- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 1974
Not bad, for a big-budget Hollywood take on something that could have been low budget genius, not bad... Strength of writing and script. And while the surprise ending is no surprise, the movie has it's moments, Emmet, baiting the conspiracy-addled host (how can you not? I've been there, I know), John Goodman's ever-patient demeanor, his lifetime of ridicule, his generosity abused, the passing of time with Cards-Against-Humanity, a sort of crazy Santa-Clause, it's not bad, good for Hollywood, no spoilers here, but I would rather have found something at CIFF. Mainstream US cinema, it's gone the same way as their politics, rarely will you find anything that worthwhile, look elsewhere and you might be pleasantly surprised...
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 2185
Late Monday, saw "Shorts" at CIFF. Seemed the best way, an averaging of short films would guarantee that my limited time would find some reward, rather than chancing it all on a single film (and there were a few that piqued my interest) I would see Shorts and be done with it.
The standard mixed bag, some OK, none really bad, an astonishing amount of manpower and work went into the simplest of them, credits as long as a feature film...
2 stood out: CURVE - by Tim Egan - a girl above a dark void, clinging on for dear life, and 90 DEGREES NORTH (90 Grad Nord) - About a German Pedestrian stuck at a traffic light (on a traffic Island in the middle of nowhere) - evoked "Waiting for Godot" and a lot of other surrealist/absurdist films. Well done.
SO 2 hits, fuel for nightmares to come, worthwhile, and maybe, fingers crossed, I'll find time for another film...
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 1980
The daughter today, film and dinner at NoTables. Dinner, good, surprisingly she's not so familiar with finer dining. The boy's been privileged in having a far better education, so far, she's enjoying catching up...
The film, well, I thought a good pick for a teen-age girl. Don't Breathe. Don't all teenage girls like horror flicks? Maybe she did and just wasn't telling me...it would be like her...
The film, good. A bit long, for a while there it began to feel like I was trapped in that god-damned house as well. Horror done well, without the invocation of dark supernatural forces, well written, possibly (but not likely) low budget (no reason to spend a lot of money on this), well timed, thought out, and while I didn't find it "enjoyable" - it was a horror film, after all, it was a good film and had a few completely fucked up moments where it both adhered to and defied conventions...
Good, I'd say. I like film, not necessarily Horror, but this was well done.
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 1965
The Calgary International Film Festival - September 21 - October 2. Various venues, a lot of promising films. Check it out and make your plan...