The RAVE theater in West Chester
Children of Men this past week left me a little speechless. I haven’t wanted to see a movie twice in a while. This might be that movie. I had a great phone conversation with my mom talking about the themes, the possibility, the look, and the way people treated their pets.
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I’d assume Saturday Night Live is like most things — a rollercoaster of ups and downs. But lately they’ve had some really bright spots. Jake Gyllenhaal’s opening bit last night was better than Showgirls. Powerful good, and such a great way to thank obsessive fans who can’t get enough spy photos of his biceps (youtube link, thanks Henry). I was also a fan of Laser Cats 2, but the Shins as musical guest made me hotline sad.
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After seeing the inaugural show for Grease: You’re the One That I Want last weekend, I immediately signed up with Netflix. Really.
Current music: Prince “Dead On It”
10 responses to “Entertainment recap”
Oh man…enlighten me more on Children of Men because I came out of the theater thinking “Loud and incomplete.” Michael Caine was the only thing I liked…
It’s a hard movie Kell, I can’t imagine everyone will like it. Maybe it was just so different from most of the movies I see is why I was drawn in.
The sickly feeling was so powerful. And the scene where they are driving down the road (Julianne Moore in the front seat, that scene) – all with that camera work. Was just whoa.
Michael Caine was a welcome relief and turning in a performance I quite enjoyed. Often times I find him a touch irksome.
Also, the special effects were all the right kinds of subtle.
Had a chance to see the flick this evening and I loved it. Even though the movie was interrupted and the theatre cleared partway through by a (false) fire alarm, the movie really hit a nerve. ‘Sickly feeling’ is a great description for it. The cinematography is excellent, raw and shaky. I was squirming for a good portion. And left thinking.
When a parent came walking in with about 6 eight-year-old girls, the couple next to us turned and asked if they were in the right theater because what parent in their right mind would take small children to see this movie. Agreed. Luckily they were spared the goriest parts after not returning after the fire drill.
I loved Children of Men. Living in the UK, and with our fascist newspapers like the Daily Mail constantly making a drama about all the immigrants coming to live here, it was interesting to see a movies take on what the situation could be like in 20 years time..
I loved the really long one-shot take towards the end, there is something about takes like that that makes me remember the film even more! (was it the columbine film that did this right at the beginning??)
i finally saw children of men last nite, and enjoyed it , but it’s forgettable… the dialogue seemed beyond basic, and alot of the future tech seemed barely ahead. i like the foul filth details, but bladerunner already scoped-out that future. i get so very tired of the chase plotline of too many movies these days… and the pig was cheap.
oh, i love netflix. it’s fun… especially for tv shows on dvd.
i saw “little children” last weekend and it was really great.
Speechless. Children of Men stuck with me long after I left the theater. Some films do that, putting me in a mood for the rest of the day. I felt like crying afterwards. So gripping, tragic, and true to life somehow.
The cinematography/shots were unbelievable. I read online later that the filmmakers consciously wanted a lot of long shots, including two very long ones – the car sequence, and the urban battle scene (one of which was 9 minutes long!). Each of the super-long shots were hugely technical, though they weren’t done in single takes. This article tells how they added multiple shots together to get the final long shot. Fascinating.
Jeremy
Whaah! Children of Men isn’t playing anywhere within a 2 hour drive of me, and I want to see it so badly.
I think Alfonso Cueron’s a genius, and can’t wait to see what he’s made this time.
Jake was hotter than a pan of frying bacon. Good stuff!
Whoah! I’m not around for a couple of days and look what happens!
I’ve read through the comments and definitely think everyone has highlighted interesting aspects, making the movie more interesting post-viewing, but I’m on board with A.J. Terrible dialogue and forgettable (which is why I’m actually a bad conversationalist about this movie…I forgot about half those scenes). Dialogue is a big deal to me in making the movie’s believability–I don’t even need the future tech stuff (but wasn’t it fun in back to the future?!). The immigration theme of it is definitely worth considering…
I vaguely remember having some complex about why we should believe that this “human group” (I forget the name…surprise surprise) even exists or how did they even hear about it or why is it so scandalous or opposed by others? I just wasn’t sold on why I should care about this goal they were trying to get to. So many questions about that part, which is ultimately driving the plot, no?