You Can Count On Me

A million years (or 8) ago, Molly told me that i absolutely HAD to go see a movie called "you can count on me". she even said that i, of all people, would love this movie. that is the kind of movie recommendation i listen to. she knows me way better than siskel or ebert or the current douchebaggy manifestations of "at the movies" on the Reelz channel.

i was living on lowest haight at the time. i was very single. YCCOM was only playing only at the embarcadero. i took the F train down there for a deluxe solo viewing. i was having a day....what can i say?


i watched this movie. mother effer did i watch this movie. and it ended. i walked outside, lit a cigarette and called molly. thank god she answered because i had some crying to do and crying on the phone to her made it look like maybe molly was breaking up with me, which is totally better than just looking like some basket case at the outdoor mall. so i cried and we talked. for like an hour. i hate the phone. this is a very big deal. and the funny thing is, the movie isn't particularly sad. it's way more humorous than sad. but it is just GOOD. it makes you feel and think. it hit a nerve and i saved about $200 on what could have been a trip to therapy that day.

now THAT is a movie.

i haven't felt that way since from a movie, and i watch a lot of movies. don't get me wrong, i love crappy blockbustery mind fuckers as much as the next proud american. but i also think that if actors and directors and such are going to call themselves "artists", then they best be creating some art every once in a while. not a bunch of famous dead actors sitting in a diner art. real art.

so, did i like any movies this year? of course. i already prattled on about Milk. but i have to say that, at the end of the day, i was most impressed by a robot and a man who acts like a robot. weird, because i am so squishy.

Wall-e gets an A+, in the literal sense. if grading still relies on the concept of a "C" being average and an A+ being exceptional, then Wall-e certainly deserves the grade. I am not a fan of animation. or rather, i am not impressed by it. a movie is a movie and it has a job to do that has nothing to do with the technology behind it. But still, wall-e delivers emotionally, visually, intellectually. disney's name comes beofre PIXAR but we all know the truth here. this movie is a total (pixar) love.

the other surprise emotion grabber? The Dark Knight. yeah, big blockbuster and all that. but who slipped Chris Nolan the memo that people would actually appreciate a little bit more? i saw it in the theater and i saw it at home. when we watched it at home, i was the annoying wife who kept having to pause the movie to explain why the movie was so good. if you would also like to be as annoying as i am, rent this movie.

there is a subcategory of movies that is so close to my heart. it is like "movies" stunningly beautiful stepsister...often overlooked because it is not considered "family". documentaries. i admit, i don't go to the theaters for them often, but we rent them like crazy.

Taxi to the Dark Side. see it. Just watch this movie because it is important and good.
Young at Heart. if you like to kick puppies then maybe you won't like this movie.

i am so sure there are other movies that are worth mentioning, but i suppose my whole point is that nothing has quite done what YCCOM did to me. movies are an important medium. but apparently we are only to be reminded of this every 9 years, not 8.