(no subject)
Recent Viewing:
The Muppet Movie Slightly disappointed after wanting to see this for ages. We used to watch it on print at primary school ALL THE TIME, so I was keen to see it again. I'm not saying that it isn't good, it was perhaps slightly TOO good in a way. The effects and puppeteering were phenomenal and the songs were really well written - but it just didn' t have that Jim Henson charm and humour I have grown so used to. Although it did have cameos from some GREAT people including Richard Pryor, Mel Brooks, Steve Martin and Orson Welles. Good.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Criterion) As a fan of the book, but not a fan of people who compare books to films, I went in with some expectations. Any apprehension was unfounded and the film was very good, mixing the frivolity of Truffaut, the drama of Bergman and some of the qualities of Bertolucci, this was a very well made film, not surprising given its all-star crew, that I didn't really expect from the director of the remake of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. That said, Daniel Day-Lewis wasn't up to his usual standard and the pacing was at times bemusing, although I think this has to be aimed at the narrative of the book too.
Cat People (1942) GRREEEAT. I love a good B movie and this was one of the best I have seen. Great work with lighting. Way ahead of its time and an all round quality production.
The Rules of Attraction. Saw this again for the second time, after picking it up at HMV for £2.99. I think it still stood out as a good piece of work, dark and original, quitely subverting the teen genre without making a song and dance about it. However, some of its faults stood out much more on a repeated viewing, particularly Roger Avary's 'digs' at Tarantino, especially the scenes with the drug dealers. When you made a film that is as good as this, and arguably stands up as well as any of Tarantino's movies, then to be so outwardly bitter is detrimental to the rest of the project. Some of the 'twists' in the narrative are quite heavily handled too, although not as badly as some films, and also I suppose this is necessary for some viewers. I'm happy to give it 4/5 and would definitely watch it in a double bill with American Psycho, as two fine Bret Easton Ellis pictures.
The Muppet Movie Slightly disappointed after wanting to see this for ages. We used to watch it on print at primary school ALL THE TIME, so I was keen to see it again. I'm not saying that it isn't good, it was perhaps slightly TOO good in a way. The effects and puppeteering were phenomenal and the songs were really well written - but it just didn' t have that Jim Henson charm and humour I have grown so used to. Although it did have cameos from some GREAT people including Richard Pryor, Mel Brooks, Steve Martin and Orson Welles. Good.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Criterion) As a fan of the book, but not a fan of people who compare books to films, I went in with some expectations. Any apprehension was unfounded and the film was very good, mixing the frivolity of Truffaut, the drama of Bergman and some of the qualities of Bertolucci, this was a very well made film, not surprising given its all-star crew, that I didn't really expect from the director of the remake of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. That said, Daniel Day-Lewis wasn't up to his usual standard and the pacing was at times bemusing, although I think this has to be aimed at the narrative of the book too.
Cat People (1942) GRREEEAT. I love a good B movie and this was one of the best I have seen. Great work with lighting. Way ahead of its time and an all round quality production.
The Rules of Attraction. Saw this again for the second time, after picking it up at HMV for £2.99. I think it still stood out as a good piece of work, dark and original, quitely subverting the teen genre without making a song and dance about it. However, some of its faults stood out much more on a repeated viewing, particularly Roger Avary's 'digs' at Tarantino, especially the scenes with the drug dealers. When you made a film that is as good as this, and arguably stands up as well as any of Tarantino's movies, then to be so outwardly bitter is detrimental to the rest of the project. Some of the 'twists' in the narrative are quite heavily handled too, although not as badly as some films, and also I suppose this is necessary for some viewers. I'm happy to give it 4/5 and would definitely watch it in a double bill with American Psycho, as two fine Bret Easton Ellis pictures.