Code 46

[firecat]

The OH and I can't remember why we put the movie Code 46 on our Netflix queue. We liked it. So if you recommended it, thanks!

If you like atmospheric love stories with more-realistic-than-usual-in-mainstream-films sex scenes set in a multiethnic-flavored future and you don't mind a few asteroid-sized plot holes as far as the science fiction is concerned, you might like it too.

It's sort of like Gattaca meets Lost in Translation. Doesn't qualify under the Bechdel Rule, but has various women characters with minds of their own.

eta: spoilers in comments

Comments

[bastette-joyce.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed that movie, too. Unfortunately I don't remember much about it, but that's always a problem with me and doesn't reflect on the film. I know they broke a law (code 46, I guess :)) when they got involved, I guess because they were too genetically similar or something?

[firecat]

I don't remember much about movies either, other than whether I liked them or a general sense of the atmosphere, unless I've seen them multiple times. Anyway, that's correct. Also some laws involving traveling papers.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Also, it's the plot of Oedipus Rex. Which is... bizarre, and explains why the company is called Sphinx.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

D'oh! I hadn't made that connection before.

Doesn't Tim Robbins hafta pluck out his eyes?

[firecat]

I noticed the Oedipus Rex parallel but missed the Sphinx connection.

[okoshun.livejournal.com]

I bet it was epi_lj. He *loves* that movie. :)

[firecat]

epi_lj retains a high ranking in my "people whose media tastes I trust" list.

[tedesson.livejournal.com]

I watched Code 46 last year, and thought it was well done, but not as good as it could have been. I picked it up because I'm going through all of Samantha Morten's movies.

[firecat]

That's about what I thought. Are you liking her other movies?

[tedesson.livejournal.com]

_Jane Eyre_ was wonderful. I've never read the book, so the story was new to me. The performances were restrained and full.

_Under the Skin_ and _Morvern Callar_ were interesting, though I would imagine that both of them would have been just bad without her. I'm not that fond of stories involving self-destructive or cruel main characters.

She was one of the best things about _Minority Report_.

I always find it amazing the way she acts from the inside of her skull. Her forehead is so expressive.

[firecat]

I'll definitely check out her Jane Eyre if I can get past the notion of Rochester-with-a-mustache. [/shallow]

I agree with you about not liking certain kinds of main characters so I'll avoid those.

I liked her in Minority Report.

Well described.

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

That would be me who recommended it. :)

I love many things about it, but the thing that struck me most immediately (other than the soundtrack, which I find seriously swooney) was that it doesn't assume you're an idiot, and there's no unnecessary expository dialogue -- it felt to me almost like a drama that was filmed in the future and found its way back to the present rather than a science fiction film made now about the future.

[firecat]

Thanks for recommending it! "filmed in the future" is a cool way to think about the lack of exposition.

I thought I recognized some music in it (other than The Clash) and so I looked up the soundtrack on IMDB and sure enough it's the Coldplay song that you recommended and that's the music track for this post.

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I agree with your assessment that there are huge, giant, gaping plot holes in some elements of the film. On repeated watchings, they become a little harder to ignore for me, which can be slightly problematic. However, I've been surprised at how much I still like re-watching the film and how much depth some aspects of it seemed to have.

Yeah, right at the end of the film they play Warning Sign. :) I think I actually saw the movie before I owned the album, but I bough the album after having seen the movie in theatres, but before picking up the DVD. That song strongly affected me when I listened to the album, but I didn't recall having heard it before. While aspects of it struck me more because of stuff going on in my life, I wonder how much of it was because part of my brain was placing the music in the context of that story without me knowing it.

[suzimoses.livejournal.com]

The OH and I can't remember why we put the movie Code 46 on our Netflix queue.

I keep writing Netflix every month or so asking them to start including a "comments" field for movies in the queue so I could make note of why I added certain things.

Someday someone will listen.

[firecat]

I have a home backup of the queue that has a few comments in it, when I remember. But in a way part of the fun is wondering "Why did we put this on there?" (Which we often do because we have 300 items on our queue and don't remember by the time something comes around.)

[(Anonymous)]

Hi there - completely off-topic, but who should I send your t-shirts home with? :)

[firecat]

I assume you're someone at alt.polycon? :) I don't know who's visiting from the Bay Area other than RA. Sending them with RA is fine, if she's willing.