notamovie review, by jack handey
If Lane wrote just another dishonest, or generous, or apologetic, or just searching for something nice to say, lying to themselves and us, half-heartedly positive review of Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette then Jack Handey's My First Day in Hell sort of mocks the whole charade. No, really. Read it as a review of the moviegoing experience. Or, read it as a satire of the reviews of the moviegoing experience.
And if you ask me, Marie Antoinette is, actually, notamovie.
Those of you using blog readers probably haven't noticed my new sidebar feature, "inspirations and continuing conversations" or "cont." This last is an ongoing del.icio.us collection of my favorite posts from the blogs I read. This means you, your blogs, your posts, but it's a work in progress, so if I've missed anything or haven't gotten to you yet, let me know what you think I love. You'll likely be right.
Categories: film, newyorker, blogging
And if you ask me, Marie Antoinette is, actually, notamovie.
Those of you using blog readers probably haven't noticed my new sidebar feature, "inspirations and continuing conversations" or "cont." This last is an ongoing del.icio.us collection of my favorite posts from the blogs I read. This means you, your blogs, your posts, but it's a work in progress, so if I've missed anything or haven't gotten to you yet, let me know what you think I love. You'll likely be right.
Categories: film, newyorker, blogging
posted by zoe p. at 1:42 PM
4 Comments:
Thanks for the sidebar alert. I think I need more del.icio.us in my life.
(Have you made eggplantparm towers? The basil leaves really tie the dish together.)
although i generally can't say no to any movie featuring jason schwartzman and i'm more than a little smitten with sophia coppola, i never even considered watching this movie, for the following reasons:
1. kirsten dunst, in any and all contexts, makes me want to throw things.
2. from wikipedia (hooray for wikipedia!): "Fulfilling Marie Antoinette's determination to avoid boredom, conversation in her circle shied away from the mundane or intellectual. According to Madame Campan, one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting, 'The newest songs from the Comédie, the most timely joke or pun or quip, the bon mot of the day, the latest and choicest titbit of scandal or gossip – these comprised the sole topics of conversation in the intimate group about the queen; discussion on a serious plane was banished from her court.'"
3. the above suggests that marie antoinette would make me want to throw things. so in the presence of dunst portraying the vapid queen, i couldn't be trusted not to do profound harm to fellow moviegoers, who would be largely innocent.
i am excited about stranger than fiction, though, and thrilled to have two new christian bale movies out at approximately the same time.
I decided Marie Antoinette was best passed over. I consult rottentomatoes.com every now and then, and have determined that movies receiving "rotten" ratings on this site are decidedly not worth consuming. I've seen several movies rated "mostly-fresh," and these experiences have led me to believe that movie reviewers are, the country over, too generous.
I thought "My first day in Hell" was funnier than just about anything I've read in the New Yorker (comics excluded). Others to whom I have recommended it have not been so amused. Maybe the experience of teaching Milton and Dante to college freshmen has made the whole concept of Hell seem somehow both terribly poignant and utterly absurd. Handy's experience of Hell also made me wonder how funny "My First Day in Heaven" might be. Pretty funny, probably, since the idea of eternity has so much joke potential; but not as entertaining, if Dante's Commedia is any indication. Especially around the Halloween season.
Usually when I go see things I think I might not like, which I do all the time, I'm wrong. This time, no. It's often worth a shot, though.
My First Day in Heaven . . . what's the conceit? If First Day in Hell is supposed to be (notamovie review after all) a kind of eager beaver, i'm lucky to have this internship, what do I know, thing . . . I wouldn't want First Day in Heaven to be all know it all critical on a first day; too easy. Maybe vaguely suspicious that one has ended up working for a front or a pyramid scheme or Mary Kay or something . . .
I haven't made the parm towers. Things with breading make Benj nervous.
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