I’ve been a little slack in reporting the movies I’ve watched of late. Last weekend I saw Bad Santa at the Southbank 5 (which, by the way, has very nice cinemas and the cheapest movie tickets in Brisbane at $6 for an adult during the day). This movie was pretty much what I was expecting after seeing the reviews. Billy Bob Thornton stars as a permanently intoxicated Santa Claus who robs the department stores that hire him. An odd friendship (if one can call it that) develops between Billy Bob’s character and an eight year old kid, who lives with his grandmother. There’s also an appearance from Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls) who plays Santa Claus’s love interest. An amusing film, but not one of the best of the year. Don’t watch it if you’re offended by profane language.
Karen and I also hired out Prozac Nation last weekend. The film, starring Christina Ricci, is an examination of the depression suffered by the lead character, and her eventual use of the widely prescribed drug called Prozac. I liked this film. Ricci played her character, Elizabeth, brilliantly, and was ably supported by Michelle Williams and Jessica Lange. The movie highlighted the ways depression can affect friends and family, and the manner in which one can suddenly slip into depression and just as suddenly slip back out. This movie is worth watching at least once.
This weekend we rented Imagining Argentina, starring Antonio Banderas. In Argentina, more than 30,000 people went missing between 1976 and 1983. These people were kidnapped and executed by the fascist military regime. Imagining Argentina has got to be the strangest take on this sordid period of Argentina’s history. Banderas plays Carlos, a stage director for children’s plays in Buenos Aires. His wife, played by Emma Thompson, is kidnapped by the junta after she writes a provocative newspaper article. In the following weeks, Carlos discovers he has clairvoyant powers, and can see the fates of those kidnapped by the junta. Weird. When Carlos begins making problems for fascist regime, his daughter and colleague are "disappeared", and he foresees their fates. He follows clues found in his visions in order to try to find and rescue his wife. This film definitely has its moments, and it builds up tension. Some of the fantastical elements work, and others don’t. All in all, I guess I kind of enjoyed the film. Also, not having seen any other films or read much about this period of Argentinian history, I learned a few new things.
On Saturday, Karen and I hosted a pre-Christmas picnic for some of our friends. It also doubled as a birthday and sending off party for Ryan, who is leaving for Vietnam (in fact his plane is probably taxiing out to the runway of Brisbane airport as I type this). He’s spending a few weeks over there on a holiday. The picnic, which was suitably held on Picnic Island at Southbank, went very well, I thought. Picnic Island turned out to be a great spot, and we’ll have to do something there again some time.
