Week #9. This week, I passed up the opportunity to see Salo, The Grand Illusion, and Foolish Wives all in 35mm and chose to go see a 70-minute long jazz session and a drunken screening of American Psycho played on a projected through a laptop in the backyard of a bar. I don’t regret it.
The Secret of Nimh (1982) dir. Don Bluth
02/05/16
rewatch
Written for Letterboxd:
A film which by name alone reminds me so much of my time at primary school; I vividly remember my teacher reading the original book to us as we lazed on the classroom floor in the afternoons. It seems I took a particular interest in it, and somehow convinced mum or dad to rent this out (more than likely on VHS). My childhood was no short of haunting, animated tales of the animal kingdom’s underbelly (I’m looking at you, Watership Down). As a kid, I remember this differing greatly from the book, and oddly enough now I barely have any recollection of the majority of events that unfold here (I saw scenes in my head that don’t even happen; I guess I’ll take that as a testament O’Brien’s original writing). Moments that struck me with that sweet, sweet nostalgia tended to surround Jeremy the Crow and his jerky, almost dance-like animation (“If I was anywhere near a cat, I’d be sneezing my brains out” and his subsequent sneezing fit is permanently imprinted in my mind) and the rat’s transformation sequence. I think I can attribute my first knowledge of pneumonia to Timmy’s case of it too, this plot point stays lodged in my brain. Radiating confidence from its very first frame, throughout its well-rounded ~80 minute runtime, and keeps this light on until its very last. ★★★★
Jazz ’34 (1997) dir. Robert Altman
02/05/16
Written for Letterboxd:
In one of my previous Altman reviews, I likened his films to a live concert:
a profound sensory experience, loud and unforgiving, and always inhabited by some of the most absurd people you’ve ever seen–and you can’t help but savour every moment
and here, the film literally is just that. 70 minutes of unstoppable, unshakable, foot-tapping, free-flowing jazz deliciousness interspersed with fleeting anecdotal jazzy (for lack of a better word) voiceover so silky smooth it could melt your ears right off the sides of your face. When a director has the power to house a ~100-person strong cinema with a film like this, it can truly be said that he is a maverick and master of American cinema. Bless you, Robert Altman. ★★★★★, I don’t give a damn.
The Age of Innocence (1993) dir. Martin Scorsese
03/05/16
Written for Letterboxd:
Cinema of the voice, where dialogue is constant, always veiled in lies and irises, and clouded head to toe in elaborately layered attires in a film which feels at once the most and least Scorsese-y. Moves at a pace which burns so swiftly though its runtime that I can’t help but harbour an eternal appreciation for long-time Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker whose editing and pacing truly shines right here and now. Rapid, successive dissolves add to the film’s flourishing visual tone which is so obviously (and not particularly detrimentally) a 90s rendition of late 19th century America. More cinematic than its illusory poster would suggest.
Written for my blog, now:
I was the only person in my cinema class who ‘liked’ this? I’ve read criticisms that say that this film is just 3 blocks of wood talking, which is a great laugh, and I can totally understand why people would struggle to find enjoyment in this. I’m still confused as to why it appealed to me so much; I had to wake myself up for the 8:30am screening, breakfast-less, totally not in the mood for a 140-minute period piece drama (my least favourite genre) and I loooooooooooved it. They’re screening this in about a month’s time at ACMI in 35mm, so you’ll be seeing me there. ★★★★
American Psycho (2000) dir. Mary Harron
04/05/16
Shoutout to Nighthawks Open Air Cinema in Collingwood for delivering the goods; attended this free, cutesy little screening in the back garden/patio area of the bar with some mates and had a ball. You’ll be seeing me in a fortnight’s time, Nighthawks. I kinda love American Psycho. For a fleeting period it sat as my all time favourite, and while my tastes have definitely expanded tenfold it still holds a little sweet spot in my heart. And it’s hilarious; the effect that watching something with an eager crowd has on your enjoyment is revolutionary. Marry me, Christian Bale, you handsome psycho you. ★★★★★