No, I'm not talking about remakes of classic movies. I'm talking about new movies set in the past that are sure to become classics. I recently saw two films in particular that really captured my heart and imagination.
Oh. My. God. No seriously, what Owen Wilson's character, Gil, gets to do in this movie is my ultimate fantasy. If I could travel back in time to the 1920s, yet still be a part of life in the present, I would be the happiest person alive. I even wrote a paper about how I'd like to do just that about 5 years ago—I reread it recently and I cracked up to see how close to the movie it was (mostly meeting and spending time with the Fitzgeralds). The two things that make my heart swell with longing the most are the 1920s and Paris and this film captured both so well. Plus, the cast was amazing—Adrien Brody as Salvador Dalí was perfect and hilarious, not to mention the other host of stars who were perfect in their roles. I can't wait to own this movie (soon!) and rewatch it, but fast forward through the present day parts (no one needs to see the annoying girlfriend parts more than once).
I saw this one today and immediately loved it. I saw it in 3D, which was kind of cool because of all the steam and clock works and trains and stuff, but I never ever want to see another movie in 3D again. It's so unnecessary and I think takes away from the movie itself. Plus it gives me a wicked headache. But 3D aside, this movie was incredible. It is SO very different from other Martin Scorsese films, but he did such an amazing job. I can't imagine anyone on earth doing better. The cast was perfect, the way they made the old silent films look was perfect (you really couldn't tell which parts were excerpts from real silent movies and which were new parts they cut in—except for the presence of Ben Kingsley or Helen McCrory giving it away), everything was perfect. You can just tell what love and respect Martin Scorsese has for the art of film and for old movies in particular. I shed a tear more than once during this movie because I loved it so much.
There are so many movies set in my favorite time period (1920s and 1930s) these days, but I think these two are definitely going to be my favorites. I am interested in seeing The Artist, although I am disappointed that it just looks like a black and white movie, not an actual silent film. I wish they could have done effects to the film to make it look like it was actually old. The lead actress, Bérénice Bejo, doesn't really look 1920s enough to me—she just looks like someone who dressed up to be a flapper for Halloween (at least in the trailers). The lead actor, Jean Dujardin, reminds me of a mix of John Barrymore, Fredric March, and Gene Kelly, so he was a very appropriate pick for the role (Gene Kelly counts because he played a silent film actor in Singin' in the Rain). In any case, I am sure I will enjoy it if I do see it.
In other news, I've been stockpiling classic holiday movies this weekend. I am so excited that I now own Miracle on 34th Street, The Bishop's Wife, Remember the Night, and Christmas Eve (well, and Joyeux Noël, which isn't a classic, but is set in WWI and is my favoritest of favorite holiday movies EVER). They will go along nicely with the other holiday movies I already own: Christmas in Connecticut, The Holiday, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Plus, I've added some movies I've never seen to my Netflix queue. Oh man, do I love holiday movies!!
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