MovieLand!

The last few days we've plunged into MovieLand!

Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life' -- Jimmy Stewart registers both bleak existential despair, and deep, existential joy. You can't conceive of any one else playing the role of George Bailey, except as an imitation of Stewart. This has become a modern myth that tells us things we can't verbalize to each other without embarrassment.

Almodovar's 'Bad Education' -- a dizzying movie within a movie. A radical, hedonistic blast of color and passion. Soapy, trashy, intelligent, dare I say it, transcendent. Almodovar's script is multi-layered, every character has multiple motivations, each has made compromises in order to live. This world is ruled by beauty and passion and the strange manifestations of love. If we don't believe in God, don't fear hell, if we are fearless --- we are capable of anything.

Wes Anderson's 'Life Aquatic' -- Bill Murray in a red cap and a speedo, do I really need to say more? Murray has lived a hard life, the barnacles show, you can see the years in his eyes, in the lines of his face. I marvelled at the sheer, silent physicality of Bill Murray. The movie is funny, subtle, odd. Excellent soundtrack as per usual for a Wes Anderson movie. Old David Bowie songs sung in Portugese - excellent.