Buffy ,'First Date'
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
I found it too self-aware to be successful.
Oh, I understand. I've seen very little Freaks and Geeks but it had struck me as a conventionally made drama about mundane incidents, rather than a drama striving for a fly-on-the-wall-look-into-the-lives-of-people-waiting-for-bus feel. Do you feel the same way about everything that is aiming for realism, like, say, The Office?
ETA. Sorry for sounding like a questionnaire
I have only seen one of those (Brokeback), and it's not that big a release, is it?
Not yet -- it goes wide mid-January. (It's in limited release right now for Oscar qualification.)
Do you feel the same way about everything that is obviously aiming for realism
No, only the ones that miss. :)
Millie and the basset hound! Love!
I can't see Narnia or Kong winning anything but tech awards, especially after last year's LotR sweep.
That was two years ago, though, right?
I mean, it is playing at the Harvard Theatre, which is usually a sign that it does not have Art House Wait For DVD tattooed on its forehead, but it's not playing on 2500 screens either.
I keep reading reports that it's going to open in wide release soon. Anyone know if that's ever going to happen? [Edit: x-post!] It's gotten so much press, it seems to me, that I'm surprised it hasn't opened everywhere already. Anyway, that's my pick for this year's biggest award-sweeper (unless Kong or Narnia sweep the technical awards).
That was two years ago, though, right?
Well if you're going to be all accurate about it, sure...
Does Brokeback have to be in wide release to be a shoo-in? It's certainly a critical fave.
I don't think KK or Narnia will win; but I think they are likely nominees and in a different year, would win by default. YMMV.
As far as Brokeback, I didn't even know it wasn't in wide release. Probably my coastal myopia. I went to see it Sunday night after it had been out for three weeks here and the 9:15 showing was sold out at least 30 minutes in advance; the 10:15 looked to be sold out as well.* I looked at a bunch of critics' year-end wrapups to make the list and every one discussed Brokeback. So it seems like it's big here in Chelsea, but maybe NSM in Peoria.
*Not that I'm denying that it being a holiday, the night before a likely holiday, and the only theater showing the movie in Chelsea had something to do with that.
Does Brokeback have to be in wide release to be a shoo-in?
Oh, I agree that it's probably a shoo-in. But I think it's too early to call it a "big movie" when most of the country hasn't had a chance to turn it down.
I saw Brokeback on a random weekday and it was annoyingly full.
Speaking of annoying, I tried to read the Village Voice's critics' poll thingy, but I had never heard of 90% of the stuff they were talking about. Let me see if I can find my "favorite" quote.... Got it!
Andrew Bujalski has got to be the most interesting young director of actors since Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thanks, J. Hoberman. That was superhelpful.
Speaking of annoying, I tried to read the Village Voice's critics' poll thingy
It was nice to see Charles Taylor's predictably odd-ball selection, though.
BBC's 2005 Best Of which kinda bleeds into 2004.
Brokeback's 4th week:
In limited release, Brokeback Mountain remained the champ as it took in $4.8 million over the four days in just 269 theaters, averaging $17,702 per screen. (Daily Variety observed that the figure was up an "amazing" 61 percent from the previous week, although it added only 52 theaters)