Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I'd heard this was surprisingly good.  I see now that this must be placed in context with how awful it was expected to be.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
2012, 105 minutes, directed by Timur Bekmambetor

An Adventure in Space and Time

This made-for-TV BBC movie dramatizes the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who, from the creation of the series through his departure, primarily from the point of view of Verity Lambert, the show's original producer, and from the good Doctor himself.  I found the series surprisingly well done; they went to good effort to recreate the early sets, costumes, and looks, now cheesingly-shot in glorious HD.  If anything distracted me, it was the appearance of Matt Smith in one scene, which was simultaneously an anachronism for the 1960s and dating what would otherwise be a "timeless" story to the 2010s.  Obviously it's not interesting unless you're a fan of early Doctor Who, but if you are and want more meta in the stories, grab one of the many repeats and enjoy it.

An Adventure in Space and Time
2013, 90 minutes, directed by Terry McDonough

Child of God

Fantastic Fest's legendary secret screenings provide opportunity to screen horrible films I'd never voluntarily walk in to see.  This time, though, it's James Franco's latest experiment, a biopic tale of a very sad, shy & mentally impaired man in the 1930s, descending into madness as the rural society of Sevier County, Tennessee, rejects him.

It's a really, really good film.  It really is.  But its also sad, creepy, and depressing, and speaks to our nation's - or species' - atrocious history of treating mental illness.  Much of the glory of this masterpiece has to be placed at the feet of Scott Haze, whose portrayal of Lester Ballard is outstanding.

Child of God
2013, 104 minutes, directed by James Franco

Django: Unchained

The Alamo's new assigned-seat process frustrates me.  They've chosen now to cater exclusively towards people who can plan to see a film 12 or more hours ahead, which is rarely possible for me, or towards people willing to sit on the front row, which I am not.  Sure, they can cater to whoever they wish, but I can still be frustrated about it.

The only film with a decent available seat today was Django: Unchained.  It's Quentin Tarantino, which means it's gross, vile, sick, base, revolting.  So, you must set this aside.  Push all of that below you, and rise up to the surface.  From there, enjoy the beauty of the waves.

Django: Unchained
2012, 165 minutes, directed by Quentin Tarantino

Hugo

I read a few reviews of this last week - and I agree with them all.  It deliberately stays very real where it could become farcical.  Yes, the inspector is rather out of place in this otherwise grounded story, but it's not to the point of distracting from enjoyment of the story.

Hugo in 3D
2011, 126 minutes, directed by Martin Scorcese

The Patriot

As I would expect, had I ever cared enough to ponder, this made-for-feel-good movie hits every cliche it can.  Of course he gives all for his country in its fight for freedom.  Of course there's a former slave who earns the respect of his white brethren.  Of course his biggest nemesis is a tangential character who can be dealt with without upsetting the historical balance.

It was all there, but the substance - the meaning - was gone.

The Patriot
2000, 165 minutes, directed by Roland Emmerich

Flawless

(Note that I saw this Wednesday night, after Bananaz, Wellness, and Goliath. This review, like all the others, is based on notes taken during the screening. Pay no attention to the date when I finally get around to posting it.)

Finally, after a day of disappointment, here's a film that deserves praise. The story about a 1960s robbery of a De Beers knockoff is a bit predictable, but I really liked the cinematography, filmed in a style that makes it look like a period movie. The movie is set as a flashback from present-day, and halfway through the film I was wishing they hadn't told me how it ends, wanting to be surprised by the finish. I'm pleased to say that I was. This is definitely worth a screening to the sophisticated film crowd.

Flawless
2007, 108 minutes, directed by Michael Radford

21

My second film of SXSW was the opening night screening, a big-studio production premiering just before its theatrical release. 21 is loosely based on the book Bringing Down the House, about the MIT blackjack team that took Vegas for millions. They made some drastic changes as Hollywood is prone to do - added a Harvard Medical motivation so the main driver isn't "merely" greed, and rewrote the love angle - but I found it surprisingly good. The screenwriters had a strong story to start from, and their flourishes didn't didn't detract from the rich, lively plot.

21
2008, 123 minutes, directed by Robert Luketic

There Will Be Blood

Once again the Alamo Drafthouse DHCP server suffered under the strain of 200+ movie fans trying desperately to blog and read about the movies they've seen during a fantastic week of Fantastic Fest. With the festival behind me, I can try to get back to the usual routines of work and home. Don't expect many film reviews in the next few weeks. ;-)

Last night's closing night feature was There Will Be Blood from director Paul Thomas Anderson, in its first public screening. As historical fiction based on an Upton Sinclair novel about the early 1900s American oil industry, this isn't exactly on-genre for the festival. Tim League in his introduction simply called it a "fantastic film". Still, it seemed to play well with the audience. After the movie during the brief Q&A, the director referred to it as part horror, with a vision of Dracula in the lead character. Maybe.

This is an art film in many senses. It's releasing at the end of December to be in prime share for Oscar nominations. It doesn't have a single word of dialog for the first 10 minutes of the film, and then 90% of the dialog is from the main character. Anyone who goes to it based on the title will be disappointed, and half the people who perhaps would go based on the story will be confused by the title.

All of this said, I thought parts of the movie were very slow. There were too many scenes with little to no sound at all, and with the on-screen action moving at a snail's pace. I think judicious cutting of 10-15 minutes would improve the flow, especially during the first half of the film. Leave all the scenes intact - just shorten them.

I watch this kind of film on PBS when I'm balancing the checkbook. I don't go see it in the theater. If you like this genre, go and enjoy the film.

There Will Be Blood
2007, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson