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May 4, 2011
Ephemera 12
I'm off to Baltimore tomorrow, where Pioneer is one of the opening night films of the Maryland Film Festival. This is one of my very favorite festivals in the country, and as usual, the programming is impeccable. No shots in the dark here; there's no way I can see everything that I want to see. One thing I definitely will see, though, is the big-screen presentation of The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. This is one of those classics I've still never laid eyes to, even though my brother gave it to me on blu-ray for Christmas, so being introduced to it on 35mm at the Charles Theater is too good an opportunity to pass up.
In the meantime, some other things:
- In LA last week, I finally caught up with Meek's Cutoff, which I loved but for the ending. It may be the right ending, but I haven't quite reconciled with it - nor do I really feel the need to. I'm willing to let it be a sore spot. The quality of the cinematography, in terms of both lighting and the boxy composition, more than made up for it.
- Another movie with an abrupt ending that pissed me off was Martha Marcy May Marlene. It was one of the few times I've ever felt like yelling at the screen in frustration, but there's no denying that, in this case, it was the right ending, and it just made me admire the movie even more. It plays in Cannes in a few weeks, opens in the US in the fall, and the official trailer just came out.
- I saw a double feature of Scream 4 and Fast Five last week, too, and let me tell you, that was an awesome night at the movies. Scream 4 was surprisingly really good. That whole bit where Hayden Pannettiere frantically (ecstatically) lists that litany of horror remakes elevated the entire thing by quite a few notches.
- That non-diagetic whale sound used so prominently at a certain point in Hanna is the exact same one we used in St. Nick. I used to feel so proprietary about sound effects, but now I'm a sucker for library sounds. Am I just getting lazy?
- Speaking of 35mm, my traveling schedule of course ensures that I'm going to miss all the best Summer Classics series at the Paramount Theater over the next few months. Why does McCabe & Mrs. Miller have to be during the LA Film Festival? Is the LA Film Festival worth skipping? That on the big screen is the only movie I want to see this summer.
Posted by David Lowery at May 4, 2011 4:35 PM