ties’n things

This looks like another masterpiece by Michel Gondry.
> website
> trailer

One of the most touching films i’ve seen lately. It’s a beautiful story about friendship, told in a very simple way.

Plot summary: Alan Johnson has everything he needs to get through life: a good job, a beautiful and loving wife, and their wonderful children. Yet he feels isolated because he finds having a hard-working job and managing a family too much to handle and has no one to talk to about it. Charlie Fineman, on the other hand, doesn’t have a job or a family. He used to have both until a terrible loss, and the grief caused him to quit his job and isolate himself from everyone around him. He has lost himself in a world of denial powered by music, video-games and a scooter.
Alan and Charlie were roommates in college, and a chance encounter one night rekindles the friendship they shared once. But when Charlie’s emotional problems become too much to deal with, Alan is determined to help Charlie come out of his emotional abyss, even though that’s hardly what Charlie was looking for…

We’ve been watching a lot of movies lately. That has always been my favourite waste of time (i really could watch movies forever and ever!) but mostly our evenings are too short to watch a complete one and i’d feel guilty if i’d do so during the day (work has to be done)!

Sometimes i yearn for my days in the projection cabine where i had to preview new mounted film before their launch and refine other people’s movie experience. But then i’d rather forget about the long working hours and the complicated relationships between the colleages over there. ‘The bold and the beautiful’ was really nothing compared to that!

Now .. Blockbusters is throwing with 2 for 1 coupons for already 3 weeks now, so it’s the perfect time to catch up on some movie magic. Yesterday we saw ‘Being John Malkovich’. I had already seen the movie once, but i’d like to support seeing a film twice or more. You’re never as blown away as you were at the first time, and you take the risk liking it less, but if it’s a good movie, there’s a big chance you’ll like it even better.
Seeing ‘Being John Malkovich’ again made me realize i like all movies Charlie Kaufman had anything to do with … at least the ones i saw. Which are: Being John Malkovich, Human Nature, Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. (I guess i have to mention Michel Gondry here as well, cause while looking these movies up on imdb.com i saw his name appearing on a couple of them too.)

So, why do i like these movies so much? Well, that’s a difficult one to explain. Maybe because the stories are very absurd. But not that absurd so you’ll loose every link with reality. I think they provide some valuable food for thought in a way. Like, what if there really was someone watching everything you’re doing? Or, what if you were controlled by some power and you could not be yourself (that power doesn’t have to be surreal if you think about it, how many people still can’t be themselves today because of society’s expectations?)? And … if you could really erase any memory you like, would you do that? Doesn’t memories make you who you are? There are more questions where that came from. Just go see these movies and you’ll be pleasantly surprised …

I kind of planned on writing something about Charlie Kaufman only, but it seems i got myself really started on movies with this post. So if you don’t mind, I’m gonna keep on going for a while … but of course, please feel free to stop reading at any time!

I’ll make it quick:
Another one i saw recently: ‘The 40-year-old virgin’. A comedy with a twitch, really funny, and i liked the cast very much too … Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, … These three were also great in ‘Anchor man, The Legend of Ron Burgundy’. Speaking of which, Will Ferell (Ron Burgundy) also did great as Harold Crick in ‘Stranger Than Fiction’. Another movie that makes you think some things through! Will Ferell also brings us to Woody Allen… Opinions are divided on his work, you like him, or you don’t, but I must admit I am a big fan.

Alright, I’ll stop now, cause I can go on forever jumping from one movie to the other … maybe next time i’ll let you in on some more favourites! And if you made it to the end of this post: congratulations!

* You can look these movies up on imdb.com and watch their trailers through the link in the sidebar!

Looks like a great movie!