Burnout Blues
Now Playing: Hands... getting... heavy...
So I've gotten pretty burned out lately from writing about just about everything I see, even if I stick to informal 300-word posts. I understand that some other online folks have no problem doing this, but right now I'm just not feeling it anymore. So to all my regular readers (Jason, Chris, Jim, Kevin, Matt, Mike, Erik- anybody else, if I've forgotten you, sorry), I'd like to announce that I'm going to be cutting back again for the time being. I'll try to write tiny little pieces on the new stuff, and anything else when the mood strikes me, but I'm not the proverbial tube of toothpaste and it's getting harder and harder to squeeze out reviews. If I feel like writing something longer, I will. If I don't feel like writing about a film, don't take it personally- it'll still show up (with a rating) on my screening log.

On this note... some films I've viewed recently:

THE RING TWO (2005, Hideo[us] Nakata)- sparing no expense to create weird imagery is not the same as crafting a creepy movie. Largely missing in the atmosphere that made its Hollywood predecessor a semi-pleasant surprise; Nakata is clearly no Gore Verbinski. Naomi Watts gives her least interesting performance since her pre-MULHOLLAND days- she was lousy in 21 GRAMS, yes, but over-the-top beats listless any day. Studios, if you're going to make a sequel, try coming up with an interesting title instead of just "HIT MOVIE 2" so we can pretend it's not just for money. Rating: *.

AFTER DARK, MY SWEET (1990, James Foley)- a cracking good example of what I call Sucker Noir- a poor sucker backs into a situation that spins out of control, despite (or sometimes because of) his efforts. The filmmakers trust the story enough to take their time letting it unfold, and when it all comes tumbling down on Collie (Jason Patric) it's all the more effective for being understated. Both Patric and Foley remains sadly undervalued by Hollywood due to some subpar work, but when they get something meaty they're both great. Rating went up half a star during the film's final five minutes, which are wonderfully tense. Rating: ***1/2.

BAD EDUCATION (2004, Pedro Almodovar)- Pedro's noir-inflected latest film isn't quite as awesome as TALK TO HER, but still highly enjoyable. The director's usual knack for strange set pieces is kept largely in check here, but this isn't really that kind of film anyway- with narratives within narratives, a "Shrinking Lover"-style detour would most likely be too much for most people. In what amounts to a triple role, Gael Garcia Bernal hasn't been this good since, like, ever, with bonus points for actually looking pretty hot in drag (a little like Julia Roberts, but less equine). Alberto Iglesias' Herrmann-inflected score is a standout. One petty gripe: not enough Javier Camara. Rating: ***.

MODEL SHOP (1969, Jacques Demy)- Demy's Hollywood excursion (and the latest Secret Cinema selection) is the third in a sort of trilogy with LOLA and THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG- while CHERBOURG found LOLA's sad-faced romantic Roland some years down the line, MODEL SHOP discovers Lola herself, now living in Los Angeles. The opening shot, another of Demy's patented long pullbacks (see also: BAY OF ANGELS) reeled me in instantly, but what really got to me was the deliberately non-naturalistic dialogue (for example, "I'm afraid of death, I just realized that now"), which just as easily could have been song lyrics in another Demy film. The dynamic between Lola/Cecile (Anouk Aimee again) and George (Gary Lockwood) is a quintessentially Demy-esque setup, two people who find each other but who know it can't last; George is deep down a romantic and he's just been drafted, Lola has been burned by her man in the big Cadillac and isn't looking for love, particularly on the eve of her move back to France. Also an awesome L.A. film, with lots of driving around and listening to music, a kind of warts'n'all valentine to the City of Angels ("lots of people hate L.A., but I love it"). In a way, the film that the movie-drunk Demy was working toward all through his sixties work. Rating: ***1/2.