Hmm. Should have used a still from the film maybe.Saw this movie last night. It was released a couple of years ago but I don't recall hearing about it at cinemas here. It only just came out on DVD here.
Weird how stuff works. I was looking through the DVD store and I think it was the image that first got my attention. Then the title. I think, given the nature of my most recent story Leaving Ruben Jane, I've got a bit of a thing about dark love stories. Maybe it's my repressed goth streak or something. Whatever it is, this one caught me eye.
Seeing Tom Waits' name in a movie, you know there's a certain standard involved. He's one of those artists you can pretty well rely on to only appear in quirky shit.
Happy to say that I really enjoyed this film. I enjoyed it more than I'd hoped I would. It got wildly (and predictably) varied reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes, but to hell with the negative reviews, no matter how well written. I loved this film.
It's set in an afterlife populated by people who have committed suicide. The colouring is unnatural, there are no flowers and no one in this place smiles. It's a strange netherworld that's just a little bit worse than life, but no one's game to top themselves again because it hurt to much the first time. Besides, if this place is worse than the last place, what's the next place going to be like.
Zia (Patrick Fugit from Almost Famous) still misses his girlfriend. He lives with a Russian punk rock star and works in a pizza joint. When he hears that his girlfriend has killed herself and arrived somewhere in this afterlife, he jumps in a car with the old rocker and they head off on a road trip, picking up a gorgeous girl determined to meet The People In Charge because she is here by accident, and Tom Waits.
There are some very funny jokes, some really touching scenes and... look, if you like quality romantic comedies with an indie feel, check it out. I'm going to check it out again. May even buy a copy.
It's based on a short story by Israeli writer Etgar Keret, who I'd never heard of but who I like the sound of. Might have to try to track down some of his stuff. Makes me want to write another deathy love story.
Oh yeah - there are a couple more shots from the Rainbow part of the trip here. Forgot to post them a few days ago.
5 comments:
Sounds like one worth looking out for! I have that collection of short stories by Etgar Keret - there are one or two stories in it that I really like. Have actually considered typing one out to send to you, in the past, but it was just that little bit too long to type. Which reminds me, I had promised to pass on another collection of stories to you, so maybe we should really make a date some time.
Check it out, definitely. It's quite sweet, in a good way.
I'd really be interested in reading some of Etgar's stuff. Apparently there's a movie coming out called Jellyfish, written by his girlfriend and directed by him. Intrigued by that too.
And you were too lazy to type the story out? FFS, if you weren't so lazy you could have texted it to me. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Perhaps meeting up would be more time-efficient. You guys could always come to a doof with us...
An Y - very funny you should mention typing out a story... I'm compiling my short stories with a view to looking into one of those books-on-demand deals. The first story I had published must have been written on an old computer or something because I don't have an electronic copy. I've had to find the magazine and it looks like I have to type it out. And I think it's a 5,000 worder. My typing when I have to read what I'm typing, it is not speedy.
A doof? Now you're being funny, right? We'd stick out like sore thumbs :)
You know, there are programs (OCR) that can detect words from a scanned page and translate them into a text file or word document?
Reading a collection of short stories by F Scott Fitzgerald at the moment. Had forgotten how much I enjoyed his writing (Gatsby).
Doof people accept everyone. Even sore thumbs. But dinner or coffee is fine too.
I think I've scanned and translated into Word before. I think it was messy but did save time. I think I actually want to go through the process of typing this one. I'm taking out all the lumpy bits as I go. It's like writing without putting yourself completely in there.
Gatsby... what a novel. I've only read it once but man it stayed with me for a long time.
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