First Breath After Coma

Guess what? A week from today I'll be in Ithaca attending the Taming Technolust workshop and enjoying my first official day as a MLIS graduate. As I decide where my life will be going from here, I'll have plenty of time to watch movies. What I am saying is this: I want in the on 1930's thing. I'll need some sort of "assignment" to fill the void that graduating will likely leave.

In addition to NWI, there are a few other places to find free movies online. Perhaps one you may not have seen is Open Culture's list of 380 free movies. There are some 30's films on there. I don't subscribe to MUBI but I'd be willing to pay the $3 occasionally to see a movie too. I'm not subscribing to Hulu Plus though. Looking forward to your first pick, Jeff.

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It makes me sad that Meek's Cutoff is no longer in Ithaca. I really wanted to see it again and was thinking of catching a showing after my workshop next week. I also still want to discuss it more. Hopefully Brandon's post will spark some conversation and we can get back into it. I'm sure Jason will appreciate that.

Ok, I've got some brief catching up to do on a few movies that I have watched recently.

(Hit play on this video before you continue.)


American: The Bill Hicks Story (2011)

Anyone else a Bill Hicks fan? If so, you have to see this documentary. His friends and family begin the narration at about age 15 when he first started going to comedy clubs. The film is told entire through their stories coupled with old photos and videos of Bill. It is pretty impressive how engaging and expertly crafted this documentary is considering you see nothing of the narrators until the last few minutes of the film. This is a genuine homage to Hicks that any fan will enjoy.

Cracks (2011)

If Dead Poets Society were some sort of slightly erotic thriller involving young girls in a boarding house in the 1930's, it would be Cracks. Sorry, that's a really bad way to describe the film and actually not all that accurate. Anyway, I read some positive reviews of this movie, which made me curious about it. The movie is essentially about the sexual awakening of young girls and the cautions of lust and desire - Miss G, the young girls teacher, tells them "the most important thing in life is desire." The film also explores the vulnerability of young children and their eagerness to believe those with more "life experience." Even though I thought it the cinematography was beautiful, the actresses pretty good and the story quite sensual, I have to admit that I am not a fan of the film.

An Education (2009)

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this film and I think that all the credit has to go to Carry Mulligan. She plays the precocious teenager, who is both wise and naive, incredibly well and makes the audience fall in love with her even when we know she is making a mistake.

An Invisible Sign (2011)

Aimee Bender is one of my absolute favorite writers. So, I was really hoping for something great with this film adapted from her first novel. However, it fails on almost every level and does not capture any of what Bender's writing does.

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John, it's taking all my power to resist a re-watch of BSG. Your posts about it don't help. You're right, there are a lot of interesting concepts to explore related to the Cylons, especially vis-a-vis humanity. Make sure you watch the webisodes between the seasons.

Lisa, as you know, I'm a big fan of David Foster Wallace. The adaptation of Brief Interviews is not something I care to watch again. I really liked Black Swan too. I am still holding out hope that John will eventually make a post about how much he disliked it. Have you seen The Fountain? I think it is still my favorite Aronofsky film.

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Ok, I didn't get to say much about the movies I have seen or comment on a lot of the old posts that I've missed. This will all start to change after next week. Until then, enjoy some video essays on Malick from MZS.

Badlands


Days of Heaven


The Thin Red Line


The New World