The Darjeeling Limited, Paris je t'aime, Top Ten List

The Darjeeling Limited - Ah, Wes Anderson. The poster boy for quirky, indie, intellectual, hipster comedy-drama. My love for him knows no limits. I admit, he may not be for everyone. I mean, after all, not much really ever happens in his movies. But, I for one, love him. And The Darjeelinig Limited? Well, it's just the next in what I consider to be a stellar directing career. Sure, it's not as good as The Royal Tenenbaums or (especially) Rushmore. But it's slightly better than the superb Bottle Rocket and way better than the slightly (I said, slightly) disappointing The Life Aquatic. The Darjeeling Limited is a film occupied with moments. It's not so much concerned with, how should I put this, plot but for me (and probably for most Anderson fans) that doesn't ever get dull. These moments that fill up the movie are wonderful moments. They are well crafted and who just how much Anderson has matured over the years. The film is essentially about a spiritual journey. Three brothers who haven't spoken in a year (since their fathers hilariously tragic funeral) reunite on a trainride through India. Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Anderson newcomer Adrien Brody (who fits quite perfectly in Wes-world) star as the three brothers. The film is great from the very start with a hilarious and memorable cameo from the great Bill Murray, trying to catch the Darjeeling Limited train in slow motion. Still, he's outrun by Brody's Peter all to the tune of The Kinks' 'This Time Tomorrow' (oh, the music! Isn't music always another character in Anderson movies? Love the music). The film also features a small role from the great Anjelica Huston and a tiny cameo from Natalie Portman (who plays heavily in the short film prelude Hotel Chevalier which is highly recommended viewing before the film). In the end, this movie is just great fun. It's a fun ride through a world occupied by colorful characters and memorable incidents. The film is quite simply bright, random, happy, sad, funny, stupid, silly and wise.

Grade: B+

Paris, je t'aime - The tagline here is 'stories of love from the city of love.' Indeed. Paris, je t'aime is a collection of 18 short films by acclaimed directors and starring great actors (some well known, some not at all). It's a sometime bizzare, sometimes stupid, sometimes beautiful look at the language of love. A friend of mine described the film as being frustrating because it was like watching the first five minutes of 18 different movies. I disagree. I've always loved the short film as an art form and I think this collection is a great way to express 18 different ideas on one subject. It's terribly interesting. It's a creative and unique look at different directors each lending their own unique vision and interpreting love in the City of Lights. When you are dealing with 18 short films, obviously, there are going to be some films that are better than others. You have it all here, really. There is one short in particular that was just almost painful to watch. It was entitled Porte de Choisy and it was just strange and weird and stupid. It follows some sort of shampoo salesman who arrives in a Chinatown-looking place in Paris. I think perhaps the story was about inner beauty but I could be completely wrong. Of course, there are those shorts that are mediocre. There are quite a few of those. A few that are dull and forgettable. But, for the most part, the collection is mostly hits with only a few misses. There are quite a few memorable shorts. Of course, the short that stands out as being most different is the noir-esque vampire love story starring Elijah Wood called Quartier de la Madeleine. While that looked and felt the most different and was quite strong, it wasn't in my top 5 favorites among the shorts. The five I want you to pay most attention to when you watch this film (because you should) are (in the order they appear): 1) Tuileries - Directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Steve Buscemi, he's absolutely mesmerizing without ever saying one single word. The entire sequence is just hilarious. It kept me hooked through until the very end of the sequence. 2) Bastille - Probably my favorite among the shorts. A man meets his wife at a restaurant where he plans on telling her he's leaving her for his mistress. However, he soon gets some rather devastating news from his wife and he changes his mind. It's sad and simple and beautiful. 3) Tour Eiffel - Two mimes fall in love while spending the night in jail together. Plus, the kid is super adorable. 4) Faubour Saint-Denis - Tom Twyker's short film is the most beautifully done. It's stunning and lovely. A blind man picks up the phone and hears from his girlfriend (a beautiful Natalie Portman) that she is breaking up with him. He reflects on their relationship. It's short and stunning and it stays with you - everything a short film should do. 5) 14th Arrondissement - The final sequence is just hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. An American woman tells her French class about her trip to Paris. Her French is terrible, but by the end of the segment, she realizes what Paris is really all about. A lovely final way to sum up a great collection of shorts. Check it out.

Grade: B

Top Ten List - Best Movie Endings

Spoiler Alert! Obviously, I'm probably going to spoil some stuff if you haven't seen these movies. You've been warned. This is inspired by the fact that I am currently watching Se7en. So, here's my list (what's yours?):

10. Hard Candy - You can argue that adding this to my list is just an excuse to talk about this movie that I love so much and to talk about Ellen Page who I love so much. Valid point. Talk about an ending, though. Ellen Page gives a master class acting performance (and she was, like, 18 when she made this move!). When Hayley reveals that she's known the truth all along, try not to let your skin crawl. Plus, you just know she's not getting rid of any evidence. Ellen Page - I love you.

09. The Village - You can take your 'The Sixth Sense' ending anytime you want. I will always prefer 'The Village.' Although, I'm not necessarily a fan of M. Night Shyamalan, this is my favorite of his films. The end is fantastic and intellegent and just plain surprising. Unlike The Sixth Sense which you could, seriously, see coming a mile away.

08. Closer - This is a movie filled with liars. All of the characters do is lie and lie and lie some more. Except Alice (Natalie Portman). It seems Alice may be the only emotionally honest person in the entire film. But, when we finally see her passport, we find out she's the biggest liar of all. Her name really is Jane. Thank you.

07. The Birds - First of all: Here's a little bit of a confession. This movie scares me to death! It just simply terrifies me. In the end it seems that our lovebirds (ha) are headed to safety. But then the camera pans out. And guess what? There are birds, birds, crazy I'll peck your eyeballs out birds EVERYWHERE. How far do you really think our heroes are going to get in that soft top convertible?

06. The Silence of the Lambs - I can't possibly think of a more perfect way to part ways with our dear old friend Hannibal Lector. The ever intelligent, witty and clever man has a little phone conversation with Clarice. His parting words? "I'm having an old friend for dinner." Perfection.

05. Planet of the Apes - An astronaut is in a strange, strange world filled with apes. But, in the end when Charelton Heston grabs his lady love and tries to run, guess what he finds? Lady Liberty buried in the sand. What have we done to our country? Social commentary at its best.

04. Fight Club - The destrction of capitalism all set to the beautiful music of The Pixies. Plus, the whole, I am Tyler Durden thing. Well, I'm sure you've seen it. You know.

03. Chinatown - Chinatown is everything and nothing all at once. In the end, (after the whole, 'She's my sister. She's my daughter. She's my sister. She's my daughter' fiasco - best. scene. ever.), Jake (my ultimate movie star boyfriend Jack Nicholson) solves the crime. And then he's told, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." God, I love this movie.

02. Se7en - Watching it again, I'm finding it a little hard to take seriously and I blame Andy Samberg for that. All I can hear is, "Step One: Cut a hole in the box. Step Two: Put Gwennie's head in a box. Step Three: Make Pitt open the box." But, still, this movie is simply great. Kevin Spacey always has the upper hand...

01. The Usual Suspects - Told you so! You think Chazz Palminteri is leading Spacey's Verbal Kint to the slaughter house. You think you've got it all figured out. But with the simple breaking of a coffee cup and the shaking off of a limb, everything you thought you knew completely changes. It's everything a movie ending should be.