Awards season is getting in gear, with silent film The Artist winning the New York Film Critics Circle. The black-and-white film from Michel Hazanavicius is rapidly becoming a front-runner, also leading with five Independent Spirit nominations. You gotta love that - six months ago, he was unknown and unpronounceable. Now he's threatening to eclipse Scorsese and Spielberg. Let the games begin.
Between mouthfuls of stuffing and cranberry sauce, I've managed to see a few things recently -
A Lonely Place to Die - This British stab at survival horror starts off promisingly with some fantastic outdoor action, echoing films like Eden Lake, Cliffhanger, The Descent and even Deliverance. Sadly, the second half is pretty pedestrian and severely boring, compared to what's come previously.
Melancholia- At first, I thought I hated this film, but it stays with you and has kept me thinking. While Kirsten Dunst's character was annoying the heck out of me, an awful lot of hindsight starts to sink in during the film's final act. Narcissism, deperession and the end of the world - I wish I'd been a lot less exhausted when I watched it, as there's a lot going on here and love it or hate it, you're not likely to be bored. See it and decide for yourself. It's available OnDemand. The post-movie discussions this film must provoke...!
There are very few "once in a lifetime" moments at the movies, but our family had the pleasure of experiencing one this weekend when we took our little boy to his very first movie ever, The Muppets. Being a Sesame Street fan, he was pretty much pre-sold, but The Muppets is a terrific breath of fresh air. Flight of the Conchords director James Bobin and Jason Segel bring enormous affection for the original show to a completely enjoyable and inventive family film that skews demographics. I'd have liked a bit less humans and a bit more Muppets when it comes to the musical numbers, but you owe it to yourself to see Jason Segel's rendition of "I'm a Muppet of a Man." Pretty amazing to have your little boy sitting on your lap, gazing up at Kermit and the gang. How nice that our beloved felt pals didn't disappoint.
And speaking of what's old becoming new again, in the frenzy of Cyber-Monday video mayhem, I would be remiss indeed if I didn't mention the at-long-last availability of The Six Million Dollar Man on DVD. Previously only available in an embarrassingly over-priced "complete series" set, Amazon now has individual seasons up for grabs - season 1 even includes the first three pilot movies! It's been a long, long time since I've seen this fantastic slice of the Seventies and I can't wait!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment