In a way, I'm really glad that Adrienne Shelley was able to complete this film before her death. The film was a personal statement and beautifully written with so many great messages.
It certainly did feel like Salvador was the first attempt for Oliver Stone before Platoon, but it certainly has its merits. For one, James Woods maintains the persistent, manipulative, and foul-mouthed character that he easily brings to a lot of his characters. John Savage also makes a more courageous turn as a seasoned war photographer (and Bob Capa fan :) ).
I remember Jim mentioning in one of his documentaries how he watches foreign movies with no subtitles and from there be able to discover how good the film has been made. That was the case for how I watched the first segment of Mystery Train. Just watch the facial expressions of Masatoshi Nagase and Youki Kudoh and you can't miss the emotion or context of what they were saying, despite the language barrier. In it's own weird way, it felt like watching R2D2 and C-3PO :)
With a cast that included Steve Buscemi, Natalie Portman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emily Mortimer, I definitley wanted to try this "buffet" :)
Ok ok...back to the Jim Jarmusch track. This movie has the same feel as Stranger Than Paradise...but in color....and like STP, you just can't help but enjoy the "stills" possible with the scenes Jim created for this story. John Lurie only has a small part and I have to admit I've gotten really used to him that I wished he had a bigger role somehow.
I just can't seem to find the uniqueness in this film. You can certainly do a lot to expose the lives of drug addicts and everything around them, like Requiem for a Dream or Permanent Midnight, but it does not seem to work for me in this one. The only actor who seemed to be able to carry his character was Mickey Rourke....everyone else looked as if they were playing a fantasy.....I mean, unless you can run with the craziness like Benicio Del Toro and Johnny Depp did in Fearing and Loathing in Las Vegas or Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting, you're not really depicting a drug addict (I think). Even all the mixed elements felt stolen (addict spins, animation, 70s cops...)
Anyone who has an affinity for black and white photogaphy will enjoy watching this film. It's as if Jim Jarmusch had all these photographs and breathed life into them. If you love photography, you will have moments in this film where you will just admire the composition. The contrast is just beautiful.
Sometimes people fall into relationships for very specific reasons....those that can blind pretty much everything else. Amy Adams' and Embeth Davidz' characters live totally different lives, but have the same state or relationship......one that does not stand on completely knowing each other, but sharing one specific event (or moments) that seem to keep the status quo. The insight into a southern family was very interesting.
This story could have been a prequel to The Manchurian Candidate. It examines the process behind recruiting, conditioning, and execution of potential "candidates" (or drones, if I were to make an analogy). Warren Beatty plays the role of an investigative reporter who, in his efforts to infiltrate the program, is sucked into it.
This is disappointing, but I have to honestly say that I did not get much of Inland Empire. While I was amazed at Laura Dern's performance, I just couldn't follow the film enough.
I saw Andrew Bujalski's "Mutual Appreciation" on IFC and was curious about this movie as quite a number of references to it is made in discussions on the web. Like MA, Funny Ha Ha uses the same formula and follows the main character and captures a lot of what is really part of real life....awkward conversations, pauses, and senseless dribble....stuff that can easily get cut out in other movies.
