Yesterday Irena and I went to see In Bruges, a fun little film about hit men taking a forced vacation in a small Belgian town. A big theme of the film is being stuck in a place you don't want to be, and in a weird way that theme spilled over into the viewing experience itself. We saw it at Toronto's Varsity Cinema, on a holiday Monday, and it was packed. After initially turning away because neither of us can enjoy a film in a sardine can, we came back twenty minutes later and decided to give the "VIP screening room" a try. For a few extra dollars you get to see the film in a smaller theatre, on a smaller screen, but with comfier seats. When it first opened a few years back, the VIP room was presented as a posh option, complete with tableside snack service. Now, it seems, there are more seats, less tables and no special treatment, and the VIP is more of an overflow room for the well-heeled or desperate filmgoer (and hey, that's us man!)
As we sat down and began to endure the late arrivers (two of whom sat right in front of us, of course), it occurred to me that the screen was about the size of the wall of our currently unused back room on the third floor. For the privilege of seeing In Bruges in the VIP room, we paid about $30. I figure I could trick out our back room with a 1080p projector, a sound system superior to what we heard in the theatre and a few comfy chairs for about $6000. (I won't count the cost of the room reno since we want to do that anyway.) So, we would only have to watch 200 films at home for the thing to pay for itself. And that's without factoring in a $4 coke.
All that being said, I love going to the movies and won't ever stop. But I wonder how many people out there are making similar calculations to the ones above. In a decade, there might not be much of a movie-going culture left. It'll just be us and that guy behind me who insisted on unwrapping his treats from their crinkly cellophane at just the right moment.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
No Country For Old Men VS. Michael Clayton
My wife Irena and I saw two, count 'em TWO Oscar contenders over the weekend.
NCFOM is the one sucking up all the oxygen so far this awards season. Having read the book, I found No Country a lot more watchable than I expected, given its extremely bleak story. Still, I can't help thinking "what's the point?" It's a beautifully crafted piece of nihilism. The cinematography and acting are excellent, even if the casting of Tommy Lee Jones is a bit too on-the-nose. Roger Ebert praised the score, which is odd since the film has no music at all. This is bold, audacious filmmaking, but it left me a bit cold. The film is brutal, intense, riveting, and, for my money, ultimately pointless.
Michael Clayton is a conventional Hollywood political-type thriller, but I found it more satisfying. The film begins with the title character getting out of his car to admire some horses. As he stands on the hillside, his car blows up behind him. Then the film flashes back to four days earlier. This is a clever screenwriting ploy. Since we know what's coming with the near miss, when the story catches up to that point we accept what would otherwise be a credibility-killing coincidence. The themes of Michael Clayton are simple-bad corporate citizens versus our flawed hero. Still, I believe it's better to be good than original, and Michael Clayton is very, very good. Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and George Clooney are all reminders that some people are movie stars for good reason.
NCFOM is the one sucking up all the oxygen so far this awards season. Having read the book, I found No Country a lot more watchable than I expected, given its extremely bleak story. Still, I can't help thinking "what's the point?" It's a beautifully crafted piece of nihilism. The cinematography and acting are excellent, even if the casting of Tommy Lee Jones is a bit too on-the-nose. Roger Ebert praised the score, which is odd since the film has no music at all. This is bold, audacious filmmaking, but it left me a bit cold. The film is brutal, intense, riveting, and, for my money, ultimately pointless.
Michael Clayton is a conventional Hollywood political-type thriller, but I found it more satisfying. The film begins with the title character getting out of his car to admire some horses. As he stands on the hillside, his car blows up behind him. Then the film flashes back to four days earlier. This is a clever screenwriting ploy. Since we know what's coming with the near miss, when the story catches up to that point we accept what would otherwise be a credibility-killing coincidence. The themes of Michael Clayton are simple-bad corporate citizens versus our flawed hero. Still, I believe it's better to be good than original, and Michael Clayton is very, very good. Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and George Clooney are all reminders that some people are movie stars for good reason.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Field of Screams
Today I braved the frigid Toronto weather and went downtown to see Cloverfield. The film is told entirely from the point of view of a single video camera, and begins at a going-away party for hip young Rob on the eve of his departure for a big job in Japan. As his pal Hud documents the party we get a voyeur's look into Rob's conflict between taking the job and staying to try to win back his girlfriend Beth.
A lot of reviews say these characters aren't interesting, and I would tend to agree. The most clever aspect of the storytelling involves the fact that the mayhem is being filmed over a used tape. This allows "gaps" in the filming, where we get to see snippets of what was on the tape before, filling in the backtory of Rob and Beth. Trouble is, there's no backstory to see, wasting an ingenious narrative device.
With nothing invested in these characters, there is very little tension or emotion to be found once the city starts crumbling. Rather than a story it plays more as a demonstration of clever storytelling techniques, and on that level it succeeds. I've read other reviews slagging the monster, but for me he worked well enough. At under 90 minutes, it's a brisk, enjoyable ride, but it could have been so much more.
After the film, my friend took off immediately to make a train, leaving no time for discussion. This is somewhat fitting. We neither laughed, nor cried, but we did kill 90 minutes. Nothing more to discuss.
A lot of reviews say these characters aren't interesting, and I would tend to agree. The most clever aspect of the storytelling involves the fact that the mayhem is being filmed over a used tape. This allows "gaps" in the filming, where we get to see snippets of what was on the tape before, filling in the backtory of Rob and Beth. Trouble is, there's no backstory to see, wasting an ingenious narrative device.
With nothing invested in these characters, there is very little tension or emotion to be found once the city starts crumbling. Rather than a story it plays more as a demonstration of clever storytelling techniques, and on that level it succeeds. I've read other reviews slagging the monster, but for me he worked well enough. At under 90 minutes, it's a brisk, enjoyable ride, but it could have been so much more.
After the film, my friend took off immediately to make a train, leaving no time for discussion. This is somewhat fitting. We neither laughed, nor cried, but we did kill 90 minutes. Nothing more to discuss.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Legend Has It
Today we went for a visit to my parents home in Flamborough, with the ulterior motive of dropping off our daughter so we could go see a movie. There isn't too much out that I'm dying to see right now, and we settled on I Am Legend mainly because it was playing at the right time.
I had heard mixed reviews, but the lowered expectations paid off and I found it quite a passable time waster. The best parts of the film involve roving around the deserted remains of New York City as Smith hunts deer and dodges lions. The film was shot by Andrew Lesnie, who did Lord of the Rings, and it looks amazing. Just following Will Smith and his dog through an empty world is quite exhilarating, especially a few rows back from a giant screen. Eventually the plot kicks in, with raging zombies and a few requisite explosions, and the film becomes somewhat less interesting.
Will Smith does a great job carrying the movie almost singlehandedly on his meticulously sculpted shoulders. Watching an actor talk to himself for most of a movie is a dicey proposition, and Smith comes off much better than, say, Tom Hanks in Cast Away. (Mind you, I guess a dog is a better foil than a volleyball.)
I Am Legend ends with a vaguely pro-faith message that I could have done without, but overall it was a satisfying afternoon at the movies, if not much more.
A side note. There were about 100 people in the theatre and I swear each of them, with the exception of Irena and me, got up to visit the bathroom at least once. This was a 90 minute film. Sheesh!
I had heard mixed reviews, but the lowered expectations paid off and I found it quite a passable time waster. The best parts of the film involve roving around the deserted remains of New York City as Smith hunts deer and dodges lions. The film was shot by Andrew Lesnie, who did Lord of the Rings, and it looks amazing. Just following Will Smith and his dog through an empty world is quite exhilarating, especially a few rows back from a giant screen. Eventually the plot kicks in, with raging zombies and a few requisite explosions, and the film becomes somewhat less interesting.
Will Smith does a great job carrying the movie almost singlehandedly on his meticulously sculpted shoulders. Watching an actor talk to himself for most of a movie is a dicey proposition, and Smith comes off much better than, say, Tom Hanks in Cast Away. (Mind you, I guess a dog is a better foil than a volleyball.)
I Am Legend ends with a vaguely pro-faith message that I could have done without, but overall it was a satisfying afternoon at the movies, if not much more.
A side note. There were about 100 people in the theatre and I swear each of them, with the exception of Irena and me, got up to visit the bathroom at least once. This was a 90 minute film. Sheesh!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Dust Busted
Last night we watched Stardust. I quite liked the book by Neil Gaiman, so I had been looking forward to this one. It was passable entertainment, but a lacklustre musical score and a very out of place Robert DeNiro weigh the picture down. It has a lot of whimsical little touches, like a prince that literally bleeds blue, but it's quite a predictable ride. The best thing about the movie is Michelle Pfieffer as the bad witch. She digs into her role with relish, not to mention mustard and ketchup. Unfortunately, nobody else can keep up, and Claire Danes, DeNiro and whatever that kid's name who played Tristran all seem to sleepwalk through their respective roles by comparison.
The effects are passable, but nothing extraordinary. It's amazing how quickly we become blase to effects. 10 years ago this film would have looked amazing, now it's rather mere.
Unfortunately, there's only enough dust here to make about 2 and a half stars.
The effects are passable, but nothing extraordinary. It's amazing how quickly we become blase to effects. 10 years ago this film would have looked amazing, now it's rather mere.
Unfortunately, there's only enough dust here to make about 2 and a half stars.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Once Upon a Rental
We rented the movie Once the other night and really enjoyed it. Irena suggested we should review it and start a new movie review blog, so here we go! For me, the main reason to do this is not so much for the sake of the readers. There are plenty of half baked opinions out there and adding ours is probably nothing more than an exercise in cosmic futility. Even so, I think getting in the habit of reviewing the movies we see will have value for ourselves, to help us focus our thoughts and to potentially inform our process as we take baby steps towards creating our next film.
In that vein, Once is a movie that really inspires me. It is very simple, shot on cheap digital equipment without movie stars or elaborate locations. It follows a guy in Dublin who meets a young woman while busking on the street. He befriends her and together they make a recording which becomes a catalyst for both of them finding the will to move forward with their lives. There is no sex, no violence and barely even a plot, just genuine characters and great music. It kind of reminds me of another film called Old Joy, which is another small character piece with a very sparse narrative. I liked Old Joy, but Once has much more to offer than that film. The way the lead character (who is never given a name) is powerfully inspired musically and yet mired in the mundane aspects of living one day at a time is a struggle I think most can relate to. We all want to make our mark, whether it is in music, film or urban planning, but "real life" so often takes up all of our time and energy. I found some inspiration in the journey of "the guy" in Once, and I plan to make some changes in 2008 and get out of various ruts. For that, I sincerely thank everyone who made this film and recommend it highly.
In that vein, Once is a movie that really inspires me. It is very simple, shot on cheap digital equipment without movie stars or elaborate locations. It follows a guy in Dublin who meets a young woman while busking on the street. He befriends her and together they make a recording which becomes a catalyst for both of them finding the will to move forward with their lives. There is no sex, no violence and barely even a plot, just genuine characters and great music. It kind of reminds me of another film called Old Joy, which is another small character piece with a very sparse narrative. I liked Old Joy, but Once has much more to offer than that film. The way the lead character (who is never given a name) is powerfully inspired musically and yet mired in the mundane aspects of living one day at a time is a struggle I think most can relate to. We all want to make our mark, whether it is in music, film or urban planning, but "real life" so often takes up all of our time and energy. I found some inspiration in the journey of "the guy" in Once, and I plan to make some changes in 2008 and get out of various ruts. For that, I sincerely thank everyone who made this film and recommend it highly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)