three quick movie reviews and other media stuff
Movies this week! Two on DVD, one at the theatre. Frequency was released in 2000. It has Dennis Quaid and Elizabeth Mitchell as the Sullivans, a firefighter (him) and a nurse (her) in the 1960s. One kid, John. (How cute was wee John? Oh my, so adorable!) We meet this generation of Sullivans first, and then skip to their son as an adult (played by Jim Caviezel), who ends up having a ham radio conversation with his father: from October 1969 to October 1999. There's an implausible explanation for how this happens, but the actors do a good job of selling it at an emotional level, which is what counts for a movie like this.
John Sullivan tells his father Frank enough information to make him believe that they're connected... and to lead him to survive a fire that killed him in one version of the past. That change of events has a ripple effect of other unfortunate consequences, and John and Frank have to figure out how to counteract them while separated by thirty years.
It's pretty cool. And all of the actors did some lovely work with their roles, so I'd recommend it.
Inception was 2010's big movie. My students with good taste liked it, so I finally decided to try it. It's quite marvellous: a marvellously earnest gimmick movie. It's one of those puzzles that you can look at from different angles and see different things. But what's missing to make a truly great movie is more emotional resonance, a more memorable catharthis. That's true of a lot of heist movies. There are emotional moments, and the cast does a beautiful job with them, but at its heart it's a puzzle with a lot of incredible scenery.
Though I do like the theory that the whole set-up is a way for Cobb to forgive himself.
The sountrack is seriously amazing. I may have to buy it.
I did see Brave, and it was charming and enjoyable. Also not a great movie, but a very good one. The starting point is a potential arranged marriage, but the story itself is really about parent-child relationships. Also, there are shenanigans with mischievous children, archery contests, treks through scary forests, bears, etc.
So I'd recommend all three movies, for different reasons.
I mentioned Inception's music; for me that's one item on a list of odd things that have helped convince me to watch something. (Music from the movie kept popping up on one of my Pandora radio stations, and I really liked it, so I bumped the movie up in my Netflix queue.) Other unusual things? I started watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles after reading this crossover fanfic (Battlestar Galactica) and watching this crossover fan-made video (also Battlestar Galactica).
And speaking of (possibly?) fan-made things, Tumblr now has A Guy in a Suit--abbreviated AGIAS, if you notice that acronym showing up. He's "following" Person of Interest fans on Tumblr; their names are on a list of Irrelevants (heh). (He started following me yesterday*. Clearly I need to take some evasive measures.) I can't decide if it's done by Warner Bros. or CBS as viral marketing, or by a clever and dedicated fan. Either way, it's been hilarious to watch the changes as fans notice them and post about them. Tumblr is a very good format for building enthusiasm that way.
(Hm. Just noticed there's now a "coming soon" page now. Makes me more inclined to believe it's done by WB or CBS, not by a fan...)
*I have to admit, that was a hilarious notification from Tumblr. a-guy-in-a-suit started following you. Dun dun DUUUUUN!
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/251765.html. Comment where you wish.
John Sullivan tells his father Frank enough information to make him believe that they're connected... and to lead him to survive a fire that killed him in one version of the past. That change of events has a ripple effect of other unfortunate consequences, and John and Frank have to figure out how to counteract them while separated by thirty years.
It's pretty cool. And all of the actors did some lovely work with their roles, so I'd recommend it.
Inception was 2010's big movie. My students with good taste liked it, so I finally decided to try it. It's quite marvellous: a marvellously earnest gimmick movie. It's one of those puzzles that you can look at from different angles and see different things. But what's missing to make a truly great movie is more emotional resonance, a more memorable catharthis. That's true of a lot of heist movies. There are emotional moments, and the cast does a beautiful job with them, but at its heart it's a puzzle with a lot of incredible scenery.
Though I do like the theory that the whole set-up is a way for Cobb to forgive himself.
The sountrack is seriously amazing. I may have to buy it.
I did see Brave, and it was charming and enjoyable. Also not a great movie, but a very good one. The starting point is a potential arranged marriage, but the story itself is really about parent-child relationships. Also, there are shenanigans with mischievous children, archery contests, treks through scary forests, bears, etc.
So I'd recommend all three movies, for different reasons.
I mentioned Inception's music; for me that's one item on a list of odd things that have helped convince me to watch something. (Music from the movie kept popping up on one of my Pandora radio stations, and I really liked it, so I bumped the movie up in my Netflix queue.) Other unusual things? I started watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles after reading this crossover fanfic (Battlestar Galactica) and watching this crossover fan-made video (also Battlestar Galactica).
And speaking of (possibly?) fan-made things, Tumblr now has A Guy in a Suit--abbreviated AGIAS, if you notice that acronym showing up. He's "following" Person of Interest fans on Tumblr; their names are on a list of Irrelevants (heh). (He started following me yesterday*. Clearly I need to take some evasive measures.) I can't decide if it's done by Warner Bros. or CBS as viral marketing, or by a clever and dedicated fan. Either way, it's been hilarious to watch the changes as fans notice them and post about them. Tumblr is a very good format for building enthusiasm that way.
(Hm. Just noticed there's now a "coming soon" page now. Makes me more inclined to believe it's done by WB or CBS, not by a fan...)
*I have to admit, that was a hilarious notification from Tumblr. a-guy-in-a-suit started following you. Dun dun DUUUUUN!
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/251765.html. Comment where you wish.