Catfish at the cinema

For such a good movie, there was absolutely nothing creative about Sideways.
Imagine a buddy flick pairing, get this, polar opposites who despite some serious disagreements emerge as better friends.
Imagine a road-trip movie when, get this, an introvert breaks out of his shell a bit.
Imagine a wine metaphor that, get this, reveals so much more about the characters.
Imagine a bittersweet ending that, get this, brings salvation for the audience and the protagonist.
Imagine conventional cinematography, standard character-driven drama, and just the right amount of sappy music.
And imagine it all being damn good, good enough to earn the Oscars it was nominated for, if not all the praise. As DiGiovani put it, it’s the fourth best film of the year but also the most overrated. I kinda think I’d have enjoyed it more, with far less cynicism, if I were 40.
I guess my tastes swing more to the films that are just plain weird. Something that’s new and different, or at least has some cool gimmick. Check out my 2004 favorites. All sorts of slightly wacky pictures, and very little on the critically acclaimed drama. Maybe I’m not too big on the art of acting in general - film is a medium that can bring so damn much that you don’t necessarily need it that much. Combining music, photography, literature and all, I think film is best when it’s all swirling imagery and thought-provoking statements.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was so amazingly creative, both in the story and the visual presentation. Sure the acting is phenomenal as well, but it doesn’t just stop there. Hero was conventional in a sense, but it kicked so much ass in terms of color and action that it just blew me away. Shaun of the Dead was the funniest, strangest movie of the year. Both halves of Kill Bill were absolute playgrounds of cinema.
I saw the Life Aquatic last week and while it may have been a half step shy of Wes Anderson’s best, it still fit right in. Taking the chance of peppering the soundtrack with Portugese Bowie covers for no apparent reason just makes a better movie than some orchestral score. I thought the missteps in Life Aquatic were either having not enough of a story, or too much of one (it’s hard to tell with Anderson). The characters were weird and the premise contrived, but his strength is turning out fascinating movies in the face of those things.
And fascinating movies are what I prefer. I need to turn my netflix up a notch.