Habitually Viewing - Febuary 7 to March 8


Only three Netflix rentals a week, but Rome is taking a while

I'm still working my way through Rome, that is one extra dense miniseries. The contrasting situations are really good. The obvious one of course is between Julius Caesar and Octavian, but the one between Cleopatra and Octavia is pretty good too. Despite the circumstances where she enters the story, Cleopatra is a Player and manages to hold her own against both the elder Caesar and Mark Antony. Poor Octavia on the other hand is destined to always be a pawn in someone else's game. I think my favorite moment in the whole series so far was when the younger Caesar (Octavian) called Mark Antony on his behavior and Antony realized for the very first time that he wasn't the smartest guy in the room with the best hand.

If I have an objection to this series, it's in the featurettes on the last disc of the first season. Our society isn't quite so far removed from ancient Rome as the actors would have you believe. The smug sense of moral superiority does not contrast well with the story.

Then there is The Seventh Victim, which may be a sequel or a prequel to the classic The Cat People. Unfortunately, much of the film was cut before release and what is left is a bit of a mess. There are some polished facets though, the bit where the apartment is opened for the first time, the subway sequence, and the very end. Chalk this one up in the almost category.

A Boy and His Dog is a classic of the post-apocolyptic science fiction school. Oddly enough, I'd never seen it. It stars a very young Don Johnson in one of his better roles. Between the telepathic dog and the underground society, I don't know which is a better commentary on modern society. The ending, well, I think it works in context but I see why people were offended.

I'm adding Seven Days in May to my Cold War classics shelf. That makes about nine films that taken together, paint a truer picture of the times than history itself. Even if you aren't thrilled with the storyline, it's a John Frankenheimer film with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Frederick March. Pay particular attention to the press briefing near the end of the film (yes, monitor TVs used to be that big). The staging on this one is marvelous. Well worth it.

Imagine Me & You is a throwaway romantic comedy, good for a bit but not great. I thought that Anthony Head was terribly miscast and I was all set to dismiss this film, Then came the birthday cake scene. Subtle and absolutely devastating, and Head pulled it off perfectly. This is one film where the supporting roles were better than the "leads." Pay attention to the younger sister too.

Posted: Thu - March 11, 2010 at 09:25 AM
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