Day 5: “Morons from Outer Space”: And Now For Something Completely Different…

Film 5: “Morons from Outer Space” (1985)
Written by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones (“Alas, Smith and Jones,” Brit TV)
Directed by Mike Hodges (“Croupier” and 1971’s “Get Carter”)

Problem: Well, you see, there’s these people in a spaceship – not very bright people – a bit intelligence-challenged – in fact, morons. Four of them. One (Mel Smith) goes outside to play Spaceball in his spacewalk suit instead of fixing the broken navigational system…and BOOM! His mates (Joanne Pearce, Jimmy Nail and Paul Bown) lean on the gas, and leave him flat.

Solution: Hitch a ride of course. So it doesn’t work out very well, and you end up dumped on the nearest rotating rock? And you realize that while you’re viewed as a lunatic, your moronic mates have become rock stars on Earth…okay, solutions seem slim on the ground.

Result: What do ya think I think? Totally awesome! As in TOTALLY. Completely saturated in 1980s culture – London punks, Cold War paranoia and the best spoof of ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ I’ve ever seen – this movie will probably be loved most by those of us who lived through the era. Mel Smith, best known to most Yanks as the Albino in “Princess Bride,” has made quite a tidy living with co-writer Griff Rhys-Jones in surreal comedy, continuing the fine Monty Python tradition. Plenty of it is here in embryonic form, with a very filming-in-the-garage feel, reminiscent of “Real Genius” and “Top Secret!” A lovely treat for anyone who’s ever chuckled at “Spaceballs,” loved “E.T.” or truly enjoyed “Star Trek.” (Me? So guilty...on all counts.)

Day 3: “Catch and Release” – Maudlin Romance Tempered by Big Belly Laughs and Something Real to Say

Film 3: “Catch and Release” (2006)

Problem: True love dies. That is, one of the lovers dies. Still a pretty big problem, you’ll agree. It is indeed for Gray (Jennifer Garner), the unfortunate widow.

Solution: How else to break out of a despair stupor? Sleep with the handsome friend left behind, Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), at the funeral. Okay, so this could lead to some more problems…which of course fill up the rest of the film.

Result: Fairly touching, though I found Garner herself more affecting in “Juno.” Some great laughs, including a massage tête-à-tête between Juliette Lewis and Kevin Smith that you must see. I think the big problem with this genre – the Dead, Perfect Mate Genre – is that you seldom get to see Mr. Wonderful in action, so that as an audience member, you’re much less shocked when his imperfections arise than the characters are. In the end, this is a solid film about friendship getting us through the worst times of our lives. The circle of friends surrounding Gray and her husband must readjust, and most of the time, it seems as if it won’t. After all, what really bonds us together? Love? Habit? Our insane fright of the outside world? Writer Susannah Grant poses a lot of possibilities – enough to make you think about your own little world a moment – and isn’t that the point of story? Solidly above average.

Day 1: "A Foreign Affair"/"Two Brothers and a Bride" - or A Slightly Bizarre and Goofy Foray into Foreign Love

Film 1: “A Foreign Affair”/“Two Brothers & A Bride”

Problem: Two country farm boys (David Arquette and Tim Blake Nelson – brilliant in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) lose their mother to old age. No more French toast? Oh no!

Solution: Go to Russia on a love tour and find a good wife!

Result: Surprisingly straight-forward treatment of a ludicrous plot, which makes the realization that this happens all the time that much more sobering. Some real life wife-hunters and wanna-be brides cameo throughout the St. Petersburg scenes, and they’re just as desperate you’d think – which saddens an otherwise enjoyable comedy. Definitely indie material, but incredibly clean. After all, the boys are really after a housekeeper. So, no cursing or sex, but will your kids get it? Probably not if they’re under 14/15. Kudos to Emily Mortimer, who shows up in St. Pete, on a nicely nuanced performance.

Movie of the Month: "Millions" (2005)

(Click on title to link to the trialer; it's got Asian subtitles - Korean? - but the sound is in English. Sorry about the poor video quality, but this is a much better trailer than the one they made for American audiences.)

What would YOU do with a million pounds?

Completely unsubjective opinion: I adore "Millions." I'll admit its origins are unlikely. Writer Frank Cottrell Boyce ("Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story" - bawdy adult comedy - & "Hilary and Jackie" - sexually dysfunctional adult drama) teams up with director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting" - nihilistic druggie drama - and "Shallow Grave" - nihilistic crime comedy) to make a family fantasy comedy? Okay, so that might not seem the most natural pairing, but the surreal elements of both creators' previous works blow the top off of this genre's normal sugary fare. This film reminds me much more of "Finding Neverland" and "Willy Wonka" than the recent "Water Horse" (or anything featuring Dakota Fanning). In other words, this is adult-friendly material that will still entertain your kids. (I'd guess Grade 4 or 5 and up: some language.)

"Millions" does share a few things with other films: the charming young Alex Etel as lead (also the lead in "Water Horse"), an imaginary world contrasted with reality ("Bridge to Terabithia"), and the premise of ill-gotten gain discovered by innocent bystanders ("Shallow Grave" amongst others). But the film is its own creature. Any movie featuring a ten-year old lead teeters on the brink of wooden unbelievability (hello, "Episode One"). But the brilliantly direct young Etel disarms us; his constant conversations with dead saints revolve around practical considerations vs. googly-eyed wonder, such as "Can you smoke in heaven?" and "Have you seen my mother?" The rest of the excellent cast includes James Nesbitt as the father (prob most familiar to US audiences from his UK TV series - 'Adam' in "Cold Feet" and 'Murphy' of "Murphy's Law") and newcomer Lewis McGibbon as the older brother who sees the boys' discovery of thousands of pounds in a duffel bag with very practical eyes. (He buys himself a posse and girlfriends - Tony Soprano of the 8th grade.)

When the boys discover the money is stolen, their innocence slowly seeps away as adult avarice, fear and brutishness sully their find. Or does it? Can you face greed and crime with the best of childish intentions and still retain your goodness? And are we really born good, or just selfish?

Well, kids, that's what great storytelling is all about. Dancing along in the gray areas without getting lost. Screenwriter Boyce manages all this darkness with deep bursts of humanity as director Danny Boyle out-finesses Tim Burton, while keeping his off-kilter sensibility, with rich animation which plunges us into the main character's imagination - without ever feeling like we've left common sense behind. Together, they keep their fantastic premise bound to reality without the maudlin overacting of a Hollywood tear-jerker or the black-and-white boundaries of a Hallmark special.

Available on DVD (as well, of course, on Netflix) and sometimes reshown on IFC, this is a movie that will reward your seeking it out with professionalism all the way around. And always worth the effort: an emotionally satisfying English film.

Others Recommended in this vein: "About a Boy" (2002) (kid convinces Hugh Grant to grow up) and "Finding Neverland" (2004) (kid convinces Johnny Depp to never grow up). And for something far more Burton-esque but still convincingly human: "Mirrormask" (2005), a Dave McKean/Neil Gaiman animated/ live action fairy tale about a teenage girl who works for the circus and just wants to be normal, but has to fight the evil Queen of her own drawings to win her way back to reality - quickly gaining cult classic status amongst the high school set. (See my full review here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060210/news_1c10mirror.html)