little miss sunshine
Wednesday, 18. October 2006, 16:55:24
I went to the movies last night.
It was actually a bit of an adventure because I took the bus and thought, "oh I know about where the theater is, so if I just get close, I'll see a big marquee and maybe a queue".
I took the Aker Brygge bus downtown. At night. When it's really dark.
The bus doesn't go to the part of Aker Brygge I recognized, so just getting oriented took me several minutes, then I wandered around Vika looking for a big sign with movie titles on it, trusting my vague recollection of the map I'd checked a day earlier. I even thought, "I know there are 4 movie theaters in this area, even if I get the wrong one, I'll see something".
Suffice to say I finally did find the incredibly easy-to-miss building with muted signage on just one side. Paid 80 NOK (almost $11.50 US) for the ticket. It's more for THX theaters and on opening weekend. For those of you not from the States, that's almost double what we pay.
I had intended to see Paris, je t'aime but worried that the bulk of it would be in French and my Norwegian definitely isn't good enough to follow the sub-titles. So I saw Little Miss Sunshine.
I should say that when my friend Laura left this movie she immediately called us and said "tell me everything you know about Nietsche and Proust". I think it beats out Ryan and Mandy calling to find out how much is a 'sprig'. They were making mint juleps, as you do. Anyway, Laura really liked it and thought we would to.
The film feels very light and breezy and is well paced. The basics of the characters are all sketched out quickly and you get the gists of who they are right up front. And then this collection of misfits is thrown into a road movie. Fortunately the contrivance that forces them all to go is over blessedly quickly and seems to wink at itself as a mandatory scene. The fun is that there's an extra character in the film which is the dynamic between the characters as well as the little ways that each person exceeds or undermines their sketched out personality, broadening them beyond being defined by a quirk.
It's hard to put one's finger on exactly what separates this from a National Lampoon Vacation movie that has much the same formula but there is a decidedly indie aesthetic at work that takes it's characters seriously and pushes the absurdity of the situations that befall them without falling into slapstick. It's interesting, though, how close some of the scenes are to a Chevy Chase vehicle but the tone never goes there. Maybe it's the hint of melancholy and the lack of judging the characters (although Greg Kineer's dad never realy gels into a real person for me).
This is a really fun little movie and it has it's share of real surprises and laugh out loud moments without ever devolving into cheap silliness but isn't somber either. Overall a thumbs up.
It was actually a bit of an adventure because I took the bus and thought, "oh I know about where the theater is, so if I just get close, I'll see a big marquee and maybe a queue".
I took the Aker Brygge bus downtown. At night. When it's really dark.
The bus doesn't go to the part of Aker Brygge I recognized, so just getting oriented took me several minutes, then I wandered around Vika looking for a big sign with movie titles on it, trusting my vague recollection of the map I'd checked a day earlier. I even thought, "I know there are 4 movie theaters in this area, even if I get the wrong one, I'll see something".
Suffice to say I finally did find the incredibly easy-to-miss building with muted signage on just one side. Paid 80 NOK (almost $11.50 US) for the ticket. It's more for THX theaters and on opening weekend. For those of you not from the States, that's almost double what we pay.
I had intended to see Paris, je t'aime but worried that the bulk of it would be in French and my Norwegian definitely isn't good enough to follow the sub-titles. So I saw Little Miss Sunshine.
I should say that when my friend Laura left this movie she immediately called us and said "tell me everything you know about Nietsche and Proust". I think it beats out Ryan and Mandy calling to find out how much is a 'sprig'. They were making mint juleps, as you do. Anyway, Laura really liked it and thought we would to.
The film feels very light and breezy and is well paced. The basics of the characters are all sketched out quickly and you get the gists of who they are right up front. And then this collection of misfits is thrown into a road movie. Fortunately the contrivance that forces them all to go is over blessedly quickly and seems to wink at itself as a mandatory scene. The fun is that there's an extra character in the film which is the dynamic between the characters as well as the little ways that each person exceeds or undermines their sketched out personality, broadening them beyond being defined by a quirk.
It's hard to put one's finger on exactly what separates this from a National Lampoon Vacation movie that has much the same formula but there is a decidedly indie aesthetic at work that takes it's characters seriously and pushes the absurdity of the situations that befall them without falling into slapstick. It's interesting, though, how close some of the scenes are to a Chevy Chase vehicle but the tone never goes there. Maybe it's the hint of melancholy and the lack of judging the characters (although Greg Kineer's dad never realy gels into a real person for me).
This is a really fun little movie and it has it's share of real surprises and laugh out loud moments without ever devolving into cheap silliness but isn't somber either. Overall a thumbs up.
We had some similar reactions. My review is here if you are interested: http://www.noonewatching.com/archives/2006/08/little_miss_sunshine.html
By anonymous user, # 19. October 2006, 15:12:31