- Thanks to everyone who helped make this weekend an unforgettable one for me and Jess. As for newlywed life, I'll simply say that I'm lucky to be married to a hip, hip lady who continues to surprise me at every turn. Just the other day she proclaimed Brian De Palma the best director of the 1970's - how cool is that?
And that's to say nothing of the sex.
- Thanks to all who offered me constructive responses about Chrissie. Not that I intend to change anything; the film is what it is, and I have to stick with my instincts. But hearing what the film means and the feelings it elicits in others helps me to understand why I made it.
- I've been listening to Tommy a lot these past few days, remembering all the time I spent between the ages of seven and fifteen in my basement, playing the album over and over. I'm still sort of amazed that the album has such mass appeal, which leads me to a question: which seemingly obscure or offbeat work (album, film, book, etc) surprises you with its popularity?
- Warwick Davis hates himself.
- Steve Almond is a great writer. His book Candyfreak, about the candy industry and his lifetime love affair with sweets, is pure fun. And his regular contributions to Nerve.com are consistently great - witness his recent take on Betty Blue. I saw the film a few years ago and thought it was good, but Almond has convinced me to seek out the director's cut DVD. A highlight:
Beinix refuses to romanticize the turmoil. His cinematography is achingly beautiful, but always tinged with the florid. In one shot, we see Betty staggering through the dusk in a flaming red dress, in another the sun has broken into fragments. Zorg refuses to abandon her. Loving her is clearly the most reckless act of his life, but he's utterly helpless to do otherwise.
- Pray for Roger Ebert's swift recovery. He may have gone a bit soft in recent years, but he's still done a great deal to define film love for so many of us over the years. No many how many questionable three-star ratings he hands out, I return to his website every Friday.
- Films watched this week:
Lifeforce 5
Superman Returns 10
Punch-Drunk Love 10
Jurassic Park 9
Creepshow 10
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) 8
Pretty in Pink 8
The Wall 9
Life of Brian 10
3 comments:
Hip like Martha Washington? Buttons.
A Clockwork Orange is one that surprises me with its popularity. It seems like more of a kind of film that only an enlightened few would appreciate the meaning and power and weirdness of (like The Wicker Man) but it's surprising that it's considered An American Classic. It doesn't have the Classic vibe in it.
I'm not surprised ACO is popular among the college set, but its appearance on the AFI 100 list was surprising.
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