31 Oct

V for Vendetta and other things…

I just finished the film mentioned in this post’s title, so do forgive me if I’m in a strange mood as I write. You see, it’s left me feeling more than a bit like blowing something into very tiny pieces. That and my last 36 hours or so. To recap:

1. Arriving home from an otherwise lovely weekend (and that was a real weekend, not my normal Friday/Saturday variety), I received a note from my landlord. This note stated that the pervasive smell of pot has been bothering my neighbours and since it’s been ’emanating’ from my apartment, could I please cease? Being as I’ve not smoked pot in said home, I was rather perplexed and not just slightly offended. Especially since mention was made of calling in the police. Update: the pothead is actually the man at the end of my hall and this can be chalked up to a misunderstanding x12.
2. At work today, all computers I interacted with decided that they were, in fact, not computing. This carried throughout the entire time I was present, even spilling curs-ed behaviour into the lives of my clients. Thank you, computer gods, high atop your steel and glass temples in Sunny Cupertino.
3. I have an ever-increasing sense of being utterly trapped under the weight of my own usefulness. This is intentionally vague. Apologies.
4. While cooking dinner (because, yes, I did eventually make it home) two born again nut jobs decided that they were going to interrupt my cooking to preach at me about how important their finding of Jesus was. Despite the fact that finding Jesus in Puritan-America is hardly a task requiring any major type of search party, they seemed convinced that this was something of utmost import. Therefore, I must be informed about it. Also, oddly, I was instructed to pray for them. Clearly, asking the self-defined agnostic for his prayers is the way to go.

And that, friends, is where we are now. Incidentally, I give V for Vendetta four whole stars! Go, movie, go.

24 Oct

Review: The Prestige

I will tell you right now that anything involving the Thin White Duke is already an instant hit with me. Case in point: I actually think The Labyrinth was a great film and not just a bizarre relic of 1980s cokedoutness.

You remind me of the baby
What baby? The baby with the power
What power? Power of voodoo
Who do? You do
Do what? Remind me of the baby

I mean, come on! Look at him:

< /tangent>

All of that said, David Bowie plays Nikola Tesla for like fifteen minutes in The Prestige, which I saw last night. With the stakes raised by his cameo, did the rest of the movie deliver?

Yes. Er…I think so. It was beautifully costumed and really well acted, this I know for sure. Everytime I think about the film I really want to say I loved it but something holds me back. To me, it was really a story about villainous scoundrels and that should spell a success in my head, right? But it doesn’t. I’m left feeling like something didn’t quite make sense.

I don’t want to spoil the ending here or really any of the story. That being said, though, I had the plot twists figured out a good twenty minutes before the climax. Leaving the audience feeling deflated when they realize that things were exactly as they thought is not a good way to make fans. PERHAPS, THOUGH, this is the whole point?! I’m putting this idea together now as I type, so bear with me:

In the film, the characters are constantly coming back to this idea that the magician becomes nothing when the audience learns the mundanity of his methods; that we don’t actually want to know even when we are trying to figure it out. Perhaps Christopher Nolan (director) was trying to make us feel like his characters(‘ audiences)?

Regardless, don’t do that. Seriously, Mr. Nolan…if that’s what you actually did. Thank you.

Verdict: See it in the theatre. Rent it to watch with a friend that hasn’t. Don’t buy this DVD because you’ll watch it maybe three times. ¡Tres estrellas!

17 Sep

Review: Match Point

I had very high hopes for Woody Allen’s most recent film, Match Point since it stars two of my favourite actors, Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys-Meyer. However, for the first time ever, I stopped the disc after just an hour and forty minutes. I’ve never NOT finished a movie on purpose (at least in recent memory.) Basically, you’d like this picture if you want a two hour ode to one dimensional, cheating social climbers. Otherwise, prepare to be disgusted thoroughly. The beautiful English settings were a saving feature but there is only so much you can do when you realize you’ve spent your evening watching Chris (Rhys-Meyer) think solely with his genitals.

One star for shooting in the Tate Modern as I’m sure this was not easy.

In other news: watch Brick now! If you are Hoover, watch the rest of it now. That is, if you can stay awake. 😛