A Few More Random Flicks

In Bruges:

This is a great movie that features an off-kilter buddy feel to it. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell work really well together especially framing themselves as surprisingly touristy and neurotic, respectively, hitmen. The big surprise for me, though, was just how often the supporting cast stole the scenes from the big names. Just to run it down for you: Jordan Prentice as Jimmy is bitingly funny as a "midget" actor shooting a film, Jeremie Renier sulks his way through the role of Eirik in superb fashion, Zeljko Ivanek has a mere few lines and manages to snake some of the spotlight, Clemence Poesy is moving in her role as Chloe, Farrell's love interest, Thekla Reuten is alternatingly earnest and hilarious as Marie, the innkeeper, Eric Godon's Yuri plays a role in a scene reminiscent of "who's on first", and Rudy Blomme manages to take a role as mundane as a ticket seller at one of the local historic attractions and get laughs out of it.

These examples, I think, embody the kind of movie this is and had it been shot a different way some people might even describe it as verite. The most important character of all is the beautiful and somewhat quaint, large Belgian city of Bruges itself. I actually thought the movie would be good but nowhere near what it turned out to be.

5 potty mouths out of 5

Broken Flowers:

I kind of want to reflect on this and come back to it later. There's a lot of subtlety within just like any Jarmusch film and Bill Murray is brilliant in it. Still, though, I can't help but feel as if there's a compulsion that his character should be nearly identical in feel to that of the role he performed in Lost in Translation. There's a gritty undertone to this that never really seems to come to the surface as Murray's character attempting to find the writer of a mysterious pink letter that arrives on his doorstep one day not long after his current flame leaves him. It definitely Iis an interesting character study and Jarmusch manages to squeeze out another solid film from start to finish. However, I generally found it difficult to warm up to or empathize with Murray's character, or any of the extras for that matter, which seems to lend towards the sensation of just watching this story somewhat passively.

If you liked LiT or are a big fan of Bill Murray, it'll be well worth the time to check this out, just be sure to take your happy pills beforehand.

3.5 karaoke stars out of 5