Rob's Amazing Film Collection - Part Six: Blue Velvet to Bowling for Columbine

 

Do you still collect physical media? I bet you don't. Why would you clutter up your finite living space with Blu-rays, DVDs and the like, when streaming exists? You can just pluck films and music from the air, like the 21st Century Techno-God you are, and leave that shelf space for something more useful. Spice jars, maybe, or the hollowed out skulls of your enemies. 

Well, I still have those shelves full of films and I tell you what - they still bring me pleasure. There's something about seeing those titles, arrayed proudly and - of course - alphabetically that makes me glad. There's a kind of archeology to it all, these layers of the past, each one rooted in time and experience, that gives me pleasure. 

This series of blogs is a slow excavation of those layers - looking at the films in my collection and asking... why did I buy this? When did I last watch it? Actually, have I ever got round to watching it? Are these, in fact, mostly films that I borrowed off other people and is that why so many of my friends are annoyed with me?

Let's take a look at this little selection...

Blue Velvet

I love David Lynch, and recently my household had a little 'Lynch' season - charging through most of his films and all of Twin Peaks, and then sitting staring nervously round the house in case any of it turned into a demon. He's a director with a very distinctive flavour, David Lynch, and it really helps to be in his particular groove when watching his films. 

Blue Velvet is among the more mainstream of his works, but it's still a dark, weird beast that you wouldn't want to be watching when your mum walked in. I've never loved it, exactly, but I want it around. It's like one of those blue cheeses you taste and then kind of retch, and twitch a bit, then go back for more. 

The Boat That Rocked

I don't know why I own this. It's not particularly good. I think maybe it was a big deal when it came out, and sometimes it's good to watch those films to see what's going on. 

In retrospect, this is like someone precision tooled a film to reflect the particular sensibilities of an era. The narrative seems to have been constructed in order to create cool clips for the trailer. The cast is like an algorithm was tasked with finding 'cool actors of the early 21st Century'. Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans etc. All fun actors and good in their own right, but here cast more as a kind of shorthand - "Hey, you liked other films with these guys in. Please like me by extension". 

It's not easy, though, to like anything that's going on here. On one hand this feels like a middle aged man's idea of what it is to be young and free, and it all seems a bit desperate to be cool and irreverent. On the other, the sexual politics have dated terribly - a celebration of men treating women like prizes which is obviously terrible now, but probably should have been flagged as suspect then too. 

And then there's the end, where the spirit of Dunkirk is invoked to create a happy ending where some sex pests are rescued from a deserved drowning... it's like a satire on everything that would become wrong with the UK, except played in earnest. 

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

A charming, unpretentious horror that does a few clever things and doesn't outstay its welcome. I got this because my brother recommended it, and it was actually cheaper to buy the disc than it was to rent it from Prime. 

I fear that this will become a fair amount of my collection - things I bought simply to watch once. And then they sit there, on the shelf, landfill waiting to happen. Will I watch this again? Probably not. Dare I throw it away and admit that I'm part of the reason the Earth will eventually be a dead, radioactive pit of toxic slime? Also no. 

Bonnie and Clyde

Ah, we're back in 'DVDs I bought when I was teaching film studies' territory. This was a film I'd reference constantly when discussing the Hollywood New Wave. Bonnie and Clyde was one of the cool kids who, along with Easy Rider, The Graduate and Night of the Living Dead, swaggered into cinemas in the late 1960s and said, "Get out of here, you squares! We're here to shake things up in ways your tiny minds simply wouldn't understand! Also we are smoking cigarettes!"

I've not actually watched this more than once. I've watched the first five minutes loads, when showing classes how cool it was to watch Faye Dunaway pout and punch the headrest of her bed, and how this kind of thing provoked cinema audiences to instantly leave the cinema and protest the Vietnam war. 

I should probably watch the rest of it again, some day. I couldn't tell you a single thing that happens after that. It's a bit like True Romance, right?

Boogie Nights

This was a massive deal when it came out in the 90s. Empire magazine was all over it. The huge success of Tarantino's films was a tide that lifted all boats: auteur directors were big news, and it just so happened that there were loads of them making really interesting films around this time.

As a relatively new film nerd, I was very up for being told where to go and what to see. There's a lot of films, and only so much time, so any threads were gratefully followed. Paul Thomas Anderson was one of the new messiahs of the era, according to the world's leading film mag, so who was I to disagree? Plus, they mentioned, there was tons of nudity. Well. As I say, I was there for the auteur directors and no-one can prove otherwise. 

Revisiting this film, it's very impressive, but not as focused as Anderson was to become in later films. He's clearly going for a Scorsese/Altman thing, and though he's good at that, it feels more like someone trying to remake Goodfellas than it does someone with their own vision. The structure is a bit lopsided, and there's a weird diversion into a sort of heist towards the end that suggests a lack of confidence in the material. 

All that said, it has the sort of amazing ensemble cast and a period soundtrack that we take for granted now, but was less usual then. 

Borat

I like this, but I'm not sure why I own the DVD. This is more the sort of film that I'll enjoy when it comes on TV, and I'm desperate not to go to bed, because then sleep comes and the day has won and one day I'll be dead. But I am unlikely to ever actively decide to pick the DVD off the shelf, so why is it here?

I wonder if I was teaching documentary making at some point, and thought that this would be a fun way into the subject for bored teenagers? If so, I bet it spectacularly failed, and they all looked at me like I was an idiot. 

It's funny and smart, though, and the joke has sustained pretty well. The sequel was great, wasn't it? 

Borg Vs. McEnroe

I was bought this as a gift, I think, presumably by someone who wanted to punish me for being an inattentive friend throughout the year. "Here's how much time we've spent together recently - I've bought you a film about sport as if that was a good idea."

It's not a bad film, at all. It's just that I don't care about tennis, even one tiny bit. And further to that, I've no interest in expanding my horizons to start caring about it. I have a number of obsessions and I'm pretty happy with them, so no thank you to new areas of life experience. 

I've definitely watched this film, but I could not tell you a single solitary thing about it. I bet they play tennis, and probably it's based on a real thing, and I imagine there are some excellent performances by some good actors, that get to the heart of the human experience. It probably transpires that, even if you don't like tennis, you could learn something about the universality of the existential struggle to be better, and how the real struggle isn't against our earthly opponents, but the darker angels of our souls. 

Well. Joke's on you, because I can get all that while watching John Wick. And even though I can't remember anything about this film, I bet ten thousand pounds that Borg doesn't beat McEnroe by sticking a pencil through his head.

Bottle Rocket

This is Wes Anderson's first film, I think. I will have bought it in an act of completism, after realising how much I loved Tenenbuams and Rushmore etc. It isn't as good. You can see bits of his later style poking through - a symmetrical composition here, and set of labelled plans there - but the whole thing is a bit nothingy and Owen Wilson has stupid hair.

I still like the idea of owning all the films by a certain director. But this noble aim is problematised by those directors either a) occasionally releasing a film I hate so I resent buying it or b) releasing so many bloody films that I simply can't keep up. Come on, directors. Either release exclusively good movies, or have the decency to die.

Bound

I've only seen this once, and it must be over twenty years ago. I bought it for one reason only, which was that it was directed by the siblings who made The Matrix and at that time The Matrix was the coolest movie anyone had every seen, ever. 

I got together with a friend who'd also enjoyed The Matrix, This doesn't narrow it down as everyone back then loved The Matrix, and spent all day every day quoting The Matrix and dressing like people from The Matrix and occasionally trying to run up walls like they do in The Matrix  except we all fell over and hurt ourselves. But the cool thing about it was that even though we all liked The Matrix, we all felt we had our own special, personal connection to the film, and that it had spoken to us on a direct and individual level. 

Anyway. She came round, I stuck on this film. It soon transpired that it wasn't much like The Matrix. This wasn't the story of super cool people doing amazing fighting in a cyberpunk environment. It was the story of sexy people, doing sexy things, in a seedy environment that probably smelled of sex and maybe rubber. 

It was a profoundly uncomfortable viewing experience. My choice of film suggested that I was engaged in some kind of covert seduction technique, whereby I put images on the screen and then nodded encouragingly. I felt the need to keep shouting things like, "Oh, I wasn't expecting this film to be full of women tying each other up!" Which I don't think helped. 

The Bourne Identity / Supremacy / Ultimatum

I own these films because they are ace. They are smart and interesting, and they changed the shape of action cinema forever. These are the films that the James Bond series looked at, and said, "Oh no! My fight scenes look like some old women mildly disagreeing with each other about the weather!" And then instantly stole the whole rough and ready aesthetic for Casino Royale. 

However, my favourite thing about them is how the different instalments are named. 

As you will have seen, I like to keep my films ordered alphabetically by title. This brings order to a chaotic universe and also makes them easier to find. But problems arise when you have a film series. Take, for example, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.  There's Batman Begins, up with the B films where it belongs. And then its sequels, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, languishing away a couple of shelves down. It doesn't work, does it? Would it have killed him to call the first film The Dark Knight Begins? Or title the sequels Batman Gets On With It and Batman Calls It A Day?

You see how hard my life is? But, look at the lovely old Bourne films. It's as if they were designed for me. Not only to they have the good grace to all begin with the same word, but the sequels appear in alphabetical order! You beauties!

One small thing, though. You can't have Albert Finney and Brian Cox in the same film series, playing similar characters in different films. Too confusing! Who's going to keep track of that?

Bowling For Columbine

Finally, for today. A film that I absolutely loved at the time. I watched it loads, and agreed with it loads, and shouted about it to everyone who would listen. It felt like a well argued, funny and interesting polemic that really got to the heart of the horrible events post 9/11.

This felt like an essential film, in the mid naughties. Has it held up? I haven't seen it for a while, but I would imagine not. Michael Moore's blunderbuss approach to things is fun to watch but it can be quite overbearing. He's not one for subtlety. I kind of liked that at the time - you needed to make a loud argument to combat the shameless rhetoric of the pro-war lobby. This movie, full of cartoons and jokes and big, loud visual essays, really hit the spot and shaped a lot of my approach to the situation. 

But nowadays it all seems a bit much. Noisy, oversimplified, cartoonish arguments have become the fundamental currency of online discourse, and the joke doesn't seem so funny any more. And the concerns of 20 years ago seem almost quaint - it's hard to feel as incensed by George W's antics now we've seen so many other charlatans in power.

Will I watch this again? Yeah, probably, one day. But less as a call to arms, and more as a document of times gone and not coming back. 

So there you are. Here are some films I own, and why. I hope you feel enlightened. 

Should you wish to look at other amazing examples of films I own, you could click here...

Previously: The Beyond to The Blues Brothers

Next: Box of the Banned to A Bridge Too Far

Rob's Amazing Film Collection: Part Three (Armageddon to Awakenings)

Well hello. Like most of you, I like to spend sunny afternoons browsing through my extensive DVD and BluRay library, thinking things like, "Ooh, I haven't seen that in a while," and "Why do I even own that? What was I thinking?"

For your pleasure, here are my thoughts on some of the films I own. Why would you care? Why indeed. Maybe I've become famous in the future, and you are writing a biography. Yes. That's probably it.

Here's the section we're looking at today. We did Argo last time, so we'll be starting with Armageddon. And let's end with Awakenings, so that we can start a whole new letter of the alphabet next time. See how much fun this is?





Armageddon

I haven't seen this since the late 90s, I don't think, and I'm not sure why I own it. I seem to remember it being quite enjoyable, but also very preposterous. 

Are there a lot of power ballads in it or something? That's what flashes up in my mind when I think of this. Slow motion, and soft rock. And lots of people who were big box office in the 90s, being heroic and not really acting, in any meaningful sense. Is it quite bland? I bet it is. 

The 90s had some great films, but its blockbuster game was way off. Things are better now. 

The Artist

Who remembers when this was a massive hit, and won loads of awards, and ushered in a new wave of silent cinema?

OK, maybe not that last one. But I do remember everyone making a big fuss. It felt like one of those films you 'should have' seen. You'd say things like, "I haven't seen The Artist yet," in the same way that you'd talk about doing the weekly shop. It was kind of inevitable that you would, eventually. 

How delightful, then, to find that it was really good. Clever and funny, making great use of its central conceit. Very modern storytelling, drawing on an era that was more sophisticated than is generally acknowledged. 

I've not watched it since. It feels like a 'good to have seen' film, rather than one to revisit. I bought it because HMV were selling the BluRay for £2, as part of their desperate, "Please god buy things or we'll all starve" sales.

I should give it another go. 

Art School Confidential

I can't remember anything at all about this movie. Apart from the one thing that I knew going in, which was that Sophia Myles is in it, and she gets her kit off. 

I'm slightly ashamed to say that this was probably a large factor in me deciding I wanted to see the film in the first place. Not the only reason. The title is interesting, and I was watching a lot of 'clever arty sensitive' stuff at the time. But I'd be lying if I said that the promise of nudity wasn't a factor. 

I'd like to say that I'm a better person now. But the fact that I can't remember literally anything else about the film, and haven't watched it since (she's not naked for very long), suggests otherwise. 

I'm sorry. 

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Another film I can't remember anything at all about. I'm beginning to wonder if I should be sharing this information with the wider world.

In my defence, this film is quite long and I remember it being very thoughtful. And meditative. And slow. And sometimes I'm in the mood for that, and sometimes I'm not.

You never hear this film being talked about, do you? Which kind of suggests that no-one else thought it was worthy of discussion. So let's just say that I'm right, and the film is boring, and that my lack of recollection is nothing to do with the film not being set in space, or in dinosaur times.

Assault on Precinct 13

Now this film I do like. A cool, engaging thriller with a strong central premise and some excellent moments. 

I got into John Carpenter in the late 80s, mainly due to my obsession with Halloween. I watched all his other stuff, and - for the most part - liked it. He has a singular, focused style which lends a certain unity to his body of work. Slowly creeping camera work. Shots carefully composed to direct - and misdirect -  the eye of the spectator. Minimalist, atmospheric scores. 

Assault on Precinct 13 particularly impressed me with the scene I've pictured. A little girl goes to get an ice cream from a van. The guy in the van, however, is a villain, just pretending to be an ice cream guy. He gives her an ice cream anyway, so that she'll go away and he can get back to his villainy. 

But - oh no! - he forgot to give her sprinkles. So back she goes...

It does not end well. I like a film that's prepared to go to these dark places. 

Atomic Blonde

This film was very much sold as "John Wick - but a lady!" The trailer was unbelievably exciting and I was very eager to give these people my money. 

It turns out that the film is not quite the no-hold-barred oestrogen smackdown that the advertising suggested. There certainly are some great combat sequences, and there's a pleasing amount of incredible violence. But this has more the flavour of a European spy thriller. And it is very great. 

I can see why they went for the John Wick angle. The film has an unusual, distinctive flavour which is hard to sum up, and would have been tricky to promote. It's quite bleak, but a bit funny, and gives the strong impression that it doesn't give a fuck what you think about it. The soundtrack is among the best I've heard, leaning strongly on pounding electronica and late 70s/early 80s pop. 

In short, I liked it. But I can see why people might not. 

Atonement

Everyone loved this when it came out, didn't they? They were all, "Ooh, the long tracking shots," and, "Ah, the complex emotional pull of its sensibilities." 

Or something. I wasn't really listening. I'm not one for period films, even ones where there's some exciting swearing and people shooting at horses. I can't really remember anything about it. I think there's a letter... which someone reads, except they shouldn't have?

I don't know. Perhaps I'm being deliberately contrary. It's probably very good. I just have a bit of a knee jerk reaction against these kinds of 'quality' films, as they seem to be part of a notion that some films are more worthy than others. That said, I have a feeling that if I watched it properly, I'd find that the film is deliberately trying to subvert that very notion. 

But who has the time? I have to watch Dead Man's Shoes again before I get round to this. 

Attack the Block

This is quite a fun, smart sci-fi/comedy/action thriller hybrid that benefited from being released in the wake of the Pegg/Frost/Wright films. It is very much its own thing, though, and is a lot better than many of the British comedy horrors that lumbered after Shaun of the Dead's zombies. 

In hindsight it also benefits from some lucky casting, with Finn From Star Wars and Doctor Who teaming up against the brilliantly realised alien things. 

Nothing exceptional here, but it tries to do some fun new things and it passes the time agreeably. 

Austin Powers

For some reason, I only own Austin Powers 1 and 3. What's that about? I like The Spy Who Shagged Me best. So why don't I own it? What's wrong with me? Will I ever be happy?

The first Austin Powers was a burst of joy and colour, back when it came out. I remember watching in the cinema, surprised and delighted at the constant invention that burst joyfully from the screen. The music was exciting, and captured the 60s retro feel of the time far better than the stodgy meanderings of Oasis and the like. 

I can imagine people tiring of the knowing comedy of these films, and I think it was pretty much played out by the time Goldmember came along. It's all very quotable and imitable, and sort of tiresome in that respect. But the silly, free spirited nonsense of those first two films makes me very happy. 

Due for a rewatch, I think. 

The Avengers (and Age of Ultron, and Infinity War, and Endgame)

It seems a bit redundant to say "I like these films," doesn't it? Everyone likes them, apart from professional contrarians who have to dislike fun things to retain their edge of "cool". So no, I'm not clever or unusual for enjoying them. But good grief, they're good. 

It's easy to look at "Avengers Assemble" now and go, "Yes, that's very good." But it could very easily have been a massive, embarrassing failure. Look at DC's clumsy, ham fisted attempts to do the same, to see how easy this would be to get wrong. And even Marvel hadn't been knocking it out of the park at this stage. Incredible Hulk is badly structured. The first Thor is quite a mess. Only Iron Man and Captain America had really made it work, at this stage.

Watching Assemble at the cinema is one of my happiest cinema experiences. I laughed so much that friends sitting at the back of the same showing came to find me afterwards, having realised I was there from the volume of my joy.

It's a fantastic piece of work, and the standard has been pretty high since. Yes, Ultron is quite flawed and tries to serve too many masters. But Infinity War is quite the ride, and Endgame pulls off the should-be-impossible job of providing a satisfying climax, while remaining surprising, nimble, smart and creative. 

A fantastic series of films. 

Awakenings

 I first saw this on VHS with a bunch of people at a friend's house. I've not seen it since, but I definitely should. I remember it being very moving, and saying some not insignificant things about identity, hope and how we should treat people.

Great work, also, from two actors who were starting to prove variable in the quality of their performances. Williams is in "Beard = Good Performance" mode and DeNiro is proving, again, that he is at his best when he's doing 'understated'.





That's it for now. That's the end of "A". Hope you enjoyed my inability to remember most of the films I own. See you next time, for "B".

If you want to explore my thoughts on films that had the temerity to exist earlier in the alphabet, you can look here:

Previously: (Almost Famous - Argo)

Next: (Babel - Be Kind Rewind)

Rob's Amazing Film Collection: Part Two (Almost Famous - Argo)

We all know that a person's worth can be calculated by how many films they own. That's just a fact. But how much am I worth? Let's find out, in this, the second part of my journey into my astounding film library.

Almost Famous

I haven't seen this film since September 2001. I watched it during a very strange week where 9/11 had just happened, and as a not-quite-direct result, I had fallen from a ladder and broken my shoulder. 

I went to hospital and was given loads of very strong painkillers. Then a friend of mine lent me this film to watch. As a result, I can't remember anything at all about it, except that I was in lots of pain, and all the colours were really vibrant and wobbly.

I should probably give him it back. Though I bet he's forgotten.

I'll keep it. 

American: The Bill Hicks Story

I bought this in the wake of my Master degree dissertation, in which I explored the idea of whether stand up comedians could ever say anything meaningfully political, without ceasing to be a comedian.

I researched Hicks quite a lot as part of this. I liked him loads, but towards the end I started to get sick of the idolisation of him by his fans. This film, although interesting in its execution, seems to fall into the same trap.

Visually, though, I like the way the film works. They use a technique that makes still photos appear to move, by separating the various elements. I can't remember the name for it. Rasterisation? That doesn't seem right. Anyway, it looks cool. 

American Beauty

A great film, which I have watched many, many times. I loved the central image - the girl in roses you see above - before the film even came out.

Every time I watch it, the film seems to be about a different character, depending on where I'm at with my life. Mostly it's Kevin Spacey's Lester Burnham, with his mid life crisis and his confusion at where his spirit seemed to go, and when that happened. 

But other times I'll find the emotional spaces of the other characters resonate more with me. Everyone is confused, lost and trying to make meaning of lives that are shiny on top, but hollow inside. Great writing, direction and acting, making this a film worth revisiting. 

The only reason I don't watch it more is that I've often used the opening five minutes to teach semiotics to classes, so it's hard to watch as an actual film sometimes. Fellow viewers don't want to know about framing motifs, and often throw cushions at you. 

American History X

Another fantastic movie. Ed Norton at his absolute best, and a compelling theme, played out through a strong visual identity. There are some moments of incredible violence which stay with you long after the film is done.

I like this a lot, not least because Captain Sisko from Deep Space 9 turns up every now and then. Though he never says "Jambalaya!"

An American in Paris

Not the sort of film I generally watch. I'm very much a 'late 60s and onwards' kind of cinema guy, and often find it hard to get on with the way movies were styled before then. But this is great, and a constant reminder that I should watch more of this kind of thing, and try to develop my palate a little. 

This is just so joyous and colourful and stylish. And everyone in it is so talented. It's pleasing to see direction that allows the dancers to dance and the set design to dominate the mise en scene, rather than editing the life out of things. 

The American President

A pretty good film that I bought entirely to see Aaron Sorkin's first go at doing The West Wing. As a result, it's an odd experience. Lots of characters with similar names, doing similar things to the TV show, but played by more famous actors. 

Except, confusingly, Martin Sheen, who is the president in West Wing, but here plays a different guy. Like my life isn't confusing enough. 

American Psycho

A truly excellent film that I love more as time goes on. What genre is it? It was kind of sold as a horror, but it's more of a psychological thriller in how it's presented. But last time I watched it I laughed almost constantly. So maybe it's a comedy. Or maybe there's something wrong with me. 

Still my favourite Christian Bale performance. I love him when he's having fun. His Batman is basically this character, but slightly less exciting. 

American Splendor

Do I like this film? I'm not sure. I kind of admire it, and there's lots of great storytelling ideas going on. Flitting between documentary style, conventional narrative and - if I remember correctly - animation. But do I just think that because of the poster? I can't remember. 

I should watch this again. It's a great look at art, and the creative process. And there's Paul Giamatti, who's always worth your time. 

American Ultra

Another Jesse Eisenberg film, another complete blank as to what happened in the plot. Something about a guy who finds he's got super powers or something? I have no idea.

I like Eisenberg, I think. He's great at playing jerks, though, and so I think my brain sort of remembers him as an unpleasant guy. Which isn't really fair. But he can't be that great in this film, or surely I'd remember literally anything about it.








An American Werewolf in London

One of the best films ever. I know every moment of this film, inside and out. Every music cue. Every edit. Every sudden, horrifying shock. Every moment of Jenny Agutter's beautiful, luminous face. 

When we got our first family video recorder, back in the early 80s, we recorded this off BBC1. And I watched it dozens and dozens of times. I suspect I'm not alone, and that a generation of horror fans developed their love for this movie on a wobbly Betamax tape, along with Halloween 2 and maybe the odd Elm Street film. 

Doom laden, hilarious, sad and sexy, this film is all the flavours. It absolutely should not work. An American director hitting the small notes of life in England perfectly. A terrifying film that's also really funny. Ridiculous, outlandish situations taking place in a world that makes complete logical sense. 

A masterpiece, and part of my soul forever. 

Amores Perros

I sought this film out back in the days when I would scour Empire magazine for inspiration, and basically do whatever it told me to do. Empire said this film was great, and so I chased immediately after it. 

They were not wrong. It's an ambitious and layered film, with a lot to say. It's also visceral and exciting. I don't re-watch it often, mostly because it has subtitles and who can be bothered reading? 

Man, I've got lazier as I've got older. 

Anchorman

Both Anchorman films are in my collection, and with good reason. The original is, clearly, fantastic and has become a cornerstone of 21st century film comedy. Watching it is like watching a compilation reel of memes. The sequel isn't as good, obviously, but I was still surprised by how much I liked it, and how often I quoted it afterwards. 

Glass cage of emotion. I was in love once. Can't you see I'm blind? That doesn't make sense. I'm Ron Burgundy?







Annie Hall

It seems redundant to say how influential and funny this film is. Or to say how much everyone hates Woody Allen these days, I suppose. But this remains an amazingly sharp piece of work that everyone should see. 

It's very much of its time, but that's appropriate for something which is a) an existential document of the human condition and b) a piece of film history which defined so much of what came afterwards. 

Another Earth

Weird little movie that I think I like, but am not sure. It's very beautiful and meditative, and the central premise is very interesting. Another Earth appears. It is exactly like ours, in every minute detail, up to the point of contact, where things start to diverge.

I was sad they didn't play more with the possibility that we could be watching alternate scenes from the two parallel Earths. Or maybe they were, and I was just too dim to pick up on it.

I was also sad that they didn't have Cybermen, like in the Doctor Who story "The Tenth Planet", which has the same essential premise. But I guess that's 'art' for you.








Ant Man / Ant Man and the Wasp

Two great Marvel films, that I enjoyed a great deal. Yes, I would have liked to have seen Edgar Wright's take on the first. But they're both light on their feet and driven by great set pieces that make the most of the premise. 

Plus, how great is Paul Rudd? The casting of the leads has been mostly excellent in the MCU. 

My copy of the first film is conspicuous by its absence from my shelf. Which means I have lent it to someone, probably at the end of an evening, where I will have been spilling wine everywhere and shouting "You simply must borrow this! Take it! It's great!"

If you have it, please give it back. 

Apocalypse Now

I first saw this in Bradford in 1996, in a 70mm print. It was glorious, and I liked it big time. It's a film whose reputation proceeds it, which can make it hard to truly appreciate. But when watching it, the power of the film-making is undeniable.

I showed this to a bunch of friends one night at my house. I was full of caveats beforehand, about how it was really long and quite slow, and how its reputation as a war film was perhaps not a great indicator of the more meditative experience they were about to have. 

I needn't have bothered. They all loved it. I underestimated the smell of napalm in the morning, somehow conveyed through light and sound. 

Argo

Can't remember anything about this. I bought it because it won an Oscar, which is stupid because I generally don't like Oscar films. In my opinion, the Academy tend to reward worthy messages rather than good film making. And they really like worthy messages about how great media people are, and how sexy they are, and how the world would be loads better if people working in the Film Industry were finally recognised for how cool they are.

I don't remember not liking it. But it clearly hasn't made a mad impression on me. I should probably give it another go. But when you go to the shelf and this is there, and John Wick is also there, it's hard to stick to such a resolution.




Previously - (About a Boy to All About Eve)

Next - (Armageddon to Awakenings)