Micah Tillman

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Or rather, movies that The Wife and I have watched recently:

La Femme Nikita

Impressive primarily for being an 80′s movie that — besides the soundtrack — isn’t thoroughly-revolting stylistically.

(I know, it was released in ’91. But it’s an 80′s movie. I think some continental Europeans are — strangely — behind the American style trends in certain respects, even while being ahead of them in other respects.)

And it’s in French, which is nice. Other than that, the movie isn’t that good. And the ending is terrible.

It’s not really an ending. It’s more of a set-up for La Femme Nikita 2, which doesn’t exist (unless the show counts), that I know of.

Man Bites Dog (C’est arrivé près de chez vous)

Fantastic movie for being confusing, disturbing, hilarious, and thought-provoking. Not something you want to see with the kids. Not something you probably want to see, period. It is disturbing.

It’s a mockumentary in which a film crew is making a film about a serial killer. Forces one to ask questions about “objectivity,” the difference between “commentary” and “reporting,” the tension between “observation” and “involvement” (whether you can do the former for very long without entering the latter), how your presence to an event correlates with your responsibility regarding that event, etc.

It’s confusing because it seems to be a commentary on all these issues without being clear about what exactly it’s saying. In other words, it’s not preachy even though it’s only funny because it clearly condemns all the main characters.

(If there was no sense in the movie that what was happening was wrong, there would be no irony. It would just be sick. But beyond the general sense that you’re meant to understand that what you’re seeing is an expression of something fundamentally gone wrong, you’re left to figure out for yourself what exactly it was (and when it was) that went wrong.)

I found it especially compelling, since I think the issues it’s dealing with are vitally important. See, e.g., my article, “Three Ways Selection Makes Mainstream News Not News.”

Live Free or Die Hard

I loved Die Hard: With a Vengeance and this one doesn’t disappoint. It raises questions about what it means to be a hero, and whether it’s right to do one’s job if it means hurting one’s family.

But mainly it’s just John McClane (ironic . . .) making us all feel a little safer (like Jack Bauer) while blowing things up. A “guy movie” with no nudity or sex. Perfect.

Oh, and it’s got the Mac guy in it. And Kevin Smith. But not Kevin Smith.

Tags: C'est arrivé près de chez vous, Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Jack Bauer, John McClane, Justin Long, Kevin Max, Kevin Smith, La Femme Nikita, Live Free or Die Hard, Mac, Man Bites Dog