Frankenweenie


No time for love Doctor Jones – Here’s The Week at Hand…

 

Screenings
ANITA: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER –  (Hot Docs Screening) More interesting as a post-screening appearance than as a film
VALENTINE ROAD –  (Hot Docs Screening) One of the very best of the fest.
DOWNLOADED –  (Hot Docs Screening) A fun trip through recent history.
PUSSY RIOT: A PUNK PRAYER –  (Hot Docs Screening) So pretty that I thought some moments were staged.
THE UNBELIEVERS –  (Hot Docs Screening) Starts well, then turns on the snark.
CAUCUS –  (Hot Docs Screening) Turns out Rick Santorum’s a pretty nice guy.
MUSCLE SHOALS –  (Hot Docs Screening) Possibly my new favorite rock doc.
THE WAR ROOM –  (Hot Docs Screening) A special showing, with Hegedus & Pennebaker in attendance.
IRON MAN 3 –  Man cannot live on docs alone.
THE KILL TEAM –  (Hot Docs Screening) A tough story about murder in the American military.
TEENAGE –  (Hot Docs Screening) A wonderful way to end the fest.
THE GREAT GATSBY –  Lots more coverage coming later this weekend.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
I WILL BE MURDERED –  (Hot Docs Screener) Accusation is not evidence (sure is handsome though!)
BROADCAST NEWS –  I cannot get over how much I loved this Blind Spot
BLOOD BROTHER –  (Hot Docs Screener) My favorite film of the festival.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
ALWAYS –  I realized I needed to dust-off some lesser-watched Spielberg.
SIDEWAYS –  I’m not one for wine, but this one always makes me want a glass.
THE DESCENDANTS –  If it’s possible, this film might actually be underrated.
ELECTION –  Turned into an Alexander Payne bender.
OCEAN’S ELEVEN –  I needed something fluffy to distract from the docs.
OCEAN’S TWELVE –  Bob Turnbull approves.
THE TRUMAN SHOW –  I got to thinking about the birth of reality TV.
PUBLIC ENEMIES –  What’s Michael Mann working on these days?
RED DRAGON –  Maybe I’ll start watching “Hannibal” on TV
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON –  Shut up – I still like it.
MOULIN ROUGE! –  Lindsay always drops what she’s doing for “Roxanne”

 

Boxscore for The Year
87 First-Timers, 82 Re-Watched
32 Screenings
169 Movies in Total

How’s about you – seen anything good?

20 Replies to “Days of The Week (Films Watched Apr 20 – May 9)”

  1. Wow, that’s a lot of movies. I’m jealous you go to see all the interesting films at Hot Docs. Even with the extended time, this was a pretty light few weeks. I’m planning to watch a lot more in the next few weeks.

    Django Unchained – Finally saw it, and it didn’t disappoint. Waltz and DiCaprio steal the show in the flashier roles. There’s a bit of a dip in the middle, but the first and third acts are thrilling.

    Road House – Oh boy, this movie is ridiculous.

    The Sugarland Express – I think this is an interesting story and road movie. It’s in the lower tier for Spielberg, but way above the other first viewing I had from him recently.

    Oblivion – The resolution is clunky and on the nose, but I loved the music and visuals. A solid movie overall.

    1941 – Such a mess; tries way too hard to be wacky. Just terrible.

    Looper (re-watch) – Saw this again for the first time since the theaters. I still liked it a lot, though the second half dragged a bit more than I expected. Willis’ performance seemed even better on a repeat viewing.

    1. Keep an eye out for those documentaries, especially VALENTINE ROAD, BLOOD BROTHER, CAUCUS, and EXPEDITION TO THE END OF THE WORLD.

      I dare you to get into a conversation with Corey Atad about 1941 – he actually defends it. As for me, I only saw it for the first time two years ago and am still aghast at how terrible it is. I was pretty floored by the ballroom brawl though.

    2. I can see how someone might like 1941, but I found it really painful. The ballroom dance and brawl was the highlight, but it went downhill fast after that point. I struggled to get through the second hour. Sadly, I also ended up with the Director’s Cut, which is 30 minutes longer! Not good.

    3. That’s where you and I differ – the only way I see someone liking 1941 is if they grew up with it. Anyone who watched it through grown-up eyes has no excuse.

  2. We see some of the same films at hot docs, I do want to see Teenage, but the schedule won’t allow it.

    My Hot Docs:

    Expedition To The End Of The World: Am I the only one who thinks that this could make a killer first 2 acts of a sci-fi horror movie alas Prometheus?

    Narco Cultura: Very good doc about Mexican drug war and the influence on the drug culture.

    Valentine Road: I may be the only person who has mixed feelings about the movie.

    Fatal Assistance: No End In Sight + Shock Doctrine in Haiti.

    12 O’Clock Boys: Like the atmosphere surrounding the narrative but not the narrative.

    Caucus: Any movie that can have me sympathize with Rick Santorum (and other Republican Candidates) is a win.

    After Tiller: Excellent doc about late term abortion. Also one of the more contentious Q&A I have attended.

    The Kill Team: Scandal in the American Military alas The Invisible War. Very similar in tone as well.

    God Loves Uganda: I am quoting my friend: “Anytime you let a bunch of white men trying to dictate what’s going on in a third world country, it’s a disaster waiting to happen”

    Blood Brother: Usually I am not the audience for this type of doc but the movie won me over. Rocky Braat is a much better person than me.

    Cutie and The Boxer: My favorite doc of the bunch. About a marriage with two artists in a span of 40 years. Love to see it again.

    Pussy Riot: Pretty standard activist doc, nothing wrong with it.

    The Great North Korean Picture Show: Glimpse inside North Korea. Worth seeing just for that.

    Non Hot-Docs.

    The Great Gatsby: Don’t understand the hate for this. It’s Baz Lurhmann, what do people expect? Restrain? (Actually he did his best in the 2nd half).

    1. I don’t understand the hate for GATSBY; it’s misdirected at least, and flat-out wrong at worst.

      And the next chance I get, I’m rewatching EXPEDITION as a double-feature with PROMETHEUS.

  3. I’m kind of taking it slow this week as I’m set to go into the Cannes Marathon this coming Wed. w/ 16 films in total to watch for the duration of the festival.

    For the first-timers I saw this week: Potiche, Ricky, In the House, The Five-Year Engagement, and one of my Blind Spot assignments in The Lovers on the Bridge.

    In Re-watches: only Looper.

    1. I’ve only seen four of your Cannes films, so I’ll be anxious to hear which of them you recommend. A lot of people rewatched LOOPER this week (including me last night).

      Must have been something in the air.

  4. First time:

    Hot Docs:
    The Great Hip Hop Hoax – A fun and interesting story.

    12 O’Clock Boys – One of my favourites of the fest, might even make my year end top ten.

    The Burger and the King – Not “Man on Wire” level, but a fun look at Elvis’ life through his stomach.

    Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer – I had no interest in the band before this film, but I loved every minute of it.

    Anita – Becomes a tad too “isn’t she wonderful” in the last act.

    Downloaded – Pretty much what you said.

    NCR Not Criminally Responsible – An interesting look at mental illness in relation to crime.

    Chrimeras – Decent but feel asleep through portions of it. Nothing to do with the film; it was just the typical festival powernap.

    Maidentrip – Surprised by how much this film won me over.

    Buying Sex – Very solid doc that tackled both sides of the legalizing prostitution debate.

    Valentine Road – The best of the festival for me.

    Non-Hot Docs:
    Iron Man 3 – I really liked this one. It will divide audiences though.

    Tai Chi Zero – This film was awful in so many ways.

    Re-watched:
    Brokedown Palace – Waste of cast and potential.

  5. It’s always fun to see how big everyone’s lists get when you take some time off from this series.

    First time:
    Lady With a Sword
    The Return of Superman (AKA Turkish Superman)
    The Jayne Mansfield Story
    Swordsman At Large
    Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
    Life of Pi
    Sleepwalk With Me
    Magnificent Bodyguards
    Vengeance of a Snow Girl
    The Interrupters
    Raw Iron: The Making of ‘Pumping Iron’

    Re-watch:
    Superman
    Superman II
    Superman III

    2. Yes, indeed! I’m reviewing my way through the series and some of the B-Movie incarnations of the character, all leading up to Man of Steel. Can’t wait for that one.

      That’s awesome you got to talk to Steve James! The Interrupters was incredible. I loved it. My review went up today!

      1. Haven’t seen Hollywoodland, I’ll have to see if I can squeeze it in. I kicked off the review series with the George Reeves film Superman and the Mole Men, so this would definitely be the time to see it. Thanks!

  6. Michael Mann is making a cyber thriller with Chris Hemsworth and Viola Davis. Public Enemies had the last brilliant Johnny Depp performance. The dude needs to sort his shit out.
    And Hannibal is cool. Also I love Red Dragon.

    Firsts: Lawrence of Arabia– Really want to watch this on a big screen.
    Upstream Color– Some films are just not for me :/
    Iron Man 3– Really really liked it.
    Side Effects– Okay.
    Taste of Cherry– I liked it. Should watch more Kiarostami.
    Hansel and Gretel– In-flight movie. What crap!
    The Place Beyond the Pines– Though I liked the concept, the themes, the look and the performances, something was off. Probably the structure.

    1. I was happy to hear how much you enjoyed LAWRENCE when I was listening to your podcast. I think I need to sit through another screening of it next time they bring it to Lightbox.

      What didn’t you like about UPSTREAM COLOR? Did you soak up my review/podcast about it?

    2. I did hear the podcast, but I’m really not the kind to enjoy films when I don’t understand what is going on. Even though I liked the look, the performances and the romantic-y story in the middle, everytime the pigs were on screen, my brain shut down.

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