August 03, 2004
honk - it's my birthday
as i mentioned yesterday, friday was emily's birthday. when i woke up early that morning to leave for atlanta, i walked out to discover my car had been shoepolished by a certain friend of ours (her blog handle starts with nut and ends with meg) with the message you see here. it also said "birthday girl" and "sing to me" down the side windows. you can imagine all the attention we got on I-75 that day (especially from the truckers) and in the rush hour traffic on a friday afternoon in atlanta. the best part was driving around in chattanooga later that evening by myself, smiling to the confused honkers expecting to see a birthday girl when they pulled past.
...
the village - i won't say too much about it here for fear of giving away some crucial plot twist - however, i have to say i found it both strangely satisfying and disappointing. those of you who have seen it can probably understand what i mean, although perhaps you only found it to be one or the other. i think, in theory, the conceit of the film is fascinating and yet one major issue stands out to me that keeps me from getting on board fully. vague enough for you? grace alexander put it well last night when she said that shyamalan always leaves her slightly disappointed. his films look to have so much potential and then finally seem to fail at one small point.
I think Jackson put it best when he said: "homeschooling gone terribly, terribly wrong"
Posted by: JosiahQ at August 3, 2004 11:15 AMAnd yet a village-type environment is the waking dream of many homeschooling parents. I know some families who would probably think The Village is the inspirational movie of the year...if they went to movies.
Posted by: paul at August 3, 2004 11:43 AMi dig that shot. the passat looks so lonesome in the dawn light and gas station lamps.
Posted by: mesh at August 3, 2004 02:10 PMhe tends to wrap everything up a little to tight, so its easy to see the holes in his films. he likes to spoon feed the viewer, give you lots of flash back to make sure you get what hes doing. but on a whole i loved the film.
Posted by: cannon at August 3, 2004 04:47 PMIs it disappointing because they sold it as a horror film... but it wasn't? I haven't seen it, but I don't expect it to be a horror flick. They sold Signs as an alien invasion movie... but of course, in reality, the alien visitation was just a device for more substantial themes. I suspect the Villiage will be similar. "Spooky creatures in the woods" is just a foil, right? Was that part of the disappointment?
for once, greg, i actually agree with you: "signs" had substantial themes hidden under the cover of cheap (well-done) thrills.
i just saw "the village," though, and it was a disappointment. especially compared to signs, which i loved. his storytelling gets a little hollow in the village.
and yes, you do have to see the movie, i won't give it all away.
maybe andy, with his ninja website skills, can create a secure chatroom for people who have actually seen the entirety of the village. and the rest of you can sit outside squirming... :)
Posted by: jerah at August 9, 2004 11:15 PMOmg thats right! Please come see me and my friends! ;)
Posted by: watch moi at March 17, 2005 06:18 PM