Let me first say that I have not seen Let the Right One In , either. Although, Rob has told me all about it. He was so very excited for me to see this flick (Let Me In). The thing about that kind of hype from Rob is that it inspires in me a kind of bias. He loves (and has subjected me to) movies like Leaving Las Vegas and Rush, which kinda make me feel suicidal afterwards. So I wanted to keep my head clear for this film (a bias free zone of pretty flowers and awesome sword fights). Although, just before we watched it, he compared the ending to The Graduate. You know, when all the characters suddenly feel trapped, doomed, uncertain that they made the right choices. Dammit Rob, don't tell me shit like that. So we viewed the flick (well, I did anyway; the little old man fell asleep). And I did not get that "Graduate" feeling from the ending. To me it felt sweet (the kind of "sweet" that allows doomed lovers to transcend their doom because of their love; like Sun and Jin on Lost). Sure the boy has an idea (a very certain idea) as to what his fate with the vampire will be, but he showed no doubt. Instead, just as he is certain he will lead a difficult life (roaming, hiding, murdering, etc.), he is equally certain that is exactly what he wants. He loves her. Real love.
Rob is very fond of the author Irving Welsh. In one of his novels (which I have not read, but know vicariously through Rob; like so much of my knowledge) the main character's father is dying. The son says his goodbyes and then the father kicks him out of the room so he can spend his last moments with only his wife (the main character's Mum). This is Rob's favorite example of perfect, true love. And this is what I thought of at the end of Let Me In. Love is the focus of the whole film. Not Chick Flick love, but David Bowie's Soul Love love. The vampire (who insists she isn't a girl) is doomed by her condition and helpless in her eternal youth (I watched the special features, as always, and saw a cut scene showing her being turned into the vampire; it was intense, the violent theft of her life and rape of her innocence). The boy is caught up in the shit storm that is divorce. I know this character. His parents may not consciously want to use him as leverage in their little war, but he is caught in the cross fire nonetheless. The setting (the cinder block apartment building, the school, the people) makes me empathize with this character even more. His violent fantasies are neither surprising nor disturbing; he's gonna be swallowed whole unless he learns to hit back. I love the Romeo and Juliet undercurrent. These kids are definitely star-crossed lovers; doomed to survive (which is not the same as living) rather than die like the Shakespearean youths. It was the Morse code conversation on the train that made the ending so sweet, showing their unity. She saved his life and he will sustain hers for the rest of his (in a side note I see her feeding from her previous Lover as a mercy killing). They will survive the sorrow and guilt of the murders they have and will commit to protect each other, and only real love can carry them through that.
My favorite definition of love is from a cartoon (Disney no less). In the Sword and the Stone (which is based on The Once and Future King) Merlin turns Arthur into a squirrel. Having nearly plummeted from a tree, Merlin explains the concept of gravity to the boy (the powerful force that pulls you down, keeps you on the earth). Then there's a very sweet little squirrel chase with a girl squirrel (who risks her own life to save Arthur's, un-huh), but in the end Arthur is turned back into a boy and the girl squirrel is heart broken. Arthur is sad for the girl squirrel and Merlin says "Well, that love stuff is a powerful thing", to which Arthur responds "Greater than gravity?". Sadly Merlin replies "Yes, I'd say it's the greatest force on earth".
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Let Me In: A Preview by Rob
Spoilers ahead: proceed with caution.
I still refuse to accept that a horror movie was nominated for Best Picture this year and it wasn't Let Me In. It was hands-down the best movie I saw in an honest-to-god theater this year. I would easily have bumped Inception to have it included. As soon as I got my grubby mitts on a copy, I knew it would be my next choice for Films my Spouse made me watch.
If it isn't already abundantly clear, I chose this movie because it is awesome beyond description, and I wanted to share the pleasure with my darling wife. I chose it because I knew she would like it. And I chose it because I personally like it better than the original Let the Right One In.
Sacrilege you say? I concede that Matt Reeves' translation owes Tomas Alfredson's original Norwegian film a priceless debt of gratitude, but Reeves was able to take everything that was right about the original, recreate it with a fresh vision, and add a few brilliant touches of his own. Who could argue that the car crash scene isn't bound for iconic status?
What I really like about this version is the casting. Every role was perfectly filled, and the two young leads prove they're equal to such challenging roles. I was dead set against the remake until they cast Chloe Moretz, whose turn as Hit Girl in Kick-Ass blew my shit away. She plays the role as very child-like, which at first rubbed me wrong until I thought about it. She has been sequestered away from society for who knows how long, relying on the boys she chooses as companions to discreetly keep her fed. She has never had the opportunity to grow up, both physically and socially. She would be childlike, despite her age. And Kodi Smit-McPhee is adorable, which makes it all the more disturbing when we see him as someone so capable of violence. Despite his cherubic cuteness, the intensity of his performance sells his dark side. And their sexless romance is both touching and heart-breaking.
The ending is wonderfully troubling, as we're happy that the two leads found a way to be together, yet we've seen where this road leads, and it's not pretty. I also love the recurring appearances of the Now and Laters jingle, which at first I took for nothing more than a period detail thrown in to emphasize the place and time in which the story is set. But by the end, it becomes a sort of twisted punchline foreshadowing Owen's eventual fate. "Eat some now, save some for later" indeed.
But honestly, the movie had me at the Hammer Films logo. Let's just hope that their Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe continues to do justice to the studio's legacy.
I still refuse to accept that a horror movie was nominated for Best Picture this year and it wasn't Let Me In. It was hands-down the best movie I saw in an honest-to-god theater this year. I would easily have bumped Inception to have it included. As soon as I got my grubby mitts on a copy, I knew it would be my next choice for Films my Spouse made me watch.
If it isn't already abundantly clear, I chose this movie because it is awesome beyond description, and I wanted to share the pleasure with my darling wife. I chose it because I knew she would like it. And I chose it because I personally like it better than the original Let the Right One In.
Sacrilege you say? I concede that Matt Reeves' translation owes Tomas Alfredson's original Norwegian film a priceless debt of gratitude, but Reeves was able to take everything that was right about the original, recreate it with a fresh vision, and add a few brilliant touches of his own. Who could argue that the car crash scene isn't bound for iconic status?
What I really like about this version is the casting. Every role was perfectly filled, and the two young leads prove they're equal to such challenging roles. I was dead set against the remake until they cast Chloe Moretz, whose turn as Hit Girl in Kick-Ass blew my shit away. She plays the role as very child-like, which at first rubbed me wrong until I thought about it. She has been sequestered away from society for who knows how long, relying on the boys she chooses as companions to discreetly keep her fed. She has never had the opportunity to grow up, both physically and socially. She would be childlike, despite her age. And Kodi Smit-McPhee is adorable, which makes it all the more disturbing when we see him as someone so capable of violence. Despite his cherubic cuteness, the intensity of his performance sells his dark side. And their sexless romance is both touching and heart-breaking.
The ending is wonderfully troubling, as we're happy that the two leads found a way to be together, yet we've seen where this road leads, and it's not pretty. I also love the recurring appearances of the Now and Laters jingle, which at first I took for nothing more than a period detail thrown in to emphasize the place and time in which the story is set. But by the end, it becomes a sort of twisted punchline foreshadowing Owen's eventual fate. "Eat some now, save some for later" indeed.
But honestly, the movie had me at the Hammer Films logo. Let's just hope that their Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe continues to do justice to the studio's legacy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)