Day: December 29, 2017

Sunday night will be my first married New Year’s Eve since…Jesus, since ’90. My inclination has always been to stay the hell away from New Year’s Eve celebrations unless, you know, I’ve been invited to a private soiree of some kind, and even then I’m not without reluctance.

From a 12.30.16 piece called “Rookie Revelers”, which conveyed the same thing I say every year: “New Year’s Eve is commonly known among service industry types as ‘amateur night.’ Meaning that people who don’t go out or even drink much are suddenly out on the town, and for the most part spreading the noxious atmosphere of forced gaiety.

“People of character do one of three things on New Year’s Eve: (a) attend a smallish party with friends or hit a nice restaurant — anything but a loud, noisy gathering of any kind; (b) find some secluded spot with a great view of a big city or valley and just settle into the idea of watching distant fireworks and listening to the sounds of far-off honking and whoo-whooing; and/or (c) hit the hay by 1 or 1:30 am, tops.”

Filmmaker friend: Happy new year, man! And many cinematic feasts to come!
HE: Back at you…cheers! Are you a quiet, stay-home-by-the-fire guy on New Year’s Eve, sipping a cup of tea and maybe reading or watching a film? You just don’t seem like a party animal type. I’m sure not.
Filmmaker friend: I am in Mexico, travelling through small rural communities, really. I will be with the kids and my high school pal on New Year’s Eve, and will probably call [a pair of filmmaking friends] and that’s the night!
HE: Sounds good. Auld acquaintance.
Filmmaker friend: I am quite a hermit. Always have been.

I was under an impression that Paramount had decided not to run FYC ads for Alexander Payne‘s Downsizing, given the underwhelming response from critics and (from what I hear) industry audiences. But now they’re running ads on behalf of costar Hong Chau, who’s been nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, the HFPA (Golden Globe awards) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Hollywood Elsewhere, which has run many FYC Paramount ads in years past, would’ve liked to have been in on this. Was I…what, punished for describing her character as “spirited, peg-legged and often hard to understand”? That doesn’t mean an Academy or SAG member couldn’t legitimately say “I liked her performance enough to nominate it.” Hollywood Elsewhere believes in striking performances!

This silent version of Chris Nolan‘s Dunkirk was made by an unnamed guy behind “Like Stories Of Old.” It strikes me as a bit less of a recreation of a silent-era short based on Dunkirk, and a bit more of an attempt to almost parody herky-jerky silent film action and the editing rhythms of the ’20s dramas. What’s the music from? Some highly-regarded film.

Roger Ebert once wrote that “the great movies enlarge us, they civilize us, they make us more decent people.” I’d like everyone reading this to stop what they’re doing for ten seconds, take a breath and ask themselves the following two questions: (a) “Has there ever been a Marvel or a D.C. Comics film that made you feel enlarged, more civilized and more decent after it was over?” and (b) “what 2017 films truly made you feel as Ebert described?”

As much as I adored Lady Bird and have often showered praise, I can’t honestly say that I felt enlarged by it. I didn’t feel the least bit more decent or civilized after seeing Get Out, I can tell you that. Ditto Sean Baker‘s The Florida Project, which affected me in a neighborhoody, human-friendly way but didn’t exactly gobsmack me. Ditto the commendable Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri — a well written, well performed thing that didn’t quite knock me down — and Michael Showalter’s The Big Sick, which I loved from the get-go and is easily among the year’s best.

But I did feel enlarged and civilized by Luca Guadagnino‘s Call Me My Your Name, Darren Aronofsky‘s mother!, Chris Nolan‘s Dunkirk, Olivier Assayas‘ Personal Shopper, Cristian Mungiu‘s Graduation, Matt Reeves‘ War For The Planet of the Apes, Andrey Zvyagintsev‘s Loveless, David Lowery‘s A Ghost Story and by Jake Gyllenhaal‘s performance in David Gordon Green‘s Stronger.

The N.Y. Times and director Floria Sigismondi have posted ten short “frightening” films starring six well-hyped, widely-praised award contenders plus four other fine actors who aren’t really in the conversation. The best efforts, far and away, are “The Mannequin” with Saoirse Ronan and “The Demon Child” with The Florida Project‘s Brooklyn Prince. My third, fourth and fifth favorites are “The Damned” with Jake Gyllenhaal, “The Cannibal” with Timothee Chalamet and “The Possessed” with Nicole Kidman. I didn’t care for “The Psycho Killer” because Daniel Kaluuya smokes a cigarette — a cheap actor’s crutch. Again, the link.

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