Georges-Claude Guilbert's Movie & TV Blog

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2012

2012-01-30T05:00:00.002+01:00

January 29, 2012. Screen Actors Guild Awards 2012
Best cast, The Help. OK.
Best actor, Jean Dujardin. Jean Dujardin? What is wrong with you people? At this rate he'll get the Oscar, and then what will happen to glamour if it does not reign over Hollywood anymore?
Best actress, Viola Davis, OK.
Supporting actor, Christopher Plummer, OK.
Supporting actress, Olivia Spencer. Well, we know who's gonna get the Oscar, don't we?
Cast, drama, Boardwalk Empire. oK.
Cast, comedy, Modern Family. Yeah.

Then, Steve Buscemi, Jessica Lange, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Kate Winslet, all fine. But Betty White? OK she's a Camp icon of sorts, but it feels like they gave it to her because she's been around a while, more than for her performance. Her birthday bash on TV the other night was rather interesting, in a quaint sort of way.

Golden Globes 2012

2012-01-30T04:43:00.001+01:00

January 15, 2012: Golden Globes.
Cecil B. DeMille award, Morgan Freeman, OK.
Best motion picture drama, The Descendants, OK.
Best actress drama, Meryl Streep as the Iron Lady, but of course, she's the best.
Best actor drama, George Clooney, I'd have picked Ryan Gosling
Best comedy, The Artist. Mm, yes.
Best actress, comedy, Michelle Williams, OK.
Best actor, comedy, Jean Dujardin. Seriously? Jean Dujardin? I guess I should feel pleased, as a compatriot.i don't.
Best actress, supporting role, Octavia Spencer, OK.
Best actor, supporting role, Christopher Plummer, OK.
Best director, Martin Scorsese, fine.
Best screenplay, Woody Allen, yeah.
Best score, The Artist. Whatever.
Best song, my homegirl, Madge, yipee. Eat your heart out, Elton. "Masterpiece" indeed.
[...]
Best TV comedy, Modern Family, titally deserved.

Best actress, supporting role, series, my copine Jessica Lange, hurrah for American Horror Story.

225

2012-01-26T23:24:00.000+01:00

Assignment #1 due February 7, 2012.

Write an essay (1,500 to 3,000 words) about an official music video by an Anglophone singer or band. After an introduction based on the biography of the artist(s) (plus the discography and filmography if relevant), you will describe then analyze the video, concentrating on the representation of femininity and masculinity, of sexuality, relationships and power dynamics (highlight gender stereotypes if relevant).

On paper. Times New Roman 12. Double spaced (or at least 1.5), 1 to 1.25 margin

Saw three movies on plane: The Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2012-01-08T01:37:00.001+01:00

January 4, 2012. Saw movie on plane to the US: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011). I'd seen it at the cinema and apparently forgotten to blog about it. I liked it, moderately, back then. James Franco's good. The plane version has been lamentably cut (ruthlessly censored), with most good violent scenes deleted. So basically you see humans looking scared, mean apes looking threatening, and then suddenly there's no human in the frame anymore, and you have to use your imagination (or in my case, memory) to reconstruct the dropping into the water or some other form of disposal of the humans. The Alzheimer medicine trope works, even on second viewing.

Saw three movies on plane: I Don't Know How She Does It

2012-01-08T01:26:00.000+01:00

January 4, 2012. Saw movie on plane: I Don't Know How She Does It (Douglas McGrath, 2011). I like Sarah Jessica Parker, obviously, and Greg Kinnear is charming, but this comedy is not only average, it's also ideologically dubious (from a feminist point of view), in spite or because of its good intentions.

Saw three movies on plane: A Better Life

2012-01-08T01:21:00.000+01:00

January 4, 2012. Saw movie on plane: A Better Life (Chris Weitz, 2011). Totally depressing movie about an illegal immigrant and his son (pic) in East LA. Gritty realism, Ken Loach meets 1940s Italian neorealism. That poor man has to be the unluckiest gardener in the world. Not the sort of movie you expect on a cheap flight with no individual entertainment choices.

Watched TV: Benvenuti al sud

2012-01-03T11:44:00.000+01:00

December 26, 2011. Watched TV: Benvenuti al sud (Luca Miniero, 2010). English title Welcome to the South. An Italian remake of French comedy Bienvenue chez les ch'tis (Dany Boon, 2008). English title Welcome to the Sticks. In the French original the post office employee is sent up North to work (blogged about it in April 2008). In the Italian remake the post office employee is sent down South to work. Reasonably funny -- at times actually more believable than the French original.

Watched DVD: Thru the Moebius Strip

2012-01-03T11:29:00.000+01:00

December 26, 2011. Watched DVD: Thru the Moebius Strip (Glenn Chaika, 2005). I was a huge Moebius / Jean Giraud fan in the 1970s and 1980s, so it was a rather pleasant experience seeing his creations come to life on film, although obviously the movie lacks depth, as it were (something to do with the target audience, possibly).

Watched TV: The Prize

2012-01-03T11:11:00.000+01:00

Watched TV: The Prize (Mark Robson, 1963). Stupid French title Pas de lauriers pour les tueurs. One sees this every ten years or so, but one always enjoys it, does one? Paul Newman on top form (favorite period: 1958-1968). Very Cold War somewhat Hitchcockian movie.

Watched TV: It Happened to Jane

2012-01-03T10:53:00.000+01:00

Watched TV: It Happened to Jane (Richard Quine, 1959). Stupid French title Train, amour et crustacés. 1959: excellent year. Funny little movie with the inimitable Doris Day and Jack Lemmon. Wholesome family fun. Quite endearing, in a where-have-all-the-good-times-gone way. Amusing discourse on capitalism, contradictory to extremes. I hope no Maine lobster was harmed during the making of this movie.

Went to see Friends with Benefits

2011-12-25T22:58:00.003+01:00

December 2011. Went to see Friends with Benefits (Will Gluck, 2011). With the delightful Justin Timberlake and the delicious Mila Kunis. Lovely movie, with many funny scenes and even more nude scenes. Highly recommended if you're feeling blue. There are great Masi Oka and Jason Segel cameos, Harry Potter gay jokes (or is that gay Harry Potter jokes?), and a very amusing Kriss Kross moment. Will Gluck also directed Easy A.

Went to see Final Destination 5

2011-12-22T00:06:00.000+01:00

September 1, 2011. R and I went to see Final Destination 5 (Steven Quale, 2011). Exactly like the first four. Good scary stuff, with lots of very good-looking young people. A bit more gore, possibly. Only for aficionados, really. I love it.

Watched TV: My Best Friend's Girl

2011-12-21T23:53:00.000+01:00

July 23, 2011. Watched TV: My Best Friend's Girl (Howard Deutch, 2008). A cocktail: romcom and vulgar scatological comedy. Some hilarious moments, but often boring. Kate Hudson true to form.

Went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2

2011-12-21T23:41:00.001+01:00

July 15, 2011. Went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (David Yates, 2011). Entertaining but not earth-shatteringly so. I enjoyed the book more. Dark without being gothic (and sometimes "corny"). The actors look really OLD now. What are our children going to do now? Wait for some new JK Rowling to come along? I don't like the future-Harry-as-father at the end of the last book, I don't like it in the movie either. There's only one explanation for such an unpleasant and boring flashforward: Rowling wants no-one to write a sequel, in case she kicks the bucket and an officer in her army of lawyers is taken ill or something.

Watched TV: Push

2011-12-21T23:17:00.000+01:00

November 22, 2011. Watched TV: Push (Paul McGuigan, 2009). Youngsters with superpowers. A bit like Heroes, the TV, a bit like an American superhero comic book, a bit like a manga. Some exciting moments, nothing to write home about. With Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning.

Watched TV: Cell 211

2011-12-21T22:58:00.000+01:00

Watched TV: Celda 211 (Daniel Monzon, 2009). Great Spanish film. No concession, no illusion: life's hard, prisons are horrible places, and everybody's out to slit everybody else's throat. Don't let your children watch it. Actor: Alberto Ammann, who's in the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle commercial with Keira Knightley.

Went to see Hysteria

2011-12-19T01:48:00.003+01:00

December 18, 2011. Marie and R and I went to see Hysteria (Tanya Wexler, 2011). The French [sic] title, Oh my God!, is a quote from the movie and makes some sort of sense, because of a bilingual pun. Charming romantic comedy. Many interesting feminist aspects. Often hilarious and extremely well-acted. Jonathan Pryce, Maggie Gyllenhaal (doing a very believable Victorian British accent), Ugly Betty's Ashley Jensen, camp Rupert Everett (with a beard), and the oh-so-charming Hugh Dancy, masturbating Victorian ladies and inventing the vibrator.

Watched DVD: Adam

2011-12-19T01:37:00.002+01:00

Watched DVD: Adam (Max Mayer, 2009). Man with Asperger's syndrome, played by the oh-so-charming Hugh Dancy. Quite watchable.

Watched DVD: The Jane Austen Book Club

2011-12-19T01:31:00.004+01:00

Watched DVD: The Jane Austen Book Club (Robin Swicord, 2007). Pitch: In California, six people start a book club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships begin to resemble twenty-first century versions of her novels. Not bad. Sometimes amusing. Good actresses. Plus it's got mancandy Kevin Zegers and the oh-so-charming Hugh Dancy.

Went to see Immortals

2011-11-29T18:40:00.001+01:00

November 28, 2011. R and I went to see Immortals (Tarsem Singh, 2011). What a treat. A bit uneven, I guess, but it is pure Hollywood blockbuster entertainment, with utterly gorgeous people (tremendous cast), interesting special FX, superkitsch decors and camp clothing. The last scene, in the sky, is superb. Thank you, Olympian Gods, for Henry Cavill. I don't think the mythology and the script are that important.

Watched TV: Saw Southland Tales

2011-11-24T19:17:00.000+01:00

Watched TV: Southland Tales (Richard Kelly, 2006). A totally useless movie. Very odd undertaking. It's as if Kelly had wanted to shoot three movies in one, and mix genres till he got nauseous. The talent of Sarah Michelle Gellar (ah, how I miss Buffy) is wasted, the talent of Sean William Scott is wasted. More or less political sci-fi, with occasional good bits (visually) --- knowing that the whole thing lasts 145 minutes!

Watched TV: Tell Tale

2011-11-24T19:11:00.001+01:00

November 22, 2011. Watched TV: Tell Tale (Michael Cuesta, 2009). With hunky Josh Lucas (remember Sweet Home Alabama?). Inspired by an Edgar Allan Poe story. The heart of a dead man influences the behavior of the man in whose chest it has been transplanted. Not bad at all. Heart-gripping, ha ha.

Went to see The Woman in the Fifth

2011-11-24T18:55:00.000+01:00

November 23, 2011. R and I went to see La Femme du Vème (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2011). Utterly disgraceful. A waste of time and money. A disaster. I was furious. Filmed like a 1970s Scandinavian film. Lethally boring, unbearably slow (oh my God, the closeups of symbolic animals!). The Douglas Kennedy novel is not bad. This adaptation is a massacre. How could my copain Ethan Hawke do this? Why did marvelous Kristin Scott Thomas (splendid bone structure) agree to risk her reputation in that appalling piece of...?

Went to see Twilight 4

2011-11-24T18:44:00.000+01:00

November 15, 2011. CB and I went to see The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I (Bill Condon, 2011). Quite acceptable, really, even if you're not a pubescent (WASP) girl. It can be read as feminist (like the novel), in spite of what many feminists say (she gets everything she wants). It is about sex, again, in spite of what the critics say, and this time she actually does do it, bedbreakingly. More shirtless hunks, OK special FX, and interesting makeup. You gotta love the white shoes (wedding shoes). CB and I are incurably romantic, anyway.

Went to see The Adventures of Tintin

2011-11-22T19:18:00.000+01:00

11/11/11 (!). CB & MB & I went to see The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg, 2011). Quite impressive, visually speaking, but the magic's not there. I wonder what I'd have made of it if I hadn't read every Tintin comic book in my youth? Some scenes are too long. The car chase scene in Morocco is the best.

Watched TV: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

2011-11-22T19:09:00.001+01:00

October 11, 2011. Watched TV: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Jake Kasdan, 2007). Written by Judd , Apatow & Jake Kasdan. A comedy with good intentions, but. More or less interesting bits, with parodies of just about every singer / band who became famous in 1950s/1960s/1970s rock/pop music -- but as a whole, the movie just doesn't work.

Watching TV series: metaleptic fun

2011-11-18T23:58:00.000+01:00

Watching TV series: metaleptic fun. Isn't it wonderful how Noah Bean plays a husband in love in Medium and a husband in love in Private Practice? And the way Joel Grey (unforgettable MC in Cabaret) keeps playing dying doctors in medical shows? It's even more interesting when one show is a spinoff of another and he plays a different dying doctor: isn't it supposed to be the same universe? It's Marvelverse puzzling, at times. Like Evans playing The Human Torch AND Captain America -- how sick is that?

Watching TV series

2011-11-18T19:00:00.000+01:00

Watching TV series: Once Upon a Time, Private Practice, Merlin, Medium, Ringer, 2 Broke Girls, American Horror Story (TREMENDOUS!), The Big Bang Theory, Desperate Housewives, Death Valley, The Vampire Diaries, The Event, Being Human UK, Being Human US, Shameless UK, Shameless US, Teen Wolf, Revenge, True Blood, A Gifted Man (I love it: hunk Patrick Wilson in Ghost Whisperer + Medium meet Grey's Anatomy + Private Practice), etc. As an American Studies scholar, I'm amazed at how often the conservative agenda creeps back up, with, invariably, at some point, some character going on about abortion, or approving the death penalty, or something like that...

Went to see Drive

2011-10-14T23:05:00.002+02:00

October 9, 2011. R & S and I went to see Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011). Tremendous movie directed by Danish American Bronson director Nicolas Winding Refn, with Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, British actress Carey Mulligan (doing good, doing the accent), and a couple of great car chases. Yeah, the new Clint Eastwood has arrived (I mean the Clint Eastwood of the Sergio Leone days)! Ryan Gosling is prodigiously good! I did say he wasn't just a set of abs. This is the return of the man-with-no-name. You know, masculinity the quasi autistic way. A man of few words indeed. So wonderfully intense. A look, an expression, a tentative smile. A very violent movie, in the best sense of the adjective. The scorpio jacket trope is excellent.

Watched DVD: Eating Out 4: Drama Camp

2011-10-14T22:25:00.000+02:00

Watched DVD: Eating Out 4: Drama Camp (Q. Allan Brocka, 2011). Reasonably amusing and rather easy on the eye. Newcomer Aaron Milo interesting. Helps my research, really: what is the use of (deliberate, gay) Camp in the twenty-first century?

Watching TV series: Vampire Diaries

2011-10-11T16:21:00.000+02:00

Watching TV series: Vampire Diaries. Ah, what one has to do for work. Watching terribly ugly people running around smalltown America. One thing really does bother me: okay, it's a teen show, but must they take teenagers for utter morons? Who could ever believe even for one minute in that doppelgänger story? Talk about stretching your willing suspension of disbelief! They don't even bother with the minute difference they had at first, between Nina Dobrev as Elena (with straight hair) and Nina Dobrev as Katherine (with wavy hair), but the worst thing is that Katherine, who's supposed to be a million years old, speaks EXACTLY like Elena, i.e. like a twenty-first century urban American teenager. Please. Yeah, I know, vampires adapt, right? For survival?

Watched TV: Zoom

2011-10-06T23:03:00.001+02:00

Watched TV: Zoom (Peter Hewitt, 2006). I suppose that movie is acceptable if you're aged less than 7. Another superhero school story, with Chevy Chase who misses the 1980s, Courteney Cox who should stick to the Scream franchise and TV series, and Tim Allen who wishes he were still in The Santa Clause. What I don't understand is what mancandy Kevin Zegers is doing in this. Kevin Zegers, seriously?

Watched DVD: The Spirit

2011-10-06T22:38:00.001+02:00

May 26, 2010. Watched DVD: The Spirit (Frank Miller, 2008). I love Frank Miller. I'm a fan. His comic books, the movies he's written. Sin City! But, for some reason, even though I like the Will Eisner series, in spite of everything, I didn't enjoy The Spirit so much. Something's missing. Even Scarlett Johansson didn't didn't quite cut it in that movie.

Watched DVD: Frostbiten

2011-10-06T22:19:00.001+02:00

May 26, 2010. Watched DVD: Frostbiten / Frostbite / Tale of Vampires (Anders Banke, 2006). Swedish movie. I watched it because I watch ALL vampire movies and I read ALL vampire novels and I watch ALL vampire television series (hey, it's for work). But even though I'm a vampire nut (as Kittaa would put it), I didn't enjoy it. I don't know, maybe it's too clever for its own good, or too European. Yawn. Forget the hype.

Watched DVD: The Hills Have Eyes

2011-10-06T22:10:00.001+02:00

May 26, 2010. Watched DVD: The Hills Have Eyes (Alexandre Aja, 2006). I entirely agree with Tim Hayes, from Perth, Ontario, who writes: "Alexandre Aja's remake of the Wes Craven classic about a family besieged in the desert by cannibals. This film was a lot better than I thought it would be. While sticking closely to the original's plot, there are a few new twists added to the concept. The monsters aren't really fleshed out, but their past is given more of an explanation. The film is also gorier than the original. Again, this is more of an update tactic. Dan Byrd turns in another fine performance, as does Emilie De Ravin. Ted Levine is appropriately gruff as the father. The monsters seem very interchangeable. It's obvious that there are several of them, but they have no personalities like they did in the original. I also don't remember the head of the clan being in a wheelchair with a bulbous head before either. Gone is the brute leader, in is a crippled brain. Some changes work. Some don't. Still, it could have been a lot worse." (IMDB)

Watched TV: Kaboom

2011-10-06T21:56:00.000+02:00

October 4, 2011. Watched TV: Kaboom (Gregg Araki, 2010). Saw it at the movies a year ago. Second time better. I've seen every Araki movie, repeatedly. I adore the guy. I love his aesthetics, his PoMo fun, etc. His actors are always to die for. Kaboom is filled almost to excess with superhot people in superhot shots. But, I don't know, for the first time ever, an Araki disappoints me---slightly. Maybe if anybody else had made Kaboom I'd just love it, period. But when you're used to someone always giving you so much... Sometimes the plot felt like it was there just as a pretext to show the superhot people in the superhot shots, which would be fine if it were sold as such, but it's not. Oh well. I'd pay to see anything with Thomas Dekker in it, anyway; and everybody else's more than fine, including David Bowie's Julian Temple's daughter Juno Temple playing London. It doesn't really matter if the whole story is space-cookie-related or not. Give us more, Gregg!

Watched TV: Splice

2011-10-06T21:45:00.000+02:00

October 5, 2011. Watched TV: Splice (Vincenzo Natali, 2009). Oh my God, such a terrible movie. Really really bad. I don't know what they were thinking. If only the creature stayed weird-looking, but as it grows, instead of having a mousy nuzzle and eyes on the sides of its head and a split skull, it looks just like a regular girl, with a normal face (okay, with gazelle legs and a tail). It's often totally sick, but not even in a satisfying ooh such perversion way, just sick. Adrien Brody has certainly been better employed.

Went to see Crazy Stupid Love

2011-10-04T17:08:00.001+02:00

September 18, 2011. R and I went to see Crazy Stupid Love (Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, 2011). Writer Don Fogelman. Hurrah for Hollywood. Hurrah for comedies. Hurrah for Don Fogelman. Absolutely tremendous movie. Julianne Moore is perfect, as she always is. Steve Carrell is fine, in a no faces no clowning around way, Ryan Gosling is not only a set of divine abs, and Emma Stone is really good, and she still has a great voice. Extremely entertaining movie. Perfect timing, perfect editing. A wonderful narrative twist. Highly recommended (even if it promotes conservative family values).

Went to see Restless

2011-09-29T00:54:00.001+02:00

September 28, 2011. Went to see Restless (Gus Van Sant, 2011). Script by Jason Lew. I like all Gus Van Sant, I suppose. I think the only ones I have yet to see are Mala Noche and Gerry. I didn't like Psycho so much -- didn't really see the point. I'm a huge fan of My Own Private Idaho and I love To Die For. This new effort is not so personal, not so Gus Van Sant. More of a Jason Lew product really. It was clearly a commissioned work. A mixture of dark humor, teen romance and Dying of the Big C story. Filmed almost conventionally. But there is one thing that's totally Gus Van Sant: the choice of Henry Hopper (yes, the son!) and the way he films him! Wow. So moving. Touched by grace.

Watched TV: Guarding Tess

2011-09-29T00:35:00.001+02:00

May 21, 2010. Watched TV: Guarding Tess (Hugh Wilson, 1994). Silly French title Un Ange gardien pour Tess. Acceptable movie with Nicolas Cage (before he made a zillion unspeakable potboilers) and Shirley MacLaine. Reasonably amusing. I'd watch anything with Shirley MacLaine, clearly. How can one ever recover from Some Came Running (1958), or Irma La Douce (1963)? And she's still at it, with half a dozen movies coming up, it would seem.

Watched DVD: Mother of Tears

2011-09-29T00:28:00.000+02:00

May 25, 2010. Watched DVD: Mother of Tears / La terza madre (Dario Argento, 2007). I have a soft spot for Dario Argento, obviously. But I especially have a soft spot for Asia Argento. She's been in a lot of more or less interesting movies, but she's so Asia Argento, so trashy, in the most divine way, what's there not to love? Watchable horror movie.

Watched TV: Eat Pray Love

2011-09-13T19:13:00.000+02:00

September 6, 2011. Watched TV: Eat Pray Love (Ryan Murphy, 2010). French title Mange, prie, aime. From the book by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's funny how a person can produce amazingly good stuff, like Glee and Nip/Tuck, but also come up with boring trivia like Eat Pray Love. Julia Roberts is alright, obviously, Javier Bardem is alright, obviously. But the movie, like the book, doesn't know if it's a selfhelp effort, a spiritual quest, or a pseudo feminist pamphlet. Uninspiring, really. Though it is pleasant to see excellent actor Richard Jenkins, Billy Crudup, James Franco and Luca Argentero...

Watched TV: The A-Team

2011-09-13T19:00:00.000+02:00

September 9, 2011. Watched TV: The A-Team (Joe Carnahan, 2010). French title L'Agence tous risques. Same US and French titles for the original TV series. Watchable action-packed movie, with gorgeous Bradley Cooper and delightful Jessica Biel.

Watched TV: Edge of Darkness

2011-09-13T18:51:00.000+02:00

September 8, 2011. Watched TV: Edge of Darkness (Martin Campbell, 2010). Silly French title Hors de contrôle. Totally dispensable thriller with politically dubious Mel Gibson and Aussie actress Bojana Novakovic. Only if you're too tired to work and there's nothing else to watch in the house.

Watched TV: When in Rome

2011-09-13T18:45:00.000+02:00

September 8, 2011. Watched TV: When in Rome (Mark Steven Johnson, 2010). French title C'était à Rome. Unimportant romcom with a plot problem. Lack of verisimilitude. It does, however, have Josh Duhamel.

RIP Andy Whitfield

2011-09-13T16:11:00.000+02:00

Andy Whitfield (b. 1974 in the UK) passed away on September 11, 2011. RIP.

Watched DVD: Centurion

2011-09-09T22:36:00.001+02:00

July 16, 2011. Watched DVD: Centurion (Neil Marshall, 2010). With Michael Fassbender (who's in all sorts of interesting movies) and Irish actor Eoin Macken and Dominic West. One of those harsh Roman it's-a-cruel-world Roman movies. Un peplum du 21e siècle. Watchable. The female warrior, Etain (Olga Kurylenko), overdoes it so it reaches an entertaining level of Camp.

2011-09-09T22:27:00.000+02:00

July 3, 2011. Watched DVD: Siren (Andrew Hull, 2010). Acceptable after midnight. Supernatural island, gorgeous people. Tremendous Irish actor Eoin Macken (who's in the BBC Merlin).

Went to see Beastly

2011-09-09T22:19:00.000+02:00

July 6, 2011. Went to see Beastly (Daniel Barnz, 2011). Utterly ridiculous French title Sortilège. I had read the teen novel by Alex Flinn, so I knew what to expect: a rewrite of Beauty and the Beast. More traditional (i.e. hairy) in the book than in the movie. Indeed, who could possibly find Alex Pettyfer ugly? Those supposedly horrendous scars and "tattoos" are basically like too much makeup on a gorgeous face. So it doesn't really work, visually speaking. Reasonably entertaining, I guess, especially if you are a teenage girl.

Watched TV: Couples Retreat

2011-09-09T22:08:00.000+02:00

July 17, 2011. Watched TV: Couples Retreat (Peter Billingsley, 2009). French title Thérapie de couples. One of those comedies with Vince Vaughn. Maybe you can only enjoy that sort of thing if you've had a dozen beers. I don't know. I found it occasionally amusing, often crass. I like Jason Bateman, though.

Watched TV: Saw Sunshine Cleaning

2011-09-09T21:56:00.000+02:00

July 19, 2011. Watched TV: Saw Sunshine Cleaning (Christine Jeffs, 2008). With Amy Adams & Emily Blunt. Entertaining little movie about a crime scene cleaning service. Chickpic but not only. Unpretentious and often endearing. Social concerns too.

Watched TV: The Abduction Club

2011-09-09T21:46:00.004+02:00

July 7, 2011. Watched TV: Saw The Abduction Club (Stefan Schwartz, 2002). French title Le club des ravisseurs. As IMDB says: "A group of Irish noblemen kidnap girls in order to marry into their fortune and avoid becoming priests or soldiers." Can it really be based on true historical facts? A delightful unpretentious movie, with endearing characters / actors. A nice unimportant movie.

Watched TV: Saw The Book of Eli

2011-09-09T21:28:00.000+02:00

September 4, 2011. Watched TV: Saw The Book of Eli (Albert & Allen Hughes, 2010). With Denzel Washington, good, as always. We have seen dozens of post-apocalyptic movies of that sort (no more gas, no more government, blah blah), it's true. But, hey, when it's well-done, why not? This one is Christian, besides, but not in an annoying way. Always nice to see Mila Kunis -- who has a tremendous future ahead.

Watched DVD: L'ennemi naturel

2011-09-09T21:14:00.001+02:00

September 2, 2011. Watched DVD: L'ennemi naturel (Pierre-Erwan Guillaume, 2004). Such a weird film. You don't really know where Guillaume is coming from, you don't know where he's going. It starts like a police investigation but then it becomes something else altogether. I guess the actor, Jalil Lespert, is interesting (he was more interesting elsewhere). You can't really say it's a gay film, but it certainly has a lot of penises (even an erect one). Such a weird film.

Went to see Habemus Papam

2011-09-09T18:05:00.001+02:00

September 7, 2011. R and SL and I went to see Habemus Papam (Nanni Moretti, 2011). Once upon a time there was Italian cinema. Excellent in the 1940s, great in the 1950s, PURE GENIUS in the 1960s and 1970s (Fellini, Visconti, Pasolini, etc.). [I know, this is very subjective] And then there was nothing. Berlusconilike people killed it. The 1980s and 1990s were a desert. And now there's Nanni Moretti, yipee! Let Italian cinema be reborn! This film is TREMENDOUS, it's the closet I've come to cinematic perfection in a long time. Drop everything and go see it, now. Even if like me you're not particularly religious and have never been a fan of any pope (apart from Warhol the Pope of Pop Art, that is). Excellent directing, excellent writing, excellent acting. Michel Piccoli's acting is to die for. Yipee.

Went to see Captain America

2011-09-09T17:52:00.001+02:00

September 5, 2011. R and I went to see Captain America (Joe Johnston, 2011). OK, first I have to rant: Why did you do it!? Stan, how could you let them do it?! How stupid can you be, people?! Casting hunk Chris Evans as Steve Rogers would have been a WONDERFUL idea if he hadn't already played the part of Johnny Storm in two FF movies! It was a APPALLING idea. And here I thought that finally there was going to be some order in the cinematic marvelverse. I thought the movies would begin a serious dialogue with one another (and for God's sake, they have initiated some metaleptic conversation, like between this and the Thor movie). So why did you do this? What happens when the Avengers meet the FF, huh? Are you going to get some other guy to play the Human Torch?! Apart from that, it was alright. No more. Good WW2 stuff to introduce (hopefully) Captain America in the twenty-first century, next time. Inspired piece of casting: Hugo Weaving as Red Skull.

Watched DVD: Il Compleanno / David's Birthday

2011-09-09T17:42:00.000+02:00

September 1, 2011. Watched DVD: Il Compleanno (Marco Filiberti, 2009). American title David's Birthday. An older, married man, falls in love with the (over 18) son of the friends with whom he and his wife are holidaying (beach resort). Very Italian (in the best sense of the word), very beautiful. Good acting. Moving. My only problem with it is political: basically the moral message is that homosexuality leads to death -- I thought western cinema had got over that after the seventies?

Went to see Les bien-aimés

2011-09-09T17:31:00.001+02:00

September 1, 2011. R and I went to see Les bien-aimés (Christophe Honoré, 2011). What is wrong with France, honestly? What is wrong with French cinema? What are these people thinking?! Do they really believe that all you have to do is formulate some sort of half-baked pseudo-intellectual concept, get a couple of good actors, and that's it, you can make a film and get awards? Apparently, they do. And the worst thing is that it often works too! Because not only is the country full of filmmakers who are prepared to rip people off, but the country is full of people who masochistically enjoy being ripped off! And the country is full of dishonest journalists who write that the crap that is thus produced is genius! It's a terrible film! It's boring! It insults your intelligence! It has my total copine Catherine Deneuve, but that's not enough. It has my total copine's daughter, who's also my total copain Marcello Mastroianni's daughter, but that's not enough either. One of the numerous horrible things about Froggie cinema is that they love hiring male actors who do nothing but look bored and vaguely aggressive throughout the film, it's actually a school of acting in Frogland! So they just stand there and sort of look at the audience with contempt and you want to slap their face. This film has got one, and Cahiers du Cinéma critics probably say he's a genius. I just don't get it. It's probably a national conspiracy. As for the casting, OMG, how can they hope to make viewers believe that Rasha Bukvic turns into Milos Forman when he grows old?! I did like the 1960s clothing and cars, though.

Went to see Cowboys and Aliens

2011-09-09T17:10:00.000+02:00

August 24, 2011. R and I went to see Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau, 2011). French title Cowboys et envahisseurs. Interesting. Adapted from comic. Resolutely PoMo I guess, with the heavy hybridization thing. But it doesn't make it a good movie. I had fun but many viewers were bored. OK acting by Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Sam Rockwell.

Went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-09-03T12:28:00.001+02:00

August 23, 2011. R and I went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011). Silly French title La Planète des singes: les origines. I liked the original book, I liked the original Charlton Heston movie, I didn't like the TV series so much, and the Tim Burton remake wasn't among his best movies. I did like this one. It's no masterpiece but it works rather well. Moving at times, often gripping. And who can complain when James Franco is on the screen anyway? Plus, supported by Freida Pinto? Great FX.

Went to see La piel que habito

2011-08-23T11:00:00.003+02:00

NO SPOILERS HERE.

August 22, 2011. R and I went to see La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In, Pedro ALMODOVAR, 2011). Adapted from Thierry Jonquet's novel Mygale (1984). I must confess I am a bit disappointed. God knows I've always worshipped Pedro, who's totally my copain, but this time there are quite a few elements I disapprove of. Yes, it is always nice to see his films, yes, the last time was May 2009 and I missed him, yes, it's rather pleasant to see Antonio looking fit and tan (and facelifted?) and not in a bad American action movie. But, as R said, who wants to see divine Marisa not looking glamorous? But, even though Jan Cornet is totally adorable, the choice of Elena Anaya doesn't work, for purely physiological reasons, I'm sorry. Filmbuff Nicky and Mary Caution both emailed me about La piel que habito, and though it is true that many of my obsessions are featured, I don't think it really works! Besides, it's seriously WRONG, ideologically speaking -- speaking as a third wave constructionist feminist / queer theorist (but much of that is in the novel to begin with). That being said, I'd have probably raved if it had been made by some new unknown director, but Pedro made Tacones Lejanos and Todo sobre mi madre and Volver! Of course I get the cinema lesson thing, the Hitchcock thing and the Georges Franju's 1960 Les Yeux sans visage pseudo-rewrite, but that isn't enough to make it as good as, say, Los Abrazos Rotos, which wasn't as good as Volver. Oh well.

Went to see Late Bloomers

2011-07-26T15:31:00.000+02:00

July 20, 2011. R and I went to see Late Bloomers (Julie Gavras, 2011). Yes, she is Costa Gavras's daughter; silly French title Trois fois ving ans. Rather good movie. Impeccable acting by very good cast. Tremendous Isabella Rosselini more than ever her mother's daughter, quite unafraid of showing her age (whole point of the movie). William Hurt fine except for weird accent. Nice seeing Aidan McArdle (remember excellent camp UK series Beautiful People). One annoying thing: you learn some elements about the (grand)mother too late, after you've wasted your time wondering about accents and linguistics and national origins. Subtle. Old people my age cringe and identify, obviously, but the movie is not targeted exclusively to 50+ audiences. Of course, I myself prefer blond glamorous stars who go see their plastic surgeon every year and starve themselves, but, hey, it does not stop me enjoying a "sensitive" movie now and again.

Amy Winehouse is dead

2011-07-24T11:57:00.000+02:00

July 23, 2011. Amy Winehouse is dead. Just like the others. At the same age. Live fast, die young. She's reinvented soul and my-accent-is-a-tribute pursuits. RIP.

Watched movie on plane: Burlesque

2011-07-21T12:28:00.000+02:00

April 2011. Watched movie on plane: Burlesque (Steve Antin, 2010). The script is perfectly uninteresting. Christina Aguilera does what she's told (the day that woman finally finds a suitable look and style she'll be great, she has a voice but she hasn't a clue). The other actors do what they can. But, it's not boring, as it should have been, because IT'S GOT CHER. AND CHER IS THE ULTIMATE DIVA and she's wonderful.

Watched DVDs: Eating Out 1, 2, 3.

2011-07-20T22:46:00.001+02:00

March 2010. Watched DVDs: Eating Out (Q. Allan Brocka, 2004), Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds (Philip J. Bartell, 2006), Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat (Glenn Gaylord, 2009). Creator Q. Allan Brocka (who created Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, see the interview we published here). The first one is not bad. Amusing. Plus loads of eye candy. The second and third: mostly eye candy. Eating Out 4: Drama Camp sounds promising (titlewise anyway), and they're apparently filming Eating Out 5: The Open Weekend. Will they ever stop?

Watched DVD: Comme un frère

2011-07-20T22:25:00.000+02:00

February 27, 2010. Watched DVD: Saw Comme un frère (Bernard Alapetite & Cyril Legann, 2005). Boring gay movie from Frogland, not worth the trouble at all.

Watched TV: Saw Millions

2011-07-20T22:18:00.000+02:00

December 13, 2009. Watched TV: Saw Millions (Danny Boyle, 2004). Excellent Danny Boyle. Lovely rhythm, lovely acting by children (a rare feat), very amusing moments.

Watched TV: Saw Whatever Happened to Baby Jane

2011-07-18T08:24:00.000+02:00

July 17, 2011. Watched TV: Saw What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, 1962). I don't know just how many times I've seen this movie. I could watch it every month. Total camp masterpiece. Indispensable. Joan Crawford! Bette Davis!

Watching TV series

2011-07-18T08:16:00.001+02:00

Watching TV series: Lipstick Jungle, Royal Pains, White Collar, Medium, Weeds, Charmed, House MD, etc.

Watched TV: Saw Franklyn

2011-07-18T07:50:00.000+02:00

Watched TV: Saw Franklyn (Gerald McMorrow, 2008). One of those split narratives. Too complicated for its own good, really, in spite of a couple of great ideas. Ryan Philippe and Eva Green pleasant to look at.

Went to see The Debt

2011-06-22T19:06:00.001+02:00

Went to see The Debt (John Madden, 2011) with Slater. Silly French title L'Affaire Rachel Singer. A remake of the Israeli movie Ha Hov (Assaf Bernstein, 2007). Very good movie. Thrilling and with a tremendous narrative twist + some serious narrative games. Helen Mirren magnificent, as always. My only problem with it: the casting agents must buy glasses, how could they cast Ciaran Hinds as David when Sam Worthington was playing Young David? It's beyond ludicrous, it's offensive. The only thing they have in common is that they are both human beings, basically.

Slater's Lists

2011-06-22T18:49:00.002+02:00

Slater's List #1

William Shakespeare - All's Well That Ends Well
Samuel Richardson - Pamela or Virtue Rewarded
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
Bram Stoker - Dracula
Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Lewis Carroll - Alice in Wonderland
Francis Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
Virginia Woolf - Orlando
William Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury
Carson McCullers - Reflections in a Golden Eye
Tennessee Williams - A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Jean Genet - Notre Dame des Fleurs
Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
Thomas Pynchon - The Crying of Lot 49
John Barth - The Floating Opera
Marguerite Duras - L'Amant
Bret Easton Ellis - Glamorama

Slater's List #2

The Blue Angel
Morocco
Blonde Venus
Queen Christina
Imitation of Life
Some Like It Hot
Midnight Cowboy
Easy Rider
Cabaret
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Desperately Seeking Susan
Tootsie
Mrs. Doubtfire
The Crying Game
Muriel's Wedding
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Went to see X-Men: First Class

2011-06-05T10:55:00.000+02:00

June 3, 2011. Went to see X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn, 2011). Silly French title X-Men: Le commencement. Directed by the guy who directed Kick-Ass (mm, quite). As I write this, Tony is cycling into downtown Melbourne to go see it. Wonder what he'll make of this movie. I need to speak to some of my students, those who have not read lots of X-Men comics, and see what they make of it. I guess if you don't know much about the X-Men, it's a reasonably entertaining movie. But if you've read every issue of Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, New X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, New Mutants, Astonishing X-Men, etc. published between 1970 and now, well, you're going to have a problem with it. The chronology is absurd, the ages of the characters nonsensical, the casting foolish. No-one has the right accent, to begin with. Basically what the scriptwriters did was to take bits from the "normal" Marvelverse and mix them with elements from all over the place, Ultimate, First Class, etc., plus their own invention. And of course, as a prequel, it does NOT work. There are so many bits that just don't fit in with the other X-Men movies. Yes, I do realize the economic imperatives, bla bla. I'm just a disappointed fan, really. The only (more or less) acceptable piece of casting is Michael Fassbender -- who even manages a little bit of Camp at the end. Oh, and, plus, having taught the missile crisis for years, it was weird to discover the X-Men had helped JFK avoid WW3, ha ha.

Went to see The Lincoln Lawyer

2011-06-02T22:51:00.001+02:00

June 1, 2011. R and I went to see The Lincoln Lawyer (Brad Furman, 2011). Script John Romano. Novel Michael Connelly (2005). A good time to be had, undoubtedly. Extremely effective movie adapted from an effective book. Matthew McConaughey is fine as Mick Haller. Marisa Tomei and Ryan Philippe are fine too. It has other people I like: Michael Paré (he's aged quite a bit), John Leguizamo (remember To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar?), William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Frances Fisher (perfect part for her). It even has Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston.

Of course Gaga likes Minnelli

2011-06-02T22:33:00.000+02:00

THE MONSTER BALL TOUR at Madison Square Garden

In the audience: special guests, including Marisa Tomei, Liza Minnelli. Lady Gaga recognized both from the stage, and told a story to the audience about how Minnelli was an inspiration to her. She talked about her origins at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, mentioning how her acting and performance teachers told her she didn't have what it took, essentially, to "be a superstar."

"You'll never be the main character... the blonde... your hair's too dark... you look too ethnic" To retort in the face of such opposition, Gaga would reply, "What about Liza?" She then asked the audience to give Liza a standing ovation, which they did to an obviously thrilled Minnelli.

May 7th HBO special.

Thank you http://broadwayworld.com

Tremendous Glee quote

2011-06-02T22:19:00.002+02:00

Holly: Hi, I´m Holly Holiday.
Terry: You are a porn star or a drag queen?

Glee 02x07

Oh my God, Bradley Cooper speaks French!

2011-06-02T22:09:00.000+02:00

May 30, 2011. Oh my God, Bradley Cooper speaks French! He was on the TF1 news, and he said he'd picked it up as a student on an exchange at Aix University. As if he didn't have enough qualities. Of course, we're not talking Judie Foster Perfect French, but still.

Watching House, MD

2011-05-31T22:54:00.000+02:00

Watching House, MD. Never tire of it. Love Hugh Laurie. Even love his record. The scripts are so meticulous. Laurie's acting so close to utter perfection. Wow. Let them talk indeed.

Watched TV: Saw La Moutarde me monte au nez

2011-05-31T22:49:00.000+02:00

Watched TV: Saw La Moutarde me monte au nez (Claude Zidi, 1974). I'd seen it four or five times before. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit it: I find this FRENCH comedy extremely enjoyable. And not only because Jane Birkin (who was one of my early idols, long before Bowie) is drop-dead-gorgeous in it. Pay attention to the Vladimir Cosma music too [nudge nudge NM].

Watched TV: Saw Bolt

2011-05-31T22:22:00.001+02:00

Watched TV: Saw Bolt (Byron Howard & Chris Williams, 2008). Silly French title Volt, star malgré lui. Actually entertaining, in a metacinema can be for kids too sort of way. Some great reality vs. fiction jokes. The cat, Mittens, is tremendous. She has the best lines. Funny to hear Bolt speak in Travolta's voice.

Watched TV: Saw Les Invités de mon père

2011-05-30T23:30:00.000+02:00

R and I watched TV: Saw Les Invités de mon père (Anne Le Ny, 2010). With excellent actors Karin Viard et Fabrice Luchini. Funny and not uninteresting -- gender, national origin, class...

Watched TV: Saw The Time Traveler's Wife

2011-05-30T22:07:00.000+02:00

Watched TV: Saw The Time Traveler's Wife (Robert Schwentke, 2009). Stupid French title Hors du temps. With Aussie Eric Bana and Canadian Rachel McAdams. From the eponymous novel by Audrey Niffenegger. Just sappy, really. You have to stretch your willing suspension of disbelief to extremes. I usually like time-traveling stories, but the genetic thing doesn't work so well. I like the cheating on husband with husband-in-the-past notion, though.

Watched TV: Saw It's a Boy Girl Thing

2011-05-30T21:22:00.001+02:00

May 22, 2011. Watched TV: Saw It's a Boy Girl Thing (Nick Hurran, 2006).

Dragoneyed363 says on the IMDB website "I'm not going to lie, really the only reason I had any interest in It's a Boy Girl Thing was because my man candy Kevin Zegers was a main star. Having said that, I thought It's a Boy Girl Thing was genuinely and truly a funny, enjoyable and nice little film to watch."

Well, beside the undeniable "man candy," it's a rather interesting movie as far as gender roles are concerned. Some bits are amazingly constructionist. Plot: boy and girl swap bodies...

Went to see Tomboy

2011-05-30T21:02:00.000+02:00

The Politics of Passing. May 29, 2011. R and I went to see Tomboy (Céline Sciamma, 2011). Totally indispensable for Gender Studies specialists. All my postgrads should go see it. Alas, it is a French movie. So as such it's got an appalling sense of timing. Really bad editing. The scenes that should have been developed are too short, and some scenes are unspeakably long! The actress is unbelievable: it is when her mother makes her wear a dress that she seems to be in drag. Some really excellent elements, like, how do you manage to PASS when wearing a tight-fitting swimming costume (no spoiler here).

Vampire quote

2011-05-28T16:29:00.000+02:00

Vampire quote

What the hell was I making such a big deal about? So, he'd gotten carried away, grabbed my wrists, bit me, and not jumped the second I told him how high. He was a guy. What was that old saying? If it has tires or testicles, it's gonna give you problems.

Awakened. PC Cast & Kristin Cast, 2011.

Went to see Midnight in Paris

2011-05-19T14:38:00.000+02:00

May 18, 2011. R and I went to see Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011). You have to go see the Woody Allen every year, don't you? It's a ritual. Sometimes you're pleased, sometimes not so pleased. First of all, as a Frog, I have to say Carla Bruni-Sarkozy isn't so bad in the film. Her acting is perfectly acceptable, whatever you think of her sentimental / political choices. And it's not her fault if Woody Allen got her to speak THAT brand of English. Secondly, even though Owen Wilson does nothing for me, he manages that writer part quite well, and shows that he can do a character with a brain. So, is it a good Woody Allen? Well, yes and no. Everything's fine and immensely entertaining, but there are two APPALLING drawbacks: first, the interminable slideshow at the beginning; for God's sake, Woody Allen, what were you thinking? It's not even remotely acceptable, whether tongue-in-cheek or not; secondly, the explanations at the end: did you really have to take your viewer by the hand and lecture to him? Honestly? Do you think morons see your films? Of course not. So what's the point? Tremendous cameo by Adrien Brody. And of course, if like me you're an avid reader of the books by / about all those people that made up that American / Parisian scene in the 1920s (plus the Spanish / Parisian painters), you'll be thrilled by some special treats.

Went to see Thor

2011-05-14T11:42:00.000+02:00

May 13, 2011. Went to see Thor (Kenneth Branagh, 2011), with my own 3D glasses. It's not so often you get to see a superhero movie that's not crappy. Maybe Kenneth Branagh has something to do with that. It's a bit Shakespearean and a bit Freudian. I liked the fact that they concentrated so much on Asgard, instead of just having him kick ass on Midgard the way any (super)human superhero would. Plus, it's got lots of actors I like, and it's got Aussie superhunk Chris Hemsworth.

Traveled 28 hours door to door: saw 3 movies

2011-05-06T12:42:00.001+02:00

Five planes on April 24-25: San Antonio - Dallas - Indianapolis - Detroit - Paris - Nice.

Saw random episodes of some TV series, like The Mentalist and some odd series with Ted Danson (?).

Saw Going the Distance (Nanette Burstein, 2010). Stupid French title Trop loin pour toi. Not really a romcom, because it's much more rom than com. Drew Barrymore always perfect for that sort of product, but I still don't really get the Justin Long thing.

Saw Little Fockers (Paul Weitz, 2010). Stupid French title Mon beau-père et nous. Not as funny as the second one, but very entertaining. I'm a Ben Stiller fan anyway.

Saw True Grit (Coen Brothers, 2010). I'm a great admirer of the Coen brothers. But for some reason I didn't like this one so much. Maybe because of the genre. Maybe because my back and butt hurt, as they do when I fly for hours with the other destitute third class passengers.

Watched a couple of episodes of The New Adventures of Old Christine

2011-04-25T00:31:00.001+02:00

Watched a couple of episodes of The New Adventures of Old Christine in my San Antonio motel room on Bowie Street (!). I hadn't watched Julia Louis Dreyfus in that in a long time (five seasons 2006-2010). Something's happening there. Some cultural power is at work. Something hovering between feminist empowerment and pathetic sell-by-date women's gritty realism. She's good.

Trying to watch The Office

2011-04-25T00:19:00.000+02:00

Trying to watch The Office. It doesn't work, I find. I wasn't a huge fan of the British version, but it was better. I also thought the US Queer as Folk was inferior to its British original, but at least I enjoyed watching it. The Office doesn't really make me laugh. I like Steve Carell in other vehicles. And apparently they're going to do an 8th season without him?!

Went to see Insidious

2011-04-24T05:44:00.004+02:00

April 23, 2011. San Antonio. AMC. Went to see Insidious (James Wan, 2010). Wan's work is uneven (Saw OK, Death Sentence bad). This movie takes AGES to actually start. You think you're watching your millionth haunted-house movie, and are waiting for the ghosts to seriously kick ass, and it takes them AGES to appear. So, yes, there finally comes an interesting narrative twist, with a bit of originality, but when it finally comes you're too annoyed to really appreciate. Plus, did they really have to give us the hackneyed carnivalesque cliché (not even exactly Bakhtinian) of the puppet-surrounded demon, along with candles in corridors? It does have hunky Patrick Wilson, though, and the badly-empoyed Aussie actress Rose Byrne, who sometimes look like Ellen Page (and Agathe-The-Power). Plus, it's always pleasant to see Barbara Hershey (she was in Black Swan too).

Went to see Arthur

2011-04-24T05:23:00.000+02:00

San Antonio, Texas. April 22, 2011. Went to see Arthur (Jason Winer, 2011). I was curious: the Dudley Moore / Liza Minnelli 1981 movie didn't really beg to be remade, did it? It was funny then and it's still funny now. Plus, as a comic actor, Russell Brand was taking a serious risk, inviting comparisons. Suffice it to say, my fears were justified. Helen Mirren reprising the Gielgud role is interesting, though.

Watched HBO: Game of Thrones

2011-04-24T05:03:00.001+02:00

April 23, 2011. Watched HBO. San Antonio. Game of Thrones series (created by David Benioff & DB Weiss, 2011). Adapted from George RR Martin's fantasy novels (A Song of Ice and Fire series).

Went to see Source Code

2011-04-24T04:49:00.002+02:00

San Antonio. April 21, 2011. Rivercenter mall. Went to see Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011). Duncan Jones is actually David Bowie's son! Zowie! He also directed Moon (2009). The script, by Ben Ripley, is totally Philip-K-Dickian. Quite exciting, really. Unpretentious. Jake Gyllenhaal perfect in every way.

Watched movie on plane: The Chronicles of Narnia III: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2011-04-24T04:01:00.003+02:00

April 17, 2011. Watched movie on plane to Indianapolis: saw The Chronicles of Narnia III: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Michael Apted, 2010). I'd seen it at the movies (December 9, 2010) but hadn't bothered blogging about it. It's just like I and II, really. A bit corny, a bit annoying, a bit too cute, a bit too religious although Lewis's message is diluted. I don't know why I continue watching that sort of thing. Professional duty, I guess.

Watched HBO: Cinéma vérité

2011-04-24T03:38:00.003+02:00

April 23, 2011. San Antonio: Watched HBO: world premiere of Cinéma vérité (Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, 2011), a tremendous docudrama based on the filming of the 1973 (!) reality TV show An American Family, that filmed the lives of the colorful members of the Loud family. It even had/has Jackie Curtis! And Thomas Dekker got to play Lance Loud (interesting Warholian life, died in 2001)!

Went to see I Am Number Four

2011-04-16T09:07:00.002+02:00

April 11, 2011. R and I went to see I Am Number Four (DJ Caruso, 2011). French title Numéro Quatre. I read the book on the plane before I went to see the movie. It's now become typical teen lore: teenage human female falls in love with vampire / alien / werewolf / whatever male. Novels and movies. If you accept that that's what you're going to see, the movie is acceptable. In terms of aesthetics, it's lovely to find Glee's Dianna Agron in there, as well as the delightful Timothy Oliphant (with silver temples for good measure), and the dropdead gorgeous Alex Pettyfer (British, born in 1990, seen notably in Alex Rider: Stormbreaker). Libération calls him a "garçon coiffeur." It's ET with a lovely haircut, basically.

Watched TV: Saw Scarlet Diva

2011-04-16T08:42:00.001+02:00

April 16, 2011. Watched TV: Saw Scarlet Diva (Asia Argento, 2000). I do believe Asia Argento is a prodigiously interesting person, whatever she does (independently from her father). Even though JT Leroy turned out to be a literary hoax the JT Leroy books are excellent; and the way Asia Argento filmed The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (Le Livre de Jeremie, 2004) was very compelling. But, I don't know, Scarlet Diva is one of those films I tell myself I should enjoy--but I don't, really. I like her in it, I think, but not the film itself. Maybe I should watch it a second time. Interesting soundtrack, especially the cover version of "Wild Is the Wind."

Interesting line in Mike & Molly

2011-04-15T21:56:00.002+02:00

Interesting line in Mike & Molly:
How did Molly discover her ex-boyfriend was gay?
"He painted my toenails while we watched Sex and the City"
(01x16)

Went to see Limitless

2011-04-15T21:49:00.003+02:00

Melbourne, March 30, 2011. Tony and I went to see Limitless (Neil Burger, 2011). Adapted from Alan Glynn's Dark Fields. They changed the name of the drug from MDT48 to NZT, which sounds much better. Great Philip-K-Dickian story about a new designer drug that gets you to use the whole of your brain. Of course, there are dreadful consequences, but the minute Eddie takes NZT, you WANT SOME! Tremendous movie, great filming. Bradley Cooper as gorgeous as ever (even more so, with the digitally enhanced blue of his blue-blue eyes). I want to see it again... Oh, and Robert DeNiro is alright too. And as Tony pointed out, yet another more-than-decent Aussie actress's at it: Abbie Cornish.