Seeing a preview of
Young Adult was a nice alternative to the Mount Vernon Monument Lighting hoo-ha. A woman returns from the big city to try to re-kindle a romance with her high school sweetheart. So what if he is happily married and anew father? So what if she is an alcoholic train-wreck of a human being? Cruel and grim and very in tune with the status updates of my fellow class of 1994 high school graduates.
Chelsea Girls was a rare treat, an
Andy Warhol film dual-projected at the Creative Alliance thanks to
Matt Porterfield. Various Warhol superstars interact in improvised scenes like they are on some alternate reality speed-drenched soap opera. Not for the short of attention span, each scene plays out in one take, the audio alternating to give emphasis to one scene over another as the two projectors unspool.
I missed the recent screenings of
Diner at the Charles, so I substituted with Netflix Instant, where it happened to be available at the time. Although I am certain I have seen the film before, it felt new. Local Baltimore guys pull together and fall apart as adult life emerges in 1959 Baltimore. As excellent cast kept loose and improvisatory. It is amazing to see how different early 1980s Baltimore (posing as 1959 Baltimore) looks in comparison to 2011 Baltimore.
Tin Men, another in a series of
Barry Levinson's "Baltimore films" screened via
the Maryland Film Festival, was somehow totally new to me. Two aluminum siding salesment engage in a game of oneupsmanship that eventaully involves the affections of a wife. Great to see. A local like myself takes umbrage at Danny DeVito's attempt at the Baltimore accent, but it is a minor point.
After much anticipation.
Fassbinder's
World on a Wire finally played Baltimore. A man is embroiled in a computer scandal involving virtual realities. Made in 1973, the film anticipates many concerns of contemporary Science Fiction film and literature. A three and a half hour subtitled German film... that right there should tell you whether or not you are on board.
Grondhog Day concluded the second series of
Gunky's Basement on a high note. A film that has the unfailing ability to put me in a better mood.
Bill Murray gets trapped in the same day, learns lessons. What's not to like?
Elite Squad was on the list for a while, having never played Baltimore. A man who is a member of an elite Brazilian mercenary squad approaches retirement and burn-out as the chaos of the favela play out around him. The film has been
criticized for being too right-wing and definitely takes the collegiate leftists to task repeatedly. Remains an adrenalized thrill ride nonetheless.
My Week with Marilyn was a delightful dishy cream-puff of a movie, an account of one man's interactions with Marilyn Monroe (
Michelle Williams) and Sir Lawrence Olivier (
Kenneth Branagh) over the course of the troubled production of the film
The Prince and the Showgirl. Brought to life by excellent performances throughout.
Z was a film I have been meaning to see for some time. A politically assassination plays out in a corrupt Latin American country. Manages to feel both torn from the headlines of its time (the late 1960s) and wickedly satirical. Much credit must be given to director
Costa-Gavras for pulling this off.
The Adventures of Tintin 3D began an epic run through the holiday season's films. Tintin buys at model ship at a flea market and adventures ensue. Fun, frenetic and in three dimensions.
I caught
Le Havre right before it closed at the Charles. A kindly reformed reprobate takes in an immigrant boy on the run. Retaining some of director
Aki Kaurismäki 's previous filmic bite while remaining upbeat. A deadpan fairytale.
I read
Of Mice and Men for the first time in the hopes of helping my students with Sophomore English, a year I have never taught. This is a well-known and well-executed adaptation of the work. It was good to finally sit down and watch it.
Mission: Impossible began a game of catch-up with the
(current) #1 movie at the box office. A great twisty thrill-ride from
the years I was away from the screen. The
De Palma-crafted action sequences were top-notch and sometimes ridiculous.
Tuesday, After Christmas was a Romanian film about a man caught between his wife and his lover over the holiday season. Long takes and superb naturalistic performances kept this one afloat. I look forward to continuing to explore contemporary Romanian cinema.
I kept the disc of
The Sleeping Beauty so long it wound up on Netlfix Instant. A dream-like loose re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story from directoer
Catherine Breillat. Way weirder than
Bluebeard while still remaining engaging.
Shame was a "date night" movie that proved to be a nice bracing alternative to the usual holiday cheer. A sex addict spirals as his sister arrives to complicate his life further. A stunningly crafted film that makes me want to see the director
Steve McQueen's first film.
This Steve McQueen, not
that one.
Mission: Impossible II was, for me, the most "eh" of the four films. Director
John Woo can pull off a good action sequence without a doubt, but the rest of the film was too mired in
nü-metal American era trappings. Worst use of
Ving Rhames in a Mission: Impossible movie.
I much preferred
Mission: Impossible III with all its
J.J. Abrams coordinated spectacle.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman turned in a great "bad guy" performance and the
MacGuffin was finally recogized as a
MacGuffin. Best use of
Ving Rhames in a Mission: Impossible movie.
I am a sucker for films like
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Victorian-era setting, buddy cop bromance movie dynamics, that hint of British sophistication... good times.
Seeing
Fincher's take on
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) wasn't too redundant. I am of the original Swedish films only in my understanding of the phenomenon. Once we got past that "gother than goth" title sequence it was off the races, this time around the relationship between Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander more emphasized. One of these days I need to read this thing. The copy I bought while waiting for an appointment with the back surgeon is still staring back at me from my bookshelf.
Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol completed my run through the series. Director
Brad Bird brought a new sensibility to the series and made the transition from animation to live action admirably. I think I was suffering from a bit of "action sequence fatigue", but overall the film was a good time.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a raucous 1950s musical comedy starring
Marilyn Monroe and
Jane Russell. A beyond iconic performance by Monroe, although I think I preferred Russell's performance overall Another dipping of the toe into the genre-spanning work of revered director
Howard Hawks, who one day I am going to sit down and really look at career-wise.
War Horse capped off the cinematic year. When I told people I was going to see it, they made a face I am now calling the
"War Horse face." A two and a half hour epic done in the old
David Lean/
John Ford style. Boy meets horse, boy loses horse... will boy regain horse? I sometimes surprise myself with my ability to be engaged by such sentimental material.
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain / Creative Alliance
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 23 features (14 in theaters)
