burn after reading
Last week in this space, I was bemoaning the fact that it was ten whole days into 2014 and I still hadn’t set foot in a movie theatre yet.

Well that trend changed this week, but in a neat little twist, I still haven’t watched a new release!

This week brought on a pair of events, both centred around slightly older material, but both highly rewarding.

The first event was the latest instalment of  Shorts That Are Not Pants. The analogy I’ve used before about watching a night of short films is that it’s like someone has handed you the movie version of a mix tape. You get peaks and valleys, and a whole new emotional place every ten minutes or so. Matter of fact, that has just given me a great idea (stay tuned for details).

The second event was sort of a once-in-a-lifetime sorta thing. Lightbox held a screening of a contraband Rolling Stones documentary named COCKSUCKER BLUES. The film was created during The Stones 1972 American Tour, and was quickly disavowed by the group out of embarrassment for what it depicted. The director managed to win a legal ruling to continue showing it though, but screenings of it are super rare (and no legit dvd’s exist).

The screening was packed, and nobody left unsatisfied. It was an amazing fly-on-the-wall encapsulation of 1970’s rock & roll – sorta like ALMOST FAMOUS without a conscience.

I don’t think it has ever showed in Toronto before, and it may never screen again, so I’m certainly glad I was able to get in on it and experience one of my favorite rock bands at their apex.

 

Here’s The Week at Hand…

 

Screenings
SHORTS NOT PANTS Winter Programme – James says there was no theme, but there was certainly a very “lovey-dovey” vibe to the selections.
COCSUCKER BLUES – Not as excessive as I thought it was going to be. Certainly glad I got to see a screening of this since it so seldom sees the light of day.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR – One less Wilder left to watch. Ginger Rogers is so charming in this.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
CASINO – Lordy does this have a lot in common with WOLF OF WALL STREET
ADAPTATION – It had been way too long.
HER – If I were to re-do my 2013 top 5 today, this might edge higher up the ranks.
MIDNIGHT – Watched in the afterglow of writing my Wilder/Crowe post.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER – With the amount of times I’ve rewatched this, I’m pretty sure it’s my current go-to for sick days and the like.

Boxscore for The Year
10 First-Timers, 14 Re-Watched
24 Movies in Total
How’s about you – seen anything good?

13 Replies to “Days of The Week (Films Watched Jan 11 – Jan 17)”

  1. I love 500 Days of Summer so much! I might have to watch Casino if you think it has a lot in common with Wolf of Wall St which I also loved.

    1. Welcome to The Matinee, Caitlin!

      (500) Days of Summer is quickly becoming my go-to answer for anyone who likes to argue that romantic comedy is a genre full of crap films. To me (500) is a sign that there are a handful of films that are able to do intelligent things within the genre.

      As for Casino, do give it a look. For me it’s sort of the hinge between Wolf and Goodfellas…so if you haven’t seen that one, move on to *it* when you’re done.

      Come back soon now, y’hear?

  2. Ah man, you got to see Cocksucker Blues! Lucky! As a huge Stones fan, I’ve always wanted to see that.

    I managed to break my chain of two one-film weeks! All first time for me this week:

    The Devil’s Mirror
    Teeth
    The Deadly Knives
    Auditions
    Bowery Boy

    1. My eyes were like saucers the first time a local critic told me Lightbox was bringing it.

      Woo-hooo! At this rate you’re on track for 141 movies this year!

      Is Teeth the one where the women discovers that she has teeth “down there”?

  3. I really want to see Cocksucker Blues as I love watching stories about the Stones.

    First-Timers: Her, The Gold Rush, The Circus, WrestleMania 2 (I’m doing a marathon of WrestleMania right now which you can read in my new wrestling blog), and later tonight, Upstream Color.

    Re-Watches: K-19: The Widowmaker, 21 Jump Street, Ocean’s Twelve, and Iron Man 3.

    1. A wrestling blog…interesting twist. It’s been a long time since I followed the goings-on in the squared circle. Is The Big Boss man still around?

      K-19 makes me wonder about the right way to do a director’s series. I mean, ideally you want to start with the best stuff and work outwards, right? But shouldn’t there be a way that *doesn’t* end with one of the director’s worst films?

  4. As a full-fledged Stones guy in the Stones or Beatles debate, I’m uber-jealous of your “Cocksucker Blues.” But also happy you got the opportunity to experience it.

    1. I never understood that debate since the two bands did such different things with the medium. I thought it was more between The Stones and The Who.

      But yes, you (and anyone other Stones fan I could think of) were certainly there in spirit.

  5. I haven’t seen Cocksucker Blues, but I’ve heard it’s something to see. I did catch an earlier Stones documentary, Charlie is My Darling, and it was an intriguing mid-’60s look at the band.

    Just two screenings this week, but both were excellent:

    SOMETHING IN THE AIR – Interesting look at teens in Europe in the ’60s from Olivier Assayas. It’s gorgeous too look at and has plenty to say about youth culture in any era

    STALKER – It really takes it’s time and is more of an intellectual exercise than an intriguing story, but it’s going to stick with me for a while

      1. I have seen GIMME SHELTER, and it’s one of the great music documentaries. The Stones’ performances are amazing, and the Altamont material is fascinating.

        STALKER is worth seeing for sure, though get ready for a slow experience.

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