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2006:06:24:20:02. Saturday. SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
posted by Aaron S. Veenstra 2006:03:05:18:43. Sunday. SCHMOSCAR. Serenity -- a cinematic adaptation of a cancelled space-fic TV show -- was the best picture of 2005. No joke. I've seen three of the five best picture nominees, and I really appreciate the way Brokeback Mountain has the Right and their homophobic pals in the press up in arms, but none of them were spectacular and all of them were a little boring. Transamerica needed more comedy, given its kind of absurd high-concept approach. Me and You and Everyone We Know was terrific but it felt dated as soon as it started. I loved Millions but I think it actually came out in 2004.
2005:07:22:12:54. Friday. THE WISH POWER ARE TOGETHER WITH YOU. "Revenge of the Sith," with dialogue translated into Chinese, then back into English:
posted by Aaron S. Veenstra 2005:05:23:13:11. Monday. WITH THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE. Some brief thoughts about "Revenge of the Sith," with spoilers, so quit reading if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to know about specifics. 2005:05:22:13:00. Sunday. MASTERFUL. I became a Master on Friday and saw "Revenge of the Sith" on Saturday, so it's been a good weekend. After I've had a chance to see it again I'll comment more on how it completes the puzzle, but I will say that it's probably the best film that could've been expected. It not only sets up "A New Hope" terrifically, but it subtly complements "Return of the Jedi" in ways that I suspect Lucas won't get much credit for.
posted by Aaron S. Veenstra 2005:04:26:22:34. Tuesday. OH GOD OH GOD WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE. The trailer for Joss Whedon's "Serenity" is on-line. Go watch it. It's honestly a toss-up as to whether this is my most highly anticipated space opera flick of the year.
2005:01:22:17:11. Saturday. FOUR FLICKS. I didn't see many movies last year, but I did see four worth talking about. 1. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" "Adaptation" was the greatest writer's block exercise in the history of writing. Taking the old adage, "Write through it," to its logical extreme, Charlie Kaufman followed "Being John Malkovich" with a movie about himself and his fictional brother writing a screen adaptation of Susan Orleans's The Orchid Thief, which was largely about the trouble he had writing a screen adaptation of Susan Orleans's The Orchid Thief. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is the true thematic follow-up to "Malkovich," and is perhaps the better film for its lack of a pop gimmick and the seriousness with which it handles its fantastical elements. The movie, Kaufman's fourth produced screenplay, feels almost like it could've opened just as "Malkovich" closed, John Cusack's interminable longing replaced with Jim Carrey's unexplainable emptiness. Kaufman again shows a deft touch when rending emotion and delivers the kind of love story that might not make sense to anybody who's never been one of those characters. It's a story that demands to be seen again, not because it tries to trick you, but because it builds in self-supporting layers. Kaufman is the most vital, dynamic writer in Hollywood right now, and he could do much worse than to work with Michel Gondry again. Gondry, who did a staid directing job on Kaufman's similarly staidly written "Human Nature," takes the same leap here that Spike Jonze did with "Malkovich," providing a level of detail that turns an interesting story into an immersive one. The way he shoots the film leaves you increasingly disoriented, until you find yourself as unsure as the characters are of quite what's going on. 2004:07:07:12:30. Wednesday. CHEAT SHEET. Since everyone's in such an uproar about what Michael Moore does or does not say or imply in Fahrenheit 9/11, a transcript would prove quite helpful for debaters on all sides. So, here it is, at least the first half.
posted by Aaron S. Veenstra |
It took three check-outs from the library, but I finally had enough time to finish 