Screening Log (May 2007)

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Spider-man 3 (Sam Raimi, 2007) **
Seen: May 19th
Format: Theater (UA Perimeter Pointe 10)

Even with the somewhat subdued critical reception this one had received, this still has to rank as a major disappointment. The 3rd film in this series finds the same flaws as in the Batman series. There are just too many damned villains. Not only do we have Sandman and Venom, but there's still Harry Osborne to deal with. None of these are handled with satisfaction, particularly the Harry situation. The Harry storyline is horribly wrapped up, with an extremely contrived and cloying scene that is really beneath Raimi.

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Day Night Day Night (Julia Loktev, 2007) ***
Seen: May 13th
Format: Comcast On Demand (IFC In Theaters)

Interesting experimental film about a young woman preparing to be a suicide bomber. You don't know her ethnicity, her religion, or her political motivation. The film rather plainly follows the various mundane activities that take place before she sets off on her mission. Almost has the courage to stay consistent all the way through, but gets a little too clever at one spot near the end. More interesting than compelling, but enough to make it worth watching. Full review forthcoming...

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28 Weeks Later (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007) ***1/2
Seen: May 12th
Format: Theater (UA Perimeter Pointe 10)

Probably one of the best ideas for a sequel in a long time. In films with the threat of the world ending, its always been a curiosity to find out what happened once the apocalyptic nightmare was thwarted, and thats what we get here. The film has a wonderful little twist that adds a whole other villain for the survivors to be worried about. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo outdoes Danny Boyle on the suspense scale with several expertly staged scare sequences, including a brilliant opening that sets up a moral dilemma that reverberates throughout the rest of the film. The major problems are two incredibly contrived sequences where security is breached to move the plot along. Full review forthcoming...

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Half Nelson (Anna Fleck, Ryan Boden, 2006) **1/2
Seen: May 10th
Format: DVD

Hard to wrap my head around this. It's certainly a movie that defies conventions, and contains terrific performances from leads Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps. However, the story just doesn't seem to go anywhere. Sure, it's supposed to deal with realistic situations instead of conventional movie storytelling, but so many scenes linger on for far too long and the pacing suffers as a result. However, the performances are strong enough to overcome this and the conclusion is undeniably moving.

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Close to Home (Vardit Bilu and Dalia Hagar, 2007) *1/2
Seen: May 9th
Format: Comcast On Demand (IFC in Theaters)

Certainly a well meaning movie, but utterly inept on almost every level. Tells the story of two female soldiers in the Israeli army. The attempt to make a political statement is halfhearted at best, and the relationship between the two leads is not convincingly developed. There's a really nice scene near the end of the film, where the filmmakers cut away from a horrific moment, but you can still hear the audio. It's the only inspired moment in the entire film. Full review forthcoming...

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The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006) **1/2
Seen: May 9th
Format: DVD

Nolan's film is beloved by many, and it is certainly more substantial (in many ways) than The Illusionist. Unlike the latter film, this one actually has some clever twists to be proud of, and the technical work is even stronger. Sets up an interesting battle between two magicians; Borden (Christian Bale), who is a great illusionist but poor showman and Angier (Hugh Jackman) who is the direct opposite. What's intersting is that the film suffers from the same problems as Borden. There are plenty of neat tricks within the complicated plot, but its really not that much fun. The screenplay gets so caught up in trying to surprise that it forgets to develop any of the three major female roles. The result is a movie with some wonderful visuals and surprises, but in the end it's hard to care about anything that happens.

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Spider-man (Sam Raimi, 2002) ***
Seen: May 5th
Format: Comcast On Demand

Watched this again in preparation for seeing the new film. Not nearly as good as I remembered it initially, and part 2 seems far superior at this point, although my impression of that one may change on a second viewing as well. This is still a decent adaptation of the comic book, but there is some clumsy plotting throughout, including the Peter/Mary Jane/Harry love triangle. The action scenes are also not quite as memorable this time around, with the climactic fight being particularly disappointing. Still some enjoyable stuff here, with Tobey and Kirsten putting in performances that are lively enough to stand out amongst all the CGI.

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Atlanta Film Festival in Review

Well this wasn't one of the best lineups I've seen at the Atlanta Film Festival, but perhaps I just made some really bad scheduling choices. I did see two great films and some interesting documentaries. Below you can find links to my daily coverage of the festival, followed by my own award winners...


Day Two (The TV Set, King of Kong)
Day Three (All the Days Before Tomorrow, Third Monday in October, Away From Her)
Day Four (Drifting Elegant)
Day Six (Park, Kamp Katrina, Great World of Sound, Somebodies, Elephant King)
Day Seven (Election Day, Pretty in the Face, Last Days of Left Eye)
Day Eight (American Fugitive: The Truth About Hassan, The Insurgents)
Day Nine (Montclair, Blood Car, Rocket Science)

Personal Picks for the 2007 Atlanta Film Festival

Best Narrative Film: Great World of Sound (Craig Zobel)
Honorable Mention: Away From Her (Sarah Polley)

Best Documentary Film: Third Monday in October (Vanessa Roth)
Honorable Mention: Last Days of Left Eye (Lauren Lazin)

Best Actor: Gordon Pinsent, Away From Her
Honorable Mention: Reece Thompson, Rocket Science

Best Actress: Julie Christie, Away From Her
Honorable Mention: Meagan Moses, Pretty in the Face

Best Debut Performance: Meagan Moses, Pretty in the Face
Honorable Mention: Mike Brune, Blood Car

Best Film About a Car That Runs on Blood: Blood Car
Honorable Mention: Sadly, no qualifier.