Bottle Rocket (Spine #450)

"They'll never catch me... because I'm fucking innocent." - Dignan

When we're young, there's not just that feeling that we're invincible. We also carry with us the connotation that everything we do is right. I mean, in our own eyes, how could we possibly ever be wrong? Now, imagine being grown, but never letting go of those sentiments. Add in some best friends and grandiose ideas, and you've got "Bottle Rocket". This is a film that not only introduced us to beloved filmmaker Wes Anderson, a young man that lists four of his five films as part of the Criterion Collection (sorry, "The Darjeeling Limited"), but it is also the feature film debuts of the Wilson Brothers; Luke, Owen, and the virtually unknown Andrew. It's incredible to see that, even this early on, Anderson already had such an incredibly visual eye for film as well as the basic themes that would continue on throughout all of his works.

The movie begins with us seeing Anthony (Luke Wilson) checking himself out of a mental health facility. We find out that he entered and is leaving of his own free will, knowledge that his best friend Dignan (Owen Wilson) is completely unaware of, as he believes he is busting Anthony out. As they are on their way home, Dignan shares his "75 year plan" notebook with Anthony, which is full of suggestions of heists and riches, all with the intent of them joining Mr. Henry's (James Caan) gang. The two of them then break into a house, taking little things and timing themselves. Practice, as it were, for when they go for the bigger heists. After a moderately funny exchange, we discover that the house was Anthony's parents. Right off the bat, the movie has established that Dignan is a "man-child" of sorts; big dreams, no real sense of "wrong", but a massive sense of entitlement. Anthony, on the other hand, comes off as very simple and kind; sort of blindly following Dignan around with little complaint.

The "boys" begin planning their first big crime; a local book store. While not only silly, it further pushes the simple-mindedness of the pair. They enlist the help of their friend Bob (Robert Musgrave), to be their getaway driver, although he end's up being more of a whipping boy for Dignan. They then obtain a gun, much to everyone's delight, and devise a plan. They arrive at the bookstore and somehow manage to pull it off, coming away with a small amount of money. The trio then hit the road, as they are now "on the lam".

They soon settle on staying at a hotel off the highway. This is where Anthony meets Inez (Lumi Cavazos), one of the hotels maids. Inez is originally from Paraguay and speaks little to no English. This doesn't keep Anthony from following her every movement and falling hopelessly in love with her. Meanwhile, Bob, who has been growing marijuana in his parents backyard, has found out that the cops discovered it and have arrested his older bully of a brother, Future Man (Andrew Wilson). Bob is freaking out, but the other guys convince him to stay the night, promising that they'll figure something out the next day. By morning, though, Bob has taken off with the car, leaving Anthony and Dignan stranded at the hotel.

After a few days, Dignan wants to continue on with the 75 year plan, stealing a beat-down car so that they can get to the next destination. Anthony urges Inez to come with them, but she declines. Feeling rejected, Anthony is confused and decides that maybe it is time for them to go. Before leaving, Anthony gives Dignan an envelope to pass along to Inez. Inez gets a fellow worker to translate to Dignan that she loves Anthony, but Dignan mistakes this as the other worker simply telling him that he loves him, and never relays the message. Dignan and Anthony then hit the road, but not for long as the car quickly breaks down. Dignan is confused about Anthony's concern over their lack of money, seeing as they had a couple hundred dollars left from the bookstore job. Anthony reveals to Dignan that the envelope that he asked him to give Inez had all of their remaining money in it, and that they were now broke. Dignan can't accept this and the two get into a fight and go their seperate ways.

The next we see them, Anthony has moved in with Bob and they have their own daily schedule of activities and good deeds, whereas Dignan has now become a member of Mr. Henry's gang. Dignan runs into Anthony and, through much pleading and begging, gets him to join Mr. Henry's gang, as long as Bob can be a part, too. Mr. Henry takes them all under his wing and begins to become a sort of mentor to them, leading them up to their next caper; cracking the safe of a cold storage facility. It's during this time that Anthony reconnects with Inez, discovering not only that she is in love with him, but also that her English has greatly improved.

Enlisting the help of some of Mr. Henry's men, the trio set out to pull off their next job. Although it starts off swimmingly, it slowly falls apart, piece by hilarious piece, leaving them with no other option but to run. As they are about to make their getaway, Dignan realizes that one of the crew has the car keys and had been left behind. Though Anthony tries, Dignan insists on going back for him while everyone else makes a run for it. Moments later, the cops arrive, catching Dignan. At the same time, the film cuts to a scene of Mr. Henry, robbing Bob's house while everyone is gone. The movie concludes with Anthony and Bob paying a visit to Dignan, who is now in prison. Before they can leave, though, he's already trying to get them to help him escape.

If there is one theme that Wes Anderson seems to have at the forefront of all of his films, its relationships. Of our main characters, we know little to nothing of their own personal families, so these young men come together to form their own make-shift family, filling the void left by the real one thats either dysfunctional (another running Anderson theme) or just not there. Anderson also has a knack for portraying romantic relationships as genuine and earnest, without the shmaltzy-ness of most modern movies. In "Bottle Rocket", we see two people fall in love that can't even really communicate with each other, but it never feels forced or contrived. It just feels natural. From a film-making standpoint, it's obvious from the get-go that Anderson already had skills and a specific visual viewpoint that he would continue to develop with each subsequent film.

In the case of Luke and Owen Wilson, we can see how much they've grown as well how much they've stayed the same. Luke, for better or worse, seems to just kind of be himself, even to this day. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation, and he makes it work well. Owen already seems to have a sense of himself and his comedic timing, but in "Bottle Rocket", he sometime comes off a bit stiff, perhaps "acting" too much, whereas nowadays he has adopted his brother's style of just playing yourself.

Although I do greatly enjoy the movie, its not without its flaws, primarily the plot. The story tends to meander its way from beginning to end without any real purpose. It does get us from point a to b, but at times it doesn't feel cohesive or together. As I pointed out with it being almost everyone involved's first movie, there's definitely some acting and delivery issues, but none that really hinder the movie. I actually feel that it is as strong a first effort as I have seen, full of memorable quotes and moments that leave you wanting to revisit the film again and again.

Double Suicide (Spine #104)

For all the movies that one gets to see, there always seem to be even more that elude you. "Double Suicide" is one of those films. It has been at the top of my "must see" list for a long time. Already drawn in by the name and cover art, you put a Criterion stamp of approval on there, and I'm pretty much along for the ride. After having finally seen the film, I can safely say it was worth the wait and excitement.

Before I get into what the movie is about, I feel it needs some setup. The movie itself, directed by Masahiro Shinoda in 1969, is based off "The Love Suicides at Amijima", a 1721 play performed often with marionette-style puppets; a style known as bunraku. When adapting this play into movie form, Shinoda kept this idea of puppetry to wondrous effect. When the film opens, we are showed many scenes of a group of puppeteers, going through motions, making adjustments and quick fixes, and setting up a tone and idea that no matter how in control we think we are, something is beyond us "pulling the strings" (that's for you, Bela). In theater and puppetry, especially on a grand scale, puppeteers and stagehands will often be clad in complete black, as to not be seen or distract. This is where Shinoda challenges the audience of "Double Suicide". Although it is live-action, there are many instances of people in all black from head to toe, lying in wait or interacting in scenes. They are at once merely set dressing and at the same time, I feel, a bigger part of the narrative, of the lack of free will we so desperately cling to as humans. They are reminders of more things at work, and sometimes they are just downright creepy. Going into the movie without knowing this could possibly make the movie confusing or possibly off-putting, so I felt it should be addressed from the get-go, in case anyone, as you certainly should, wish to see this fine film.

The movie itself, after the sly introduction, moves us right along to our leads, Jihei, a paper merchant and Koharu, a courtesan, aka a prostitute. They have been seeing each other for over three years. Here is where we first see that they are in love, yet find themselves in the midst of an impossible situation. Since Koharu is a courtesan, she must be redeemed, or bought, from her master, which I can only imagine is a lot, although we are never given any sort of figure. Jihei, although madly in love with Koharu and wanting nothing more to redeem her, is very poor and continuously makes promises of redeeming Koharu as soon as he can. It here, all the way at the beginning of our tale, that the only answer for the pair is a suicide pact so that they can be together forever. Always a solid plan.

It becomes apparent that Koharu is the most sought-after courtesan in the area, often receiving, but not enjoying, the attention of rich, filthy men. She has to often be excused for her unsavory attitude towards possible clients, explaining that she is in love, even though such things are forbidden for a "lady of the night", as it were. A new customer, a samurai, takes notice of the emotional state she is in and offers to help her out if she will be honest with him. She confesses her plan to die with Jihei so that they can finally be together. After admitting this, Koharu has a sudden change of heart, saying that she does not wish to die and that she will be the samurai's. Jihei, eavesdropping from outside, hears her treachery and unsuccessfully lashes out at the samurai. It is revealed that the samurai is actually Jihei's brother in disguise. This is also where we discover that Jihei has a wife and two kids. This definitely doesn't speak well to the character of Jihei. He's already not doing well financially, yet even with a wife and two kids he spends his nights and his money with a courtesan. Pretty harsh, for sure. Jihei's brother makes him promise to never visit Koharu again, saving his family from shame and seperation. Jihei, having heard Koharu's plea's and thinking her playing him for a fool this whole time, accepts the offer and leaves for his home, leaving Koharu an emotional wreck.

We then move to ten days later, where instead of working Jihei is sleeping through the day, his wife, Osan, sorting through deliveries, and their children being watched, sort of, by some hired help. This makes me wonder how bad off they really are if they can afford to have two people waiting on beckon call for them, but hey,who knows? Anyways, they are paid a visit by Jihei's brother and Osan's mother. There is talk amongst the town that a merchant is redeeming Koharu, and they are certain that it is Jihei. After much pleading and convincing, Jihei makes a written promise that the merchant in question is not him, and they leave believing him. We soon discover, after speculation as to which merchant bought Koharu, that Osan had actually been in contact with Koharu without Jihei knowing about it. The two women have made their own pact, this one with Jihei's wife pleading with Koharu not to let him die. This reveals to Jihei the reason that Koharu changed her mind about their own pact, and reignites his longing for her. Jihei reveals to his wife that he knows Koharu will kill herself rather than be redeemed by this other merchant, and Osan can't bear to have her death on her conscience. She hurries Jihei along to stop Koharu before it's too late. Just as he is about to leave, carrying with him everything the family has in order to pawn it and buy Koharu's freedom, Osan's father shows up and makes his own assumptions. He begins demanding that Jihei divorce his daughter, pointing out every shame that Jihei has brought upon his family. Jihei refuses a divorce, saying that he wants to be with Osan, but her father has made up his mind and drags Osan with him. Although he's been pleading with her father to leave her be, Jihei does nothing to stop him from taking her. Jihei has other plans.

The night passes and before Koharu can be retrieved by the rich merchant, Jihei shows up and sneaks her out. They run and run as far as they can, both overtly emotional over every little thing they can think of or remember, but both are more concerned with fulfilling their longtime vow of dying together. They question their own honor, their families they will leave behind, the stories that will be told, and in the end, they feel as if they are making the right choice. They make their way to a cemetery, where I was sure the titular scene would take place, but instead, they make love one last time. Both scenes in the movie that involve lovemaking(there's one at the very beginning between Jihei and Koharu as well) strike a chord with me for two reasons. First, both scenes depict Jihei going down on Koharu, which by 1969 standards was assuredly very risque and provocative. It's far from graphic and I would say it's even tastefully done. The other thing that comes to mind is how this woman, a prostitute by trade, is basically trained to please whomever may come calling, yet, even when Jihei was paying for her company, he's the one pleasing her. I think it speaks to a grander idea, of want over need. Jihei so desperately wants this woman that he's willing to die for her. For her part, Koharu is willing to die too, but we never see any form of her investment in this relationship.

Waking the next morning in the cemetery, the pair rush off to a open, grassy area and the movie's title comes to fruition. It's far from glamorous, in fact its downright brutal, but it is filmed in such a way as to be visually and stylistically compelling. Although their deaths happen a good bit from each other, we see that by the movie end that their bodies have been found and laid together, side by side. This touches on the poetic, and with being such a visually compelling movie, its easy to get caught up in the "lets die and be together forever" idea, but the one place where I feel the movie falters is letting us really know why. At the beginning of the movie, Koharu asks Jihei why he loves her. his response? "Because I am a man. And you are a woman. Thank god you are a woman." And that's it. We see this guy lose his family and livelihood over that. I am sure that there's something more to it, but we are never made privy to this information. I feel like there should have been more, well, anything to their relationship just to make the extremes they go to a bit more plausible. All in all, though, the movie still succeeds in being a compelling piece of cinema and one that I glad I finally got to see. Visually stunning,skillfully executed and highly recommended.

Carnival of Souls (Spine #63)

In regards to Horror movies, one can often fall victim to clever artwork and an engaging title. The name reels you in, the artwork gets you excited, and then the movie (often) fails to deliver(I'm looking at you, "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things".). "Carnival of Souls" is no different. While the movie does still boast a bit of visual flair and, if you make yourself look very hard, an interesting idea, its a far departure from what one would expect at first glance.

The movie kicks right in with no introductions to anyone, just a car full of guys challenging a car full of girls to a race, which of course leads to a sketchy looking bridge that the girls, after a slight nudge, drive right off of and into the murky lake. What seems like the entire town shows up as the police search the lake for the car with what literally appears to be nothing more than lasso's. After what we are told is three hours of searching, one of the girls in the car emerges from the water, all muddy and distraught.

We come to discover this girl's name is Mary Henry(Candace Hiligoss), a local accomplished organist that has a very harsh, cold way about her. This is where I wish the movie had given some previous background, as this seems to be a trait that Mary has only just now exhibiting since the accident, but with no real character background, she could have just as well been this way her entire life. She makes a quick stop by the bridge where the accident took place, and then makes her way for Utah, where she is to become an organist for a local church. On her way, she passes by a run-down area that seems a bit carnival-like, which seems to stir something in Mary and also might as well come with a big sign that says "Foreshadowing!". It's also about this time that she starts seeing the face of a ghoulish man in place of her own reflection, played to moderately creepy effect if not edited so poorly.

Mary arrives to her new home,a multi-tenant abode complete with a sweet-hearted landlady and the sleaziest guy a movie can provide. This guy over the course of the movie seriously uses every ploy ever to try and bed Mary, which starts off as off-putting but just gets over-worn after a while. Upon her arrival,though, Mary begins seeing the ghoulish face in place of hers more and more, taking somewhat of an emotional toll on the already cold and detached Mary. We also witness Mary, while shopping for a new dress, go through a sort of disorientation, resulting in her inability to hear any sound and everyone around her not being able to notice her, as if she isn't even there.

Between shunning the advances of the male tenant, dealing with the haunting ghoul's face at every turn, and now the possibility of not existing/being crazy, the movie begins to set up a bit of a bleak atmosphere, but in the long run fails to really deliver on. This build up culminates in a scene where Mary goes to the church she works for to practice her organ and while playing she is overwhelmed by an other-wordly feeling. Her hands are instantly out of her control and her simple church hymn becomes a sort of devilish interlude, invoking visions of the dead rising up from water and populating the carnival-like building she had seen earlier. Mary is interrupted by the church's priest, firing her on the spot for playing her evil tunes within the church, but immediately offering the church as an answer to her problems. Isn't that always the way?

The movie begins fleeing towards an ending, with more haunting faces, another scene of Mary "disappearing" from those around her, an odd insinuation that she's been dreaming the whole thing, and then, since science (a local doctor) and faith (the local church) have seemingly failed her, Mary makes a last ditch effort to save herself: she takes on the "carnival" head on. Mary arrives and scours what feels like the ENTIRE area of the run-down "carnival". Once she gets to a point of feeling satisfied, a giant group of ghouls emerge from the nearby lake and begin to take chase, leading to one of the most visually impressive aspects of the movie, but ends up making the movie make even less sense. The ghouls get Mary down to the banks of the lake and surround her. The next scene we see a cop explaining to the priest and the doctor that all there is are footprints in the sand leading to a point. It's as if Mary just disappeared. Huh?

The movie concludes with us back in the town Mary was from and they have finally drug the lake enough to find the car that fell in at the beginning. The discovery and removal of the car reveals this astonishing twist; Mary originally died in the car. This leaves me with several questions. Since Mary died, who is this person we've been following the entire time? Was it a wandering spirit that somehow took on the look of Mary and tried to live again? Did Mary's soul somehow escape and become corporeal? It's all confusing and does make the mind think, but sadly the movie itself isn't compelling enough to make one truly care.

"Carnival of Souls" isn't a terrible film. It definitely has its place in the land of B-movies and enjoys a rather large and loyal cult following. It has also, in recent years, become a staple of discount DVD bins and horror movie collections. I do somewhat question its place in the Criterion Collection, but I believe its place is mostly due to its visual aspects, which at times are rather impressive and do their best to establish a creepy atmosphere. There just isn't a compelling story to go along with it.