I started this blog the day after leaving my last job, about a month and a half ago. This Friday morning, I got the call – start Monday. Impact on the blog, or my viewing schedule? Time will tell. In the meantime, here’s how I spent the rest of the day:
11:30 HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (David Yates, 2011). Unimpeachably adequate, and that goes for the whole franchise (too much invested for it to be either better or worse). That’s not to suggest that pleasing most of the people most of the time is easy, or to begrudge anyone the joy, wonderment etc they claim to have derived from this Michael McIntyre of a saga; but nothing about Harry’s last hurrah put me in a remotely sentimental mood, and while I wouldn’t go as far as “good riddance”, nor can I muster the interest for a backward glance.
15:25 CELL 211 (Daniel Monzon, 2009). No surprise that Hollywood’s snapped up the remake rights to this Spanish prison thriller; it feels like Monzon’s calling card to their neck of the woods as it is. And good luck to him, he knows how not to pull a punch, and makes the most of his cracking “new guard gets caught in riot, poses as inmate to survive” concept. SPOILER: doesn’t force a feelgood ending that would’ve flown in the face of everything else. Refreshing.
19:00 BATMAN LIVE. First paid preview (though not for me – cheers, See Film First) for this stage extravaganza, and very whoop-worthy it is too; they play fair by the Caped Crusader and his world, deliver on the spectacle (Batmobile, animated backdrops, the Flying Graysons), and keep it family-friendly without making the fanboys fidget. None of yer Spiderman showtunes here; still, “family-friendly” is only technically a compliment in my book, so…
22:10 HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN (Jason Eisener, 2011). Ah, there we go. The ironic quote marks within which this grindhouse pastiche operates shouldn’t overshadow its Rodriguez-worthy cartoon exuberance and invention, its glee in almost-literal dead baby humour (the bad guys board a school bus with a flame-thrower and let rip, just to prove they mean business), or the best use of Rutger Hauer since, well, I’ll leave that to anyone who’s kept up with his post-Hitcher career. Continues to see – and do – things you people wouldn’t believe.
That was a good day. Saturday, I got drunk.