Friday, March 26, 2010
The Far Side of the Moon
This was a joy to watch, written by, directed by, and starring Robert Lepage, who I am now in love with, unfortunately, since it seems like it’s going to be difficult to get my hands on his works. It’s a fairly typical story of failure and fraught family relations, but Lepage imbues it with such humour and such a deft hand that there is something in it that always strikes the viewer as absolutely original.
5/5
Labels:
canada,
film reviews,
films,
five stars,
reviews
The Eye in the Door
The only reason I kept reading in a series that generally didn’t impress me was that I was hoping against hope that Barker would suck it up and let Rivers and Sassoon kiss. They didn’t. Instead Sassoon, possibly one of the only interesting aspects of this series, is neglected for Billy Prior, who is not a particularly gripping character. So I think I am just going to have to stop here, since it’s not worth reading the third if I don’t get my kiss. They want to kiss! Why are you holding me in suspense for no reason, Barker, why?!
2.5/5
Rachel Getting Married
I have a really problem watching people embarrass themselves, which made Rachel Getting Married the rough equivalent of a horror film to me at times. Despite that, it’s a great film, certainly a retread of other indie “the addict/eccentric comes and ruins everything” films, of which I can name many. However, it’s a well done version of that cliché, and Anne Hathaway really was fantastic in it.
3.5/5
Labels:
film reviews,
films,
reviews,
three stars,
united states
One Good Story, That One
I really, really enjoyed Green Grass, Running Water, and I always have a soft spot for short stories, so I picked this up. The good news is that it reminds me of his novel. The bad news is that it reminds me of his novel a lot. There are stories that are practically recycled, they’re so close, and while I did enjoy it, I wasn’t quite sure why King decided it was a good idea to plagiarize himself.
3/5
Labels:
book reviews,
canada,
reviews,
short stories,
three stars
9
I could have guessed pretty much every single plot point of this film far before they occurred, but that wasn’t really the point of this film. The plot was a typical kid’s adventure sort of thing, with a darker edge, but it’s the animation you should watch it for. It’s a staggeringly beautiful dystopia, with such attention given to the landscape that it’s worth it just to watch that.
3.5/5
Labels:
film reviews,
films,
reviews,
three stars,
united states
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
I can’t even begin to say what I hate about this play, other than everything. I hate that there is rape involving a crucifix, I don’t care that it’s a physical manifestation of symbolic woes. I hate that Tomson Highway seems to think that girls farting while looking coy is something that should be utilized more than once. I hate that half the time the only female roles are to wear absolutely nothing. I’m glad I just read this, because if I had seen this, there is absolutely no doubt I would have walked right out, and I never do that.
1/5
Labels:
book reviews,
canada,
one star,
plays,
reviews
Stone Butch Blues
Stone Butch Blues feels a lot longer than it is, a veritable slog through cliché and characters repeatedly telling other characters exactly how they feel. Jess claims to be a restrained person, slow to speak about feelings, but you can’t tell from reading this, where all the butches cry and talk about how lonely it is not to be able to talk. While talking about it. Also, if one more character laughed through tears, or cried through laughter in this book, I was about ready to hurl the book at the wall and give up, book for class or no.
1.5/5
Labels:
book reviews,
one star,
reviews,
united states
Fahrenheit 451
I’ve been meaning to get around to this and 1984, as they’re both considered key canon in dystopian fiction, and I am totally in love with Brave New World. But Brave New World this ain’t. One of my largest peeves in literature is telling as opposed to showing, and it seemed that was all that occurred; long monologues about the importance of literature, long conversations about the decline of civilization, yadda yadda yadda. It’s obvious, and pedantic, and its only saving grace is that at least the man can write a good descriptive sentence.
2/5
Labels:
book reviews,
reviews,
two stars,
united states
Shutter Island
I had such high hopes for this. Adapted from a novel by Dennis Lehane, whose “ “ I loved, and directed by Martin Scorsese, who I generally enjoy. I am not the best at guessing twists, which is great, actually, so when I say that I guessed the twist, then discarded that option as too obvious, that I am saying that this film has possibly the most obvious twist in the entire world. And that greatly hindered my general enjoyment of the film.
2/5
Labels:
film reviews,
films,
reviews,
two stars,
united states
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)