Just an Update of Sorts

Hello all! It has been over a month since my last post and I figured I should add something here, just to let everyone know that I'm still very much alive.

Really, this semester has flown by much faster than I had anticipated. With four classes and my new job as tutor (technically Instructional Specialist II) at the Writing Center, I haven't had much time to think about anything except work, grading papers, helping students with their essays, and decompressing on the weekends.

Of courses, this does not mean I've neglected my movie watching. On the contrary, I've watched a few good films and a couple great ones. The only thing I've missed over the past month is my inability to make it to the theater. All of my movie watching has taken place primarily at home through Netflix.

Below is a short rundown of the films I've recently seen and a quick statement on what I thought about each. Nothing too extensive, just my reviews in miniature. This is not all of them, I think, but it's enough for now.

Young Frankenstein

I have no idea how I've missed this film over the years, but finally it made its way to my TV screen and in a beautiful Blu-ray version. The film itself is hysterical; however, it really is Gene Wilder's film as his facial expressions alone sent me into fits of giggles. Gene Hackman is equally as funny, and he only has one scene. Needless to say, I loved it and can't wait to buy it for my own library.

Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives

This particular film will not be everyone's ideal choice for a date night. However, it has its charms. Anyone who has seen the drag shows in S4's Rose Room here in Dallas will recognize the main characters as regular drag performers. The film is intentionally poor in some areas, due to the nature of the genre, but two performances stood out the most: Kelexis Davenport and Tom Zembrod. Davenport is my personal favorite, especially when she utters the line, "You hit like a bitch" in a stone-faced deadpan. However, Zembrod should have toned down the creep factor a bit. His performance is best when he just speaks the lines given to him; they're creepy enough on their own. His performance reminded me of Hamlet oddly enough:

"Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature." (3.2.1)

Winter's Bone

This film is an exercise in restraint and demonstrates why sometimes it's better to underact than to overact. The tension is so thick throughout the entire film that my stomach received quite the workout during the film. It's a shame the result was not a six-pack. Anyway, I'm not sure if the film had more of an effect on me than its fellow Best Picture nominees, but it definitely deserved to be recognized, as did Jennifer Lawrence. Interesting to note that most of the actors in the film had never acted before; a bit terrifying, actually, considering how scary most of them are.

Red State

I've long been a fan of Kevin Smith, beginning with Clerks, although I try to forget I ever watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. And seeing how most of his films are sometimes grotesque, but always sweet comedies, I was intrigued to learn of his latest film being a thriller. Truth be told, I enjoyed it. Not as much as Dogma or Chasing Amy perhaps, but it was the first time I forgot I was watching a Kevin Smith and was held there in seat by the story and a chilling performance from Michael Parks. There is no happy ending. Only a couple of poignant final lines spoken by the great John Goodman: "People just do the strangest things when they believe their entitled. But they do even stranger things when they just plain believe."

My one complaint: the siege went on for far too long. It seemed to last forever without anything really happening except people firing assault rifles at each other.

Shaun of the Dead

On a lighter note, Shaun of the Dead did exactly what it set out to do: be simultaneously scary and hysterical, with the latter dominating the former. I think my favorite scene has to be the continuous shot of Simon Pegg doing his normal walk to the convenience store and not noticing that everyone around him is a zombie because there isn't that much of a difference from what they were like before. Now that's some funny social commentary.



 

21 Grams

21 Grams could have been so much better if Inarritu had dispensed with the nonlinear storytelling and just told the story. The story's devastating enough on its own. Otherwise the performances are well worth slogging through the choppy narrative, especially Namoi Watts, who I adore. 

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

And finally, there's this film. Along with the remake of True Grit, it has reminded me of how great a western film can be. It's a shame not many people went to the theaters to see 3:10 to Yuma. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are mesmerizing as two men trying to make it in an unforgiving society and landscape. The last scene is the best of the entire film.






So, there you go. Just a few films I'd recommend if you haven't seen them already. If you have, well, hopefully you enjoyed them as much as I did.