"Even if I keep digging myself into holes, I'm absolutely relishing this back-and-forth because its taking place entirely on the blogs. It's GREAT to get some discussion going back on here."
This is fine for you jerks discussing bad horror movies and 30s movies that I haven't seen at all or any time recently and NC-17 sex addiction movies about some guy named Brandon who has a movie blog (wait, did I just make up that last part?).
What about those of us who have been dying for action on the blogs, but have been waiting patiently for civilized discussion of Damsels in Distress or how The Wire works within the police procedural "formula"?
As far as formulas go, some are just better than others. I have no problem saying that the lone hero saving the girl formula (Drive) is better (or at least more interesting to me) than the kids getting killed in the woods (or wherever) formula (Cabin, Hostel).
Some day, I need to get back into the Funny Games fracas.
About Following...
I wish I could have gone in blind and not known it was a Nolan film. I admit to being biased. I can't give him anything close to a fair shake. You guys are right that he plays with noir "formulas," but I submit that he doesn't quite capture the spirit of noir. There's the twists and the Gotcha, but there's no heart. Nolan doesn't do anything to get us to care about our sad sack protagonist or really join us into his depraved snooping ways, so the reversal at the end doesn't pack the punch it should. There are plenty of pathetic noir men in the history of film and there are plenty of betrayals and double-crosses and lots of foul play, but that's not what noir is. The best noir always reaches into that existential soft spot and packs a moral punch that hurts. Or at least stirs the emptiness. Following isn't noir because it isn't dark enough because there's not much human about it. It's all gimmick and surface glam. It's all manipulating formula without the heart of the formula. It's a disgusting Frankenstein monster that's going to throw your children into the water. There's nothing to do but burn this vile creature. We admire the work of Victor Christopher Frankenstein Howard Nolan, but we don't want his work sharing the streets with our children.
Chris, are we going to see Dark Knight Rises opening night? Let's plan this out now. I'm there.
I haven't watched anything else worth talking about.
I'm lukewarm toward The Avengers. I had fun while watching it. The Banner/Hulk moments were good, even really good, so I'm satisfied.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is another old favorite that I've lost interest in. Most of the jokes still work, though, and, like Gremlins 2, I'll always have fond memories of it.
I tried watching PotC: On Stranger Tides. I gave up after about 40 minutes. I've been in an anti-action funk lately, which is a bad mood to be in at the start of the Summer Blockbuster season. This one had less pirate charm and more pirate battles, rather dull.
One episode of Smallville Season 6 left. I officially hate Clark Kent. I want LutherCorp to take over the world and keep us safe from this foul Übermensch.
Jeff, I'm ready for that lengthy back-and-forth argument about Damsels any time now.
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