Suckered
November 20th, 2007
This space was reserved for a quick reaction to one of the season’s most buzzed-about independent releases, but instead I have a tiny tale of woe for you. Last night was the first New York screening for Juno, the comedy ominously billed as “this year’s Little Miss Sunshine,” but somebody had recklessly overbooked the screening room on Sixth Avenue. Even though we had sent RSVPs and arrived with time to spare, about a dozen of us were left standing in the lobby while the publicist counted and recounted the remaining seats. I was at the front of the line and Marcy was already inside holding a seat, so there was hope — until a voice from the back of the line spoke these blood-curdling words: “I am David Denby, from The New Yorker.”
You can imagine what happened next. Now, I have no illusions about the pecking order among film critics, but — ah, let’s leave it at that. Unlike airplanes, there’s no compensation when you get bumped from a screening, except for the faint promise that next time, your RSVP might be honored. Marcy and I both left and had a drink or two toasting American Sucker.
The last screenings I remember being shut out of were The Royal Tenenbaums and Brokeback Mountain, neither one of which I cared for. Coincidence? Juno beware.
Lust, Caution
September 28th, 2007
Marcy already reviewed Ang Lee’s latest, so I’ll limit myself to one point: Lust, Caution is continuing evidence that unsimluated sex is making inroads into mainstream films and more traditional styles and genres. Hardcore fucking in serious movies started out, of course, with the French (Romance) and pretentious art movies both domestic (Brown Bunny) and international (Battle in Heaven, 9 Songs). Then came Shortbus, which I consider a watershed movie because it was the first to successfully integrate real sex into a relationship comedy. Likewise, Lust, Caution, an otherwise old-fashioned spy drama with surprising turns, absolutely relies on graphic sex as a decisive element for both plot and character. The story simply wouldn’t add up if we hadn’t seen what happens between Tony Leung and Wei Tang during the NC-17 scenes. Lust, Caution opens today.
Se, jie. Ang Lee, 2007. ***
Hulk
March 29th, 2006
I don’t know why I thought rewatching this was a good idea, but at least the second time around, I gotta hand it to Jordan: dull was just exactly the right word. I stand by what I said about the first Spider-Man movie and the comic transitions, but man this thing felt really lame the second time around. Kind of like King Kong without the tragedy, actually.
