Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The Counselor
—I watched “The Counselor” (DVD) yesterday, wondering how I’d missed it in theaters.  A film based on a Cormac McCarthy novel, directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, and Brad Pitt ought to be great.  Not at all. There’s just not much good to say about it. The landscape was attractive before it was blood-splattered. Some of the people are beautiful but no one seems to relate to anyone else. There’s a moral toward the end that I think was announced, but I lost interest and my mind was somewhere else. As if the stabbings, shootings, and decapitation weren’t enough, there’s even a sex scene that’s just as uncomfortable as the one in “The Paperboy”. This is just bad.  Run from it.

[2013. 117 min. Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Cormac McCarthy. Starring Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/24/the-counselor-review-ridley-scott

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Rich Hill, and
Happy Valley
— I braved the slippery sidewalks and roads to see two more True/False films: Missouri-based “Rich Hill” which won Sundance’s grand jury prize, and “Happy Valley” which focused on the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State sexual-abuse case. Both were good, but I think “The Overnighters” was my favorite of the nine films I saw.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

The Overnighters,
The Unknown Known, and
Private Violence
— Saw three really great films today before the first hint of drizzle arrived and the forecast of sleet and freezing rain, turning to 7-10 inches of snow sent scurrying home with a stop at the store for comfort foods. I’m so glad all three films today were winners: “The Overnighters”, “The Unknown Known”, and “Private Violence”.