2 Films in Paris...and "Halloween."

Gotten a little behind so here we go:

2 Days in Paris- Marion (Julie Delpy, "Before Sunset") and Jack (Adam Goldberg, "Saving Private Ryan") have been traveling Europe for the past two weeks. Before they head back home to New York however they're stopping over for a quick visit with her parents in Paris. Already exhausted from the previous couple of weeks, the couple are a bit edgy. Early on Jack takes it out on an American tour group, intentionally sending them off in the wrong direction when they want to find the Louvre.
These two have clearly been together for awhile. They're able to snap at one another one moment and be perfectly fine the next, transitioning with ease. They still have trouble communicating, particularly when Marion insists on speaking her native French to people they meet on the street. She knows this drives Jack crazy. He just wants to know what the conversation is about and he's the odd man out. This happens throughout the film, with her parents (played by Delpy's real parents), old boyfriends, and a racist cabbie.
Delpy's directorial debut comes from her own script and what's really impressive is that she seems to be very critical of herself. Marion is extremely irrational and hypocritical. It's fine for her to flirt with all of her old boyfriends but when she spies Jack just having an innocent conversation with her sister red flags go up.
Like the film she previously co-wrote, the amazing "Before Sunset," "2 Days" is a film where all of the character and story development is based upon conversation. Some of it seems a bit contrived here and there but for the most part it clicks. I look forward to Delpy's next stab at directing. It's currently playing in Seattle at the Harvard Exit. 8/10.

Paris je t'aime- Well it only took me three months but I finally made it to this collection of short films from filmmakers from around the world. These are all about finding love in Paris and are all very unique. Some highlights include one from the Coen brothers about a tourist in a subway station (a literally speechless Steve Buscemi) who makes the mistake of making eye contact. The story of a grieving mother (Juliette Binoche) trying to find some peace, an engaged couple (Rufus Sewell and Emily Mortimer) looking for Oscar Wilde's grave (a bloodless offering from Wes Craven), Tom Tykwer's story of a blind man and an actress (Natalie Portman), and Alexander Payne's tale of a middle-aged American woman traveling through Paris alone. Some of these shorts are comic, some dramatic, and while some are decidedly better than others, none of them are truly bad. Unlike "The Ten" and "Coffee and Cigarettes," these shorts come together well as a complete film, even if it is still a bit inconsistent. "Paris je t'aime" is currently playing in Seattle at the Metro. 8/10.

Halloween- With my second attempt to view it successful I am now able to say I actually saw Rob Zombie's re-make of "Halloween." First I have to admit something terrible. I've never seen the original John Carpenter film. I know, I know. I'll see it one of these days. Just judging this movie on its own merit however, I've gotta say it was surprisingly pretty good. This film attempts to explain the background of the silent masked killer, Michael Myers. Zombie does an effective job of this during the first 45 minutes of the film. Daeg Faerch is genuinely chilling as the ten year old Myers and Sheri Moon Zombie does a fine job as his frustrated but loving mother. Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) tries to help the boy in a mental institution but is unable to do so and on Halloween night, a decade and a half after his first killing spree, Michael breaks out and goes on another rampage. It's all pretty straight forward and yes, it's a bloody mess. For whatever reason this movie just sort of works for me. Zombie is a talented filmmaker. He puts together horror sequences very well and has assembled for himself a good cast, including Brad Dourif, Udo Kier, and William Forsythe. The highlight: At about the halfway point Ken Foree (Peter from the original "Dawn of the Dead") shows up as a trucker who has a run in with the escaped Michael. If you're interested this is worth checking out. Just see it during the day so you have a chance at a decent audience. 7/10.