In the past two days, I've seen two movies! Let's break 'em down:
Be Kind, RewindReasons why you should like this movie: It's got Jack Black and Mos Def recreating all the movies from their video store after a freak incident with some magnetic fields
with hilarious results. In fact, the movie doesn't really hit its stride until the movie-making, or "Sweding" begins. (Check out the Sweded version of the
movie trailer.) Jack Black plays, well, the same character he always plays, which is a plus for me. Mos Def plays a surprisingly interesting character who is neither sarcastic nor wise-cracking. And as we all know,
white people love Mos Def. This movie is also big on the community/racial harmony tip, which is subtle and sweet.
Reasons why you might not like this movie: Well no one has seen it, so there might not be anyone else in the theater laughing with you (there were 4 other people when we went). Also, the aforementioned Jack Black; some people don't like him! Finally, the end is a little bit over-the-top (although in my opinion, not as bad as I was expecting, given the lead up). If you can handle a little sentimentality, this won't be a big deal.
Easy RiderI had never seen this supposed classic so I was very excited.
Reasons why you should see it: Peter Fonda is a bad-ass in this movie! It's got New Orleans/Mardi Gras as its Zion, which I appreciate. There are some cool scenes of New Orleans. According to what I've read, the French Quarter was a pretty rough place in the 60s. Lots of sailors coming out of bars and beating people up, etc. This movie has great music, and I thought, many well-conceived parts. Even the acid trip at the end, a cause for laughter in most movies, was well-done. Seeing Denis Hopper and Jack Nicolson as young dudes is worth the entire experience!
Reasons why you might not like it: While at the time, the idea that tension between normal people and hippies would obviously turn into violence, it seems a little unreasonable from a modern perspective. You kind of have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about here... This movie can be slowwwwww at times. It doesn't have much of a plot, I guess.