It’s strange this writing things that get published on the internet. You never really know who is reading what your wrote, if anyone actually is at all. This afternoon I went to see a Fathom screening of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. When I got to the theater, I tweeted about it and shared my location on Facebook. Then later this afternoon, in real life, no fewer than three people asked me how the movie was. That always throws me. It took me a minute to realize how they knew I’d gone to the movies. It makes perfect sense that people I know in real life who follow my social-media feeds know what I’m doing when I post about it, but it’s still a really strange feeling when real life meets your virtual one.
It’s the same with publishing movie reviews and picking out new releases. I’ve never had anyone in real life discuss a review I wrote on this site, but presumably there are people reading these words. I hate to admit it but that realization sometimes affects what films I choose to highlight every week. Most weeks there is a single film that truly stands out to me and that’s what I pick – disagreements be damned. But other weeks, like this one, finds me with several interesting choices but nothing that just screams at me to be picked.
On those occasions, I tend to ponder what a reader my think of me for picking one thing over another. This week there were three choices. The first one, The BFG, is the only one I’ve actually seen. It’s an obvious choice as it’s a big, effects-laden blockbuster by Steven Spielberg based upon a beloved Roald Dahl book. You couldn’t fault me for picking that one. Thing is, I didn’t really like the film. Oh, it had its moments and was ably directed by Mr. Spielberg but it just didn’t move me in the way it was meant to do. The last quarter of the film felt really disjointed as well, like it needed a bit more time to find a proper conclusion but couldn’t be bothered.
Then there is Pete’s Dragon, the newest of the Disney “live action” remakes. It looks gorgeous and it got decent reviews. I’m quite sure my daughter would love it as well. Like The BFG, no one could fault me for making this the headline. A big Disney film coming out on Blu-ray will surely garner some clicks, but I have never seen the original film so I have no nostalgic attachment to it, nor any reason to see the new one. While it does look gorgeous, it also looks rather dull so I’ll ultimately put off watching it until sometime later.
Lastly, we have Don’t Breathe, a crime thriller with lots of horror elements. It’s directed by the guy who did the gruesome Evil Dead remake and is about three attractive teenagers who break into a blind-man’s home for a quick score only to find out that’s way more difficult than it seems. It’s gotten great reviews from the sort of people who like this sort of thing (and it most certainly is my kind of thing) and looks like it’s a lot of (horrifying) fun. Yet, this is a film that’s not going to get nearly the traction those other two choices would get in terms of bringing people to the site to read my words, but it is a lot more hip. It’s a much cooler choices than a Disney movie or a Spielberg family tent-pole flick.
I don’t really pretend to be cool anymore. I’m a 40-year-old, pot-bellied, bald-headed dad. I had to give up those pretensions a long time ago, but apparently I’m not above trying to earn hipster points to anonymous internet people either, which is why Don’t Breathe is my pick of the week. But it really does look good, too.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie: I suppose if I was really hip I’d be making this my pick. All my cool friends are excited about it. But I never watched the show, and I don’t plan to start now.
Phenomena: A young Jennifer Connelly stars in this Dario Argento horror film about a boarding-school girl who can control insects with her mind. Synapse Films is putting out a really cool-looking Steelbook for their HD upgrade which makes it worth a mention.
Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist – The Complete Series: I’v never heard of this anime before, but that title alone gets it a mention (and you should check out the synopsis too).
The Driller Killer: Arrow Video once again proves they are the go-to manufacturer of terrific Blu-ray sets of crazy movies. Abel Ferrara directed this 1979 horror flick about an artist going crazy in New York who starts killing people with a power drill. It’s got a new transfer and is filled with loads of extras including three never-before-released short films from the director.
Soundbreaking: Stories From the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music: An eight-part documentary series about the music artists who have transformed modern recorded music.
