Dealing with loneliness

I bought Safety Not Guaranteed a while ago (almost exactly a year ago, I just noticed), and finally watched it.  I went into it not really remembering anything about it, or even why I bought it, so it was kind of strange, to start.  But I think it worked out well to approach it that way.

It's a very quirky movie, centered on three reporters at a local magazine researching a story about a guy who posts an ad in the classifieds, saying that he wants a partner for a time-traveling expedition.  "Safety not guaranteed.  Must supply own weapons."

There's no hint of what the expedition is, where or when it's targeting, or who's behind the ad.

The three reporters are technically one reporter and two interns.  And they're all dealing with issues.  The main character, Darius (played by Aubrey Plaza, of whom I'd never before heard), has never been terribly sociable, and isn't thrilled with where that's led her.  Or with her job.

The other intern is doing it to improve his applications (for grad school, it's vaguely implied); he's a science (biology) major, and more than a little bit of a geek.

The full-time reporter, Jeff, is pretty much a sex-obsessed jerk who is using the story as an excuse to try to hook up again with an ex-girlfriend (his first blowjob, he subtly informs us at one point) who lives near the person who posted the ad.

They shortly find the guy, Kenneth (played by Mark Duplass, also new to me).  When Jeff immediately antagonizes Kenneth, Darius is told to use her vagina to allay Kenneth's suspicions (her interpretation of their instructions).

So all of the main characters are dealing with feeling alone, all in different ways (how much different will only become clear well into the movie).

The dialog is pretty funny, and while Jeff is basically an affront to all humans, even his antics lead to some amusement.

The questions to be answered: can Jeff hook up with the ex-girlfriend?  Can Arnau get laid, with Jeff's help?  Does Darius like Kenneth?  Is Kenneth sane?  Is he paranoid, or are they really out to get him?  If he is sane, is the claim of time travel for real?

The ending managed to be both mysterious and satisfying, which is a bit of a trick to pull off.  And I liked that you got moments of vulnerability from all the major characters (though that probably still won't be enough to make you like Jeff).  But it was a good way to spend a bit of time.  It might be a while, but I'll probably watch it again.

Do Drac Inn

The other movie we watched this weekend Adam Sandler's animated Hotel Transylvania.  I'd actually already seen it (on the flight back from Hong Kong, on which I watched a bunch of movies), but had only recently gotten the blu-ray.

Sandler is playing a vampire who had a daughter whose mother was killed by humans right after the baby was born.  To protect the daughter, he has built a hotel in a castle in the middle of nowhere, where no humans are allowed.

When the action starts, the daughter (Mavis) is approaching her 118th birthday (apparently the de facto age of majority for vampires), and she wants to see the world.  Dad, of course, wants her to stay safe, at home, but graciously allows her to visit a nearby "village".  The village had much of the hotel help (zombies) dress up as humans, and pretend to be out to get her.  That got her to return home in tears.

Unbeknownst to either (Dad was watching the carnage in the village, to make sure nothing went wrong), a hiker named Johnny wandered by about then, and followed the zombies back to the hotel (not realizing where he was going, of course).

Dracula noticed him almost immediately, and kept trying to get rid of him without anyone noticing.  But, of course, things kept going wrong, and Johnny quickly met Mavis.  It was cute, the way it was handled, and went exactly as you'd expect.

In fact, the rest of the movie goes largely as you'd expect; it's a fun romp.

My daughter loved it.  My son (who's almost three), was a little scared of the monsters, at first, but, with some reassurance about them, stuck it out and demanded to watch it again when it finished.

Aside from a bit of concern about scaring little ones (some kids wouldn't be able to deal with it, even with reassurance), it was fine for them (although a couple of the jokes went over their heads).

The acting was pretty good; I was impressed that Sandler did as good a job as he did (I'm not a fan of his, although I did like The Wedding Singer).  And, as I said, it was very funny.  It certainly wasn't deep, but we liked it.

We'll probably watch it again before too long.