As best I can figure it, about two weeks ago someone in New England must have said something stupid about winter, like “I think it’s over.” And we all know that such insults do not go down well with winter, who can be as cranky as a chihuahua with a hangnail if not given proper respect.
Fortunately, we didn’t have a film discussion last week, so the damage was tolerable. Now all we have to do is use up the end-of-the-world food, water and candles that we bought for the occasion.Read More
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Oscar’s self-inflicted wounds are starting to knit together and the temperature of the film world has returned to normal. The trailers at the MallPlexx 28 are wall-to-wall with explosions, comic-book characters, and summer teen-hero crap. Everything, in other words, is back to normal, which means that film lovers are pretty much on their own for a while, unless you count rays of hope like Get Out, which is killing it.Read More
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Well, that was interesting. The Oscars I mean. It’s like the ceremony felt the need to challenge the Super Bowl for drama, coming up with a surprise ending that kept people glued to their TV sets long after they should have gone to bed.
I can’t complain, because the better film (Moonlight) finally got its due. All’s well that ends well, and despite a few questionable calls (Emma Stone … really?), the night was a success, even Jimmy Kimmell. And the affection shown for movies should fill us all with a burning desire to see more great movies, no matter how late we have to stay up.Read More
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One way to tell whether an upcoming event really has deep roots in the popular imagination is to look at how far in advance of its date its publicity wave pushes. If it’s a genuinely big deal, you ought to see newspaper and magazine articles, TV interviews and reports, and internet buzz appearing at least a couple of weeks ahead of air time.
And on that basis, the Oscars are a very big deal indeed. Like the top tier of cultural events—a Presidential election is probably at the top of the list, with the Super Bowl a respectable second—Oscar buzz can rope in people who don’t ordinarily care much about movies. And it can also have economic consequences, giving a multi-million-dollar bonus to winners and a permanent credit even to losers.Read More
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Oscar nominations and the ceremony are a great help in getting through February, especially for entertainment writers/bloggers and talking heads. Lots of these folks favor the Who Will Win vs. Who Should Win format. This give a writer a chance to show off his/her insider chops, demonstrating a deep familiarity with Hollywood, the Academy and pop culture trends while also playing the higher role of arts critic.Read More
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Snow. Yes, we had a lot of snow. It’s February, and we often get a lot of snow in February. But while it’s customary to mention the weather in conversation, it’s my belief that we badly need something else to talk about, as the intellectual content of snow is negligible. (Note: you get a pass if you’ve had a slip-and-fall, fender bender, been stuck in a drift or had a horrible/wonderful shoveling experience.)Read More
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In the past couple of months, we’ve had a few lovely, very quiet films (Cameraperson, Certain Women, Moonlight) that remind us that plot isn’t everything and that if you slow down the pace and keep the heat on low, you can see things that would otherwise elude you. I love films like that.
That said, I have to admit that I also love a film that empties both barrels directly into my brain, filling me up so full with action that I feel like I’ve been eating hot peppers.Read More
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I’m not assuming that everyone on my mailing list for film discussions has the same politics, but this is Portsmouth, so I’m going to assume that there’s a fair amount of unsettledness out there. In my world, I feel like a python that has just swallowed a porcupine; can’t ignore it, can’t digest it, just have to live through the process.
But, here’s the thing. Now we’re going to have to learn how to be normal again. Protests are good and necessary and useful, but we can’t march every day. We still need to laugh with friends and drink beer and buy stuff and watch TV and just generally normal out.Read More
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