Movie Log

There is a mild pandemic in town, so our two young boys' schools have been temporarily closed.  As a result, the wife and I are taking turns stepping out of this monkey cage of an apartment as these boys are figuratively and literally swinging from the rafters..  I took a turn and headed to the nearly empty IMAX in 2D for a showing of 1917.  I decided to get close to the action and sit 6 rows from the screen, but that was a bit too near since most of the shots contained a lot of close action, which blurred so close to the screen.  I soon adapted to the situation, and kept my seat, even though there were a plethora of other seats to choose from.  I do recommend sitting toward the back of center for this film if seen in IMAX. I think the single-shot aspect of this film was done quite well, which I thought might make or break the action of the film.  I suspected while watching the movie that if I hadn't known going into the cinema that it was a single shot, ...

Danger has some time off this week so we ditched the kids at their schools and went off to see Little Women.  Surprisingly enough, it was my suggestion to see this one, with the help of Finch, who suggested that I would like it.  I did like it. I was engrossed in the story, and never found myself wondering what I was doing sitting in the dark with melodrama playing out in front of me.  I quite liked the main theme of family and friends striving to help one another through their struggles in life, while ultimately leaving the final onus on the individual to resolve the problem.   I liked the actress playing "Amy" since she has a quiet confidence about her.   Going in cold to the film, I too was elated when the father finally arrived home since it revealed the great Bob Odenkirk.

Fingers crossed, I headed to Birds of Prey with Finch and D.  I was a bit apprehensive since DC had flubbed a few big budget movies lately, trying to play Marvel's game.  There was a lot of potential for another "whiffer" based on my only knowledge of the film -- the poster. Once the move was rolling along, I was able to relax.  It looks like DC have found their niche for these times and have regained their stride, not forgetting that DC have been the original hero film winners with Superman then Batman then Batman again. The actors did a nice job of creating a playful but ultimately menacing tone.  The lines of good and bad are refreshingly blurred; or folded, ripped, thrown through the wash and left to hang up and dry.  A favorite visual for me is the glitter grenades.  As terrible as it is, I can't stop from laughing each time one hits.

Finch is still engrossed on his hob at the radio, so I don't see him much these days.  It's an evening program that he hosts so at 9am on the phone, we decided to see a 9:30 show of Star Wars; the Rise of Skywalker. Although some think Star Wars plots are too simple, they are an epic series of Herculean tasks: attain this thing so we can blow up this thing so we can blow up some thing or some bad guy.  This trail of epic endeavours lends itself to massive imaginative variance of setting and the stunning visuals that result as the chacters progress through their cut and dry trials of good vs. evil. Another aspect that I enjoyed is that since Lucas no longer holds the reins, the characters can take themselves less seriously and some laughs emerge from the icons of this epic.

Of course I went to see Ford Vs. Ferrari.  I already knew the story, but was looking forward to seeing and more importantly, hearing the massive 60's engines in cinema sound.  The sound did not disappoint and the treatment of filming the cockpit, although absurd as some parts was inviting in others.  The racing was exciting and it was interesting to have a cinematic experience of very similar shots of real life, high speed, close racing.  Even if the film is too formulaic for you, the Ford GT40 and less in the spotlight but none the less, the Ferrari 330P3 are incredible monsters brought to life on the screen.  The harsh values of E. Ferrari are accurately portrayed with the final hat tip in the end.