Update

Okay, so I started off the year with great intentions but we all know which road that leads down. I had made a resolution to myself to try to post more frequently and regularly -- but that was before work commitments became even more demanding. We're in the home stretch of a two-year project and while we are making progress, there's still a huge amount of work to be done. I get home and am exhausted and there's still stuff to be done. And basically, once out of the office, I turn into a lazy lump and want nothing more to either watch TV (having cable after all these years is like someone on a diet being locked in a fully-stocked bakery with freshly made goods) or playing video games. Anything but having to use my brain. And on the rare occasions when I try to sit down to write something -- most times I'm not able to spew out more than five words before it all goes to mush.

Seriously, there were days when I felt I couldn't string 2 sentences together. (Obviously, today is not one of them.) I don't really get out to see too many movies; again it comes down to being lazy. I got spoiled living in NYC and being able to go during the day. And as a critic, you could pretty much expect that there would be a 6pm screening somewhere. In the real world, movies start later and that's a problem for me. I want to head out after work -- but if I go home -- well then I'm sucked into a black hole of inertia. Also, a lot of the types of films I really like -- especially foreign ones -- don't make it up here except to play "special engagements" -- that is, 3 or 4 days -- maybe a week tops -- and then they disappear and I have to wait for video. As such, I've become a proponent of VOD which my cable company provides, so I can see movies in the comfort of my home for less than what I'd pay at the theaters.

Even so, I am trying to venture back into the world of movie-going. Stupidly, I'm doing it when the work situation is reaching critical peak -- but I keep hoping that I'll be able to compartmentalize things as I did when I was younger. I put myself through grad school, working a full-time job, attending classes at night, and even doing extra stuff on weekends. It takes a lot of energy and planning -- so we'll see.

In a move that can only be called strange -- Boston has not one but two film festivals occurring simultaneously. The Boston International Film Festival (running April 17 - 26) and the Independent Film Festival Boston (running April 22 - 26). Both have interesting programs and I faced the usual dilemma that almost all film festivals create: Which movies do I see?

I opted for the Independent for a couple of reasons, mostly because it had more movies I really wanted to see. But I have to ask myself what idiot decided that it was okay to have two major festivals during the same time? This city doesn't support film in the manner that it did years ago -- it certainly doesn't in the same way that NYC does. But seriously, the idea of planning these two festivals to overlap would be akin to the Tribeca Festival moving from spring to fall to compete with the New York Film Festival. There's no need for this.

Anyway -- I doubt I'll be posting during the festival -- I'm scheduled to see 7 films -- but I WILL do a wrap-up piece during the week of April 26.

In the meantime, I've been catching up with a host of things -- a few quick reactions.


DOUBT (2008) -- How can a critic offer an opinion on a movie that is basically about making judgments? It's a slippery slope, but this adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's play is well-acted and can spark debates about a myriad of topics, least of all the central mystery of the story. I had my own doubts about Philip Seymour Hoffman in the role of the priest, but he acquited himself nicely. It's the women who dominate though, with Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and especially the magnificent Viola Davis, giving memorable performances. Rating: B+


HEAD ON (1997) -- This was one of the first movies I was assigned to review and whatever I wrote has been lost to the ether. So I revisited it to see if my memories were valid. The film attemptes to capture the psyche of a troubled teenager in Australia. Ari (the charismatic Alex Dimitriades, who I thought was destined to follow in Mel Gibson's footsteps, but who seems to have confined his subsequent work to his native land) is a second-generation Greek struggling to define himself. His solution is to ingest massive amounts of drugs, party and engage in gay sex. There's a self-destructive bent to him and the audience watches as he pursues that route. The movie isn't quite a classic, but it's pretty good. Rating: B-



RACING DAYLIGHT (2007) -- An independent feature comprised of three interconnected stories told from different characters' points of view, RACING DAYLIGHT has a intriguing premise that isn't executed well. Sadie (Melissa Leo) begins to be possessed by the spirit of a Civil War ancestor and starts to re-enact the woman's romance. Co-starring David Straithairn, Jason Downs and Sabrina Lloyd. Rating: C-


THE DUCHESS (2008) -- The true story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and an ancestor of Diana Spencer, THE DUCHESS attempts to find the parallels between the 18th-century figure and her 20th-century descendent. Kiera Knightley tries valiantly to infuse the character with spunk but she is out-acted by co-stars Charlotte Rampling (as her mother), Ralph Fiennes (as her much older husband), Hayley Atwell (as her romantic rival) and Dominic Cooper (as her paramour). It's high-gloss soap opera based on fact with Oscar-winning costumes. Rating: C+


MAN ON WIRE (2008) -- A fascinating documentary about Philip Petit who in 1974 mesmerized New York City and points beyond by walking a wire strung between the newly-opened World Trade Center towers. James Marsh's film is a mix of talking heads, re-enactments and archival footage and photographs and it serves a fitting tribute to the buildings that were attacked and destroyed on September 11, 2001. My first sight of those towers was only a few months after Petit had achieved his "stunt" and for over 20 years I lived in view of them. The film captures the spirit of the times and was one of the best documentaries -- hell, one of the best films -- I've seen in a long time. This is keeper. Rating: A