Bigger and Blacker

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is one of the best documentaries I have seen-and I have seen many of the so-called greatest documentaries. Somehow the filmmakers were able to to make business, accounting, and stock subjects both compelling and understandable. That last sentence sure sounded boring, didn't it? Well, trust me, the movie has an intoxicating quality. It has something to do with seeing these bloated corporate egos get their comeuppance. An energetic selection of songs are intersperced, providing a further contrast to business as usual. By the way, if you think that Jeffrey Skilling looks familiar, it is because he is the brother of longtime WGN TV weatherman Tom Skilling.

Little Children

When reading about the film Little Children my curiosity was piqued concerning the film's director, Todd Field. Field's only other feature, In the Bedroom, was one of the best of 2001. Before that Field worked primarily as an actor in middling projects. Middling, I should say, except for a little film called Eyes Wide Shut. Very, very, strange. And is it a coincidence that two years after the release of Eyes Wide Shut Field would release his own very accomplished movie? I would need to watch In the Bedroom again, but I have a feeling the influence of Kubrick can be seen in that movie. Kubrick was known for the lengthy time between his pictures. Well, five years passed between Field's first and second film. Googling the Field-Kubrick connection reveals very little. Field does cite Kubrick as an influence. So much for my curiosity.

It will be interesting to see the reaction to Little Children at the currently ongoing Toronto Film Festival. My expectations are very high. Perhaps this time Field will be nominated for Best Director. He was not nominated for In the Bedroom, despite the movie having three acting nominations and the Best Picture nomination. Unbelievably, Ridley Scott was nominated for Blackhawk Down instead.

The Meaning of Life

I never cared much for the Monty Python tv show. It always seemed like a few hilarious moments separated by umpteen minutes of mediocrity. The movies, on the other hand, rise far above their television efforts. Ok, I have not seen And Now For Something Completely Different, but that is supposedly a greatest hits of the tv sketches. The Holy Grail succeeds even when it fails (please don't ask me to explain that), and The Life of Brian is truly brilliant.

The Meaning of Life is a series of sketches, though they are impressively strung together to give the appearance of some cohesion. I just watched it for the second time, though I didn't remember anything about it save the fat guy in the restaurant. I have figured out that there is a five year rule. If I have not watched the movie in the last five years, then odds are that I do not remember the movie very well, and my opinion about it has probably changed. Anyway, this time I was struck by how influential this movie and/or other Python stuff must have been for The Kids in the Hall. Scott Thompson's drag characters were the second coming of Terry Jones. Python's realm of influence also extended to Trey Parker and Matt Stone--i.e. the musical numbers and gross-out jokes.

The Terry Gilliam short film that opened the movie is a precursor to Brazil, though The Crimson Permanent Assurance is lighter fare. As for the "feature," my favorite sketch is the sperm musical number, which is quite bombastic and funny. The rest of the film falls short of this plateau, though several worthwhile moments follow. Just remember that eating is not recommended during the second half of the film. **** out of 5.