As some of you have undoubtedly picked up by now, I am a big movie fan. I try to see a lot of them in the theater (mostly matinees) though I also purchase quite a few DVDs. This weekend's purchases included Garden State, Wimbledon, King Arthur and the Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century Collection.
Last night I watched Garden State with three friends. I still love it. Of the movies I've seen this year, the only one I would definitely place above it is Spider-Man 2, with Sideways coming in at a close tie (with Garden State I mean). Sideways and Garden State, like I Heart Huckabees, had things to say, messages to pass along. Where Huckabees crams them down your throat with an unhealthy doseage of confusion and frustration, the others give you a nice story to follow with interesting characters and let you pick up on their message(s) as they arise, as they are presented, at a calm pace.
When Sideways comes out on DVD, I'll pick that up and watch it again. I'm sure I'll be similarly impressed, again. That's my measure of a truly excellent movie. If I saw it once and thoroughly enjoyed it then I see it again (on DVD) and almost equally enjoy it, again, it's a safe bet that the movie sparked something in me or for me. The best thing of all is that unlike years past when it took well-done action or Sci Fi movies to interest me, these days I'm also open to more of the artsy, message-laden films, such as the ones mentioned above. Almost hopeful.