2015/09/29

Day 202: The Little Prince + Rick and The Flash + The Last Drive-In Theater



Triple feature on OMAD! And better yet, on the last Drive-in theater in Brazil :)

A tedious and unbearably hot Sunday forced me to seek solace in a movie theater, as always. This time, I decided to go to my city's Drive-in to se for an special reason: The Last Drive-In Theater, the movie, was shot in that theater, and being surround by the scenario that I was seeing in front of me was amazing. It was exciting. I was thrilled by this lovely and heartfelt story about the life of the people around cinema and its amazing movies. That my hometown and the places in the film are a part of my daily life only added to this story that presents important social subjects in a sweet and honest manner.

The characters here are so real as the surroundings. Inside my car, the moon eclipse above my head, I could envision them around me, especially Paula, a girl that tells so much with her blunt ways. Those are carefull people, and being like this, we care and struggle with them, in the same scenario in front and around us. I was amazed by its sweet yet fierce voice.

The Last Drive-In Theater (O Último Cine Drive-In). Directed by Iberê
Carvalho. With: Othon Bastos, Breno Nina, Fernanda Rocha. Writers:
Iberê Carvalho, Zè Pedro Golfo. Brazil, 2015, 100 min., Color (Cinema).


It was an wonderful way to end this triple feature that had begun with The Little Prince, the movie adaptation based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupèry. What surprised me here was how this film is a clever view about the classic book. A well known story is told and retold in different ways, with different voices, and it is beautiful to see a movie adaptation recognizing itself as a interpretation among many.

The place occupied by Exupéry's book on current times is discussed by the impact of the Little Prince's story on the life of a driven young girl and her very organized mother. Behaving like an adult, the lost of childhood, the necessity of dreaming at all ages... the Little Prince's lessons are there, in the a present context of the unreal demands over children and adults. The Prince himself is hold hostage of the current demands. It is a beautiful written and illustrated view of a story that is a part of our imaginary. Its aging is visible though, mainly by the Portuguese dubbed version, in which the old formal language of the book is mantained. It spoiled the story for me a bit, to say the truth. It was sad, because the main point here I think was to show how modern the Prince's story still is, and its presence in our imaginations and daily life. 

The Little Prince. Directed by Mark Osborne. With: Rachel McAdams,
Benicio Del Toro, Marion Coutillard 
(original version). Writers: Irene
Brignull, Bob Persichetti from the novel by Antoine de Saint-Expéry.
France, 2015, 108 min., Dolby Digital, Color/Animated (Cinema).


Between those two sweet movies there was the las Meryl Streep movie transformations, Rick and The Flash. A thing about multiple screening in Drive-in is that there isn't an intermission between them. So immediately after the final credits of The Little Prince, I was faced with a very rock'n roll Meryl Streep singing. And we see many scenes like that, unusual on movies: the whole songs featured on screen, without other actions that the musical performances. IT is nice and weird at the same time, as it is the main goal of this movie, I guess. Because the whole story revolves around how inadequate Rick's family makes her fell in her pursuit for a musical career.

In its simple and unpretentious ways, this movie says a lot, in the loud voice of Streep's performance. She provokes on us recognition and repulse at the same time, and it's admirable I think. The many cliches here are used on the benefit of this story, and they are an example of how to tell a story with stereotypes without being fake or a caricature. People are presented here on their familiar categories, but they can do the unexpected. Until this day, I didn't know that Mamie Gummer is Meryl Streep's daughter, and they work beautifully together. Kevin Kline and Rich Springfield (Rick Springfield!!!!) are good too as a part of a cast that tell the story of familiar strugles in a simple and captivating way. 

Nothing pretentious, just a woman pursuing her dreams - and that's always worthy, even if the outcome is nothing like she would have imagined or wanted. 

Rich and The Flash. Directed by Jonathan Demme. With: Meryl Streep,
Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer. Writer: Diablo Cody. USA, 2015, 101 min.,
Dolby Digital/SDDS/Datasat, Color (Cinema).

PS: Rick Springfield alwyas bring me a smile because of one book in which Jesse's Girl makes a cute and importante cameo: it is Ralph's Party, the first book by Lisa Jewell, one of my favorite authors for a long time. 

PPS: The moon just before being eclipsed:



2 comments:

  1. I too enjoyed "O último cine drive-in" very much, it was a special session because I went to its premiere, the place was packed, the cast and crew were present. Once the final credits popped on the screen, hundreds of cars started honking and they had fireworks, it was very emotional. But I know what you mean, it was great to watch a movie about a place being in said place myself, and the beautiful shots around the city were a nice touch to its poetic narrative. Such a nice, feel good story!

    Now, how lovely is this new version of "The Little Prince"?? Adorable! I loved their approach of incorporating different styles of animation within the same film as a way of telling a story inside the story. So well done.

    As for Meryl Streep's new film, I confess I haven't fiven it a minute of my day, but you know how I feel about cliches and when they're given good use, so this film's got my attention. I'll give it a go someday.

    It sure sounds like you had a great Sunday after all. And the eclipse was a nice touch to it. Fun :)

    [ j ]

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    1. It must have been the premiere of dreams <3 I'm happy that, probably because of the movie, the Drive-in is more full than usual, lots of cars on the front for two or more features. That's great, I think.

      It was indeed a happy Sunday, one that I hadn't dared to have for a long time (I used to spend all Sundays at the movie theater, with three or more films in a roll).

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