We watched three movies this weekend.

The Illusionist which I really enjoyed even though I figured it out really early on. It was still really well done. I liked the score and they way they did the lighting. It made such a great atmosphere.

Zoom-Academy for Superheros - This one was actully much less sucky than I thought it would be. I wouldn't run out and rent it but it was a kind of fun movie for what it was.

Man of the People - This was the worst movie I've seen in forever. I kept trying to turn it off but Madz kept saying she liked it, even though she had no idea what was going on. It's definately not a comedy. It's actually an interesting premise but it just went no where. It was just plot that went no where interspersed with Robin Williams rants. Lucikly I had to take Madz to her Dad's before it was over so I didn't have to sit through any more of it.

Saw Ghost Rider. Wouldn't waist any time saying that it sucked big time. Nothing worth talking about. It'd be more worth your time sitting in your bathroom and cleaning the scum off the base of your toilet than to sit thru this movie.

2 Bornieo's out of 10 (2 because the female lead was in a hot outfit)

During a break in MousePod production this weekend, I watched I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang. What a great flick.

I was talking with LSPE this weekend and it struck me that I'm really less and less excited with mainstream cinema lately as a vehicle for good storytelling. Short films (less than 30 minutes) tend to be worthwhile, because the time constraints force a certain amount of directness to the storytelling, and long-form drama like HBO's The Wire are great because they allow for real character development along with a more complex and ultimately satisfying plot.

Somehow, the films made in my two favorite eras (the '40s and the early '70s) seemed to be able to work. The "dumbing down" to the lowest common denominator for the world market has hurt mainstream films as much as studio bloat did in the '50s.

Thank god for DVDs and TCM.

Amen!

The recent Wired magazine has an article about this. On the one hand You Tube is shaking up traditional media by making certain things "snack-sized" - why watch all of SNL, or Letterman when it's just one sketch, band, or monologue you really want to see? Of course on the other side, HBO style mini-series, Tivo, and Net Flicks makes it easier to tell a really elaborate story without the normal constraints of traditional broadcast media.

Last night, zapppop's gayification continued with his introduction to Victor/Victoria and Mommie Dearest.

I'd forgotten how funny the Faye Dunaway/Joan Crawford pic was. A veritable laugh riot. Heheh, after the movie we found a $9 DVD of the film that was apparently issued later than mine, as it had a running commentary by John Waters! That might have been worth the ten bucks for a movie I already own!


And Mary Poppins fans ... please leave the room.
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Victor/Victoria is Julie Andrews' best film. Period.

What? Not S.O.B.?

Heather and I saw V/V on Broadway when it first opened. It was odd seeing a 60-year-old woman playing a 20-something singer, but somehow it worked. God bless Julie.

Tonight's Bill of Fare the restored Peter Pan. I'm excited, it arrived last night and looks good. :cool:

Heheheh, zapppop and I watched the live-action Peter Pan yesterday.


I saw the restored Disney version at the El Cap a few weeks ago, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It's a very comedic version of the story, really tight and concise. Alas, it's far from the best movie version -- though perhaps it is the funniest.

Has anyone seen 23?