Quick Movie Post
Jul. 31st, 2006 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sub_dividedThe Devil Wears Prada
The joke here is that the fashion industry is so exclusive it looks down on what's already impossibly out of reach for practically everyone -- these attractive, ivy-league-graduating, up-and-coming New York professionals who are one step away from being hired by big name galleries, famous restaurants, or (in the main character's case) major newspapers. Every time Andrea is made fun of for being a *gasp* size six, you have to laugh, because it's just so ridiculous. At the same time, the industry is so inward-looking, so aware of its own status, that for most of its players, the idea of anyone not wanting that life is laughable.
But this isn't a movie about the blind frivolity of the fashion industry. The message is that Fashion is an okay profession for some people, it's useful and creative and meaningful, but there are other worthy things too. I suspect this is different from the book. Wasn't The Devil Wears Prada the exposé that burned all the bridges of the author, and showed how ugly it all is, how silly when considered soberly? I haven't read the book, I've only heard. Anyway the movie isn't like that, it's not that mean. I tend to be fairly sensitive about these things - thought Mean Girls was too mean, etc - so if I liked this movie it's a prettttty good indication that it didn't have any teeth to it.
Because I liked this movie a lot. It's really entertaining. Two hours of Meryl Streep being impossibly demanding and evil (she must have had so much fun with this role!), and all these beautiful people being scarily competent and snarky while wearing gorgeous clothing. ^_^
Clerks II
The previews totally don't do it justice. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. There are some awkward moments (Wanda Syke's husband ARG). Also the love interest (and only professional actor) seems to have been airlifted in from another planet, and the plot-y parts aren't as good as the pop-culture riffs. Also the ending is ridiculously contrived and toothless. But overall? What a great movie. You do need to have seen the first Clerks.
...I occasionally found myself thinking, it's so cheap to keep picking on the nutty Christian. Can't you find someone more controversial to make fun of? But this was due to external circumstances, not really anything to do with the movie.
Bonus! Loveless AMV with dialogue from Clerks. SO FUNNY.
Old Movie Mini-Reviews
I'm debating the wisdom of seeing World Trade Center (the movie). On the one hand, gah. On the other hand, gaaah! (It's bound to be awful, but I'm curious. Will it be totally explotative? Will it completely avoid politics and in favor of feel-good moralizing, or will Oliver Stone be unable to resist a dig or two at the present climate? Also, haha, Hollywood is going to run out of social servants to turn into action heroes soon. Soldiers are unpopular (I wonder why!), police are corrupt, there have already been way too many firefighter movies and now there's a Coast Guard movie. Have there been any Emergency Response Team movies yet? Or maybe that's too small-scale. Ooh! Forest rangers! They could throw in some environmental awareness, it would be awesome.)
The joke here is that the fashion industry is so exclusive it looks down on what's already impossibly out of reach for practically everyone -- these attractive, ivy-league-graduating, up-and-coming New York professionals who are one step away from being hired by big name galleries, famous restaurants, or (in the main character's case) major newspapers. Every time Andrea is made fun of for being a *gasp* size six, you have to laugh, because it's just so ridiculous. At the same time, the industry is so inward-looking, so aware of its own status, that for most of its players, the idea of anyone not wanting that life is laughable.
But this isn't a movie about the blind frivolity of the fashion industry. The message is that Fashion is an okay profession for some people, it's useful and creative and meaningful, but there are other worthy things too. I suspect this is different from the book. Wasn't The Devil Wears Prada the exposé that burned all the bridges of the author, and showed how ugly it all is, how silly when considered soberly? I haven't read the book, I've only heard. Anyway the movie isn't like that, it's not that mean. I tend to be fairly sensitive about these things - thought Mean Girls was too mean, etc - so if I liked this movie it's a prettttty good indication that it didn't have any teeth to it.
Because I liked this movie a lot. It's really entertaining. Two hours of Meryl Streep being impossibly demanding and evil (she must have had so much fun with this role!), and all these beautiful people being scarily competent and snarky while wearing gorgeous clothing. ^_^
Clerks II
The previews totally don't do it justice. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. There are some awkward moments (Wanda Syke's husband ARG). Also the love interest (and only professional actor) seems to have been airlifted in from another planet, and the plot-y parts aren't as good as the pop-culture riffs. Also the ending is ridiculously contrived and toothless. But overall? What a great movie. You do need to have seen the first Clerks.
...I occasionally found myself thinking, it's so cheap to keep picking on the nutty Christian. Can't you find someone more controversial to make fun of? But this was due to external circumstances, not really anything to do with the movie.
Bonus! Loveless AMV with dialogue from Clerks. SO FUNNY.
Old Movie Mini-Reviews
- The Big Easy: New Orleans, corrupt cop saved by the love of a good woman. Normal-looking people + New Orleans accents = HOT.
- L.A. Confidential: LA, three very different detectives work to unravel a complex case. Noir. Possibly the most perfectly constructed movie ever? Really fantastic.
- Clay Pidgeons: Utah, a man is mistaken for a serial killer. Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix co-star in this dark comedy. Let me repeat that: Vince Vaughn. Joaquin Phoenix. Dark comedy. GO RENT THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW IT IS AWESOME OMG. Why hadn't I heard of this? It's on my top-five list now. It's so good. The acting is so good. The soundtrack is so
inappropriategood. omg.
I'm debating the wisdom of seeing World Trade Center (the movie). On the one hand, gah. On the other hand, gaaah! (It's bound to be awful, but I'm curious. Will it be totally explotative? Will it completely avoid politics and in favor of feel-good moralizing, or will Oliver Stone be unable to resist a dig or two at the present climate? Also, haha, Hollywood is going to run out of social servants to turn into action heroes soon. Soldiers are unpopular (I wonder why!), police are corrupt, there have already been way too many firefighter movies and now there's a Coast Guard movie. Have there been any Emergency Response Team movies yet? Or maybe that's too small-scale. Ooh! Forest rangers! They could throw in some environmental awareness, it would be awesome.)