Sunday, March 2, 2008

Films Viewed (February 2008)

Persepolis
Night and Fog
Innocence
Saboteur
Xala
Shadow of a Doubt
Shoot'em Up
Caramel
The Naked City
Sans Soleil
Four Eyed Monsters
Lifeboat
Epic Movie
Spellbound
Semi Pro

Key
The Charles
The Landmark
The Senator/ The Rotunda
Other (BMA, DVD, Suburban Multiplex)
Total: 15 (8 in theaters)

NOTES: It is always a treat to begin the month with another great free screening at the BMA. This time around, I became more properly exposed to the work of filmmaker Ousmane Sembene. Xala, a film that took more than one suprising turn, made you laugh while still containing a scathing critique of certain aspects of post-colonial Africa. I look forward to exploring more of his films in the future, if the stacks are yielding. Be sure to make a note of this Thursday's free BMA screening at 8:00 of the documentary The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Two words: Hugo Chavez. They report, you decide.

When I look over the month, I feel a bit predictable. I have wound up attending most screenings at the theater down the street, and have otherwise mostly wandered the stacks on the trail of some missed connections. I could make a case that my job in Real Life (TM) is keeping me pretty busy, but I do have a rep to uphold. I am the cineaste now, as friend pointed out, suprised that I had not seen Diary of the Dead.
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Two films I must advocate for would be Sans Soleil and Innocence, both a bit hard to get through but totally worth the experience. The first film places Chris Marker so ahead of most people in 1983 it is a bit astounding. The film seemed to comment on what is happening right now in ways that left me wondering if I was just making my own connections in the film's free fall. The second was beautful, eerie, and a very insightful critique of the girl's private school world and culture. If you know that world and have a healthy tolerence for deliberate pacing, I would say to rent it sometime soon.
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Of course, I also saw Shoot'em Up, which was the exact opposite of all of the above.
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As indicated, I watched a few more films as well, but feel as if they have been discussed enough or are not worth extended comment. Please let me know if you would like to hear more about any of them. Up next, a rather grim report on film distribution in general in February. I believe the other shoe has dropped.

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