Ryan McNeil
That’s more like it. Twelve watches on the week, a mix of new and old, and a screening to cap it all off.
The funny thing is that I could have watched even more were it not for the fact that I needed to start writing about all of those docs. I’ve made the mistake in the past of getting too far ahead of myself, which makes writing about those first few a tough task. I mean, it’s pretty easy to crank out a few hundred words on a film, especially when you’re taking notes. However, when the thoughts on that film get buried underneath six or seven other titles…it gets tricky.
As for all of those films I rewatched, some were inspired by film discussions I’ve read and listened to lately. Others…well…I thought about new favorites that I hadn’t revisited in a few months and wanted to fire up.
Here’s The Week at Hand…
Screenings
TRANCE – As my friend Andrew said, I’m not mad at you Danny Boyle…I’m just very disappointed.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
DEAD OR ALIVE – (Hot Docs Screener) Great subject, curious execution.
THE MANOR – (Hot Docs Screener) Interesting choice to open the festival.
MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS – (Hot Docs Screener) An early contender for festival favorite.
SHOOTING BIGFOOT – (Hot Docs Screener) What. An. Ending!
PRIMER – Ah, so that’s what y’all have been going on about!
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
DRIVE – I like it more now, but still see it as overrated.
CHINATOWN – A recent neo-noir discussion on Filmspotting made me reach for the quintessential one.
MEAN STREETS – Inspired by my current read.
SUPER 8 – Yeah, I still love it.
FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO – Speaking of reading, I should get back to Wilder soon.
BLACK SWAN – Is it time for NOAH yet?
Boxscore for The Year
72 First-Timers, 71 Re-Watched
20 Screenings
143 Movies in Total
How’s about you – seen anything good?
I have been meaning to re-watch Primer, I have not seen it since TIFF. I need to re-watch Chinatown as well, it has been too long since I last viewed it.
First Time:
Like Someone in Love – Enjoyed it but I can see the ending turning off a lot people
Upstream Color – Favourite film of the year so far.
The Manor – (Hot Docs Screener) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Expedition to the End of the World – (Hot Docs Screener) This would make for a perfect double bill with Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World.
Tough Bond – (Hot Docs Screener) A tough film to watch at time, due to the subject matter, but a solid film overall.
Chi – (Hot Docs Screener) Remember how you thought The Invisible War lacked any technical flare.
Mary & Myself – (Hot Docs Screener) A delightful animated short.
Felix Austria! – (Hot Docs Screener) Loved it. This should play well with audiences.
All the Light in the Sky – Solid performances but story is a little scattered.
Doc much?
The ending of LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE was glorious! I have seldom heard restlessness like I heard when that film ended at TIFF last autumn. I really must revisit it.
If you dug UPSTREAM COLOR, make sure to listen to Bob and I discussing it on the new podcast.
It’s definitely interesting being accredited for Hot Docs. Not only did I get a small handful of screeners, but I’ve also been getting “please see my film” e-mails (all of which I’ll take into consideration while I finalize my schedule over the next few days).
Hot Docs Press Screenings/Screeners:
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer – Best of the bunch so far.
The Kill Team – Another recommended pick.
The Manor – Considering the subject manor, this was different than I expected.
Another Night of Earth – Interesting, yet boring.
Screenings:
Trance – I really liked it (and I’m sticking to it)
Upstream Color – While I liked it, part of me does not get all the praise it is getting. Definitely need to rewatch at some point.
The Place Beyond the Pines – Falters in third act. Gosling’s good though.
West of Memphis – An excellent alternative take on the West Memphis Three saga
DVD/Blu-Ray Rewatch
Friday the 13th – While tame by today’s standards, the uncut version is definitely the version to watch for the full effect of Tom Savini’s gore effects.
Manborg – A very fun, intentionally bad, sci-fi film. Also I make an appearance on the “Premiere Q&A” special feature (asking a question).
Online
iSteve – Pretty much what you would expect from a feature length film posted for free on a comedy website (i.e. it was quite atrocious).
A lot of my top picks for Hot Docs weren’t available to me as dvd’s or links in advance, so I’m certainly looking forward to the actual festival beginning this week!
First-Timers: American Reunion, Dark Shadows, Top of the Lake TV Miniseries, A Story of Floating Weeds, and earlier today, my fourth Blind Spot assignment in Floating Weeds.
Re-Watches: The Rocketeer, Kinky Boots, and Junior.
You might have noticed, but this month’s blind spot entry went up early. Drop me the link whenever you have it.
I can’t imagine watching that many movies before writing about any of them. I suppose with notes it wouldn’t be that bad, but I always feel out of sorts if I have a review to write but I’m watching something else. Dilutes it all a bit.
All first time:
Dangerous Worry Dolls
Magic Mike
Duel of Fists
Superman and the Mole Men
Cinderella (1977)
Black Narcissus – for this month’s Blind Spot
Admittedly, it’s tricky. There’s a balance to it because it allows for more material than going with a watch-write-watch-write rhythm. The trick is not to let too much time pass, regardless of how many more you’ve watched.
That’s part of the reason why many of my TIFF films never get a full review (TO THE WONDER, A PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE).
Looking forward to reading about BLACK NARCISSUS – that’s one unforgettable watch.
You know one day you will rewatch Drive and have such an “AHA! So that’s what they were talking about…” moment. I can see it 😛
Firsts: Au revoir les enfants– Heart-broken.
The Host– The actual idea isn’t half-bad. Stephenie Meyer’s writing just happens to make it terrible.
Risky Business– It’s almost brilliant.
Cosmopolis– Surreal movies just aren’t for me. Having said that, loved Robert Pattinson’s performance and the look.
Oh I can see it – it just doesn’t land for me the way it did for many others. I like, I just don’t love it (and yet I own it, so make of that what you will).