Change Your Image
jtkueppers
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Halloween Party (2012)
Strange and Odd....But in a Good Way!
I left feeling kind of trippy but also very festive. And I think that's the point. The title of the movie speaks for itself because you are transported deep into a crazy Halloween party, literally. The objective is to make you feel like you're participating with them, especially with the voyeuristic camera angles meant to capture everything...and I mean everything :) It also starts off one way and then takes you to another place that is actually touching and surprising, but always finds its way back to the party! The performances feel very authentic, too, even when they are drunk and in insane costumes...you believe this could all be happening.
This movie really entertains and when you're hosting a "Party"...what more can you ask for?
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
...and Napoleon Dynamite is just that, brilliantly funny in it's own sort of way. RANDOM FUN!
Oh sure, you're going to get the so-called "high-brow" critics who desperately WANT that story arc and those neatly resolved situations and characters, then just let them whine about what's missing because it doesn't fit their film school, Syd Field Standard of writing/film-making. These critics just don't have the sensibilities that the majority of movie-goers have and crave...a sensibility for something quirky, silly and just plain FUN. The title character is so unique and interesting in his over-the-top geeky role that it makes for one of the most memorable characters in a long time...like a Jeff Spicoli or Corky St. Clair.
The majority of people appreciate this type of humor, hence the awards it has received. It truly is a series of fairly random moments loosely tied together to create the "story", which is why it's so good. I mean, why do Napoleon and Pedro know so much about milk and cows? It's never explained...it's random...which makes it odd and funny in an irreverent way.
Throw in even more meaningless subplots with a brother and uncle and your recipe for humor grows. There certainly is "heart" in each character's experience, it just may not be "fleshed out" like some crave...but who cares in this type of movie? Most of you will still laugh nonetheless.
Wes Anderson, Christopher Guest and Terry Zwigoff should be proud for influencing and inspiring new filmmakers to go out and create such a quirky and somewhat surreal world where unique characters and situations can exist.
Entertainment in a film just doesn't need to be the all encompassing experience some demand, it just needs to be entertaining...and Napoleon Dynamite is just that, brilliantly funny in it's own sort of way. RANDOM FUN!