The problem with anthology films is that there are always some weak links. In this case the strong opener, Wadzilla, is dragged down by the frankly boring I Was a Teenage Werebear which I might have enjoyed more if it were less musical although I know that the musical numbers were integral to the genre it was spoofing. The Diary of Anne Frankenstein helped bring the film back to life though and the framing story was well done. All in all, it was better than I thought it would be but not great.
Watched at home alone.
Categorized in Film, Narratives, Netflix and New To Me
I had been looking forward to seeing this for a long time. Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, John Landis, and a great supporting cast all made for a fun film. Much better than I Sell the Dead. It’s a little slight but worth seeing.
Watched at home with Tara.
Categorized in Film, Foreign, Narratives, Netflix and New To Me
Watched this one knowing almost nothing about it except that James Urbaniak was in it (he’d been tweeting about it being available on Netflix Instant). Not bad but not great. I liked the weird style of the office and the characters. There is a strange sparsity to their dialogue and the set design that was interesting. I also liked that the alien stuff was handled very simply and comically. I did start to lose interest towards the end though when the alien stuff and the relationship story heated up. I think that in this section, the sparsity actually worked against the narrative in that I didn’t really care about the characters so the invasion and dissolution of the relationship were not as effective as they could have been.
Watched at home alone.
Categorized in Film, Narratives, Netflix and New To Me
I really liked this but it’s also one of those films that almost demands a second viewing. It’s not quite Usual Suspects level but it is very dense and I’m sure much of the deception and re-deception would be much clearer once the outcome is known. I also was personally quite interested in the minimalist use of Smiley’s wife as a presence rather than an actual character. It reminded me of the paper I wrote on the incredible importance of Clint Eastwood’s wife in Unforgiven who never actually appears in the film but who’s presence is felt throughout nonetheless.
Watched at Providence Place with Craig.
Categorized in Film, Foreign, Narratives, New To Me and Theater
I was hoping to connect with this film a bit more but found myself a bit disassociated with all of the characters in one way or another. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it. It is a really great mix of funny and sad to the point where I’d be laughing at a given scene and slowly come to question whether it was actually wrong to laugh! That’s a very fine line to walk and one that makes the film very interesting to me. Patton Oswalt in particular does a fantastic job of this as he did in Big Fan.
Watched with Tara at Showcase Warwick.
Categorized in Film, Narratives, New To Me and Theater
I like Paul Rudd but he sometimes makes these middle of the road films that have a good amount of his usual brand of heart but don’t always work. This one is a better example of this and the supporting cast is great so it was an enjoyable watch. My biggest gripe is Rashida Jones’s wardrobe. Particularly her oversize hipster glasses. Really awful.
Watched at home with Tara.
Categorized in Film, Narratives, Netflix and New To Me
Supernatural/ghost-based horror is by far the scariest genre of horror film. This one is no exception. There are some really effective scares that freaked me out. The moments with the baby monitor were hit close to home as my own baby monitor was sitting next to me as I watched. I also really liked the design of the ghost realm and the specters that lived there.
Watched at home alone.
Categorized in Film, Narratives, Netflix and New To Me
My annual Christmas Eve, Glengarry Glen Ross watching/gift wrapping afternoon almost didn’t happen this year. I wasn’t feeling it but I also couldn’t decide on another film to watch. Anyway, i watched it and enjoyed it so I’m glad I didn’t skip a year!
Watched at home alone.
Categorized in Film, Narratives and Own
I had been itching to watch Chinatown since watching Rango earlier in the month as there are a lot of secondary plot threads taken from the film but I wanted to see just how much. Anyway, it’s a great film that never loses its effectiveness and worked surprisingly well as a second feature to Die Hard.
Watched at home alone.
Categorized in Film, Narratives and Own
After Moon, I figured Jones was set to make a string of highly original, smart sci-fi. Source Code works pretty well but seems kind of slight. It plays mainly like a mix of Groundhog Day and La Jetee. It is smart but just needed some other dimension to make it original.
Watched at home with Tara.
Categorized in Film, Narratives and Netflix
