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Jack and Diane (C-), Anna Karenina (2012, C), The Avengers (C+), Side by Side (B+), Gimme The Loot (C+) and then some…
Spent a couple of days at the Ghent film festival in Belgium, then caught up on some viewing, so here goes. (And by the way, the description of JACDI is off: there's no werewolves whatsoever in that movie. Pity, they might have made the movie better).
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011, B+): This golden age romcom lacks visual refinement but compensates with great acting & gentle humor.
Sound of My Voice (2011, C) fails to turn an interesting premise (cult infiltration) into full-fledged drama. Overstructured & underwritten.
The Avengers (2012, C+): Whedon's wonderful witticisms inject some humor into the campy comic book universe & the generic action setpieces.
Anna Karenina (2012,C) is conceptually daring (basically a musical without songs) but smothers the story in showy, self-indulgent visuals.
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present (2012, C+) Part human interest, part romanticizing hagiography: this doc lacks critical distance.
La Cinquième Saison (2012, C): Simple ecological fable prefers aesthetics over drama. A listless passion play in lifeless tableaux vivants.
Sons of Norway (2012, C-) A father & son both come of age in a punk tale that is stylistically all over the map & emotionally inconsistent.
La Hora Cero (2012, B-) This hostage drama from Venezuela entertains when it is grotesque satire, fails when it goes for societal critique.
Kuma (2012, B+): The social structures & compassion of the homeland implode when a Turkish family in Vienna is racked by sibling strife.
Side by Side (2012, B+): Entertaining (introductory) doc on the transition from film to digital and its impact on aesthetics & storytelling.
Jack and Diane (2012, C-): This lesbian love story (with gory, unmotivated Brothers Quay animations) is bogged down in pubertal banality.
Gimme The Loot (2012, C+) Two down-and-out (but uncynical) graffiti artists struggle with the lack of solidarity among the disadvantaged.
Spanien (2012, B+) This stylistically refined & surefooted debut feature is a chronicle of damaged people, brimming with Christian symbolism
The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012, B-): This musical tearjerker has a heart-rending story but plays fast & loose with character development.
Andy Warhol's Flesh For Frankenstein (1973, B) infuses deviant sexuality & campy critique of bourgeois aesthetics into the horror classic.
Moviegoing Activity? (me - Looper: C+) Oct 22, 07:23
Viva Riva! (2011) (C), Bad Teacher (2011) (F), R-Point (2004) (C+), Rio (2011) (C+) {nm} Oct 22, 07:34
Ah... Halloweenie handle... (didn't give it much thought hehe) {nm} Oct 22, 07:36
Could've gone with this too... {nm} Oct 22, 07:39
Jack and Diane (C-), Anna Karenina (2012, C), The Avengers (C+), Side by Side (B+), Gimme The Loot (C+) and then some… Oct 22, 07:37
what does a musical without songs look like? {nm} Oct 22, 08:12
Lots of scenes in Wright's Anna Karenina are choreographed as if they were dance scenes... (some spoilers ahead) Oct 22, 08:50
thank you, it clarifies what, but not why :-) {nm} Oct 22, 09:09
Puss and Boots (C), The Muppets (B), {nm} Oct 22, 07:51
Lockout C The Doorbell Rang (Nero Wolfe A&E) A {nm} Oct 22, 08:10
Hachi: A Dog's Tale (A) {nm} Oct 22, 08:39
Barbarella (WTF); Community Season 3 (B+) {nm} Oct 22, 08:50
love the grade! {nm} Oct 22, 09:07
Casino Royale (2nd or 3rd time): A; Dawn of the Dead (Zack Snyder version): B- Oct 22, 08:50
The Muppets (B) {nm} Oct 22, 08:51
The Paperboy -- I don't know whether to give it an A- or a D+. This is the screwiest movie I've seen in years. {nm} Oct 22, 08:59
Mad Men season 5, A {nm} Oct 22, 09:07
Mad Men season 5, A {nm} Oct 22, 09:22
Much like occasional trades, there was no sign my first message had posted. {nm} Oct 22, 09:24
Inception (A) {nm} Oct 22, 09:05
Argo Oct 22, 09:09
Argo: A-; Looper: A-; Dark Shadows: D; {nm} Oct 22, 09:14
The social network (rpt viewing, A+) Oct 22, 09:48
its funny, the more cynical, snarky, and bitter i get as i age, the less i enjoy films that are cynical, snarky, and bitter :D Oct 22, 10:04
Ah, but... Oct 22, 16:02
Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day (A+++) Huge fan! {nm} Oct 22, 10:56
I really wanted to go to this, but it just didn't work out for me. Sounds like you really enjoyed it! {nm} Oct 22, 16:10
did you see the article about how long he may have spent trapped in the same day? (link) Oct 22, 12:57
that was great...thx! {nm} Oct 22, 15:14
