cheech

I rented two movies.
One of them is Jesus' Son. When it came out, I thought about seeing it, but I was worried by the perception I got from reviews that it was "about" drug use or rehab. I have to say (this ties in with what I wrote on Morgan's journal) seeing people do drugs or drink is not my idea of a fascinating time. When I first saw Trainspotting, I was disappointed. I thought it would be like a James Kelman or Gordon Legge story, just Scottish kids hanging out, doing what they do. The fact that it was SO focused on heroin distracted me from totally enjoying the overall style of the film til I watched it a second time.
When Jesus' Son came out on cable, I watched parts of it a couple times. Maybe three. I didn't get totally caught up in it...in fact, I assumed I didn't like it, and didn't think about it for months...but I recently realized there was a look and feel to the movie, a disoriented blank stare of semi-emotion, that was drawing me back to view it again.
So I watched it last night. I like it, although I have to warn you: it's not about drugs, or rehab, or anything. It is truly what people used to say about Seinfeld. It's about nothing (whereas Seinfeld was clearly about specific things, like Junior Mints dropped into patients, and coming up with good comebacks to insulting coworkers, etc etc).
The biggest shock to me was Jack Black outacting Holly Hunter. Yeah, I know. I've had a love/unimpressed relationship with Jack for a long time, but I think it's love now. I feel for Holly though. Her character was harder-- be a sort of tragic figure in mourning, but by god be QUIRKY and amusing too. Jack, all he had to do was be The Jack Black Character (if you don't know by now, you haven't paid attention) only more zonked out on pills...but he does it so motherfreakingly WELL! I haven't seen every Jack Black movie,but does he play Jack Black in all of them? I mean, he's getting to be the new Cary Grant.
Oh, Billy Crudup and Samantha Morton are great, too. Billy's character is so neither likable nor unlikable. Maybe thats' why it's called Jesus' Son, aside from the Velvets heroin reference-- he's dropped down to earth, devoid of earthly motive or motivation. Samantha, she gets to play a fairly-needy wreck.

The other movie was tonight I saw Ghost Dog. Oddly, while MUCH more "happens" in the film (i.e. there are gunfights, motivations, revenge, understandably comedic moments, philosophical discussions and voiceovers out the wazoo...not to mention Jarmusch's starkly-tasteful directing...and err Wu Tang members, if that's your bag...I'm sorta post-caring-about -Wu myself...) I have less to say about it. Forest Whitaker is fantastic in it; I assumed you'd know that already...

...but the ending is pretty anticlimactic. Ghost Dog is a movie that goes a long way to kinda fizzle out, while Jesus' Son never really feels a need for theme, although perhaps I overstate that nothing happens. The regular movie stuff, like life, death, meetings, partings, moving, that all happens...I don't pick up a theme, though.

Both movies are good, worth seeing, but I give a slight edge to Jesus' Son for it's insuciance in just BEING without a need to prove anything. "You can watch some other movie for conflict resolution; here's some real life, maybe a bit more spaced-out, with nice cinematography," it says. I respect that. Plus, if you saw my everyday life, you'd probably understand why I relate to inertia.

ps - Oh yeah, I realized already that there's an irony in my saying "watching people get loaded in movies is boring" and yet my name is Cheech. Cheech and Chong were funny getting loaded in movies. Very few other people are.