Go over to Daily Lounge for the Jentleman’s quick take on the state of the Best Picture race.
I promise, there are some irons in the fire and some work to come. In the meantime — my post on the most difficult books to adapt, via DailyLounge.com.
From the Archives: “Comprehending Cameron”
This week, James Cameron’s box-office colussus Titanic was re-released in theaters, fully converted to 3-D. Cameron, the maven of the movie event, has been a subject of fascination for me for a long time, since I’m not sure what it is about his work touches people so deeply. For the re-release of Titanic, I present “Comprehending Cameron,” a little-seen article on what makes Cameron’s films tick that appeared almost a full year ago in the early days of Jentleman Film Journal.
15 April 2011
Comprehending Cameron
The other day, I watched Titanic for what was, incredibly, only the first time – I was a little too young for it when it came out in theaters, and I guess I’ve avoided it since then because I was convinced that it couldn’t possibly be all that good. However, following my negative feelings about Avatar, and being sick and tired of being constantly told that I justhad to see Titanic, I thought it was time to give it a shot.
Surprisingly, I didn’t hate it, though I have a feeling that I could pretty easily talk myself into hating it if I spent a couple solid hours thinking about it. More interesting than any review of the film, though (because, really, what is there to say about it that hasn’t already been said?) is how it reflects, and is reflected by, Avatar, which shares fundamentally the same preoccupations. That in turn reflects the interests and efforts of writer / director Cameron, and – maybe – can tell us something about what about these fundamentally mediocre efforts so connected with audiences.
Head over to the Lounge to see my article on the potential impact of the Globe noms on this year’s Oscar campaigns.
Sorry for the long delay in posting — I’ve been on vacation for the past week and haven’t gotten a chance to focus on the blog. There should be a “Week in Review” on The Ides of March tomorrow and a feature article on Friday, but if you can’t wait, here’s the short recap I wrote for DailyLounge.com on the best hand-drawn animated films.
The Jentleman’s rundown on the best political movies. Hint: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington makes the list.
‘Bruno,’ 2009.
Simply awful.
