3 posts tagged “film”
Between Battle Angel not coming out until 2009 and The Hobbit set for a distant 2011 or so, it's gonna be a long wait for cinematic excitement. I almost wish I didn't know that the films were coming out-- what movie can live up to four years of anticipation?
It's been noted on Wil Wheaton's blog that Jackson's contract is for a two picture deal. At first I thought this meant they were going to break The Hobbit into two parts, which would be great, because that implies none of the chapters get left out. Then the observation was made that they were more likely to do an adaptation of The Hobbit followed by a "bridge" film covering the years leading up to Lord of the Rings. Eh, okay. But then it occurred to me: you know what would make a better second film? Farmer Giles of Ham. It's a short story, so there's no danger of "compression loss," and it's funny. Wouldn't we like to see some funny? I know I'll need a laugh by 2012.
The old Hollywood Blockbuster in Tenleytown is going out of business, so they've decided to sell off all their remaining inventory. This is the sort of windfall that a collector lives for--obscure, weird little films for five bucks each. Granted, in these days of Ebay and Craig's List it shouldn't be too hard to find a DVD or ripped copy of the most out-of-the-way film you can name, but there's a great satisfaction to finding cult films on a shelf in a store where civilians can walk right by them.
The most desirable cult films were already gone, of course. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, anything with Bruce Campbell in it--these were snapped up by more aggressive fans in the early days of the sale. Still, I managed to score a copy of John Carpenter's The Fog, and Larry Fessenden's Habit. Ah, but I've seen those before; the big finds for me were the films I'd been wanting to see yet missed along the way. I picked up all three Ginger Snaps films (original, sequel, and prequel) and Dog Soldiers. Clearly, this is going to be a werewolf halloween for me.
Dog Soldiers is a "shot in the woods" movie in the vein of Evil Dead, The Blair Witch Project, and Versus. By shooting a small cast in the middle of a Scottish forest, the producers get to spend more money on creature effects, pyrotechnics, and gore. In this case, the creatures are werewolves, the pyrotechnics are an assortment of British arms and jeeps, and the gore is a doomed squad of soldiers on a disastrous training exercise. It's tempting to say that what the film lacks in technical merit it makes up for with strong performances from an endearing cast of victims; but really, writer/director Neil Marshall plays his cinematographic cards just right. When the soldiers beat a hasty retreat from their first blind encounter with the enemy, the cheap-o woods turn into a menacing, labyrinthine screen for their pursuers. After the soldiers hole up in the obligatory cabin-in-the-woods, the arms that come groping through the cracks demonstrate just how shoddy their fortress is (one kitchen window gets boarded up and reboarded at least three times). And while the werewolves are a little overtall and overlean, Marshall shows just enough of them to convey their speed and lethality.
Kevin McKidd plays the ostensible lead in this film, and does well as the resourceful private passed over for acceptance to the Special Forces, but Sean Pertwee (sounding more like his father Jon every year) gets the choicest role as the auld sergeant fighting a losing battle. The dialogue is heavily salted with football (soccer) references, military jargon, and British profanity, producing a pleasantly foreign hum in American ears that is undoubtedly part of the film's appeal.
Good visuals, visceral shots, charming lads-- I give Dog Soldiers five tags.
Next up: Ginger Snaps, and what do werewolf movies have against dogs?
Had occasion to watch Lawrence of Arabia on a really big screen this afternoon (and part of the evening). It's the sort of film that makes me want to gather a bunch of people, mount camels, and take, say, Baltimore. (I'd give it right back, though-- lousy place to raise a camel.
One part of the screening that stood out to me was the "walk-in" music: something like an overture, but meant to be played while the audience was still filtering in from the lobby. There's a chunk of it before the film starts, and another before resuming after the intermission. Couldn't do such a thing today, of course-- there's more money to be made in showing trailers and commercials. There's something very civilized about the idea, though.
The transitions in media and mass media are something we talk about a lot in library sciences. There's a general trend towards wider distribution and smaller audiences (and screens), but I'm hoping that cinema-as-theater might have a future. Turn the cineplex into an all-loge seats venue, or go for increased service and luxury. If I can buy the latest blockbuster on a bootleg DVD and watch it on a hi-def TV at home, ye olde Odeon is going to have to offer something more than sticky floors and rows in which I can't stretch my legs.
