Fair warning: These two reaction posts will deal very little with the actual plot of the films, since I have a lot to get to at this wicked-late hour… Back in May, I first saw the amazing trailer for Julie Taymor’s ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (* * *). From that moment, I knew I had to…
Elsewhere
Observations on a Tuesday MorningHalfway home…doesn’t the time fly when you’re having fun? The other morning I mentioned that even though LUST, CAUTION wasn’t as amazing as I had hoped it might be, I still wanted to give it another shake. Well, now I’m pretty sure I have to with news that it has won…
Reaction: LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
Tonight brought out the third standing ovation I’ve been witness to…and, yes I’ll go there again, the second potential Oscar nomination. Tonight, The Ryerson was packed for the premiere of LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (* * * *). Wonderfully directed by Craig Gillespie, the film is about Lars (Ryan Gosling) – a very sweet,…
Ring the Alarm
Observations on a Monday Morning So there’s the Hatter. Laying in bed, looking panicked at his alarm clock that tells him that it’s 7:05 am. He knows he’s not supposed to still be asleep, but the problem is – he’s not sure where he’s supposed to be! Don’t worry – it came to me. After…
Reaction: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
I’m not sure what I expected coming into NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. It’s directed by The Coen Brothers, but they’ve been on a bum streak lately (neither INTOLLERABLE CRUELTY nor THE LADYKILLERS did much for me). It’s based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy, but I thought the adaptation of ALL THE PRETTY HORSES…
Reaction: HERE IS WHAT IS
There are two types of “Rock Docs”: the linear and the creative. The linear is by far the most popular – soundbites and interviews stitched with still images of album covers and chords of greatest hits (for example THE USA VS JOHN LENNON). Then there is the creative – the type of film where the…
Get In Line
After that first box-office miss I suffered trying to get a ticket to PERSEPOLIS, I’ve actually been doing very well with picking up tickets as I go. Here’s a small secret – the Best Bets list isn’t nearly as complete as you’d think. In the past it was academic – if a movie showed up…