The Blind Side Opens Today

Shot in and around Atlanta, Sandra Bullock's new film The Blind Side opens today. See my original review here.

Mooning

I have a date with my girls tonight to see #Twilight: New Moon. Got the tix a week or so ago. I think I'm team Jacob because I don't really like vampires who walk around in the daylight. There's something just wrong with that. Stay tuned for my review.

Emory Cinematheque Screening Tonight

Emory Cinematheque will be screening the classic Citizen Cane tonight at 8pm in White Hall 205. FREE and open to the public. This will give you an excuse to murmur "Rosebud" all day long.

Bloody DVD

Thirst is on dvd this week too. Unlike Bruno, it is safe to rent or buy this dvd. Here is my original review for Thirst:

So this past weekend was movie-lite for me. I was only lukewarm about seeing All About Steve and so when the abysmal reviews started to pop up on Thursday and Friday, I decided not to go see it. Normally I don't let reviews get in the way of seeing something I really want to see. In this recession, however, I'm not going to pay my hard-earned money for a movie I'm on the fence about and everyone else says is crap. I'm not that rich, bitch.

But I did scoot over to Landmark Midtown Art Cinema to see Thirst, the latest movie from Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook who also made Oldboy. [In Atlanta you have to move fast to see foreign and art house films because they might not stay in a theater for more than a week.] Thirst is a vampire flick. But it's not like your kitschy True Blood fang-bangers or Twilight vamp-lite wannabes. For one thing, there are only two vampires and neither sports fangs.

The story focuses on Sang-hyun, a Catholic priest, who decides to voluntarily submit to a medical experiment to find a cure for a disease known as the Emmanuel Virus. But no cure is found, and Sang-hyun is the lone survivor out of 500 volunteers. Not only is he a survivor, but he has unwittingly become a vampire. The rest of the film focuses on Sang-hyun's descent into sin--lust, adultery, murder--despite his best efforts to hold onto his previously pious existence. His accomplice into hell is Tae-ju, the daughter-in-law of an old acquaintance. Once Tae-ju learns who and what Sang-hyun is, she hastens his and her own demise, and literally becomes a monster herself. Although the film is more concerned with metaphysical rather than physical transformations, there are still gory moments and strong sexual content. So it's not for the faint of heart or easily offended.

I liked this film, but as with any foreign film, I cannot help but wonder if I am missing some cultural nuance that simply isn't conveyed through the subtitles. Also, I wanted to know more about the virus which we are told only affects Asians and Caucasians. Indeed, all the medical team members trying to find a cure are African. And since there are no other vamps in the movie, it's not really explained why the other infected people died or why other vampires were not made. Any way, I guess I'll just have to ponder that. But if you liked Oldboy and Let the Right One In [a surreal vamp flick from Denmark], you'll probably like Thirst.

Don't Rent or Buy This

Bruno is out on DVD this week and I think it's one of the worst movies of the year. I'm mad at myself for sitting through the whole thing. Here's my original review:

I had the day off and had planned on having lunch with a friend, but he couldn't make it. So I decided to catch a 1:30p showing of Bruno. Oh why, oh why didn't I go to see Harry Potter instead? The best thing about Bruno is the end. I don't necessarily mean the credits, but the sing-a-long Sasha Barron Cohen's over-the-top character has with Bono, Elton John, Snoop Dogg, and Chris Martin. [I may have forgotten someone, but whatever. ] The second best thing about the movie was the little black baby Bruno adopts. That kid is a cutie and was worth every second of his time on screen. The third thing I liked best about seeing Bruno today was the fact that I was able to pick up a Georgia Organics Local Food Guide which has a listing of all the local farms, markets, and restaurants that sell organic and natural foods in metro Atlanta. If you happen to be at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema anytime soon, hopefully to see something other than Bruno, you should pick one up. Finally, I'll just sum up and say that Bruno is like a joke that you think is funny, hilarious even, in your head, but when you go to tell it to your friends, no one gets it and no one thinks its funny.

Pitching It

This chick had a lot of fun last night. I was one of six people invited to participate in the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival 365 Perfect Pitch contest to pitch a screenplay idea and I won! WooHoo. See here. If you a great film lover like me, whether you're in or out of the business, the Atlanta Film Festival 365 is a great organization to become involved in. That is all. Carry on.

Random Movie Poll

Which one is the best?

Mad Max

The Road Warrior

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

Discuss

Emory Movie Mania Screening Tonight

Movie Mania Series @ Emory featuring discussions on psychoanalytic theories and issues. Screenings are on Fridays at 7:30p in 205 White Hall. Tonight's film is Into the Wild which is based on a true story about an Emory Alum. After the film, there will be a discussion with Dr. Paul Trudeau and Dr. Ed Leader, both from Emory.