I am not what you’d call a sci-fi fan. I don’t go out of my way to avoid it, but I also don’t go out of my way to see it, either. And, to be frank, there is quite a bit that seems silly to me. I didn’t see any of the Star Wars films until I was in my 20s, so I’ve never seen what’s so special about them. And, though I knew they were classics, I never saw an episode of Star Trek in my life. But there was a good deal of buzz surrounding the recent film, and since just about everyone I know wanted to go see it on opening day, I went along. It was fantastic!
I won’t go into any detail about the plot, but it was thrilling, if somewhat complicated. I actually didn’t fully understand it the first time around, and it was only with Karla’s help that I was able to grasp some of the more sophisticated elements. She and Ryan know a lot about Star Trek, and they thought it was excellent; I know nothing, and I thought it was great. So it seems that the filmmakers really did something right. Karla was mildly obsessed, and had seen the picture four times already by last weekend when Miriam and several other GRR people wanted to go see Terminator: Salvation. I really didn’t want to see that, and, since Karla and a couple others were going to see Star Trek again, I went along. It was even better the second time. I understood more.
I think this film will be a classic.
Filed under: Film, Friends on May 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Before I became a British Literature major at the University of Florida, I had seen few episodes of PBS’ Masterpiece Theater. I cannot recall what, in particular, induced me to watch a 2005 broadcast of Bleak House, but it was marvelous in every way. Recalling how well the filmmakers had adapted Dickens, I resolved to watch as many productions as I could. Unfortunately, Masterpiece Theater isn’t always classic fiction. For quite some time last year they broadcast episodes in their “Contemporary” series.
I was thrilled, then, to see that the new year brought with it new adaptations of nineteenth century British novels, beginning with Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It was fantastic. The acting, sets, costumes and cinematography were all splendid. It was truly affecting. I had high hopes for Wuthering Heights, but alas, it was terrible. Aside from the odd aspects of the filmmaking itself, the story was twisted and modified in really pointless ways. It’s not hard to see why a filmmaker might choose to eliminate the dual narrator technique Bronte adopts. What works in a book doesn’t always translate well to the screen. So, Nelly Dean was just a minor character in this production, and Mr. Lockwood didn’t appear at all. Much of the plot was compressed, and some of my favorite scenes from the book were jettisoned. Most of Healthcliff’s evil machinations from the book were glossed over, and others not in the book were invented. The conclusion was not right at all.
I’m crossing my fingers for Sense and Sensibility next week, and four Dickens adaptations.
Filed under: Film, Literature and Books, Television on January 28th, 2009 | No Comments »
I have no interest in the latest Batman film. I am, in general, no fan of comic books or films adapted from comic books, especially Batman. When the buzzword surrounding this latest installment is “dark”–an adjective that defines all I hate in cinema–I am sure to stay away.
Filed under: Film on July 19th, 2008 | No Comments »
Happy New Year!
Mrs. Hill and I spent New Year’s Eve at home, where we enjoyed a delicious spaghetti dinner (she makes the sauce spicier than most; it’s good), caught a final movie for the year, and watched Dick Clark countdown to 2008. We lit sparklers in the house for the occasion, frightening Moggie.
As some may know, for years now we have kept a list of every film we’ve seen at home or in the theater, and we set a record in 2007 with 234 movies. That might seem like a lot, but it might have been much higher had we continued at the pace we established in January and February: by the first of March we had already seen 66 pictures.
Movie highlights for me included: Mermaids (1/2); The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (1/27); Hotel Rwanda (2/10); Elizabethtown (4/13); Breaking Away (5/15); The Simpsons Movie (8/5); Stranger Than Fiction (9/9); The Illusionist (9/19); Walk Hard (12/21), and, believe it or not, Dirty Dancing, which we saw in the theater on May 1. I also re-watched some other films I regard as great, including Jaws; Saving Private Ryan; Field of Dreams; Back to the Future; Der Untergang and what may be my favorite movie of all, The Sound of Music. The complete list is here. And, for the record, the 2006 list is here.
I hope 2008 is brings you good health and happiness. Hard times come again no more.
Filed under: Film, Special Occasions on January 1st, 2008 | No Comments »
Mrs. Hill went to the theater Friday night and saw Walk Hard on opening night. A synopsis isn’t necessary, but the highlights for me were definitely the songs, especially “Life Without You”, “Dewey Cox Died”, the Marshall Crenshaw-composed “Walk Hard” and the cleverly suggestive “Let’s Duet”. Kudos to John C. Reilly for being a genuinely great singer with a ringing high F#. And Tim Meadows has some of the funniest material.
Also note: everybody in the world was in this movie, including people you have seen before in lots other things, but whose names you don’t know; and tons of other people with big names who have small parts. Now, I am sure you’re wondering, “but, Dana, does it have Jackson Browne?” Hell yes, it does. It even has butterscotch blonde Fender Telecasters. So, something for everybody, specifically me.
Filed under: Comedy, Film, Popular Music on December 23rd, 2007 | 1 Comment »
