I turned 29 this August and I was depressed so I went to the cinema and watched two movies back-to-back.
Irrational Man
I love how brazenly simple Woody Allen’s films are. He doesn’t care if his stories follow well-trodden paths to predictable endings–he just delights in the dramatic art of getting there.
Joaquin Phoenix plays a depressed philosophy teacher who finds new meaning in life when he witnesses injustice and takes the law into his own hands. When the inevitable fallout of his vigilante action ensues, the student he’s dating, played by Emma Stone, is faced with the irrationality of her teacher’s moralistic teachings versus his selfish actions and is conflicted about whether or not she should turn him in. Both actors turn in great performances and their meandering scenes of dialog sparkle. Like Phoenix’s character, Allen still sees the world as a terrifyingly pointless place, but he also takes joy in ironically punishing selfishness and wrongdoing. This film has an air of Greek tragedy to it, as well as a line of dialog that betrays Allen’s longing for something more. When discussing Christianity, Phoenix’s character admits what peace he would have if he could only believe in the Christian God. Allen sees right and wrong, justice and injustice and the concept of a loving and righteous God as mere human constructs–like a magic act; but as always he longs for the magic to be real.
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Not enough films without dialog are made these days. That the children’s animated film Shaun the Sheep Movie, residing in a genre that thrives on adult joke laden scripts voiced by celebrity actors, is sans dialog is pretty impressive. That I was the only person in the theater is pretty telling–no one wants to see a children’s film like this. But if you do choose to buck the trend and watch it, be prepared for a really fun time. Aardman Animations has outdone itself this time, sending their little claymation sheep names Shaun and his bumbling barnyard friends on a whimsical, hysterical adventure, communicated entirely through action and an occasional grunt, mumble or sigh. There’s a scene here that made me laugh out loud. Shaun and his sheep friends try to impersonate humans in a restaurant, mimicking everything they see around them, but that doesn’t work so well when a woman across from them accidentally brushes her silverware off the table and another patron spills his drink. It’s one of many joyously silly scenes in this film, and isn’t just cute but genuinely funny. If you have kids, rent this film! If you don’t have kids, rent this film!