Rubber

Written and Directed by: Quentin Dupieux

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that defies all genres and formulas. "Rubber" is that kind of movie.

It's a challenge to explain exactly what is going on in the film. The central story (at least, the most linear) is about a possessed tire who is able to make things explode, and so goes on a murderous rampage. The police officer who sets out to destroy the tire, though, realizes that he is merely a player in a film, and tries to enlighten the other actors to no avail. Simultaneously, a group of people has been brought to a desert location to watch the events of the film unfold through binoculars. Confused yet?

I loved "Rubber." It was ridiculous and absurd while also taking itself painfully seriously as art. The film manages to exist in several contradictory fields at once. I've never seen anything like it before, and I doubt I'll see anything like it again. See it. Now. And prepare to have your head explode (thought hopefully not by the murderous tire).

Mayor of the Sunset Strip

Written and Directed by: George Hickenlooper

If you met Rodney Bingenheimer at the supermarket, you'd hardly find him remarkable. He's rather small, has a nerdy voice, and his haircut is always terrible. But, as Hickenlooper's documentary "Mayor of the Sunset Strip," reveals, he has been at the forefront of the music scene in Los Angeles and for decades has hosted the influential "Rodney on the ROQ" program on KROQ.

The film is mostly entertaining, showing how this seemingly small man came to be one of the most influential and well-connected men in the business. He name drops powerhouse players from Gwyneth Paltrow and The Ramones as though they were neighbors.

Unfortunately, that's just about as far as the film goes. In the end, it's not quite clear what the message or purpose of the film is (beyond "Hey! Look at this guy!") Not that it is necessarily a bad thing that the moral isn't handed to us or jammed in, but it definitely feels like something deeper is missing.

The movie is definitely enjoyable and worth watching. I recommend keeping a tally of how many celebrities he knows, and a separate tally of how many celebrities he discovered.

A Visit from the Goon Squad

This book arrived with a lot of critical acclaim - including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award - so, naturally, I ignored it for a year. Later, I found it for sale in the book piles at Costco and realized that it might be worth checking out.

The plot of the novel is hard to describe, as it is not necessarily linear. Rather, it is a series of segments tied together by overlapping characters and settings.

To be honest, I wasn't as impressed with this book as the critics apparently were. I found it to be rather flat and desperate to be "hip" in its comments on contemporary culture. (Perhaps "contemporary isn't the right word, considering it doesn't take place in the current time period - but you know what I mean.)

The book is neat, but beyond its general "neatness," I did not find it to be anything really significant. Oh well. Lesson learned.

The Help

Directed by: Tate Taylor

Written by: Tate Taylor (screenplay), Kathryn Stockett (novel)

Before you judge me too harshly, please keep in mind that I went to see this movie earlier this summer because my mother requested it as her birthday event. That being said, it wasn't too bad.

Skeeter (Stone) is a feisty young journalist who returns to her roots in Mississippi only to find things not quite as rosy as she remembers there. Specifically, her white friends have instituted rather draconian measures against their African-American housekeepers. Skeeter decides to secretly write a book about the experiences of the housekeepers which, when released, rocks her hometown.

The movie is better than you'd expect. The acting, in case you haven't already heard, is superb. Oscar worthy? Possibly - hard to tell. It also has a good balance of comedy mixed in to the drama to keep things from getting too heavy.

My only complaint - albeit a significant one, philosophically - is the watering down of the violence in the history. Although it is repeatedly said that the characters are in danger, no danger is actually ever shown. Violence and harm are implied. Actual historical events, such as the assassination of Medgar Evers, are referenced without any discussion of their significance beyond what is needed to get through that scene. I call it Disneyfication of history, and I don't like it.

Still, it's a recommendable movie, and worth checking out.