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Month: May 2006

Six toes

As Neo-Victorian morality dramas go, the superheroics were pretty good. The intrepid examiner of social mores as viewed through the lens of Hollywood blockbusters might wish to keep a running tally of the number of times females are depicted as safer without their powers.

The plot was thin, the acting was fairly vaporous (except for Pyro, who was suitably adolescent), the love triangles were unconvincing, and the ethical dilemmas… Professor Xavier displayed little angst over his hard decision, Wolverine was completely willing to use a weapon he’d been horrified by as soon as an opportunity presented itself, and Iceman was just a jerk. Power’s there to be used, apparently.

Overall, the word “vapid” comes to mind.

Panda

S. and W. are here, which means it’s time to kick off my film club down at the Coolidge. I’m gonna try and run about once a month; it needs to be a weekday night, because it’s hard to get the screening room on weekends. Optimal nights for me are Wednesday and Thursday; if you have a preference, express it now.

So the question arises: what’s a good kickoff movie? Imma break it down into some categories, and y’all tell me where your yearnings lead you. Or suggest something else.

A non-exhaustive list of things I might do: Hong Kong action, 80s or 90s, maybe John Woo, maybe Johnny To. Classic drama: Noir? Gangsters? Asian art house — Wong Kar Wai, or something from Korea, or Thailand. J-horror. Yakuza flicks — either Takashi Miike’s transgressive stuff, or maybe something from Kinji Fukasaku’s portfolio. I have a slew of old comedies and I’ll be tempted to throw a Buster Keaton short in no matter what.

Thoughts?

Towards a theory

Holidays, New England style:

  • MLK Day — nothing special
  • President’s Day — nothing special
  • Patriot’s Day — the Boston Marathon & Red Sox
  • Easter — nothing special
  • Memorial Day — spend five hours driving to the Cape
  • July 4th — Boston Pops on the Esplanade
  • Labor Day — spend five hours driving to the Cape
  • Halloween — Salem
  • Thanksgiving — Plimouth Plantation
  • Christmas — Christmas Revels
  • New Year’s Eve — First Night

That’s all the cheese I can think of off the top of my head. What’s missing?