A Fresh Perspective: June 2010

04 June 2010

Cellar door

The cellar door
Is the door to my childhood
Or, to a golden moment in history
Either personal or collective
That may or may not have ever been real
But certainly was vivid

What is now dark, hidden, secret, vague, and faintly musty-smelling
Was cool, breezy, inviting, alluring, refreshing, peaceful, earthy

The door to the cellar
Is locked now
Watched over by the combined forces of memory &
The passage of time and space
Formidable guardians indeed

---
Poem dreamed up while on a walk and based on my overheard notion of "cellar door" as the most beautiful word combination in English. I kind of agree, but there are many contenders. More on "cellar door" and its awesome phonoaesthetic powers here.

Recently seen...

What follows are the 8 movies I have most recently seen, not including repeat viewings (except maybe in extraordinary cases), stuff I caught part of randomly on TV, etc. Grades and comments that are at least semi-enlightening (I hope) are provided. This will obviously be updated frequently, so check back often...

The World's End | Nick Frost, 2013 | B (A rollicking romp through nostalgia and drunken shenanigans for the most part, with some small-town quaintness satirized cheekily for good measure. It's a lot of fun for the most part, especially as we establish the premise and settle into an increasingly goofy rhythm--five forty-something buddies descend on their old hometown to finish what they couldn't manage to do on the last day of high school: a pub crawl involving a pint at twelve different pubs along a stretch known as the Golden Mile, culminating at the World's End pub. As things progress, it gets a little long-winded and even a little convoluted, taking the air out of an otherwise buoyant comedic enterprise. It never quite soars as high as Nick Frost and Simon Pegg's previous efforts--Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead--but it's still a spirited and enjoyable lark.)

Fruitvale Station | Ryan Coogler, 2013 | A

Blue Jasmine | Woody Allen, 2013 | A

Elysium | Neill Blomkamp, 2013 | B (A relatively engaging and fast-paced sci-fi allegory of class struggle that starts out with a lot of detail regarding the future world in which the poor are stranded in a now-devastated and dilapidated earth while the rich get to live in a sleek giant satellite peppered with sprawling mansions, manicured lawns, and state-of-the-art medical care. There's some nifty wisps of creativity here, and Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley--from writer-director Neill Blomkamp's previous feature, District 9--throw their all into their roles as, respectively, a former thief-turned-blue collar worker struggling to get passage to Elysium to treat the radiation poisoning that will soon kill him and a singularly psychopathic villain working for the rich big cheeses to keep him and his ilk away. Copley really dials up the shivery psychopathy here. Jodie Foster, usually so capable, really did not make much of an impact here, however, as the leader of Elysium's security force... a flat performance but partly due to having little to do. The film eventually becomes a little bit too much of a rote chase/ action film and can't sustain the level of blistering originality and urgency that marked Blomkamp's District 9, but it is overall a cool and competent sci-fi endeavour.)

The Perfect Host | Nick Tomnay, 2011 | C+ (A film that really doesn't know what it wants to be, or which character we're supposed to care for or even pay attention to. David Hyde Pierce gives a blisteringly funny and creepy turn as an elegant yet totally insane dinner party host while Clayne Crawford is kind of just bland dead weight as his bank robber-on-the-run guest, who initially tries to bully the host but quickly becomes the victim in his increasingly disturbing party games. I wish there were more of Pierce's antics, but the movie just throws one twist at us after another until I stopped caring about what was coming next. It's an exhausting and muddled affair that's only almost saved by a fantastic performance from Pierce.)

Beginners | Mike Mills, 2011 | A (Really the most charming thing I've seen in ages. About opening up and discovering and embracing new, wonderful things in life even after some really dark times. The movie finds a balance between bitterness and sentimentality, and cloying and witty humour that is compelling all the way through. Is there anything Christopher Plummer can't do? The man is a wonder here. And the rest of the cast, including Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent, are just completely endearing. What a lovely film.)

World War Z | Marc Forster, 2013 | A- (Rarely has a zombie movie truly felt this global. Director Marc Forster really develops an impressive sense of scope here--the sheer number of zombies on parade here is terrifying enough, let alone their speed [yes, purists: they're fast zombies here] and ferocity. The intensity rarely lets up here and the movie, while a bit episodic, at least moves through those all rather interesting episodes at a good clip. Brad Pitt delivers a solid performance that keeps us riveted to his hell-and-back journey.)

Monsters University | Dan Scanlon, 2013 | B+ (This really has nothing on Monsters, Inc., but with an excellent voice cast and a charming, if a bit tired, plot, this prequel more than holds its own in the Pixar canon.)