Superfluous slasher sequels and Labor Day mean one thing for filmgoers: the long summer movie season is finally coming to a close. Though I did my fair share of grumbling and there were alarmingly more “Colon: Movies” than ever before, the summer of 2009 ended up being a fairly solid season. The year as a whole has been eerily reminiscent of 1999 in that there have been a slew of top-of-the-line “niche” films and both art-house and multiplex offerings have been more thoughtful than usual by delivering subtext and social commentary with their cliches, laughter, violence and gore. Whether any of these films will matter ten years from now is hard to tell. Looking back on the summer trends, I think I’ll always remember this 2009 season as the summer Hollywood went to war. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Bruno
Do Not Make Me Stop This Bus
From the low-brow satire of Sacha Baron Cohen to the high-brow satire of Irene Nemirovsky…from an obscene film preaching tolerance to a museum depicting the obscene cost of intolerance…it was an interesting, albeit low-key and contemplative visit to New York City this weekend.
Here’s the rundown:
Saturday Morning: I hopped on the bus and endured sitting behind a trio of non-stop nattering nitwits. Luckily I had my Best American Short Stories book with me, and I especially enjoyed reading Johnathan Lethem’s hilariously pretentious “The King of Sentences” in the context of sitting behind my unfortunately histrionic and vapidly loquacious travel companions. If only I could come up with a perfect sentence to describe the situation that would make the King proud! Continue reading
