Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Films That I Saw: June 2013




Another month is coming to an end as we’re about to reach the halfway point of 2013. So far as, I’ve seen more than 240 films to date which I must say is pretty good. Of 2013 releases, I’ve seen 10 films and one mini-series which is a decent start. So in some ways, this is already a pretty good year. However, there was an incident that hasn’t really left my mind but also states some of the downside of going to the cinema.

The nearest multiplex I go to at AMC Parkway Pointe 15 on Cobb Parkway is only an eight-minute drive (depending on the traffic) away from my house. Yet, it’s a place I sort of don’t enjoy because I find the multiplexes to be a bit oppressive in some ways not just because of the movies they don’t show but some of the attitude that occurs when I see a film. I had the unfortunate experience of having to sit nearby someone who had his phone on during the start of Man of Steel as this fucker was texting. I asked him to turn off the phone. He refused and I tried again but he was getting angry at me. I started to get mad because he wasn’t obeying the rules of what someone should do in a movie theater. Barely five-six minutes into the movie goes by and the guy was still pissed and he was at me again where I just basically spat at him.

I’m not proud of what I did and I could’ve handled the situation much better. Things could’ve gotten worse as I ended up just walking out of the theater altogether. Besides, Man of Steel wasn’t looking very good anyways. It was just a very unsatisfying moment to see that there’s people that won’t obey the rules when one watches a movie. It definitely soured a lot of the experiences I had in that multiplex as it’s a place I’m not really fond of so I don’t think I’m going to go there for a while. It’s not a very fun place to go to the movies to and this was the same theater where I had that unfortunate incident that involved Django Unchained stopping late in the movie.

At least there’s other options in going to the nearest art-house theater 15-20 minutes away from house. Sure, there’s gas to pay but at least the Lefont Theatre Sandy Springs and UA Tara are theaters that have good reputations and show great movies while its many patrons are people who definitely have respect for the rules.

In the month of June, I’ve seen a total of 35 films, 24 first-timers and 11 re-watches. Definitely down from last month but still impressive though there weren’t a lot of re-watches this month. The highlight of the month is in my Blind Spot assignment in A Woman Under the Influence.

Here are the 10 Best First-Timers I saw for June 2013:

1. Frances Ha



2. Before Midnight



3. The Bling Ring



4. Love and Death

5. Masculin Feminin



6. Killer Joe



7. Searching for Sugar Man



8. Sleeper



9. Magic Mike



10. Zelig



Mini-Reviews:

Trouble with the Curve



I like the cast the film has and I’m definitely a born-and-raised fan of the Atlanta Braves but man, this film was terrible. Despite the performances of Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, and John Goodman. It’s a film that is just bogged down by a very lame story that is mawkish and sentimental at times but also features a story about this prospect who is pretty much a dick where he does get his comeuppance in the form of one of the dumbest conclusions ever. If there’s a film that stars Clint Eastwood, he’d better be behind the camera as well as get a screenwriter who knows how to steer away from convention.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1978-recut version)



I had originally planned to watch both versions of this film but I felt a little worn out and didn’t have the time to watch the long version though I still have my review saved for the time being. The shortened version is still intriguing as it features an amazing Ben Gazzara as this nightclub owner in debt that needed to clear his debt by killing a Chinese criminal. It’s a very interesting film from John Cassavetes though I’m eager to see what Cassavetes had to cut in his original version.

Top 10 Re-Watches:

1. Ran



2. National Lampoon’s Animal House



3. Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut)



4. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit



5. Uncle Buck



6. Moneyball



7. The Dark Knight Rises



8. Ella Enchanted



9. Lick the Star



10. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets



Well, that’s it for June as the Summer of Woody Allen will continue in July as I’m going to cover his work from the late 80s and the 1990s for the second and third parts of the Auteurs series on Allen. There will also be some reviews of a few Westerns plus foreign films as well as new releases like I’m So Excited!, Only God Forgives, Pacific Rim, and hopefully, Blue Jasmine as I hope to stay away from the multiplex for the time being. I will also be posting for the first time in nearly a year, the next essay in the Favorite Film series as I have an essay that is nearly finished as well as couple of ideas that is already looming in my head.



In the world of music as The Void-Go-Round is now active again, I’m going to post some mini-reviews of some 2013 releases while my main focus will be chronicling the entire Nine Inch Nails discography in anticipation for their new album Hesitation Marks coming in September as I hope to see them later in October. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off and I hope you all enjoy this clip below (unless you suffer from epilepsy).



Welcome back NIN & David Lynch.

© thevoid99 2013

2 comments:

Chris said...

I saw that S Coppola short Lick the Star recently. For me the story kind of foreshadows The Bling Ring, about rebellious teens.

Which westerns are you planning on seeing?

Sorry you had that phone guy in the theatre. That's no fun. If happens again, you could always get someone working at the place to have a word with the person. That's my suggestion(although not ideal since you'll miss couple minutes of movie)

thevoid99 said...

The westerns I'm going to see are High Noon and How the West Was Won.

Yeah, what happened at the theater sucked. I don't think there will be a next time but if I do come back to that multiplex. I will the management that if they don't handle another situation like this. I will do it myself and it won't be pretty.