Back from seeing Be Kind Rewind

Last year had me going to the theater much more than usual, but still with mixed results. Zodiac being a fantastic start followed by films that were okay for a one time viewing on the big screen, but nothing worth owning on DVD till a flow of great films began in August with The Bourne Ultimatum followed by 3:10 To Yuma and several others through the end of the year.

I've actually made it nearly to the end of February this year before going to the movies. Not by choice, but nothing was grabbing me. Finally, Be Kind Rewind came along to end the drought. It isn't a perfect film or a universal recommendation, but it had been in the back of my mind to see it since first catching the trailer. The selling point of the film, the "sweded" short versions of other movies, works beautifully, but the main story itself doesn't seem to flow quite well enough. It's hard to say what could have been done differently other than adjusting the pacing to deal with some slow points (and less of Jack Black's bodily functions would've been nice).

Getting back to what works, the no-budget remakes are terrific and inventive. The first one out of the gate, Ghostbusters, made me laugh ever since seeing it in the trailer. My favorite, though, is the sweded 2001: A Space Odyssey with some fun visual trickery, Jack Black as HAL, and Mos Def going for a circular run. Initially, I'm not sure about buying Be Kind Rewind on DVD with some of the heart-string tugging main plot being a little much, but extended cuts of the various short films with behind the scenes looks at their making would swing my vote.