The Syndicate

Movies I watched this month:

La Collectionneuse (Rohmer, '67) - Brilliant. Fun to watch with the uber-sexy Haydee, but more enjoyable to listen to as the narrator is so clueless about his own motivations that listening/watching him disintegrate becomes a total joy. Only flaw is that the male friend character was inferior to the other two.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Nichols, '66) - I almost turned this off after 15 minutes because Elizabeth Taylor was JUST ACTING SO MUCH, but man, once the film settles in it's fucking devastating. Too few films deal with and humanize the unhappy, the damaged, and the fucked up among us, or if they do, it's to get those characters to a point where they change, become "better". This film simply lets its characters be who they are and leaves the judging to us, if we so choose. And by film's end, Taylor was incredible, in fact all four actors inhabited their roles perfectly.

Journey to the West (Tsai, '14) - I can't honestly put into words why I loved this. but it could have gone on another hour and I'd have happily watched it. I love films that just let you absorb life.

A Quiet Passion (Davies, '16) - A bit stiff at times, but Cynthia Nixon is incredible as the poet who simply does not want what she does not want, society and convention be damned.

the Gleaners & I (Varda, '00) - Agnes Varda is love.

Cluny Brown (Lubitsch, '46) - A nice late-career effort by Lubitsch where no one really tries too hard and the vibe is actually pretty chill. I like that Charles Boyer's character seemed unsure of himself and like he was following instinct without knowing where it would go, a welcome reprieve from the Maurice Chevalier years where his character was so damn smarmy (and rape-y).

The Viking (Neill, '28) - a silent film in glorious Technicolor? Yup. They had color tech figured out before sound, but never bothered to use it for decades. Wut.

DisgruntledPorcupine wrote:
Synecdoche, New York - 11/10

You, Sir.... know a thing or so.

Tonight, I watched Bicycle Thieves for maybe the third time. It's astonishing...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 8/10 - This is the storytelling standard I wish all summer blockbusters were held to.

God, I'd love to teach a film studies class. Or even attend one.

Speaking of movies, in about two weeks I find out if I've been given press credentials for the Vancouver Film Fest.

Elysium - just like every other movie this summer, it suffers from too much poorly constructed action, and not enough buildup. The movie hits 10 on the intensity scale about 30 minutes in and never eases off, which makes the film a bit exhausting. That said, Sharlto Copely, from District 9 and A-Team, makes for a wonderfully batshit crazy bad guy. Even if I can only understand 1 out of every 4th word he says.