movie review

[kmusser]

For those of you that like weird movies, you know who you are, I highly recommend The City of Lost Children - it is absolutely whacked. Sort of a combination of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Brazil, only more surreal. The setting is very steampunkish. I won't attempt to describe the plot, but I will tell you that all the characters are either a) children, b) carnival workers, or c) insane - makes for a great combination. Those of you that like your movies to make sense may want to skip it though.

Comments

[wanderingbastet.livejournal.com]

That is indeed a very good, very bizarre movie. Definitely not so much with the making of the sense, but an excellent flick nonetheless.

[allah-sulu.livejournal.com]

My wife has that one (and also recommends it), but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

[kestrel127.livejournal.com]

I LOVE that movie. Except the whole guy loves a twelve year old part. The clones are played by the guy who was the jealous guy who talked into a tape recorder in Amelie.

[kinksville]

Every time I walk by that movie at Blockbuster I think about renting it but they never seem to have it in.

[elffire78.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, i've see City of Lost Children at least twice and love it!! :D

I would reccomend watching it with the subtitles, cause the dubbing SUX!

[sporksoma.livejournal.com]

I watched that with Damon back a few years ago. He loved it and so we rented it. It was whacked. That whole head-in-a-jar-type-thingy was weird.

Or am I thinking of a different movie?

I'm confused now.

I know what movie you're talking about, though. And it was weird. But in a good way.

[kmusser]

yes, there is indeed a brain-in-a-jar as one of the characters.

[sporksoma.livejournal.com]

Aha!

It further confirms that movie as being weird!

[kineticfactory.livejournal.com]

TCoLC is one of my favourite films, and has been since I saw it in the cinema. It's magnificent. (Though comparing it to A Series Of Unfortunate Events does it a disservice, IMHO; it is a lot fresher and more imaginative than the books, and I can't imagine the Jim Carrey movie holding a candle to it.)

Some more info: it's French (which gives it extra cross-cultural quirkiness) and it's by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro (who did Delicatessen and the former of whom went on to do Amélie and A Very Long Engagement)

[kmusser]

The ASoUE movie is very similar in atmosphere, that and the common element of stealing children is where I got the comparison. It isn't a particularly good movie, mostly due to the horrible mis-casting of Jim Carrey in it, it might have been really cool with someone else, but once he's in it it becomes a "Jim Carrey movie" and everything else is lost. I haven't read the books.

Amelie is another one of my favorites :-)

ASoUE, AVLE

[kineticfactory.livejournal.com]

I read the first ASoUE book, and was unimpressed. It seemed very predictable and unimaginative, like a mass of second- and third-hand Victorian-gothicisms shoehorned onto a laboured plot, and embossed with overwrought language. As far as fauxvicgoth goes, it wasn't Edward Gorey or even Tim Burton.

From what I've seen of the film (the trailer, reviews, promotional materials), it looked too much like a hack (or committee thereof) trying to do Tim Burton by numbers, whilst juggling the demands of script doctors, studio money men and fast-food-chain marketing types.

Btw, have you seen A Very Long Engagement? It's excellent, both technically and aesthetically; it is as if Amélie was a rehearsal for the making of this film.

Re: ASoUE, AVLE

[kmusser]

Btw, have you seen A Very Long Engagement?

I have not, will definitely be adding it to the Netflix queue.

[telarus.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, City of Lost Children. Definately Up There on the Big Erisian Movie List. I agree with the above comment about watching it in the french with subtitles.....but only if you're used to watching subtitled movies.

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

It is wonderful... it was my introduction to Jeunet's work. If you haven't seen "Amelie" yet, do it...

He also directed "Alien: Resurrection"... which was written by Joss Whedon...

[hexar-le-saipe.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhh Yeahh.

"The most astounding visuals of 1995, 1996 and maybe 1982. I loved it!"
-Terry Gilliam

[kalkail.livejournal.com]

Watching CoLC dubbed is criminal, painful and cruel.

I for one didn't like the movie much but I absolutely LOATHED it dubbed. Glad you liked it though!

[daehith.livejournal.com]

A wonderful movie! And hey, it makes perfect sense, in it own weird internal logic. I think. Yeah.

I always think of it as "the movie Terry Gilliam wishes he'd made." It does bring to mind Brazil because of the dark atmosphere and surreal story and setting.

It also has a pretty nifty soundtrack by Badalamenti, who did the music in Twin Peaks.

(Actually, watched part of Brazil again the other day. Such an awesome movie.)