John Mc

This is a collection of my thoughts. Some of the thoughts that I once had, I no longer do. Some thoughts I have now I have never had. Yet none shal be discounted. This blog is soley for the enjoyment of the author and the readers. On occasion the views expressed are overly exagerated in order to prove a point. Also there may be a dirty word or thought in some of the posts. Grow up and take this for what it's worth - a blog that barely anyone will ever see.

11/11/2006

Stranger Than Fiction

Just saw a movie with my friend Kate. She and I have become movie partners. It is rare and unplanned when we do see a movie. I will send a text message to her and after a short back-and-forth, we head out to see what is playing. It is quite the spur of the moment kind of thing.
I guess I'm like that. If money were no object, a weekend in a random city would be on my schedule at least once a month. The city would probably not be determined until the day of.
If you ask me what I'm doing tonight at 10 am, my answer may be completely different than what I actually end up doing. My day starts off on one path, and after a series of decisions, several new paths emerge. Don't dare asking me what I'm doing next weekend. My answer will surely be incorrect.
But, am I making these decisions or are they made for me? Does the world influence me? Sure it does. If Jenny is having people over tonight, but I don't really care for Jenny or some of the people that she is having over, I may consider it a back-up plan. If Tom tells me that he would like to shoot some pool tonight, Jenny is out and Tom is in. Tom has influenced my activities for the day. But, was it Tom? Was it something greater? Did I choose what I did that Thursday night, or did someone or something else? Who is really in control?
Yes, I know. Pretty deep for 12:32 on a Friday night.
But, that is the kind of questions that you start off with after seeing "Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Ferrell. This was a GREAT movie. It is a separation from Will's previous roles in "Anchorman" or "Talladega Nights." It is not a comedy, but instead a drama with comedic undertones.
The premise is that Will plays a character by the name of Harold Crick. Harold works for the IRS and is part rainman. He is remarkable with numbers and well suited for his boring job. One day, he begins hearing a voice that narrates everything that he is doing. Shortly into the film we find that an author is writing a novel that has Harold as it's main character.
This film is rather dry and at times, slow-paced. However, it is, by far, the best new release of the year. I give it four stars out of four. It seems like a silly premise, but once you get past that, you get involved with the characters. Think of "The Royal Tenembaums," "Rushmore" and "Steve Zazu." I know that the same director(s) did those films. Their feeling is very similar to "Stranger Than Fiction." The only difference is that I enjoyed this film. Other than a few brief moments of "Steve Zazu" (I'm at a loss for the movie's complete title) I didn't care for their movies. I did enjoy their style.
So forget about Borat and dancing penguins. See this movie first. It will be well worth your time.

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