Monday, May 21, 2007

eating crayons and glue

I know I come late to the party with 'V for Vendetta', but I wonder if I'm not one of the few people who didn't think this was just a totally marvelous movie?

It seems to happen usually that movies taken from graphic novels and comics are almost too big to fit the screen, that even CGI is just barely able to support the vision of the artist. V on the other hand seems like it was stretched to fit. This is not to say that there is not some very fine acting going on here because there is. I was prepared to pass Natalie Portman off but she does a damned convincing job. Now if only the child would have a sandwich. Poor Hugo Weaving has to spend the entire movie behind a mask, and just brushes the fine line between symbol and camp with his suspiciously well-tailored ensemble. His voice does the majority of the work and does it very well despite some of the lines he's expected to deliver. This is a role that could have easily given way to operatic gesturing and it doesn't...good thing. Steven Rea as detective Finch is fantastic. John Hurt playing the Chancellor is amazing (although Chancellor Sutler would never have made it politically on this side of the Atlantic without a set of porcelain veneers and a laser peel).

It's the story that seems stretched thin, somehow. We know that V idolized Edmund Dante, but in The Count of Monte Christo the backstory is a vital part of the architechture of his revenge. We get only the barest hint of a backstory with V...a numeral on a door, an image seen through fire. Evey's final 'He was all of us' made me want to ask for my money back. Except that I was home. Likewise the government baddies...just hints. Nothing at all about the evil Chancellor himself.

Furthermore I had a lot of trouble believing that the general population were mobilized into united action in only a years' time. That was the point at which the entire move fell apart for me.

It must have been a balancing act indeed to make this a movie about symbols and ideas instead of characters and plot, but what was left was like a Swiss cheese it was so full of holes.

Still, give the Devil his due; you do get to see Parliament go up in a huge, gigantic monstrous ball of fire, which kicks ass and is excellent. In my book a good explosion excuses a lot. (Almost as excellent as seeing the White House get firebombed by aliens in 'Independence Day', and also the only reason to rent it out.)
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It is raining and I hate it. I hate it and it pisses me off. I have things to do out in my yard and I would rather be doing them than sitting in this stupid house.

Today I have to go in and wait on my father in law, and I don't feel much like doing that, although I know I will enjoy myself. Why I would rather stay at home and feel grumpy than go into town and shop is a mystery, like Howling Cave in Kentucky or why Lindsay Lohan cannot seem to keep her bathing suit areas in check for more than five minutes at a stretch.

13 comments:

  1. Fucking rain on Canada's fucking long weekend. Fuck.

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  2. bugger , I havent seen the film , so I cant comment, everyone is currently moaning about spiderman 3.
    I had a swimming costume malfunction last year in greece, the lovely nicola , still has a problem with bbq's sausages as a result......some people are just darned squeemish

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  3. I've not seen the film but I have read the comic (one of only 2 comics I have read). I can't imagine they'd get it all into the film at all. I'd like to see the Houses of Parliament get blown up though.

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  4. Seems like everyone's getting rained on. We've had about 3 dry days in this month, and it looks like the next 3 are going to actually be sunny. Hope you get the same breaks.

    The last truly gripping movie I watched was called 'Identity', or something like that, and had John Cusack starring.

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  5. Anonymous3:28 PM

    I for one am happy to see a bit of rain....it didn't rain here for six weeks. When did you become Barry Norman??

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  6. mj: i blame france. on the other hand it hasn't seemed to stop y'all from migrating up thisaway like lemmings towards a cliff. my road out front is all blue and white license plates today!

    beast: spiderman 1 and 2 sucked ass so why should 3 be any different?/ bbq sausage? was there prior nude sunbathing or are you of a natural hickory smoked hue?

    billy: was the comic any good? *still waiting for 'Ranxerox-The Movie*

    sopwith: the plants needed it; i did NOT. the princess is displeased.

    muttley: it was the result of an unfortunate accident involving a mechanical rice picker when i was a child.

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  7. I suggest that your townspeople sit out on your porches with loaded shotguns as we drive by.

    That always puts fear into the average Canuck and we go back home and say, "Thank goodness we're not like those Americans."

    I'm sure you've heard it all before.

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  8. FN , I think it was a day spent stuffed in a wetsuit in 90 degree heat that probably caused the BBQ effect.

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  9. Anonymous10:57 PM

    i started watching the film, but i got distracted by a 1 year old chewing on a vaccuum cleaner cord.

    it isn't raining here.

    i don't have a fil to wait on, just my parents and a 1 year old.

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  10. I didn't enjoy "V" either. We saw it at the theater, and I believe I promptly fell asleep and awoke for a bad makeout scene and then Big Ben blowing up.

    And sucks to the rain.

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  11. Some things we are not meant to understand. Jeez the only swimsuit malfunction I ever have anymore is that I can't get into them. I have not seen V for Vendetta, I changed the channel last night when I saw it was on. For some reason, I need to watch shows about nature. I guess after a whole day's work I don't want to see/hear/deal with any more people problems. Hey, it's raining here too.

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  12. I haven't seen the film either but I liked The Count of Monte Christo so maybe I should. Also raining here but as they say, that's why the place is so sodding green.

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  13. Am I the only God forsaken blogger not getting rain? Please send rain here! I have a guest room all ready and stuff.

    I am gonna try to catch V this weekend... haven't seen it either.

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