with martial arts…since it’s Asia.
I am amused.
Filed under: Film, Other, blood the last vampire, blood the last vampire trailer
February 5, 2009 • 3:43 am 0
Neil Gaiman and other Geekerage
I like this video. It’s partly brilliant and partly cheesy, but definitely interesting
How to say I love you
Meanwhile, in Geek News, Neil Gaiman not only got the 2008 Newberry Award for his children’s book The Graveyard Book, but it’s also going to be made into a movie directed by Neil Jordan. Jordan directed The Company of Wolves which was based on short stories by Angela Carter in her collection “The Bloody Chamber”. He’s also directed other films including The End of the Affair and Interview with the Vampire(the former I liked a lot and considered very well made, the latter I haven’t seen yet).
Filed under: Film, Other, Videos/Shorts, how to say i love you vid, jane austen, neil gaiman, neil jordan, newberry award 2008, the graveyard book, the graveyard book movie
February 4, 2009 • 7:13 am 0
Curious
This is exactly why I didn’t watch Benjamin Button when it came out. David Denby critiques it, among other Oscar-nominated films, for the New Yorker Arts with his article Curious Cases, and says of it that “you come away from its sombre thoroughness with the impression that something profound has been said without having any idea what it could be”.
When the trailer for BB first came out, virtually everyone I know wanted to see it. I remained ambivalent after the first view of the trailer, and after the second honed in on the creepy feeling/unenthusiasm I was really feeling and decided not to watch it, even though virtually every person I know did want to. It looked to me like a film which would say and do all the right things – perform all the artistic gymnastics necessary – but have a hollow heart underneath. Plus, I’ve never liked time-travel/ageing films – I still shudder over my memories of Tuck Everlasting. I’m glad to consider myself justified in my wariness of this film however 
In the meantime, you can cast your ballots for the 2009 Oscars over at The New York Times.
Filed under: Film, Other, 2009 oscar ballot, 2009 oscars, oscar ballots, the curious case of benjamin button
December 27, 2008 • 9:06 am 0
And When Did You Last See Your Father?
1 Rabbit star/5
And When Did You Last See Your Father begins with a promise and ends with a song, and provides nothing in between. The promise is the brilliant title, the song is the brilliant ending scene, and the rest is, as the British would say, horrid. It looked like a film with a great deal of potential; a story of fathers and sons, relationships and memories, a British indie-type drama starring Colin Firth, based on a best-selling memoir by Blake Morrison…only now do I realize that all of that is just wrapping, colorful, interesting wrapping functionaing as excellent marketing directed at people exactly like me. AWDYLSF won exactly one award – for best trailer. Which it deserved, for And When Did You Last See Your Father, while technically all of the things that it promises in the trailer, is really none of them. It’s not a story of fathers and sons because ultimately, Colin Firth and his father have no relationship in the film. Firth’s character spends most of the film abjectly hating his father, and while he ultimately reconciles this in the end and forgives his father, they never actually reconcile or interact in any meaningful way. The film, ultimately, is about sex and death – mostly sex.
Filed under: Film, Period Drama, and when did you last see your father, and when did you last see your father review, blake morrison, colin firth
December 25, 2008 • 3:04 am 0
Upcoming films: a Rabbit snapshot
Slumdog Millionaire heads up my list of films to see – in spite of its poor title, it looks like my multi-cultural, passionate-about-life, unique love story cup-of-tea. Australia is of course a must see, as is the Beyonce/Adrien Brody biopic flick Cadillac Records. Revolutionary Road is based on a book, explores the emptiness of suburban life, and re-pairs Winslet and DiCaprio for the first time since Titanic, which is enough for me.
Blessed is the Match is also pretty high up on my list…I almost never watch documentaries. But this one I might sit through. Looks amazing.
Nicolas Cage-helmed Knowing on the other hand leaves me yawning – another end of the world film which tries to be epic but ends up simply being derivative? No thanks.
Flashbacks of a Fool, starring Daniel Craig, is intriguing – I have a weakness for both childhood-flashback stories and Claire Forlani. Confessions of a Shopaholic looks like the delightful tumble into bubbly chick-lit land that Amy Adams seems so well cut out for – I may or may not see it in theatres but it’s certainly good escapist candy.
Filed under: Film, blessed is the match, flashbacks of a fool, slumdog millionaire, upcoming films
