More Movie Reactions

I'm up to 9 movies so far.  Here's my impression of the last few.

Keep The Lights On

I loved Ira Sachs' short film from a couple years back called Last Address which was a documentary lovingly showing the audience the last homes of a number of noted NY artists who died of AIDS. So, I knew this guy had a tremendous eye for showing off the beauty of my city. This next film of his, equally sweet and serious, shows off how familiar he is with the life of a gay man. The director made a comment about how he never sees his world on screen, not exactly. I liked the way he told this story of a near decade long relationship between a Danish filmmaker and his publisher partner who has more than a few demons. But then again, don't we all? That's what I liked about this movie - that it managed to show everyday life's ups and downs within this community without over-stylizing or the element of cheese. I'm not sure this will make my list of Sundance favorites but I am glad to have seen it.

Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

This one didn't originally make my list of movies I was going to see, but I added it because a few friends were so pumped for it.  In hindsight I might have gone with my gut here.  Not to begrudge anyone who enjoyed it, but I don't think it's quite for me.  I did, however, think back more than once to Strangers With Candy, just in that they're both cult TV shows whose movie adaptations premiered in the Sundance midnight section at the Library.  What a night that was.  Fewer gross-out shit shots and "auuhgh no they did not just show that" ridiculous violence - but irreverence is irreverence and to each his own.




Marina Abramovic -  The Artist Is Present

I did not see Marina Abromovic's lauded performance art piece at the MoMA but I was strongly cautioned to see it many times by several friends.  As a way of making up for unceremoniously missing it, I figured the least I could do was catch the HBO Films documentary that profiles the life and 40-year career of this at times controversial woman.

I'm not regularly mistaken for a connoisseur of art, outside of film anyway. But that doesn't mean I can't be eerily drawn to a riveting and well-told story.  I would highly recommend this one.