Conversations 2010 #5

Conversations 2010 #5

Eyes Wide Shut.  Yup.  I doubt I'll ever see it again due to spousal disapproval.  I don't really mind except when I hear anyone rave about the film and argue that it's a masterpiece.  I've got a BFI study that I'll try to remember to bring to you next time I'm at the Pond.

I'll also let you borrow my Cahiers du Cinema 50s anthology if you want to.  It's full of great articles, but I still haven't read more than half of it.  Like I've said before, there's only so much criticism I can read of films I haven't seen before I get tired of it not being able to fully respond and interact.  I've been meaning for a while to get a copy of Bazin's What is Cinema? And spend some time absorbing it.

I think you're being deliberately obtuse in not seeing the connection between District 9 and Next Day Air.

Both are relatively small films with relatively small budgets.  One was a surprise success.  The other was neglected by critics and audiences.  I don't begrudge District 9 its success and maybe my word choice was harsh, but Next Day Air is by far the better film and I wish it had succeeded in the same way that District 9 did.  I think that Next Day Air's failure must have come down to marketing.  Besides seeing the trailer once a long time ago, I don't remember hearing about the film anywhere else.  The studio behind District 9, on the other hand, had cities covered in mysterious advertisements for months beforehand, building up buzz like a juggernaut.  I don't think the studio believed in Next Day Air at all.

I'm not too hopeful about the upcoming Wolf Man film, but I might give it a chance.  I'll definitely be seeing Shutter Island. I'm hoping that my friend Justin's bit part remains in the final cut.  I read the Lehane novel early last year and I'm interested to see what Scorsese does with the material.  I will tell you that you should go to see it as unprepared as possible. Don't read any reviews or listen to anyone or anything.

Speaking of the Wolf Man, I watched Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein with my daughters yesterday.  That was a lot of fun.  The middle two did get tense during the final monster brawl, but otherwise there were many more laughs than scares throughout.  I haven't seen all of the Universal monster movies yet, but this film does seem like the comedy culmination of all of them.