Marie Antoinette!

So the weekend didn't really go according to plan. Lots of movie watching...just not so much of the writing. In my effort to blend in with the Southerners, I decided to become one of the many victims of the flu epidemic here in the ATH. Loverly. Loverly. But it allowed me to watch movies and not feel guilty (ok, I felt a little guilty but I really couldn't do much else except pray that god would have mercy on my soul and make Drew bring me more ice chips). We watched a couple subpar movies that don't even deserve discussion (Trust the Man and Hollywoodland) but I do want to say a few words about our one successful selection--Marie Antoinette.

Ok, I feel I should start with a disclaimer. I love! Sofia Coppola. You can tell a lot about a person with that statement. I love a slow moving script with time to feel the movie. I like great attention to detail and I'm okay with silence. Read: Lost in Translation? LOVEDIT! LOVEDITSOMUCH!

The good: Much has been written about the beauty of this movie. With good reason. The entire movie is gorgeous. Stunning. I kept clicking my tongue (in a really annoying way that gave some indication of what I am going to be like as an 80-year-old) as I said things like "would you look at that" and "oh wow!" (for the record, 80-year-old me is very charming...even with the flu) The many desserts? Stunning. The landscape? Stunning. Kirsten Dunst? Stunning. (I know! But she didn't smile much so her freaky vampire teeth were hidden) In all fairness, Dunst was beyond stunning. She was captivating. I loved her in this role. She, herself, looked like a dessert. Absolutely breathtaking.

More good: Jason Swartzman was great. I don't think I can NOT like that guy. I can't. Really. I love everything he has been in.

Even more good: Its always good to watch a movie that's about a strong woman who is sexually liberated and confined by traditional aristocracy. The movie showed her struggle. I appreciated it. There. I said it.

Gooder Yet: The music. Perfect compliment.

The bad: Um...ok...it is really! slow. And I mean really. And the silence? Lots of it. I would say you have to be in the right mood to watch this. A slow mood. A slow, silent mood.

More bad: The script? Wasn't Sofia's best work. It was kinda predictable and a little flat. There were moments of greatness. But most of those moments came during the silent parts. The scene where Antoinette is running through the long hall...complete perfection. But no words were needed...So maybe this point is turning into a good--the script was so 'eh' it made you appreciate the silence. There. A good and a bad. Fantastic.

In the end, the good outweighs the bad...