(Movie) Read between the lines....a look at Chasing Amy

Thank you to Maia (uzuyucky.tumblr.com) for this recommendation!

Once more into the Askewniverse we go!

This was Kevin Smith's third movie and unlike Clerks and Mallrats, he decided to try his hand at a romantic comedy.

In true Kevin Smith style though, he put his own unique spin on it.

Let's begin!

Story/Dialogue: Holden and Banky are two relatively famous comic book writers who meet Alyssa Jones, a comic creator who shares a lot of the same interests as Holden.

He thinks he has a chance until he finds out she's a lesbian.

This movie shows the ups and downs of relationships, the fluidity and conformity of sexuality and the progression of friendships.
Throughout the film, I found myself saying, "What?" aloud. I cannot say why without spoilers, but until it's explained in the movie, a lot of the story takes huge leaps in logic. Though, I think it's important to remember that people are constantly changing, though it happens over a period of time, not as abruptly as it seems to in this film.
The dialogue switches from poetic to a regular way of speaking to a blend of the two. At first I thought it was out of place, but remembered I was watching a romantic comedy.

Love makes poets of men, as they say. Even the Jersey boys.

Cinematography: Camera in Chasing Amy mixes it up between handheld and dolly driven. It changes the pace without the crazy editing cuts that most action movies make, yet it still creates tension. The framing of characters is simplistic, yet appropriate for the scenes. Characters appear in all parts of the frame and makes the film feel natural rather than stylised.

The sets are straight out of the nineties, with bright colours and ridiculous objects that fill rooms. Like that miniature jungle gym thing. Is it art? Is it for legos? What could it be for??

Audio: Tunes in this movie tend to be familiar library tracks that you might hear in movies such as Clueless or even Heathers.
The score itself wasn't exactly memorable or atmospheric, but the whole point of that is so we can focus on dialogue, which the sound for was excellent. There's a part near the end where you'll see an example of brilliant dialogue audio editing.

Overall: This movie fully portrayed love as it truly is. Chaotic and emotionally charged....also often ridiculous.
While I did enjoy it, I found myself conflicted not only on the sudden seeming mind changes of Alyssa, but also Holden's reasoning later on.

It's hard to portray a complicated theme in a simplistic fashion without chipping away the realism (especially the nonsensical parts) of said theme.

So in that respect, Kevin Smith earned my kudos.

I'm going to give this movie 4 stars.

Thus ends my review.

Agree/disagree? Leave a comment with your thoughts and recommendations! 

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Enjoy the rest of your week! Friday's review will be up at 7am EST.

(Movie Special!) A look at Tusk. #walrusyes

Never let it be said that Kevin Smith doesn't tackle real issues.

Like a serial killer who wants his old friend back, so he puts them in walrus suits and attempts to psychologically break them.

Combine that with an asshole who is already halfway there and you have TUSK.

With this in mind, let us go over this tale of how man reverts to beast.

Story/Dialogue: Wallace Bryton heads to a backwater town to interview a young man who cut off his own leg with a katana, only to find that the young man has died. With nothing to show for his podcast now, Wallace comes across an old man who has many a tale to tell. Turns out the old man is a serial killer with a bizarre fascination with walruses. As such, rather than simply killing his victims, he maims them and turns them into walruses.

There isn't anything overly fantastic about the dialogue. Thankfully, it wasn't convoluted or required an excessive amount of exposition. I also personally enjoyed some of the funny moments where the clerks made fun of Wallace because he was American or the Border Patrol guy explained to him the little known facts about Canadians. These lightened the mood and filled in spaces where most people would have asked, 'Why the hell is this scene in there?'

Cinematography: Visually, it felt as though Kevin Smith was channelling Bryan Fuller in terms of atmosphere. The colours were rich, yet not overwhelming and the lighting fit the atmosphere well. Not only for continuity's sake, but also for setting the scene.

Audio: Sometimes, silence says more in a scene than any sound ever could. By contrast, this made the audio stand out all the more. The wails of anguish were suitably horrifying and abrupt shifting in character of Howard Howe from pleasant old man to serial killer made it all the more thrilling.

Overall: This story made me question what goes on in the head of someone like Kevin Smith and at the same time applaud his divergent thinking. I can't think of anyone else that I know personally who would come up with something so bizarre. An interesting thriller with humour to ease the tension made this an enjoyable watch.

4.5 out of 5 stars.