Holidays at last!!! Will be looking out for a temporary job to recoup the losses I incurred over the last few months (dun wanna talk about it.... sigh...). However, I intend to fully enjoy my new-found freedom this week. And so, I made a trip down to VideoEZY at Thomson Plaza to check out their rental service, and came back with 3 titles:

1) The Shipping News
2) Runaway Jury (the VCD that I have is kinda blur and has no subtitles, which constantly gives me that nagging feeling that I may have somehow missed out on some details...)
3) The Door in the Floor

I've finished with The Shipping News and I would say it's a enduring movie that chronicles the wonders of the human spirit, the emotions and reactions that accompany life's ups and downs. Set against the backdrop of the stunningly picturesque yet harsh landscape of Newfoundland, the story tells of the life of Quoyle, a broken and insecure man, who finds himself and rebuilds his life as he reconnects with his ansestral past and his present life - his daughter, his love, his sense of self-worth. And may I say, I loved the soundtrack too... It complements the entire picture very well. Lasse Hallstrom seemed to have a tougher time telling this story than he did in his previous directorial efforts, but he still did well.



Detailed summary from IMDB:

The story begins with a narration by Quoyle (Kevin Spacey), and through this depressing and self defeating narration, we learn that Quoyle is man who has never succeeded in anything, is a failure in his family's eyes, and has never accomplished one thing in his entire life. He struggles through every miserable task he is given, he aches at the thought of one more day.

As a defeated man who has never loved, never laughed, and never succeeded, he is desperate for something, desperate for someone. When he meets a woman named Petal (Cate Blanchett) he thinks he's in love. We see a woman who is looking for a costumer, looking for someone to spend the night with. Quoyle sees a wife, someone to spend the rest of his life with. So without hesitation, he takes a swing at this wild tiger. He thinks he has achieved that echelon of happiness. He has a darling little girl, he has a wife, and he has a steady job. But he soon learns that one person, a person he has known for little over a few years, can turn his life upside down. After a realistic and inevitable chain of events, he is back to his pitiful little life. Only this time, he's lost more than he can handle. His own emotional attachments have become his own emotional destruction.

In the midst of these happenings, Quoyle is met at the door by his Aunt Agnis (Judi Dench), whom he has never met. She suggests they begin a new future, for she too has lost something. She decides that they should travel to their native roots, in Newfoundland. The future looks bleak to Quoyle, but only the happiest of times look ahead to Agnis. At least from our perspective. - Hannibal Lecter

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The Shipping News is the kind of movie that leaves you with questions, which makes you wanna watch it over again to find the answers. It makes you wanna celebrate the strength of the human spirit and marvel at the realism of the portrayal of its characters. It's not sappy - like outwardly trying to win your tears and sympathy and telling you right in your face "this is what life is and you have the power to overcome any difficultites". What it does instead is to present a real person with real problems and real encounters. Quoyle is not the typical movie character who has a goal, who actively does something and accepts its consequences. Quoyle is a man who does nothing, who is pushed along by the waves of life and is basically just receiving and reacting to it as it comes. Yet towards the end of his journy, he realizes the potential in him that had remain hidden, and slowly finds that he could in fact take control of his own life. The other pivitol character, Dench's Aunt Agnis, is a hardy, strong woman who is actively seeking life out and wanting to change it. The small community of Newfoundland are the icing on the cake, guiding the main characters on their road to self-discovery in their own little and special way.

Some flaws, however, included the development of some other characters. Julianne Moore (Wavey), for example, seems to have accepted Quoyle too quickly. There was hint of her own personal struggle yet it was not explored as well as I hoped it would be. I was also left puzzled by the significance of Quoyle's daughter, Bunny's, special gift of "sensitivity". I had trouble understanding some parts as well, like why towards the end a bad dream could have suddenly spurred Quoyle's courage to do something he previously didn't, and the meaning of Cousin Noland tying the knots and leaving them in front of the house (as in, I know the knots had some kind of mystical value but I dunno in what way is he related to the Quoyle family and why he does that). I guess the novel on which this movie is based on has more on those but since I haven't read the novel, I can only say that those parts left me feeling rather unsatisfied.

Would I recommend this movie? That depends... Basically, if you are into dramas which are slow-moving and thoughtful, no harm giving this one a shot. Who knows, maybe you'll understand it better and appreciate it even more than I did. But I liked it, anyhow.


Trivia:

The movie is based on a book, The Shipping News, by E. Annie Proulx

After Quoyle relocated to Newfoundland, he first lands in a job as a reporter who covers the shipping schedules of the fishing town, hence the title.

Proulx, would only grant the film rights to the book upon the condition that it be filmed on location in Newfoundland.

Remember I talked about K-PAX? For those of you who have seen the movie, you would recall one part where Prot (Spacey) goes missing. When he suddenly reappears on top of a tree, he answers Dr. Mark Powell's question of where he has been by saying he has been up north, "...Newfoundland and Labrador". Spacey shot the exterior scenes for The Shipping News in Newfoundland during April-June 2001.

Spacey put on about 25 pounds for the role of Quoyle.

The role of Quoyle's daughter, Bunny, was played by triplets. I wonder why? As in, why was it neccessary to have 3 girls playing the same role... As far as the story's concerned, I don't see any need in the movie for more than one actress as Bunny. Maybe some technical issue?

One reviewer at IMDB mentioned that every name in this movie (Quoyle, Petal, Bunny, Wavey) had some significance relating to the characters themselves, but of course stopped short of explaining exactly in what way. I still haven't figured that out so can anyone who knows enlighten me on this?