Just catching up...

Forgive me father, for I have procrastinated.

Here's my first blog. I'll start with the earliest one I did.

28 Weeks Later

I saw this stateside before I left and it did not satisfy me as much as the first one did. Basically, I saw this movie as a producer's way of bridging the gap between the first and upcoming third movies. Normally, I like the violence in movies, but this one was too much even for me, it was just a way to show more debauched violence that did not create a deeper understanding of the violence inherent in this 'disease'. Moving on, this movie brought in, what else, the Americans. We are portrayed as a gun-toting, self-righteous, deus ex machina used to conveniently explain how this virus makes its way onto the Eurasian continent. I, personally, liked the first 28 Days Later. Leave it up to the producers who want to make a buck and create a trilogy out of it. Same thing happened with the Matrix series. Great first movie, all downhill from there. For me, this movie did not represent London/Britania at all. It just so happened that this series of unfortunate events happened in London. Whereas with 28 Days Later, you got a more personal, humane look at life in post-apocalyptic life in Britain, with a more logical ending to boot. The ending of 28 Weeks Later is at best convenient and all-too-perfect.

Rock n' Roll Cinema

What a great idea, well executed as well. People compiled great sub-culture shorts for me and play the best ones. Only thing I could complain about was the lack of seating and winding up next to smokers. As for the videos, all have their moments and represent the cultures/groups from where they came from. Some express social commentaries while others carry outright messages of care towards the earth, all while making it fun and enjoyable. I wish Al Gore took this route instead of posing unsubstantiated statistics. My personal favorites included the French one about the dogs and how we spent too much time slaving to the machine, Tales of Mere Existence (we'd never get such filth in the USA), and the one that shows the dance moves. Wanking two tall blokes AND punching a midget??? I'll take three, thank you. Bottom line, this is a great way of presenting underground culture while having a good time. Brownie points for the bbq.

Klimt

Why is it that the French use every excuse possible to show as much of the naked body as possible? Not that i'm complaining or anything, but between all the naked girls and the asinine logic used, this film felt less like a real life portrayal of a talented, yet troubled artist, and more like a way for the director/writer to expose his own confused view whenever possible. The second half of the film nosedived from a fragile storytelling with a shred of truth into a insane denouement of Klimt's sad demise. I saw immediately how Klimt started immagining the government official, the rest of the plot was all too predictable for me. Obviously it's a dream sequence conceived by the ailing Klimt. That was a given since the first few scenes. I hate how predictable these movies can be. Ruiz, the writer/directer, can't even say for certain that this is what really happened to the poor artist, but he portrays it so. By the end of the movie, my ass was tired and I was ready to leave. The only things that saved this movie for me was the naked girls and Malkovich's superb acting skills.

Dumbo

Such a classic, it has been over a decade since I last saw this film. It is rare to see this film as it was intended nowadays because of Disney's political-correctness. They chose to alter a classic just so no one's feelings would get hurt. How sad. The BFI was even nice enough to include a short before the movie to whet our appetites, just like in the old days. As for little Dumbo, his big ears never ceased to entertain. I never realized how close this movie came to being a musical, or that it could be a great movie to see under the influence because of the psychedelic Elephants on Parade sequence. Most poignant of all was how this movie reached out to all ages from the 5 year old behind me to the 90 year old next to me (he was so old, he probably saw this movie on it initial release, but still laughed with the best of them). I wish the BFI could preserve more films like this, but that is a mountain of a task.

Lust

I love the idea behind this. Burlesque? Striper poles? Revealing outfits? I'm the first one in the door. The excruciating, loud music didn't really do it for me, plus I swear there was an old guy in drag following me around. His balls were hanging beneath the damn dress! As for the idea on what to create a scene on: Two guys running down a street a la Pulp Fiction. To hide, one runs into this freaky goth nightclub. The other follows suit and both are soon lost within a world of lace, high heeled boots and pink underwear. To gain a better vantage point, the pursuer makes his way upstairs to view the crowd from above. He rests his hands on the railing and leans forward only to be handcuffed to the rail by two unknown women. The man being chased hides in the darkness having found no other way out. An overweight transexual named Frank soon takes a liking to our pursued rabbit and has to duck out quickly. On his way out the door, the pursued noticed his assailant tied to a bed with a lusty Frank paying close attention to him. I'll let you figure out the rest.

Good night all.

Elliot Rowe