Oscars, favourites, and odd bits.

Since the Oscar nominations came out, I've been quite keen to look back over my filmwatching journal and focus on the films that I found particularly interesting, and catching up with the newly released nominees.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw 127 Hours, which was considerably less grueling than I had anticipated.  Despite its restricted setting, Danny Boyle brings his typically kinetic aesthetic sensibility to it and the film benefits significantly from it.  I also managed to suck it up and watch Black Swan, which managed to be one of the few Aronofsky films, along with Pi that I would watch again.  While it was unsettling and uncomfortable, it managed to not be assaultive and just simply worked well.

There are a few more on the list that I'd like to see, and I'll probalby make time for The King's Speech this week.  I'm particularly looking forward to True Grit, though it has been so long since I've seen the original that it may be worth checking that out before I move on to the Coen brothers.

With all that aside, over the last year, no film has managed to top Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World for me.  I've seen it multiple times and it manages to stay just as funny and exciting and thrilling as, well, maybe the second time.  There's nothing I don't like about the film, and in spite of the double negative, it is a glowing review from me.  I won't be as aggressively critical of those who didn't go see it as Guillermo del Toro, but his sentiments are definitely shared.  It is a wonderful groundbreaking film, and I think everyone should treat themselves to it.

I was thinking about it this week, and revisited Scott Pilgrim on DVD.  This gave me the urge to get out the soundtrack which was in heavy rotation for me at the time of its theatrical release.  It is a solid compilation, which has introduced me to some of the Toronto indie bands which I haven't managed to listen to until now.  There are also  a couple of classic ditties that I've loved for a long time, like "Teenage Dream" by T. Rex and "Under my Thumb" from the Stones, which make nice little splashes throughout. 

The real stars for me though are the Sex-Bob-Omb songs written by Beck just for the film.  The grimy distorted acoustic guitar sounds with sloppy bass and drums really took me back to Beck's early stuff, particularly "Burnt Orange Peel" off One Foot in the Grave which I honestly have not listened to in almost 15 years, and at the time I only had it on cassette tape, which has since broken.

So I then decided to use a gift card to the local music shop that I got for Christmas to get One Foot in the Grave again, which is apparently now in an expanded edition.  I haven't gotten around to the alternate takes and demos, etc.  But listening to the album really made me feel like I was back in the 90s, dreading gym class all over again.

That's the bulk of my thoughts this week, but other films I watched include:
Kick-Ass- very impressed, lots of fun
The Mirror Crack'd- Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple with a glittering star studded cast all with knowing winks to their profession made for a delightful evening.
Taken- Had a lot of the old Luc Besson action and pacing though he didn't direct it, but seemed to be a practice in reassurance for insecure middle class white male Americans.

That's about it from me.  As always, if you think of anything I might like, feel free to let me know!

Mystery/thriller week

So last week, I came down with a cold, and there was a family decision to quarantine me from the baby.  So, while recovering, I hunkered down and in between frantic spates of schoolwork I caught up on a few films.  I think I started at the wrong place.  Let me begin again.

The week before Christmas it snowed heavily here.  Anytime I'm surrounded by heavy snow, I get in the mood to watch a scary or at least tense film set in a desolate snowswept location.  A great fall back is The Shining, which is pretty standard for me.  Last year, it was John Carpenter's The Thing.
This year, I really felt the urge to rewatch Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express from 197(4?).  I saw it for the first time about 4 years ago and it left quite an impression on me.  Sadly, I had difficulty getting hold of a copy, so I read the book, which I had at hand.  It was really wonderful, and I feel that Agatha Christie is a dream for filmmakers.  She's pure plot, minimal characterization, and leaves so much room for screenwriting and directing embellishment.  I ordered a DVD set containing 4 Christie adaptations, including Murder on the Orient Express, as well as Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun, both with Peter Ustinov as Poirot, and The Mirror Crack'd with Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple.  Anyhow, starting about two weeks ago, I started the set beginning with MOTOE, then Death on the Nile, both of which I've seen before, and then Evil Under the Sun, which was truly delightful, particularly for the banter between Dame Maggie Smith (at that point without the 'Dame' I'm pretty sure... wait, is she 'Dame'?  I like calling her Dame Maggie) and Ustinov.  I still haven't gotten around to The Mirror Crack'd.
This led me to request the 197something version of And Then There Were None, from my online rental service, which I haven't seen since I was 9 or 10 I think.  I remember it really frightening me when I was a kid.  Now, aside from some great atmosphere and set pieces, it just seems a touch serious.  But I do love watching Oliver Reed with his swagger and the kind of extremely abrasive "Fetch me a coffee, sweetcheeks" sort of machismo thats kind of inimitably 1970sish.

I had the urge to keep up with this mystery/thriller run, so I started on the films based on Steig Larsson's Millenium trilogy.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was appropriately dark and edgy, and was a nice little piece of tense suspense.  I followed that with The Girl Who Played with Fire, which was a bit of a let down after the really fantastic opening film.  It did, however utilize a lighting technique which, for some reason I really like:  Deep blue primary key lighting, with little splashes of bright yellow or orange in the background.  It's one of those strange things that I always enjoyed, and I can't say exactly why.  Like underwater sequences in films.

The real surprise from this period was Roman Polanski's The Ghost (called The Ghost Writer in the states).  I was expecting a slightly above average thriller from a classic thriller director just phoning it in.  Instead, it was a great little claustrophobic chamber mystery, with fantastic performances.  It really kept me engrossed until the end, and in my opinion, there's not a frame of fat.  It is all tense and well constructed.

Aside from those, a few highlights from my week of sickness that broke from the generic tendency were:
Che Part One- really challenging and beautiful. 
Opening Night- John Cassavetes does a backstage drama, very fascinating if you like his work.
Onibaba- a very dark and beautifully shot Japanese film.  Drama turned supernatural horror
Paths of Glory- I rewatched this Kubrick gem after about 8 years or so.  Beautifully shot but absolutely devastating.  Great film.

Anyhow, that's what I've been into lately.  If I think of anything to add, I'll make a few notes a bit later.

Any suggestions?

Why I'm here.

I'm not entirely sure I'll properly have time to do this.
I'm a 31-year-old married father of a toddler, a year away from finishing my PhD in Film Studies.  I'm trying to work my way into academia, looking for jobs and trying to establish my publishing background as well.  I work part-time at a secondhand bookshop.  As a teen I was obsessed with music, and still play a bit from time to time.
Hence, I love my family, film, music, and books.  Maybe some of you feel the same way to a degree and want to read something from someone you can relate to.
If I manage to keep this blog going, you'll see what's fetching my goat- the things I've been watching, listening to or reading, that have generated some thoughts I'd like to share.  I won't go too far down the academic route, nor will I pretend to be a decent critic.  What I will do is just share things I've liked, disliked, and general tendencies and links in my consumption habits, time willing.

Feel free to leave comments and ask me questions.  Or even make suggestions that you think might appeal to me.
I hope, if you're reading this, you will find it at least a bit entertaining. 
Many thanks, and I'll be updating soon!