Two Movies

I saw two movies this weekend that I'd never seen before. One is considered one of the landmark films of the 1960s; indeed, one of the most influential films of its time. It was nominated for Academy Awards; it was directed by a world-famous director; it starred, among others, an actress who is among the handful of actresses that you could reasonably call the greatest actress of all time.

The other movie is not likely to be nominated for anything. It features, among other things: a tiger in the bathroom, Mike Tyson, drinking, drugs, vomit, some of the ugliest butt cheeks you'll ever lay your eyes upon, and a leading man whose body reminds one not of Gerard Butler or Christian Bale, but John Belushi and Chris Farley.

The first movie was Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blowup," and the second movie was "The Hangover." Guess which one I liked more?

About "Blowup," the best thing I can say is that I'm glad I saw it. I'm sure it is worthy of great respect, but watching it last night the symbolism seemed painfully obvious; the suspense story somewhat lacking in suspense; and the commentary on the times hopelessly trite. I will give kudos to the performances by David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave, both of whom deserved the accolades they received for their respective roles. And it was pretty cool seeing The Yardbirds perform, even if they did appear to be lip-syncing (and not particularly well, I might add).

About "The Hangover," I can say that it is definitely not for everybody. There's something in the movie to offend just about everyone, from lovers of animals and babies to anyone who likes to think of themselves as being socially enlightened, even in the slightest. If you're uptight about humor which makes you squirm in your seats for being the opposite of politically correct, then by all means you should avoid this movie. As for me, I laughed out loud throughout the entire thing.

Overall, I guess you could say that we went from the sublime to the ridiculous. I'm just not sure which was which.