Week 36

Introduction

While I've managed to keep things to single-week entries for a fair while now, I suspect it'll be back to double-weekers for at least next week. I'm off to New York for 8 days, y'see (also explaining why this entry is ever so slightly earlier than usual), and my film watching is likely to be minimal. Though there's a cinema right near the apartment, so you never know. Maybe I'll finally see The Bourne Ultimatum...

By-the-by, those musings I mentioned back in Week 34 (about the IMDb Top 250) have completely gone from my mind. I have absolutely no idea what they were. And so now neither will you. Ho hum...


Week Thirty-Six

This week is an unusually short one. Normally I'd just carry it over into the next entry, but one very important thing stops me...

I've reached 100!

Hurrah! And, as predicted, I'm there well before the end of the year! In fact, there's only just shy of a third of it left, meaning that my average viewing has me hitting 145 by year's end. Quite a bit more than 100, clearly. Of course, the spacious summer weeks are now giving way to term time work, so quite how well that whole average thing will work out is another matter entirely.

But, for now -- 100! Whoo! And I specially picked a pretty momentous film to view in celebration of the achievement. In film terms, you'd struggle to find any more significant than... well, read on, and you'll see!


99) Starter For Ten (2006, Tom Vaughan, DVD) 2/5
A predictable British rom-com, enlivened only by a few good moments and performances, as well as the excellent '80s soundtrack. You'd assume the plot would focus on the characters' aim to win University Challenge, coupled with a woefully predictable romantic subplot; sadly, it turns out the woefully predictable romance is the main plot and the quiz only turns up now and then to lend some structure. The final contest is almost entirely devoid of tension thanks to this and the other conclusions hold no surprises. McAvoy is likable, though held back by Brian's near-unbearable ignorance about life. The best performances come from Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall, both actors worth watching.

100) Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles, DVD) 5/5
Yes, that's right: I'm a film buff and I've never seen Citizen Kane. I think this is a good occasion to have saved it for though. But I digress -- what of the film itself; the film often voted Best Ever in countless polls? Certainly, a lot of its fame rests on its innovations -- the frequently ambitious camera work, the non-linear narrative, the multiple perspectives, the 'trick' beginnings, the dramatic lighting, the expansive sets... Not all of these are truly new (European art cinema and silent movies generally got to some first), but Welles can be credited for bringing some of it to the Hollywood mainstream; and even then, there's enough truly new to justify the praise. A lot of it may be commonplace now, or at least widely imitated, but viewed in light of the limitations of the time it is frequently breathtaking. It isn't just technically marvellous though: the story is moderately complex, telling and re-telling itself from various perspectives, framing recollections of Kane's life within a 'present day' quest to find the meaning behind his final words. The jumps demand the viewer's attention even today, the full story slowly coming together... even though it's almost all given to you in a 10-minute fake newsreel at the start! Welles' performance is exceptional, depicting Kane as he grows from a young reckless newspaper editor into an aged recluse. He's aided by effective make-up (looking remarkably like Welles himself would later in life), but its his performance from under it that shows the real differences. There's a lot more to be said about Kane (much of it already has, of course), and you don't need me to tell you that if you're a film fan this is required viewing. But even if you're a 'Normal Person' I'd recommend it; I can't guarantee you'll like it, but you might well be surprised.