What I'm Watching...
(t) in movie theater (c) cable or TV (d) dvd or video (p) play (m) concert
July 31
Imitation of Life (d)
Claudette Colbert must have been loving 1934. Three films in which she starred nominated for Best Picture AND the best actress Oscar for It Happened One Night. Must have been some year...July 30
The Manchurian Candidate (t)
So what exactly is everyone smoking to think this is so great? It's a mere flea on the beautiful fur coat of the 1962 version. Positive: Liev Schreiber is super. Surprise Negative: Meryl Streep gives one of her least successful performances ever. Way overbaked and just not very interesting, scary, or even all that believable.July 27
The Manchurian Candidate (d)
July 24
A Home at the End of the World (t)
Er... remember my book-on-tape style complaining about the first two Harry Potters? Same problem here. Uninspired greatest hit /clips from the book. Yawn. Although it does make one appreciate the miracle that The Hours pulled off anew.
The Bourne Supremacy (t)
About as perfect as this sort of film gets. But I wish it had a teensy bit more to offer. God, am I hard to please or what?
July 23
The Three Penny Opera (p)
I had never seen this --actually I've never seen a Brecht or Veill production (though Veill I am of course familiar with being a cabaret supporter)--so I figured I ought to culturally educate myself. I don't think this was a particularly good production. Seemed very low budget. Nice set though. And there were a couple of particularly shaky and shrill players acting as if they were on stage at the Gershwin rather than in a tiny off Broadway theater. I kept thinking of the hilarious fight in Waiting for Guffman
"why are you screaming. I'm right here."But I was still fascinated, there are more than enough find songs for any musical. And, most interesting to me --Sondheim's acclaimed Assassins suddenly didn't feel so original.
July 18
Six Feet Under (c)
Again, normally I don't record random TV viewings but this episode is notable because we have now jumped the shark. The best show still on television gives its worst episode ever...and leaves me to believe it won't be anywhere close to the best show on television anymore. Ugh.Son Frere (d)
I tend to like Patrice Chereau's work but this one was a bit much for me to take. It's practically a dare to the audience: How much gloom can you take in one sitting.Sunrise (d)
Gorgeousity
July 17
A Star is Born (d)
Been on a Judy G kick lately. I'm still pissed she didn't win the Oscar for this.
Freaks and Geeks (d)
I got the complete series for my birthday and I've been working through it ---8 episodes watched so far. Why do they even make shows this good? Honestly? They will only be cancelled immediately. In fact of my all time favorite television shows, very few lasted more than 3 seasons. Not only is this freakishly well written and performed but it's freakishly accurate as to the experience of going to high school in Michigan in the 80s. The first time I saw this show on television I was alarmed because the characters kept mentioning places that I'd been and I was like "whaaa?" which got me hooked but then it was cancelled. The time period is a little off from my own experience but not by enough to make this show not immediately visceral for me upon watching. Now, is the chance to relive and see what I missed. If you haven't seen this --by all means rent or buy!July 10
A Farewell to Arms (d)
Grand Hotel (d)
It's not that I think any 1932 film is going to top Trouble in Paradise... but it'd be neat to have seen enough films I like for a top ten list...so I'm having a 32 viewing party. Loved Grand Hotel. I'm cooler on Farewell -- but since it won Best Cinematography back in its day, I wish the print on the DVD hadn't been so crappy. Why don't movie studios set aside some of their millions each year for proper restorations. why why why?
July 9
Caroline, or Change (p)
So glad I saw it a second time. Knocked my socks off again. How the hell did Idina Menzel win that Tony? No offense to fans of Wicked which sure if fun... but DAMN. Awards were practically invented for performances like Tonya Pinkins in this musical. Seriously.July 3
Chinatown (t)
July 2
Spider-Man 2 (t)
Even more fun the second time. I kid you not.De-Lovely (t)
I am not completely sure what I thought and I blame my friend for this. He was very late and we sat in the front row as the film began. I suspect that it's not really part of the Cole Porter story that Ashley Judd had a deformed head or that Cole Porter had freakishly huge arms and hands --much larger than the rest of his body...but this is what happens when you sit in the front row of one of those theaters that cares more about profit than moviegoers and puts a front row in that practically touches the screen. Distortion!
June 30th
Spider-Man 2 (t)
Crazy enjoyable. Raimi strikes me as the happiest director alive right about now.
June 28th
Mona Lisa Smile (d)
Ouch.
June 27th
The Last Laugh (d)June 26th
Fahrenheit 9/11 (t)
Napoleon Dynamite (t)
The Terminal (t)June 25th
Trouble in Paradise (d)
So great I had to watch it again before sending it back to ye olde Netflix. Again to repeat myself: See this NOW if you haven't.Happy Together (d)
Wong Kar-Wai sure makes lovely movies. I liked this one much better years after it came out than I did at the time. At the time I was much more sensitive about less than rosy depictions of gay men.But I see a lot more humanity in this one and less judgment than I initially did. Though Leslie Cheung's (RIP) character still qualifies as the next president of the "she's a mess club".
June 23rd
Shrek 2 (t)
Not sure I'll ever get the mass appeal of these. I didn't dislike this one as much as the first but it didn't send me either. As you've read everywhere else the highlight is Banderas's charming Puss in Boots. Though for my taste he's used to sparingly to really lift the film from its mediocrity.June 21st
White Chicks (t)
Don't ask...and, well, don't see.
June 20th
Fallen Angels (d)
As Wong Kar-Wai films go, I think this is my least favorite. It's still cinematically beautiful but I think it might've worked better with less length and as part of Chungking Express, for which it was apparently initially created.
The Velvet Goldmine (d)
June 18th
Trouble in Paradise (d)
This moviegoer was in paradise --I'll tell you that. See this NOW if you haven't.
June 17th
Annie Hall (d)
Two Brothers (t)
June 14th
Broadway Under the Stars (c)
Aside from the annual embarassments, this is always a fun free event. Last year's embarrassment was Melanie Griffith putting up a photo of Antonio Banderas behind her as she hosted. This year it was Bronson Pinchot's very existence. An unfunnier host would be hard to find. The current chick from Beauty & The Beast was also on hand to lower your enjoyment level since she can't hold a note or stay on key. And people pay $100 bucks for that show. Yikes. Still and all: Raul Esparza sang twice so that made the evening worthwhile.
June 13th
Broadway: The Golden Age (t)
June 12th
The Stepford Wives (t)
Occassionally funny but rather toothless. Kidman is all wrong for this part I think but it was fun to see Bette Midler and Glenn Close again.
June 11th
Address Unknown (p)
This story of two friends (A Jewish man in San Francisco, and his best friend and business partner living in Germany) separated by Hitler's rise to power is scary. It's easy (if you're actually paying attention) to see how the events which led to World War II and Hitler's rise to power can easily repeat themselves. If people are too passive, too downtrodden and waiting for someone to save them, too caught up in nationalism to look at the actual conditions they exist in, or if the society is willing to accept inhumane laws for 'the good of the country' and under the guise of "patriotism". So, yeah. We learn nothing if we don't really view history with critical thinking skills in order to apply it to the here and now.
June 10th
I Could Go on Singing (d)
For Judy G's birthday... you gotta watch some Judy G. Or in this case Jenny B (as she plays a lonely and needy concert diva, Jenny Bowman) A bit slow going but since we're talking Garland there are a couple of you'd- be-insane-to-miss-them musical screen moments -particularly the opening concert number and the title song that ends the film. And though she never won a competitive Oscar, Judy G can certainly act.
June 9th
The Musical of Musicals: The Musical! (p)
It's probably fairly enjoyable and silly if you don't know a lot about musicals. But if you happen to be part of the musical theater cognoscenti, it's quite hilarious.
June 6th
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (t)
June 5th
Water Drops on Burning Rocks (d)
Fascinating. Ozon is uneven to me from one film to the next and within each film. But when this one rocks, it rocks. Very funny.
June 4th
The Saddest Music in the World (t)
June 3rd
Bishonen (d)
Daniel Wu sure is purty. Stephen Fung aint so bad either. But, hellooooo melodrama. Just how convoluted can these romantic entanglements get? This is worth a sit though if you're at all curious about this genre. Still and all, wouldn't it be great to see a gay film that was a bit more contemporary in its outcome. Well, no spoilers here. But I'm a little tired of this type of ending.
