Walking to my car after the screening, the first thing I said to my friend was, "Well, that was terrifically entertaining...." The urge to add the "but" was not literally overwhelming, though I do think the ellipses were audible in my voice.
Toy Story 3 versus Tangled. Human interaction versus spectacle. Who is tired of movies about misunderstood villains, and who is making a new year's resolution to watch less previews? The ladies speak up for Scott Pilgrim and The Social Network. Scott Pilgrim gets compared to True Grit, Winter's Bone gets compared to Made in Dagenham, and Inception gets compared to....Titanic?!?!?!
In podcasting about my personal favorites for 2010, I asked my friend Peter Waldron, "When did 'entertaining' become a backhanded compliment?" I did--and do--see a schism on my list between heavier, more prestigious films and lighter but still well executed fare.
The shots of Venice were dazzlingly beautiful in The Tourist. I would really love to visit that city some day. That's not much of a compliment for the film, though, is it?
Which do you trust more: a gushing rave from a person who went into a film enthusiastic to begin with, or grudging respect from a skeptical viewer who had to be won over?
Home runs hit with two strikes count the same as home runs that leave the park on the first swing.
Funny thing, though, once the film exonerates Lomborg from the mutually exclusive charges that he is a feckless idiot providing ammunition for those who would fiddle while the world burns and a knowing hypocrite who lies for a living, it actually settles down into an interesting, thought-provoking, and useful examination of the pros and cons of various approaches for dealing with global climate change.
Want to know how Robert Altman got started in making films? What does Cameron Crowe consider his most compelling film? Does Martin Scorsese think the film industry will survive? Is Spike Lee's approach to dealing with actors the same as George Lucas's?
“You know, you can’t make a movie about war and occupation without it being about other wars and other occupations."
Fresh on the heels of winning the Cadillac People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, Tom Hooper's The King's Speech is set to be a gala presentation at AFI Fest. My write up of the film for AFI FEST NOW is now up at that site.
