Thursday, July 29, 2004

Before Sunset just killed me. It's rare that a movie, even a good one, will have me on the edge of my seat for its entire running time; I'll usually zone out for at least a couple of minutes. This one, I didn't even want to get up and go to the bathroom until it was over. And it did all this with just dialogue and characters. In a lot of ways, it was really similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but it achieved all the same things without the benefit of dazzling narrative whizjets. And I like dazzling narrative whizjets. I was completely in love with these characters after seeing Before Sunrise, and now it's worse. I want more movies about these people now. The movie manages to be competely romantic but still bitterly observant of the passage of time and the inevitability of regrets. And Ethan Hawke may look kind of like a rat now, but Julie Delpy is even more breathtaking. Can I have a sequel to Reality Bites now, please?

Also killing me in a completely different way: Crunk Classics. Actually, it's not a totally different way; both Before Sunset and Crunk Classics remind me real seriously of college - Before Sunset because it reminds me of the super-long, intense, involved conversations I'd have with housemates at like 4 in the morning when we had class in a few hours, and Crunk Classics because it reminds me of spending countless hours watching BET and seeing the Iconz' "Get Crunked Up" video like 40 times. ("Get Crunked Up" is a rare example of the edited-for-airplay version of a song being better than the dirty version. It sounds so much better than "Get Fucked Up"). There are some questionable inclusions ("Raise Up"? The version of "Bia Bia" without Ludacris on it?), but the whole thing maintains this continuous stark and aggressive but totally fun and inclusive feel. I will so be bumping this in the car. Also, how had I never heard "Knuckle Up"? "Knuckle Up" is amazing!