(no subject)
Film Festival wrapped tonight. My third year seeing movies there, second with a pass with my mom. Last year it was 14 movies - this time, 16. Not bad. Saw seven Canadian films: Siblings, Blood, Childstar, Wilby Wonderful, The Rowdyman, The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess and Saint Ralph. Interestingly of that lot, only one had Nicolas Campbell or Sarah Polley in it (Siblings, a mediocre black comedy about children that kill their parents), only one was a play first (Blood), one was from the seventies (The Rowdyman, written by and starring Gordon Pinsent). And three by really Canadian auteurs - Don McKellar (Childstar, a comedy with a good cast), Daniel MacIvor (who went more commercial with a good cast in Wilby Wonderful) and Bruce McDonald (Gillan Guess, a wacky movie with some great stylized moments that make you roll in the aisles).
As for other films, the American ones I saw generally sucked. The Assassination of Richard Nixon had a good cast and a horrible script that was 'inspired by a true story' and ignored its basis, Samuel Byck (not Bicke). Silver City has a good cast but meanders with its plot a bit too much - a political intrigue film satirizing Bush. Sideways was a bit too slow for me and just lacked the punch of the other Alexander Payne films (Election and About Schmidt). Sucker Free City was a television pilot that was rejected but directed by Spike Lee - wonderful except for the loose endings. And Mysterious Skin, with a bunch of television teens in it, is well told, smartly directed and actually pretty good, considering it's not trying to be a great art film, a story of two boys and their paralleled childhoods.
So the Brits won, in my opinion. Yes, starring Joan Allen and written and directed by Sally Potter, was near brilliant. Well written (and in verse no less), beautifully shot and just a really well told story of a marriage that's not working and a woman's escape from it, the film just works. Millions, the latest from Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) is a children's tale of two young brothers who find a bag of cash after a bank robbery that takes place just days before England joins the Euro. Charming, sweet and very cute, it makes you giggle in all the right places and makes you feel kinda tingly inside.
Also saw In My Father's Den and Dead Man's Shoes. Interesting pieces (New Zealand and Ireland, I believe) but not quite my picks of the festival.
Anyway, my main reason for writing this, aside from the update on the film fest which I'll miss until next year, or to say I'm getting through most of those classic books of mine, or even just to say I'm free right now, a bit lonely and would love some of the readers of this thing to call me up to do some stuff. Whoops, that rambled without a point... Yeah, doing another scripture reading tomorrow morning - how do I get talked into these things? - reading, writing - dammit Buddies get back to me - and trying to get all my errands done - school still awaits my registration, anyone wanna call me Monday morning to wake me up? - and I'm killing my internet connection. You heard me right, the connection is going within the next week. It distracts me from doing work or reading or just being productive, costs me more than it should to keep it up right now and is something I think I can live without for a while, as I've been slowly weaning myself off it too. I'll still be reading my email and all that from the library or at friend's so feel free to comment on here or write me (or for those that know it, the cell - if you need to know it, just ask).
Hopefully I'll see you all soon. Take care until then. I'm out.
As for other films, the American ones I saw generally sucked. The Assassination of Richard Nixon had a good cast and a horrible script that was 'inspired by a true story' and ignored its basis, Samuel Byck (not Bicke). Silver City has a good cast but meanders with its plot a bit too much - a political intrigue film satirizing Bush. Sideways was a bit too slow for me and just lacked the punch of the other Alexander Payne films (Election and About Schmidt). Sucker Free City was a television pilot that was rejected but directed by Spike Lee - wonderful except for the loose endings. And Mysterious Skin, with a bunch of television teens in it, is well told, smartly directed and actually pretty good, considering it's not trying to be a great art film, a story of two boys and their paralleled childhoods.
So the Brits won, in my opinion. Yes, starring Joan Allen and written and directed by Sally Potter, was near brilliant. Well written (and in verse no less), beautifully shot and just a really well told story of a marriage that's not working and a woman's escape from it, the film just works. Millions, the latest from Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) is a children's tale of two young brothers who find a bag of cash after a bank robbery that takes place just days before England joins the Euro. Charming, sweet and very cute, it makes you giggle in all the right places and makes you feel kinda tingly inside.
Also saw In My Father's Den and Dead Man's Shoes. Interesting pieces (New Zealand and Ireland, I believe) but not quite my picks of the festival.
Anyway, my main reason for writing this, aside from the update on the film fest which I'll miss until next year, or to say I'm getting through most of those classic books of mine, or even just to say I'm free right now, a bit lonely and would love some of the readers of this thing to call me up to do some stuff. Whoops, that rambled without a point... Yeah, doing another scripture reading tomorrow morning - how do I get talked into these things? - reading, writing - dammit Buddies get back to me - and trying to get all my errands done - school still awaits my registration, anyone wanna call me Monday morning to wake me up? - and I'm killing my internet connection. You heard me right, the connection is going within the next week. It distracts me from doing work or reading or just being productive, costs me more than it should to keep it up right now and is something I think I can live without for a while, as I've been slowly weaning myself off it too. I'll still be reading my email and all that from the library or at friend's so feel free to comment on here or write me (or for those that know it, the cell - if you need to know it, just ask).
Hopefully I'll see you all soon. Take care until then. I'm out.