The Wandering Image: August 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Viewing Journal: 8/31/2010

268) DARK CITY
(1998 dir. Alex Proyas) 2nd Viewing: August 31 2010

[theatrical cut]

267) FANTASTIC MR. FOX
(2009 dir. Wes Anderson) 3rd Viewing: August 31 2010

266) SCOTT PILGRIM

VS. THE WORLD
(2010 dir. Edgar Wright) 2nd Viewing: August 31 2010

Monday, August 30, 2010

Viewing Journal: 8/30/2010

265) AVATAR
(2009 dir. James Cameron) 4th Viewing: August 30 2010

Caught the 3Dizzle Special Edition re-release of this at our local IMAX today.

The extra footage neither adds nor takes away anything from the overall experience. It remains an exhilarating piece of event movie escapism. Few directors stage action as fluidly or build worlds as awe-inspiring as James Cameron. Even though he's no stranger to the latest & greatest in filmmaking tech, he's a total classicist at heart when it comes to understanding what makes movies grand & unique; Movement... Kī́nēsis, that old-timey word for motion from which our "cinema" derives.

All hail Jimbo Cameron! Our wizardly futurist of the Big-Screen! King amongst nerds

264) WALKABOUT
(1971 dir. Nicolas Roeg) 2nd Viewing: August 30 2010

#Criterion #Bluray

263) BLOW OUT
(1981 dir. Brian De Palma) 3rd Viewing: August 30 2010

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Viewing Journal: 8/29/2010

262) GREEN ZONE
(2010 dir. Paul Greengrass) Date Seen: August 29 2010

a bizarro neoliberal RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD II

261) CENTURION
(2010 dir. Neil Marshall) Date Seen: August 29 2010

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Viewing Journal: 8/28/2010

260) THE DIRTY DOZEN
(1967 dir. Robert Aldrich) 2nd Viewing: August 28 2010

Got some awesome blu-rays for my birthday yesterday! I had a chance to check this one out early this morning & it remains one of the best WWII films of the 60s + it has the ideal laughably macho tough guy ensemble too.

Cassavetes and Savalas are amusing scene stealers (as always) & Aldrich's directing is as taut as ever. It's a great alternative to current garbage like THE EXPENDABLES and THE A-TEAM reboot. If you haven't seen DIRTY DOZEN yet, do so now.

There are certain shots on the scan of this blu-ray that still look low-res dvd quality, but overall I'd say it's 75% glossy HD transfer.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Viewing Journal: 8/27/2010

Today is my birthday. And this is the song we sing in my household to commemorate the event.

Deep within the womb of time,
a creature thus be born
The seed of life is united with
the egg of tyranny
Gestates forth from within the womb of life
for three-quarter and nigh a year
The creature thus be born!
The creature thus be formed!
And ye of years [your age here] bells will chime!
When the heavens open up and drink from the silver cup
The creature thus be born!
And blow the magic horn!
To alert the spirit deep within the cycle of life.
The creature has begun it's journey deep forlorn,
upon this day which he be formed
In the sea of mucus the spirit rides down from the mountain
and unites with the creature in the womb
A holy union, dark mortality, until the dark mortality
breaks the chain of life
The creature thus be born
And every year raineth down the celebratory tears
A celebration of the years from mere mortal sky

259) THE LAST EXORCISM
(2010 dir. Daniel Stamm) Date Seen: August 27 2010