Two Weeks in Film

I'm still getting used to not being in festival mode and seeing numerous films as a day. Even though I've seen 12 in the two weeks it feels like just a drop in the bucket. The films for these two weeks range from new to classic to everywhere in between.

It's been nice to get out and see some regular releases starting with the late summer release of Hamlet 2 which I was really looking forward too. Unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations and I found most of the great moments were in the trailer and it also had many parts that I just didn't believe. It did have enough redeeming moments that I was glad I had seen it, but I don't think I'd keep it as a repeater. I also trekked out with high expectations to see the French thriller Tell No One. Again, I felt disappointed which is hard to say considering it's got almost exclusively great reviews (and a current Tomatometer score of 92%) and won numerous awards. It just didn't work for me as a thriller as I didn't feel like there was a lot of tension. It didn't feel like a mystery either and there was also one huge continuity issue that I couldn't get past. It had great performances and an interesting idea, but overall I was underwhelmed. Next up is Blindness, which I intentionally avoided news and reviews on which this time came back to bite me. The film was way harsher than I expected exploring the darkness of human nature to the point where I almost left the theatre. It is a good film, but it was really hard to sit through.

After all of that are you still with me here? I am surprized to say that the one current release I enjoyed from start to finish was Nights in Rodanthe with Diane Lane and Richard Gere. I knew I would see it from the first time I saw the trailer. The film actually exceeded my expectations as well providing a solid drama. Who knew?

As it's getting more chilly out it is definitely time to gear up for Halloween fare and watch scary movies! I'm still have a few classic horror films that haven't seen (one great resource is last years nominees for 31 films that give you the willies), and I can knock two off my list with Don't Look Now and The Evil Dead. I'm rather surprized that neither had crossed my path before, Don't Look Now is from 1973 and has that 70's more drama than horror feel to it. I didn't find particularly creepy even with its supernatural elements but it was awesome to see Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie work together. Watching The Evil Dead is one that I really wished I had seen when I was younger, preferable in a group setting or at a party. Watching it on video while I was knitting away, it was a bit of challenge to get through as it felt a little goofy and not really all that scary. What was wild about it was all the things that you recognize now as classic horror moments and did enjoy seeing Bruce Campbell in the role of Ash. Last up for horror was Feardotcom which I picked up as a lark from the library and it had a lot of scary images and moments but way too much women in distress for my tastes.

I'm also zipping through the final few films on my 101 Films I Haven't Seen list, my deadline for that challenge is December 1/08 which is getting closer than I'd like to admit! Selections this time round were One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Born on the Fourth of July. It was interesting to watch these two films back to back as they had a lot of commonalities, from themes of people who are misunderstood to stellar performance by the male leads.

Last up of this week(s) films is High School Musical, which enjoyed the most out of all the films I saw. Was it campy? Yes. Was their random singing and dancing? Yes. Was it sugary sweet? Yes. Was it predictable? Not entirely. But, what it really stands out is that it is what it is and does not pretend to be anything else. Will I be seeing Part 2 and 3? You bet

How was Your Week in Film?