating the F word, she then pulls out a permanent marker and writes that word on her car window shield. I thought it was pretty funny and I actually think about that scene sometimes when driving.

There is also this part when her and Richard are walking down a street and comparing the length of the sidewalk to a timeline of a relationship. She says her thoughts about the idea that the “Iceland” shop is the start to the end of a relationship, which was supposedly ending on the intersection of “Tyrone Street.” I thought that idea and conversation was very cute and fun, but found their appeal to each other completely forced and not real at all.

Everything had this sense of distance and this disoriented aspect. And whether this was on purpose to give the film a quirky feel or just the way I interpreted it, the movie didn’t really stand out to me in any special way.

On the Becki scale, I get it a 2.

(Here is a trailer I found if you are interested in viewing.)

8. Jeux d’enfants (2003); Are you game?

Love Me If You Dare

Written and directed by Yann Samuell

Starring Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard

This movie follows two childhood friends, Julien and Sophie (Canet and Cotillard), and a game of dares that lasts their whole life. The game revolves around a tin container in the shape of a merry-go-round. Whichever of the two have the box have to dare the other something they must do. The game continues throughout their lives- from grade school, to college, through marriage, and even death. The game drives their relationship to interesting levels and completely changes their life.

I thought that the general idea and plot of this movie was pretty awesome. To think that one game would continue to entertain two people for years and years is just unbelievable, but it was really entertaining to watch. I loved how some of the dares were really serious while others were simple ones, such as urinating in front of their principle. I was glad that some simpler dares happened later in the film- it reminded me how long their game-playing was actually lasting and gave the two characters more child-like motivation.

I thought that Julien’s relationship with his mom was very sweet, but I wished that they had shown her interacting with Sophie more throughout the film. We knew that Julien’s father didn’t care for her, but I am only assuming that his mother liked her- I don’t remember their relationship being well-established at all.

The death of Julien’s mother was a huge section of the plot and definitely affected the relationship between Julien and his father. I thought the way that their relationship paralleled the relationship between him and Sophie was great. It seemed that when Julien and his father were fighting, his friendship with Sophie was great, and vice versa. I thought it was a great way to unconsciously present this effect that he is constantly making decisions and choosing between them throughout the film.

During the entire movie, I had this feeling of an underlined religious belief attached to all the characters. About halfway through the movie, I came to the conclusion that the feeling I was sensing was not about religion at all. I think that it was more the rebellion against anything else that didn’t incorporate their game. That was the only thing in Sophie and Julien’s life that truly made sense and that seemed worth continuing.

During the very end of the movie, between my thoughts of “Did that really just happen?!”, I realized that it was kind of depressing. After watching the entire movie you realize that they had been kind of trapped by this game. It is all they care about and they take it WAY to seriously. I highly doubt that the way Julien and Sophie religiously played “the game” was the way that Julien’s mother wanted them to spend their life. But I didn’t think these thoughts until during the end of the movie, so I guess overall the whole thing was still really intriguing.

It was a pretty entertaining movie. On the Becki scale- I award it a 6.

7. Brick (2005); A detective story.

Brick

Written and directed by Rian Johson

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss

I really don’t know what to say about this movie. I think I thought it was good. I’m not sure that my own opinions aren’t meshing with the opinions of my friends that have seen it, but I think it’s good.

I don’t even know how to give a small summary of this film. A high-school kid is contacted by an ex-girlfriend that needs help somehow. He then spends the rest of the movie following tiny clues, presented only by the smallest chances of luck, and trying to figure out what’s going on. He then finds himself wrapped up in this love triangle, drug circulating, murder invested plot.

One thing that I know for certain is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is talented beyond belief.

I thought the dialogue was interesting. I understand that it is supposed to be different and unique, but I just didn’t understand it. It wasn’t until we turned on the subtitles that I actually understood what was going on in the plot. I can’t really knock the dialogue to much though because I am a HUGE fan of Juno and that movie’s dialogue is just as crazy.

I liked all the characters. I think one problem that bugged me was that there wasn’t a lot of character development as the movie continues. They have their initial characteristics and personalities and then they sort of stay the same until the end. Each character has their own motivation and goals, but they weren’t personally changed by them. Or they were and I just didn’t get it.

I liked that the vice principal became involved. It was sort of comedic relief. The adult assistant principle was using his students to find out all the illegal things happening under his own supervision. Ha. So, needless to say, I think this movie is meh.

On the Becki Scale, I give it a 3?