15 May 2011
Movie week, days 7, 8, and 9: Four Lions, Blank City, Bridesmaids
Four Lions [ 4/5 | IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes ]
Suicide bomber slapstick. The bumbling stupidity--and its crude implication that criminals are dumb--is redeemed by the deeper characterizations given the two brothers in the group. The lead's relationship with his wife and son is moving and absurd. Wonderful final scenes.
Blank Ciy [ 4/5 | IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes ]
Documentary about experimental films from the 70s and 80s NYC, specifically the No Wave and Cinema of Transgression movements. This is a must-see for any cinephies, especially those who love avant garde art. Notable: The Blank Generation, The Foreigner, Vortex, Minus Zero, Permanent Vacation, Wild Style. My initial search for these films on DVD brought up nothing. Links of interest:
- NO WAVE CINEMA on Mubi - extensive list of films
- Cinema of Transgression on UbuWeb via Bad Lit - video streams, a couple of the films were in Blank City
- No Wave Cinema on Indiepix - DVDs now out of print
- YouTube search - many of the films split up. I'll start piecing them together into playlists.
Bridesmaids [ 4/5 | IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes ]
I thought I'd purchased tickets for the simulcast of the Met's Die Walkure at Fork and Spoon. I had not. Plan B was Bridesmaids. This really is the tour de force of Kristen Wiig that everyone is saying it is. At times more disgusting than any guy flick, yet Kristen's scenes with her love interest, her best friend/bride, and her mother were amazing examples of comedy dialog.
- Movie week, days 4, 5, and 6 posted by sstrader on 23 June 2012 at 10:20:06 AM
- Movie week, days 1, 2, and 3 posted by sstrader on 20 June 2012 at 12:30:09 AM
- Movie week, days 7, 8, and 9: Four Lions, Blank City, Bridesmaids posted by sstrader on 15 May 2011 at 5:22:40 PM
- Movie week, days 5 and 6: Out of the Past; The Four Musketeers posted by sstrader on 12 May 2011 at 6:21:37 PM
- Movie week, day 4: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 posted by sstrader on 10 May 2011 at 8:27:52 PM