July 2011 Viewing Log
Brief Thoughts on First Time Viewings for the Month
The Game (David Fincher, 1997)
Dripping in terrific style, and anchored by a great turn by Michael Douglas, the film’s narrative, on a superficial level, may collapse somewhat in its conclusion. I, however, like the idea that the narrative itself is about filmmaking, albeit with a protagonist that is unaware of his situation and thus fighting against that character arc “the game” seeks to facilitate. He is filmed, manipulated and conditioned so thoroughly that the character ends up exactly where he needs to be and doing exactly what “the game” needs him to. Through this interpretation, complaints regarding the implausibility of particular events seem unimportant. A very good thriller.
Paul (Greg Mottola, 2011)
Charmingly executed with fun performances and genre nods, but ultimately very rarely amusing as a comedy, outside of the increasingly reliable Kristen Wiig.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates, 2011)
A palpable sense of dread and emphasis on quiet moments of somberness and tension are this film’s best quality. A thrilling film in its own right, its status as a successful conclusion to an entire series is somewhat more questionable due to the varying degrees of quality and series cohesion of the films leading up to this, though it is a fine send-off in regards to the David Yates mini-era as its own entity.
Little Richard - The Girl Can’t Help It
"This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard."
- Neil Gaiman (via thisissarcasm)
