Would it be more expensive to be such a regular at a pub that the staff know you, than becoming a familiar sight to the Film Festival people? A bunch of the ushers don’t bother to direct me to my seat any more, they just wave me through. It’s a little sad that you can’t have the same relationship with on-line retailers – there’s not going to be anyone at SmokeCDs going, “Huh, I guess he’s listening to northern soul now.” Actually, never mind, that would be a bit creepy..
Film #31: First Position
I feel about ballet the same way I feel about rap batles – I recognise that it takes talent and dedication, I sometimes enjoy it (especially when it’s used in other contexts), but I’m not particularly invested in it.
But this was a fun movie to watch, in exactly the same way that Spellbound was fun… though perhaps the kids were not quite as varied as the Spellbound crowd. This might be because ballet demands a certain kind of focus, and the stakes are higher (since no-one in a spelling contest has dreams of “going pro”), and demands more “performance”; you’re not going to have kids being awkward and talking with robot voices. Regardless, I’ll certainly be recommending it to the people I know who like dance, and I wouldn’t mind sitting through it again.
Film #32: Nana
The little girl is incredibly cute, and the daily details of life are interesting; whether the girl’s cuteness can carry the film through long shots where nothing happens is… well, for me, yes, it does, but only just. Someone mentioned that it had been described as feeling longer than it was; I would certainly agree with that.
Film #33: Angel’s Share
Because of the violence in the beginning of the film, I kept on waiting for the caper to go horribly wrong, and the bodies to start piling up. However, it turned out that this wasn’t that sort of movie; instead, it was more of a comedy. But it was a palpable relief when the credits rolled without any Guy Ritchie hyperviolence being perpetrated. I suppose that this is one of the risks of trying to avoid over-studying films before seeing them.
It had some fine gross-out comedy, and some elements that are sadly unusual (such as a female member of the “gang” who was not a romantic interest of any sort). I enjoyed it.
Film #34: Rampart
A deconstruction of the myth of the righteous cop who uses justifiable violence outside the law, and the alpha male who sleeps with lots of women, protects his ex-wives and daughters, and knows all the answers. Some of it was a little heavy-handed – the fall-out from the killing that gave him his nickname, for example. But I still found it an enjoyable film.
As an aside – though there’s nothing wrong with her performance, the cameos that she’s done makes it hard for me to see Sigourney Weaver as anyone other than herself playing a role, if that makes any sense? Sort of like William Shatner.
Film #35: Death Row Portraits: James Barnes & Linda Anita Carty
This focused n admitted serial killer (who seemed like a reasonable person to have a chat with, until you listened to some of the things he was admitting to), and a woman alleged to have organized the kidnapping of a woman in order to steal her baby.
The serial killer admitted to two more killings to the documentary-maker; Herzog wonders whether it is an attempt to delay his death sentence with extra litigation. One of the reasons he was scary was how reasonable he sounded.
The woman was scary in a different way. Judging a person’s guilt or innocence based on a documentary is a mug’s game, but calling yourself a DEA agent when you’re actually an informant (according to her own lawyer) is certainly indicative of a person who’s willing to bend the truth to suit her agenda; and telling a story which fits with what she wants to be true, rather than what is true, is basically what she’s accused of. I also don’t understand how the frame that she claims took place was meant to have worked, though I also don’t understand why the thugs she’s meant to have tricked would have kidnapped the woman when it turned out the half-ton of cannabis that she said was in the house wasn’t there.
Film #36: On The Road
I’m starting to realise that my exposure to the Great American Novel has primarily been through the medium of film. I’m not sure whether I’ll get around to correcting that any time soon, since if I have to work at a book, I tend to prefer non-fiction.
Since it’s late, I’ll just say that I thought it was good, and I enjoyed it, though I can’t say that it inspired me in the slightest. 🙂
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