I recently wrote in my blog about an experience I had watching La Moustache. I wanted to share this article with other fans of the film.
http://tyrannyoftradition.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/an-inconcievable-tr uth-a-psychological-review-of-the-high-art-museums-showing-of-la-moust ache-11510/
Nice review/slice of life. Interesting incorporations with real life and the experience of cinema in general. My brother recently watched this, and he seemed a bit baffled but told me it was up my alley. If I have to pay thirty bucks to order it, so be it, as it's looking to be the easiest avenue, but your review made it sound worth it. Even if I don't like it, it will be welcome among my vast and diverse DVD collection. Thanks again for sharing.
shareIt's on Netflix Instant Streaming. I promise I don't work for Netflix, but if you don't have an account, you should really get one. It costs about the same for an unlimited amount of movies per month through Netflix as for a single adult ticket at my local cinema.
And to the OP, really great article.
Thanks for reading it. It's a great film and deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.
shareI'm still looking for it at a reasonable price, but hey...that's part of the fun for me. I've been told by many friends and family that I would dig Netflix, and I likely would, but my DVD collection, I've been told, looks like a vast, diverse library, and to me, that's a wonderful compliment. I'm a collector. People ask me, "Why don't you burn them to a disk?"
To me, it would be the same as a baseball card collector bragging about his Xeorox Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle cards or (as in the case of Netflix, looking at said cards on a monitor). I realize the monetary comparison doesn't even warrant an argument, but the sentimental value for me is as priceless as any card, stamp, coin, etc. It was heartbreaking to release a near one thousand VHS collection when they fizzled out, but it funded a decent start with DVDs, and I think within five years (maybe less) my DVD collection will have to fund the Blu Ray start.
The bane of the collector, I suppose. Nothing against Netflix at all, as it is very reasonably priced and has a vast library of its own. I should probably get it soon because it may replace any sort of tangible media within the next decade or two. I went to Best Buy the other day, and there was ONE row of DVDs. They are not separated by genre but every DVD is alphabetized. There may have been 200 titles to choose from (this is a kind estimate). Five years ago, I could walk around in there for two hours before making up my mind, just admiring the movies, escaping into nostalgia, laughing at the movies I wasted my money on at the theater or at Best Buy, thinking of the memories, my first French kiss in the theater (that was Twister), films that gave hope and inspiration, scared me silly, bored me to tears, stuff like that. Now it's all Blu Ray and TV shows. Time to make new memories with old and new movies.
I can really relate to that. I used to walk around the video store for hours just reading boxes and thinking about all the pictures and names and descriptions.
I started collecting DVDs about a year ago. I used to just rent them. I gotta say, there is something wonderful about having a lot of films I love up on my shelf. I get them used and they are not in the best condition, but it makes me feel really happy to know I can throw on any David Mamet film or any PT Anderson film anytime I want. Something to be said for that.
I read your piece, and yes, you got it: the existential nightmare of being unable to distinguish between what is real and what you think is real. The first half of the movie is dream/nightmare. HongKong is the real story, on vacation with good wife. At the end, his eyes quietly, desperately scream: am I awake or am I dreaming?
A beautifully constructed movie with echoes of David Lynch.
I've seen an awful lot of movies and a lot of awful movies...