(2003) dir. Catherine Hardwicke
viewed: 02/25/04
I’d read good things about this film, which chronicles the bad things that young teenage girls can get up to. It’s almost like an exploitation film in a sense, rife with things meant to read as shock value, I think. And I am certain that for those old enough to [...]
Archive of entries posted on February 2004
Thirteen
Wings of Desire
(1987) dir. Wim Wenders
viewed: 02/09/04 at The Red Vic Movie House, SF, CA
Great movie. Bad print. It was raining green spots throughout this largely black and white film, and while that was a sort of interesting effect, it wasn’t really supposed to be that way.
Aesthetically pleasing. Rich and interesting metaphors of observance and experience. Very much [...]
Ghost World
(2000) dir. Terry Zwigoff
viewed: 02/21/04
I’d seen this film before in the theater back in 2000 when it was released originally. I have been a fan of Daniel Clowes and the original comic from which this film was adapted. I remembered liking it when I saw it the first time, and in comparing it [...]
Cabin Fever
(2002) dir. Eli Roth
viewed: 02/18/04
Pretty lame horror film/homage to 1980’s slasher films (despite being about an Ebola-like virus rather than an actual slasher). This film seemed to have too high of a budget or something. It wasn’t horribly executed, but I kept thinking how much more interesting horror films are when they are [...]
Spellbound
(2002) dir. Jeffrey Blitz
viewed: 02/17/04
Pretty interesting documentary about the National Scripps Spelling Bee, following eight different kids on their way through the experience. The first half, looking at their lives, their varying experiences and degrees of preparation, I found much more compelling than the actual bee itself. Overall, though, a good documentary that speaks to [...]
Cure
(1997) dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
viewed: 02/15/04
Atmospheric Japanese horror film cut from a similar cloth as Ringu (1998), though less successful, I would say. The narrative is a little more convoluted is maybe why I feel this way. It is interesting, though. A drifter wanders the streets, suggesting via simple hypnosis, inspiring people to [...]
American Splendor
(2003) dir. Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
viewed: 02/10/04
02/24/04
Documentary/live action adaptation of cult comic book about the life of Harvey Pekar, writer and protagonist. The self-reflexivity seemed a bit overaware of its cleverness, showing real characters both as they are portrayed by actors and as themselves in other segments. The film also assumes a [...]
Swimming Pool
(2003) dir. François Ozon
viewed: 02/08/04
Moderately lame French/English “thriller.” It wasn’t so bad, I guess, but the sort of ambiguous ending seemed pretentious and confusing. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Jeepers Creepers II
(2003) dir. Victor Salva
viewed: 02/02/04
Moderately lame sequel to a surprisingly decent horror film. Director Victor Salva clearly has more chops than the average horror film director, shooting things with more aplomb than many more highbrow films. Still, the story is not nearly as compelling this time around, though it’s not awful, just not [...]
Capturing the Friedmans
(2003) dir. Andrew Jarecki
viewed: 02/07/04
Depressing, morally ambiguous documentary about child molestation and pedophilia and the destruction of a Long Island middle class family.
