There's a crack in everything

So. This past weekend was a mix of cinema - the highbrow and the low. And on the balance, the combination was oddly right. Much is still percolating.

First, on Friday, I went to go see the much-ballyhooed and supposedly greatest film of all time, Snakes on a Plane. I first heard of this months ago when my friend Thad told me about it, and others have built the buzz since that time. With all the hype, it was a bit of a mystery to know exactly what to expect. I guess I had hoped it would be this strange, over the top, surreal comedy.

Well, it wasn't that, and it wasn't Tolstoy, either. But it was a reasonably solid, if unremarkable, action-thriller. Plus I enjoy Samuel L. Jackson, and it was a good vehicle for him. So I am pleased I saw it, though I don't think I would pay to see it again.

Which lends one to think: what is it that makes this a well-hyped internet film, but not a "cult" film? I don't feel cheated for seeing it once, but I would not repeat seeing nor encourage my friends to see it. Hmm. I guess I was hoping it would be less like Serpent and the Rainbow (another film which, years ago, had good build-up and was not a repeat-see) and more like Donnie Darko (a film which I would go see again, right now, and tomorrow, too). So that was SoaP.

The next day I went with my pal M. to the Belcourt in the village and we watched I'm Your Man, the film about Leonard Cohen.

I'm thankful to M. for bringing Cohen to my attention. I had always had a vague notion of who he was and the importance he held in American music, but my word, I never knew. I never knew the power of the lyrics he wrote, or how they would deeply affect me.

The movie itself is an interpersal of interviews and photo montages of Cohen with a mix of mostly-Canadian perfomers covering his songs in a tribute-concert setting. Rufus Wainright and Nick Cave are two notables among a solid group of luminaries.

It was interesting. One of the things that has kept me at bay for so long from Cohen was that I didn not like his voice and delivery - so hering these songs performed by others really "worked" for me. It allowed me to concentrate on the devastatingly perfect turns of phrase and poetry. So I liked that part. By contrast, M. found the cover performances somewhat frustrating and occasionally tedious, wishing that there would have been more of the "final payoff": Cohen himself performing (which occurs in one brief sequence - backed by U2 - at the end). I found that contrast in responses interesting, and I appreciated where M. was coming from on that, though I still find Cohen's voice - as opposed to his writing - to be a less-than-ideal showcase for his songs.

As far as those songs go - if you don't know Leonard Cohen, I cannot recommend highly enough that you delve into his writing and songs. Amazing stuff. Simply breathtaking. More than once, in the dark, was wiping away tears.