Ryan McNeil
In the past, this entry – the one that sums up the three weeks around Hot Docs is usually miles long. While this is still a longer post than usual for this feature, it’s nowhere close to the usual tally for this block of time – for that I must tip my cap to seven games of playoff basketball, and one family wedding.
Still – lots to discuss so buckle up.
Here’s The Week at Hand…
Screenings
I AM BIG BIRD – You’ll feel like a kid again.
FED UP – I was surprised to see a pan for this movie this week. If you ask me, it’s stacked with information everyone needs to be reminded of.
HAPPY VALLEY – You sorta gotta feel for the community around Penn State.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 – Better luck in part 3 folks.
THE SHEIK – He has been humbled, and yet lived to fight another day!
ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE – That, my friends, id the sound of lofty expectations being met.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
THE BAND WAGON – Cute, but slight.
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA – And with that, I’ve seen the entire BFI Top 10.
IN COUNTRY – Perhaps the Hot Docs film I most wanted to speak to the directors about.
RICH HILL – Stunning. Absolutely stunning.
SHOCK CORRIDOR – Oh lordy did I need a hug when this one ended!
THIRST – I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it!
IN YOUR EYES – I’ll have more to say about this tomorrow.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
DAZED AND CONFUSED – The morning after a bachelor party, I felt the urge for a story set all in one night.
AMERICAN GRAFFITI – Ditto
A FEW GOOD MEN – Quick show of hands – who remembered that Aaron Sorkin wrote this?
SUNSHINE – That cast!…That cast!!…
LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL – Thanks to Mette for reminding me how long it’s been since I watched this old favorite.
UPSTREAM COLOR – Somewhere in Los Angeles, Alex Withrow is nodding
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN – I still dig it.
FACE/OFF – I swear to God, I remember this movie being so much better.
SID & NANCY – For years I searched for the Criterion DVD of this film…now I feel like that’d be a waste of money.
I had a similar reaction to Thirst when I saw it. Still do not understand the mad love people have for that film. Face/Off still holds up for me though.
New to me:
Fourteen Days in May – It has become tradition that my first Hot Docs screening in the theatre is an older film. It was good but a bit depressing.
The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest – The wife and I really enjoyed this one.
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story – It seems that the food doc genre is really hitting its stride right now.
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz – A solid film.
The Joe Show – Surprised by how entertaining this was.
Jutra – Very good short, it revealed a Canadian blind spot for me.
Out of Mind, Out of Sight – It was good, enjoyed it about the same amount as his film NCR: Not Criminally Responsible last year.
The Overnighters – Love! Love! Love this film!
All That Jazz – this one on the other hand, not so much.
The Towering Inferno – The acting is not the best, but had a lot of fun watching the film.
Teenage – Made it only four days after Hot Docs before I started diving into documentaries again. LOL.
Watched Before:
Kramer vs. Kramer – This spoke to me far more now than it did when I saw it years ago.
The Conversation – This gets better with each viewing.
Chinatown – See above.
Apocalypse Now – See above.
Lordy – Conversation, Chinatown, and Apocalypse Now all in one short stretch? It’s like you did a “psyched in the seventies series”
As for Just Eat It, are you like me now and suddenly hyper aware of how much you are throwing away? Between that and Fed Up, I’m sorta screwed.
Thought my list would be longer, too!
First time:
The Raid 2
Dragon Inn
Tough Bond
The Black Tavern
Four Riders
The Rescuers (2011)
And I re-watched:
Master of the Flying Guillotine
Evil Dead II
Hard Boiled
Raid 2 got lost in the shuffle of pre-Hot Docs bedlam. Is it worth doubling back for, or should I just wait until video?
Depends on how much you liked The Raid, even though Raid 2 is a completely different type of movie. I thought the action was great, but the story could have been better.
First-Timers: Joe, Under the Skin, Judging Jewell, Stop Making Sense, Grey Gardens, Maradona ’86, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, No, Powaqqatsi, The Opposition, Post Tenebras Lux, Myth of Garrincha, Maxhumain, Jabberwocky, Ceasefire Massacre, WWE Extreme Rules 2014, The Story of Adele H., What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Mysteries of the Rimet Trophy, We’re the Millers, Barbosa: The Man Who Made Brazil Cry, and later tonight, my Blind Spot assignment in Duck Soup.
Re-Watches: LiTTLEMAN, Pacific Rim, The Sunchaser, Badlands, Ocean’s Thirteen, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Unleashed, Exit to Eden, and The Way, Way Back.
Sweet Jeebus, that is a great round of watching!
Thanks for reminding me about STOP MAKING SENSE – it’s an all-time fave rock-doc, and I just remembered that I had been meaning to buy copies of both the blu-ray and the soundtrack. I only have it digitally, and I’ve been wanting a copy on vinyl.
Hi. Got a big pile of films over the last 3 weeks.
Firsts:
The Wind Rises – not as great as I thought it would be
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 1 – SO much fun, well written and acted.
Divergent – Meh. Too long.
Solaris (1972) – Blind Spot. Beautiful poetic sci-fi. Just reviewed it.
Clueless – A bit girly, but it was well written and acted. Chick flicks for smart girls.
Ghostbusters – Fun
The Iron Giant – Beautiful animation and touching story. Terribly underrated film
The Big Chill – Reviewed it. Liked it.
His Girl Friday – Overrated
The Double – Loved it. Reviewed it.
Enemy – What a puzzle. And what an ending. Liked it a lot.
Fading Gigolo – On the big screen. Money worth paying. It’s an easy film, sweet, elegant romantic comedy. Lovely music.
Rewatch:
Fargo – Now I love it.
Only Lovers Left Alive – Felt like watching it again after listening to your podcast. I’ve been listening to the song Taste of Blood all day.
Finding Nemo – Perfect kids movie. Dory is the best.