Movie Log 2012: It's Reeduslicious!
19. Beat (2000) - starring Kiefer Sutherland, Courtney Love, Norman Reedus
I really liked this. A lot. More than I probably should have, actually. It's the story of William S. Burroughs (accidentally?) killing his wife, but not really. Really it's the story of the weekend that Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg visited Burroughs and his common-life wife Joan in Mexico. Lucien had been in love with Joan prior to being sent to prison (long story), and Burroughs is away on a week-long trip with his gay-for-pay lover, and there is a road trip and confusion and regret and things-unsaid. The movie is short and because of that the characterizations can tend to suffer, but I liked that the audience was treated intelligently enough by the filmmakers to know that we can figure shit out. Kiefer is great. This is the first movie I've ever seen Courtney in, and she was... adequate, aside from using one default expression (sliding her bottom lip to the side and biting it) to express every.emotion.ever. Reedus is great as well, subtly conveying a lot of complexity to the impulsive Carr. (And there's a bonus shirtless scene, which is actually a strip-down-to-the-boxers-in-the-middle-of-the-road-after-being-pulled-over-by-the-police scene. See above re: impulsiveness. So. There's that.)
20. Octane (2003) - starring Madeleine Stowe, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Norman Reedus
This is one weird, messed up, quirky little film. I literally spent the first half hour going WHAT. What is... but. WHAT. I don't... WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? ...HEEEE. It's about. Well. Mischa Barton plays this snot-nosed teen who treats her mother like shit while on a late night trip home, and then runs off with a group of hippy-dippy teens in a motor home. (And seriously, when that happened? I was like seeeee, stupid mother? THIS is why you don't LET your daughter treat you like shit her whole life! 'Cause she will now do STUPID SHIT like this! You idiot. I'm so glad I never had kids. Anyway...)
Madeleine goes on the hunt for her daughter, and practically everyone she turns to is not who they seem/is somehow involved in these shenanigans, and she gets more and more desperate. Reedus is a tow-truck driver/mechanic dude who's also involved. There are waaaaay too many coincidences -- how do the bad guys know that Stowe will be traveling that road? How do they know about her past? How do they know where she'll stop? -- and it's awfully convenient that Stowe manages to watch the single video (out of about 50!) that will give us the insight we need into Reedus's family. But I'm willing to overlook that, because I love movies that aren't spoonfed and I love the creepy/weird/claustrophobic/intense VIBE of this whole thing. I'm assuming they tried to leave the who-are-these-freaks thing ambiguous, coz they never actually SAY "vampires", but I'm not sure what other interpretation works. (Reedus has a fairly small but integral part. He's good. No shirtlessness.)
21. A Crime (2006) - starring Harvey Keitel, Emmanuelle Beart, Norman Reedus
A lil story about obsession. *nods* Reedus plays Vincent, who arrived home three years ago to find his wife murdered. He had passed this cabbie wearing a red shirt and driving a dented taxi, so now he is obsessed with finding this guy who he's sure is the murderer. Emmanuelle Beart is his next-door neighbour, who's obsessed with Vincent. She knows the only way she can get with him is to find this killer, so she methodically goes about framing Keitel. Who becomes obsessed with her. And then things get complicated.
I liked this one, but I didn't love it. The movie wasn't compelling enough for me to ignore the coincidences, Beart just isn't a very good actress, and frankly, the contrived ending kind of ruined it. But Reedus is very good (and shirtless) and Keitel is always good, and there's an adorable dog. So you wouldn't really go amiss giving it a go. *nods*
22. The Notorious Bettie Page (2005) -- starring Gretchen Mol, Lili Taylor, Norman Reedus
This is a superfast flip through the life of the original pin-up queen, Bettie Page. Gretchen plays her as a naive, wholesome southern girl who just doesn't get what all the fuss is about -- she's just having fun, everybody treats her with respect, and how can a few little bondage photos cause so much fuss? Maybe the real Bettie was truly like that, but I found it a tad grating over 90 minutes. Still, the acting is superb all around, with Lili Taylor as the absolute stand-out. Reedus plays Bettie's husband -- he has one scene with a few lines of dialogue, and a montage. (No shirtlessness, but there's a wifebeater. Aaaand I just realized that can be taken several ways. You'll see if you watch the movie. Eeep.)
23. Six Ways to Sunday (1997) - starring Norman Reedus, Debbie Harry, Adrian Brody
LOVE THIS. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS. No really. LOVE. In this black comedy, Norman is Harold and Debbie Harry of Blondie is his overprotective, passive-aggressive mother. Harold, as it turns out, has a temper, which the mob puts to good use. And Harold also has "Madden", who steps in when his aggressive tendencies are going to get out of hand. (I should point out that while it's a dark comedy, the movie is also... well, it could be disturbing for some. The final scene, though? Made me LITERALLY snort and laugh out loud.)
Reedus is FANTASTIC in this. A lot of it is in his physical performance. At the beginning of the film and (almost) anytime he's around his mother he is nervous, twitchy, constantly looking down or playing with his hands. As the movie progresses and he gains confidence, it's really amazing to watch the physical performance evolve along with the better clothes and the more confident gaze. This is Reedus truly showing that he's got something special. Two glorious thumbs up. (Oh. And yes, there's shirtlessness, too. What a win. Hee.)
Five films. Liked 'em all. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?
So that brings my total to 23 movies watched for the year, and one more rewatch (Jurassic Park, because I was in the mood for brainless entertainment. *nods*)
And now? This. Just because.
Reedus at a convention, earlier this month. I cannot even begin to express how much I love those little grey hairs coming in in his goatee. CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO EXPRESS.
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