Day 349: Empire Records (February, 21)

Between the two Moretti's movies, I took a break to watch Empire Records on a Sunday night, after a busy and tiring day.

Before seeing it on a Netflix' list, I had no idea this movie even existed, much less that it is a sort of a hit according to some. Anyway, it is an older film with Renee Zellweger and Liv Tyler (and Robin Tunney!!! Hello, Lisbon!), so I thought it would be worth a try. Throughout the whole movie, I couldn't point from where I knew Ethan Embry - his Mark is one of the best features on this movie. Now, writing about it, I saw on imdb.com that he made a cameo in many movies and TV shows in smaller roles. But his face is unmistakable. 

It was indeed, even if this production is so bizarre as the people working at that music store. I'd like to visit some place like that actually. Because, as the movie's main statement, the most legit places were already replaced by chain stores, in a murdering act against what is more interesting in such places as a music or a book store: the people in it and what they tell us about songs and stories and, of course, about themselves. Everything is related on our daily lives, and it shouldn't be different in a store dedicated to music, books and movies. This kind of relationship mediated by art is what make those kind of places so special, a true home. They're rare nowadays, especially in the city where I live.

People and their interations in this movie are great. Weird, as it should. But the thing is, the writing is too weird, nonsense in a not good way, chaotic, sappy, cheesy. However, as I've said, the people in it is worthy it.

Sure, in that sense, we'll always have High Fidelity (2000), as a kind of Paris for music lovers. But a film about the love for music as a way of living is never too much, and that one is nice, if we can excuse some of its not very convincing aspects. 

Empire Records. Directed by Allan Moyle. Cast: Liv Tyler, Anthony
LaPaglia, Rory Cochrane. Writer: Carol Heikkinen. USA,  1995, 95 min.,
SDDS/Dolby Digital, Color (Netflix).