Monkeybone

Clothes and manners do not make the man; but when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.
-- Henry Ward Beecher

Wednesday, March 14, 2001

Obviously I'm still enjoying this life of leisure!

This afternoone I went downtown and took in a matinee. Monkeybone -- I'd gotten the notion that this was a Tim Burton film (from the advertising line: from the director of "The Nightmare before Christmas"), but it isn't!

It's got some appealing things in it, but it's pretty much a mess. Brendan Fraser does a good job, very funny as a cartoonist who is possesed by his libidinal, wild character, Monkeybone. But it's too complicated, with "nightmare juice", an underworld (at first I thought this was only created by his own comatose mind), Death is whoopie goldberg (why?), Hypnos the dream lord runs around on little satyr legs.

The dreams were portrayed intensely and creatively. The nightmare world didn't hold up that well -- a mix of characters in rubber heads that didn't go together. The film makes so much fun of character merchandising, but wouldn't they have done the same if this had been a hit? Maybe they did, and the stuff is already on its way to the dollar stores.

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This evening, The Talented Mr. Ripley was on. I'd never seen it, so I tuned in. It's long (over two hours) but it did keep my attention, and had very stylish decor. I want to go to Italy! (But would today's Italy match the recreated elegance and beauty of the late-fifties Italy of the film?) Matt Damon's ill-fitting clothes almost make him possible as the outsider Ripley.