Here’s just a small review of Be Kind Rewind, the new movie of Michel Gondry, my favorite director... for X reasons : I love his way of thinking, of filming just like you enter his head, you enter your own head. He’s himself, with his qualities and defaults, that’s what I like...
Well, first impression as usual : I was happy at the end of the movie, I laughed and thought during the movie. I actually enjoy the movie , really. It put a smile upon my face. But I have mixed feelings. The end, the begining.. no, I didn’t get it.
The movie begins slowly, some shots seem useless, with no logical links. I usually like this kind of disturbances but not that time. I like the very begining with the ’movie’ but then came the story, the presentation of the characters and for about 10/20 minutes I wasn’t there. Why? dunno... I have to watch the movie again maybe. Well after that, the sweding began and all was funny, smart , entertaining and interesting.
It’s quite a declaration of love ... Michel Gondry shows and embrasses his love for cinema, for movies which are considered as masterpieces, for movies he had lived and grown with which aren’t considered as masterpieces (ghostbusters could be the main example). Ghostbuters sweeded ! That was very funny and it reminds me Plan 9 for Outer Space and all Ed Wood’s movies. It’s like he always wanted to make those movies himself... just like me! If I could get back in the future, I’ll make Eternal Sunshine of the spotless Mind, all the same of course because i just love this movie, but I will see my name on the big screen and I will enter Eternity and I’d finally achieve something in my life that people could watch, admire or not, and so share a bit of my solitude in this world (I’m not dramatic but that’s true, we are alone in our heads). And that’s partly what this film is about. Why do we love movies? Because we identify ourselves to the characters and sometimes to the director, the scenarist. I did feel this way while watching the movie... and Why do we want to be on TV? To be recongnized? Why do we want to be sure that everybody is aware of our success/despair/love... because we are alone? Because we can die at any time?
That’s what I like in Michel’ s movie. I always ask myself questions with no real response. And maybe that’s all a movie must be about... uncertainty, no answer, life indeed. That’s why i finally like the end of the movie because it is a human reaction. It is like he makes the end of the movie just like the audience want to make it. Idealistic, unrealistic, optimistic... and another idea comes to my mind : Hollywood used to make some preview to determined the end of the movie, to see if the editing has to be changed. Is that so shameful? I can’t be didactique about that by now. If the movie is strong enough it shouldn’t previewed and adapted to the audience tastes. But what if the movie is crap? maybe it could help some movies...
well, I love Michel Gondry’s work definitively, be Kind Rewind may not be my favorite movie but i love it all the way. It has different layers, which is very smart and that makes great movies and great director... still, i’ll die to question him about some interpretations of his movie (mine of course ) just like I’m dying to meet great movies soon (Daarjeeling here I come!)