April 2011

April 2011

Force of Evil (Polansky, 1948)|||||8
Fast Five (Lin, 2011)|||||4.5
Jane Eyre (Zeffirelli, 1997)|||||6
These Are the Damned (Losey, 1963)|||||6.5
Time of the Wolf (Haneke, 2003)|||||8
A Taste of Cherry (Kiarostami, 1997)|||||6
* Mortuary (Hooper, 2005)|||||5.5
Your Highness (Green, 2011)|||||5
I did not find this horribly odious (though isolated, minor scenes approach the "Not funny, not cool" spectrum) or unpleasant, and I'd say I enjoyed it about as much as Pineapple Express. I'd say Green and writer Danny McBride's spoof/gag film comedy benefits from having the structure of fantasy film's formula and action set-pieces, and provides a clearer path for [half-assed] satire and lampooning, over Pineapple Express's vague pot proselytizing and vague character-driven dramatizing.
As with Sucker Punch, if you hated the trailer, you'll hate the film. But even McBride's "profanity in a period setting" running joke is handled much better than the critics would lead you to believe, and Green, as in Pineapple Express, does not lack for interesting and idiosyncratic directorial decisions, even though these comedies of his have no interest in being good or of any higher purpose.
Stage Fright (Hitchcock, 1950)|||||7.5
Day of Wrath (Dreyer, 1943)|||||8
Day of Wrath, Church of Cinema by Sam Boone at The House Next Door
Fright Night (Gillespie, 2011) (Preview Cut)|||||5
Passion (Sondheim/Lapine musical, TV broadcast)|||||+++
Jane Eyre (Fukunaga, 2011)|||||5
Bless the Child (Russell, 2000)|||||3
The Lady from Shanghai (Welles, 1947)|||||8
Insidious (Wan, 2010)|||||4
Band of Outsiders (Godard, 1964)|||||7.5